Method and apparatus for display calibration and control

• US 5,570,108 A
• Filed: 12/15/1995
• Issued: 10/29/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Radius, Inc. (Washington) (DXC Technology Company)
• Inventors: Taylor, John M., McLaughlin, Michael D., Greicar, Richard K., Signa, John C.
• Primary Examiner(s): BRIER, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US08/574,460
• Time in Patent Office: 319 Days
• Field of Search: 345/145, 345/146, 345/150, 345/153, 345/154, 345/904, 348/177, 348/178, 348/180, 348/189, 348/191, 348/734, 358/527, 358/531
• US Class Current: 715/823
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 1/165 Details of a display terminal using a CRT, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto details suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/06 Adjustment of display parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0693 Calibration of display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6052 Matching two or more picture signal generators or two or more picture reproducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/02 for colour television signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/04 for receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/73 Colour balance circuits, e.g. white balance circuits or colour temperature control camera processing pipelines for colour balance H04N23/88
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/904 Display with fail/safe testing feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/97 Instrumentation and component modelling, e.g. interactive control panel

Abstract

A method and system for controlling a display. The system includes a processor programmed to control (and optionally also calibrate) a display in response to user selection of displayed virtual controls. Preferred embodiments of the system includes circuitry within the display device which operates under control of software in response to user-entered commands for adjustment of parameters of the display device. In preferred embodiments, the processor is programmed with software which stores multiple types of data (including display parameters measured during calibration and user-specified adjustment data indicative of differences between first and second sets of display control parameters) in separate data files; executes a locking operation which disables mechanical controls on the display device, periodically and automatically polls the status of the display, and automatically corrects any display parameter whose value differs from a desired value; displays two-dimensional controls with horizontal and vertical segments which a user can drag to vary display parameters such as brightness, contrast, and picture size or position; displays controls enabling a user conveniently to select either a maximum displayed intensity value of one primary color or a linear combination of two primary colors; and achieves excellent color matching between displayed and printed images by setting the display'"'"'s white point to a proofing level (by directly controlling display circuitry) and prompting the user to perform color matching with the display at the selected proofing white point. The invention also includes the methods performed by the described system.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a display having mechanical controls, said display being interfaced with a processor programmed with display control software for controlling the display in response to signals from an input device interfaced with the processor, said method including the steps of:

(a) executing the display control software in response to a user-entered command to cause the display control software to display virtual controls, where the virtual controls are selectable by manipulating the input device, and where selection of each one of the virtual controls triggers execution of a display control operation; and

(b) executing the display control software to automatically poll status of the display from time to time and automatically correct parameters of the display whose polled values differ from predetermined values.

2. An image display system, including:

a display having mechanical controls;

an input device; and

a processor interfaced with the display and the input device, wherein the processor is programmed with display control software for controlling the display in response to signals from the input device, wherein the processor is also programmed with;

software for executing the display control software to cause the display control software to display virtual controls, where the virtual controls are selectable by manipulating the input device, and where selection of each one of the virtual controls triggers execution of a display control operation, wherein the processor is also programmed with;

software for executing the display control software to cause the display control software to automatically poll status of the display from time to time, and automatically correct parameters of the display whose polled values differ from predetermined values.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the processor is also programmed with:

software for executing the display control software to cause the display control software to implement password protection by preventing selection of the virtual controls until after user entry of a password.