System for and method of calibrating a computer monitor

• US 6,326,979 B1
• Filed: 01/19/1999
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Information Technologies Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Information Technologies Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Radeztsky, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIMNHUNG T
• Application Number:
  US09/233,702
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 345/127, 345/131, 345/132, 345/173, 345/433, 345/438, 345/439, 345/660, 345/655, 345/666, 345/656, 345/681, 345/472, 345/472.1, 345/472.2, 382/117
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/30 Input circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/339 Displays specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 1/162 for displaying digital inputs as analog magnitudes, e.g. curves, bar graphs, coordinate axes, singly or in combination with alpha-numeric characters cathode-ray oscilloscopes for displaying analog inputs, singly or in combination with alpha-numeric characters G01R13/20; television receiver circuitry for displaying supplementary, e.g. alpha-numeric, information H04N5/445
• 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 2320/0693 Calibration of display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0442 Handling or displaying different aspect ratios, or changing the aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092

Abstract

An apparatus and method of calibrating a video monitor relative to an external object is claimed. A video representation of an object is displayed on a video monitor. An external object is placed adjacent the monitor. The size of the video representation of the object is changed to substantially match of the size of at least a portion of the external object.

Claims

1. A method of calibrating a video monitor relative to an external object, the method comprising:

displaying a video representation of an object on the video monitor;

placing the external object adjacent the monitor; and

changing the size of the video representation of the object to substantially match the size of at least a portion of the object.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the act of changing the size of the video representation of the object further comprises generating a cursor and positioning the cursor on the video representation of the object such that at least a portion of the video representation of the object and at least a portion of the external object are substantially the same size.

3. A method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the act of positioning the cursor utilizes a mouse.

4. A method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the act of positioning the cursor utilizes a track ball.

5. A method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the act of positioning the cursor utilizes a stylus pen.

6. A method as set forth in claim 2, wherein the act of positioning the cursor utilizes a touch screen system.

7. A method as set forth in claim 1, and further comprising determining a mapping factor based on the size of the video representation of the object, and determining total screen size of the monitor based on the mapping factor.

8. A method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the mapping factor is a ratio of a number of pixels per millimeter.

9. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the external object is a ruler.

10. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the video representation of an object is a video representation of a ruler.

11. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the act of changing the size of the video representation of the object to match the size of at least a portion of the external object includes the act of determining the pixel size for the monitor.

12. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the act of changing the size of the video representation of the object includes changing the horizontal size of the video representation of the object, thereby automatically changing the vertical size of the video representation of the object.

13. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the act of changing the size of the video representation of the object includes changing the vertical size of the video representation of the object, thereby automatically changing the horizontal size of the video representation of the object.

14. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the act of changing the size of the video representation of the object includes the act of maintaining an aspect ratio.

15. A method as set forth in claim 14, wherein the aspect ratio is 4:

3.

24. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the video representation of an object on the video monitor is a video representation of the external object adjacent the monitor.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a video monitor for presenting a video representation of an object;

a computer connected to the monitor; and

software associated with the computer to calibrate the video monitor relative to a reference object adjacent to and external to the monitor.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein the reference external to the monitor is a ruler.

18. The apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein the video representation of the object is a video representation of a ruler.

19. The apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein the computer displays a cursor on the monitor, and wherein the position of the cursor on the video representation of the object causes the software to alter the video representation of the object such that at least a portion of the video representation of the object and at least a portion of the external object are substantially the same size.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a video monitor for presenting a video representation of an object;

means for calibrating the video monitor relative to a reference object adjacent to and external to the monitor.

21. The apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein the reference external to the monitor is a ruler.

22. The apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein the video representation of the object is a video representation of a ruler.

23. The apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein the means for calibrating further displays a cursor on the monitor, and wherein the position of the cursor on the video representation of the object causes the software to alter the video representation of the object such that at least a portion of the video representation of the object and at least a portion of the external object are substantially the same size.