Color reproduction system for making color display of four or more primary colors based on input tristimulus values

• US 6,633,302 B1
• Filed: 05/24/2000
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Ajito, Takeyuki, Yamaguchi, Masahiro, Ohyama, Nagaaki, Ohsawa, Kenro
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, DAVID LEE
• Application Number:
  US09/577,923
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 345/604, 345/590, 345/591, 345/87, 345/600, 345/419, 345/22, 345/204, 348/742
• US Class Current: 345/604
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• 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 9/3105 for displaying all colours simultaneously, e.g. by using two or more electronic spatial light modulators simultaneous projection in colour photography G03B33/10; beam splitting or combining systems per se G02B27/10

Abstract

A color reproduction system includes a color image display unit capable of displaying a color image of four or more primary colors, and a color converting unit for converting input three-primary color signals into color image signals of respective primary colors of the color image display unit. The color converting unit includes an area deciding section that decides a color conversion area to which the input three-primary color signals belong in a three-dimensional color space, and a color image signal calculating section that converts the input three-primary color signals into color image signals of respective primary colors based on color conversion parameters corresponding to a color conversion area decided by the area deciding section.

Claims

1. A color reproduction system comprising:

a color image display unit capable of displaying a color image of at least four primary colors; and

,

a color converting unit for converting input tristimulus values into color image signals of respective primary colors of the color image display unit,

wherein the color converting unit includes;

an area deciding section for deciding which one of a plurality of color conversion areas the input tristimulus values belong to in a three-dimensional color space; and

a color image signal calculating section for converting the input tristimulus values into the color image signals of the respective primary colors based on color conversion parameters corresponding to the color conversion area decided by the area deciding section, and

wherein the color converting unit obtains a color image signal that is larger than 0 for at least four primary colors in at least one of the color conversion areas.

2. A color reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein the decided color conversion area is a hexahedron constructed by colors corresponding to tristimulus values that take a value from 0 to a maximum value and other color image signals that take either 0 or a maximum value.

3. A color reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein the decided color conversion area is a pyramid constructed by predetermined input tristimulus values within a reproducible color space in the color image display unit and vertexes that form a surface of the reproducible color space.

4. A color reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein the color image signal calculating section comprises a look-up table for storing the color image signals by using the input tristimulus values as an address, and a color converting unit for converting the input tristimulus values into color image signals by referring to the look-up table.

5. A color reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein the color converting unit further includes a profile data memory section for storing profile data of the color image display unit as the color conversion parameters, the area deciding section obtains an area for prescribing a conversion profile of the input tristimulus values by using the profile data and outputs a coefficient of each primary color signal according to the area, and the color image signal calculating section converts the coefficient of each primary color signal and the profile data into an input signal to the color image, display unit.

6. A color reproduction system according to claim 5, wherein the profile data memory section stores X, Y and Z coordinate data at a time of a maximum light emission of each primary color and gradation characteristic data for providing a relationship between an input signal value and light emission luminance as the profile data.

7. A color reproduction system according to claim 5, wherein the profile data is prepared by displaying an image of a sample signal value for each primary color in the color image display unit and by measuring X, Y and Z values of the images in synchronism with the display of the image of the sample signal value for each primary color.

8. A color reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein the area deciding section divides a reproducible color space in the color image display unit into a plurality of divided areas based on a combination of three color image signals that take a value from 0 to a maximum value and other color image signals that take either 0 or a maximum value, determines a divided area to which the input tristimulus values belong among of the plurality of divided areas, and outputs a coefficient of each primary color signal in the determined divided area.

9. A color reproduction system according to claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of divided areas is a hexahedron.

10. A color reproduction system according to claim 8, wherein when the input tristimulus values do not belong to any one of the plurality of divided areas, the area deciding section sets a predetermined position within the reproducible color space in the color image display unit as a target color, maps the input tristimulus values into a cross point between a line connecting between the target color and the input tri-stimulus values and the surface of the reproducible color space, and outputs a coefficient of each primary color signal.

11. A color reproduction system according to claim 5, wherein the color image signal calculating section comprises a linear signal calculating section for obtaining a linear signal by multiplying a maximum gradation value of each primary color to a corresponding coefficient from the area deciding section and outputting the obtained linear signal, and a gradation correcting section for correcting a gradation of each linear signal by using gradation characteristic data from the profile memory unit.

12. A color reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein:

the area deciding section decides a divided area for converting the input tristimulus values from a reproducible color space that has been divided into a plurality of tetrahedral areas in advance, and calculates a linear signal based on the input tristimulus values and the profile data according to the decided divided area, and

the color image signal calculating section carries out a predetermined gradation correction and calculates an input signal to the color image display unit.

13. A color reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the color conversion areas is a polyhedron which includes a tristimulus value that is obtained by mixing at least four primary colors, as a vertex.

14. A color reproduction system according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the color conversion areas is one of a hexahedron and a pyramid which includes a tristimulus value that is obtained by mixing at least four primary colors, as a vertex.

15. A color reproduction system according to claim 1, wherein said color image display unit includes a plurality of color image display devices each corresponding to a different one of three main primary colors.