Selecting a transfer function for a display device

• US 6,975,332 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2004
• Issued: 12/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Arnold, R. David, Dowling, Terence S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAHMJOO, MANUCHEHR
• Application Number:
  US10/795,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20050195213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 345/611, 345/589, 345/592, 345/594, 345/597
• US Class Current: 345/611
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0673 for control of gamma adjustment, e.g. selecting another gamma curve
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/04 for receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/202 Gamma control circuits for controlling camera response irrespective of the scene brightness H04N23/82

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatus for generating test patterns for selecting a transfer function of a display device. A method includes generating multiple simulated transfer functions for a display device, rendering multiple patterns of anti-aliased parallel lines on the display device, each pattern rendered according to a corresponding one of the simulated transfer functions and including off-vertical lines and off-horizontal lines, receiving an input from a user of the display device selecting one of the patterns rendered on the display device and setting a transfer function for the display device to the simulated transfer function representing the selected pattern, the transfer function characterizing a relationship between an applied input voltage and an output luminance for any given pixel on the display device.

Claims

1. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in an information carrier, for selecting a transfer function for a display device, the computer program product being operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

render multiple patterns of anti-aliased parallel lines on a display device, each pattern rendered according to a corresponding one of a plurality of simulated gamma functions;

receive an input from a user of the display device that selects one of the patterns rendered on the display device; and

set a gamma function for the display device to a simulated gamma function representing the selected pattern of anti-aliased parallel lines, the gamma function characterizing a non-linear relationship between an applied input voltage and an output luminance for any given pixel on the display device.

2. The computer program of claim 1 further operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

generate multiple simulated gamma functions for the display device.

3. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the gamma function characterizes a non-linear relationship between an applied input voltage and an output luminance for any given pixel on the display device.

4. The computer program of claim 1 further operable to cause data processing apparatus to:

instruct the user to select one of the patterns having a most uniform thickness of lines.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein each pattern comprises:

a first group of slanted lines that are in a generally vertical orientation, the first group representing an effect in a scan-line direction; and

a second group of slanted lines that are in a generally horizontal orientation, the second group representing an effect between lines.

6. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the display device is a cellular telephone.

7. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the display device is a personal data assistant (PDA).

8. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the display device is a monochrome display device.

9. The computer program product of claim 1 wherein the display device is a red, green, blue (RGB) display device.

10. A system for selecting a transfer function for a display device, the system comprising:

means for rendering multiple patterns of anti-aliased parallel lines on a display device, each pattern rendered according to a corresponding one of a plurality of simulated gamma functions;

means for receiving an input from a user of the display device that selects one of the patterns rendered on the display device; and

means for setting a gamma function for the display device to a simulated gamma function representing the selected pattern of anti-aliased parallel lines, the gamma function characterizing a non-linear relationship between an applied input voltage and an output luminance for any given pixel on the display device.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising means for generating the multiple simulated gamma functions for the display device.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the gamma function characterizes a non-linear relationship between an applied input voltage and an output luminance for any given pixel on the display device.

13. The system of claim 10 further comprising means for instructing the user to select one of the patterns having a most uniform thickness of lines.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein each pattern comprises:

a first group of slanted lines that are in a generally vertical orientation, the first group representing an effect in a scan-line direction; and

a second group of slanted lines that are in a generally horizontal orientation, the second group representing an effect between lines.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the display device is a cellular telephone.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the display device is a personal data assistant (PDA).

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the display device is a monochrome display device.

18. The system of claim 10 wherein the display device is a red, green, blue (RGB) display device.

19. A method comprising:

generating multiple simulated transfer functions for a display device;

rendering multiple patterns of anti-aliased parallel lines on the display device, each pattern rendered according to a corresponding one of the simulated transfer functions;

receiving an input from a user of the display device selecting one of the patterns of anti-aliased parallel lines rendered on the display device; and

setting a transfer function for the display device to the simulated transfer function representing the selected pattern, the transfer function characterizing a non-linear relationship between an applied input voltage and an output luminance for any given pixel on the display device.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising instructing the user to select one of the patterns having a most uniform thickness of lines.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the multiple simulated transfer functions are simulated gamma functions, each of the simulated gamma functions characterizing multiple non-linear relationships between the applied input voltage and the output luminance for any given pixel on the display device.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein each pattern comprises:

a first group of slanted lines that are in a generally vertical orientation, the first group representing an effect in a scan-line direction; and

a second group of slanted lines that are in a generally horizontal orientation, the second group representing an effect between lines.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein generating multiple simulated transfer functions comprises generating multiple simulated transfer functions within a software application.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein the display device is a cellular telephone.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the display device is a personal data assistant (PDA).

26. A method comprising:

rendering multiple patterns of anti-aliased parallel lines on a display device, each pattern rendered according to a corresponding one of a plurality of simulated gamma functions;

receiving an input from a user of the display device that selects one of the patterns rendered on the display device; and

setting a gamma function for the display device to a simulated gamma function representing the selected pattern of anti-aliased parallel lines, the gamma function characterizing a non-liner relationship between an applied input voltage and an output luminance for any given pixel on the display device.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein rendering further comprises generating the multiple simulated gamma functions for the display device.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the gamma function characterizes a non-linear relationship between an applied input voltage and an output luminance for any given pixel on the display device.

29. The method of claim 26 further comprising instructing the user to select one of the patterns having a most uniform thickness of lines.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein each pattern comprises:

a first group of slanted lines that are in a generally vertical orientation, the first group representing an effect in a scan-line direction; and

a second group of slanted lines that are in a generally horizontal orientation, the second group representing an effect between lines.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein the display device is a cellular telephone.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein the display device is a personal data assistant (PDA).

33. A method comprising:

generating multiple simulated transfer functions for a display device;

rendering multiple patterns of anti-aliased parallel lines on the display device, each pattern rendered according to a corresponding one of the simulated transfer functions and including off-vertical lines and off-horizontal lines;

receiving an input from a user of the display device selecting one of the patterns rendered on the display device; and

setting a transfer function for the display device to a simulated transfer function representing the selected pattern of anti-aliased parallel lines, the transfer function characterizing a non-linear relationship between an applied input voltage and an output luminance for any given pixel on the display device.

34. The method of claim 33 further comprising instructing the user to select one of the patterns having a most uniform thickness of lines.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein the display device is a red, green, blue (RGB) display device.

36. The method of claim 33 wherein the display device is a monochrome display device.