Image display control system and image display system control method

• US 7,148,929 B1
• Filed: 02/24/2000
• Issued: 12/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aoki, Shuji, Abe, Naoto, Yamazaki, Tatsuro, Mori, Makiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Trang U.
• Application Number:
  US09/512,268
• Time in Patent Office: 2,483 Days
• Field of Search: 348/553, 348/552, 348/569, 348/570, 348/460, 348/722, 348/734, 345/132, 345/112
• US Class Current: 348/553
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0673 for control of gamma adjustment, e.g. selecting another gamma curve
• 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 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4108 characterised by an identification number or address, e.g. local network address protecting specific internal or external computer components using identification number G06F21/73; network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/04 Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/08 Separation of synchronising signals from picture signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/58 in dependence upon ambient light

Abstract

This invention discloses an arrangement capable of controlling necessary display characteristics by a proper one of a controller and image display when display characteristics must be corrected upon an environmental change even if the image display and controller are located apart from each other in an image display control system having the controller for outputting a signal including at least a pair of video and acoustic signals, and at least one image display for receiving a signal from the controller and displaying a corresponding image. This invention adopts various sensors for detecting the environment of one of the controller and image display. In adjusting the display characteristics of the image display in accordance with the detection results of the sensors, the display characteristics of the image display are adjusted by either one of the controller and image display in accordance with an adjustment target.

Claims

1. A television system having a terminal for receiving a television program, and outputting a signal including at least a video signal and an audio signal, and an image display device, connected to the terminal with a connection cable for receiving the signal from the terminal, for outputting an image corresponding to the video signal and a sound corresponding to the audio signal, comprising:

a detection unit, arranged in the image display device, for detecting a plurality of kinds of ambient environment around the image display device;

a transmission unit for transmitting a change of one of the plurality of kinds of ambient environment detected by said detection unit to the terminal through the connection cable;

a first adjustment unit, arranged in the terminal, for adjusting a predetermined output characteristic of the image or the sound to be outputted by the image display device by modulating the signal to be outputted to the image display device based on the change of the one kind of ambient environment transmitted by said transmission unit;

a second adjustment unit, arranged in the image display device, for adjusting another output characteristic of the image or the sound to be outputted by the image display device by modulating the signal received from the terminal based on the change of another one of the plurality of kinds of ambient environment detected by said detection unit.

2. The television system according to claim 1, wherein the output characteristic which is set to be adjusted by said first adjustment unit includes image brightness.

3. The television system according to claim 1, wherein the output characteristic which is set to be adjusted by said second adjustment unit includes image color temperature.

4. The television system according to claim 1, wherein said detection unit detects a busy telephone signal, and said second adjustment unit performs a volume adjustment operation to reduce noise.

5. The television system according to claim 1, wherein an adjustment result of said second adjustment unit is informed to the terminal.

6. The television system according to claim 2, wherein the output characteristic which is set to be adjusted by said first adjustment unit includes image contrast.

7. A control method for a television system having a terminal for receiving a television program, and outputting a signal including at least a video signal and an audio signal, and an image display device, connected to the terminal with a connection cable for receiving the signal from the terminal, for outputting an image corresponding to the video signal and a sound corresponding to the audio signal, the control method comprising:

a detection step of detecting a plurality of kinds of ambient environment around the image display device, said detection step being executed in the image display device;

a transmission step of transmitting a change of one of the plurality of kinds of ambient environment detected in said detection step to the terminal through the connection cable;

a first adjustment step of adjusting a predetermined output characteristic of the image or the sound to be outputted by the image display device by modulating the signal to be outputted to the image display device based on a change of the one kind of ambient environment transmitted in said transmission step, the first adjustment step being executed in the terminal;

a second adjustment step of adjusting another output characteristic of the image or the sound to be outputted by the image display device by modulating the signal received from the terminal based on the change of another one of the plurality of kinds of ambient environment detected in said detection step, the second adjustment step being executed in the image display device.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the output characteristic which is set to be adjusted in said first adjustment step includes image brightness.

9. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the output characteristic which is set to be adjusted in said second adjustment step includes image color temperature.

10. The control method according to claim 7, wherein said second detection step detects a busy telephone signal, and said second adjustment step comprises a volume adjustment operation.

11. The control method according to claim 7, wherein an adjustment result in said second adjustment step is informed to the terminal.

12. The control method according to claim 7, wherein the output characteristic which is set to be adjusted in said first adjustment step includes image contrast.

13. A computer program product embodied in a computer-readable medium for controlling operation of a television system having a terminal for receiving a television program, and outputting a signal including at least a video signal and an audio signal, and an image display device, connected to the terminal with a connection cable for receiving the signal from the terminal, for outputting an image corresponding to the video and a sound corresponding to the audio signal, comprising code for performing:

a detection step of detecting a plurality of kinds of ambient environment around the image display device, the first detection step being executed in the image display device;

a transmission step of transmitting a change of one of the plurality of kinds of ambient environment detected in said detection step to the terminal through the connection cable;

a first adjustment step of adjusting a predetermined output characteristic of the image or the sound to be outputted by the image display device by modulating the signal to be outputted to the image display device based on a change of the one kind of ambient environment transmitted in said transmission step, the first adjustment step being executed in the terminal;

a second adjustment step of adjusting another output characteristic of the image or the sound to be outputted by the image display device by modulating the signal received from the terminal based on the change of the another one of the plurality of kinds of ambient environment detected in said detection step, the second adjustment step being executed in the image display device.

14. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a computer program for controlling operation of a television system having a terminal for receiving a television program, and outputting a signal including at least a video signal and an audio signal, and an image display device, connected to the terminal with a connection cable for receiving the signal from the terminal, for outputting an image corresponding to the video signal and a sound corresponding to the audio signal, the computer program comprising code for executing:

a detection step of detecting a plurality of kinds of ambient environment around the image display device, the detection step being executed in the image display device;

a transmission step of transmitting a change of one of the plurality of kinds of ambient environment detected in said detection step to the terminal through the connection cable;

a first adjustment step of adjusting a predetermined output characteristic of the image or the sound to be outputted by the image display device by modulating the signal to be outputted to the image display device based on a change of the another one of the plurality of kinds of ambient environment detected in said transmission step, the first adjustment step being executed in the terminal;

a second adjustment step of adjusting another output characteristic of the image or the sound to be outputted by the image display device by modulating the signal received from in the terminal based on the change of another one of the plurality of kinds of ambient environment detected in said detection step, the second adjustment step being executed in the image display device.