Environment-complaint image display system, projector, and program

• US 7,595,811 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2002
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung; Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chu; David H
• Application Number:
  US10/201,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20030020725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,623 Days
• Field of Search: 345589-590, 345/600, 345/74.1, 345/77, 345/89, 345/101, 345/207, 345/690
• US Class Current: 345/690
• 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 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/06 using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/407 Control or modification of tonal gradation or of extreme levels, e.g. background level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4074 using histograms
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/6088 by viewing conditions, i.e. conditions at picture output
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/202 Gamma control circuits for controlling camera response irrespective of the scene brightness H04N23/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/58 in dependence upon ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor
• 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

Abstract

An environment-compliant image display system, projector, and program that enables the reproduction of appropriate colors even when affected by ambient light. The projector has a color control processing update section that corrects colors by adjusting a LUT in a 3D-LUT storage section and brightness by adjusting a grayscale characteristic in a ID-LUT storage section, in order to increase the output in at least a lower grayscale range if the environment is affected by ambient light, based on environmental information that has been measured by a color light sensor.

Claims

1. A projector comprising:

an image display section that displays an image onto an object on which the image is displayed,

a viewing environment detection section that detects a viewing environment including ambient light and the object on which the image is displayed, and generates environmental information expressing the viewing environment, and

a correction section that corrects input-output characteristic data for display, the input-output characteristic data being used by the image display section, based on the environmental information,

wherein the input-output characteristic data indicates output to a grayscale value of an input signal, and

wherein the correction section corrects the input-output characteristic data in such a manner as to increase an output value in at least a lower grayscale range when the viewing environment is bright because of the effect of the ambient light.

2. The projector as defined in claim 1,

wherein the viewing environment detection section includes a luminance sensor that measures a luminance value of a display area on which the image is displayed or a color light sensor that measures RGB or XYZ values of the display area.

3. The projector as defined in claim 1,

wherein the correction section corrects the input-output characteristic data by performing a predetermined calculation based on a difference between a brightness value for an actual environment included in the environmental information and a brightness value for an ideal environment.

4. The projector as defined in claim 1,

wherein the environmental information comprises environmental information for color correction and environmental information for brightness correction.

5. An image display system, which uses a projector, the image display system comprising:

an image display section that displays an image onto an object on which the image is displayed,

a viewing environment detection section that detects a viewing environment including ambient light and the object on which the image is displayed, and generates environmental information expressing the viewing environment, and

a correction section that corrects input-output characteristic data for display that is used by the image display section, based on the environmental information,

wherein the input-output characteristic data indicates output to a grayscale value of an input signal, and

wherein the correction section corrects the input-output characteristic data in such a manner as to increase an output value in at least a lower grayscale range when the viewing environment is bright because of the effect of the ambient light.

6. The image display system as defined in claim 5,

wherein the viewing environment detection section includes a luminance sensor that measures a luminance value of a display area on which the image is displayed or a color light sensor that measures RGB or XYZ values of the display area.

7. The image display system as defined in claim 5,

wherein the correction section corrects the input-output characteristic data by performing a predetermined calculation based on a difference between a brightness value for an actual environment included in the environmental information and a brightness value for an ideal environment.

8. The image display system as defined in claim 5,

wherein the environmental information comprises environmental information for color correction and environmental information for brightness correction.