Environment-compliant image display system, projector, and program

• US 7,986,332 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Matsuda, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang; Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chu; David H
• Application Number:
  US12/461,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20090289951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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:

a projection section that projects an image onto an object on which the image is projected,

a viewing environment detection section adopted to detect a viewing environment including ambient light and the object, and to generate environmental information expressing the viewing environment,

a correction section adopted to correct input-output characteristic data for projecting the image based on the environmental information,

wherein the input-output characteristic data indicates a relationship between grayscale values of an input and grayscale values of an output, the grayscale values varying within a lower grayscale range, a medium grayscale range, and a higher grayscale range;

wherein the projection section projects an image for inputting a type of screen;

wherein the viewing environment detection section includes a first input section adopted to input information dependent on the type of screen as first environmental information and a second input section adopted to input information about the ambient light as second environmental information, the first environmental information and the second environmental information being part of the environmental information; and

wherein the correction section corrects the input-output characteristic data in such a manner as to increase the grayscale values of the output corresponding to at least the lower grayscale range when the viewing environment is brighter than a predetermined brightness.

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 projected 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.

9. A correction method by the projector as defined in claim 1 comprising:

projecting an image for inputting the type of screen,

inputting information dependent on the type of screen as first environmental information,

inputting information about ambient light as second environmental information,

correcting input-output characteristic data for projecting an image based on the first environmental information and the second environmental information.

5. A projector comprising:

a projection section adopted to project a first image within a lower grayscale range for correcting input-output characteristic data and a second image within a range which is not the lower grayscale range for correcting the input-output characteristic data;

a viewing environment detection section adopted to measure the projected first image and the projected second image, and to generate environmental information expressing a viewing environment,

a correction section adopted to correct the input-output characteristic data for projecting an image in such a manner as to increase an output value in at least the lower grayscale range when the viewing environment is brighter than a standard environment because of effect of ambient light, based on the environmental information,

wherein the input-output characteristic data indicates a relationship between grayscale values of an input and grayscale values of an output, the grayscale values varying within a lower grayscale range, a medium grayscale range, and a higher grayscale range;

wherein the correction section corrects the input-output characteristic data by performing a predetermined calculation using a brightness correction value, the brightness correction value being based on a brightness value L11 and a brightness value L12, the brightness value L11 being a measurement value of the first image in an actual environment, the brightness value L12 being a measurement value of the second image in the actual environment.

6. The projector 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 projected or a color light sensor that measures RGB or XYZ values of the display area.

7. The projector 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 projector as defined in claim 5,

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

10. A correction method comprising:

displaying an image onto an object on which the image is displayed,

detecting a viewing environment including ambient light and the object on which the image is displayed, and generating environmental information expressing the viewing environment,

correcting input-output characteristic data for display based on the environmental information,

wherein the input-output characteristic data indicates a relationship between grayscale values of an input and grayscale values of an output, the grayscale values varying within a lower grayscale range, a medium grayscale range, and a higher grayscale range, and the input-output characteristic data being corrected in such a manner as to increase the grayscale values of the output corresponding to at least the lower grayscale range when the viewing environment is brighter than predetermined brightness.