Apparatus and methods for rapid image rendering on dual-modulator displays

• US 8,174,546 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Whitehead, Lorne A., Seetzen, Helge, WARD, Gregory John, Heidrich, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Said, Mansour M
• Application Number:
  US11/831,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20080180465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 345 38- 39, 345 44- 48, 345 50- 51, 345/55, 345 63- 64, 345 76- 77, 345 82- 84, 345 87- 92, 345/100, 345/102, 345/204, 345/214, 345/694, 345698-699, 349/61
• US Class Current: 345/699
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4007 based on interpolation, e.g. bilinear interpolation image demosaicing G06T3/4015; edge-driven or edge-based scaling G06T3/403
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0238 Improving the black level
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0428 Gradation resolution change
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3426 the different display panel areas being distributed in two dimensions, e.g. matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are provided that employ one or more of a variety of techniques for reducing the time required to display high resolution images on a high dynamic range display having a light source layer and a display layer. In one technique, the image resolution is reduced, an effective luminance pattern is determined for the reduced resolution image, and the resolution of the effective luminance pattern is then increased to the resolution of the display layer. In another technique, the light source layer'"'"'s point spread function is decomposed into a plurality of components, and an effective luminance pattern is determined for each component. The effective luminance patterns are then combined to produce a total effective luminance pattern. Additional image display time reduction techniques are provided.

Claims

1. A controller for displaying an image on a display comprising a light source layer and a display layer, the controller comprising:

means for determining driving values for light sources of the light source layer;

means for determining an effective luminance pattern of the light source layer at a first spatial resolution lower than a spatial resolution of the display layer;

means for increasing the spatial resolution of the effective luminance pattern to a second spatial resolution corresponding to the resolution of the display layer;

means for determining driving values for elements of the display layer based at least on image data and an output of the means for increasing the spatial resolution of the effective luminance pattern,

wherein the means for increasing the spatial resolution of the effective luminance pattern comprises means for performing interpolation on data defining the effective luminance pattern, and

wherein the means for determining the effective luminance pattern of the light source layer comprises;

means for determining a contribution to the effective luminance pattern for each of a plurality of components of a point spread function for light sources of the light source layer; and

,

means for combining the contributions to the effective luminance pattern of each of the components.

2. A controller for controlling a display comprising a light source layer and a display layer, the controller in combination with a data store accessible to the controller, the controller configured to:

determine first driving values for light sources of the light source layer from image data;

determine an effective luminance pattern of the light source layer at a first spatial resolution lower than a spatial resolution of the display layer;

increase the spatial resolution of the effective luminance pattern to a second spatial resolution corresponding to the resolution of the display layer;

determine second driving values for the display layer based on at least the image data and the effective luminance pattern; and

output the first and second driving values,

wherein the data store contains information defining a plurality of components of a point spread function for light sources of the light source layer, and

wherein the controller is configured to separately evaluate and combine contributions to the effective luminance pattern corresponding to each of the components.

3. A controller according to claim 2 wherein each of the components is a Gaussian component.

4. A controller according to claim 3 comprising a hardware processor providing a function that operates directly on Gaussian components.