Image display apparatus

• US 8,368,685 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2006
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp NEC Display Solutions, Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: NEC Display Solutions, Ltd. (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Arai, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Alexander S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pena, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US12/159,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20090046091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,244 Days
• Field of Search: 345/214, 345/659, 345/99, 345/101, 345/76, 236/78.R, 315/169.3
• US Class Current: 345/214
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0233 Improving the luminance or brightness uniformity across the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0285 using tables for spatial correction of display data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/041 Temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/048 using evaluation of the usage time
• 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 2330/026 Arrangements or methods related to booting a display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• 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: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players

Abstract

In an image display apparatus of the invention, a signal input unit outputs a complex image signal, which has been converted to an easily-processed format, to a signal-for-display generator. The signal-for-display generator converts the complex image signal to a signal suitable for displaying at a display unit. An apparatus state-detector detects a state of the display apparatus. Based on apparatus state information input from the apparatus state-detector, an arithmetic unit calculates an amount of non-uniformity to be corrected, and outputs it to a non-uniformity corrector. Based on the non-uniformity correction amount corresponding to a position displayed at the display unit, the non-uniformity corrector corrects the image signal input from the signal-for-display generator, converts it to a signal format that can be used at the display unit, and outputs it.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus comprising:

a signal input unit that receives a complex image signal including an image signal having a plurality of frames and a synchronization signal corresponding to the image signal, and outputs the image signal and the synchronization signal;

a signal-for-display generator that converts a signal input from the signal input unit to a signal for displaying with a display element;

a non-uniformity corrector that corrects non-uniformity in the display element;

an apparatus state-detector that detects a state of a display apparatus including the display element, the apparatus state-detector including;

an apparatus-orientation detector that detects first and second orientations in which the display apparatus is disposed, the first and second orientations being different from each other; and

an apparatus operating-time detector that detects an operating time of the display apparatus in the first orientation and an operating time of the display apparatus in the second orientation, the apparatus operating-time detector detecting a time when power of the display apparatus is switched off;

an arithmetic unit that calculates a correction amount based on the state of the display apparatus, the state of the display apparatus including;

the orientations in which the display apparatus is disposed;

a relationship among the operating time of the display apparatus in the first orientation, the operating time of the display apparatus in the second orientation, and a time taken until saturation of the display device; and

the time when power of the display apparatus is switched off; and

a display unit that receives a complex image signal corrected by the non-uniformity corrector, and displays the corrected complex image signal.

2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus state-detector further includes an apparatus-temperature detector that detects a temperature of the display apparatus,

the state of the display apparatus further includes the temperature of the display apparatus.

3. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the arithmetic unit includes a storage unit that pre-stores non-uniformity correction conditions corresponding to states of the display apparatus, and

the arithmetic unit compares the non-uniformity correction conditions with a state of the apparatus detected by the apparatus state-detector, selects a non-uniformity correction condition corresponding to a comparison result, and outputs it.

4. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the arithmetic unit includes a storage unit that pre-stores a portion of non-uniformity correction conditions corresponding to states of the display apparatus, and

the arithmetic unit outputs a non-uniformity correction condition by comparing the correction conditions with a state of the apparatus detected by the apparatus state-detector, and performing an arithmetic operation based on a correction condition approximating to a state of the apparatus.

5. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the arithmetic unit includes a storage unit that pre-stores an arithmetic expression leading to a non-uniformity correction condition corresponding to a state of the apparatus, and

the arithmetic unit calculates a non-uniformity correction condition based on a state of the apparatus detected by the apparatus state-detector.

6. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic unit monitors the detection result of the apparatus state-detector, and constantly controls the non-uniformity corrector so as to reduce non-uniformity generated at the display unit.

7. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic unit monitors the detection result of the apparatus state-detector, and, when a state of the apparatus alters by a fixed amount from a state of the apparatus at a previous correction, controls the non-uniformity corrector so as to reduce non-uniformity generated at the display unit.

8. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic unit controls the non-uniformity corrector so as to reduce non-uniformity generated at the display unit, based on an externally-applied control signal and the detection result of the apparatus state-detector.