Image display apparatus, image signal processing method, program for implementing the method, and storage medium storing the program

• US 8,446,338 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Agustin, Peter Vincent
• Application Number:
  US13/486,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20120236047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/3.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0673 for control of gamma adjustment, e.g. selecting another gamma curve
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers

Abstract

An image display apparatus which is capable of optimizing the image quality of a plurality of display devices having different optical characteristics when carrying out processing of an image signal supplied to the display devices, without providing a dedicated display driving circuit for each display device. The image display apparatus comprises a plurality of liquid crystal display panels (10, 11) having different optical characteristics. A liquid crystal driving circuit (2) processes an image signal outputted to the liquid crystal display panels (10, 11). Operative states of the liquid crystal display panels (10, 11) are detected. At least one processing characteristic of the liquid crystal driving circuit (2) is changed according to the detected operative states.

Claims

1. An image display control apparatus comprising:

a holding unit that holds a plurality of control data;

a common display controller that processes an image signal based on a control data, which determine a processing characteristic of said common display controller, and outputs the processed image signal to a plurality of display devices;

a detecting unit that detects operative states of said plurality of display devices; and

a selecting unit that selects one control data of the held plurality of control data according to the detected operative states,

wherein said common display controller processes an image signal on the selected control data.

2. An image display control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising said plurality of display devices having different optical characteristics.

3. An image display control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said detecting unit comprises an open-close detecting unit that detects an open-close state of said display device as the operative state of said display device.

4. An image display apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said detecting unit comprises a rotation detecting unit that detects an rotational state of said display device as the operative state of said display device.

5. An image display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a switching unit that switches an image quality-prioritizing in which priority is given to an image quality of an image to be displayed on one of said plurality of display devices,

wherein said selecting unit selects a control data from the held plurality of control data, according to the switching of said switching unit.

6. An image display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the control data comprises at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of brightness, contrast, gamma, and white balance of the image signal.

7. An image display apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of display devices comprise a first display device and a second device, and

the plurality of control data comprise at least two control data selected from the group consisting of a first control data that is most suitable for optical characteristics of the first display device, a second control data that is most suitable for optical characteristics of the second display device, and a third control data that is an approximately middle value of the first and second control data.

8. An image display apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

the plurality of control data further comprise at least one control data selected from the group consisting of a fourth control data that is closer to the first control data with respect to the approximately middle value, and a fifth control data that is closer to the second control data with respect to the approximately middle value.

9. An image display control apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

the first display device is provided on the image display apparatus that enables the first display device to be freely opened and closed and freely rotated relative to the image display apparatus, and the second display device is fixed to the image display apparatus, and

the image display control apparatus further comprises a control unit that controls display operations of the first display device and the second display device, based on an open-close state and a rotational state of the first display device.

10. An image display control apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

said plurality of display devices comprise liquid crystal display panels.

11. An image display control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

image capturing unit that captures the image signal,

wherein the image display control apparatus is handheld.

12. An image display control method comprising the steps of:

holding a plurality of control data;

processing an image signal based on a control data, which determine a processing characteristic of a common display controller, and outputting the processed image signal to a plurality of display devices;

detecting operative states of said plurality of display devices; and

selecting one control data of the held plurality of control data according to the detected operative states,

wherein an image signal is processed on the selected control data.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program executable by a computer to execute an image signal processing method of processing an image signal supplied to a plurality of display devices having different optical characteristics, using a common display controller that processes an image signal based on a plurality of data that determine a processing characteristic of the common display controller, and outputs the processed image signal to the plurality of display devices, the program comprising:

a holding module for holding the plurality of the held data;

a detecting module for detecting operative states of the plurality of display devices; and

a selecting module for selecting one of the held plurality of control data according to the detected operative states,

wherein an image signal is processed on the selected control data.