System and method for environmental adaptation of display characteristics

• US 9,799,306 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Manufacturing Resources International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Manufacturing Resources International, Inc.
• Inventors: Dunn, William, Presley, Harry, Wasinger, Jerry
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Md Saiful A
• Application Number:
  US14/346,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20140232709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,856 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0238 Improving the black level
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0271 Adjustment of the gradation levels within the range of the gradation scale, e.g. by redistribution or clipping
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/58 in dependence upon ambient light

Abstract

A system and method for altering the characteristics of a display based on environmental data is disclosed. Exemplary embodiments provide a light sensor, an environmental processing unit which is adapted to receive electrical signals from the light sensor and generate an environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a), an image signal processor which accepts S_a and an encoded image signal (S_e) and generates a pre-decoding image signal (S_p), and an image signal decoder which accepts Sp and generates a decoded image signal for the display. The environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a) may contain the instantaneous value of the desired display black level S_b. Alternatively or additionally, the environmentally-reactive control signal (S_a) may contain a signal linearity modification value.

Claims

1. A system for altering characteristics of a display based on environmental data, the system comprising:

a light sensor;

an environmental processing unit which is adapted to receive electrical signals from the light sensor and determine a desired display black level based on said electrical signals;

an image signal processor adapted to accept the desired display black level and an encoded image signal (S_e) and generate pre-decoding image signal (S_p); and

an image signal decoder adapted to accept S_p and generate a decoded image signal for the display;

wherein the image signal processor is adapted to set S_p equal to zero when S_e is below a gray level turn-off point(S_o);

wherein the image signal processor is adaptd to determine S_p based on a linear relationship when S_e is between S_o and a gray level threshold (S_t); and

wherein the image signal processor is adapted to determine S_p based at least partially on a linearity modifier exponent β

when S_e is above S_t.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the environmental processing unit is further adapted to receive programmable instructions for altering the environmental processing depending on time of day.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the environmental processing unit is further adapted to receive programmable instructions for altering the environmental processing depending on display content.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the gray level threshold (S_t) is an environmentally-reactive variable determined by the environmental processing unit.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the gray level threshold (S_t) is determined by a time of day.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the gray level threshold (S_t) is determined by display content.

7. A method for altering characteristics of a display based on environmental data, the method comprising steps of:

accepting environmental data from a light sensor;

generating a desired display black level from the environmental data;

generating a pre-decoding image signal (S_p) based on incoming encoded image data (S_e) and the desired display black level; and

decoding S_p into a decoded image signal (S_d);

wherein the step of generating a pre-decoding image signal (S_p) comprises the steps of;

setting S_p equal to zero when S_e is below a gray level turn-off point (S_o);

determining S_p based on a linear relationship when S_e is between S_o and a gray level threshold (S_t); and

determining S_pbased at least partially on a linearity modifier exponent β

when S_eis above S_t.

8. A system for altering characteristics of a display based on environmental data, the system comprising:

a light sensor;

an environmental processing unit which is adapted to receive electrical signals from the light sensor and determine a desired display black level based on said electrical signals;

an image signal processor adapted to accept the desired display black level and an encoded image signal (S_e) and generate a pre-decoding image signal (S_p); and

an image signal decoder adapted to accept S_p and generate a decoded image signal for the display;

wherein the image signal processor is adapted to set S_p equal to zero when S_e is below a gray level turn-off point (S_o);

wherein the image signal processor is adapted to determine a_p based on a sine curve when Se is between So and a gray level threshold (S_t); and

wherein the image signal processor is adapted to determine S_p based at least partially on a linearity modifier exponent β

when S_e is above S_t.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the environmental processing unit is further adapted to receive programmable instructions for altering the environmental processing depending on time of day.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the environmental processing unit is further adapted to receive programmable instructions for altering the environmental processing depending on display content.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the gray level threshold (S_t) is an environmentally-reactive variable determined by the environmental processing unit.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the gray level threshold (S_t) is determined by a time of day.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the gray level threshold (S_t) is determined by display content.