Communication device and communication method to process images

• US 10,306,306 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2015
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Yasuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Newlin, Timothy R
• Application Number:
  US15/308,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20170064385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,562 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/02 Handling of images in compressed format, e.g. JPEG, MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/042 for monitor identification
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/047 using display data channel standard [DDC] communication
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• 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 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/008 Clock recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42653 for processing graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43635 HDMI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4398 involving reformatting operations of audio signals details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/20 Circuitry for controlling amplitude response
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus

Abstract

Graphics are preferably superimposed on uncompressed image data received from an external device to be transmitted to another external device. An AV amplifier 12 inserted on an HDMI transmission path between a BD player 11 and a television receiver 13 superimposes the graphics on the transmitted uncompressed image data. At that time, the AV amplifier 12 receives dynamic range conversion definition information of the uncompressed image data and generates graphics image data on the basis of the dynamic range conversion definition information to superimpose, thereby displaying the graphics with desired luminance even when dynamic range reverse conversion is performed by the television receiver 13.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

circuitry configured to;

receive first image data from a first external device via a first transmission path, wherein the first image data is output of a decoding operation in the first external device;

determine a connection status of a second external device with the communication device;

determine whether the second external device supports dynamic range conversion based on the connection status;

receive dynamic range conversion definition information of the first image data via the first transmission path based on the determination that the second external device supports the dynamic range conversion;

adjust, based on the dynamic range conversion definition information, a luminance value of first graphics data, to obtain second graphics data; and

generate second image data based on superimposition of the second graphics data and the first image data; and

transmit the second image data to the second external device.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive, from the first external device, the dynamic range conversion definition information in a blanking period of the first image data.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive the dynamic range conversion definition information via a bi-directional communication path of a specific line of the first transmission path.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to transmit the second image data to the second external device via a second transmission path.

5. The communication device according to claim 1,

wherein a specific line of the first transmission path has a pair of differential transmission paths, and

wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive a notification message that indicates a connection status of the first external device from at least one of the pair of differential transmission paths.

6. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

receive transmission system information from the second external device via the second transmission path; and

receive a control packet from the first external device, based on the transmission system information, wherein the control packet comprises the dynamic range conversion definition information.

7. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein the circuitry is further configured to:

receive meta information of the dynamic range conversion definition information, via a specific line of the second transmission path,

wherein the second external device is compatible with the meta information; and

superimpose the second graphics data on the first image data based on the meta information.

8. The communication device according to claim 7,

wherein the specific line of the second transmission path has a pair of differential transmission paths, and

wherein the circuitry is further configured to receive a notification message that indicates the connection status of the second external device from at least one of the pair of differential transmission paths.

9. A communication method, comprising:

in a communication device;

receiving first image data from a first external device via a first transmission path, wherein the first image data is output of a decoding operation in the first external device;

determining a connection status of a second external device with the communication device;

determining whether the second external device supports dynamic range conversion based on the connection status;

receiving dynamic range conversion definition information from the first external device via the first transmission path based on the determination that the second external device supports the dynamic range conversion;

adjusting, based on the dynamic range conversion definition information, a luminance value of first graphics data, to obtain second graphics data;

generating second image data based on superimposition of the second graphics data and the first image data; and

transmitting the second image data to the second external device via a second transmission path.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer-executable instructions, which when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute operations, the operations comprising:

receiving first image data from a first external device via a first transmission path, wherein the first image data is output of a decoding operation in the first external device;

determining a connection status of a second external device with a communication device;

determining whether the second external device supports dynamic range conversion based on the connection status;

receiving dynamic range conversion definition information from the first external device via the first transmission path based on the determination that the second external device supports the dynamic range conversion;

adjusting, based on the dynamic range conversion definition information and an instruction, a luminance value of first graphics data, to obtain second graphics data;

generating second image data based on superimposition the second graphics data and the first image data; and

transmitting the second image data to the second external device via a second transmission path.