IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20110134316A1
• Filed: 11/19/2010
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hoshi, Nobuhiro, Oguchi, Takahiro
• Application Number:
  US12/950,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20110134316A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/441
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0247 Flicker reduction other than flicker reduction circuits used for single beam cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0261 in the context of movement of objects on the screen or movement of the observer relative to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0435 Change or adaptation of the frame rate of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2025 the sub-frames having all the same time duration

Abstract

The image signal of each pixel of a frame image is multiplied by a gain value set in advance for each coordinate position on a display screen, generating a display frame image in which the luminance value becomes smaller for a pixel closer to the periphery of the display screen and larger for a pixel closer to the center. The image signal of each pixel of a subframe image is multiplied by a gain value set in advance for each coordinate position on the display screen, generating a display subframe image in which the luminance value becomes larger for a pixel closer to the periphery of the display screen and smaller for a pixel closer to the center of the display screen. The display frame image and display subframe image are sequentially displayed.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus, comprising:

an input unit which sequentially inputs frame images that form a moving image;

a subframe image generation unit which generates a subframe image to be displayed at timing between display timings of two adjacent frame images;

a display frame image generation unit which generates a display frame image, in which a pixel being at a pixel position closer to a periphery of the frame image has smaller luminance value than that of a pixel being at a center of the frame image;

a display subframe image generation unit which generates a display subframe image, in which a pixel being at a pixel position closer to a periphery of the frame image has larger luminance value than that of a pixel being at a center of the frame image; and

an output unit which sequentially outputs the display frame image and the display subframe image.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a smaller frame image gain value is assigned to a pixel position closer to a periphery of the frame image, and a larger frame image gain value is assigned to a pixel position closer to a center of the frame image,

said display frame image generation unit multiplies an image signal of each pixel which forms the frame image, by the frame image gain value assigned to a coordinate position of the pixel on the frame image, thereby generating the display frame image in which a pixel being at a pixel position closer to a periphery of the frame image has smaller luminance value and a pixel being at a pixel position closer to a center of the frame image has larger luminance value.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a larger subframe image gain value is assigned to a pixel position closer to a periphery of the subframe image, and a smaller subframe image gain value is assigned to a pixel position closer to a center of the subframe image, and

said display subframe image generation unit multiplies an image signal of each pixel which forms the subframe image, by the subframe image gain value assigned to a coordinate position of the pixel on the subframe image, thereby generating the display subframe image in which a pixel being at a pixel position closer to a periphery of the subframe image has larger luminance value and a pixel being at a pixel position closer to a center of the subframe image has smaller luminance value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said display subframe image generation unit generates the display subframe image in which a luminance value of each pixel that forms the subframe image is updated to a constant value smaller than a minimum luminance value in the display frame image.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a sum of gain values by which image signals at the same pixel position in the frame image and the subframe image are multiplied is constant regardless of the pixel position.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to function as units of an image display apparatus defined in claim 1.

6. An image display method performed by an image display apparatus having a display screen for displaying a moving image, comprising:

an input step of sequentially inputting frame images that form the moving image;

a subframe image generation step of generating a subframe image to be displayed at timing between display timings of two adjacent frame images;

a display frame image generation step of generating a display frame image, in which a pixel being at a pixel position closer to a periphery of the frame image has smaller luminance value than that of a pixel being at a center of the frame image;

a display subframe image generation step of generating a display subframe image, in which a pixel being at a pixel position closer to a periphery of the frame image has larger luminance value than that of a pixel being at a center of the frame image; and

an output step of sequentially outputting the display frame image and the display subframe image.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a smaller frame image gain value is assigned to a pixel position closer to a periphery of the frame image, and a larger frame image gain value is assigned to a pixel position closer to a center of the frame image,

the display frame image generation step includes a step of multiplying an image signal of each pixel which forms the frame image, by the frame image gain value assigned to a coordinate position of the pixel on the frame image, thereby generating the display frame image in which a pixel being at a pixel position closer to a periphery of the frame image has smaller luminance value and a pixel being at a pixel position closer to a center of the frame image has larger luminance value.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein a larger subframe image gain value is assigned to a pixel position closer to a periphery of the subframe image, and a smaller subframe image gain value is assigned to a pixel position closer to a center of the subframe image, and

the display subframe image generation step includes a step of multiplying an image signal of each pixel which forms the subframe image, by the subframe image gain value assigned to a coordinate position of the pixel on the subframe image, thereby generating the display subframe image in which a pixel being at a pixel position closer to a periphery of the subframe image has larger luminance value and a pixel being at a pixel position closer to a center of the subframe image has smaller luminance value.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein

the display subframe image generation step includes a step of generating the display subframe image in which a luminance value of each pixel that forms the subframe image is updated to a constant value smaller than a minimum luminance value in the display frame image.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein a sum of gain values by which image signals at the same pixel position in the frame image and the subframe image are multiplied is constant regardless of the pixel position.