IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, IMAGE OUTPUT APPARATUS, AND DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20140267454A1
• Filed: 03/10/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ikenishi, Shunsuke
• Granted Patent: US 9,286,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/06 Colour space transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

There is provided an image processing method for applying color conversion to an input image and outputting the image, this method including: acquiring profile information concerning display characteristics of a display apparatus including a backlight unit, a control unit configured to control a light emission amount of the backlight unit, and a display panel configured to modulate light from the backlight unit, the display characteristics being changed according to the light emission amount of the backlight unit; color converting the input image into an image in a color space of the display apparatus in use of the acquired profile information in the acquiring; and outputting the image being subjected to the color conversion.

Claims

1. An image processing method for applying color conversion to an input image and outputting the image, the image processing method comprising:

acquiring profile information concerning display characteristics of a display apparatus including a backlight unit, a control unit configured to control a light emission amount of the backlight unit, and a display panel configured to modulate light from the backlight unit, the display characteristics being changed according to the light emission amount of the backlight unit;

color converting the input image into an image in a color space of the display apparatus in use of the acquired profile information in the acquiring; and

outputting the image being subjected to the color conversion in the color converting.

2. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein, in the color converting, color conversion from a color space of the input image into a device independent color space is applied to the input image, and color conversion from the device independent color space into the color space of the display apparatus is performed in use of the profile information acquired in the acquiring.

3. The image processing method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a light emission amount of the backlight unit on the basis of the input image, wherein

in the acquiring, profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to the determined light emission amount is acquired.

4. The image processing method according to claim 3, wherein, in the determining, profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a predetermined light emission amount of the backlight unit is acquired, color conversion is applied to the input image in use of the acquired profile information, and a light emission amount of the backlight unit is determined on the basis of the image being subjected to the color conversion.

5. The image processing method according to claim 4, wherein

the control unit is configured to execute a dimming control in which the light emission amount of the backlight unit is adjusted according to an input image and a dimming OFF control in which the light emission amount of the backlight unit is fixed irrespective of the input image, and

the predetermined light emission amount is a light emission amount when the dimming OFF control is executed.

6. The image processing method according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined light emission amount is a maximum light emission amount of the backlight unit.

7. The image processing method according to claim 3, further comprising:

reading out, from a storing unit, profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a first light emission amount of the backlight unit and profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a second light emission amount different from the first light emission amount, and generating, in use of these profile information pieces, profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to the determined light emission amount, wherein

in the acquiring, the profile information generated in the generating is acquired.

8. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein

the backlight unit is formed of a plurality of light emitting regions in which a light emission amount can be independently controlled, and

in the acquiring, profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus that change according to a light emission amount of each of the light emitting regions is acquired.

9. The image processing method according to claim 1, further comprising detecting switching of the input image, wherein

in the acquiring, the profile information is acquired when the switching of the input image is detected in the detecting.

10. The image processing method according to claim 1, further comprising correcting, according to the light emission amount of the backlight unit, the image being subjected to the color conversion in the converting.

11. An image output apparatus that applies color conversion to an input image and outputs the image,

the image output apparatus comprising:

an acquiring unit configured to acquire profile information concerning display characteristics of a display apparatus including a backlight unit, a control unit configured to control a light emission amount of the backlight unit, and a display panel configured to modulate light from the backlight unit, the display characteristics being changed according to the light emission amount of the backlight unit;

a converting unit configured to apply to the input image color conversion into an image in a color space of the display apparatus in use of the profile information acquired by the acquiring unit; and

an output unit configured to output the image being subjected to the color conversion by the converting unit.

12. The image output apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the converting unit applies to the input image color conversion from a color space of the input image into a device independent color space and performs color conversion from the device independent color space into the color space of the display apparatus in use of the profile information acquired by the acquiring unit.

13. The image output apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a determining unit configured to determine a light emission amount of the backlight unit on the basis of the input image, wherein

the acquiring unit acquires profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to the determined light emission amount.

14. The image output apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the determining unit acquires profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a predetermined light emission amount of the backlight unit, applies color conversion to the input image in use of the acquired profile information, and determines a light emission amount of the backlight unit on the basis of the image being subjected to the color conversion.

15. The image output apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a generating unit configured to read out, from a storing unit, profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a first light emission amount of the backlight unit and profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a second light emission amount different from the first light emission amount and generate, in use these profile information pieces, profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to the determined light emission amount, wherein

the acquiring unit acquires the profile information generated by the generating unit.

16. A display apparatus including a backlight unit, a control unit configured to control a light emission amount of the backlight unit, and a display panel configured to modulate light from the backlight unit, display characteristics being changed according to the light emission amount of the backlight unit,

the display apparatus comprising:

an acquiring unit configured to acquire profile information concerning the display characteristics of the display apparatus;

a converting unit configured to apply to the input image color conversion into an image in a color space of the display apparatus in use of the profile information acquired by the acquiring unit; and

an output unit configured to output the image being subjected to the color conversion by the converting unit to the display panel.

17. The display apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the converting unit applies to the input image color conversion from a color space of the input image into a device independent color space and performs color conversion from the device independent color space into the color space of the display apparatus in use of using the profile information acquired by the acquiring unit.

18. The display apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a determining unit configured to determine a light emission amount of the backlight unit on the basis of the input image, wherein

the acquiring unit acquires profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to the determined light emission amount.

19. The display apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the determining unit acquires profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a predetermined light emission amount of the backlight unit, applies color conversion to the input image in use of the acquired profile information, and determines a light emission amount of the backlight unit on the basis of the image being subjected to the color conversion.

20. The display apparatus according to claim 18, further comprising a generating unit configured to read out, from a storing unit, profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a first light emission amount of the backlight unit and profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a second light emission amount different from the first light emission amount and generate, in use of these profile information pieces, profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to the determined light emission amount, wherein

the acquiring unit acquires the profile information generated by the generating unit.