Performing color conversion in extended color polymer displays

• US 6,262,710 B1
• Filed: 05/25/1999
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Ronald D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAVAN, THU THAO
• Application Number:
  US09/318,452
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 345/150, 345/30, 345/39, 345/41, 345/82, 345/22, 345/72, 345/84, 345/83, 345/431, 345/153, 345/430, 345/151, 345/152, 313/504, 313/506, 313/507, 257/13, 257/40, 257/103, 358/522, 349/47, 349/54, 349/97, 349/106, 349/107, 349/108, 349/109
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0452 Details of colour pixel setup, e.g. pixel composed of a red, a blue and two green components
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/06 Colour space transformation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/16 Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data
• 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: H10K 59/351 comprising more than three subpixels, e.g. red-green-blue-white [RGBW]

Abstract

An extended color polymer display has light emitting elements of more than three colors. Tricolor color spaces are selected for color transformations from known color spaces such as sRGB. The color transformations may take into account not only the best implementation of the color scheme but also considerations related to computational complexity and power consumption reduction.

Claims

1. A method of operating a polymer display with more than three color emitters comprising:

converting at least one pixel from a first tricolor space to a second tricolor space available in the display;

determining if all the colors of the first color space convert to actual colors of the second color space; and

if not, choosing a third tricolor space available in the display.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining if all the colors of the first color space convert to actual colors of the second color space includes determining whether the transformation between the color spaces results in negative numbers.

3. The method of claim 1 further including determining whether the transformation is close to an edge of a triangle defined by the chromaticity diagram of the first color space and if so choosing an adjacent color space as the third color space.

4. The method of claim 1 including checking a database containing information about the power consumption of a given tricolor space to determine whether to select the tricolor space as the second tricolor space.

5. The method of claim 1 including checking a database to determine the second tricolor space based on the computational complexity of the conversion from the first tricolor space to the second tricolor space.

6. The method of claim 1 including determining all the potential tricolor spaces available given the color emitters of the display, excluding the largest tricolor space and determining the power efficiency of each tricolor space.

7. An article comprising a medium for storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to:

convert at least one pixel from a first tricolor space to a second tricolor space available in a polymer display with more than three color emitters;

determine if all the colors of the first color space convert to actual colors of the second color space; and

if not, choose a third tricolor space available in the display.

8. The article of claim 7 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to determine whether the transformation between the color spaces results in negative numbers.

9. The article of claim 7 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to determine whether the transformation is close to an edge of a triangle defined by the chromaticity diagram of the first color space and if so choose an adjacent color space as the third color space.

10. The article of claim 7 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to check a database containing information about the power consumption of a given tricolor space to determine whether to select the tricolor space as the second tricolor space.

11. The article of claim 7 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to check a database to determine the second tricolor space based on the computational complexity of the conversion from the first tricolor space to the second tricolor space.

12. The article of claim 7 further storing instructions that cause a processor-based system to determine all the potential tricolor spaces available given the color emitters of the display, and exclude the largest tricolor space and determining the power efficiency of each tricolor space.

13. A method of designing a polymer display with more than three color emitters comprising:

identifying the potential tricolor spaces available given the color emitters of the display;

developing a color transfer matrix from an input color space to a plurality of potential tricolor spaces; and

determining the power efficiency of a plurality of potential tricolor spaces.

14. The method of claim 13 including selecting from among the potential tricolor spaces those with lower power consumption.

15. The method of claim 13 further including dividing the available color space into a primary color space and color regions around said color space defined by extending the sides of the primary tricolor space.

16. The method of claim 15 including creating a database with information about one or more of the power consumption of tricolor spaces adjacent a first tricolor space, the power consumption of the available tricolor spaces and the computational complexity of each of said tricolor spaces.

17. A polymer display comprising:

more than three polymer emitters of different wavelengths; and

a controller adapted to convert an input tricolor space to a tricolor space of said display that either reduces power consumption or the computational complexity of the conversion.

18. The display of claim 17 including green, light red, dark red, light blue and dark blue emitters.

19. The display of claim 17 including a database coupled to said controller with information about the power consumption of a plurality of tricolor spaces.

20. The display of claim 19 wherein said database also includes data about the computational complexity of a plurality of tricolor space conversions.

21. The display of claim 19 wherein said controller is adapted to determine which of two potential tricolor spaces produces the least change of the colors used in the preceding tricolor space.

22. The display of claim 19 wherein said controller is adapted to convert to a tricolor space that optimizes computational simplicity and power consumption.