Method and apparatus for adjusting pixel values

• US 8,576,247 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Avkarogullari, Gokhan, Bull, William E., Huang, Szu-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Caschera, Antonio A
• Application Number:
  US11/971,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20090033689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,128 Days
• Field of Search: 345/642
• US Class Current: 345/606
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/503 Blending, e.g. for anti-aliasing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

The described embodiments comprise a system that adjusts pixel values to produce visual effects in a frame to be displayed. During operation, the system receives coordinates and pixel-adjustment values for one or more control points within the frame. Next, the system calculates pixel-adjustment values for pixels in the frame based on the coordinates and the pixel-adjustment values for the one or more control points. The system then applies the pixel-adjustment values to the pixels within the frame and displays the frame.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting pixel values within a frame to be displayed, comprising:

receiving, with one or more processors, first pixel values for a first set of pixels corresponding to a first window and second pixel values for a second set of pixels corresponding to a second window, wherein the first window and the second window are to be displayed within a frame;

receiving, with the one or more processors, coordinates and pixel adjustment values for one or more control points within the first window, wherein the coordinates comprise a location within the first window of the control point, and wherein the pixel adjustment value for the control point comprises a magnitude value;

calculating, with the one or more processors, pixel adjustment values for a plurality of pixels in the first set of pixels based, at least in part, on the coordinates and the pixel adjustment values for the one or more control points;

determining, with the one or more processors, adjusted first pixel values for the plurality of pixels by applying the calculated pixel adjustment values to the plurality of pixels; and

displaying, with the one or more processors, the first window and the second window within the frame based, at least in part, on the adjusted first pixel values,

wherein the first window and the second window are at least partially overlapping within the frame.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of calculating pixel adjustment values comprises:

interpolating, for each degree-of-freedom within the first window, pixel adjustment values for the pixels between the one or more control points; and

applying, for each pixel of the plurality of pixels, a function to the interpolated pixel adjustment values for each degree-of-freedom.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of interpolating pixel adjustment values involves using one or more of:

a linear interpolation technique;

a polynomial interpolation technique; and

a spline interpolation technique.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the act of applying a function to the interpolated pixel adjustment value comprises one or more of:

addition;

subtraction;

multiplication;

division;

averaging; and

other mathematical functions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining adjusted first pixel values for the plurality of pixels comprises applying the calculated pixel adjustment values as a mask so that the first pixel values for the plurality of pixels are retained.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculated pixel adjustment values comprise one or more of:

an alpha value;

a luminance value;

chrominance values; and

gamma-correction values.

7. A display system, comprising:

a receiver circuit configured to;

receive first pixel values for a first set of pixels corresponding to a first window and second pixel values for a second set of pixels corresponding to a second window, wherein the first window and the second window are to be displayed within a frame; and

receive coordinates and pixel adjustment values for one or more control points within the first window, wherein the coordinates comprise a location within the first window of the control point, and wherein the pixel adjustment value for the control point comprises a magnitude value;

a pixel-adjustment-calculation circuit configured to calculate pixel adjustment values for a plurality of pixels in the first set of pixels based, at least in part, on the coordinates and the pixel adjustment values for the one or more control points;

a pixel-adjustment circuit configured to determine adjusted first pixel values for the plurality of pixels by applying the calculated pixel adjustment values to the plurality of pixels; and

an output driver circuit configured to drive a display unit to display the first window and the second window within the frame based, at least in part, on the adjusted first pixel values,

wherein the first window and the second window are at least partially overlapping within the frame.

8. The display system of claim 7, further comprising a register set, wherein the register set is configured to store one or more of:

locations of control points within the first window;

magnitudes of one or more pixel adjustment values;

pointers to the frame in a memory;

dimensions of the frame;

dimensions for a subset of the frame;

a color format for the frame; and

a color format for a subset of the frame.

9. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

a display system, comprising;

a receiver circuit configured to;

receive first pixel values for a first set of pixels corresponding to a first window and second pixel values for a second set of pixels corresponding to a second window, wherein the first window and the second window are to be displayed within a frame; and

receive coordinates and pixel adjustment values for one or more control points within the first window, wherein the coordinates comprise a location within the first window of the control point, and wherein the pixel adjustment value for the control point comprises a magnitude value;

a pixel-adjustment-calculation circuit configured to calculate pixel adjustment values for a plurality of pixels in the first set of pixels based, at least in part, on the coordinates and the pixel adjustment values for the one or more control points;

a pixel-adjustment circuit configured to determine adjusted first pixel values for the plurality of pixels by applying the calculated pixel adjustment values to the plurality of pixels; and

an output driver circuit configured to generate a display of the first window and the second window within the frame based, at least in part, on the adjusted first pixel values,

wherein the first window and the second window are at least partially overlapping within the frame.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system is a portable device.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising one or more of:

a central-processing unit coupled to the memory and the display unit via a bus;

a graphics-processing unit coupled to the memory and the display unit via the bus;

a video decoder coupled to the memory and the display unit via the bus; and

an image decoder coupled to the memory and the display unit via the bus.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising a display device coupled to the display unit, wherein the display device is configured to display the frame.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for adjusting pixel values within a frame to be displayed, wherein the method comprises:

receiving first pixel values for a first set of pixels corresponding to a first window and second pixel values for a second set of pixels corresponding to a second window, wherein the first window and the second window are to be displayed within a frame;

receiving coordinates and pixel adjustment values for one or more control points within the first window, wherein the coordinates comprise a location within the first window of the control point, and wherein the pixel adjustment value for the control point comprises a magnitude value;

calculating, with the one or more processors, pixel adjustment values for a plurality of pixels in the first set of pixels based, at least in part, on the coordinates and the pixel adjustment values for the one or more control points;

determining, with the one or more processors, adjusted first pixel values for the plurality of pixels by applying the calculated pixel adjustment values to the plurality of pixels; and

displaying the first window and the second window within the frame based, at least in part, on the adjusted first pixel values,

wherein the first window and the second window are at least partially overlapping within the frame.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein calculating pixel adjustment values comprises interpolating, for each degree-of-freedom within the first window, pixel adjustment values for pixels between the one or more control points;

and

applying, for each pixel of the plurality of pixels, a function to the interpolated pixel adjustment values for each degree-of-freedom.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein interpolating pixel adjustment values involves using one or more of:

a linear interpolation technique;

a polynomial interpolation technique; and

a spline interpolation technique.