Image processing method, image output apparatus, and display apparatus

• US 9,286,836 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2014
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ikenishi, Shunsuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adediran, Abdul-Samad A
• Application Number:
  US14/201,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20140267454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 345/690, 345/691, 358/1.9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

An image processing method applies color conversion to an input image and outputs the image. The method includes the steps of: 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 by using 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 to which the color conversion is applied, the image processing having a plurality of steps, the method comprising the steps, of:

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, wherein the display characteristics are 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 using the acquired profile information acquired in the acquiring step;

outputting the image subjected to the color conversion in the color converting step; and

reading out, from a storing unit, first profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a first light emission amount of the backlight unit and second 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, using the first profile information and the second profile information, third profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a light emission amount determined on the basis of the input image,

wherein in the acquiring step, the third profile information generated in the generating step is acquired.

2. The image processing method according to claim 1, wherein, in the color converting step, 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 using the profile information acquired in the acquiring step.

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

4. The image processing method according to claim 3, wherein, in the determining step, 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 using 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 ON control operation in which the light emission amount of the backlight unit is adjusted according to the input image and a dimming OFF control operation 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 in a case where the dimming OFF control operation 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 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 step, 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 in the acquiring step.

8. The image processing method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of detecting switching of the input image, wherein in the acquiring step, the profile information is acquired in response to the switching of the input image detected in the detecting step.

9. An image output apparatus that applies color conversion to an input image and outputs the image to which the color conversion is applied, the image output apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor to store instructions that cause the processor to perform operations of;

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, wherein the display characteristics are changed according to the light emission amount of the backlight unit;

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

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

a generating unit configured to read out, from a storing unit, first profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a first light emission amount of the backlight unit and second profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a second light emission amount different from the first light emission amount and to generate, using the first profile information and the second profile information, third profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a light emission amount determined on the basis of the input image,

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

10. The image output apparatus according to claim 9, 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 using the profile information acquired by the acquiring unit.

11. The image output apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a determining unit configured to determine a light emission amount of the backlight unit on the basis of the input image.

12. The image output apparatus according to claim 11, 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 using 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.

13. A display apparatus comprising:

a backlight unit;

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor to store instructions that cause the processor to perform operations of;

a control unit configured to control a light emission amount of the backlight unit;

a display panel configured to modulate light from the backlight unit, wherein display characteristics of said display apparatus are changed according to the light emission amount of the backlight unit;

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

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

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

a generating unit configured to read out, from a storing unit, first profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a first light emission amount of the backlight unit and second profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a second light emission amount different from the first light emission amount and to generate, using the first profile information and the second profile information, third profile information concerning display characteristics of the display apparatus corresponding to a light emission amount determined on the basis of the input image,

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

14. The display apparatus according to claim 13, 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 using the profile information acquired by the acquiring unit.

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

16. The display apparatus according to claim 15, 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 using 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.

17. An image processing method for applying color conversion to an input image and outputting the image to which the color conversion is applied, the image processing having a plurality of steps, the method comprising the steps, of:

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, wherein the display characteristics are 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 using the acquired profile information in the acquiring step;

outputting the image being subjected to the color conversion in the color converting step; and

detecting switching of the input image, wherein in the acquiring step, the profile information is acquired in response to the switching of the input image detected in the detecting step.

18. A display apparatus for modulating light from a backlight unit with a display panel, controlling a light emission amount of a backlight unit, and changing display characteristics according to the light emission amount of the backlight unit, the display apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor to store instructions that cause the processor to perform operations of;

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

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

an output unit configured to output the image subjected to the color conversion by the converting unit to the display panel; and

a detecting unit configured to detect switching of the input image,

wherein the acquiring unit acquires the profile information in response to the switching of the input image detected by the detecting unit.