Spatial Patents (Class 345/599)
  • Patent number: 7286142
    Abstract: A method of rendering a plurality of graphical objects of an image on a scanline basis, with each scanline having at least one run of pixels, and each run of pixels being associated with at least one of the graphical objects such that the pixels of the run are within edges of the at least one graphical object, includes the steps of decomposing each of the graphical objects into at least one edge representing the corresponding graphical object, and sorting one or more arrays containing the edges representing the graphical objects of the image. At least one of the arrays is sorted in an order from a highest priority graphical object to a lowest priority graphical object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: David Christopher Smith, Giles Puckett
  • Patent number: 7268790
    Abstract: A display system provides temporal stochastic dithering to image data for storage in a frame buffer for display. Stochastic dithering is used to reduce the size of the frame buffer and the complexity of the drive circuitry that is used to display an image in accordance with the image data. The bit depth of the frame buffer is reduced by spatially dithering image data for the image data before the image data is written into the frame buffer. Additionally, the displayed image is temporally dithered by using a different dither pattern for successive frames. Uncorrelated stochastic dither patterns are used to minimize detection of the dither patterns within the displayed image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Jeffrey A. Small, Christopher A. Ludden
  • Patent number: 7268783
    Abstract: Image alias rejection when converting a high resolution rasterized waveform to a lower resolution rasterized waveform for display uses a statistical filter. The statistical filter provides a shaped probability density function either by combining the outputs of multiple random number generators, such as linear feedback shift registers, or by using a corresponding look-up table to produce a dither signal. The statistical filter may be applied to one or both of the dimensional values for each data point of the high resolution rasterized waveform by combining the dimensional values with the dither signal. The resulting filtered dimensional values may then be subsampled, such as by truncation, to produce values for a lower resolution rasterized waveform display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert W. Parish, Scott E. Zink, Evan Albright
  • Patent number: 7256794
    Abstract: Discloses herein is a method and apparatus for processing video data of a display device in which dithering noise generating when a motion picture is displayed can be minimized. According to the present invention, the method of processing the video data of the display device includes the steps of comparing data of an ith frame (i is a natural number) and data of a (i+1)th frame to determine whether the data of the (i+1)th frame is a motion picture or a still image, and employing a different dithering method depending upon the determination result of the motion picture or the still image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Dae Jin Myoung, Jun Hak Lee
  • Patent number: 7209144
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention provide an image-display apparatus including an image display, such as a liquid-crystal display panel, where the image display can display a limited number of gray scales, interpolation is performed so that the number of gray scales displayed by the image display becomes the same as that of gray scales of obtained image data. The image-display apparatus can have the liquid-crystal display panel or the like and can be mounted on a mobile phone, a PDA, and so forth, so as to process and display image data transmitted from outside sources. First, a CPU performs a bit-slice process for the obtained image data, so as to reduce the data amount thereof. Next, a dither processing unit performs a dither process for interpolating the reduced data amount, so as to represent half-tone gray scales simulatively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takashi Kurumisawa
  • Patent number: 7206000
    Abstract: A system and process for generating a two-layer, 3D representation of a digital or digitized image from the image and a pixel disparity map of the image is presented. The two layer representation includes a main layer having pixels exhibiting background colors and background disparities associated with correspondingly located pixels of depth discontinuity areas in the image, as well as pixels exhibiting colors and disparities associated with correspondingly located pixels of the image not found in these depth discontinuity areas. The other layer is a boundary layer made up of pixels exhibiting foreground colors, foreground disparities and alpha values associated with the correspondingly located pixels of the depth discontinuity areas. The depth discontinuity areas correspond to prescribed sized areas surrounding depth discontinuities found in the image using a disparity map thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Charles Zitnick, III, Richard Szeliski, Sing Bing Kang, Matthew Uyttendaele, Simon Winder
  • Patent number: 7206099
    Abstract: In an image rendering system, a method of compensating for system performance changes related to image attributes includes rendering a diagnostic image, sensing at least one image quality from the diagnostic image, updating an image attribute compensation tone reproduction curve based on the sensed image quality and rendering an image based on the updated image attribute compensation tone reproduction curve. For example, image attributes include print media type and a halftone screen selection. An image processing system operative to perform the method of compensation includes a set of image attribute compensation tone reproduction curves. Each curve of the set is associated with a particular combination of image attributes. For example, each curve is associated with a particular media type/halftone screen combination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Grace T. Brewington, Peter A. Crean, Lalit K. Mestha, Gary W. Skinner
  • Patent number: 7193604
    Abstract: A shift register circuit includes a plurality of latch circuits connected in series to sequentially transfer a pulse signal ST from one to another, a clock signal line transmitting a clock signal CLK, and a plurality of switching circuits performing electrical connection and disconnection between the clock signal line and the plurality of latch circuits. Upon turning on the shift register, at least one of the switching circuits electrically disconnects at least one of the latch circuits from the clock signal line. During an initialization period immediately after power has been turned on, the frequency of the clock signal CLK is lower than in a normal operation period and gradually increases toward the frequency used in the normal operation period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasushi Kubota, Hajime Washio, Shigeto Yoshida
  • Patent number: 7129955
    Abstract: When displaying an image with at least four primary colors mixed, there are provided a primary color B generating unit (1036) having, as an xy chromaticity, (x, y)=(0.150, 0.060) and generating a primary color B lowest in luminance, a primary color G generating unit (1038) having, as an xy chromaticity, (x, y)=(0.300, 0.600) and generating a primary color G highest in luminance, and a primary color R generating unit (1037) having, as an xy chromaticity, (x, y)=(0.640, 0.330) and generating a primary color R higher in luminance than the primary color B and lower in luminance than the primary color G, whereby it is possible to expand a color gamut while ensuring compatibility with 3-primary-color image signal by allowing three primary colors to agree with the primary color Rec. 709 of a standard display sRGB.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideto Motomura
  • Patent number: 7098927
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and systems for adaptive dither pattern array generation and application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America, INC
    Inventors: Scott J. Daly, Xiao-fan Feng
  • Patent number: 7079154
    Abstract: A sub-pixel assembly of one embodiment of the invention is disclosed that includes a number of active display units. Each active display unit is capable of controlling light, and has a turn-on threshold responsive to a signal. The active display units are organized by their turn-on thresholds to achieve dithering of the light, in response to the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2006
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Eric Martin, William Allen, John Da Cunha, Andrew Koll
  • Patent number: 7043089
    Abstract: Methods, devices and systems for overflow error diffusion in image processing are provided. A method includes calculating error values, em, corresponding to differences between modified intensity values for a number of pixel locations and one or more threshold values, where em represents an error value associated with an mth pixel. The method further includes diffusing a calculated overflow error value associated with each calculated error value, em, to at least one pixel neighbor of the mth pixel location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventor: Paul N. Ballard
  • Patent number: 7019761
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of discriminating between textual content and graphical content. The method includes the steps of receiving a plurality of pixel values for a pixel line segment, calculating a plurality of spatial gradients based on the pixel values of adjacent pixels, determining a smoothness index by processing the plurality of spatial gradients, and identifying the pixel line segment as text or graphics by comparing the smoothness index to a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Zoran Corporation
    Inventors: Kadagattur Srinidhi, Fred W. Andree
  • Patent number: 7015926
    Abstract: A system and process for generating a two-layer, 3D representation of a digital or digitized image from the image and a pixel disparity map of the image is presented. The two layer representation includes a main layer having pixels exhibiting background colors and background disparities associated with correspondingly located pixels of depth discontinuity areas in the image, as well as pixels exhibiting colors and disparities associated with correspondingly located pixels of the image not found in these depth discontinuity areas. The other layer is a boundary layer made up of pixels exhibiting foreground colors, foreground disparities and alpha values associated with the correspondingly located pixels of the depth discontinuity areas. The depth discontinuity areas correspond to prescribed sized areas surrounding depth discontinuities found in the image using a disparity map thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Charles Lawrence Zitnick, III, Richard Szeliski, Sing Bing Kang, Matthew T. Uyttendaele, Simon Winder
  • Patent number: 6922196
    Abstract: The present invention presents halftoning techniques for printers and solves problems related to halftoning so as to render a combination of text and image areas in a pleasing manner. An advantage of this technique is that it gradually switches from text rendering to picture rendering in a manner which is locally adaptive over small regions, (say 3×3 pixels).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ravishankar Rao, Gerhard Robert Thompson
  • Patent number: 6879313
    Abstract: A shift register circuit includes a plurality of latch circuits connected in series to sequentially transfer a pulse signal ST from one to another, a clock signal line transmitting a clock signal CLK, and a plurality of switching circuits performing electrical connection and disconnection between the clock signal line and the plurality of latch circuits. Upon turning on the shift register, at least one of the switching circuits electrically disconnects at least one of the latch circuits from the clock signal line. During an initialization period immediately after power has been turned on, the frequency of the clock signal CLK is lower than in a normal operation period and gradually increases toward the frequency used in the normal operation period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasushi Kubota, Hajime Washio, Shigeto Yoshida, Kazuhiro Maeda, Hiroshi Yoneda
  • Patent number: 6879329
    Abstract: An image processing apparatus draws an image, stores the drawn image in a memory, reads image data from the memory along a raster direction, and executes a processing operation required for a display with respect to the read image data to output the processed image data to a display device. A display processing unit executes a processing operation including a coordinate calculation with respect to the image data read out along the raster direction. As a result, the image can be formed at high speed even under transition state of displayed images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Katayama, Hiroshi Uesugi
  • Patent number: 6839065
    Abstract: A method is for producing the bump mapping effect for a 3D object in a computer graphic. First, a shading vector is produced at one point of the surface of the 3D object. A shift coordinate with respect to this point is determined, according to the shading vector. According to the shift coordinate, a rotational calculation matrix is set up. Then, a diffuse color value with respect to this point is computed, which is equal to the difference between an adjacent rotation color value to this point and an averaged color value, wherein the averaged color value is defined as the sum and average of the color channels for R, G, and B with respect to this point, and the adjacent rotation color value is defined as a sum of the averaged color value with respect to a number of the adjacent points and the coefficient product with respect to the adjacent points in the rotational calculation matrix. Then, the emboss image value at this point is computed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: ULEAD Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Shu-Fang Hsu, Meng-Hua Wu
  • Publication number: 20040207632
    Abstract: A method and system for displaying an image, includes steps and means for: storing image data in a manner that enables retrieval of different spatial regions of an image at different fidelities; determining an viewer's point of gaze on a display; retrieving image data for each spatial region of an image at a fidelity that is a decreasing function of the distance of the regions from the point of gaze; and displaying the retrieved image data on the display;
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2004
    Publication date: October 21, 2004
    Inventors: Michael E. Miller, Paul W. Jones, Jian Yang, Majid Rabbani
  • Patent number: 6690499
    Abstract: A multi-state light modulating system having grayscale based on a series of time intervals includes an arrangement that establishes the duration of each time interval such that the time intervals in the series have progressively varying duration. The arrangement also determines a drive signal for each time interval that causes the light modulator to assume a specific light modulating state. The arrangement also causes the light modulator to produce a desired time-averaged light level over the series of time intervals by in part driving the light modulator using the drive signal that corresponds to a particular time interval for a duration that is longer than the duration of the time interval. The arrangement also or alternatively arranges the series of time intervals such that the light modulator is in the same state immediately prior to the particular time interval as the light modulator is in immediately after the time interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Displaytech, Inc.
    Inventors: Per H. Larsen, James M. Dallas, Rainer M. Malzbender, Michael R. Meadows
  • Patent number: 6466225
    Abstract: A method of halftoning input image data intended for reproduction on a display (114) having a plurality of pixels (23-27) and a limited pixel response time (see FIG. 1) is disclosed. In a first halftone cycle (K=n), the method comprises (first) halftoning an input value (30) to display an extreme representable (100% or 0%). In a second halftone cycle (K=n+1), (second) halftoning the input value (30) to display an intermediate value such that the average of the extreme representable value and the intermediate value is substantially equal to the input value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kieran Gerard Larkin, Peter William Mitchell Ilbery, Michael Alexander Oldfield
  • Patent number: 6437787
    Abstract: A display master control (200) apparatus and method is provided for controlling a digital video pipeline within a reduced instruction set processor (120) for performing field-level control of the post filter 110, includes field/frame filtering display with up a four-tap multi-phase filter, MPEG1 standard image format (SIF) interpolations, on-the-fly aspect ratio switch, on-the-fly letter box and pan scan switch, video fade-in/out, multiple picture/jacket picture display, and multiple angle-picture display. Display master control 200 sets up horizontal and vertical filters (134, 136) for display line control (176).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2002
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Fang-Chuan Wu
  • Patent number: 6417864
    Abstract: When a ferroelectric liquid crystal display (FLCD) panel is addressed in such a manner as to cause adjacent or successive pixels to display different levels of greyscale, the viewer may perceive a pseudo edge effect caused by the perceived error in the transmission level at the transition between the two grey levels. In order to decrease this perceived error, the panel is addressed such that, at the transition between the two grey levels, for example between the grey levels “3” and “4”, the most significant bit of the addressing scheme incorporates an analogue grey level, for example a half level. This results in a perception level exhibiting a lower absolute error in the relative grey level than would be obtained if no special measures were taken to compensate for the perceived error at the transition. This compensation technique is applicable to addressing schemes utilizing temporal dither (TD) as well as spatial dither (SD).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: The Secretary of State for Defence in Her Brittanic Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Defence Evaluation and Research Agency
    Inventors: John Clifford Jones, Alistair Graham