Non-binary Weighted Patents (Class 345/693)
  • Publication number: 20080231936
    Abstract: A display system includes a spatial light modulator for displaying a image by the modulation state of a plurality of micromirrors, and a control device for controlling the spatial light modulator. The control device includes a data conversion device for converting the digital image data into non-binary data, and a modulation-control device for generating a modulation control signal for micromirrors depending on the non-binary data, and controlling the spatial light modulator. The modulation state of the micromirrors by the modulation control signal includes modulation by oscillation of the micromirrors. The modulation control signal controls amplitude of the oscillation to be smaller than the maximum amplitude of the micromirrors in the modulation by the oscillation of the micromirrors. The oscillation having smaller amplitude than the maximum amplitude of the micromirrors is repeated by the modulation control signal in an optional time duration or frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2008
    Publication date: September 25, 2008
    Inventors: Taro Endo, Yoshihiro Maeda, Kazuma Arai, Fusao Ishii
  • Patent number: 7420531
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes a plurality of data lines disposed in a first direction on a substrate; a plurality of gate lines disposed in a second direction on the substrate, a plurality of pixels defined by intersections of the gate and data lines in a matrix; a plurality of control lines disposed parallel to the gate lines; a controlling unit supplying a control signal to the control lines; first switching elements disposed in the pixels and electrically connected to the data and gate lines; a plurality of latching units disposed in the pixels to latch image information supplied from the data lines through the first switching elements; and second switching elements provided in the pixels and electrically connected to the control lines and latching units, the second switching elements supplying the image information of the latching units to the pixels when the control lines supplies the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ki-Bok Park, Won-Ho Lee
  • Patent number: 7403213
    Abstract: A method and system providing boundary dispersion to pixel values displayed on a binary spatial light modulator to reduce temporal contouring artifacts. Pixel code values are offset from a nominal value when displayed on the SLM to disperse a large bit transition for a pulse width modulation (PWM) system. The offset value varies as a function of the pixel digital code, the pixel spatial location on the screen, and pixel temporal location in time. The set of offsets applied to pixels is varied over a repeating sequence of 2 displayed frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Daniel J. Morgan, Gregory J. Hewlett, Peter F. VanKessel
  • Patent number: 7218333
    Abstract: A multi-gradation display apparatus using a pulse width modulation (PWM) method. The display apparatus includes a plurality of channels; a plurality of input blocks for outputting a plurality of N-bit image code in response to a gray scale of an image, wherein N is a positive integer; a pulse width modulation generator for outputting first and second gray scale pulses, each having 2N edges in response to the bit number of N-bit image code; and a plurality of count controllers, each selecting an edge of the first or second gray scale pulse in response to the N-bit image code to output a driving pulse having a pulse width from an initial point to the edge of the first or second gray scale pulse to the plurality of channels, wherein the second gray scale pulse is complementary with the first gray scale pulse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: Magnachip Semiconductor, Ltd.
    Inventor: Jeung-Hie Choi
  • Patent number: 7209152
    Abstract: A signal processor for multiple gradations for carrying out coding by replacing an input image signal with a plurality of subfields, comprising a main path for generating a primary color signal having a first number of gradations, a sub-path for generating a primary color signal having a second number of gradations, which is smaller than the first number of gradations, a switch, a movement detection circuit, a level detection circuit, a path switching control circuit for switching the switch based on the amount of movement and the level, plural subfield coding circuits for carrying out subfield coding different from each another, a superposing circuit for selecting one of the outputs of the plural subfield coding circuits, and a superposing control circuit, and thus preventing a moving false contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma Display Limited
    Inventors: Yutaka Chiaki, Shunji Ohta, Masanori Takeuchi, Masaya Tajima, Akira Yamamoto, Yuichiro Kimura
  • Patent number: 7202842
    Abstract: The present invention comprises: a display unit having a plurality of display elements arranged in a matrix; a drive voltage generating circuit for generating a drive voltage for driving the plurality of display elements; a dataline drive circuit for generating a signal voltage according to display data, the signal voltage being for controlling the amount of current in a supply line of the drive voltage; a scanline drive circuit for selecting one or more of the plurality of display elements which is to be driven; and a pixel light emission control circuit for controlling a light emission time period of each display element according to a distance measured along a current path from the drive voltage generating circuit to the display element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi Displays, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naruhiko Kasai, Hiroki Awakura, Toshihiro Satou
  • Patent number: 7176863
    Abstract: A flat panel display is described having a matrix of liquid crystals, wherein the liquid crystals have a common node. A pair of voltages that are applied to the common node help determine the rms voltages that are applied to the liquid crystals. The pair of voltages are tailored to bring a maximum rms voltage that is applied to the liquid crystals so as to fall along the lower knee of a transmittance vs. rms voltage curve that characterizes the performance of the liquid crystals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Don Nguyen
  • Patent number: 7161609
    Abstract: An optical display element of one embodiment of the invention is disclosed that comprises a binary optical display element and a multiple-bit storage element to store a number of bits of a color intensity value to be displayed by the binary optical display element during a display period. Each bit is loaded from the multiple-bit storage element into the binary optical display element one or more times during the display period to achieve the color intensity value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Michael J. Barbour, Andy Van Brocklin
  • Patent number: 7061512
    Abstract: A display system 100 includes a light source 110 and a color wheel 114. An optical section 112 is arranged to receive light from the light source 110 and to direct the light toward a color wheel 114. A digital micromirror device 122 is arranged to receive the light from the color wheel 114 and to direct image data toward a display. The image data includes an array of pixels arranged in rows and columns. The array of pixels is arranged as curved color bands during a first time period and rectangular color bands during a second time period. The second time period being concurrent with but of a shorter duration than the first time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Daniel J. Morgan, Donald B. Doherty, William J. Sexton
  • Patent number: 7006114
    Abstract: A standard voltage generating circuit generates standard voltages as many as the number of gradations. Then, the standard voltages are separated into standard voltages of high level and those of low level, by a selector circuit, regardless of polarities thereof. One of the standard voltages of high level thus separated by the selector circuit is selected by a Pch-arranged converting section of a D/A converting circuit. Then, the selected one of the standard voltages of high level is outputted as a gradation-display-use voltage. Meanwhile, One of the standard voltages of low level thus separated by the selector circuit is selected by an Nch-arranged converting section of the D/A converting circuit. Then, the selected one of the standard voltages of low level is outputted as a gradation-display-use voltage. With this arrangement, it is possible to attain miniaturization of a circuit and lower power consumption in a display apparatus which performs gradation display by a voltage modulation method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuhisa Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 6982732
    Abstract: A display panel driving method that is capable of displaying images with false contours suppressed and without the occurrence of flicker, even when the vertical sync frequency of the input image signal is low. When an image signal with a low mean brightness level is input, or when an image signal having a comparatively high vertical sync frequency is input, light emission elements comprised by pixels are caused to emit light in a number of continuous subfields corresponding to the brightness level expressed by the input image signal in one field. If an image signal is input in which the mean brightness level is high, and in addition the vertical sync frequency is comparatively low, light emission elements are caused to emit light in a number of continuous subfields corresponding to the brightness level expresses by the image signal, in each of the first half and the second half of a field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2006
    Assignees: Pioneer Corporation, Shizuoka Pioneer Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiro Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6980225
    Abstract: A liquid crystal display apparatus that uses a backlight for display includes a video signal time compression circuit for compressing a video signal in the time axis direction and outputting the time-compressed video signal, an LCD controller for driving a liquid crystal panel based on the time-compressed video signal, and a source driver and a gate driver. The liquid crystal display apparatus also includes a motion detection circuit for detecting the amount of motion of a display image based on the video signal, a PWM modulation pulse generation circuit for generating modulation pulses different in frequency according to the detection result from the motion detection circuit, and an inverter for lighting up the backlight based on the modulation pulses, to thereby enable reduction of image contour blurring in a moving image and reduction of flicker in a still image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2005
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Taro Funamoto, Wataru Machidori, Katsuyuki Arimoto, Yoshihito Ohta, Takahiro Kobayashi, Yasuhiro Kumamoto, Tetsuo Kariya
  • Patent number: 6850251
    Abstract: A control circuit for use in a display device capable of displaying gray scale including a plurality of column electrodes and a plurality of row electrodes intersecting each other and pixels provided around the intersections thereof, includes a display data converting section for receiving input display data, dividing the input display data into binary display data and gray scale display data in such a manner as to enable pulse width modulation one frame in a plurality of frames, and outputting the binary display data and the gray scale display data: a pulse controlling section for determining the timing of applying a voltage to each of the plurality of column electrodes for the gray scale display data; and a column electrode driving section for applying a voltage corresponding to the gray scale display data to at least one said column electrode based on the timing of applying a voltage determined by the pulse controlling section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Norio Yasunishi, Futoshi Satoh
  • Patent number: 6831618
    Abstract: A method for driving a display panel which enables changing of the refresh rate, without degrading display quality, of a display panel employing the matrix display scheme for carrying out gray-scale drive by using the sub-field method. By the method, the number of sub-fields to be executed within a unit display period is changed in response to the vertical synchronization frequency of an input video signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2004
    Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Suzuki, Nobuhiko Saegusa
  • Patent number: 6812936
    Abstract: An image processing unit (300) for processing an image that is to be displayed in a plurality of sub-fields on a plasma display panel (406), has a storage (304) for storing the set of combinations of sub-fields that are available as intensity levels, and a selector (310) for selecting, from the storage, a particular combination for a pixel to be displayed. The difference regarding sub-fields between a first one of the combinations representing a first available illumination level, and a second one of the combinations representing the next higher illumination level, has been limited, the limiting including control such that only a limited number of the sub-fields that are switched on in the first one of the combinations, are not switched on in the second one of the combinations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventor: Jurgen Jean Louis Hoppenbrouwers
  • Patent number: 6690388
    Abstract: A display apparatus creates, for each image, a number of subfields Z from a first subfield to a Zth subfield in accordance with a Z bit representation of each pixel, a weighing value for each subfield, and a number of gradation display points. The display apparatus detects a peak image brightness level and an average image brightness level. A weighing multiple including a positive integer part and a fractional part is determined based on the peak image brightness level and the average image brightness level. The weighing multiple is multiplied by the weighing value of each subfield to obtain a product capable of having a positive integer part and a fractional part. An integer value near the product is defined as a number of drive pulses for each subfield. The weighing multiple is increased as the average image brightness level decreases and as the peak image brightness level increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Kasahara, Yuichi Ishikawa, Tomoko Morita
  • Patent number: 6462721
    Abstract: A drive pulse controller creates a driving signal for a display device that produces a gradation display. Each field of an input image signal is divided into a plurality of Z weighted subfields. The drive pulse controller determines a number of subfields Z for each field of the input image signal, changes the input image signal into a Z-bit brightness signal, specifies a number of sustain pulses for each subfield within a field, creates a driving signal for each field based on the Z-bit brightness signal and the number of sustain pulses, selects one of light emission time data stored in a time data source based on the determined Z, and calculates a delay time based on the selected light emission time data, such that the most-weighted subfields of consecutive fields having different numbers of subfields Z are positioned substantially at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Kasahara, Yuichi Ishikawa, Tomoko Morita
  • Patent number: 6456302
    Abstract: An image display apparatus which displays images, suppressing the occurrence of the moving image false edge. The image display apparatus selects a signal level among a plurality of signal levels in accordance with a motion amount of an input image signal, where each signal level is expressed by an arbitrary combination of 0, W1, W2, . . . and WN and luminance weights W1, W2, . . . and WN are assigned to subfields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Kawahara, Kunio Sekimoto
  • Patent number: 6400346
    Abstract: A display apparatus adjusts the brightness of a plasma display panel. The display apparatus comprises an adjusting device, which acquires image brightness data, and adjusts the number of subfields Z on the basis of brightness data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Kasahara, Yuichi Ishikawa, Tomoko Morita
  • Patent number: 6396508
    Abstract: There is provided a method and system for improving an image on a display that images pixels. Each of the pixels has an intensity represented by a respective pixel value, an intensity of a given pixel being associated with a number of pulses produced within a set of subfields in a frame-time, and the pulses allocated among the set of subfields in accordance with a pulse distribution. The method comprises the steps of determining a maximum pixel value to be imaged during the frame-time, and altering a number of pulses within a given subfield based on the maximum pixel value, thus modifying the pulse distribution. The system is implemented in a circuit that executes the method steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electronics Corp.
    Inventor: James D. Noecker
  • Patent number: 6388661
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for producing a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) grayscale or color image using a binary spatial light modulator. By staggering and re-quantizing the PWM intervals to a clock of a period based on the frame time divided by number of rows in the display, the system's peak bandwidth requirements are optimized for displays of arbitrary resolution and arbitrary choice of PWM waveform. Additionally, a gating circuit increases the optical efficiency of a spatial light modulator using this PWM method in a field-sequential color system by reducing the duration of the blanking period between color fields.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2002
    Assignee: Reflectivity, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter W. Richards
  • Patent number: 6388678
    Abstract: A display apparatus has an adjusting device, which acquires image brightness data, and adjusts a weighting multiplier N on the basis of brightness data. The weighting multiplier N takes not only a positive integer, but also a decimal fraction numeral. In accordance with this, even if weighting multiplier N changes, an abrupt change in brightness does not occur, and a person watching the screen is not left with a sense of incongruousness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Kasahara, Yuichi Ishikawa, Tomoko Morita
  • Patent number: 6384803
    Abstract: A display apparatus adjusts the brightness of a plasma display panel. The display apparatus comprises an adjusting device, which acquires image brightness data, and adjusts the number of subfields Z on the basis of brightness data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Kasahara, Yuichi Ishikawa, Tomoko Morita
  • Patent number: 6353424
    Abstract: A display apparatus adjusts the brightness of a plasma display panel. The display apparatus comprises an adjusting device, which acquires image brightness data, and adjusts the number of subfields Z on the basis of brightness data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Kasahara, Yuichi Ishikawa, Tomoko Morita
  • Patent number: 6351253
    Abstract: A display apparatus adjusts the brightness of a plasma display panel. The display apparatus comprises an adjusting device, which acquires image brightness data, and adjusts the number of subfields Z on the basis of brightness data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2002
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Kasahara, Yuichi Ishikawa, Tomoko Morita