Odd-even veil view for FFS

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10152812-B2
Application number	US-201514921694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2015
Priority date	Oct 23, 2015
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

A display device includes control electronics and a pixellated liquid crystal (LC) panel. The control electronics receives inputs of main image data for a main image and side image data for a side image. The control electronics outputs combined image data combining the main and side images such that an on-axis viewer perceives from the combined image the main image, and an off-axis viewer perceives from the combined image the side image. The output image data comprises data values chosen from a set of available output data values for the pixels selected from multiple sets of available data values depending on at least on the side image data. For a pixel currently being processed, the output data value is chosen from the selected set of available output data values for which a resulting luminance value is closest to a target luminance value for the current pixel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of processing image data for a display having a plurality of pixels, comprising:
obtaining main image data corresponding to a main image;
obtaining side image data corresponding to a side image;
processing, using control electronics, the main image data and the side image data to produce combined image data, wherein said processing includes at least one of
i) processing the main and side image data as a function of an off-axis to on-axis luminance response of each type of pixel on the display, wherein the off-axis to on-axis luminance response of a first type of pixel is different from the off-axis to on-axis luminance response of a second type of pixel, or
ii) determining whether each pixel is adjacent to a boundary in the side image, and processing the main and side image data as a function of whether each pixel is adjacent to a boundary in the side image, wherein the boundary indicates a spatial change of brightness in the side image.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said processing includes processing the main and side image data using both steps i) and ii).

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein processing the main and side image data as a function of a pixel type includes determining the pixel type as a function of a location of each pixel on the display.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising outputting the processed image data on the display, wherein an on-axis viewer perceives from the combined image the main image and an off-axis viewer perceives from the combined image the side image.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising using a first look-up table to process the main image data when in a public display mode, and using a second look-up table to process the main and side image data when in a private display mode, the second look-up table different from the first look-up table.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein using the first or second look-up table includes using a look-up table that takes into account a voltage-luminance characteristic of the display to provide an intended luminance at each pixel as defined by at least one of the main image data or the side image data.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein using the second look-up table includes using a look-up table that is dependent on both the main image and the side image.

8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein using the second look-up table includes using a look-up table that selectively concentrates a combined luminance of a plurality of pixels including at least two pixel types into one pixel type, wherein the pixel type to be used is based on the side image data.

9. The method according to claim 5 , wherein using the second look-up table includes using a look-up table that compresses a range of luminance values produced by the main image data to produce luminances that have a larger difference between off-axis luminances produced by odd rows and even rows.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising generating a composite input value for each pixel for entering into at least one of the first or second look-up table to retrieve the output data value.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising selecting the most significant bits of the main input image data, and combining the most significant bits with the composite input data value.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising applying a filter to the main image data, which has the effect of selectively blurring or widening fine features in that image, prior to combining the main image data with the side image data to reduce image artefacts.

13. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising using a fringe-field switching-type (FFS-type) liquid crystal display (LCD) to display a combined image corresponding to the combined image data.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein using the FFS-type LCD includes using an FFS-type LCD that does not include additional optical components for modifying the display to enable a private mode.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein using the FFS-type LCD includes using an LCD in which the at least two types of pixels are pixels in alternate rows having a mirrored electrode geometry to each other.

16. A method for generating pixel data for a display having a plurality of pixels for providing a private viewing mode with a main image and a side image, the display including pairs of pixels each pair comprising a first pixel type having a first off-axis to on-axis luminance response and a second pixel type having a second off-axis to on-axis luminance response, wherein the first off-axis to on-axis luminance response of the first type of pixel is different from the second off-axis to on-axis luminance response of the second type of pixel, the method comprising:
determining an on-axis data value to luminance response for the first pixel type of a pair of pixels;
determining an on-axis data value to luminance response for the second pixel type of the pair of pixels; and
generating, via control electronics for the display, a first data value for one pixel of the pair, and generating a second data value for the other pixel of the pair, wherein generation includes generating the respective data values to compensate for a variation of the on-axis data value to luminance response for the respective pixels of the pair of pixels.

17. A method for generating pixel data for a display for providing a private viewing mode with a main image and a side image, the display having a plurality of pixels, the method comprising:
using a lookup table (LUT) to generate an output value for each pixel of the display, wherein using the LUT includes
determining, using control electronics, the output value for each pixel which corresponds to an input value for a pixel that is adjacent to a boundary in the side image; and
upon determining the output value for each which pixel corresponds to an input value for a pixel that is adjacent to the boundary in the side image, scaling, via the control electronics, the output value relative to an equivalent output value for non-side image boundary pixels, said scaling configured to account for an appearance in an output image of adjacent pixels having a same modification direction relative to input main image data.

18. A display device, comprising:
a display having a plurality of pixels; and

control electronics operatively coupled to the display, the control electronics configured to execute the steps according to claim 1 .

19. The display device according to claim 18 , wherein the display comprises a fringe-field switching (FFS) type liquid crystal display (LCD) with at least two types of pixels arranged in alternate rows and having a mirrored electrode geometry to each other.

20. The display device according to claim 18 , wherein the display comprises a fringe-field switching (FFS) liquid crystal display (LCD) having monodomain pixel types with pixel electrode fingers, and an orientation of each pixel electrode finger is mirrored in alternate rows.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Heywood-Lonsdale Edward
• Broughton Benjamin John
• Smith Nathan James
• Maeda Kenji
• Seki Fumitaka
• Gass Paul Antony

Classifications

• G06T3/40

  Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting · CPC title

• G06T5/50

  using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction · CPC title

• G09G2320/068

  for control of viewing angle adjustment · CPC title

• G06T11/60 Primary

  Creating or editing images; Combining images with text · CPC title

• G09G2300/0434

  Flat panel display in which a field is applied parallel to the display plane · CPC title