Method of handling overdrive for image data and related overdrive device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10909940-B2
Application number	US-201816223129-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2018
Priority date	Dec 18, 2018
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

A method of handling overdrive for image data includes the steps of: receiving a current image data and a previous image data; obtaining an overdrive image data by finding an overdrive lookup table according to the current image data and the previous image data; generating a weighting mask comprising a plurality of weighting parameters; calculating an output image data by combining the overdrive image data with the current image data according to one of the weighting parameters corresponding to a pixel of the current image data; and outputting the output image data to the pixel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of handling overdrive for image data, comprising:
receiving a current image data and a previous image data;
obtaining an overdrive image data by finding an overdrive lookup table according to the current image data and the previous image data;
generating a weighting mask comprising a plurality of weighting parameters;
calculating an output image data by combining the overdrive image data with the current image data according to a first weighting parameter among the weighting parameters, wherein the first weighting parameter corresponds to a position of a pixel of the current image data; and
outputting the output image data to the pixel.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first weighting parameter is a weighting of the overdrive image data in the combination of the overdrive image data and the current image data.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether the first weighting parameter is greater than 0 before finding the overdrive lookup table.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
calculating the output image data by combining the overdrive image data with the current image data only when the first weighting parameter is greater than 0; and
outputting the current image data as the output image data when the first weighting parameter is equal to 0.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining whether each of the weighting parameters is greater than 0; and
storing a part of a previous frame of image data in a frame memory;
wherein the stored part of the previous frame of image data corresponds to the weighting parameters determined to be greater than 0.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the weighting mask comprises at least one of the weighting parameters forming a shape, a vertical gradient of the weighting parameters on a display panel, an array of the weighting parameters, and a mathematical representation based on the position of the pixel.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein an end time of an overdrive period is configured to be aligned with a turned-on time of a blinking backlight, wherein the overdrive period allows a specific row of pixels to be charged to a target voltage level by the corresponding output image data.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the specific row of pixels is a row of pixels in a display panel lastly receiving the output image data or a row of pixels configured with the weighting parameter greater than 0 lastly receiving the output image data.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein a turned-off time of the blinking backlight is configured to be later than a next frame of image data starting to be received by a row of pixels in a display panel firstly receiving the output image data and configured to be earlier than or aligned with a start time of a row of pixels configured with the weighting parameter greater than 0 starting to receive the output image data.

10. An overdrive device, comprising:
a frame memory, configured to store a previous image data;
an overdrive lookup table, coupled to the frame memory, configured to receive the previous image data from the frame memory and receive a current image data from an input terminal, and obtain an overdrive image data according to the current image data and the previous image data; and
a weighting mask, coupled to the overdrive lookup table, the weighting mask comprising a plurality of weighting parameters, and configured to calculate an output image data by combining the overdrive image data with the current image data according to a first weighting parameter among the weighting parameters, wherein the first weighting parameter corresponds to a position of a pixel of the current image data;
wherein the output image data is outputted to the pixel.

11. The overdrive device of claim 10 , wherein the first weighting parameter is a weighting of the overdrive image data in the combination of the overdrive image data and the current image data.

12. The overdrive device of claim 10 , further comprising:
a determination unit, coupled to the frame memory and the overdrive lookup table, configured to determine whether the first weighting parameter is greater than 0 before the overdrive lookup table obtains the overdrive image data.

13. The overdrive device of claim 12 , wherein the weighting mask calculates the output image data by combining the overdrive image data with the current image data only when the first weighting parameter is greater than 0;
wherein the current image data is outputted as the output image data when the first weighting parameter is equal to 0.

14. The overdrive device of claim 10 , further comprising:
a determination unit, coupled to the frame memory and the overdrive lookup table, configured to determine whether each of the weighting parameters is greater than 0;
wherein the frame memory is configured to store a part of a previous frame of image data, and the stored part of the previous frame of image data corresponds to the weighting parameters determined to be greater than 0.

15. The overdrive device of claim 10 , wherein the weighting mask comprises at least one of the weighting parameters forming a shape, a vertical gradient of the weighting parameters on a display panel, an array of the weighting parameters, and a mathematical representation based on the position of the pixel.

16. The overdrive device of claim 10 , wherein an end time of an overdrive period is configured to be aligned with a turned-on time of a blinking backlight, wherein the overdrive period allows a specific row of pixels to be charged to a target voltage level by the corresponding output image data.

17. The overdrive device of claim 16 , wherein the specific row of pixels is a row of pixels in a display panel lastly receiving the output image data or a row of pixels configured with the weighting parameter greater than 0 lastly receiving the output image data.

18. The overdrive device of claim 16 , wherein a turned-off time of the blinking backlight is configured to be later than a next frame of image data starting to be received by a row of pixels in a display panel firstly receiving the output image data and configured to be earlier than or aligned with a start time of a row of pixels configured with the weighting parameter greater than 0 starting to receive the output image data.

19. A method of handling overdrive for image data, comprising:
receiving a current frame of image data and a previous frame of image data;
obtaining a frame of overdrive image data by finding an overdrive lookup table according to the current frame of image data and the previous frame of image data;
generating a weighting mask;
calculating a frame of output image data by combining the frame of overdrive image data with the current frame of image data according to the weighting mask, wherein the weighting mask comprises a plurality of weighting parameters each corresponding to a position of a pixel in the current frame of image data; and
outputting the frame of output image data to a display panel.

Assignees

• Novatek Microelectronics Corp

Inventors

• Pai Feng-Ting
• Yang Jun-Yu

Classifications

• G02F1/0121 Primary

  Operation of devices; Circuit arrangements, not otherwise provided for in this subclass · CPC title

• G09G3/3648 Primary

  using an active matrix (G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence) · CPC title

• G09G2340/16

  Determination of a pixel data signal depending on the signal applied in the previous frame · CPC title

• G09G3/3696

  Generation of voltages supplied to electrode drivers · CPC title

• G09G2360/16

  Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data · CPC title