Expedited display characterization using diffraction gratings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016227209-A1
Application number	US-201614996165-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 14, 2016
Priority date	Feb 4, 2015
Publication date	Aug 4, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An image sensor of a camera configured with a diffraction grating is used to capture a diffraction image of an image rendering surface of a display device, for example, while a target image is being rendered on the image rendering surface of the display device. The diffraction image of the image rendering surface of the display device is analyzed to obtain measurements of native display capabilities of the display device. Display capability data is transmitted to a display management module for the display device. At least a portion of the display capability data is generated from the measurements of native display capabilities of the display device that are obtained from analyzing the diffraction image of the image rendering surface of the display device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
capturing a diffraction image of an image rendering surface of a display device using an image sensor of a camera configured with a diffraction grating, wherein a target image is being rendered on the image rendering surface of the display device; analyzing the diffraction image of the image rendering surface of the display device to obtain measurements of native display capabilities of the display device; transmitting display capability data to a display management module for the display device, wherein at least a portion of the display capability data is generated from the measurements of native display capabilities of the display device that are obtained from analyzing the diffraction image of the image rendering surface of the display device.

2 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the method is performed by a mobile device comprising the camera and a computer application that is configured to analyze diffraction images of the image rendering surface of the display device on which target images are rendered.

3 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the method is performed by the display device connected with the camera, and wherein the display device is configured to analyze diffraction images of the image rendering surface of the display device on which target images are rendered.

4 . The method as recited in claim 3 , wherein the display device is configured to analyze ambient light conditions in a viewing setting in which the display device is deployed.

5 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the camera is a part of a computing device that is communicatively linked with the display device.

6 . The method as recited in claim 5 , wherein the computing device instructs the display device to render the target image on the image rendering surface of the display device.

7 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the display device stores image data for the target image in persistent data store of the display device.

8 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the target image is retrieved by the display device from an image data source.

9 . The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
using the image sensor of the camera configured with the diffraction grating to capture a second diffraction image of a black screen on the image rendering surface of the display device; removing, based on the second diffraction image, ambient light contributions from the image of the image rendering surface of the display device; wherein the diffraction image of the image rendering surface of the display device after the ambient light contributions are removed based on the second diffraction image is analyzed to obtain the measurements of the native display capabilities of the display device.

10 . The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
removing lens distortions from the diffraction image of the image rendering surface of the display device; wherein the diffraction image of the image rendering surface of the display device after the lens distortions are removed is analyzed to obtain the measurements of the native display capabilities of the display device.

11 . The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
determining one or more spectral characteristics of the camera; calculating, based on the one or more spectral characteristics of the camera and the diffraction image, a spectral power distribution related to a stimulus as rendered on the image rendering surface of the display device.

12 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the target image as rendered on the image rendering surface of the display device comprises a stimulus; and the method further comprising:
obtaining a first-order scanline from the diffraction image of the image rendering surface for the stimulus as rendered on the image rendering surface of the display device; determining a spectral power distribution related to the stimulus as rendered on the image rendering surface of the display device.

13 . The method as recited in claim 12 , further comprising computing a set of international commission on illumination (CIE) tristimulus values based on the spectral power distribution.

14 . The method as recited in claim 13 , further comprising deriving a white point based on the set of CIE tristimulus values computed based on the spectral power distribution.

15 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the display management module represents one of a set-top box, a multimedia device, a computing device external to the display device, or a control module within the display device.

16 . The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising: capturing an exposure series of one or more diffraction images of one or more stimuli of gray patches rendered on the image rendering surface of the display device; establishing one or more relationships between pixel values in the one or more diffraction images and respective exposure times used to generate the one or more diffraction images; estimating a maximum luminance that the display device is configured to generate based at least in part on the one or more relationships between the pixel values in the one or more diffraction images and the respective exposure times used to generate the one or more diffraction images.

17 . The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the diffraction grating comprises a specific band gap filter for calibrating spectral distribution in a first-order scanline from the diffraction image of the image rendering surface for the stimulus as rendered on the image rendering surface of the display device.

18 . The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the display capability data to a display capability data repository system that stores display capability information for a plurality of display devices.

19 . The method as recited in claim 17 , further comprising receiving one or more of analytical results, calibration data, or display management data from the display capability data repository system.

20 . An apparatus comprising a processor and configured to perform the method as recited in claim 1 .

21 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing software instructions, which when executed by one or more processors cause performance of the method as recited in claim 1 .

22 . A computing device comprising one or more processors and one or more storage media storing a set of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause performance of the method as recited in claim 1 .

Assignees

• Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corp

Inventors

• Kunkel Timo
• Wan Chun Chi

Classifications

• H04N17/004 Primary

  for digital television systems · CPC title

• H04N17/02

  for colour television signals · CPC title

• G02B27/4205

  having a diffractive optical element [DOE] contributing to image formation, e.g. whereby modulation transfer function MTF or optical aberrations are relevant · CPC title

• H04N5/225

  Electricity · mapped topic