Mixed primary display with spatially modulated backlight

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016307482-A1
Application number	US-201615130886-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 15, 2016
Priority date	Apr 17, 2015
Publication date	Oct 20, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method, computer readable medium, and system are disclosed for generating mixed-primary data for display. The method includes the steps of receiving a source image that includes a plurality of pixels, dividing the source image into a plurality of blocks, analyzing the source image based on an image decomposition algorithm, encoding chroma information and modulation information to generate a video signal, and transmitting the video signal to a mixed-primary display. The chroma information and modulation information correspond with two or more mixed-primary color components and are generated by the image decomposition algorithm to minimize error between a reproduced image and the source image. The two or more mixed-primary colors selected for each block of the source image are not limited to any particular set of colors and each mixed-primary color component may be selected from any color capable of being reproduced by the mixed-primary display.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
receiving a source image that includes a plurality of pixels; dividing the source image into a plurality of blocks, each block comprising a plurality of adjacent pixels in the source image; analyzing the source image based on an image decomposition algorithm to generate chroma information and modulation information corresponding to two or more mixed-primary color components; encoding the chroma information and modulation information to generate a video signal; and transmitting the video signal to a mixed-primary display.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the mixed-primary display comprises
a first layer of pixel elements configured to reproduce a low-resolution color image from the chroma information associated with the source image, wherein the chroma information includes two or more values for each pixel element of the first layer that correspond to the two or more mixed-primary color components; and a second layer of pixel elements configured to modulate light projected through the first layer to adjust a luminance of light transmitted through each pixel element in the second layer to reproduce a high-resolution image from the modulation information associated with the source image, wherein the first layer has a resolution that is less than a resolution of the second layer, wherein each pixel element of the first layer corresponds with a block of pixels in the plurality of blocks, and wherein each pixel element of the second layer corresponds with a pixel in the source image.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first layer comprises:
a backlight that generates white light; and a modulation layer that includes an array of monochromatic liquid crystal elements, each liquid crystal element associated with a particular color filter of a color filter array.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the mixed-primary display comprises a diffusion layer between the first layer and the second layer.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the mixed primary display is configured to reproduce the source image utilizing temporal multiplexing implemented by displaying a first sub-frame associated with a first mixed-primary color component for a first duration and then displaying a second sub-frame associated with a second mixed-primary color component for a second duration.

6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first layer and second layer are included in a first projector, the mixed-primary display further comprising a second projector similar to the first projector.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the first layer is a low-resolution RGB LCD and the second layer is a high-resolution SLM.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the first projector is configured to reproduce a first sub-frame associated with a first mixed-primary color component, the second projector is configured to reproduce a second sub-frame associated with a second mixed-primary color component, and the first sub-frame is superimposed over the second sub-frame using a beam splitter.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the image decomposition algorithm comprises:
analyzing the image using a Gauss-Newton iterative algorithm to generate a set of intermediate vectors for each pixel of the source image; and generating a set of mixing vectors for each block of the source image and a corresponding set of modulation vectors for each pixel of the source image based on an augmented Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) algorithm that uses the set of intermediate vectors to calculate the set of mixing vectors and the corresponding set of modulation vectors.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the chroma information includes a first value for a first mixed-primary color component and a second value for a second mixed-primary color component for each block of the source image, and wherein the modulation information includes a first value for the first mixed-primary color component and the second value for a second mixed-primary color component for each pixel of the source image.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the image decomposition algorithm utilizes the chroma information and modulation information for one mixed-primary color component associated with the source image to generate chroma information and modulation information for a different mixed-primary color component associated with a second source image.

12 . A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising:
receiving a source image that includes a plurality of pixels; dividing the source image into a plurality of blocks, each block comprising a plurality of adjacent pixels in the source image; analyzing the source image based on an image decomposition algorithm to generate chroma information and modulation information corresponding to two or more mixed-primary color components; encoding the chroma information and modulation information to generate a video signal; and transmitting the video signal to a mixed-primary display.

13 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the mixed-primary display comprises
a first layer of pixel elements configured to reproduce a low-resolution color image from the chroma information associated with the source image, wherein the chroma information includes two or more values for each pixel element of the first layer that correspond to the two or more mixed-primary color components; and a second layer of pixel elements configured to modulate light projected through the first layer to adjust a luminance of light transmitted through each pixel element in the second layer to reproduce a high-resolution image from the modulation information associated with the source image, wherein the first layer has a resolution that is less than a resolution of the second layer, wherein each pixel element of the first layer corresponds with a block of pixels in the plurality of blocks, and wherein each pixel element of the second layer corresponds with a pixel in the source image.

14 . A system, comprising:
a mixed-primary display; and a parallel processing unit configured to:
receive a source image that includes a plurality of pixels,
divide the source image into a plurality of blocks, each block comprising a plurality of adjacent pixels in the source image,
analyze the source image based on an image decomposition algorithm to generate chroma information and modulation information corresponding to two or more mixed-primary color components,
encode the chroma information and modulation information to generate a video signal, and
transmit the video signal to the mixed-primary display.

15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the mixed-primary display comprises
a first layer of pixel elements configured to reproduce a low-resolution color image from the chroma information associated with the source image, wherein the chroma information includes two or more values for each pixel element of the first layer that correspond to the two or more mixed-primary color components; and a second layer of pixel elements configured to modulate light projected through the first layer to adjust a luminance of light transmitted through each pixel element in the second layer to reproduce a high-resolution image from the modulation information associated with the source image, wherein the first layer has a resolution that is less than a resolution of the second layer, wherein each pixel element of the first layer corresponds with a block of pixels in the plurality of blocks

Assignees

• Nvidia Corp

Inventors

• Huang Fu-Chung
• Luebke David Patrick
• Kautz Jan
• Pajak Dawid Stanislaw

Classifications

• G09G2300/023

  Display panel composed of stacked panels · CPC title

• G09G3/001

  using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background (slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP) · CPC title

• G09G3/002 Primary

  to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT · CPC title

• G09G3/2003

  Display of colours (specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607) · CPC title

• G09G3/2074

  using sub-pixels · CPC title