Electrophoretic Display Control Device for Halftone Blurring Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Display devices using electrophoretic elements experience gradation blurring-out when pixels are rewritten, affecting the display of halftones during color reduction processes, leading to imperfect gradations.
Innovation Solution
A control device that includes storage devices for dither matrices and correction values, performing first and second correction processes to adjust gradation values of target pixels and adjacent pixels, reducing blurring-out and blurring-in effects by calculating and applying correction values based on predetermined conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a pixel is rewritten from one gradation level to another, then the image switching is achieved, but gradation blurring-out occurs at adjacent pixels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing correction processing before the actual pixel rewriting operation. Specifically, it calculates correction values for gradation blurring-out and gradation blurring-in in advance, and applies these corrections to the image data before rewriting the pixels. This prevents the blurring effect from occurring in the first place, rather than attempting to fix it after the fact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by treating different pixels differently based on their specific conditions. It calculates correction values specifically for adjacent pixels that are susceptible to blurring, rather than applying uniform processing to all pixels. The correction amount is adjusted locally based on the gradation levels of individual pixels and their neighbors, ensuring precise correction where needed while maintaining efficiency.
2Reliability
If partial rewriting operation is performed to alleviate afterimages, then afterimage reduction is achieved, but gradation blurring-out still occurs at adjacent rewritten pixels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two previously separate operations into one unified process: the partial rewriting operation for afterimage reduction and the correction operation for gradation blurring. By combining these functions, the system achieves both afterimage reduction and gradation accuracy improvement simultaneously. The correction values for blurring are integrated into the partial rewriting process, so that a single pixel update accomplishes multiple objectives.
3Adaptability or versatility
If color reduction process using dither matrix is used to display halftones, then halftone display is achieved, but gradation blurring-out affects the actual displayed gradations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing correction processing before the actual pixel rewriting operation. Specifically, it calculates correction values for gradation blurring-out and gradation blurring-in in advance, and applies these corrections to the image data before rewriting the pixels. This prevents the blurring effect from occurring in the first place, rather than attempting to fix it after the fact.
Data Source
AI summary
A control device includes: a first storage device storing a dither matrix of two-dimensionally arranged dither values; a second storage device storing data of a-gradation levels; a first correction device that performs a first correction processing of calculating a first correction value for correcting gradation blurring-out from the target pixel to an adjacent pixel; a second correction device that performs a second correction processing of calculating a second correction value for correcting gradation blurring-in from the adjacent pixel to the target pixel; and a gradation value deciding device that decides a gradation value of the target pixel expressed in the b-gradation levels by using a value obtained by adding a corresponding one of the dither values stored in the first storage device, a corresponding one of the gradation values stored in the second storage device and at least one of the first correction value and the second correction value.