Light Source Dimming Control for Menu Screen Luminance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image display apparatuses cause viewer discomfort due to unnatural brightness changes during transitions from black screens to menu screens, as dimming control is continued even after the screen has switched, leading to uncomfortable luminance adjustments.
Innovation Solution
An image display apparatus with a light source dimming unit that determines whether to perform dimming control based on the input video signal, acquires a dimming rate as a ratio to the maximum luminance output, and sets the luminance to maximum when the dimming rate of the preceding frame is lower than a threshold, ensuring immediate adjustment to prevent uncomfortable brightness changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If dimming control is performed in stages for all frames including menu screens, then luminance adaptation to black screens is improved, but viewer comfort deteriorates due to unnatural brightness changes during menu screen display
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different dimming control strategies to different types of frames. For video frames, staged dimming control is performed to adapt luminance. For menu screens and still images, the system detects these frame types and skips staged dimming control, directly displaying them at their required luminance level. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by applying dimming control only where it benefits viewer comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the dimming control strategy based on the frame type detected. When a menu screen or still image is detected, the system switches from staged dimming control to immediate full luminance display. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize for luminance adaptation during video playback while preventing viewer discomfort during menu screen display.
2Stability of the object's composition
If staged dimming control is applied to menu screens, then luminance transition smoothness is improved, but display time is extended causing delayed menu screen appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The system identifies menu screens as a special frame type requiring immediate display. When a menu screen is detected, the patent skips the staged dimming control process and directly displays the menu screen at its target luminance level. This local exception handling eliminates the time delay for menu screens while maintaining smooth transitions for video content.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the light source luminance is increased in stages for still images, then energy consumption is reduced, but brightness comfort deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent detects still images and menu screens as special frame types and applies a different energy management strategy. Instead of performing staged dimming control to save energy, the system directly displays these frames at their required luminance level. This local differentiation ensures brightness comfort for still images while maintaining energy efficiency benefits for video content where staged control is appropriate.
Data Source
AI summary
An image display apparatus (and a method for dimming a light source) includes a light source and display units that spatially modulate a light from the light source on the basis of an input video signal to form an image, and performs dimming control to adjust luminance of the light source in stages. The image display apparatus includes a light source dimming unit that determines whether to perform dimming control on the basis of the input video signal, acquires a dimming rate, which is a ratio of brightness of an input image to a maximum luminance output from the light source, and sets the output of the light source to the maximum luminance output when a dimming rate of a frame immediately before a frame determined not to be subjected to dimming control is lower than a threshold.