Image-Adaptive Tone Mapping for Display Flicker Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional display devices experience flicker and degraded image quality due to large luminance differences between similar image frames, resulting from tone mapping curves with significant variations being applied to images with small boundary changes.
Innovation Solution
An image-adaptive tone mapping method that determines a final tone mapping curve by comparing current and previous image frames, adjusting the curve based on luminance and color-difference signals, and applying it to prevent flicker by interpolating between previous and new curves, ensuring smooth luminance transitions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a tone mapping curve is determined by analyzing the data signal for each image frame, then the contrast ratio of the image frame is improved, but large luminance differences occur between similar image frames causing flicker
Solution Approach 1:
The patent determines whether a scene change occurs before applying the tone mapping curve. By preliminarily analyzing the relationship between the current image frame and previous image frame, the system prepares the appropriate tone mapping strategy in advance, preventing flicker while maintaining contrast ratio improvement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the tone mapping application based on scene change detection. When no scene change is detected, the tone mapping curve is applied adaptively; when a scene change is detected, the system switches to a different mode. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between improving contrast ratio and maintaining image stability.
2Illumination intensity
If tone mapping curves with large differences are applied to similar image frames, then the contrast ratio is enhanced, but luminance transitions become abrupt causing observable flicker
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses feedback from comparing the current image frame's data signal with the previous image frame's data signal to determine whether a scene change has occurred. This feedback mechanism allows the system to adjust the tone mapping curve application accordingly, ensuring luminance consistency while maintaining contrast ratio enhancement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of tone mapping curve selection based on the detected scene change condition. When no scene change is detected, a specific tone mapping curve is selected; when a scene change is detected, a different curve is selected. This parameter change strategy resolves the contradiction between enhancing contrast ratio and maintaining luminance consistency.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of performing image-adaptive tone mapping includes: determining a tone mapping curve based on a data signal corresponding to an image frame to be displayed on a display panel; determining whether a scene-change occurs between the image frame and a previous image frame by comparing the data signal with a previous data signal corresponding to the previous image frame; generating, in response to a determination that the scene-change does not occur, a final tone mapping curve based on the tone mapping curve and a previous tone mapping curve, which is applied to the previous image frame; determining, in response to a determination that the scene change occurs, the tone mapping curve as the final tone mapping curve; and performing a tone mapping by applying the final tone mapping curve to the image frame.