EP0823698A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Improvements in or relating to digital micromirror display systems
Assignee: Texas Instruments Inc
•
Filing: 1996-08-09
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2016-08-09
Abstract
Abstract A method and system for accentuating intense white display areas in sequential DMD video systems includes generating a special signal for each pixel that indicates whether to boost the intensity of that pixel in all colors. The method further includes enabling the mirrors to be turned on during times of color boundary of the color wheel such that DMD with mirrors receives different mixes of color light that are integrated together to produce intense white. The system may include degamma lookup tables for each color. The degamma lookup tables are augmented when the special signal is generated.
Inventors
- 👤 Donald B. Doherty
- 👤 Robert J. Gove
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 02:17
CPC Classifications
G; G09; G09G; G09G3/00; G09G3/20; G09G3/34; G09G3/3433; G09G3/346; G02; G02B; G02B26/00; G02B26/007; G02B26/008; G02B26/08; G02B26/0816; G02B26/0833; G02B26/0841; H; H04; H04N; H04N9/00; H04N9/12; H04N9/31; H04N9/3102; H04N9/3111; H04N9/3114; G09G2310/00; G09G2310/02; G09G2310/0235; G09G2320/00; G09G2320/02; G09G2320/0271; G09G2320/0276
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
67 words
A method for accentuating intense white display areas in a
sequential DMD video system, which method comprising the steps
of; generating a signal that is indicative of a boost white
intensity; and enabling a DMD, during the presence of said signal, to be in
an ON " position during a period when a source of light for
the DMD traverses a color boundary of a color wheel.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method of Claim 1, wherein said step of generating said
signal comprises generating a signal for each pixel of an
array of pixels, said signal being indicative of a boost white
intensity of at least one pixel in all colors.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
56 words
The method of Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said enabling step
comprises enabling said DMDs to be in an ON " position during
periods when a source of light traverses a color boundary of
said color wheel such that said DMD receives different mixes
of color light that are integrated together to produce intense
white.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
31 words
The method of any preceding claim further comprising, after
said generating step, the step of loading said signals into an
array of DMDs at the start of all color transition periods.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
35 words
The method of any preceding claim, wherein said generating
step comprises comparing red, green and blue signals and
generating a boost signal when the DMDs from red, green and
blue are over a given threshold.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of Claim 5 further comprising the step of
augmenting an original transfer function within degamma lookup
tables for the red, green and blue colors in response to the
generated signal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of Claim 6 further comprising; using said signal to
alter the gain in the degamma lookup tables to provide a
smooth ramping function.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
38 words
The method of any preceding claim further comprising; turning OFF " all of said DMDs at an absolute boundary period, and
turning OFF " all of said DMDs at a first transition period
before said absolute boundary period.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
53 words
The method of Claim 8, wherein said step of turning OFF " said
DMDs comprises sequentially turning OFF " said DMDs in groups
before said absolute boundary, and at a second transition
period following following said absolute color boundary in the
same order said stepped groups of DMDs are turned ON " .
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method of Claim 9, wherein said step of generating said
signal comprises generating said signal when all of said color
video signals have substantially equal intensity above a given
threshold.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
48 words
The method of any preceding claim further comprising;
illuminating said DMDs from a light source through a color
wheel, wherein color wheel boundaries are formed in groups of
DMDs which are sequentially turned OFF " and in like order
said stepped groups are sequentially turned ON " .
Claim 12
Independent Claim
19 words
The method of Claims 8 to 11 further comprising; providing a
source of at least three color video signals.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
36 words
The method of Claims 8 to 12 further comprising; providing
degamma lookup tables for each color and coupling said signal
to said tables and thereby increasing the gain from said
tables in response to said signal.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
63 words
A system for accentuating intense white display areas in a
sequential DMD video system, which system comprising; a generator coupled to incoming color video signals for
generating a signal representing intensity above a given
threshold; and a controller coupled to DMDs and responsive to said signal to
enable DMDs to be turned ON " during traverses of color
boundaries of a color wheel.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
17 words
The system of Claim 14, wherein said color video signals are
red, green and blue video signals.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
40 words
The system of any of Claim 14 or Claim 15 further comprising;
degamma lookup tables coupled to each incoming video signal
for providing a first transfer function, said degamma lookup
tables augmenting said transfer function in response to said
signal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system of any of Claim 14 to 16, wherein at color
boundaries stepped groups of DMDs are sequentially turned OFF " and in like order said stepped groups of DMDs are
sequentially turned ON " .
Claim 18
Independent Claim
36 words
The system of any of Claims 14 to 17 further comprising; a
source of at least three color video signals, and wherein said
controller enables said DMDs to remain turned ON " during said
color boundaries.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
44 words
The system of any of Claims 14 to 18 further comprising;
degamma lookup tables with one degamma table for each color,
said lookup tables coupled to said generator and responsive to
the generation of said signal for boosting a transfer function
of said tables.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
77 words
The system of any of Claims 14 to 19, wherein at an absolute
color wheel boundary period all of said DMDs are turned OFF " and at a first transition period before said absolute color
wheel boundary period said DMDs are sequentially turned OFF " in groups before said absolute color boundary and at a second
transition period following said absolute color boundary in
like order said stepped groups of DMDs are sequentially turned ON " .
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of Claim 20, wherein said controller enables said
DMDs to be turned ON " during said absolute color boundaries
and said first and second transition periods.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
22 words
The system of any of Claims 14 to 21, wherein said system is
a split reset Digital Mirror Device (DMD) video system.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.