Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Masahiro Esashi

Toshiyuki Iwai

Atsushi Aoki

Hiroaki Niwamoto

Tsukasa Kaminokado

Norimasa Yamaguchi

Kenji Maeda

Tatsuo Watanabe

Andrew Kay

Benjamin John Broughton

Paul Antony Gass

Yoshimitsu Inamori

Takashi Yasumoto

Yuuichi Sato

Marc Paul Servais

A method of processing image data for display by a display panel of a display device. The method comprises receiving main image pixel data representing a main image and side image pixel data representing a side image, and performing a mapping of the pixel data to signals used to drive the display panel. The mapping is arranged to produce an average on-axis luminance which is dependent mainly on the main image pixel data and an average off-axis luminance which is dependent at least to some extent on the side image pixel data. A compression of the main image pixel data is performed in advance of or at least partly incorporated into the mapping, the compression being performed at least partly in dependence upon the main image pixel data and at least partly in dependence upon how the off-axis luminance varies with pixel data input to the mapping.

Method, apparatus and program for processing image data for display by a display panel of a display device, and a display device

A digital information recording carrier has a planar recording surface having an information recording area in which cells corresponding to bits are virtually set in a matrix form, each cell being provided with an optically recognizable mark corresponding to digital information so that the digital information is recorded in the information recording area as a two-dimensional pattern. The carrier also has specific patterns each consisting of a plurality of cells which are linked together and which are given marks in a given pattern. Some of the specific patterns are placed in an inner portion apart from a perimeter of the information recording area.

Method and apparatus for recording digital information in two-dimensional pattern, carrier of digital information recorded thereby, and a method and apparatus for decoding such digital information

A digital information recording carrier has a planar recording surface having an information recording area in which meshes corresponding to bits are virtually set in a matrix form, each mesh being provided with an optically recognizable mark corresponding to digital information so that the digital information is recorded in the information recording area as a two-dimensional pattern. The carrier also has specific patterns each consisting of a plurality of meshes which are linked together and which are given marks in a given pattern. Some of the specific patterns are placed in an inner portion apart from a perimeter of the information recording area.

A small block having a particular configuration that fills up an information recording area without clearances is set. The small block made up by giving marks of different values to cells arrayed in a direction of at least one row and column is selected as a modulation block. A primary pattern corresponding to recording-object information is extracted in the units of small blocks, the extracted patterns are associated with the modulation pattern in the units of cells in one-to-one correspondence, and their exclusive-ORs are calculated respectively. A secondary pattern is recorded by a process that small blocks composed of marks representing the values of the exclusive-ORs are arrayed in the units in order in the information recording area.

Recording method and decoding method for digital information using

Provided is a digital information decoding method capable of speedily and surely reading digital information recorded as a two-dimensional pattern by giving a mark to each of matrix meshes set virtually. The two-dimensional pattern is converted into image data composed of image bits. A center position of each mesh is calculated, and a value of the image bit in the calculated center position is read as a value of the mesh. If there is a read error, at least one of first through third analyzing methods is executed to perform re-reading. According to the first analyzing method, the position to be examined is shifted by a specified amount from the center position in the mesh. According to the second analyzing method, a sum of weighted values of the image bits included in the mesh is calculated and compared with a specified threshold value. According to the third analyzing method, based on a distance between a boundary of the mesh being examined and its calculated center position, the calculated center position of the adjacent mesh is corrected to coincide with a true center position of the adjacent mesh.

Digital information decoding method having a re-reading step

There is provided a method for recording digital information that, when digital information is recorded as a two-dimensional pattern on a planar recording surface, the digital information can be easily coded and decoded. A specific pattern for representing a location within the recording surface is made up by giving marks in a specified pattern to a plurality of meshes which are adjoined to one another into a specific shape. A rectangular block is composed of a plurality of meshes adjoined to one another longitudinally and transversely into a rectangular shape and has longitudinal and transverse dimensions larger than those of the specific pattern. A segment in which the specific patterns are overlaid in the units of meshes or circumscribed to the rectangular block is set. An information recording area for expressing the two-dimensional pattern is composed by arraying a plurality of the segments without clearances on the recording surface. The digital information to be recorded is divided according to the number of the segments and then resulting pieces of unitary information are recorded into the segments.

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Osaka, Japan

Masahiro Esashi