Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Yong-in Han

Seong-deok Lee

Chang-yeong Kim

Yang-seock Seo

Chang-won Huh

Tae-Chan Kim

Seog-Heon Ham

Su-Hun Lim

Myoung-Su Lee

Seok-Joon Park

Suk-beom Song

Yong-joon Jung

Jin-Kyeong Heo

Hyen-aee Woo

Seok-joon Park

Hwan-sang Roh

Kwang-whui Cho

Gwang-sun Lee

Provided are an image brightness controlling apparatus and method, and an adaptive brightness controlling apparatus and method based on the brightness degree and/or brightness range of an image. The image brightness controlling apparatus includes a brightness increment arithmetic unit for outputting a brightness increment for a pixel, and an individual component brightness increment arithmetic unit for outputting the brightness increments of individual components constituting the pixel in response to the brightness increment for a pixel. The individual component brightness increment arithmetic unit multiplies the brightness increment of the pixel by each of the unit vectors of the components constituting the pixel to obtain the brightness increments of the individual components. The image brightness controlling apparatus further includes an adder for adding the components constituting the pixel to the brightness increments of the components. The image brightness controlling apparatus and the adaptive image brightness controlling apparatus can maintain the sense of color of an image (e.g., the hue or chroma of an image) while increasing the brightness degree and brightness range of an image.

Apparatus and method of controlling brightness of image

An image tuning system and method using a stored image signal, in which the image tuning system includes an image processing device and an external device. The image processing device outputs a third image signal by processing a first or second image signal according to a tuning parameter. The external device calculates the tuning parameter based on the third image signal. The image processing device receives the second image from the external device in a tuning mode and processes the second image. The image tuning system and the image tuning method using the stored raw image signal can prevent wasting time and extra efforts are not required for setting the tuning parameter adaptive to various weather conditions by repeatedly setting the tuning parameter with respect to a picture image.

Image tuning system and method using stored raw image signal

An apparatus for canceling a fixed pattern noise in a CMOS image sensor includes a storage device, a fixed pattern noise operation circuit, and a fixed pattern noise canceling circuit. The storage device stores first reference fixed pattern noises operated in a vertical blank section of an (n&#x2212;1)th frame. The fixed pattern noise operation circuit calculates second reference fixed pattern noises based on the first reference fixed pattern noises stored in the storage device and blank fixed pattern noises output in a vertical blank section of an n-th frame and outputs the second reference fixed pattern noises to the storage device to update the first reference fixed pattern noises to the second reference fixed pattern noises. The fixed pattern noise canceling circuit cancels active fixed pattern noises in combination signals based on the combination signals output in an active section of an (n+1)th frame and including the active fixed pattern noises and pixel signals and the second reference fixed pattern noises output from the storage device.

Method and apparatus for canceling fixed pattern noise in CMOS image sensor

A response time accelerator and method for driving a liquid crystal display (LCD) are provided. According to the response time accelerator for driving an LCD, an acceleration unit reads previous data Pn&#x2212;1 corresponding to input current data Pn from a frame memory unit that updates and stores one or more frames of previous data Pn&#x2212;1. The acceleration unit then reads predetermined mapped panel output value TPO, predetermined mapped panel characteristic value TpPn, and flag information corresponding to the previous data Pn&#x2212;1 and current data Pn from a table memory unit that stores predetermined mapped panel output values TPOs, predetermined mapped panel characteristic values TpPns, and flag information corresponding to the predetermined mapped panel characteristic values TpPns, and decodes the read information. The acceleration unit performs interpolations on the decoded mapped panel output value TPO and mapped panel characteristic value TpPn according to the flag information, and generates liquid crystal panel data PO to be output to a liquid crystal panel and previous data of a next frame pPn to be output to the frame memory unit. Thus, the response time accelerator and method make it possible to improve the response time of the liquid crystal even with respect to image data with extremely large or small gray level value.

Response time accelerator and method for driving liquid crystal display

Provided is a progressive scan method used in a display using adaptive edge interpolation. According to the progressive scan method, a final edge direction that satisfies a first edge-determination condition and a second edge-determination condition is detected by performing interpolation for 7&#xd7;3 pixel windows, using code determination and a comparison of a standard deviation based on differences between luminances of pixel data divided by an edge boundary. As a result, directional edge interpolation is carried out in a region of a low gradient below 45&#xb0; and to 27&#xb0; at the minimum, and simple intra-field linear interpolation can be performed in a high-frequency texture region. Subsequently, it is possible to remove high-frequency noise introduced in edge dependent interpolation or unnatural screen display due to zigzagged edges, thereby improving the quality of a display.

Progressive scan method used in display using adaptive edge dependent interpolation

A method and apparatus for selectively enhancing contrast depending on the level of incoming video signals while preserving colors are provided. An apparatus for enhancing the contrast and brightness of a video signal displayed on a display device includes: a first luminance level transformation circuit that receives luminance and chrominance signals, reduces the level of the luminance signal in response to a first control signal, and outputs the chrominance signals and the luminance signal whose level has been reduced; an image converting circuit that receives the output signals from the first luminance level transformation circuit and converts the received signals into RGB video signals; and a second luminance level transformation circuit that receives the RGB video signals from the image converting circuit, concurrently increases the respective levels of the RGB video signals in response to a second control signal, and outputs the RGB video signals whose levels have been increased. It is desirable that the display device is a color display tube ('CDT'), a thin film transistor liquid crystal display ('TFT-LCD'), or a plasma display panel (&#x201c;PDP&#x201d;).

Adaptive contrast and brightness enhancement with color preservation

Growing community of inventors

Seongnam-si, South Korea

Yong-in Han