Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Yoshihito Ohta

Katsuyuki Arimoto

Takahiro Kobayashi

Taro Funamoto

Yoshinori Kobayashi

Seiji Kawaguchi

Kenji Nakao

Tsugio Murao

Shigeru Furumiya

Yutaka Nio

Yasuhiro Kumamoto

Keizo Matsumoto

Katsumi Terai

Wataru Machidori

Nobutoshi Fujinami

Tetsuo Kariya

Shingo Miyauchi

Kazushi Nozawa

Tomoko Morita

An image processing device configured to synthesize a first image and a second image shot in two or more exposure times different in length in a parallel way within one frame time, includes: a level adjuster configured to adjust the first image and output a corrected first image having a luminance level substantially aligned with a luminance level of the second image; a movement detector configured to calculate absolute values of differences between positionally corresponding pixel pairs in the corrected first image and the second image and accumulate the calculated absolute value on an image block basis to obtain a movement detection amount on the image block basis; a movement blending ratio calculator configured to smoothen the amounts of detected movement and calculate a movement blending ratio between positionally corresponding pixel pairs based on the smoothened amounts of detected movement; and an image synthesizer configured to generate a movement-adaptive image by synthesizing pixels at the corresponding positions at the movement blending ratio.

Image processing device, image processing method, and image processing circuit

An image display device includes: an interpolation phase generator that generates an interpolation phase on the basis of downsampling frame information representing a downsampling timing at which at least one frame image of the image signal is thinned, and an interpolation frame generator that generates an interpolation frame image corresponding to the interpolation phase. The interpolation phase generator generates the interpolation phase such that a phase distance between a first interpolation frame image from among a plurality of interpolation frame images within one period of downsampling periods, and a second interpolation frame image that follows the first interpolation frame image becomes equal to a phase distance between mutually adjacent interpolation frame images obtained when phase distances between a plurality of interpolation frame images are equalized within one period of the downsampling periods.

Image display device and image processing device

A video processing apparatus for converting frame rates of video signals includes: a video characteristic detection unit () that detects, from an input video signal, as characteristics of the video signal, whether or not the video signal is of a film material and/or whether or not character information is displayed in the video signal; and an interpolation phase calculation unit () to a merge unit () that constitute an image generation unit that uses the characteristics detected by the video characteristic detection unit, to generate an intermediate frame image having a phase different from the phase of an input frame image of the video signal. In accordance with the characteristics detected by the characteristic detection unit, the image generation unit moves the phase of the intermediate frame image to a phase different from a logical interpolation phase determined based on an input frame frequency and an output frame frequency.

Video processing apparatus and video processing method

A motion compensator includes a video data selector, a video data editor, a vector reference data editor, a delay unit, a region data editor, and a delay unit. The video data editor outputs present frame video data and average video data. The vector reference data editor outputs previous compensation video data and present compensation video data. The region data editor outputs present frame region data, previous compensation region data, and present compensation region data. The video data selector selects one of four video data pieces based on the three pieces of region data and outputs the selected data to the video output unit.

Video processor and video processing method

An image conversion apparatus includes an image signal input unit repeatedly inputting an odd-numbered frame of a first parallax, an odd-numbered frame of a second parallax, an even-numbered frame of the first parallax, and an even-numbered frame of the second parallax, in this order; a frame memory storing the first and second parallax data having been input; a memory control unit alternately reading as field data (m+1) pieces (m is an integer of one or larger than one) of identical odd-numbered frames of the first parallax and m pieces of identical odd-numbered frames of the second parallax, and subsequently alternately reading as field data m pieces of identical even-numbered frames of the first parallax and (m+1) pieces of identical even-numbered frames of the second parallax; and an image output unit outputting the field data having been read.

Image conversion method and image conversion apparatus

Gamma converter circuits use first to third types of first and second gamma-characteristics to gamma-convert an input video signal. Selectors select one pair among three pairs of gamma-characteristics in accordance with a transmittance to be used for display, and selects one of the six gamma corrected outputs such that both a distribution area ratio of pixels driven by the video signal as gamma corrected by use of the first gamma-characteristic of the selected pair of gamma characteristics and a distribution area ratio of pixels driven by the video signal as &#x3b3; corrected by use of the second gamma-characteristic of the selected pair of gamma-characteristics are equal to a distribution area ratio specified in advance for the selected pair of gamma-characteristics.

Matrix display with gamma correction based on gamma characteristics pairs and different input transmittance level

A signal converting section increases a transfer rate of an input image signal to be supplied to a liquid crystal panel and, at the same time, also inserts a non-image signal for applying a predetermined voltage to liquid-crystal cells in a space of the input image signal and supplies it as a picture-element signal to a source driver. To each picture cell, an input image signal and a non-image signal are sequentially written with positive or negative polarity. For all picture elements, after the input image signal is written, the non-image signal equal in polarity to the input image signal is always written. Furthermore, after the non-image signal is written, an image signal opposite in polarity to the non-image signal is always written. Thus, when an image is displayed on the liquid crystal panel in OCB mode, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of back transition and carry out image display evenly.

Liquid crystal display unit and driving method therefor

A liquid crystal display apparatus is provided with a detecting section () for detecting a value of a parameter that causes fluctuations in a back transition occurrence condition; a calculating section () for determining, in accordance with the detection value of the detecting section, at least one of a ratio of an time period of applying a high voltage with respect to one frame period, the high voltage being applied to the liquid crystal panel in order to prevent back transition, a magnitude of the high voltage, and an applied voltage corresponding to white display; and a controller () for alternately outputting a video signal and a non-image signal for applying the high voltage and driving the liquid crystal panel on a condition in accordance with the determination result of the calculating section. With this, it is possible to always display video irrespectively of fluctuation in the back transition occurrence condition.

Liquid crystal display apparatus and drive method thereof

A liquid crystal display device includes a signal conversion part (), a drive pulse generation part (), a source driver (), a gate driver (), and a multiplexer part (). In addition, between the source driver () and a display region part () there is provided an intersection part () where, when source lines (S, S, S, S, . . . ) in the display region part are divided into groups each including four source lines, lines that correspond to two source lines (Sand S) located the second and third from an end in each group intersect each other. With the liquid crystal display device using the multiplexer part for switching a plurality of source lines in a time-sharing manner, the degradation of the display quality of pixels caused by, for example, an insufficient writing capability to the pixels is improved.

Liquid crystal display device

A frequency converting section (), which is included in a liquid crystal display apparatus, generates an output video signal by inserting one non-image signal, which is to be concurrently written into pixels on L (L is an integer equal to or greater than two) gate lines of the liquid crystal panel, for one line, between image signals composing an input video signal, for corresponding L lines, and adjusting a number of horizontal scanning periods of the output video signal in a vertical blanking period so that a number of horizontal scanning periods composing one frame period is (L+1)&#xd7;(2N+1) (N is an integer). Thus, when anti-back-transition driving is performed using a liquid crystal panel in OCB mode, it is possible to minimize increase in a driving frequency, prevent irregularity of brightness caused by AC driving of the liquid crystal panel, and reduce a cost.

Liquid crystal display and its driving method

A liquid crystal display device capable of suppressing the occurrence of a back transition in OCB cells and displaying excellent images as well as a driving method thereof are provided. One frame period has a first period Pfor writing a signal for initializing the state of a liquid crystal in pixel cells and a second period for writing pixel data in correspondence with an image signal in pixel cells, and a voltage level to be applied to each pixel cell is set in the first period such that each pixel cell retains a voltage Vsup higher than that in the second period.

Liquid crystal display device using OCB cell and driving method thereof

A signal converting section increases a transfer rate of an input image signal to be supplied to a liquid crystal panel and, at the same time, also inserts a non-image signal for applying a predetermined voltage to liquid-crystal cells in space of the input image signal and supplies it as a picture-element signal to a source driver. To each picture cell, an input image signal and a non-image signal are sequentially written with positive or negative polarity. For all picture elements, after the input image signal is written, the non-image signal equal in polarity to the input image signal is always written. Furthermore, after the non-image signal is written, an image signal opposite in polarity to the non-image signal is always written. Thus, when an image is displayed on the liquid crystal panel in OCB mode, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of back transition and carry out image display evenly.

A liquid crystal display apparatus that uses a backlight for display includes a video signal time compression circuit for compressing a video signal in the time axis direction and outputting the time-compressed video signal, an LCD controller for driving a liquid crystal panel based on the time-compressed video signal, and a source driver and a gate driver. The liquid crystal display apparatus also includes a motion detection circuit for detecting the amount of motion of a display image based on the video signal, a PWM modulation pulse generation circuit for generating modulation pulses different in frequency according to the detection result from the motion detection circuit, and an inverter for lighting up the backlight based on the modulation pulses, to thereby enable reduction of image contour blurring in a moving image and reduction of flicker in a still image.

Growing community of inventors

Okayama, Japan

Yoshihito Ohta