U.S. patent application number 14/904699 was filed with the patent office on 2016-06-02 for projection processor for projective display system.
The applicant listed for this patent is MEDIATEK INC.. Invention is credited to Chih-kai Chang, Chi-Cheng Ju, Tsu-Ming Liu, Chih-Ming Wang.
Application Number | 20160156887 14/904699 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54698113 |
Filed Date | 2016-06-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160156887 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Liu; Tsu-Ming ; et
al. |
June 2, 2016 |
PROJECTION PROCESSOR FOR PROJECTIVE DISPLAY SYSTEM
Abstract
A projection processor for a projective display system includes:
a receiving circuit and an image adjustment control circuit. The
receiving circuit is configured to receive information provided by
a hardware element within a projection source device of the
projective display system. The image adjustment control circuit is
coupled to the receiving circuit, and configured to adaptively
control an image adjustment on an input image to generate the
source image according to the information.
Inventors: |
Liu; Tsu-Ming; (Hsinchu
City, TW) ; Chang; Chih-kai; (Taichung City, TW)
; Ju; Chi-Cheng; (Hsinchu City, TW) ; Wang;
Chih-Ming; (Hsinchu County, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MEDIATEK INC. |
Hsinchu City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
54698113 |
Appl. No.: |
14/904699 |
Filed: |
May 27, 2015 |
PCT Filed: |
May 27, 2015 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CN2015/079942 |
371 Date: |
January 13, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62003260 |
May 27, 2014 |
|
|
|
62034952 |
Aug 8, 2014 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
348/744 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 13/161 20180501;
G03B 21/145 20130101; H04N 9/3179 20130101; G03B 21/28 20130101;
G02B 27/01 20130101; H04N 9/3173 20130101; H04N 9/3185 20130101;
H04N 13/363 20180501; G06F 3/017 20130101; G02B 2027/0118 20130101;
H04N 13/194 20180501; H04N 13/349 20180501; H04N 9/3141 20130101;
H04N 13/243 20180501; G02B 2027/011 20130101; H04N 9/3194 20130101;
G02B 2027/014 20130101; H04N 9/3155 20130101; G06F 3/167 20130101;
H04N 13/282 20180501 |
International
Class: |
H04N 9/31 20060101
H04N009/31 |
Claims
1. A projection processor for a projective display system
comprising: a receiving circuit, configured to receive information
provided by a hardware element within a projection source device of
the projective display system; and an image adjustment control
circuit, coupled to the receiving circuit, and configured to
adaptively control an image adjustment on an input image to
generate a source image according to the information.
2. The projection processor of claim 1, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit determines whether to turn off a
projection function of the projective display system according to
the information.
3. The projection processor of claim 1, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit adaptively selects at least one of a
plurality of image adjustment algorithms according to the
information, and control the image adjustment to be performed
according to the selected image adjustment algorithm.
4. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment is performed by a circuit that is within or external to
the projection source device.
5. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the plurality of
image adjustment algorithms respectively cause the image adjustment
to be performed at different power consumption levels.
6. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the plurality of
image adjustment algorithms respectively have different complexity
levels.
7. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the plurality of
image adjustment algorithms are respectively optimized for
different types of image adjustments.
8. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the plurality of
image adjustment algorithms respectively activates different types
of image adjustments.
9. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to ambient light information provided by an
ambient light sensor.
10. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to distance information provided by a proximity
sensor, wherein the distance information indicates a distance
between a viewer and the projection source device.
11. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to thermal information provided by a thermal
sensor, wherein the thermal information corresponds to a
temperature inside the projection source device.
12. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to acceleration information provided by an
accelerometer or a gravity sensor.
13. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to orientation information provided by a
gyroscope.
14. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to pressure information provided by a pressure
sensor.
15. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to time and position information provided by a
global position system (GPS) device.
16. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to heart rate information provided by a heart
rate sensor.
17. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to information provided by a fingerprint
sensor.
18. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to ultraviolet information provided by an
ultraviolet sensor.
19. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to a type of the projection source component of
the projection source device.
20. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to available bandwidth information of a memory
device of the projection source device.
21. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to battery life formation of a battery of the
projection source device.
22. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects the selected image adjustment
algorithm according to context of the input image.
23. The projection processor of claim 3, wherein the image
adjustment control circuit selects image adjustment algorithm
according to the information provided by an image signal
processor.
24. The projection processor of claim 23, wherein the information
provided by the image signal processor comprises at least one of
level of focus, level of exposure, and level of ISO sensitivity
regarding the input image.
25. The projection processor of claim 1, wherein the image
adjustment comprises at least one of image flipping, image
segmentation, image enhancement, and distortion correction
adjustments.
26. The projection processor of claim 1,wherein the projection
source device is rotatably mounted on a base of the projective
display system, a projection surface of the projective display
system is rotatably attached to the base; the projection surface
mirrors the source image projected from a first side of the
projection surface to form a virtual image on a second side that is
opposite to the first side.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/003,260, filed on May 27, 2014, and U.S.
Provisional Application No. 62/034,952, filed on Aug. 8, 2014. The
entire contents of the related applications are incorporated herein
by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates generally to projective
display system, and more particularly, to a projection processor
that is operable to adaptively control projection function and
image adjustment of a projective display system.
BACKGROUND
[0003] A stereo display is a display device capable of conveying
depth perception to the viewer and reproducing real-world viewing
experiences. The stereo display can be implemented with different
technologies. However, technologies nowadays respectively have some
disadvantages. Stereoscopic display technology has the disadvantage
that the viewer must be positioned in a well-defined spot to
experience the 3D visual effect and the disadvantage that the
effective horizontal pixel count viewable for each eye is reduced
by one half as well as the luminance for each eye is also reduced
by one half. In addition, glasses-free stereoscopic display is
desirable but glasses-free stereoscopic display currently leads to
poor user experience. Holographic display technology has a great
viewing experience but the cost and the size is too high to apply
to mobile devices.
SUMMARY
[0004] It is one objective of the present invention to provide
projection processor, which can be used to implement a projective
display system of low cost, high projection quality, highly
integrated and rich user adjustability. The projection processor of
the present invention is able to adaptively control the project and
make the projection quality meet requirements of different applied
conditions of the projective display system.
[0005] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a
projection processor for a projective display system comprises: a
receiving circuit and an image adjustment control circuit. The
receiving circuit is configured to receive information provided by
a hardware element within a projection source device of the
projective display system. The image adjustment control circuit is
coupled to the receiving circuit, and configured to adaptively
control an image adjustment on an input image to generate the
source image according to the information.
[0006] These and other objectives of the present invention will no
doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after
reading the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B respectively illustrate an oblique view
and side view of a projective display system.
[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates a relation between the projection
processor of FIG. 1 and an application processor.
[0009] FIG. 3 illustrates an image flipping adjustment controlled
by the projection processor of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates how a geometric distortion of a virtual
image occurs.
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates selecting the image adjustment algorithm
based on available bandwidth of the memory according to one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 6 illustrates selecting the image adjustment algorithm
based on battery life according to one embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Certain terms are used throughout the following descriptions
and claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled
in the art will appreciate, manufacturers may refer to a component
by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish
between components that differ in name but not differ in function.
In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms "include",
"including", "comprise", and "comprising" are used in an open-ended
fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean "including, but not
limited to . . . " The terms "couple" and "coupled" are intended to
mean either an indirect or a direct electrical connection. Thus, if
a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be
through a direct electrical connection, or through an indirect
electrical connection via other devices and connections.
[0014] Projective Display System
[0015] FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B respectively illustrate an oblique view
and a side view of a projective display system. As shown by
figures, a projective display system 100 comprises a base 110, a
projection source device 120 and a projection surface 130 and an
optional optical adjustment unit 140. In some embodiments, the
projection source device 120 may be rotatably mounted, for example,
on the base 110. In some other embodiments, the projection source
device 120 may be detachably placed in a carrier, which may be
rotatably mounted, for example, on the base 110. The projection
source device 120 may be a portable device, such as smartphone,
tablet, touch controlled device, or any other electronic device
with a display panel or a projection source component. The
projection source device 120 comprises: a projection source
component 122 and a projection processor 124.
[0016] The projection source component 122 is configured to display
a source image thereon. The projection source component 122 may be
an organic light-emitting diode display panel, a liquid crystal
display panel, or any other passive or active display panel. In
some other embodiments, the projection source component 122 may be
a solid-state (laser or LED) light or any other type of light
source.
[0017] The projection processor 124 is configured to adaptively
control an image adjustment on an input image to generate the
source image. One purpose of the projection processor 124 is to
maintain a good projection quality of the projective display
system. The projection processor 124 could be implemented with a
general-purpose processor or dedicated hardware. Please note that,
the position of the projection processor 124 in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B
is just for the purpose of illustration rather than
limitations.
[0018] The projection surface 130 could be made of transflective
material or non-opaque material (e.g. transparent/semitransparent
material.) The projection surface 130 may be rotatably attached,
for example, to the base 110. Also, projection surface 130 could be
flat or curved. The projection surface 130 is configured to mirror
or partially reflect the source image that is projected from a
first side of the projection surface 130 to form a virtual image on
a second side that is opposite to the first side, thereby forming a
stereo viewing effect. In detail, some intensity of the source
image may be projected through the projection surface 130, and some
other intensity of the source image may be reflected by the
projection surface 130, such that the projection surface 130
partially reflects the source. As a result, a user may see the
virtual image displayed on the projection surface 130 or floating
behind the projection surface 130, thereby forming a stereo viewing
effect, especially for the source image with 3d effect.
[0019] The optical adjustment element 140 may be rotatably attached
to and detachable from the base 110. The optical adjustment element
140 may optically adjust forming of the virtual image on the
projection surface 130. In various embodiment of the present
invention, the optical adjustment element 140 could be a single
lens or a compound lens.
[0020] Projection Processor
[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates an application processor 200 of the
projection source device 120 and a projection processor 124
according to one embodiment of the present invention. In various
embodiments, the projection processor 124 could be embedded into
the application processor 200. Alternatively, the projection
processor 124 could be disposed in the projection source device 120
and external to the application processor 200. Alternatively, the
projection processor 124 could be external to the projection source
device 120. The projection processor 124 could communicate with the
application processor 200 or the projection source device 120
through wired or wireless communication means.
[0022] The projection processor 124 controls the image adjustment
on the input image to generate the source image that is optimized
for projection according to information regarding various hardware
elements in the application processor 200. In one embodiment, the
projection processor 124 may comprise a receiving circuit and an
image adjustment control circuit. The receiving circuit receives
the information regarding various hardware elements in the
application processor 200 or in the projection source device 120.
The information could be transmitted from the application processor
200 or the projection source device 120 to the receiving circuit
via wired or wireless communication means. The image adjustment
control circuit is coupled to the receiving circuit, and adaptively
controls an image adjustment on an input image to generate the
source image according to the received information.
[0023] The application processor 200 may include at least one of a
set of sensors 210, image signal processor 220, image encoder 230,
video encoder 240, image decoder 250, video decoder 260, display
processor 270, graphic engine 280, battery meter 290, and driver IC
300. The set of sensors 210 may include at least one of image
sensor, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and other types of
sensors, which will be illustrated later in further details. The
set of sensors 210 may provide information for the projection
processor 124 to determine how to control the image adjustment on
the input image. In addition, the projection processor 124 may also
turn off the projection function of the projective display system
according to the information provided by the set of sensors 210.
Image data generated by the image signal processor 220, the image
decoder 250, the video decoder 260, and the graphic engine 280 may
be transmitted to the display processor 270. According to the
received image data, the display processor 270 generates the input
image and may send it to the projection processor 124 (via wired or
wireless communication means). The image adjustment control circuit
of projection processor 124 may control the image adjustment on the
input image to generate the source image that is optimized for
projection. The generated source image may be sent to the driver IC
300, and the driver IC 300 may accordingly drives the projection
source component 122 to show or project the source image. The image
adjustment may be directly performed by the projection processor
124. Alternatively, the image adjustment may be performed by the
display processor 270, the graphic engine 280, the image signal
processor 220 or other video processing units under control of the
projection processor 124.
[0024] Signal line designated with dash lines represents
unidirectional or bidirectional control path, the image adjustment
control circuit of the projection processor 124 may use signal
thereon to determine whether to perform the image adjustment,
and/or instruct the other circuits to perform the image adjustment
and how the image adjustment is performed.
[0025] Image Adjustment
[0026] In the following, several image adjustments for different
purposes will be introduced. However, this is not intended to limit
the present invention in scope. There could be other types of the
image adjustments performed in other embodiments of the present
invention.
[0027] An Image flipping adjustment is intended for flipping the
input image. Due to a relative position of the projection surface
130 with respect to the projection source component 122, there
could be an upside-down virtual image reflected to the eye of the
viewer. Please refer to FIG. 3, when the top of the subject is
close to the bottom of the projection surface 130, there could be
an upside-down virtual image formed on or behind the projection
surface 130. Therefore, the input image needs to be flipped such
that the viewer can see the virtual image with correct orientation.
The image flipping adjustment can let the input image flipped and
have a flipped source image shown on projection source component
122. The image adjustment control circuit of the projection
processor 124 could determine the relative position of the
projection surface 130 with respect to the projection source
component 122 by utilizing one of the set of sensor 210 to detect a
magnetic unit attached to or embedded in the projective surface
130, and then determine whether to activate the image flipping
adjustment, for example, according to the detection about the
magnetic unit. FIG. 3 illustrates an image flipping adjustment
according to one embodiment of the present invention. In some other
embodiments, any other type of sensor may be utilized to detect if
the orientation of the virtual image formed on or behind the
project surface 130 is correct.
[0028] An image segmentation adjustment is intended for separating
a subject from a background of an image. This can make the subject
spotlighted. Image segmentation can be achieved as below. First,
pick up a region of the subject as a region of interest in the
input image, remove objects in the region outside of the ROI, and
may fill the region outside of the ROI with a simple and/or darker
color to generate the source image. As a result, the subject can be
relatively brighter, more contrasted, or more vivid than the
background.
[0029] An image enhancement adjustment is intended for enhancing
the input image.
[0030] After the source image is mirrored or partially reflected by
the projection surface 130 to form the virtual image, the virtual
image could be less contrast, bright, and saturated compared to the
source image. This is because the projection surface 130 is
semi-transparent and semi-reflective due to transflective material.
Some portion of light of the source image will pass through the
projection surface 130 and may not be reflected to the view's eye.
Hence, the projection processor 124 could perform or instruct other
circuit inside or outside the projection processor 124 to perform
image enhancement on the input image to generate a brighter, more
contrast, and/or saturated source image to guarantee a good
projection quality. This can lead to a favorable visual perception
to the viewer.
[0031] A distortion correction adjustment is intended for geometric
distortion correction. When the optical adjustment element 140 is
not in parallel with the projection surface 130, the virtual image
would be distorted in geometry. The image adjustment control
circuit of the projection processor 124 may determine whether to
activate the distortion correction adjustment and how the
distortion correction adjustment is performed, for example,
according to an angle 0(shown by FIG. 4). In addition, when the
optical adjustment element 140 does not optically cover the full
area of the source image displayed or projected by the projection
source component 122, the virtual image could be incomplete to the
source image. Hence, the distortion correction adjustment may be
performed for correcting such distortions, such that a user may see
an un-distorted virtual image, which looks like the original
appearance of the source image, shown on or behind the projection
surface 130 after distortion correction.
[0032] Algorithms for Image Adjustment
[0033] As the image adjustment control circuit of the projection
processor 124 could adaptively control a variety of different image
adjustments to meet different requirements, there is a need of
providing a way of simplify the control of the image adjustment. In
the invention, the image adjustment control circuit of the
projection processor 124 may control the image adjustment based on
selecting a proper image adjustment algorithm. The following Table
A illustrates a set of predetermined image adjustment algorithms of
the present invention.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE A Index of Complexity Power consumption
Projection Algorithms Level level quality level 1 5 5 5 2 4 4 4 3 3
3 3 4 2 2 2 5 1 1 1
[0034] As shown by Table A, different image adjustment algorithms
corresponding to different complexity levels, power consumption
levels, and projection quality levels. For image adjustment
algorithm 1, it is most complicated and consumes power most, but
the projection quality is best. For image adjustment algorithm 5,
it is least complicated and consumes least power, but the
projection quality is worst.
[0035] In different embodiments, the image adjustment algorithms
may be not classified by complexity levels, power consumption
levels, or projection quality levels. For example, in one
embodiment, the image adjustment algorithms could be classified by
the types of image adjustments that the image adjustment algorithms
are respectively optimized for. For example, there could be one
image adjustment algorithm which is optimized for image flipping
while another which is optimized for image enhancement.
Alternately, the image adjustment algorithms also could be
classified by the type of image adjustment which is activated. That
is, some image adjustment algorithms may not activate all the four
types of image adjustments as mentioned above.
[0036] The image adjustment control circuit of the projection
processor 124 could adaptively select a proper image adjustment
algorithm according to different conditions to meet different
requirements. When a condition changes, the image adjustment
control circuit of the projection processor 124 can adaptively
select a new suitable image adjustment algorithm for the new
condition.
[0037] Please note that, the number of image adjustment algorithms
that are listed on Table A is just for the purpose of illustration
rather than limitations. Further, differences between the image
adjustment algorithms are also not limitations. According to
various embodiments of the present invention, there could be an
image adjustment algorithm which consumes less power and have
better projection quality than another one.
[0038] Determination of Algorithms
[0039] The image adjustment control circuit of the projection
processor 124 could control the projection (e.g., determining
whether to enable the projection function of the projective display
system 100 as well as controlling the image adjustment on the
source image on the projection source component 122) according to
one type of the information including sensor information, hardware
status, image context, and ISP parameters. Below are some
embodiments.
[0040] Sensor Information
[0041] In one embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit of
the project processor 124 selects the image adjustment algorithm
according to a type of the projection source component 122. For
example, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel
features higher brightness and contrast than a liquid crystal
projection source component 122. Hence, when it is detected the
projection source component 122 is OLED panel (e.g., according to
signal on the control path between the projection source component
122 and the receiving circuit of the projection processor 124), the
image adjustment control circuit of the project processor 124 may
select the image adjustment algorithm that is not optimized for the
image enhancement, or may not activate the image enhancement,
thereby saving power and hardware resources of the projection
processor 124 or application processor 200.
[0042] In one embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit of
the project processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm
according to ambient light information provided by an ambient light
sensor in the set of sensor 210. When the intensity of ambient
light is detected high, the image adjustment control circuit of the
projection processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm
that activates the image enhancement to increase the brightness or
contrast of the source image to cause the virtual image to be more
visible to the viewer. On the other hand, when the intensity of the
ambient light is detected low, the image adjustment control circuit
of the projection processor 124 may select the image adjustment
algorithm that activates the image enhancement to decrease the
brightness of the source image to save the power. The "high
intensity" and "low intensity" can be defined by thresholding or
table-look-up.
[0043] In one embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit of
the project processor 124 selects the image adjustment algorithm
according to the information provided by a proximity sensor of the
set of sensors 210, which may measure a distance between the
projection source device 120 and the viewer. When the distance is
detected short, the image adjustment control circuit of the
projection processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm
that causes the image segmentation to be performed more
aggressively to have a good projection quality (since the user can
clearly see all details in the virtual image when the distance is
short). When it is detected the distance is long, the image
adjustment control circuit of the projection processor 124 may
select the image adjustment algorithm which performs the image
segmentation slightly to save power or hardware resources. The
"short distance" and "long distance" can be defined by thresholding
or table-look-up.
[0044] In one embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit of
the project processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm
according to the information provided by a thermal sensor of the
set of sensors 210, which may measure an internal temperature of
the projection source device 120 or sense information corresponds
to the internal temperature of the projection source device 120.
When the temperature is detected high, the image adjustment control
circuit of the projection processor 124 selects the image
adjustment algorithm which is less complicated and/or consumes less
power to avoid overheating issue. When it is detected the
temperature is low, the image adjustment control circuit of the
projection processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm
that is optimized for the image enhancement and image segmentation
to guarantee the best projection quality.
[0045] In one embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit of
the project processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm
according to the information provided by an accelerometer or a
G-sensor of the set of sensors 210, which may measure an
acceleration of the projection source device 120. When the
acceleration is detected high, the image adjustment control circuit
of the projection processor 124 may select the image adjustment
algorithm that does not activate any image adjustment or turns off
the projection function of the projective display system 100 (e.g.
turns off the projection processor 124) to save power and hardware
resources because in such condition the viewer can hardly see the
virtual image. When it is detected the acceleration is low, the
image adjustment control circuit of the projection processor 124
may select a proper image adjustment algorithm and remain the
projection function of the projective display system 110 enabled.
The "high acceleration" and "low acceleration" can be defined by
thresholding or table-look-up
[0046] In one embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit of
the project processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm
according to the information provided by a gyroscope of the set of
sensors 210, which measures an orientation of the projection source
device 120. When the projection source device 120 is detected
moving, the image adjustment control circuit of the projection
processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm that does
not activate any image adjustment or turns off the projection
function of the projective display system 110 (e.g. turns off the
projection processor 124) to save power and hardware resources
because the viewer can hardly see the virtual image in such
condition. When the projection source device 120 is detected not
moving, the image adjustment control circuit of the projection
processor 124 may select a proper image adjustment algorithm and
remain the projection function of the projective display system 110
enabled.
[0047] In one embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit of
the project processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm
according to the information provided by a pressure sensor of the
set of sensors 210, which measures pressure (e.g., typically
pressure of gases or liquids over the projection source device
120.) When it is detected that the projection source device 120 is
pressed by the wind or physical object, the image adjustment
control circuit of the projection processor 124 may select the
image adjustment algorithm that does not activate any image
adjustment or just turns off the projection function of the
projective display system 110 (e.g. turns off the projection
processor 124) to save power and to prevent the projection surface
130 stepping into a unstable state. When it is detected that the
projection source device 120 is not pressed, the image adjustment
control circuit of the projection processor 124 may select a proper
image adjustment algorithm and remain the projection function of
the projective display system 110 enabled.
[0048] In one embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit of
the project processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm
according to the information provided by a global position system
(GPS) device of the set of sensors 210, which may include time and
position information regarding the projection source device 120.
When it is detected that the current time is after the midnight,
the image adjustment control circuit of the projection processor
124 may turn off the projection function of the projective display
system 110 (e.g. turns off the projection processor 124). In some
other embodiments, the current time may be determined or provided
by any other method, which should not be limited in this
disclosure. When it is detected the projection source device 120 is
located in an office, the image adjustment control circuit of the
projection processor 124 may turn off the projection function of
the projective display system 110. When it is detected the
projection source device 120 is located at home, the image
adjustment control circuit of the projection processor 124 may
select a proper image adjustment algorithm and remain the
projection function of the projective display system 110
enabled.
[0049] In one embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit of
the project processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm
according to the information provided by a heart rate sensor of the
set of sensors 210, which measures the heart rate of a user of the
projection source device 120. When it is detected a high heart
rate, the image adjustment control circuit of the projection
processor 124 selects the image adjustment algorithm that does not
activate any image adjustment or turns off the projection function
of the projective display system 110 (e.g. turns off the projection
processor 124) because the user may be doing exercise. When it is
detected a low heart rate, the image adjustment control circuit of
the projection processor 124 could select a proper image adjustment
algorithm and remain the projection function of the projective
display system 110 enabled because the user may be in a steady
state.
[0050] In one embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit of
the project processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm
according to the information provided by a fingerprint sensor of
the set of sensors 210, which provides identity information of
different users. The projection processor 122 could therefore
select a proper image adjustment algorithm for different users. For
example, if a specific user prefers projection viewing, the
projection processor 122 may select the image adjustment algorithm
that has best projection quality. If the specific user does not
prefer projection viewing, the projection processor 122 could turns
off the projection function of the projective display system
110.
[0051] In one embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit of
the project processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm
according to the information provided by an ultraviolet (UV) sensor
of the set of sensors 210, which measures the intensity of UV of
the environment. When it is detected a high UV, the image
adjustment control circuit of the projection processor 124 selects
the image adjustment algorithm that is optimized for image
enhancement or increases the brightness for good projection quality
since the viewer may be currently in an outdoor environment. When
it is detected a low UV, the image adjustment control circuit of
the projection processor 124 may select the image adjustment
algorithm which maintains the brightness at a moderate level to
save power. The "high UV" and "low UV" can be defined by
thresholding or table-look-up.
[0052] Hardware Status
[0053] The image adjustment control circuit of the projection
processor 124 could select a proper image adjustment algorithm
according to hardware status of the projection device 120. In one
embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit of the projection
processor 124 may select the image adjustment algorithm according
to an available bandwidth of a memory device in the application
processor 200 that is accessed by the projection processor 124. As
other circuits in the application processor may share a same memory
device (e.g. main memory, usually dynamic random access memory)
with the projection processor 124. When the projection processor
124 detects an available bandwidth of the memory device is lower
than a threshold, the image adjustment control circuit of the
projection processor 124 may select the image adjustment that is
less complicated or takes less bandwidth (i.e., accessing the
memory device less frequently). Alternatively, the image adjustment
control circuit of the projection processor 124 could disable the
projection function to save the bandwidth of the memory device. On
the other hand, when the available bandwidth is higher than the
threshold, the image adjustment control circuit of the projection
processor 124 may select a more complicated (i.e.
bandwidth-starving) algorithm or remain projection function enabled
to improve projection quality. FIG. 5 illustrates an implementation
of controlling the projection of the projective display system 100
based on algorithms in Table A. In this implementation, when it is
found that the available bandwidth is empty or lower than the
threshold THR1, the projection function will be turned off by the
image adjustment control circuit of the projection processor 124,
when it is found that the available bandwidth is between threshold
THR1 and threshold THR2, the image adjustment algorithm 3 that
moderately accesses the memory (as it has moderate complexity
level) may be selected by the image adjustment control circuit of
the projection processor 124, and when it is found that the
available bandwidth is higher than threshold THR2, the image
adjustment algorithm 1 that may frequently access the memory (as it
has highest complexity level) will be selected by the projection
processor 124.
[0054] In another embodiment, the image adjustment control circuit
of the projection processor 124 selects the image adjustment
algorithm according to a battery status provided by the battery
meter 290. When the battery life is detected short, the image
adjustment control circuit of the projection processor 124 may
select the image adjustment algorithm that is less complicated or
consumes less power. Alternatively, the image adjustment control
circuit of the projection processor 124 may turn off the projection
function to extend the battery life. On the other hand, when the
battery life is detected long, the image adjustment control circuit
of the projection processor 124 may select the image adjustment
algorithm that is more complicated or remains the projection
function enabled to improve projection quality. FIG. 6 illustrates
an implementation of controlling the projection of the projective
display system 100 based on algorithms in Table A. In this
implementation, when it is found that the battery is full, the
image adjustment algorithm 1 that has highest power consumption
level but best projection quality will be selected by the image
adjustment control circuit of the projection processor 124, when it
is found that the battery life is between threshold THR1 and
threshold THR2, the image adjustment algorithm 3 that has moderate
power consumption level and moderate projection quality level may
be selected by the image adjustment control circuit of the
projection processor 124, and when it is found that the battery
life is lower than threshold THR2, the image adjustment control
circuit of the projection processor 124 may turn off the projection
function.
[0055] Image Context
[0056] According to image context, the image adjustment control
circuit of the projection processor 124 could assign image
adjustment algorithms at different complexity levels or projection
quality levels to different contents of the input image. In this
embodiment, since all image data will be firstly sent to the
display processor 270, the display processor 270 is able to
classify the image data. For example, when it is found that image
data is sent from the video decoder 260, the display processor 270
may be aware of this image data is related to video playback. When
it is found that image data is sent from the graphic engine 280,
the display processor 270 can determines that this image data is
related to web-browsing text. According to the information provided
by the display processor 270, the projection processor may select
suitable image adjustment algorithms for different contents.
[0057] ISP Parameters
[0058] The image adjustment control circuit of the projection
processor 124 could select a proper image adjustment algorithm
according to image signal processing (ISP) parameters corresponding
to the input image if the input image is captured by an image senor
of the set of sensors 210. The image adjustment control circuit of
the projection processor 124 may refer to level of focus, level of
exposure and/or ISO sensitivity about the input image according to
information provided by the image signal processor 220. For the
level of focus, the clearly focused input image and the blurred
input image could lead to different image adjustment algorithms.
For the level of exposure, the over-exposed input image, the
under-exposed input image, and the properly-exposed input image may
respectively lead to different image adjustment algorithms. For
example, the over-exposed input image, the under-exposed input
image may lead to a poor projection quality, the image adjustment
control circuit of the projection processor 124 may therefore turn
off the projection function. For level of ISO sensitivity, input
image captured at different ISO sensitivity levels may lead to
different image adjustment algorithms.
[0059] In the above embodiments, the image adjustment control
circuit of the projection processor 124 may control the projection
(i.e., determining whether to enable the projection function of the
projective display system 100 as well as controlling the image
adjustment on the source image on the projection source component
122) according to one type of the information including sensor
information, hardware status, image context, and ISP parameters.
However, in another embodiment of the present invention, the image
adjustment control circuit of the projection processor 124 may
control the projection according to multiple ones of the above
information. For example, the image adjustment control circuit of
the projection processor 124 may initially select an image
adjustment algorithm having highest power consumption level and
projection quality level due to information provided by the ambient
light source. However, if, later, the image adjustment control
circuit of the projection processor 124 finds that the battery life
becomes quite low, the projection processor 124 may immediately
turn off the projection function. That is, the image adjustment
control circuit of the projection processor 124 may adaptively
control the projection of the projective display system to have a
good balance between user experience and power consumption.
[0060] Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an
embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least an implementation. The appearances of the
phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification
are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
[0061] Thus, although embodiments have been described in language
specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is
to be understood that claimed subject matter may not be limited to
the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific
features and acts are disclosed as sample forms of implementing the
claimed subject matter.
[0062] Circuits in the embodiments of the invention may include
function that may be implemented as software executed by a
processor, hardware circuits or structures, or a combination of
both. The processor may be a general-purpose or dedicated
processor. The software may comprise programming logic,
instructions or data to implement certain function for an
embodiment of the invention. The software may be stored in a medium
accessible by a machine or computer-readable medium, such as
read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk
(e.g., floppy disk and hard drive), optical disk (e.g., CD-ROM) or
any other data storage medium. In one embodiment of the invention,
the media may store programming instructions in a compressed and/or
encrypted format, as well as instructions that may have to be
compiled or installed by an installer before being executed by the
processor. Alternatively, an embodiment of the invention may be
implemented as specific hardware components that contain hard-wired
logic, field programmable gate array, complex programmable logic
device, or application-specific integrated circuit, for performing
the recited function, or by any combination of programmed
general-purpose computer components and custom hardware
component.
[0063] Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous
modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made
while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the
above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes
and bounds of the appended claims.
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