KR102735461B1 - Electronic apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device is disclosed. The electronic device includes a backlight unit including a plurality of backlight blocks including a display panel, a first backlight block and a second backlight block, and a processor for controlling driving of the backlight unit based on current information for driving each of the plurality of backlight blocks. The processor can identify a first image area corresponding to the first backlight block in an input image as a plurality of first virtual blocks, identify a second image area corresponding to a second backlight block adjacent to the first backlight block as a plurality of second virtual blocks, apply a diffusion filter to at least some of the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks to identify a diffusion value that is diffused to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks, and obtain current information corresponding to the second backlight block based on a value corresponding to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks obtained based on the identified diffusion value.

Description

{ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to an electronic device and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to an electronic device driving a backlight unit using local dimming technology and a control method thereof.

Electronic devices that do not emit light by themselves, such as liquid crystal (LCD) displays, include a backlight unit. For example, when light is emitted from a light source such as a white LED (light emitting diode) included in the backlight unit, the brightness of the light can be controlled by the liquid crystal for each pixel. A dark image blocks a lot of light by the liquid crystal, allowing only a small amount of light to pass through, creating dark brightness, and a bright image allows most of the light to pass through, creating bright brightness. The brightness is controlled by how much light is blocked by the liquid crystal. However, liquid crystals cannot block all light, and there is a limit to how much light can be blocked by the liquid crystal in dark images such as black images. This limitation of the liquid crystal display, the light leakage phenomenon, causes a decrease in the contrast ratio.

Recently, local dimming technology has been used to overcome the above problems. Local dimming is a technology that divides a backlight unit into multiple physical backlight blocks and drives each physical backlight block individually. For example, local dimming technology drives the backlight unit by reducing the light amount of a backlight block that matches a dark part of an image and increasing the light amount of a backlight block that matches a bright part of an image. However, there was a problem that the movement of an object could not be displayed naturally when using local dimming technology.

The present disclosure is in accordance with the above-described necessity, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device for local dimming a backlight so as to naturally display the movement of an object, and a method for controlling the same.

In order to achieve the above object, an electronic device according to the present invention comprises a backlight unit comprising a plurality of backlight blocks including a display panel, a first backlight block, and a second backlight block adjacent to the first backlight block, and a processor controlling driving of the backlight unit based on current information for driving each of the plurality of backlight blocks, wherein the processor identifies a first image area corresponding to the first backlight block in an input image and a second image area corresponding to the second backlight block as a plurality of first virtual blocks and a plurality of second virtual blocks, respectively, applies a diffusion filter to at least some of the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks to identify a diffusion value that is diffused to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks, calculates a value corresponding to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks based on the identified diffusion value, and obtains current information corresponding to the second backlight block based on the calculated value.

In addition, the processor may apply a diffusion filter to at least some of the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks to identify a first diffusion value that is spread to the remaining some of the plurality of first virtual blocks and a second diffusion value that is spread to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks, and may obtain a dimming duty of the current corresponding to the first backlight block based on the identified first diffusion value, and may obtain a dimming duty of the current corresponding to the second backlight block based on the identified second diffusion value.

Additionally, the processor can predict a motion direction of an object included in the first image area in the input image, and apply a weight obtained based on the predicted motion direction to the diffusion filter.

Additionally, the processor may determine weights of the diffusion filter such that at least one of the diffusion range or diffusion amount corresponding to the predicted motion direction is greater than at least one of the diffusion range or diffusion amount corresponding to a direction opposite to the predicted motion direction.

Additionally, the processor can determine weights of the diffusion filter such that values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks are not spread in a direction opposite to the predicted motion direction.

Additionally, the processor can predict a motion velocity of the object and determine a weight of the diffusion filter based on the motion direction and the motion velocity.

Additionally, the processor can increase or decrease the amount of change in weight of the diffusion filter corresponding to each frame based on the motion speed of the object.

Additionally, the processor can calculate a value corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks based on a plurality of first pixel values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks, and can calculate a value corresponding to the plurality of second virtual blocks based on a plurality of second pixel values corresponding to the plurality of second virtual blocks.

In addition, the processor can recalculate a value corresponding to each of the plurality of second virtual blocks based on an original value corresponding to each of the plurality of second virtual blocks calculated based on the input image and a diffusion value spread to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks, and obtain the current information based on a value corresponding to the second backlight block calculated based on the recalculated value.

In addition, the plurality of backlight blocks may be driven according to a local dimming method in which current is individually controlled, and the display panel may be a liquid crystal panel.

Meanwhile, a control method of an electronic device including a backlight unit composed of a plurality of backlight blocks including a first backlight block and a second backlight block adjacent to the first backlight block according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a step of obtaining current information for driving each of the plurality of backlight blocks, and a step of controlling driving of the backlight unit based on the obtained current information, wherein the step of obtaining the current information may include a step of identifying a first image area corresponding to the first backlight block and a second image area corresponding to the second backlight block in an input image as a plurality of first virtual blocks and a plurality of second virtual blocks, respectively, a step of applying a diffusion filter to at least some of the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks to identify a diffusion value that is diffused to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks, and a step of calculating a value corresponding to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks based on the identified diffusion value, and obtaining current information corresponding to the second backlight block based on the calculated value.

In addition, the step of identifying the diffusion value may include applying a diffusion filter to at least some of the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks to identify a first diffusion value that is diffused to the remaining some of the plurality of first virtual blocks and a second diffusion value that is diffused to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks, and the step of obtaining the current information may include obtaining a dimming duty of the current corresponding to the first backlight block based on the identified first diffusion value, and obtaining a dimming duty of the current corresponding to the second backlight block based on the identified second diffusion value.

In addition, the method may further include a step of predicting a motion direction of an object included in the first image area in the input image, and a step of applying a weight obtained based on the predicted motion direction to the diffusion filter.

In addition, the step of determining the weight of the diffusion filter may determine the weight of the diffusion filter such that at least one of the diffusion range or diffusion amount corresponding to the predicted motion direction is greater than at least one of the diffusion range or diffusion amount corresponding to a direction opposite to the predicted motion direction.

Additionally, the step of determining the weight of the diffusion filter may determine the weight of the diffusion filter such that values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks are not spread in a direction opposite to the predicted motion direction.

In addition, the method further includes a step of predicting a motion speed of the object, and the step of determining a weight of the diffusion filter can determine the weight of the diffusion filter based on the motion direction and the motion speed.

Additionally, the step of determining the weight of the diffusion filter may increase or decrease the amount of change in the weight of the diffusion filter corresponding to each frame based on the motion speed of the object.

In addition, the method may further include a step of calculating a value corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks based on a plurality of first pixel values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks, and a step of calculating a value corresponding to the plurality of second virtual blocks based on a plurality of second pixel values corresponding to the plurality of second virtual blocks.

In addition, the step of identifying the diffusion value may include the step of recalculating a value corresponding to each of the plurality of second virtual blocks based on an original value corresponding to each of the plurality of second virtual blocks calculated based on the input image and a diffusion value spread to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks, and the step of calculating a value corresponding to the second backlight block based on the recalculated value.

In addition, the plurality of backlight blocks may be driven according to a local dimming method in which current is individually controlled, and the display panel may be a liquid crystal panel.

As described above, according to various embodiments of the present invention, the backlight value is spread and calculated based on a number of virtual blocks greater than the number of physical backlight blocks, so that the movement of an object can be displayed naturally.

FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining the characteristics of a display panel according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are drawings for explaining a local dimming method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIGS. 4A and 4B are drawings for explaining a method of obtaining a dimming duty corresponding to each backlight block according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIGS. 5A to 5C are drawings for explaining a method of obtaining a backlight value for a virtual block according to one embodiment.
FIGS. 6A and 6B are drawings for explaining a method of applying a diffusion filter according to one embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method for calculating a physical backlight value based on a diffused backlight value according to one embodiment.
FIGS. 8A to 8D are drawings for explaining a method for calculating physical backlight values in multiple frames according to one embodiment.
FIGS. 9A to 9D are drawings for explaining a method of calculating physical backlight values in multiple frames according to another embodiment.
FIGS. 10A to 10D are drawings for explaining a method of calculating physical backlight values in multiple frames according to another embodiment.
FIGS. 11A and 11B are drawings for explaining detailed configurations of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining a method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

The terms used in this specification will be briefly explained, and the present disclosure will be described in detail.

The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are selected from commonly used terms that are as much as possible while considering the functions of the present disclosure, but this may vary depending on the intention of a technician working in the relevant field, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in certain cases, there are terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meanings thereof will be described in detail in the description of the relevant disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in the present disclosure should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the overall contents of the present disclosure, rather than simply the names of the terms.

In this specification, the expressions “have,” “can have,” “include,” or “may include” indicate the presence of a given feature (e.g., a component such as a number, function, operation, or part), and do not exclude the presence of additional features.

The expression "at least one of A and/or B" should be understood to mean either "A" or "B" or "A and B".

The expressions “first,” “second,” “first,” or “second,” as used herein, can describe various components, regardless of order and/or importance, and are only used to distinguish one component from other components and do not limit the components.

When it is said that a component (e.g., a first component) is "(operatively or communicatively) coupled with/to" or "connected to" another component (e.g., a second component), it should be understood that the component can be directly coupled to the other component, or can be coupled through another component (e.g., a third component).

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprise" or "consist of" and the like are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood to not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

In the present disclosure, a “module” or “part” performs at least one function or operation, and may be implemented by hardware or software, or by a combination of hardware and software. In addition, a plurality of “modules” or a plurality of “parts” may be integrated into at least one module and implemented by at least one processor (not shown), except for a “module” or “part” that needs to be implemented by a specific hardware.

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings below.

FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining a backlight control method according to local dimming to help understanding of the present disclosure.

In general, the local dimming method divides the input image into the number of backlight blocks and calculates a value for driving each backlight block through the input data of each image area that matches the backlight. For example, the backlight lighting time can be individually controlled for each image area.

Fig. 1 shows the backlight values calculated for each block based on the input image. Since the pixel value of the object in the image shown on the left is high, the backlight value of the area matching the object may be calculated large, and the backlight values of other areas may be calculated small. However, when the backlight value is calculated in this way, the backlight value changes rapidly depending on the position of the object. For example, in the image shown on the left of Fig. 1, the object is panned at a constant speed, but the backlight value shown on the right of Fig. 1 that matches it does not change at a constant speed. For example, the backlight value is maintained at the same value from frame N to frame N+2, and then the backlight value changes rapidly when the object crosses the boundary between the backlight block and the adjacent backlight block. Accordingly, the movement of the object may be perceived unnaturally by the user due to the difference in the amount of change in the backlight value between the N frame to frame N+2 and the N+2 to N+3 frame sections.

Accordingly, the following describes various embodiments that enable the movement of an object to be perceived naturally by the user in a backlight driving method of local dimming.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

According to FIG. 2, the electronic device (100) includes a display panel (110), a backlight unit (120), and a processor (130).

The electronic device (100) may be implemented as a smart TV, an Internet TV, a web TV, an IPTV (Internet Protocol Television), a signage, a PC, a smart TV, a monitor, a smart phone, a tablet, etc., but is not limited thereto, and may be implemented as various types of devices having a display function, such as an LFD (large format display), a Digital Signage, a DID (Digital Information Display), a video wall, a projector display, etc.

The display panel (110) includes a plurality of pixels, and each pixel may be composed of a plurality of sub-pixels. For example, each pixel may be composed of three sub-pixels corresponding to a plurality of lights, for example, red, green, and blue lights (R, G, B). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in some cases, in addition to the red, green, and blue sub-pixels, cyan, magenta, yellow, black, or other sub-pixels may also be included. Here, the display panel (110) may be implemented as a liquid crystal panel. However, if local dimming according to an embodiment of the present invention is applicable, it may be implemented as a display panel of another form.

The backlight unit (120) irradiates light to the display panel (110).

In particular, the backlight unit (120) irradiates light to the display panel (110) from the back surface of the display panel (110), that is, the surface opposite to the surface on which the image is displayed.

The backlight unit (120) includes a plurality of light sources, and the plurality of light sources may include, but are not limited to, linear light sources such as lamps or point light sources such as light-emitting diodes. The backlight unit (120) may be implemented as a direct type backlight unit or an edge type backlight unit. The light source of the backlight unit (120) may include one or two or more types of light sources from among a Light Emitting Diode (LED), a Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (HCFL), a Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL), an External Electrode Fluorescent Lamp (EEFL), an ELP, and an FFL.

According to one embodiment, the backlight unit (120) may be implemented with a plurality of LED modules and/or a plurality of LED cabinets. In addition, the LED module may include a plurality of LED pixels. According to one example, the LED pixels may be implemented with a Blue LED or a Whithe LED, but are not limited thereto, and may be implemented in a form including at least one of a RED LED, a GREEN LED, or a BLUE LED.

The processor (130) controls the overall operation of the electronic device (100).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the processor (130) may be implemented as a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, or a time controller (TCON). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may include one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a micro controller unit (MCU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a controller, an application processor (AP), a graphics-processing unit (GPU), a communication processor (CP), or an ARM processor, or may be defined by the relevant terms. In addition, the processor (130) may be implemented as a system on chip (SoC) having a processing algorithm built-in, a large scale integration (LSI), or may be implemented in the form of a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor (130) may perform various functions by executing pre-stored computer executable instructions.

The processor (130) drives the backlight unit (120) to provide light to the display panel (110).

The processor (130) can obtain current information for driving each of the plurality of backlight blocks and drive the backlight unit (120) based on the obtained current information. For example, the processor (130) controls and outputs at least one of the supply time and intensity of the driving current (or driving voltage) for driving each of the plurality of backlight blocks.

Specifically, the processor (130) can control the brightness of the light sources included in the backlight unit (120) by pulse width modulation (PWM) with a variable duty ratio. Here, the pulse width modulation signal (PWM) controls the ratio of turning on and off the light sources, and the duty ratio (duty ratio %) is determined according to the dimming value input from the processor (130). In addition, the processor (110) can control the brightness of the light sources of the backlight unit (120) by varying the intensity of the current as needed.

In this case, the processor (130) may be implemented in a form that includes a driver IC for driving the backlight unit (120). For example, the processor (130) may be implemented as a DSP and implemented as one chip with a digital driver IC. However, it goes without saying that the driver IC may be implemented as separate hardware from the processor (130). For example, when the light sources included in the backlight unit (120) are implemented as LED elements, the driver IC may be implemented as at least one LED driver that controls the current applied to the LED elements. According to one embodiment, the LED driver may be placed after a power supply (e.g., a switching mode power supply (SMPS)) and may receive voltage from the power supply. However, according to another embodiment, the voltage may be applied from a separate power supply. Alternatively, the SMPS and the LED driver may be implemented in a module form that is integrated into one.

The processor (130) obtains a dimming ratio for driving the backlight unit (120), that is, a current lighting duty (hereinafter referred to as a dimming duty). For example, the processor (130) may obtain a backlight value (or a light quantity value) based on pixel information (or a pixel physical quantity) of an input image, and obtain a dimming duty for driving the backlight unit (120) based on the backlight value. Here, the pixel information may be at least one of an average pixel value, a maximum pixel value (or a peak pixel value), a minimum pixel value, a median pixel value, and an APL (Average Picture Level) of the input image. Alternatively, the pixel information may be at least one of an average pixel value, a maximum pixel value (or a peak pixel value), a minimum pixel value, a median pixel value, and an APL of each image block area included in the input image. In this case, the pixel value may include at least one of a luminance value (or a grayscale value) and a color coordinate value. For convenience of explanation, the following description will assume a case in which APL is used as pixel information. In addition, the backlight value can be defined as various types of values that reflect pixel information. For example, it can be defined as various types of values that can express relative light quantity, such as a value that multiplies a pixel value by a specific constant, or a value that expresses a pixel value as a ratio.

The processor (130) can obtain a dimming ratio, i.e., a dimming duty, for driving the backlight unit (120) for each section based on pixel information for each preset section of the input image, for example, APL information. Here, the preset section may be a frame unit, but is not limited thereto, and may also be a plurality of frame sections, scene sections, etc. In this case, the processor (130) can obtain a dimming duty based on pixel information based on a preset function (or operation algorithm), but dimming duty information according to pixel information may be stored in advance, for example, in the form of a lookup table or graph.

For example, the processor (130) may convert pixel data (RGB) for each frame into a luminance level according to a preset conversion function, and divide the sum of the luminance levels by the total number of pixels to calculate the APL for each frame. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it goes without saying that various conventional APL calculation methods may be used. Next, the processor (130) may control the dimming duty to 100% in an image frame in which the APL is a preset value (e.g., 80%), and use a function that reduces the dimming duty of an image frame having an ALP value of 80% or less to be inversely linearly or nonlinearly proportional to the APL value to determine the dimming duty corresponding to each APL value. However, if the dimming duty corresponding to the APL value is stored in a lookup table, the dimming duty may be read out from the lookup table using the APL as a read address.

Meanwhile, the processor (130) can drive the backlight unit (120) with local dimming that identifies the screen into multiple areas and individually controls the backlight brightness for each area.

Specifically, the processor (130) identifies the screen as a plurality of screen areas that can be separately controlled according to the implementation form of the backlight unit (120), and obtains a dimming duty for driving the light source of the backlight unit (120) corresponding to each image area based on pixel information of an image to be displayed (hereinafter, image area) of each screen area, for example, APL information. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, each backlight area corresponding to a plurality of image areas will be referred to as a backlight block. For example, each of the backlight blocks may include at least one light source, for example, a plurality of light sources.

According to one embodiment, the backlight unit (120) may be implemented as a direct-type backlight unit (120-1) as illustrated in FIG. 3A. For example, the direct-type backlight unit (120-1) may be implemented as a structure in which a plurality of optical sheets and a diffusion plate are laminated under the display panel (110) and a plurality of light sources are arranged under the diffusion plate.

In the case of a direct-type backlight unit (120-1), it can be divided into a plurality of backlight blocks as illustrated in Fig. 3a based on the arrangement structure of a plurality of light sources. In this case, each of the plurality of backlight blocks can be driven according to a dimming duty based on image information of a corresponding screen area as illustrated.

According to another embodiment, the backlight unit (120) may be implemented as an edge-type backlight unit (120-2) as illustrated in FIG. 3b. For example, the edge-type backlight unit (120-2) may be implemented as a structure in which a plurality of optical sheets and a light guide plate are laminated under the display panel (110) and a plurality of light sources are arranged on the side of the light guide plate.

In the case of the edge-type backlight unit (120-2), it can be divided into a plurality of backlight blocks as illustrated in FIG. 3b based on the arrangement structure of a plurality of light sources. In this case, each of the plurality of backlight blocks can be driven according to a dimming duty based on image information of a corresponding screen area as illustrated.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are drawings for explaining a method of obtaining a dimming duty corresponding to each backlight block according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the backlight unit (120) is implemented as an edge type unit.

According to one embodiment, the processor (130) may obtain pixel information, for example, APL information, of each image area to be displayed on a screen area corresponding to each backlight block of the backlight unit (120) and calculate the dimming duty of each backlight block based on the obtained pixel information.

For example, the processor (130) can calculate APL information of image areas (111-1 to 111-n) corresponding to each of the backlight blocks (121-1 to 121-n) as illustrated on the right side of FIG. 4A. For example, the left side of FIG. 4B illustrates a case in which APL values (411-1 to 411-n) of each image area (111-1 to 111-n) of each image area (111-1 to 111-n) are calculated according to an example. Then, the processor (130) can calculate dimming duties (421-1 to 421-n) of each backlight block (121-1 to 121-n) based on the APL values of each image area obtained in FIG. 4A as illustrated in FIG. 4B. For example, the dimming duty of each backlight block (121-1 to 121-n) can be calculated by applying a preset weight to the ALP value of each image area. For example, the dimming duty of an image area with an APL of 10% can be calculated as 10%*6=60%, and the dimming duty of an image area with an APL of 7% can be calculated as 7%*6=42%. However, this is only an example of calculating the dimming duty, and the dimming duty can be calculated in various ways based on the pixel information of each image area.

Meanwhile, according to one embodiment, the processor (130) may supply the dimming duty corresponding to each backlight block to the local dimming driver in sorted order according to the connection order of each backlight block. In this case, the local dimming driver generates a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal having each dimming duty provided from the processor (130) and sequentially drives each backlight block based on the generated PWM signal. According to another embodiment, the processor (130) may also generate a pulse width modulation signal based on the calculated dimming duty and provide the pulse width modulation signal to the local dimming driver.

Returning to FIG. 2, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor (130) may identify a first image area corresponding to a first backlight block in an input image and a second image area corresponding to a second backlight block. Here, the second backlight block may be a block adjacent to the first backlight block, and thus, the second image area may be an area adjacent to the first image area. For example, the second backlight block may be a block adjacent in at least one of the up, down, left, and right directions based on the first backlight block.

Next, the processor (130) can identify (or divide) the first image area into a plurality of first virtual blocks, and can identify the second image area into a plurality of second virtual blocks. Here, the term “identification (or division)” is used for convenience, but the term can be replaced with various terms that can mean that the processor (130) identifies a plurality of pixel blocks.

Here, the first and second backlight blocks may mean any block among a plurality of backlight blocks. In addition, the first virtual block (or the second virtual block) may be a block that virtually divides an image area corresponding to the first backlight block (or the second backlight block) and may be a block including at least one pixel. That is, the virtual block unit may be at most one pixel unit. However, the virtual block unit must be smaller than the size of the first image area. The virtual block may be obtained by dividing the image area into integer or non-integer multiples.

According to an example, the processor (130) may obtain a value corresponding to a first virtual block based on a plurality of first pixel values corresponding to the first virtual block, i.e., the first pixel block, in the input image, and may obtain a value corresponding to a second virtual block based on a plurality of second pixel values corresponding to the second virtual block, i.e., the second pixel block. Here, the value corresponding to the virtual block (hereinafter, backlight value) may be various types of values obtained based on pixel information (or pixel physical quantity) of the input image as described above.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are drawings for explaining a method of obtaining a backlight value for a virtual block according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5a illustrates an input image (510) according to one embodiment, and FIG. 5b illustrates a state in which the input image is identified as an image area (511 to 522) corresponding to a backlight block, and each image area is identified as a virtual block area.

For example, the value corresponding to each virtual block may be expressed as a value between 0 and 100, as illustrated in FIG. 5c. For example, the processor (130) may express the value corresponding to the minimum grayscale in the input image as 0, the value corresponding to the maximum grayscale as 100, and apply a certain ratio to the remaining grayscale values to express the backlight value for each virtual block as 0 to 100, as illustrated in FIG. 5c.

For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the input image (510) as shown in FIG. 5c has backlight values of 100 for four virtual blocks (516-1 to 516-4) included in a specific backlight block (516), and the backlight values of the remaining virtual blocks are 0.

Returning to FIG. 2, the processor (130) can identify a diffusion value that is diffused to at least some of the second virtual blocks by applying a diffusion filter to at least some of the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks. Here, the diffusion filter can be implemented as a diffusion filter having various sizes and various filter values. For example, it can be applied without limitation as long as it has a form that can sufficiently diffuse the backlight value to the surrounding backlight blocks.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are drawings for explaining a method of applying a diffusion filter according to one embodiment.

For example, a Gaussian filter may be used as a diffusion filter. For example, the Gaussian filter may have a form in which 0 on the x-axis has a large weight and the weight decreases toward the +/- portion, as illustrated in FIG. 6A. When such a Gaussian filter is applied to a mask (60) having an n*n shape, the center of the mask (60) may have a large value and the filter value may decrease toward the edge of the mask (60). However, the size and filter value of the filter illustrated in FIG. 6A are merely examples for convenience of explanation. According to an embodiment, the size of the filter may be implemented in various ways depending on the diffusion size, and the filter value may be implemented in various ways by changing the sigma value of the Gaussian function depending on the diffusion amount. For example, the processor (130) may apply a Gaussian mask (60) to an area (610) including a backlight value corresponding to a virtual block and perform filtering processing, thereby diffusion of the backlight value, as illustrated in FIG. 6B.

Returning to FIG. 2, according to one embodiment, the processor (130) may apply a diffusion filter to at least some of the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks to identify a first diffusion value that is spread to the remaining some of the plurality of first virtual blocks and a second diffusion value that is spread to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks. Then, the processor (130) may obtain current information corresponding to the first backlight block based on the identified first diffusion value, and may obtain current information corresponding to the second backlight block based on the identified second diffusion value. However, it is of course possible that the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks are spread only to adjacent blocks and not to the plurality of first virtual blocks depending on the size and filter value (or parameter) of the diffusion filter.

Specifically, the processor (130) may calculate an original value corresponding to each of a plurality of second virtual blocks based on an input image, and may recalculate a value corresponding to each of a plurality of second virtual blocks based on the calculated original value and a diffusion value that is spread to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks. Subsequently, the processor (130) may calculate a value corresponding to the second backlight block (hereinafter, referred to as a physical backlight value) based on the recalculated value, and may obtain current information corresponding to the second backlight block based on the calculated value. Hereinafter, in order to distinguish it from a backlight value corresponding to a virtual block, a corresponding value corresponding to a physical backlight block will be referred to as a “physical backlight value.”

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a method for calculating a physical backlight value based on a diffused backlight value according to one embodiment.

The upper drawing of FIG. 7 shows a state (710) in which some backlight values of the first image area (516) are spread to the first to sixth image areas (511, 512, 515, 516, 519, 520). For example, a backlight value of 100 corresponding to some virtual blocks (FIG. 5c, 516-1 to 516-4) of the first image area (516) can be spread to the same extent in all directions as shown in the first to sixth image areas (511, 512, 515, 516, 519, 520).

In this case, the processor (130) can calculate a physical backlight value corresponding to each backlight block based on the backlight values of the virtual blocks included in each of the image areas (511 to 522). For example, the processor (130) can calculate a physical backlight value based on an average value, a maximum value, a minimum value, or a value obtained by multiplying one of these by a specific constant of the backlight values of the virtual blocks included in each of the image areas (511 to 522).

The lower drawing of FIG. 7 is a drawing showing the physical backlight value of each backlight block (721 to 732) calculated by the diffused backlight value. For example, the physical backlight value can be calculated in various ways, such as an average value, an intermediate value, a minimum value, a maximum value, or a value obtained by multiplying at least one of the backlight values of the virtual blocks corresponding to each backlight block (721 to 732) by a preset constant (or weight), a value calculated based on a plurality of values among the values (for example, an average value of the maximum and minimum values), etc. According to an example, the preset constant (or weight) may be the same value for each backlight block, but a different value may be applied to each backlight block depending on the position of each backlight block, the intensity of the backlight value, etc.

FIGS. 8A to 8D are drawings for explaining a method for calculating physical backlight values in multiple frames according to one embodiment.

In Figures 8a to 8d, it is assumed that the object moves at a constant speed in the Nth frame (811) to the N+3rd frame (814).

As illustrated in FIG. 8A, the processor (130) identifies the Nth frame (811) as a plurality of virtual blocks, spreads the backlight values of at least some of the virtual blocks to calculate a backlight value (812) corresponding to each virtual block, and calculates a physical backlight value (813) corresponding to each backlight block based on the calculated backlight value (812). Since the method of spreading the backlight value is described in detail in FIG. 7, further description will be omitted.

Next, the processor (130) may spread the backlight values corresponding to the virtual blocks for subsequent frames (N+1, N+2, N+3) as illustrated in FIGS. 8b to 8d, and then calculate the physical backlight values (823, 833, 843) corresponding to each backlight block based on the spread backlight values (822, 832, 842). By spreading the backlight values in this way, the physical backlight values can be calculated based on the brightness of the object not only for the backlight block in the area where the object with high brightness is located but also for the adjacent backlight blocks.

In this case, when a high-luminance object pans at a constant speed from frame N to frame N+3 as shown, the matching physical backlight value also changes constantly from frame N to frame N+3. Accordingly, the movement of the object can be naturally perceived by the user.

Returning to FIG. 2, according to another embodiment, the processor (130) may predict the motion direction of an object included in an image area corresponding to a first backlight block in an input image, obtain a weight based on the predicted motion direction, apply the obtained weight to a filter value of a diffusion filter, and calculate the backlight value of a virtual block using a diffusion filter including the filter value to which the weight is applied. Alternatively, the processor (130) may apply the determined weight to the backlight value itself for each virtual block to calculate the backlight value of the virtual block. However, for the convenience of explanation, the following description will assume a case where the weight is applied to a filter value included in a diffusion filter.

For example, the processor (130) can obtain motion information (e.g., motion vector) by comparing corresponding image blocks from multiple image frames, and predict the motion direction of the object based on the obtained motion information.

The processor (130) may determine the weight of the diffusion filter such that at least one of the diffusion range or diffusion amount corresponding to the predicted motion direction is different from at least one of the diffusion range or diffusion amount corresponding to a direction other than the predicted motion direction, for example, an opposite direction. For example, the processor (130) may determine the weight of the diffusion filter such that at least one of the diffusion range or diffusion amount corresponding to the predicted motion direction is greater than at least one of the diffusion range or diffusion amount corresponding to a direction other than the predicted motion direction, for example, an opposite direction. For example, the processor (130) may determine the weight of the diffusion filter such that a relatively larger amount of light is diffused in the predicted motion direction and diffused to a relatively larger range. Here, in order to distinguish it from the filter value (or parameter) of the diffusion filter described in FIGS. 6A and 6B , the term “weight” is used which is additionally applied to the filter value of the diffusion filter. However, the meaning of applying a weight to the filter value of the diffusion filter may be the same as the meaning of adjusting the filter value of the diffusion filter.

For example, the processor (130) may apply a larger weight to a filter value (or parameter value) of a first filter region corresponding to a predicted motion direction than to a filter value (or parameter value) of a second filter region corresponding to an opposite direction, and apply the weighted diffusion filter to the backlight value of the virtual block. Alternatively, the processor (130) may determine the weight of the diffusion filter so that the backlight value is not diffused in a direction opposite to the predicted motion direction.

FIGS. 9A to 9D are drawings for explaining a method of calculating physical backlight values in multiple frames according to another embodiment.

According to one embodiment, the processor (130) may predict the motion direction of the object, and if the motion direction is predicted to be in the b direction, apply a relatively larger weight to a diffusion filter area corresponding to the b direction than to an area corresponding to another direction, thereby spreading the backlight value of the virtual block over a wider filter area.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9A, the processor (130) may identify the Nth frame (911) as a plurality of virtual blocks, diffuse the backlight values of at least some of the virtual blocks to calculate a backlight value (912) corresponding to each virtual block, and calculate a physical backlight value (913) corresponding to each backlight block based on the calculated backlight value (912). In this case, the processor (130) may diffuse the backlight value of the virtual block by applying a relatively larger weight to the diffusion filter area corresponding to the b direction than to the area corresponding to the other direction (in particular, the opposite a direction). For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9A, the size and diffusion range of the backlight value diffused in the a direction may be smaller than the size and diffusion range of the backlight value diffused in the b direction. However, this is only an example, and it is also possible to adjust only one of the size and diffusion range of the backlight value differently based on the motion direction.

Next, the processor (130) can spread the backlight value of the virtual block by applying the weight in the same manner to the diffusion filter area corresponding to the b direction for subsequent frames (N+1, N+2, N+3) as illustrated in FIGS. 9b to 9d. Thereafter, the processor (130) can calculate the physical backlight value (923, 933, 943) corresponding to each backlight block based on the spread backlight value (922, 932, 942). However, the diffusion method applied to the N+1, N+2, N+3 frames (921, 931, 941) does not necessarily have to be identical to the diffusion method applied to the Nth frame (911), and it goes without saying that a similar method can be applied within a critical range.

FIGS. 10A to 10D are drawings for explaining a method of calculating physical backlight values in multiple frames according to another embodiment.

According to one embodiment, the processor (130) may spread the backlight value only in the b direction when the motion direction of the object is predicted to be in the b direction, and may not spread the backlight value in the remaining directions.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 10A, the processor (130) may identify the Nth frame (1011) as a plurality of virtual blocks, spread the backlight values of at least some of the plurality of virtual blocks only in the b direction, calculate a backlight value (1012) corresponding to each virtual block, and calculate a physical backlight value (1013) corresponding to each backlight block based on the calculated backlight value (1012).

Next, the processor (130) can spread the backlight value of the virtual block only in the b direction for subsequent frames (N+1, N+2, N+3) as shown in FIGS. 10b to 10d. Thereafter, the processor (130) can calculate the physical backlight value (1023, 1033, 1043) corresponding to each backlight block based on the spread backlight value (1022, 1032, 1042).

Returning to FIG. 2, according to another embodiment, the processor (130) can predict the motion velocity of the object, and determine (or identify) weights to be applied to the diffusion filter based on the motion velocity of the object. For example, the processor (130) can predict the motion velocity as well as the motion direction of the object, and adjust at least one of the diffusion range, the diffusion amount, or the diffusion change amount based on the motion direction and the motion velocity of the object.

In one example, the processor (130) may obtain motion information (e.g., a motion vector) by comparing corresponding image blocks in a plurality of image frames, and may predict the motion direction and motion speed of the object based on the obtained motion information. For example, the processor (130) may determine the weight of the diffusion filter such that the weight of the filter region corresponding to the predicted motion direction is greater than the weight of the filter region corresponding to the opposite direction to the predicted motion direction, and may determine the amount of change in the weight of the diffusion filter corresponding to each frame based on the predicted motion speed of the object. In one example, the processor (130) may increase or decrease the amount of change in the weight of the diffusion filter corresponding to each frame in proportion to the predicted motion speed. In another example, the processor (130) may increase or decrease the amount of change in the diffusion range of the diffusion filter corresponding to each frame in proportion to the predicted motion speed.

Meanwhile, when the physical backlight value of each backlight block is calculated as described above, the processor (130) can calculate the dimming duty for each backlight block based on the corresponding backlight value, and control the backlight unit (120) to drive each backlight block based on the calculated dimming duty.

In addition, the processor (130) may additionally perform spatial filtering to reduce the dimming difference between each backlight block. When local dimming is performed, a halo phenomenon may occur due to the dimming difference between each backlight block. To prevent this phenomenon from occurring, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor (130) may perform spatial filtering (or duty spread adjustment) on the dimming duty for each block to alleviate the dimming difference between each backlight block. For example, the processor (130) may adjust the dimming duty of each backlight block based on the dimming duty of the surrounding blocks of the corresponding block. For example, the dimming duty of the current block may be adjusted by a filtering method that applies a spatial filter having a window of a specific size (e.g., 3×3 size) by giving a specific weight to the dimming duty of each of the eight adjacent blocks above, below, left, and right of the current block, thereby alleviating the dimming difference between adjacent blocks.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are drawings for explaining detailed configurations of an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

According to FIG. 11a, the electronic device (100) includes a display panel (110), a backlight unit (120), a processor (130), a backlight driver (140), a panel driver (150), a memory (160), a communication interface (170), and a user interface (180). Among the configurations illustrated in FIG. 11a, a detailed description of configurations that overlap with those illustrated in FIG. 2 will be omitted.

The display panel (110) is formed so that gate lines (GL1 to GLn) and data lines (DL1 to DLm) intersect with each other, and R, G, and B sub-pixels (PR, PG, PB) are formed in areas provided by the intersections. Adjacent R, G, and B sub-pixels (PR, PG, PB) form one pixel. That is, each pixel includes an R sub-pixel (PR) that displays red (R), a G sub-pixel (PG) that displays green (G), and a B sub-pixel (PB) that displays blue (B), thereby reproducing the color of an object using three primary colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B).

When the display panel (110) is implemented as an LCD panel, each sub-pixel (PR, PG, PB) includes a pixel electrode and a common electrode, and the liquid crystal arrangement changes due to an electric field formed by a potential difference between the two electrodes, thereby changing the light transmittance. TFTs formed at the intersections of the gate lines (GL1 to GLn) and the data lines (DL1 to DLm) supply video data, i.e., red (R), green (G), and blue (B) data, from the data lines (DL1 to DLm) to the pixel electrodes of each sub-pixel (PR, PG, PB) in response to scan pulses from the gate lines (GL1 to GLn).

The backlight driver (140) may be implemented in a form including a driver IC for driving the backlight unit (120). According to an example, the driver IC may be implemented as separate hardware from the processor (130). For example, when the light sources included in the backlight unit (120) are implemented as LED elements, the driver IC may be implemented as at least one LED driver that controls the current applied to the LED elements. According to an embodiment, the LED driver may be placed after a power supply (e.g., a switching mode power supply (SMPS)) and may receive voltage from the power supply. However, according to another embodiment, the voltage may be applied from a separate power supply. Alternatively, the SMPS and the LED driver may be implemented in a module form that is integrated into one.

The panel driver (150) may be implemented in a form including a driver IC for driving the display panel (110). According to an example, the driver IC may be implemented as separate hardware from the processor (130). For example, the panel driver (150) may include a data driver (151) that supplies video data to data lines and a gate driver (152) that supplies scan pulses to gate lines, as illustrated in FIG. 11b.

The data driving unit (151) is a means for generating a data signal, and receives image data of R/G/B components from the processor (130) (or timing controller (not shown)) to generate a data signal. In addition, the data driving unit (151) is connected to the data lines (DL1, DL2, DL3, ..., DLm) of the display panel (110) and applies the generated data signal to the display panel (110).

The gate driver (152) (or scan driver) is a means for generating a gate signal (or scan signal), is connected to gate lines (GL1, GL2, GL3, ..., GLn), and transmits the gate signal to a specific row of the display panel (110). A data signal output from the data driver (161) is transmitted to a pixel to which the gate signal is transmitted.

In addition, the panel driver (150) may further include a timing controller (not shown). The timing controller (not shown) may receive an input signal (IS), a horizontal synchronization signal (Hsync), a vertical synchronization signal (Vsync), and a main clock signal (MCLK) from an external source, for example, a processor (130), and generate an image data signal, a scan control signal, a data control signal, an emission control signal, and the like, and provide the same to the display panel (110), the data driver (151), the gate driver (165), and the like.

The memory (160) stores various data necessary for the operation of the electronic device (100).

In particular, the memory (160) stores data required for the processor (130) to execute various processes. For example, it may be implemented as an internal memory such as a ROM or a RAM included in the processor (130), or may be implemented as a separate memory from the processor (130). In this case, the memory (160) may be implemented as a memory embedded in the electronic device (100) or as a memory that can be attached or detached from the electronic device (100) depending on the purpose of data storage. For example, data for operating the electronic device (100) may be stored in a memory embedded in the electronic device (100), and data for expanding the functions of the electronic device (100) may be stored in a memory that can be attached or detached from the electronic device (100). Meanwhile, in the case of memory embedded in the electronic device (100), it may be implemented in the form of non-volatile memory, volatile memory, flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), or solid state drive (SSD), and in the case of memory that can be detachably attached to the electronic device (100), it may be implemented in the form of a memory card (e.g., micro SD card, USB memory, etc.), external memory that can be connected to a USB port (e.g., USB memory), etc.

According to an example, the memory (160) may store information related to a diffusion filter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (e.g., a filter value of the diffusion filter), information related to weights (e.g., a weight corresponding to at least one of a motion direction or a motion speed), and the like. However, the information may also be received in real time from an external device such as a set-top box, an external server, a user terminal, and the like.

The communication interface (170) is a configuration that performs communication with various types of external devices according to various types of communication methods.

According to one embodiment, the communication interface (170) may be implemented as at least one input/output interface among HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface), AV, Composite, MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link), USB (Universal Serial Bus), DP (Display Port), Thunderbolt, VGA (Video Graphics Array) port, RGB port, D-SUB (D-subminiature), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), optical port, and component.

According to another embodiment, the communication interface (170) includes at least one of a WiFi module, a Bluetooth module, an Ethernet communication module, or an infrared communication module. Here, each communication module can be implemented in the form of at least one hardware chip. The WiFi module and the Bluetooth module perform communication in the WiFi mode and the Bluetooth mode, respectively. When the WiFi module or the Bluetooth module is used, various connection information such as an SSID and a session key are first transmitted and received, and then communication is established using the same, and then various pieces of information can be transmitted and received. The infrared communication module performs communication according to infrared communication (IrDA, infrared Data Association) technology that wirelessly transmits data over a short distance using infrared, which is between light and millimeter waves.

In addition to the above-described communication method, the wireless communication module may include at least one communication chip that performs communication according to various wireless communication standards, such as zigbee, 3G (3rd Generation), 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE Advanced), 4G (4th Generation), and 5G (5th Generation).

In addition, the communication interface (170) may include at least one of a LAN (Local Area Network) module, an Ethernet module, or a wired communication module that performs communication using a pair cable, a coaxial cable, or an optical fiber cable.

In another embodiment, if at least some of the calculations for calculating the dimming duty for local dimming or calculating the physical backlight value are performed by an external device (e.g., an external server), the corresponding information may be received via the communication interface (170). For example, since the number of virtual blocks increases, the amount of calculations must increase, and therefore some of the calculations required to calculate the physical backlight value may be performed by an image processing device (not shown) or an external server.

The user interface (180) may be implemented by devices such as buttons, touch pads, mouses, and keyboards, or may be implemented by a touch screen capable of performing the display function and operation input function described above. Here, the buttons may be various types of buttons such as mechanical buttons, touch pads, wheels, etc. formed on any area of the front, side, or back of the main body of the electronic device (100).

Additionally, the user interface (180) may be implemented with a microphone, camera, motion sensor, etc. that enables voice recognition or motion recognition.

Additionally, the user interface (180) may be implemented to receive a signal corresponding to a user input (e.g., a touch, a press, a touch gesture, a voice, or a motion) from an external control device. If a user voice or a user motion is received from an external control device (not shown), it may of course be implemented as a microphone, a camera, a motion sensor, or the like in the external control device.

According to an example, the external control device may be implemented as a remote control including a microphone. When the remote control receives a user's analog voice signal through the microphone, the remote control may convert the analog voice signal into a digital voice signal and transmit the converted digital voice signal to the electronic device (100) using at least one of infrared, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth communication methods. When the electronic device (100) receives a digital voice signal from the external control device, the electronic device (100) may perform voice recognition based on the received digital voice signal and perform a control operation based on the voice recognition result information.

According to another example, the external control device may be implemented as a smartphone including a microphone. In this case, the smartphone may remotely control the electronic device (100) using a remote control application that performs a remote control function. When an analog voice signal of a user is received through the microphone, the smartphone may convert the analog voice signal into a digital voice signal and perform voice recognition on the digital voice signal using a voice recognition application. Here, the voice recognition application may be the same as or different from the above-described remote control application. When voice recognition on the digital voice signal is performed, the smartphone may remotely control the smartphone using the remote control application based on the voice recognition result information. However, according to another embodiment, the smartphone may transmit the converted digital voice signal to the electronic device (100) using at least one of infrared, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth communication methods. In this case, when the electronic device (100) receives a digital voice signal from the external control device, the electronic device (100) may perform voice recognition on the received digital voice signal and perform a control operation based on the voice recognition result information.

In one example, the electronic device (100) may communicate with a server for various operations including voice recognition, and the communication interface for communicating with the server and the communication interface for communicating with the remote control may be different (e.g., Ethernet modem, Wi-Fi module vs. BT module) or may be the same (Wi-fi module).

Meanwhile, if the electronic device (100) is implemented as a TV, it may further include a tuner (not shown), and the tuner (not shown) can select only the frequency of the channel to be received by the electronic device (100) among many radio wave components through amplification, mixing, resonance, etc. of a broadcast signal received wired or wirelessly.

In addition, the electronic device (100) may additionally include various components, such as a camera, a microphone, a speaker, a motion sensor, a position sensor, a touch sensor, and a proximity sensor, depending on the implementation example of the electronic device (100).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining a method for controlling an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

According to a control method of an electronic device including a backlight unit composed of a plurality of backlight blocks as illustrated in FIG. 12, first, a first backlight block among the plurality of backlight blocks can be identified as a plurality of first virtual blocks, and a second backlight block adjacent to the first backlight block can be identified as a plurality of second virtual blocks (S1210). The plurality of backlight blocks are driven according to a local dimming method in which current is individually controlled, and can provide light to a display panel, for example, a liquid crystal panel.

Next, a diffusion filter is applied to at least some of the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks to identify diffusion values that are diffused to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks (S1220).

Next, based on the identified diffusion values, values corresponding to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks can be calculated (S1230).

Next, current information corresponding to the second backlight block can be obtained based on the generated value (S1240).

Thereafter, the first backlight block can be driven based on the acquired current information (S1250).

In addition, in step S1220, a diffusion filter may be applied to at least some of the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks to identify a first diffusion value that is diffused to the remaining some of the plurality of first virtual blocks and a second diffusion value that is diffused to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks. In this case, in step S1240, current information corresponding to the first backlight block may be obtained based on the identified first diffusion value, and current information corresponding to the second backlight block may be obtained based on the identified second diffusion value.

Additionally, the control method may further include a step of predicting a motion direction of an object included in an image area corresponding to a first backlight block in an input image, a step of identifying a weight of a diffusion filter based on the predicted motion direction, and a step of applying the determined weight to the diffusion filter.

In this case, the step of identifying the weights of the diffusion filter may determine the weights of the diffusion filter such that at least one of the diffusion range or diffusion amount corresponding to the predicted motion direction is greater than at least one of the diffusion range or diffusion amount corresponding to the direction opposite to the predicted motion direction.

Additionally, the step of identifying the weights of the diffusion filter can determine the weights of the diffusion filter so that values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks are not diffused in a direction opposite to the predicted motion direction.

In addition, the control method further includes a step of predicting a motion velocity of the object, and the step of identifying a weight of the diffusion filter can identify the weight of the diffusion filter based on the motion direction and the motion velocity.

Additionally, the step of identifying the weight of the diffusion filter can increase or decrease the amount of change in the weight of the diffusion filter corresponding to each frame based on the motion speed of the object.

Additionally, the control method may further include a step of calculating values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks based on a plurality of first pixel values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks, and a step of calculating values corresponding to the plurality of second virtual blocks based on a plurality of second pixel values corresponding to the plurality of second virtual blocks.

Additionally, step S1220 may include a step of calculating an original value corresponding to each of a plurality of second virtual blocks based on an input image, a step of recalculating a value corresponding to each of a plurality of second virtual blocks based on the calculated original value and a diffusion value that is spread to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks, and a step of calculating a value corresponding to the second backlight block based on the recalculated value.

As described above, according to various embodiments of the present invention, the backlight value is spread and calculated based on a number of virtual blocks greater than the number of physical backlight blocks, so that the movement of an object can be displayed naturally.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiments, the dimming duty for local dimming is described as being calculated by the electronic device (100) having the display panel (110). However, in some cases, the dimming duty may be calculated by a separate image processing device (not shown) or an external server that does not have a display panel. For example, the image processing device may be implemented by various devices capable of image processing, such as a set-top box or a sending box that provides an image signal to the display panel. Alternatively, it is also possible that only some of the calculations are calculated by the image processing device (not shown) or the external server. For example, since the amount of calculations must increase as the number of virtual blocks increases, some of the calculations required to calculate the physical backlight value may be performed by the image processing device (not shown) or the external server.

Meanwhile, the methods according to various embodiments of the present disclosure described above can be implemented in the form of applications that can be installed on existing electronic devices.

Additionally, the methods according to various embodiments of the present disclosure described above can be implemented only with a software upgrade or a hardware upgrade for an existing electronic device.

Additionally, the various embodiments of the present disclosure described above may also be performed through an embedded server provided in an electronic device, or an external server of the electronic device and at least one of the electronic devices.

Meanwhile, according to a temporary example of the present disclosure, the various embodiments described above can be implemented as software including instructions stored in a machine-readable storage media that can be read by a machine (e.g., a computer). The device is a device that can call instructions stored from the storage media and operate according to the called instructions, and may include an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (A)) according to the disclosed embodiments. When the instruction is executed by the processor, the processor can perform a function corresponding to the instruction directly or by using other components under the control of the processor. The instruction can include code generated or executed by a compiler or an interpreter. The machine-readable storage media can be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage media. Here, 'non-transitory' only means that the storage media does not include a signal and is tangible, and does not distinguish between data being stored semi-permanently or temporarily in the storage media.

In addition, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method according to the various embodiments described above may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between sellers and buyers as a commodity. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a storage medium readable by a machine (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)) or online through an application store (e.g., Play StoreTM). In the case of online distribution, at least a part of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a storage medium such as a memory of a manufacturer's server, a server of an application store, or a relay server.

In addition, each of the components (e.g., modules or programs) according to the various embodiments described above may be composed of a single or multiple entities, and some of the corresponding sub-components described above may be omitted, or other sub-components may be further included in various embodiments. Alternatively or additionally, some of the components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single entity, which may perform the same or similar functions performed by each of the corresponding components prior to integration. Operations performed by modules, programs or other components according to various embodiments may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively or heuristically, or at least some of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or other operations may be added.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications may be made by a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the gist of the present disclosure as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be individually understood from the technical idea or prospect of the present disclosure.

100: Electronic device 110: Display panel
120: Backlight unit 130: Processor

Claims (20)

display panel;
A backlight unit comprising a plurality of backlight blocks including a first backlight block and a second backlight block adjacent to the first backlight block; and
A processor for controlling driving of the backlight unit based on current information for driving each of the plurality of backlight blocks;
The above processor,
In the input image, a first image area corresponding to the first backlight block and a second image area corresponding to the second backlight block are identified as a plurality of first virtual blocks and a plurality of second virtual blocks, respectively,
Applying a diffusion filter to at least some of the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks to identify a diffusion value that is diffused to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks,
An electronic device that obtains current information corresponding to the second backlight block based on a value corresponding to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks obtained based on the identified diffusion values. In the first paragraph,
The above processor,
Applying a diffusion filter to at least some of the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks, identifying a first diffusion value that is diffused to the remaining some of the plurality of first virtual blocks and a second diffusion value that is diffused to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks,
An electronic device that obtains a dimming duty of a current corresponding to the first backlight block based on the identified first diffusion value, and obtains a dimming duty of a current corresponding to the second backlight block based on the identified second diffusion value. In the first paragraph,
The above processor,
Predicting the motion direction of an object included in the first image area from the input image,
An electronic device that applies weights obtained based on the predicted motion direction to the diffusion filter. In the third paragraph,
The above processor,
An electronic device that determines weights of the diffusion filter such that at least one of the diffusion range or diffusion amount corresponding to the predicted motion direction is greater than at least one of the diffusion range or diffusion amount corresponding to a direction opposite to the predicted motion direction. In the third paragraph,
The above processor,
An electronic device that determines weights of the diffusion filter so that values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks are not spread in a direction opposite to the predicted motion direction. In the third paragraph,
The above processor,
Predict the motion speed of the above object,
An electronic device that determines weights of the diffusion filter based on the motion direction and the motion speed. In Article 6,
The above processor,
An electronic device that increases or decreases the amount of weight change of a diffusion filter corresponding to each frame based on the motion speed of the object. In the first paragraph,
The above processor,
Calculating a value corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks based on a plurality of first pixel values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks,
An electronic device that calculates a value corresponding to a plurality of second virtual blocks based on a plurality of second pixel values corresponding to the plurality of second virtual blocks. In the first paragraph,
The above processor,
Based on the original value corresponding to each of the plurality of second virtual blocks calculated based on the input image and the diffusion value spread to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks, the value corresponding to each of the plurality of second virtual blocks is recalculated,
An electronic device that obtains the current information based on a value corresponding to the second backlight block obtained based on the recalculated value. delete A method for controlling an electronic device including a backlight unit comprising a plurality of backlight blocks including a first backlight block and a second backlight block adjacent to the first backlight block,
A step of obtaining current information for driving each of the plurality of backlight blocks; and
A step of controlling the operation of the backlight unit based on the acquired current information;
The step of obtaining the above current information is:
A step of identifying a first image area corresponding to the first backlight block in an input image and a second image area corresponding to the second backlight block as a plurality of first virtual blocks and a plurality of second virtual blocks, respectively;
A step of applying a diffusion filter to at least some of the values corresponding to the plurality of first virtual blocks to identify a diffusion value that is diffused to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks; and
A control method comprising: a step of calculating a value corresponding to at least some of the plurality of second virtual blocks based on the identified diffusion values, and obtaining current information corresponding to the second backlight blocks based on the calculated values. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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