Video processing apparatus and mobile terminal apparatus
Patent No. US7952645 (titled "Video processing apparatus and mobile terminal apparatus") on Nov 22, 2006. The application was issued on May 31, 2011.
What is this patent about?
’645 is related to the field of video signal processing and image quality enhancement, particularly for mobile devices. It addresses the challenges of maintaining consistent visual quality when displaying video content that includes non-content areas, such as decorative sidebars or letterboxing, which are often added when the aspect ratio of the source material does not match the display screen.
The underlying idea behind ’645 is to prevent distracting visual artifacts by selectively disabling image enhancement algorithms when static or patterned borders are detected. The inventor recognized that global picture quality corrections—like dynamic contrast or saturation adjustments—can cause these borders to flicker or change color as the main video content shifts, which is visually jarring. By identifying these non-content regions, the system can bypass correction to keep the borders stable while still optimizing the main viewing area.
The claims of ’645 focus on a detection and control mechanism that identifies pattern portions (such as wallpaper or side panels) within an input video signal. The independent claims cover a hardware or software architecture that includes a detector to spot these extraneous areas and a controller that actively inhibits the video corrector from applying modifications when such patterns are present. This ensures that enhancement logic only operates on standard, full-screen content where it won't negatively impact the appearance of static borders.
In practice, the system utilizes a characteristic point detector to monitor luminance, hue, and saturation across specific coordinates of the frame. By comparing these values across consecutive frames, the apparatus can distinguish between moving video content and stationary decorative patterns. If the system detects that the borders are not just static patterns but specifically single-color no-picture areas (like black bars), it may allow correction to proceed but will exclude those specific regions from its statistical calculations to avoid skewing the image histogram.
This approach differs from prior solutions by moving away from a 'one-size-fits-all' correction model that treats every pixel as part of the primary content. Instead of allowing decorative wallpapers to distort the average luminance or color balance of the entire frame, the invention intelligently segments the signal. This not only improves the aesthetic experience by eliminating border flicker but also optimizes power consumption in battery-operated devices by avoiding unnecessary processing on static portions of the display.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the mid-2000s when ’645 was filed, mobile video playback was increasingly common at a time when hardware power constraints made continuous frame-by-frame signal processing non-trivial for battery-operated devices. During this era, video processing systems commonly relied on global image analysis for luminance and color correction, which often failed to distinguish between primary content and auxiliary signal components such as letterboxing or decorative sidebars. Engineering constraints in display controllers meant that static or repetitive patterns added to adapt aspect ratios were typically processed identically to the active video, leading to inconsistent visual output and unnecessary computational overhead.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention achieves a technical advancement by integrating a pattern detection mechanism that identifies non-content areas, such as wallpapers or no-picture regions, within a video signal to selectively bypass image correction processes. This architectural shift prevents the distortion of auxiliary visual elements and ensures that luminance and color calculations are derived strictly from the active content area. By disabling correction logic when specific patterns are detected, the system overcomes the constraint of excessive power consumption in mobile terminals while simultaneously improving the accuracy of image enhancement in environments with high ambient light.
Claims
The patent contains a total of 8 claims, with claims 1, 3, and 5 serving as the independent claims. These independent claims focus on a video processing apparatus designed to detect non-content pattern portions within a video signal and selectively control signal correction or characteristic adjustments based on the presence or type of those patterns. The dependent claims generally serve to further define the specific nature of the pattern portions, such as wallpaper or single-color areas, and specify the detection of signal attributes like luminance, hue, and saturation to refine the correction process.
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US7952645
- Application Number
- US11602956A
- Filing Date
- Nov 22, 2006
- Publication Date
- May 31, 2011
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents