EP1510997A1 - Method and user interface for detecting dead pixels in a display device. - Google Patents

Method and user interface for detecting dead pixels in a display device. Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1510997A1
EP1510997A1 EP03102642A EP03102642A EP1510997A1 EP 1510997 A1 EP1510997 A1 EP 1510997A1 EP 03102642 A EP03102642 A EP 03102642A EP 03102642 A EP03102642 A EP 03102642A EP 1510997 A1 EP1510997 A1 EP 1510997A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
image
display device
pixel
user interface
displaying
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
EP03102642A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Dirk Vermeylen
Paul c/o AGFA-GEVAERT Wouters
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Agfa HealthCare NV
Original Assignee
Agfa Gevaert NV
Agfa Gevaert AG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Agfa Gevaert NV, Agfa Gevaert AG filed Critical Agfa Gevaert NV
Priority to EP03102642A priority Critical patent/EP1510997A1/en
Publication of EP1510997A1 publication Critical patent/EP1510997A1/en
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09G—ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
    • G09G3/00—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes
    • G09G3/20—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09G—ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
    • G09G2330/00—Aspects of power supply; Aspects of display protection and defect management
    • G09G2330/10—Dealing with defective pixels
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09G—ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
    • G09G3/00—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes
    • G09G3/006—Electronic inspection or testing of displays and display drivers, e.g. of LED or LCD displays
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09G—ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
    • G09G5/00—Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to display devices.
  • the invention more particularly relates to a method and a user interface for detecting a dead pixel in a display device.
  • Display devices more particularly flat panels may have defects known as dead pixels (also called dead points or drop-out points).
  • a dead pixel occurs when a pixel (the smallest block that makes up an image on the screen) becomes locked in a certain state.
  • a pixel could stay black or white at all times. This defect is known among manufacturers of display devices. Depending on the amount of dead pixels relative to the total amount of displayable pixels that are accepted, flat panel display devices are classified in categories.
  • dead pixels are at least confuse the radiologist or in the worst case may erroneously be taken as an abnormality or may cover an existing abnormality and make it invisible. Consequentially flat panel displays are not very well accepted as a reliable display device in the field of mammographic diagnosis on screen.
  • whether a pixel in a displayed image is part of the image or constitutes an inherent error in the structure of a display device is detected by first displaying the image in a first position on the screen, followed by displaying the same image in a second position by shifting the image relative to its initial displayed position by at least one pixel in at least one direction.
  • the image is shifted by one or a small number of pixels to be able to detect whether a pixel constitutes a dead pixel.
  • the direction in which the image is shifted is preferably the vertical direction. This direction is preferred over a shift in the horizontal direction because a shift in the horizontal direction might result in loss of important information at or close to the thorax edge of the mammographic image, which is very important for diagnosis.
  • the image is returned to its original position after having been shifted.
  • the method according to the present invention is applicable to various kinds of display devices among which flat panel display devices such as liquid crystal displays.
  • the method of the present invention may be implemented in the form of a computer program product, which is for example stored on a computer readable carrier medium such as a CD-ROM.
  • Another aspect of the invention relates to a user interface in which the user has a means, for example a button on the display screen by means of which a shift of a displayed image can be activated.
  • a means for example a button on the display screen by means of which a shift of a displayed image can be activated.
  • activation of the button may cause a shift of the displayed image by at least one pixel in a given direction, e.g. the vertical direction.
  • the user interface provides that the image automatically returns to its start position, alternatively an additional user intervention is required to return the image back into its start position.
  • means are provided for switching between display of said image in said first and said second position.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Control Of Indicators Other Than Cathode Ray Tubes (AREA)
  • Controls And Circuits For Display Device (AREA)

Abstract

Whether a pixel in a displayed image is part of the image or constitutes an inherent error in the structure of a display device is detected by first displaying the image in a first position, and next shifting the image relative to its initial displayed position by at least one pixel in at least one direction.

Description

    FIELD OF THE INVENTION
  • The present invention relates to display devices. The invention more particularly relates to a method and a user interface for detecting a dead pixel in a display device.
    • BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • Display devices, more particularly flat panels may have defects known as dead pixels (also called dead points or drop-out points). A dead pixel occurs when a pixel (the smallest block that makes up an image on the screen) becomes locked in a certain state.
  • For example, a pixel could stay black or white at all times. This defect is known among manufacturers of display devices. Depending on the amount of dead pixels relative to the total amount of displayable pixels that are accepted, flat panel display devices are classified in categories.
  • For medical applications where a flat panel display is used for displaying a medical image and for performing a diagnosis on the displayed image, only a small number of dead pixels are acceptable since the occurrence of dead pixels may have an influence on the diagnosis.
       Especially in mammography where the size of the lesion, e.g. a microcalcification, to be detected on a displayed mammographic image is of the same order of magnitude as that of a dead pixel, dead pixels may at least confuse the radiologist or in the worst case may erroneously be taken as an abnormality or may cover an existing abnormality and make it invisible. Consequentially flat panel displays are not very well accepted as a reliable display device in the field of mammographic diagnosis on screen.
  • Therefore it would be desirable that the radiologist might be able to determine whether or not a pixel constitutes a dead pixel.
  • It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and a user interface for detecting whether a pixel in a displayed image is part of the image information itself or constitutes an inherent error in the display device such as a dead pixel.
    • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • The above-mentioned objects are realised by a method having the specific steps set out in claim 1.
  • In accordance with the present invention, whether a pixel in a displayed image is part of the image or constitutes an inherent error in the structure of a display device is detected by first displaying the image in a first position on the screen, followed by displaying the same image in a second position by shifting the image relative to its initial displayed position by at least one pixel in at least one direction.
  • In this way one can see whether the alleged dead pixel is indeed a dead pixel and does not move with the image or whether it is part of the image information and hence moves with the image to the second position.
  • It is sufficient that the image is shifted by one or a small number of pixels to be able to detect whether a pixel constitutes a dead pixel.
  • For mammographic application, the direction in which the image is shifted is preferably the vertical direction.
       This direction is preferred over a shift in the horizontal direction because a shift in the horizontal direction might result in loss of important information at or close to the thorax edge of the mammographic image, which is very important for diagnosis.
  • Preferably the image is returned to its original position after having been shifted.
  • The method according to the present invention is applicable to various kinds of display devices among which flat panel display devices such as liquid crystal displays.
  • The method of the present invention may be implemented in the form of a computer program product, which is for example stored on a computer readable carrier medium such as a CD-ROM.
  • Another aspect of the invention relates to a user interface in which the user has a means, for example a button on the display screen by means of which a shift of a displayed image can be activated. For example, activation of the button may cause a shift of the displayed image by at least one pixel in a given direction, e.g. the vertical direction.
       In one embodiment the user interface provides that the image automatically returns to its start position, alternatively an additional user intervention is required to return the image back into its start position.
       In another embodiment means are provided for switching between display of said image in said first and said second position.

Claims (11)

  1. A method of detecting whether a pixel in an image displayed on a display device constitutes a dead pixel characterised by
    displaying the image in a second position by shifting the image relative to its initial displayed position by at least one pixel in at least one direction.
  2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said direction is the vertical direction.
  3. A method according to claim 1 additionally comprising the step of displaying the image again in said initial displayed position.
  4. A method according to any of the preceding claims wherein said display device is a flat panel display device.
  5. A computer program product adapted to carry out the steps of any of claims 1 to 4 when run on a computer.
  6. A computer readable carrier medium comprising computer executable program code adapted to carry out the steps of any of claims 1 to 4.
  7. A user interface for a display device comprising means for displaying an image in a second position obtained by shifting the image relative to an initial displayed position by at least one pixel in at least one direction.
  8. A user interface according to claim 7 comprising means for switching between display of said image in said initial position and said second position.
  9. A user interface according to any of claims 6 to 8 wherein said direction is the vertical direction.
  10. A display device comprising a user interface according to any of claims 6 - 9.
  11. A flat panel display device according to claim 10.
EP03102642A 2003-08-25 2003-08-25 Method and user interface for detecting dead pixels in a display device. Ceased EP1510997A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP03102642A EP1510997A1 (en) 2003-08-25 2003-08-25 Method and user interface for detecting dead pixels in a display device.

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP03102642A EP1510997A1 (en) 2003-08-25 2003-08-25 Method and user interface for detecting dead pixels in a display device.

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1510997A1 true EP1510997A1 (en) 2005-03-02

Family

ID=34089725

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP03102642A Ceased EP1510997A1 (en) 2003-08-25 2003-08-25 Method and user interface for detecting dead pixels in a display device.

Country Status (1)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1510997A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN106790898A (en) * 2016-12-08 2017-05-31 华中科技大学 A kind of mobile phone screen bad point automatic testing method and system based on significance analysis

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5790096A (en) * 1996-09-03 1998-08-04 Allus Technology Corporation Automated flat panel display control system for accomodating broad range of video types and formats
US5828351A (en) * 1997-01-16 1998-10-27 Acer Peripherals, Inc. Method and apparatus of adjusting monitor display

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5790096A (en) * 1996-09-03 1998-08-04 Allus Technology Corporation Automated flat panel display control system for accomodating broad range of video types and formats
US5828351A (en) * 1997-01-16 1998-10-27 Acer Peripherals, Inc. Method and apparatus of adjusting monitor display

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN106790898A (en) * 2016-12-08 2017-05-31 华中科技大学 A kind of mobile phone screen bad point automatic testing method and system based on significance analysis
CN106790898B (en) * 2016-12-08 2019-06-18 华中科技大学 A method and system for automatic detection of mobile phone screen dead pixels based on saliency analysis

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