JP2017111308A - Control device and control method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control device that improve convenience of a user when conducting calibration processing of display characteristics with respect to a plurality of monitors.SOLUTION: A control device of the present invention comprises: calibration means that calibrates display characteristics of a plurality of display devices; selection means that, upon conducting calibration with respect to the plurality of display devices by the calibration means, selects one display device of the plurality of display devices as a reference display device; and determination means that determines whether or not a calibration result by the calibration means falls within a range of a prescribed determination reference. The determination means is configured to determine the calibration result of the reference display device on the basis of a range of a preset first determination reference, and determine the calibration result of at least one display device other than the reference display device of the plurality of display devices on the basis of a range of a second determination reference generated on the basis of the calibration result of the reference display device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device and a control method thereof.

  In the medical field, a diagnosis (image diagnosis) is performed using a medical image taken by a medical diagnostic apparatus such as an X-ray apparatus or an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) apparatus. Conventionally, this medical image has been output to an image recording film such as an X-ray film. However, this increases the cost of the image recording film. Further, when there are many medical images at the time of image diagnosis, the number of image recording films increases, and there has been a problem that the image diagnosis cannot be performed efficiently.

  Therefore, in recent years, in order to solve these problems, instead of outputting a medical image to an image recording film, the medical image data is output to a monitor such as a liquid crystal image display device and the medical image based on the medical image data is output. There are an increasing number of scenes in which image diagnosis is performed on a monitor.

  Further, in a medical site, there are cases where two monitors are used to display a current medical image on one monitor and a past medical image on the other monitor to compare the two images. In such a case, it is preferable that the display characteristics of the two monitors match.

  Further, when the display unit and the light source unit of the monitor are deteriorated, a deviation occurs from a desired gradation or luminance. For this reason, a technique is disclosed in which a colorimeter is used to measure a characteristic value related to the display characteristic of the display unit, and a display characteristic calibration process (calibration process) is performed so that the measured value matches the target value. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-212937 A

  However, even if the monitors are of the same model, the color gamuts between the monitors are not completely the same. Furthermore, the degree of deterioration of the display unit and the light emitting unit between the monitors is also different. Therefore, even if the target values given in advance are matched between the monitors, the calibration results do not always match. For this reason, in the above-described prior art, the calibration may end without matching the calibration results, and the user performs the diagnosis in a state where the degree of matching of the display characteristics between the monitors (similarity; similarity) is low. The user convenience is not sufficient.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a control device that can improve user convenience when performing calibration processing of display characteristics for a plurality of display devices.

  The control device according to the present invention includes a calibration unit that calibrates display characteristics of a plurality of display devices, and one of the plurality of display devices when the plurality of display devices are calibrated by the calibration unit. Selecting means for selecting as a reference display device, and determining means for determining whether a calibration result by the calibration means is within a predetermined determination reference range, wherein the determination means calibrates the reference display device A result is determined based on a preset first determination reference range, and a calibration result of at least one display device that is not the reference display device among the plurality of display devices is used as a calibration result of the reference display device. The determination is made based on the range of the second determination criterion generated based on the result.

  Further, the control method of the control device according to the present invention includes a calibration step for calibrating display characteristics of a plurality of display devices, and when performing calibration for the plurality of display devices in the calibration step, among the plurality of display devices. A selection step of selecting one display device as a reference display device; and a determination step of determining whether or not a calibration result in the calibration step is within a predetermined determination reference range. A calibration result of the reference display device is determined based on a preset first determination criterion range, and among the plurality of display devices, the calibration result of at least one display device that is not the reference display device is The determination is made based on the range of the second determination reference generated based on the calibration result of the reference display device.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, when performing the display characteristic calibration process with respect to a some display apparatus, a user's convenience improves.

It is a block diagram of the calibration system which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the calibration process and determination process which concern on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the monitor selection screen which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the target value setting screen which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the measurement process which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a graph for demonstrating the 2nd criterion based on Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the calibration process and determination process which concern on Example 2 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the monitor use selection screen which concerns on Example 2 of this invention. It is a graph for demonstrating the 2nd criterion based on Example 2 of this invention. It is a table | surface for demonstrating an example of the range matched for every monitor use which concerns on Example 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the calibration process and determination process which concern on Example 3 of this invention.

[Example 1]
Hereinafter, Example 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a calibration system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. A calibration system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the calibration system according to the present embodiment includes a control device 100 and a plurality of display devices (display device 200 and display device 300) connected to the control device 100.

  The control device 100 controls calibration processing for the display device 200 and the display device 300, which are a plurality of display devices connected to the control device 100, acquires a measurement value of the calibration result, and the calibration result is a desired result. It is an apparatus for determining whether or not. In the first embodiment, a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”) is used as an example of the control device 100. Note that the control device 100 is not limited to a PC. For example, the control device 100 may be a diagnostic device, an image generation device, or the like, or may be incorporated in the display device 200 and the display device 300.

  The display device 200 is a device for displaying an image based on the image data on the display unit 205, and is connected to the control device 100. In this embodiment, a liquid crystal monitor is used as an example of the display device 200.

  The display device 300 is a device for displaying an image based on the image data on the display unit 305 and is connected to the control device 100. In the first embodiment, a liquid crystal monitor is used as an example of the display device 300.

  Hereinafter, the control device 100 is called “PC 100”, the display device 200 is called “monitor 200”, and the display device 300 is called “monitor 300”.

<PC100>
Next, an example of the configuration of the PC 100 will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the PC 100 includes a CPU 101, an output unit 102, a communication unit 103, an operation input unit 104, and a storage unit 105.

  A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 controls the operation of the entire PC 100 according to a computer program stored in the storage unit 105. The output unit 102 generates image data based on an instruction from the CPU 101, and supplies the image data to the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 through a video interface or the like.

  The communication unit 103 controls communication via the communication interface. The communication unit 103 transmits data and control commands supplied from the CPU 101 to the monitor 200 and the monitor 300. Note that communication with the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 according to the first embodiment is performed using a communication command conforming to the protocol of the communication interface.

  The operation input unit 104 recognizes a user operation performed via an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, and supplies it to the CPU 101. The storage unit 105 includes a nonvolatile memory such as a hard disk. The storage unit 105 has a volatile memory that functions as a work area for the CPU 101. A control program 106 is stored in the nonvolatile memory of the storage unit 105. The CPU 101 can read each component of the control program 106 into a volatile memory and operate it.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control program 106 is a computer program that includes a display processing unit 107, a setting management unit 108, a calibration processing unit 109, a determination control unit 110, and a determination reference generation unit 111. Details of processing by each component of the control program 106 will be described later.

<Monitor 200>
Next, an example of the configuration of the monitor 200 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the monitor 200 includes a CPU 201, an input unit 202, a communication unit 203, a display processing unit 204, a display unit 205, a light source control unit 206, a light source unit 207, a color chart display unit 208, a measurement unit 209, and a storage. Part 210.

  The CPU 201 controls the overall operation of the monitor 200 according to a computer program stored in the storage unit 210. The input unit 202 supplies image data supplied from the PC 100 to the display processing unit 204 through a video interface or the like. The communication unit 203 communicates with the PC 100 via a communication interface. Data and control commands received by the communication unit 203 from the PC 100 are supplied to the CPU 201. Note that the communication with the PC 100 in the first embodiment is performed using a communication command or the like conforming to the protocol of the communication interface.

  The display processing unit 204 performs an operation for converting the format of the input image data so that an image based on the image data (input image data; input image signal) supplied from the input unit 202 can be displayed on the display unit 205. Device. The display processing unit 204 also reads out the color adjustment table from the storage unit 210 and performs a process of adjusting the color of the image data based on the color adjustment table. The converted image data is supplied to the display unit 205. The display processing unit 204 includes a color chart display unit 208.

  The display unit 205 includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel. The display unit 205 can display an image based on the image data supplied from the display processing unit 204. The light source control unit 206 is an arithmetic device that controls the light source unit 207 based on the light emission intensity information of the light source unit 207 supplied from the CPU 201. The light source unit 207 includes a light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) that emits light to irradiate the display panel.

  The color chart display unit 208 is an arithmetic device that performs processing for displaying on the display unit 205 a color chart for the measurement unit 209 to measure the luminance characteristics of the display unit 205. The measurement unit 209 is a sensor that is disposed to face the front surface of the display unit 205 and measures the luminance value of the display unit 205.

  The storage unit 210 has a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM. The storage unit 210 also has a volatile memory that functions as a work area for the CPU 201. The nonvolatile memory of the storage unit 210 stores a color adjustment table created by the calibration process and information on the light emission intensity for the light source control unit 206 to control the light source unit 207.

<Monitor 300>
The configuration of the monitor 300 is the same as the configuration of the monitor 200 described with reference to FIG.

<Calibration process and judgment process>
Next, with reference to FIG. 2, the calibration process and determination process performed by the calibration system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of calibration and determination processing performed in the calibration system according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the calibration processing and the determination processing may be simply referred to as processing.

  The calibration process and the determination process are processes in which the PC 100 controls the calibration process for the monitor selected as the process target and determines whether or not the calibration result of the calibration process is a desired result. The calibration process and the determination process are controlled by the CPU 101 executing the control program 106 stored in the storage unit 105 when the PC 100, the monitor 200, and the monitor 300 are powered on. The calibration process and the determination process are started when the user performs an operation for starting the process on the PC 100.

  In step S101, the CPU 101 controls the display processing unit 107 to generate image data including a screen for the user to select a monitor to be subjected to calibration processing and determination processing, and outputs the generated image data to the output unit. 102. Here, with reference to FIG. 3, an example of a screen for the user to select a monitor to be subjected to the calibration process and the determination process will be described.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the monitor selection screen 400 includes a monitor selection unit 401, a pair setting unit 402, and a screen transition operation unit 403. The monitor selection unit 401 is a control component that allows a user to input a selection operation by displaying a list of monitor candidates to be processed, and includes, for example, a check box. Note that the monitor candidates to be processed are acquired from the setting management unit 108 by the CPU 101 and supplied to the display processing unit 107.

  The pair setting unit 402 is a control component that allows the user to input a setting operation for the pair setting for the calibration processing target monitor selected by the monitor selection unit 401, and includes, for example, a check box. The pair setting is a setting indicating that the monitor to be calibrated is used as a pair. The paired monitors are required to have a matching degree of display characteristics.

  The screen transition operation unit 403 is a control component that allows the user to input an operation for completing the setting on the monitor selection screen 400 and proceeding to the next process, and includes, for example, a button.

  On the monitor selection screen 400, when two or more monitors are not selected by the monitor selection unit 401, the pair setting may be disabled by inactivating the pair setting unit 402 or the like. On the monitor selection screen 400, if no monitor is selected by the monitor selection unit 401, the screen transition operation unit 403 may be deactivated so that the next process cannot be performed.

  In step S <b> 101, when a user operation is input from the operation input unit 104 to the screen transition operation unit 403 after the user selects a monitor on the monitor selection screen 400, the user operation is notified to the display processing unit 107. Then, the display processing unit 107 instructs the CPU 101 to transition to the next process. When the CPU 101 is instructed to make a transition from the display processing unit 107 to the next processing, the CPU 101 stores each setting of the monitor selection screen 400 in the storage unit 105, and the flowchart proceeds from step S101 to step S102.

  In step S <b> 102, the CPU 101 determines whether a monitor to be calibrated is paired. This determination is made by the CPU 101 reading out the pair settings stored in the storage unit 105 in step S101. If the monitor to be calibrated is paired (YES in step S102), the process proceeds from step S102 to step S103. If the monitor to be calibrated is not paired (NO in step S102), the process proceeds from step S102 to step S109.

  When the monitor to be calibrated is paired (YES in step S102), it is necessary to set a common value as the calibration target value in order to match the display characteristics between the monitors. In the present embodiment, the processing from step S103 to step S108 will be described assuming that the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 are selected and set in step S101.

  In step S <b> 103, the CPU 101 generates image data including a screen for the user to set a calibration target value from the display processing unit 107 and supplies the image data to the output unit 102. Here, an example of a screen for the user to set the calibration target value will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the target value setting screen 500 includes a maximum luminance setting unit 501, a minimum luminance setting unit 502, a color temperature setting unit 503, a display function setting unit 504, a setting range display unit 505, and a screen transition operation unit 506. Have.

  The maximum luminance setting unit 501 is a control component that allows the user to input the maximum luminance as a calibration target value, and includes, for example, a text box. The minimum luminance setting unit 502 is a control component that allows the user to input the minimum luminance as a calibration target value, and is configured by, for example, a text box. The color temperature setting unit 503 is a control component that allows a user to input a color temperature as a calibration target value, and includes, for example, a text box.

  The display function setting unit 504 is a control component that allows the user to input a display function as a calibration target value, and includes, for example, a radio button. The setting range display unit 505 is a component that displays a range of values that can be input to the maximum luminance setting unit 501, the minimum luminance setting unit 502, and the color temperature setting unit 503, and includes, for example, static text. The range of each value is acquired by the CPU 101 from the setting management unit 108 and supplied to the display processing unit 107.

  The screen transition operation unit 506 is a control component that allows the user to input an operation for finishing the setting on the target value setting screen 500 and proceeding to the next process, and includes, for example, a button. In the target value setting screen 500, if any of the maximum luminance setting unit 501, the minimum luminance setting unit 502, the color temperature setting unit 503, and the display function setting unit 504 is not input, the screen transition operation unit 506 is disabled. It may not be possible to proceed to the next processing by activating the device.

  In step S103, the range of values that can be input to the maximum luminance setting unit 501, the minimum luminance setting unit 502, and the color temperature setting unit 503 managed by the setting management unit 108 is the individual difference of the monitor selected by the user in step S101. May be adjusted in consideration of the above. For example, a range of values may be stored for each monitor in advance, and an AND may be applied to the range of values for the monitor 200 and the monitor 300.

  In step S103, after a common target value is set for the monitor 200 and the monitor 300, when a user operation is input from the common operation input unit 104 to the screen transition operation unit 506, the user operation is notified to the display processing unit 107. Is done. Then, the CPU 101 is instructed to transition from the display processing unit 107 to the next process. When the CPU 101 is instructed to transition from the display processing unit 107 to the next processing, the CPU 101 stores each setting of the target value setting screen 500 as the target value of the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 in the storage unit 105. The process proceeds from step S103 to step S104.

  In step S104, the CPU 101 controls the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 to execute calibration processing by the calibration processing unit 109 based on the target value set by the user in step S103. The calibration process in step S104 is a so-called calibration process in which the color adjustment tables stored in the storage units 210 and 310 of the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 are updated based on the target values and the measurement values obtained by the measurement units 209 and 309. is there. Since the calibration process is known, a description thereof will be omitted. When the calibration processing for the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 by the calibration processing unit 109 is completed, the flowchart proceeds from step S104 to step S105.

  In step S <b> 105, the CPU 101 controls the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 to execute measurement processing by the determination control unit 110. The measurement process in step S105 is a process of measuring the luminance characteristics (display characteristics) of the monitor 200 and the monitor 300, and details will be described later. When the measurement processing for the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 by the determination control unit 110 is completed, the CPU 101 stores the luminance characteristics of the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 in the storage unit 105, and the process proceeds from step S105 to step S106 in this flowchart.

  In step S <b> 106, the CPU 101 selects one reference monitor (reference display device) that is a reference monitor from the calibration target monitors. The selection method here is arbitrary. For example, a monitor for which the processing in step S104 or step S105 has been completed may be selected, or the priority for each monitor is stored in the storage unit 105 in advance. Monitors may be selected according to the degree. The user may set a reference monitor. In the present embodiment, description will be made assuming that the CPU 101 has selected the monitor 200 as a reference. In step S <b> 106, the CPU 101 reads the first determination criterion range from the storage unit 105, and the determination control unit 110 determines whether the luminance characteristic of the monitor 200 is within the first determination criterion range. In the present embodiment, the reference value of the contrast response defined in the quality control guidelines for medical monitors is applied as the first determination criterion range.

Here, for reference, a case will be described in which a reference value defined by management grade 1 of JESRA X-0093 (hereinafter simply referred to as JESRA X-0093), which is a guideline for quality control of a medical image display monitor, is used. In the management grade 1 of JESRA X-0093, since the contrast response k _δ ≦ ± 15% is specified, the luminance characteristic of the monitor 200 is within this range (the range of the first criterion: target value ≦ ± 15% ) Or not. When the determination by the determination control unit 110 is completed, the flowchart proceeds from step S106 to step S107.

  In the present embodiment, the range of the first determination criterion is set as target value ≦ ± 15%, but is not limited thereto. The range of the first determination criterion may be target value ≦ ± 20% or target value ≦ ± 10%. In the present embodiment, the range of the first determination criterion is stored in the storage unit 105 in advance, but is not limited thereto. The user may set the range of the first determination criterion.

  In step S106, the luminance characteristic of the monitor 200 may not be within the range of the first determination criterion. In this case, although not shown, the processes from step S104 to step S106 may be repeatedly executed on the monitor 200 so that the luminance characteristics of the monitor 200 are within the range of the first determination criterion. Alternatively, when the luminance characteristic of the monitor 200 is not within the range of the first determination criterion in step S106, the monitor 200 is subjected to step S103 so that the luminance characteristic of the monitor 200 is within the first determination criterion. To S106 may be repeatedly executed. In this case, the process from step S103 to step S106 may be performed again for the monitor 300.

  Even if the process from step S103 to step S106 or the process from step S104 to step S106 is repeatedly performed on the monitor 200, the luminance characteristics of the monitor 200 are within the range of the first determination criterion. There may not be. In this case, for example, the user is notified that the luminance characteristic of the monitor 200 does not fall within the range of the first determination criterion and the quality of the monitor 200 is deteriorated, and this flowchart is performed from step S106 to step S107. You may finish without going on.

  In step S <b> 107, the CPU 101 performs control for executing processing for generating the second determination criterion range by the determination criterion generation unit 111 using the luminance characteristic of the monitor 200 measured in step S <b> 105. Details of the range of the second determination criterion will be described later. When the generation process of the second determination criterion by the determination criterion generation unit 111 is completed, the CPU 101 stores the range of the second determination criterion in the storage unit 105, and the flowchart proceeds from step S107 to step S108.

  In step S108, the CPU 101 uses the second determination criterion range generated in step S107 to determine the luminance characteristics of the monitor 300 (display device other than the reference display device) not selected as the reference monitor in step S106. Control to execute determination processing by the control unit 110 is performed. Specifically, the determination control unit 110 determines whether or not the luminance characteristic of the monitor 300 that is not selected as the reference monitor is within a range of a second determination criterion described later. When the determination process by the determination control unit 110 ends, this flowchart ends.

  If the monitor to be calibrated is not paired (NO in step S102), it is necessary to set a calibration target value for each monitor to be calibrated. In the present embodiment, the processing from step S109 to step S112 will be described assuming that the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 are selected in step S101 and the pair is not set.

  In step S <b> 109, the CPU 101 generates image data including a screen for the user to set a calibration target value for the monitor 200 from the display processing unit 107 and supplies the image data to the output unit 102. Since the screen here has the same configuration as the screen in step S103, description of the screen will be omitted, and description will be continued using the reference numerals shown in FIG.

  When a user operation is input from the operation input unit 104 to the screen transition operation unit 506, the user operation is notified to the display processing unit 107, and a transition from the display processing unit 107 to the next processing is instructed to the CPU 101. When the CPU 101 is instructed to transition from the display processing unit 107 to the next processing, the CPU 101 stores each setting on the target value setting screen 500 in the storage unit 105 as a target value of the monitor 200. Next, the CPU 101 generates image data including a screen for the user to set a calibration target value for the monitor 300 from the display processing unit 107 and supplies the image data to the output unit 102. Since the screen here has the same configuration as the screen in step S103, description of the screen will be omitted, and description will be continued using the reference numerals shown in FIG.

  When a user operation is input from the operation input unit 104 to the screen transition operation unit 506, the user operation is notified to the display processing unit 107, and a transition from the display processing unit 107 to the next processing is instructed to the CPU 101. When the CPU 101 is instructed to transition from the display processing unit 107 to the next processing, the CPU 101 stores each setting of the target value setting screen 500 as the target value of the monitor 300 in the storage unit 105, and this flowchart starts from step S109. Proceed to step S110.

  In step S110, the CPU 101 controls the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 to execute calibration processing by the calibration processing unit 109 based on the target value set by the user in step S109. The calibration process in step S110 is a calibration process for updating the color adjustment tables stored in the storage units 210 and 310 of the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 based on the target values and the measurement values obtained by the measurement units 209 and 309. When the calibration processing for the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 by the calibration processing unit 109 is completed, the flowchart proceeds from step S110 to step S111.

  In step S <b> 111, the CPU 101 controls the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 to execute measurement processing by the determination control unit 110. The measurement process in step S111 is a process for measuring the luminance characteristics of the monitor 200 and the monitor 300, and details will be described later. When the measurement processing on the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 by the determination control unit 110 is completed, the CPU 101 stores the luminance characteristics of the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 in the storage unit 105, and the process proceeds from step S111 to step S112 in this flowchart.

  In step S112, the CPU 101 reads the first determination criterion range from the storage unit 105, and the determination control unit 110 determines whether the luminance characteristics of the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 are within the first determination criterion range. . Here, in the first embodiment, the reference value of the contrast response defined in the quality management guideline of the medical monitor is applied as the first determination criterion range.

Here, for reference, a case where a reference value defined by management grade 1 of JESRA X-0093 is used will be described. In the management grade 1 of JESRA X-0093, since the contrast response k _δ ≦ ± 15% is specified, it is determined whether or not the luminance characteristics of the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 are within this range. When the determination by the determination control unit 110 ends, this flowchart ends.

<Measurement process>
Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the measurement process performed by the calibration system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of measurement processing performed in the calibration system according to the present embodiment. The measurement process is a process in which the PC 100 causes the measurement unit 209 to measure the luminance characteristics of the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 in order to determine whether the result of the calibration process is a desired result, and obtains the measurement result. is there. The measurement process is a process performed in step S105 and step S111 in FIG.

  As the contents of the process for measuring the luminance characteristics, the display of the color chart on the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 and the measurement of the luminance value are repeated for the total number of color charts. Since the contents of the measurement process performed between the PC 100 and the monitor 200 and between the PC 100 and the monitor 300 are the same, only the measurement process performed between the PC 100 and the monitor 200 will be described here. And

  The measurement process is controlled by the CPU 101 executing the determination control unit 110 in the control program 106 stored in the storage unit 105. The measurement process is started when the CPU 101 notifies the determination control unit 110 of a monitor to be calibrated and the CPU 101 instructs the determination control unit 110 to start the measurement process. Hereinafter, for simplification of description, description of instructions from the CPU 101 to the determination control unit 110 is omitted, and the control subject is described as the determination control unit 110.

  In step S201, the determination control unit 110 sets 0 to the internal variable n stored in the storage unit 105, and the process proceeds from step S201 to step S202 in this flowchart.

  In step S <b> 202, the determination control unit 110 determines whether the measurement unit 209 has finished measuring all the color charts. This determination is made by determining whether or not the internal variable n is smaller than the total number of color charts stored in the storage unit 105. In the first embodiment, the number of contrast response measurement points defined in the quality control guidelines for medical monitors is applied as the total number of color charts.

  Here, for reference, a case where the number of contrast response measurement points defined by JESRA X-0093 is used will be described. In JESRA X-0093, the number of measurement points for contrast response is defined as 18. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is determined whether or not the internal variable n is smaller than 18. If the internal variable n is smaller than the total number of color charts (YES in step S202), the flowchart proceeds from step S202 to step S203. When the internal variable n is equal to or greater than the total number of color charts (NO in step S202), the flowchart proceeds from step S202 to step S206.

  When the internal variable n is smaller than the total number of color charts (in the case of YES in step S202), since the measurement for all the color charts has not been completed, the color chart for which measurement has not been completed (hereinafter, “color chart [n]”) Display and measurement must be instructed to the monitor 200. In the present embodiment, as the color chart [n], a color chart corresponding to a test pattern used for measuring a contrast response, which is defined in a quality control guideline for a medical monitor, is applied. For example, in the case of using a color chart corresponding to a test pattern used for measuring a contrast response specified by JESRA X-0093, a color chart equivalent to TG18-LN [n] is applied as the color chart [n]. Become.

  Therefore, in step S203, the determination control unit 110 generates a communication command for instructing the monitor 200 to display the color chart [n] (hereinafter referred to as “communication command [n]”), and the communication unit 103. To supply. When the communication command [n] is supplied to the communication unit 103, the communication unit 103 transmits the communication command [n] to the communication unit 203 via the communication interface.

  When the communication unit 203 receives the communication command [n], the communication unit 203 supplies the communication command [n] to the CPU 201. When the communication command [n] is supplied to the CPU 201, the CPU 201 instructs the color chart display unit 208 to display the color chart [n] on the display unit 205. When the display of the color chart [n] is instructed, the color chart display unit 208 displays the color chart [n] on the display unit 205, and this flowchart proceeds from step S203 to step S204.

  In the present embodiment, the position (coordinates) and size of the color chart displayed on the display unit 205 are not particularly defined. The color chart displayed on the display unit 205 may be displayed at least at a size at which the measurement unit 209 can measure luminance and at a position where the measurement unit 209 can measure luminance.

  In step S <b> 204, the determination control unit 110 generates a communication command for instructing the monitor 200 to measure the color chart (hereinafter referred to as “measurement command”) and supplies the communication command to the communication unit 103. When the measurement command is supplied to the communication unit 103, the communication unit 103 transmits the measurement command to the communication unit 203 via the communication interface.

  When the communication unit 203 receives the measurement command, the communication unit 203 supplies the measurement command to the CPU 201. When the measurement command is supplied to the CPU 201, the CPU 201 instructs the measurement unit 209 to measure the luminance value of the display unit 205. When the measurement is instructed, the measurement unit 209 measures the luminance value of the display unit 205 and supplies the measured luminance value to the CPU 201. Note that details of the process of measuring the luminance value of the display unit 205 by the measurement unit 209 are well known, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  When the luminance value is supplied to the CPU 201, the CPU 201 generates a communication command for notifying the PC 100 of the luminance value (hereinafter referred to as “measurement command response”) and supplies the communication command to the communication unit 203. When the measurement command response is supplied to the communication unit 203, the communication unit 203 transmits the measurement command response to the communication unit 103 via the communication interface.

  When the communication unit 103 receives the measurement command response, the communication unit 103 supplies the measurement command response to the determination control unit 110. When the measurement command response is supplied to the determination control unit 110, the determination control unit 110 analyzes the luminance value from the measurement command response, stores the luminance value in the storage unit 105, and this flowchart is changed from step S204 to step S205. move on.

  In step S205, the determination control unit 110 increments the internal variable n stored in the storage unit 105, and the process proceeds from step S205 to step S202 in this flowchart.

  If the internal variable n is equal to or greater than the total number of color charts (NO in step S202), since the measurement for all the color charts has been completed, the monitor 200 is instructed to delete the color charts displayed on the monitor 200. There is a need. Therefore, in step S <b> 206, the determination control unit 110 generates a communication command for instructing the monitor 200 to delete the color chart (hereinafter referred to as “erase command”) and supplies the communication command to the communication unit 103.

  When the erasure command is supplied to the communication unit 103, the communication unit 103 transmits the erasure command to the communication unit 203 via the communication interface. When the communication unit 203 receives the delete command, the communication unit 203 supplies the delete command to the CPU 201. When the erase command is supplied to the CPU 201, the CPU 201 instructs the color chart display unit 208 to erase the color chart displayed on the display unit 205. When instructed to delete the color chart, the color chart display unit 208 deletes the color chart displayed on the display unit 205 and ends the present flowchart.

  In this embodiment, the example in which the color chart is deleted in step S206 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the color chart may be deleted after the measurement in step S204 is completed.

<Range of second criterion>
Next, with reference to FIG. 6, an example of calibration performed by the calibration system according to the present embodiment and the range of the second determination criterion generated in step S107 of the determination process will be described. FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of the first determination criterion range and the second determination criterion range. The horizontal axis of the graph represents a digital driving level (DDL: Digital Driving Level), and the vertical axis represents a luminance value.

  A solid line 601 in FIG. 6A indicates a curve in which the calibration target values are plotted, and a dotted line range 602 indicates a first determination reference range. As shown in FIG. 6A, the range of the first determination criterion is an evaluation value generated based on the calibration target value.

  A solid line 603 in FIG. 6B indicates the luminance characteristic of the monitor 200, which is obtained by plotting the luminance values obtained by the measurement processing described with reference to FIG. A dotted line range 604 in FIG. 6B indicates a range of the second determination criterion. As shown in FIG. 6B, the range of the second determination criterion is a range based on an evaluation value generated based on the luminance characteristic of the calibrated monitor 200 that falls within the range of the first determination criterion. . In other words, the range of the second determination criterion, which is the range of the determination criterion of the calibration result of the monitor 300, is set based on the calibration result of the monitor 200.

  Note that it is desirable to use a range that is narrower than the range of the first determination criterion as the range of the second determination criterion. That is, it is desirable to set the second criterion range so that the dotted line range 604 is narrower than the dotted line range 602.

  Here, for reference, the case where a reference value defined in the management grade 1 of JESRA X-0093 is used as the first determination reference range will be described. The first determination reference range is the calibration target value ≦ ± 15%. Therefore, as the range of the second determination criterion, for example, the luminance characteristic of the monitor 200 (luminance characteristic of the reference display device) ≦ ± 3% is applied in this embodiment. The range of the second determination criterion is not limited to the luminance characteristic of the reference monitor ≦ ± 3%. For example, the range of the second determination criterion may be the luminance characteristic of the reference monitor ≦ ± 4% or the luminance characteristic of the reference monitor ≦ ± 2%.

  In the present embodiment, the α value of “brightness characteristic of reference monitor ≦ ± α%” that is the range of the second determination criterion is stored in the storage unit 105 in advance, but is not limited thereto. The user may set the value of α.

  When the luminance characteristics of the monitor 300 that is not selected as the reference monitor are within the range of the second determination criterion set as described above, the degree of coincidence (similarity between the display characteristics of the monitor 200 and the display characteristics of the monitor 300) It can be said that the degree of similarity; In other words, when the luminance characteristics of the monitor 300 not selected as the reference monitor are within the range of the second determination criterion, the similarity between the display characteristic of the monitor 200 and the display characteristic of the monitor 300 is the desired similarity. I can say. That is, it can be said that the display characteristics of the monitor 200 and the display characteristics of the monitor 300 are close display characteristics (the display characteristics are close between the monitors).

  As described above, in the calibration system according to the present embodiment, the calibration result of at least one monitor that is not the reference monitor is based on the range of the second determination criterion generated based on the calibration result of the reference monitor. Judgment was made. More specifically, in the calibration system according to the present embodiment, when determining the calibration result for the monitor used as a pair, it is selected as the reference monitor based on the luminance characteristic obtained by measuring the reference monitor after calibration. A calibration reference range (second determination criterion range) for the other monitor that has not been generated is generated, and whether the calibration result of the other monitor is a desired result (within the second determination criterion range). Or not). By doing so, based on this determination result, whether the display characteristic similarity between monitors is a desired similarity (whether the display characteristic similarity between monitors is high; whether the display characteristics between monitors are close to each other) Whether or not) can be determined. As a result, the convenience of the user when performing display characteristic calibration processing for a plurality of display devices is improved.

  In this embodiment, the example in which the maximum brightness, the minimum brightness, the color temperature, and the display function are set as the calibration target values has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, another index such as chromaticity may be set as the target value.

  Further, in this embodiment, as a result of determining the calibration result, the operation in the case where the calibration result is within the range of the determination criterion is not particularly defined, but the calibration result of the monitor to be configured is You may make it notify that it is settled in the range of a judgment standard. Specifically, a notification image for notifying the user that the display characteristics between monitors satisfy a desired similarity may be displayed on at least one monitor. Further, the notification is not limited to notification by image. Using a lamp provided in the monitor, it may be notified by light or by voice.

  In the present embodiment, the operation when the calibration result is not within the range of the determination standard as a result of determining the calibration result is not particularly defined. For example, the color adjustment table is in a state before the calibration process is performed. You may make it roll back. Further, for example, the user may be notified that the calibration result of the configuration target monitor has not fallen within the range of the criterion. Specifically, a notification image for notifying the user that the display characteristics between monitors do not satisfy a desired similarity may be displayed on at least one monitor. Further, the notification is not limited to notification by image. Using a lamp provided in the monitor, it may be notified by light or by voice. Such notification allows the user to recognize that the display characteristics between monitors do not satisfy the desired similarity, and again calibrate a monitor that is not a reference monitor based on a user instruction. be able to. As a result, the similarity between the monitors can be made closer, and the convenience of the user when the display characteristic calibration process is performed for a plurality of display devices is further improved.

  Moreover, the structure which performs both the notification of satisfying desired similarity and the notification of not satisfying desired similarity may be sufficient. Moreover, the structure which a user can set at least any one of the notification of satisfying desired similarity and the notification of not satisfying desired similarity may be sufficient. For example, the first notification mode that performs notification only when the desired similarity is satisfied, the second notification mode that performs notification only when the desired similarity is not satisfied, and the case where the desired similarity is satisfied The configuration may be such that the user can set any one of the third notification modes in which notification is performed in both cases where there is no notification.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the processing after step S106 is performed regardless of the determination result of step S106 in the calibration and determination processing is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the calibration result does not fall within the range of the first determination criterion in step S106, the processing subsequent to step S106 may not be performed. In the present embodiment, an example in which the monitor other than the reference monitor determines the calibration result only within the range of the second determination reference has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a calibration result of a monitor other than the reference monitor may be determined using both the first determination criterion and the second determination criterion.

  In the present embodiment, the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 include the color chart display unit 208 and the color chart display unit 308, and the PC 100 instructs the display of the color chart via the communication unit 103 in step S203 of the measurement process. Although an example has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the PC 100 may supply color charts to the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 via the output unit 102.

  In this embodiment, the monitor 200 and the monitor 300 include the measurement unit 209 and the measurement unit 309, and the PC 100 instructs the measurement via the communication unit 103 in step S204 of the measurement process. Not limited to. For example, the PC 100 may include a measurement unit, and the luminance values of the monitor 200, the display unit 205 of the monitor 300, and the display unit 305 may be measured.

  In this embodiment, the example in which the luminance value is measured in step S204 of the measurement process has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, instead of the luminance value, the color may be measured, and the calibration result may be determined based on the range of the determination criterion regarding the color.

[Example 2]
In the second embodiment, in order to generate an evaluation value that takes into account the purpose of the monitor that the user intends (monitor use mode), an example of further weighting the range of the second determination criterion described in the first embodiment. explain. Since the calibration system in the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, description will be made using the reference numerals shown in FIG. 1 and description of the configuration of the calibration system in the second embodiment will be omitted.

<Calibration and judgment processing>
With reference to FIG. 7, the calibration and determination processing performed in the calibration system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of calibration and determination processing performed in the calibration system according to the present embodiment. In the calibration and determination processing in the present embodiment, the same processing as in the first embodiment is denoted by the reference numerals shown in FIG.

  The calibration and determination process is a process in which the PC 100 controls the calibration process for the monitor selected by the user as the target of the calibration and determination process, and determines whether the calibration result is a desired result. The calibration and determination processing is controlled by the CPU 101 executing the control program 106 stored in the storage unit 105 when the PC 100, the monitor 200, and the monitor 300 are powered on. The calibration and determination process starts when the user performs a process start operation on the PC 100.

  In step S <b> 301, the CPU 101 generates image data including a screen for the user to select a monitor application (monitor use mode) to be processed from the display processing unit 107 and supplies the image data to the output unit 102. Here, an example of the screen will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a monitor application selection screen (use mode selection screen) of the monitor according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the monitor usage selection screen 700 includes a first usage selection unit 701, a second usage selection unit 702, a third usage selection unit 703, and a screen transition operation unit 704.

  The first application selection unit 701 is a control component for the user to select to use the monitor for an application that prioritizes the appearance of high gradation. As an application for giving priority to the appearance of high gradation, for example, an application for comparing particularly white portions of images displayed on two monitors by the user can be considered. In this case, the accuracy of calibration for high gradation is required.

  The second application selection unit 702 is a control component for the user to select to use the monitor for an application that prioritizes the appearance of intermediate gradation. As an application for giving priority to the appearance of the intermediate gradation, for example, an application for comparing the gray portions of the images displayed on the two monitors by the user can be considered. In this case, the accuracy of calibration with respect to the intermediate gradation is required.

  The third application selection unit 703 is a control component for selecting that the user uses the monitor for an application that prioritizes the appearance of low gradation. As an application for giving priority to the appearance of low gradation, for example, an application for comparing the black portions of the images displayed on the two monitors by the user can be considered. In this case, the accuracy of calibration for low gradation is required.

  Note that the selection operations to the first application selection unit 701, the second application selection unit 702, and the third application selection unit 703 have an exclusive relationship, and are configured with radio buttons, for example. Note that the selection operations for the first application selection unit 701, the second application selection unit 702, and the third application selection unit 703 do not have to be exclusive, and can be selected in any combination. May be.

  The screen transition operation unit 704 is a control component that allows the user to input an operation for ending the setting on the monitor usage selection screen 700 and proceeding to the next process, and includes, for example, a button.

  When a user operation on the screen transition operation unit 704 is input from the operation input unit 104, the user operation is notified to the display processing unit 107, and the display processing unit 107 instructs the CPU 101 to transition to the next process. Is made. When the CPU 101 is instructed to transition from the display processing unit 107 to the next process, the CPU 101 stores the setting of the monitor application selection screen 700 in the storage unit 105 as a monitor application, and this flowchart is changed from step S301 to step S104. move on.

  In step S302, the CPU 101 uses the monitor application stored in the storage unit 105 in step S301 and the luminance characteristic of the monitor 200 measured in step S105, so that the determination reference generation unit 111 generates a second determination reference range. Control to do. Details of the range of the second determination criterion will be described later. When the generation of the second determination reference range by the determination reference generation unit 111 is completed, the CPU 101 stores the second determination reference range in the storage unit 105, and the process proceeds from step S302 to step S108 in this flowchart.

<Range of second criterion>
Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, an example of the range of the second determination criterion generated in step S302 of the calibration and determination process performed by the calibration system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a graph showing an example of the range of the second determination criterion generated for each monitor application. The horizontal axis of the graph represents a digital driving level (DDL: Digital Driving Level), and the vertical axis represents a luminance value. In addition, in the range of the 2nd determination criterion in a present Example, the code | symbol shown in FIG.6 (b) is attached | subjected about the same information as Example 1, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 9A shows a second determination criterion range that is generated when the user selects the first application selection unit 701 in step S301 of the calibration and determination processing. A range 801 from D1 to D2 indicates a high gradation range, for example, D1 = 170 and D2 = 255. A dotted line range 804 indicates a range of the second determination criterion in the range 801. As shown in FIG. 9A, a range narrower than the dotted line range 604 is applied to the dotted line range 804. For example, when the luminance characteristic of the reference monitor ≦ ± 3% is used as the dotted line range 604, the luminance characteristic of the reference monitor ≦ ± 2% is applied as the dotted line range 804.

  FIG. 9B shows a second determination criterion range that is generated when the user selects the second usage selection unit 702 in step S301 of the calibration and determination processing. A range 802 from D3 to D4 indicates a range of an intermediate gradation, for example, D3 = 85 and D4 = 170. A dotted line range 805 indicates a range of the second determination criterion in the range 802. As shown in FIG. 9B, a range narrower than the dotted line range 604 is applied to the dotted line range 805. For example, when the luminance characteristic of the reference monitor ≦ ± 3% is used as the dotted line range 604, the luminance characteristic of the reference monitor ≦ ± 2% is applied as the dotted line range 805.

  FIG. 9C illustrates a second determination criterion range that is generated when the user selects the third usage selection unit 703 in step S301 of the calibration and determination processing. A range 803 from D5 to D6 indicates a low gradation range, for example, D5 = 0 and D6 = 85. A dotted line range 806 indicates a range of the second determination criterion in the range 803. As shown in FIG. 9C, a range narrower than the dotted line range 604 is applied to the dotted line range 806. For example, when the luminance characteristic of the reference monitor ≦ ± 3% is used as the dotted line range 604, the luminance characteristic of the reference monitor ≦ ± 2% is applied as the dotted line range 806.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the range of digital drive levels associated with each monitor application selected by the user in step S301 of the calibration and determination process. Such correspondence information is stored in the storage unit 105 in advance, and is read by the determination reference generation unit 111 in step S302 of the calibration and determination processing, thereby generating a second determination reference range as shown in FIG. can do.

  As described above, in the calibration system according to the present embodiment, an evaluation value that takes into account the use of the monitor intended by the user is generated as the range of the second determination criterion. As a result, it is possible to determine the similarity of display characteristics between monitors according to a stricter criterion according to the usage of the monitor (according to the use mode of the monitor). As a result, the convenience of the user when performing display characteristic calibration processing for a plurality of display devices is further improved.

  In this embodiment, the example in which the first application selection unit 701, the second application selection unit 702, and the third application selection unit 703 are selected on the monitor application selection screen 700 has been described. For example, FIG. The user may be able to freely set the values of D1 to D6.

  Further, in this embodiment, an example of switching the method of generating the second determination criterion range for each monitor application has been described. Similarly, the first determination criterion range may be changed for each monitor application. Also good.

  In this embodiment, the range of the second determination criterion corresponding to the gradation selected as the monitor application is narrowed, and the range of the second determination criterion corresponding to the gradation not selected as the monitor application is not changed. Although an example has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the range of the second determination criterion corresponding to the gradation not selected as the monitor application may be narrowed or controlled to be widened. In this embodiment, it is sufficient to control so that at least the range of the second determination criterion corresponding to the gradation selected as the monitor application is narrowed.

[Example 3]
In the third embodiment, an example of the operation in the case where the calibration result is not within the range of the second determination criterion as a result of determining the calibration result in the calibration and determination process described in the first embodiment will be described. Since the calibration system in the present embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, it will be described using the reference numerals shown in FIG.

<Calibration and judgment processing>
With reference to FIG. 11, the calibration and determination processing performed in the calibration system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining an example of calibration and determination processing performed in the calibration system according to the present embodiment. In the calibration and determination processing in the present embodiment, the same processing as in the first embodiment is denoted by the reference numerals shown in FIG.

  The calibration and determination process is a process in which the PC 100 controls the calibration process and determines the calibration result for the monitor selected by the user as the target of the calibration and determination process. The calibration and determination processing is controlled by the CPU 101 executing the control program 106 stored in the storage unit 105 when the PC 100, the monitor 200, and the monitor 300 are powered on. The calibration and determination process starts when the user performs a process start operation on the PC 100.

  In step S401, the CPU 101 sets 0 for the internal variable m stored in the storage unit 105, and the process proceeds from step S401 to step S108 in this flowchart. In step S402, the CPU 101 analyzes the determination result by the determination control unit 110 in step S108. When the luminance characteristic of the monitor 300 is within the range of the second determination criterion (YES in step S402), this flowchart is ended. On the other hand, if the luminance characteristic of the monitor 300 is not within the second determination criterion (NO in step S402), the flowchart proceeds from step S402 to step S403.

  If the luminance characteristic of the monitor 300 is not within the second determination criterion range (NO in step S402), the calibration process is performed once again so that the luminance characteristic of the monitor 300 is within the second determination criterion range. Or repeat. By doing so, the display characteristics of the monitor 300 can be made closer to the display characteristics of the monitor 200. It should be noted that the calibration process of the monitor 300 may not be within the range of the second determination criterion by re-execution once. Further, there may be a case where the calibration result does not fall within the range of the second criterion even if the calibration process is repeatedly executed. Therefore, it is preferable to set in advance a limit number of times (for example, 10 times) for performing the calibration process. In this embodiment, even if the calibration process is executed a predetermined number of times, if the calibration result does not fall within the range of the second criterion, it is treated as an error. In this embodiment, the predetermined number of times is a value stored in advance in the storage unit 105, but is not limited thereto. The predetermined number of times may be set by the user. Further, the predetermined number of times may be less than 10 times such as 3 or 5 times, or may be more than 10 times such as 30 times, 50 times, or 100 times.

  In step S403, the CPU 101 determines whether the calibration process has been executed a predetermined number of times. The determination in step S403 is performed by determining whether or not the internal variable m is smaller than a predetermined number of times stored in the storage unit 105. If the internal variable m is smaller than the predetermined number of times (YES in step S403), the process proceeds from step S403 to step S404. When the internal variable m is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times (NO in step S403), the process proceeds from step S403 to step S406.

  If the internal variable m is smaller than the predetermined number of times (YES in step S403), the process proceeds to step S404 in order to execute the calibration process for the monitor 300 again. In step S404, the CPU 101 controls the monitor 300 so that the calibration processing unit 109 executes calibration processing based on the target value set by the user in step S103.

  The calibration process in step S404 is a so-called calibration process in which the color adjustment table stored in the storage unit 310 of the monitor 300 is updated based on the target value and the measurement value by the measurement unit 309. Since the calibration process is known, a description thereof will be omitted.

  When the calibration processing for the monitor 300 by the calibration processing unit 109 is completed, the flowchart proceeds from step S404 to step S405. In step S405, the CPU 101 increments the internal variable m stored in the storage unit 105, and the process proceeds from step S405 to step S108 in this flowchart.

  When the internal variable m exceeds the predetermined number of times (NO in step S403), in step S406, the CPU 101 performs a predetermined process (hereinafter referred to as error process) and ends this flowchart. Note that the error processing in step S406 includes, for example, a message screen indicating that the similarity of the display characteristics between the paired monitors cannot reach the desired similarity as a result of the calibration processing. Is generated and displayed on the monitor.

  Instead of displaying a message screen on the monitor and notifying that the desired degree of similarity could not be reached, for example, a lamp provided in the monitor may be used to notify by light, You may notify by voice. The error processing in S406 is not limited to this. For example, the error processing may be executed again from the setting of the target value (A in FIG. 11), or may be executed again from the calibration processing of the reference monitor. Good (B in FIG. 11).

  As described above, in the calibration system according to the present embodiment, the calibration process is performed again up to a predetermined number of times until the calibration result falls within the range of the second determination criterion. Thus, the calibration and determination processing is executed up to a predetermined number of times until the similarity of the display characteristics between the monitors reaches a desired similarity. As a result, the user can use a plurality of monitors in a state where the similarity of the display characteristics between the monitors is higher (the display characteristics between the monitors are closer), and the convenience for the user is further improved.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the calibration and determination processing is executed up to a predetermined number of times until the similarity of the display characteristics between the monitors reaches a desired similarity has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the calibration and determination process may be continued until the user gives an instruction to end the calibration and determination process.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the monitor 300 executes error processing when the calibration result does not fall within the range of the second determination criterion even if the calibration processing is executed a predetermined number of times. Not limited to. For example, when the monitor 300 executes the calibration process a predetermined number of times and the calibration result does not fall within the range of the second determination criterion (in the case of NO in step S403), the monitor 300 exceeds the range of the second determination criterion. A third criterion range that is wide and narrower than the first criterion range (for example, first criterion range: target value ≦ ± 15%, second criterion range: luminance characteristics of the reference monitor) In the case of ≦ ± 3%, the third determination criterion range: luminance characteristics of the reference monitor ≦ ± 4%) is set, and the monitor 300 is set so that the calibration result of the monitor 300 falls within the third determination criterion range. The calibration process may be executed a predetermined number of times.

  By setting the third determination criterion range in this way and re-executing the calibration process, the display between monitors is more effective than the case where the calibration process is performed so that the calibration result falls within the first determination criterion range. It becomes possible to bring the similarity of characteristics close to a desired similarity. In the present embodiment, the value of β of “brightness characteristic of reference monitor ≦ ± β%”, which is the third criterion range, is stored in the storage unit 105 in advance, but is not limited thereto. Absent. The user may set the value of β.

  Further, if the calibration result does not fall within the range of the third determination criterion even after the calibration processing of the monitor 300 is executed a predetermined number of times, the first determination criterion is wider than the third determination criterion. The fourth determination criterion range (for example, the luminance characteristic of the reference monitor ≦ ± 5%) that is narrower than the above-described range is set so that the calibration result of the monitor 300 falls within the fourth determination criterion range. The calibration process may be executed a predetermined number of times. In this embodiment, the value of γ of “the luminance characteristic of the reference monitor ≦ ± γ%”, which is the range of the fourth determination criterion, is stored in the storage unit 105 in advance, but is not limited thereto. Absent. The user may set the value of γ.

  Further, if the calibration result does not fall within the range of the fourth determination criterion even after the monitor 300 is calibrated a predetermined number of times, the first determination criterion is wider than the range of the fourth determination criterion. A fifth determination criterion range (for example, luminance characteristics of the reference monitor ≦ ± 6%) that is narrower than the above-described range is set, and the monitor 300 is set so that the calibration result of the monitor 300 falls within the fifth determination criterion range. The calibration process may be executed a predetermined number of times. As described above, if the calibration result does not fall within the desired criterion range even after the monitor 300 is calibrated a predetermined number of times, the criterion range may be expanded stepwise. Even in such a case, it is possible to bring the display characteristic similarity between monitors closer to a desired similarity than when the calibration process is executed so that the calibration result is within the range of the first determination criterion. As a result, the convenience of the user when performing display characteristic calibration processing for a plurality of display devices is improved.

  In the present embodiment, the value of δ of “the luminance characteristic of the reference monitor ≦ ± δ%”, which is the fifth criterion range, is stored in advance in the storage unit 105, but is not limited thereto. Absent. The user may set the value of δ.

  In this embodiment, the example in which the “number of times” for performing the calibration process is set in advance has been described. Instead of presetting the limit of “number of times” for performing the calibration process, a limit of “time” for performing the calibration process may be preset. For example, error processing may be performed when the display characteristics between the monitors do not reach a desired similarity even if the monitor 300 is calibrated for one hour. Note that the time limit for performing the calibration process is not limited to one hour. The time may be shorter than 1 hour, such as 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or may be longer than 1 hour, such as 2 hours, 3 hours, or 6 hours.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring drawings, this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. For example, in the present invention, the example in which the similarity of the display characteristics after calibration between two monitors can be determined has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The configuration may be such that the similarity of display characteristics after calibration is determined among a plurality of monitors of three or more. In this case, the determination result of all the monitors other than the reference monitor may be determined using the range of the determination reference generated based on the luminance characteristic of one reference monitor, but the present invention is not limited to this. Using the criterion range generated based on the luminance characteristics of one reference monitor, determine the calibration result of one of the monitors other than the reference monitor, and generate based on the luminance characteristics of the monitor The calibration result of other monitors may be judged using the range of the judgment criterion.

  In the present invention, an example in which the display device is a liquid crystal display device having a liquid crystal panel has been described, but the display device is not limited to a liquid crystal display device. For example, instead of the liquid crystal panel, a display panel having a display element other than the liquid crystal element may be used as a display element that transmits light from the light source unit. The display device may be a self-luminous organic EL (Electroluminescence) display device.

  In the present invention, an example in which the display device is a monitor has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a device such as a television receiver may be used as a display device as long as the device has a function of displaying an image based on image data.

  In the present invention, the configuration for determining the similarity of the luminance characteristic as the display characteristic has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the configuration may be such that the similarity of the color characteristics is determined as the display characteristics.

  As described above, the present invention is implemented by a computer (or a device such as a CPU or MPU) of a system or apparatus that implements the functions of the above-described embodiments by reading and executing a program recorded in the storage unit of the control apparatus. can do. For example, the present invention can be implemented by a method including steps executed by a computer of a system or apparatus that implements the functions of the above-described embodiments by reading and executing a program recorded in the storage unit. . For this purpose, the program is stored in the computer from, for example, various types of recording media that can serve as the storage unit (that is, computer-readable recording media that holds data temporarily). Provided to. Therefore, the computer (including devices such as CPU and MPU), the method, the program (including program code and program product), and the computer-readable recording medium that holds the program non-temporarily are all present. It is included in the category of the invention.

100 control device 101 CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 Output part 103 Communication part 104 Operation input part 105 Storage part 106 Control program 107 Display processing part 108 Setting management part 109 Calibration processing part 110 Judgment control part 111 Judgment reference generation part

Claims (21)

A control device connected to a plurality of display devices,
Selecting means for selecting one of the plurality of display devices as a reference display device;
Calibration means for sequentially performing processing for calibrating display characteristics of the plurality of display devices from the reference display device;
Determination means for determining whether the calibration result by the calibration means is within a range of a predetermined determination criterion;
With
The determination unit determines a calibration result of the reference display device based on a preset first determination reference range, and at least one display device that is not the reference display device among the plurality of display devices. The control apparatus is characterized in that the calibration result is determined based on a second determination criterion range that is generated based on the calibration result of the reference display device and is narrower than the first determination criterion range.   The control device according to claim 1, further comprising notification means for notifying a user of a determination result determined based on the range of the second determination criterion.   When the determination unit determines that the calibration result of the reference display device is within the range of the first determination criterion, the second determination is performed on the calibration result of at least one display device that is not the reference display device. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination is made based on a reference range. First setting means for setting a range of a determination criterion;
Second setting means for setting a use mode of the display device selected by the selection means;
Further comprising
The said 1st setting means changes the range of the said 2nd determination reference | standard according to the mode set by the said 2nd setting means, The Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The control device described.   The control device according to claim 1, wherein the display characteristic is a luminance characteristic of a display device.   The control device according to claim 1, wherein the display characteristic is a color characteristic of a display device.   When the determination means determines that the calibration result of at least one display device that is not the reference display device does not fall within the range of the second determination reference, the calibration means is not the reference display device. The control device according to claim 1, wherein calibration for at least one display device is executed again.   When the determination means determines that the calibration result of at least one display device that is not the reference display device does not fall within the range of the second determination reference, the calibration means is not the reference display device. 8. The control device according to claim 1, wherein calibration for at least one display device is executed a predetermined number of times.   The calibration unit determines that the calibration result when the predetermined number of times is executed for at least one display device that is not the reference display device does not fall within the range of the second determination criterion by the determination unit. In this case, the calibration unit again executes calibration for at least one display device that is not the reference display device, and the determination unit narrows the calibration result by the calibration to be smaller than the range of the first determination reference. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the determination is performed based on a third determination criterion range wider than the second determination criterion range.   The calibration means determines that the calibration result when the predetermined number of times is executed for at least one display device that is not the reference display device does not fall within the range of the second determination criterion. The control device according to claim 8, further comprising display means for displaying a predetermined image on the display device. A control method of a control device connected to a plurality of display devices,
A selection step of selecting one display device from among the plurality of display devices as a reference display device;
A calibration step of sequentially performing processing for calibrating display characteristics of the plurality of display devices from the reference display device;
A determination step of determining whether or not the calibration result in the calibration step is within a range of a predetermined determination criterion;
With
In the determination step, the calibration result of the reference display device is determined based on a preset first determination reference range, and at least one display device that is not the reference display device among the plurality of display devices. And determining a calibration result based on a range of a second determination criterion that is generated based on a calibration result of the reference display device and is narrower than the range of the first determination criterion. Control method.   The control method of the control device according to claim 11, further comprising a notification step of notifying a user of a determination result determined based on the range of the second determination criterion.   In the determination step, when it is determined that the calibration result of the reference display device is within the range of the first determination criterion, the second determination is performed on the calibration result of at least one display device that is not the reference display device. The control method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the determination is made based on a reference range. A first setting step for setting a range of determination criteria;
A second setting step for setting a use mode of the display device selected by the selection means;
Further comprising
The range of the second determination criterion is changed in the first setting step according to the mode set in the second setting step. The control method of the control apparatus as described.   15. The control method of the control device according to claim 11, wherein the display characteristic is a luminance characteristic of the display device.   15. The control method of the control device according to claim 11, wherein the display characteristic is a color characteristic of a display device.   In the determination step, when it is determined that the calibration result of at least one display device that is not the reference display device does not fall within the range of the second determination reference, the calibration step is not the reference display device. The control method for a control device according to claim 11, wherein calibration for at least one display device is executed again.   In the determination step, when it is determined that the calibration result of at least one display device that is not the reference display device does not fall within the range of the second determination reference, the calibration step is not the reference display device. 18. The control method for a control device according to claim 11, wherein calibration for at least one display device is executed a predetermined number of times.   In the calibration step, it is determined that the calibration result when the predetermined number of times is executed for at least one display device that is not the reference display device does not fall within the range of the second determination criterion in the determination step. In this case, in the calibration step, calibration for at least one display device that is not the reference display device is performed again, and in the determination step, the calibration result by the calibration is narrower than the range of the first determination reference. 19. The control method of the control device according to claim 18, wherein the determination is made based on a third determination criterion range wider than the second determination criterion range.   In the calibration step, it is determined that the calibration result when the predetermined number of times is executed for at least one display device that is not the reference display device does not fall within the range of the second determination criterion in the determination step. 19. The control method of a control device according to claim 18, further comprising a display step of displaying a predetermined image on the display device.   A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the control method of the control device according to claim 10.

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