Color management for field-sequential LCD display

1. A color control system for a backlight utilizing colored light emitting diodes (LEDs), the color control system arranged to control a backlight on a frame by frame basis, the color control system comprising:

a color controller;

an LED driver responsive to said color controller;

a plurality of colored LED strings constituted of at least three different colors responsive to said LED driver; and

a color sensor, exhibiting a tri-stimulus output, in optical communication with said plurality of colored LED strings, said color controller coupled to said tri-stimulus output of said color sensor,

wherein said color controller is arranged, in each frame, to:

sequentially light each of said plurality of colored LED strings via said LED driver at a respective time during the frame;

provide a period during the frame wherein none of said colored LED strings are lit;

receive from said color sensor an indication of an ambient light received at said color sensor during said provided period during the frame when none of said colored LED strings are lit;

receive from said color sensor, an indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during said respective times during the frame when said colored LED strings are lit; and

control said LED driver responsive to said received indication of ambient light during the frame and said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during the frame.

2. The color control system according to claim 1 , wherein said color controller is arranged to control said LED driver responsive to said received indication of ambient light during the frame and said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during the frame by compensating said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during said respective times during the frame by said received indication of ambient light during the frame.

3. The color control system according to claim 2 , wherein said color controller is arranged to control said LED driver responsive to said received indication of ambient light during the frame and said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during said respective times during the frame by further implementing a function of said received indication of ambient light during the frame on one of said compensated received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during said respective times during the frame and a target light value.

4. The color control system according to claim 1 , wherein said color controller is arranged to control said LED driver responsive to said received indication of ambient light during the frame and said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during said respective times during the frame by implementing a function of said received indication of ambient light during the frame on one of said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during the frame and a target light value.

5. The color control system according to claim 1 , wherein said control of said LED driver is by pulse width modulation.

6. A color control system for a backlight utilizing colored light emitting diodes (LEDs), the color control system comprising:

a color controller;

an LED driver responsive to said color controller;

a plurality of colored LED strings constituted of at least three different colors responsive to said LED driver; and

a color sensor, exhibiting a tri-stimulus output, in optical communication with said plurality of colored LED strings, said color controller coupled to said tri-stimulus output of said color sensor,

wherein said color controller is arranged to:

light each of said plurality of colored LED strings via said LED driver;

provide a period wherein none of said colored LED strings are lit;

receive from said color sensor an indication of an ambient light received at said color sensor during said provided period when none of said colored LED strings are lit;

receive from said color sensor an indication of the optical output of each of said colored LED strings when lit; and

control said LED driver responsive to said received indication of ambient light and said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings,

wherein said color controller comprises:

a compensation functionality arranged to receive said indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings and said indication of ambient light and output an ambient light compensated indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings;

a source of target color and luminance information;

a difference generator functionality, a first input of said difference generator functionality coupled to the output of said source of target color and luminance information;

a feedback controller functionality coupled to the output of said difference generator; and

a calibration matrix functionality in communication with said compensation functionality and arranged to convert said compensated indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings to a pre-determined color space consonant with said target color and luminance information received at said first input of said difference generator, the output of said calibration matrix functionality coupled to a second input of said difference generator.

7. The color control system according to claim 6 , wherein said compensated indication comprises a gain function.

8. A color control system for a backlight utilizing colored light emitting diodes (LEDs), the color control system comprising:

a color controller;

an LED driver responsive to said color controller;

a plurality of colored LED strings constituted of at least three different colors responsive to said LED driver; and

a color sensor, exhibiting a tri-stimulus output, in optical communication with said plurality of colored LED strings, said color controller coupled to said tri-stimulus output of said color sensor,

wherein said color controller is arranged to:

light each of said plurality of colored LED strings via said LED driver;

provide a period wherein none of said colored LED strings are lit;

receive from said color sensor an indication of an ambient light received at said color sensor during said provided period when none of said colored LED strings are lit;

receive from said color sensor an indication of the optical output of each of said colored LED strings when lit; and

control said LED driver responsive to said received indication of ambient light and said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings,

wherein said color controller comprises:

a source of target color and luminance information;

a difference generator functionality, a first input of said difference generator functionality coupled to the output of said source of target color and luminance information;

a calibration matrix functionality arranged to receive the output of said color sensor and convert said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings and said received indication of ambient light to a pre-determined color space consonant with said target color and luminance information received at said first input of said difference generator functionality;

a feedback controller coupled to the output of said difference generator functionality; and

a compensation functionality coupled to the output of said calibration matrix functionality and arranged to receive said converted indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings and said converted indication of ambient light and output an ambient light compensated indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings.

9. The color control system according to claim 8 , wherein said compensation functionality comprises a gain function.

10. A method of color control for a backlight utilizing colored light emitting diodes (LEDs), the backlight providing illumination of a display on a frame by frame basis, the method comprising, for each frame:

providing a plurality of colored LED strings constituted of at least three different colors;

sequentially lighting each of said plurality of colored LED strings during a respective time during the frame to provide the illumination;

providing a period during the frame wherein none of said colored LED strings are lit;

obtaining an indication of an ambient light during said provided period during the frame when none of said colored LED strings are lit;

obtaining an indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during said respective times during the frame when said colored LED strings are lit; and

controlling said lighting of said provided plurality of colored LED strings responsive to said received indication of ambient light during the frame and said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during the frame.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said controlling said lighting responsive to said obtained indication of ambient light during the frame and said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during the frame comprises compensating said obtained indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during the frame by said obtained indication of ambient light during the frame.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein said controlling said lighting responsive to said obtained indication of ambient light during the frame and said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during the frame further comprises implementing a function of said obtained indication of ambient light during the frame on one of said compensated obtained indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during the frame and a target light value.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said controlling said lighting responsive to said obtained indication of ambient light during the frame and said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during the frame comprises implementing a function of said obtained indication of ambient light during the frame on one of said obtained indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during the frame and a target light value.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein said controlling comprises:

converting said obtained indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during the frame to a pre-determined color space consonant with a target color and luminance information;

converting said obtained indication of ambient light during the frame to the pre-determined color space; and

compensating said converted obtained indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during the frame by said converted obtained indication of ambient light during the frame.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising adjusting said compensated converted obtained indication by a function of said obtained indication of ambient light during the frame.

16. A method of color control for a backlight utilizing colored light emitting diodes (LEDs), the method comprising:

providing a plurality of colored LED strings constituted of at least three different colors;

lighting each of said plurality of colored LED strings to provide illumination;

providing a period wherein none of said colored LED strings are lit;

obtaining an indication of an ambient light during said provided period when none of said colored LED strings are lit;

obtaining an indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings during said provided period when said colored LED strings are lit; and

controlling said lighting of said provided plurality of colored LED strings responsive to said received indication of ambient light and said received indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings, wherein said controlling comprises:

compensating said obtained indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings by said obtained indication of ambient light; and

converting said compensated indication of the optical output of said colored LED strings to a pre-determined color space consonant with target color and luminance information.

17. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising adjusting said compensated obtained indication by a function of said obtained indication of ambient light.