How to Match the Color Brightness ofAutomotive TFT-LCD Panels
Introduction
The need for gamma correction originated with the invention of CRT TV displays. The CRT uses an electron
beam raster to illuminate the phosphor coating behind the display front panel. The applied grid control
voltage proportionately controls the luminous intensity and it follows the power law: Luminous Intensity =Control Voltage to the power Gamma. This is inherently non-linear. The nominal gamma for the CRT is ~2.5.
The human eye on the other hand has an inverse response and is relatively sensitive to changes in thedarker portion of the grayscale. Therefore, to make the final image display the grayscale true-depth variation
to the human eye, gamma correction must be implemented on the red, green and blue signals prior totransmission. This is done at the system where the video originates, such as a TV broadcast camera.
This white paper examines the practice of gamma correction, also known as gamma calibration, to ensure
consistent brightness and color matching of TFT-LCD panels used in automobiles. We’ll discuss how tocalibrate an LCD panel’s gamma response using a 14-channel programmable gamma buffer. And we’ll lookat three examples that illustrate high, nominal and low gamma settings.
Cameras are designed to output a voltage that is proportional to luminous intensity raised to power 1/2.5 orluminous intensity raised to power 0.4. Since a gamma slightly greater than 1 is preferred, the broadcast
standard typically uses a gamma of 0.5, which leads to a system gamma of 1.25. Figure 1 shows that thecamera’s built-in gamma response is the inverse of the CRT response and, therefore, no additional system
gamma correction is required. However, the TFT-LCD’s signal must be adjusted to compensate for thecamera’s gamma adjustment, which was originally set for the CRT display.
1.2

Relative Luminance

10.8
Camera Gamma
Response

0.6

CRT Display Response
0.4

Inherent Gamma
Correction

0.2
0050
100
Input Level IRE

150

Figure 1. Gamma for legacy CRT systems
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Gamma Calibrating Automotive LCD panels
TFT-LCD panels are increasingly used in an automobile’s instrument cluster, infotainment and navigation
head unit, and advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) smart mirrors. They do not have an electron gun
and phosphors to generate luminous intensity, but instead apply a voltage to a liquid crystal pixel, which
controls the transmittance of “backlight” through the pixel. A cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) or lightemitting diode (LED) array is used to provide the “backlight”. The voltage applied to a liquid crystal pixel
controls the amount of backlight allowed to pass to the front to recreate the transmitted image and thisdefines the transmission curve for the TFT-LCD.
The gamma of the TFT-LCD differs from the CRT; however, it does have a slight gamma response. You’ll
recall that legacy broadcast systems have gamma correction built into the transmission to compensate for
CRT gamma response, and this combines with the inverse response as perceived by the human eye.
Therefore, gamma correction must be done to the signal before applying it to the TFT-LCD pixels. It isnecessary that TFT-LCD gamma correction follow that of a CRT display. The incoming video signals are digitaland the gamma correction code is applied to the digital-to-analog converter (DAC), which generates thevoltage that is then applied to the pixels. These gamma correction codes help panel display manufacturers
determine applicable codes that enable the required visual performance. Often the system can store
multiple gamma correction settings for varying ambient light conditions. Figure 2 shows the normalized
gamma correction for use with TFT-LCD panels to achieve a system gamma of 1.
1.2

Relative Luminance

10.8
Digital Camera Gamma
Response

0.6

Digital Gamma Correction
0.4

Effective LCD Display
Response

0.20050100
Input Level IRE150

Figure 2. Gamma for LCD systems
Digital video data, typically low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS), must be converted using a DAC togenerate an analog voltage for the pixel. Gamma is corrected (intentionally made non-linear) by the use ofpiecewise non-linear DACs in the panel’s source/column drivers. The source driver DACs determine how
many different voltage steps can be applied to the pixels (e.g., an 8-bit DAC yields 28 or 256 steps ofpossible grayscale). Figure 3 shows that the perception of changes in grayscale intensity caused by eachvoltage step is relative to the panel’s gamma response (voltage-transmission or V-T curve) and the responseof the eye.
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Figure 3. Changes in relative intensity compared to gamma response
The non-linear nature of gamma correction results in compressed image data that resides at the low
luminance level, with little or no compression at the high luminance level. The low-level compression makes
the image data in the “dark” to “not so dark” region stand out and be more discerning to the human eye.
This improves the image depth. And as an added bonus, the compression and non-linearity results in a lower
number of bits used for luminance coding (e.g., 8-bits for non-linear vs. 12-bits or 14-bits if it were linear).
The compression also helps reduce video signal noise, if any exists.

The Programmable Gamma Buffer
To change the LCD panel’s gamma response to a desired V-T transfer function, the panel’s source (column)
driver DACs may use various reference voltages applied at multiple tap points. These voltages force each
DAC to have a certain desired non-linear operation. The reference voltages are often supplied by gamma
buffer ICs, which are generally buffer amplifiers that drive the analog voltages to the DAC taps. The gamma
buffer ICs can be static or programmable. A device that can be used for automotive LCD panels is the Intersil
ISL76534, which is an I2C based 14-channel programmable gamma buffer plus a VCOM channel, both with a
10-bit resolution. This device drives accurate and steady DC reference voltages to an automotive TFT-LCD
source driver. Figure 4 shows a simplified system block diagram of a TFT-LCD panel.

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Figure 4. Simplified TFT-LCD panel
With the capability to control the DAC taps, automotive LCD panel makers can fine-tune the voltages tofurther adjust or calibrate the panel’s non-linear gamma response, also called gamma calibration. It allows
an automotive LCD panel maker to ensure that all of their LCD panels of a certain model exhibit the same
gamma response from panel-to-panel. This means that any potential visual performance variations, causedby things such as variances in LCD fabrication and manufacturing, are minimized and thus the automotive
LCD panel maker has a more consistent and visually appealing product. Consumers can be assured that thevehicle they purchase will include displays that visually perform like the ones they saw during their test driveat the dealership.
Panel makers ultimately decide how they want to calibrate the gamma response (e.g., γ = 2.2, γ = 2.0, γ =1.8, or a combination of gammas based on the intended brightness), so that their display has a certain look.
It’s noteworthy that gamma characteristics tend to shift with wide viewing angles and different ambient
lighting conditions. When shopping for a car at the dealership, it would be a good idea to compare thedisplay under bright light and low light conditions to determine whether the image presented is visuallyappealing to you.

Comparing Images at Different Gamma
Figure 5 compares the same image, but with different overall gamma. The differences are easily
discernable. The middle image, Figure 5B, is the nominal (original) gamma (e.g., γ = 2.2), while the topimage, Figure 5A, is more than nominal and the bottom image, Figure 5C, is less than nominal. The bottom
image loses contrast as the darks disappear, and becomes more washed out. The top image gets more
contrast, but overall has more darkened area.

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Figure 5A. Example of high gamma for a given picture

Figure 5B. Example of nominal gamma for a given picture

Figure 5C. Example of low gamma for a given picture

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Gamma and Auto Infotainment Display Settings
Automotive LCD panels have black-to-white endpoint levels that are fixed by the capability of the source
driver. However, digital adjustments can be made to the signal during video data processing. Brightness canalso vary by simply adjusting the LCD panel’s backlight intensity, which adds another dimension to system
performance. Often the display controls can be adjusted for brightness and contrast, and for day and night
settings.
The programmable gamma buffer simplifies the task of evaluating and setting the display transfer function
by moving it into the manufacturing cycle of the auto display maker. These gamma settings are programmed
into the EEPROM and they are transferred to the DAC on power up. Some have multiple banks to hold morethan one display profile for various ambient light conditions, and a custom setting that could be user
programmable with the facility to save and store it. The manufacturer set gamma profile is generally
adequate for most automotive applications. This programming is done during the initial setup, after which
the profile is never changed, unless fine-tuning is required to improve the display’s visual performance.

Conclusion
Automotive LCD panel manufacturers strive to make their display panels visually desirable to automakers
and consumers. Doing so requires a stable gamma buffer reference that ensures the video color images
displayed on their LCD panels are matched with the exact same contrast, brightness and color across all
displays. This can be accomplished by using a high accuracy programmable gamma buffer like the Intersil
ISL76534.

Next Steps

Learn more about the ISL76534

Download the datasheet###About Renesas Electronics CorporationRenesas Electronics Corporation delivers trusted embedded design innovation with complete semiconductor solutions that enablebillions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live—securely and safely. A global leader inmicrocontrollers, analog, power, and SoC products, Renesas provides the expertise, quality, and comprehensive solutions for a broad
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