PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12154487-B2
Application Number: US-202318180697-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Micro-LED burn-in statistics and compensation systems and methods

Abstract:
Image processing circuitry may include burn-in compensation circuitry that receives image data indicative of luminance outputs for display pixels of an electronic display and compensates the image data for burn-in related aging associated with the display pixels, generating compensated image data. Moreover, compensating the image data may include applying gains based on estimated amounts of aging associated with the display pixels and estimated amounts of current to be delivered to the display pixels. The image processing circuitry may also include burn-in statistics circuitry that tracks the estimated amounts of aging based on the compensated image data.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device comprising:
 a pulsed emission electronic display comprising a plurality of display pixels and configured to display an image by pulsing at least a portion of the plurality of display pixels according to display image data; and 
 image processing circuitry configured to generate the display image data based at least in part on image data indicative of the image by:
 performing a first sub-pixel uniformity correction configured to apply a compensation gain to the image data; 
 performing a second sub-pixel uniformity correction configured to convert the image data from a first format to a second format of the display image data; and 
 performing burn-in compensation between the first sub-pixel uniformity correction and the second sub-pixel uniformity correction, wherein the burn-in compensation is configured to compensate the image data for estimated amounts of burn-in related aging of the plurality of display pixels. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the pulsed emission electronic display comprises a micro-light-emitting-diode (LED) display, and wherein the plurality of display pixels comprise a plurality of micro-LEDs. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the image processing circuitry is configured to perform the burn-in compensation immediately prior to the second sub-pixel uniformity correction. 
     
     
       4. The electronic device of  claim 3 , wherein the image processing circuitry is configured to perform the burn-in compensation immediately after the first sub-pixel uniformity correction. 
     
     
       5. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein performing the burn-in compensation comprises applying gains to pixel values of the image data to compensate for the estimated amounts of burn-in related aging of the plurality of display pixels. 
     
     
       6. The electronic device of  claim 5 , wherein the gains are based on a current adaptation factor associated with estimated amounts of local current to be delivered to individual display pixels of the plurality of display pixels. 
     
     
       7. The electronic device of  claim 6 , wherein the estimated amounts of local current to be delivered to the individual display pixels is based on one or more temperatures of the individual display pixels and a global brightness setting of the pulsed emission electronic display. 
     
     
       8. The electronic device of  claim 6 , wherein the gains are based on a gain map derived by the image processing circuitry based on an accumulated burn-in history map indicative of the estimated amounts of burn-in related aging of the plurality of display pixels. 
     
     
       9. The electronic device of  claim 8 , wherein the image processing circuitry is configured to generate a history update to maintain the accumulated burn-in history map, wherein the image processing circuitry is configured to generate the history update based on the image data and the estimated amounts of local current to be delivered to the individual display pixels. 
     
     
       10. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the pulsing of a display pixel of the portion of the plurality of display pixels generates an aggregated luminance output equivalent to a luminance value of the image data. 
     
     
       11. Image processing circuitry comprising:
 burn-in compensation circuitry configured to:
 receive image data indicative of luminance outputs for a plurality of display pixels; and 
 compensate the image data for estimated amounts of aging associated with the plurality of display pixels to generate compensated image data, wherein compensating the image data comprises applying gains based on estimated amounts of current to be delivered in respective pulses to the plurality of display pixels; and 
 
 burn-in statistics circuitry configured to track the estimated amounts of aging based on the compensated image data. 
 
     
     
       12. The image processing circuitry of  claim 11 , comprising sub-pixel uniformity correction circuitry configured to convert the compensated image data into display image data, wherein the display image data comprises a digital code format interpretable by a time multiplexed display comprising the plurality of display pixels. 
     
     
       13. The image processing circuitry of  claim 12 , wherein the sub-pixel uniformity correction circuitry is configured to apply second gains to input image data to generate the image data, wherein the second gains compensate the input image data for efficiency variations between the plurality of display pixels. 
     
     
       14. The image processing circuitry of  claim 12 , wherein converting the compensated image data into the display image data comprises compensating the compensated image data for non-linearities in luminance level perception due to a time modulation of the plurality of display pixels of the time multiplexed display. 
     
     
       15. The image processing circuitry of  claim 11 , wherein tracking the estimated amount of aging comprises calculating a history update based on the estimated amounts of current to be delivered to the plurality of display pixels. 
     
     
       16. The image processing circuitry of  claim 11 , wherein the burn-in compensation circuitry is configured to determine the estimated amounts of current to be delivered to the plurality of display pixels based on one or more temperatures and a brightness setting of the plurality of display pixels. 
     
     
       17. The image processing circuitry of  claim 16 , wherein the one or more temperatures comprise individual temperatures, corresponding to individual locations of the plurality of display pixels, derived from a grid of temperature measurements. 
     
     
       18. A non-transitory machine readable medium comprising instructions, wherein, when executed by one or more processors, the instructions cause the one or more processors to control image processing circuitry to perform operations or to perform the operations, wherein the operations comprise:
 receiving image data indicative of luminance outputs for a plurality of display pixels; and 
 compensating the image data for burn-in related aging associated with the plurality of display pixels to generate compensated image data, wherein compensating the image data comprises applying gains based on estimated amounts of aging associated with the plurality of display pixels and estimated amounts of current to be delivered in respective pulses to the plurality of display pixels. 
 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein the plurality of display pixels comprises a plurality of time multiplexed micro-LED display pixels, and wherein the operations comprise converting the compensated image data into display image data while compensating the compensated image data for non-linearities in luminance level perception due to a time modulation of the plurality of time multiplexed micro-LED display pixels, wherein the display image data comprises a digital code format interpretable by control circuitry of an electronic display comprising the plurality of time multiplexed micro-LED display pixels. 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory machine readable medium of  claim 18 , wherein the operations comprise:
 determining the estimated amounts of current to be delivered to the plurality of display pixels based on one or more temperatures associated with the plurality of display pixels and a global brightness setting of the plurality of display pixels; and 
 tracking the estimated amounts of aging by generating a history update based on the compensated image data and the estimated amounts of current.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     This disclosure relates to gathering burn-in statistics (BIS) and applying burn-in compensation (BIC) for electronic displays with time multiplexed or otherwise pulsed display pixels. 
     This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. 
     Numerous electronic devices—including televisions, portable phones, computers, wearable devices, vehicle dashboards, virtual-reality glasses, and more—display images on an electronic display. To display an image, an electronic display may control light emission of its display pixels based at least in part on corresponding image data. As electronic displays are used over time, the pixels thereof may become increasingly more susceptible to image artifacts, such as burn-in related aging of pixels, which may be compensated by image processing. 
     Burn-in is a phenomenon whereby pixels degrade over time owing to the different amount of utilization (e.g., light emission) that different pixels emit over time. In other words, pixels may age at different rates depending on their relative utilization and/or environment. For example, pixels used more than others may age more quickly, and thus may gradually emit less light when given the same amount of driving current or voltage values. This may produce undesirable burn-in image artifacts on the electronic display. In general, the estimated aging due to pixels&#39; utilization may be stored, accumulated, and referenced when compensating for burn-in effects. However, in some scenarios, such as micro-light-emitting-diode (LED) displays, the physical implementation of how the display works (e.g., via pulsed light emissions) may change the efficacy of traditional burn-in compensation systems. 
     SUMMARY 
     A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. It should be understood that these aspects are presented merely to provide the reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and that these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may not be set forth below. 
     Burn-in statistics collection and burn-in compensation may take into account the timing of pulses in electronic displays (e.g., micro-light-emitting-diode (LED) displays) that use pulsed light emissions. In these types of displays, the time averaged luminance output of a pixel is equivalent to the desired luminance level of the image data for that pixel. For example, a single image frame may be broken up into multiple (e.g., two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, and so on) sub-frames, and a particular pixel may be illuminated (e.g., pulsed) or deactivated during each sub-frame such that the aggregate luminance output over the total image frame is equivalent to the desired luminance output of the particular pixel. In other words, the duration and frequency of the pixel emissions (e.g., pulses) during an image frame may be regulated to maintain an average luminance output during the image frame that appears to a viewer as the desired luminance output. 
     Furthermore, display image processing techniques may be performed on input image data such that the power (e.g., current and/or voltage) applied to the pixels drives the pixels to produce the desired amount of light. For example, as the pixels are utilized over the life of the display, the pixels may incur burn-in related aging, whereby the pixels emit less light when given the same amount of driving current or voltage values. As such, one display image processing technique may be to track the estimated aging of pixels and compensate the current or time for which the current is applied to the pixels to counter the effects of burn-in related aging. 
     Additionally, in some embodiments, a sub-pixel uniformity correction may be utilized to adjust the driving current, voltage, and/or activation timing for each pixel to account for differences in manufacturing between the pixels. For example, some pixels may exhibit different luminance outputs at the same voltage/current than other pixels, and such differences may be noted and/or preprogrammed during manufacturing to account for such differences. 
     However, in micro-LED displays the physical implementation of how the display works (e.g., via pulsed light emissions) may change the efficacy of burn-in compensation systems that track desired luminance levels and provide compensations in the luminance domain of the image data. As such, in some embodiments, display image processing techniques that alter the desired luminance, sub-frame timings, or otherwise changes the uncompensated total current (e.g., time integrated current) that would otherwise be provided to a pixel may be performed prior to burn-in compensation and sub-pixel uniformity correction. 
     Furthermore, in some embodiments, the burn-in compensation may be performed with, immediately subsequent to, immediately prior to, or between stages of the sub-pixel uniformity correction. For example, the sub-pixel uniformity gain correction may be applied prior to the burn-in compensation and a digital code conversion of the sub-pixel uniformity correction, which sets the digital code to be sent to the display panel that corresponds to the desired current/luminance, may occur after the burn-in compensation. As such, modifications to the image data due to burn-in compensation may be performed such that the modeled aging and compensation therefore of the pixels has increased accuracy (e.g., aligned with what is sent to the pixels) and increased effectiveness at reducing image artifacts. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various aspects of this disclosure may be better understood upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a block diagram of an electronic device that includes an electronic display, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG.  2    is an example of the electronic device of  FIG.  1    in the form of a handheld device, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG.  3    is another example of the electronic device of  FIG.  1    in the form of a tablet device, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG.  4    is another example of the electronic device of  FIG.  1    in the form of a computer, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG.  5    is another example of the electronic device of  FIG.  1    in the form of a watch, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG.  6    is another example of the electronic device of  FIG.  1    in the form of a computer, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG.  7    is a schematic diagram of a micro-LED display that employs micro-drivers to drive display pixels with controls signals, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG.  8    is a block diagram of circuitry that may be part of a micro-driver of  FIG.  7   , in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG.  9    is a timing diagram of an example operation of the circuitry of  FIG.  8   , in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG.  10    is a block diagram of the image processing circuitry of  FIG.  1    including a burn-in compensation/burn-in statistics (BIC/BIS) block and a sub-pixel uniformity correction (SPUC) block, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG.  11    is a flow diagram of the BIC/BIS block and SPUC block of  FIG.  10    receiving input image data and outputting display image data, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG.  12    is a block diagram of a burn-in compensation sub-block, in accordance with an embodiment; 
         FIG.  13    is a block diagram of a burn-in statistics sub-block, in accordance with an embodiment; and 
         FIG.  14    is a flowchart of an example process for performing burn-in compensation, in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS 
     One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. These described embodiments are only examples of the presently disclosed techniques. Additionally, in an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers&#39; specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but may nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, the phrase A “based on” B is intended to mean that A is at least partially based on B. Moreover, the term “or” is intended to be inclusive (e.g., logical OR) and not exclusive (e.g., logical XOR). In other words, the phrase A “or” B is intended to mean A, B, or both A and B. 
     Electronic devices often use electronic displays to present visual information. Such electronic devices may include computers, mobile phones, portable media devices, tablets, televisions, virtual-reality headsets, and vehicle dashboards, among many others. To display an image, an electronic display controls the luminance (and, as a consequence, the color) of its display pixels based on corresponding image data received at a particular resolution. For example, an image data source may provide image data as a stream of pixel data, in which data for each pixel indicates a target luminance (e.g., brightness and/or color) of one or more display pixels located at corresponding pixel positions. In some embodiments, image data may indicate luminance per color component, for example, via red component image data, blue component image data, and green component image data, collectively referred to as RGB image data (e.g., RGB, sRGB). As should be appreciated, color components other than RGB may also be used such as CMY (i.e., cyan, magenta, and yellow). Additionally or alternatively, image data may be indicated by a luma channel and one or more chrominance channels (e.g., YCbCr, YUV, etc.), grayscale (e.g., gray level), or other color basis. It should be appreciated that image data and/or particular channels of image data (e.g., a luma channel), as disclosed herein, may encompass linear, non-linear, and/or gamma-corrected luminance values. 
     To display images, the electronic display may illuminate one or more pixels according to the image data. In general electronic displays may take a variety of forms and operate by reflecting/regulating a light emission from an illuminator (e.g., backlight, projector, etc.) or generate light at the pixel level, for example, using self-emissive pixels such as micro-light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In some embodiments, the electronic display may display an image by pulsing light emissions from pixels such that the time averaged luminance output is equivalent to the desired luminance level of the image data. For example, a single image frame may be broken up into multiple (e.g., two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, and so on) sub-frames, and a particular pixel may be illuminated (e.g., pulsed) or deactivated during each sub-frame such that the aggregate luminance output over the total image frame is equivalent to the desired luminance output of the particular pixel. In other words, the duration and frequency (e.g., as opposed to the brightness) of the pixel emissions during an image frame may be regulated to maintain an average luminance output during the image frame that appears to the human eye as the desired luminance output. 
     In some embodiments, the electronic display may be a micro-LED display having active matrixes of micro-LEDs, pixel drivers (e.g., micro-drivers), anodes, and arrays of row and column drivers. While discussed herein as relating to micro-LED displays, as should be appreciated, the features discussed herein may be applicable to any suitable display that using time multiplexed (e.g., pulsed) light emissions to generate an image on the electronic display. Each micro-driver may drive a number of display pixels on the electronic display. For example, each micro-driver may be connected to numerous anodes, and each anode may selectively connect to one of multiple different display pixels. Thus, a collection of display pixels may share a common anode connected to a micro-driver. The micro-driver may drive a display pixel by providing a driving signal across an anode to one of the display pixels. Any suitable number of display pixels may be located on respective anodes of the micro-LED display. Moreover, in some embodiments, the collection of display pixels connected to each anode may be of the same color component (e.g., red, green, or blue). 
     Additionally, the image data may be processed to account for one or more physical or digital effects associated with displaying the image data. For example, display image data may be compensated and/or enhanced to account for pixel aging (e.g., burn-in compensation), sub-pixel uniformity, cross-talk between electrodes within the electronic device, transitions from previously displayed image data (e.g., pixel drive compensation), warps, contrast control, and/or other factors that may otherwise cause distortions or artifacts perceivable to a viewer. 
     As discussed herein, as pixels are utilized over the life of the display, the pixels may incur burn-in related aging, whereby the pixels emit less light when given the same amount of driving current or voltage values. As such, burn-in statistics may be gathered to estimate and track an estimated amount of sub-pixel aging, and compensation may be performed to counter the effects of burn-in related aging. Additionally, in some embodiments, a sub-pixel uniformity correction may be utilized to adjust the driving current, voltage, and/or activation timing for each pixel to account for differences between the pixels (e.g., due to non-uniformity in manufacturing, non-uniformity in materials, etc.). For example, some pixels may exhibit different luminance outputs at the same voltage/current than other pixels, and such differences may be noted and/or preprogrammed during manufacturing to account for such differences. 
     In general, micro-LED displays utilize a digital code to operate sub-pixels as either enabled or disabled and may be time multiplexed to achieve the desired luminance output. As such, the physical current/voltages provided to the individual pixels, on which the burn-in compensation is based, may not be known until after each display image processing technique has been completed. As such, in some embodiments, display image processing techniques that alter the desired luminance, sub-frame timings, or otherwise changes the uncompensated current total (e.g., time integrated current over the image frame) that would otherwise be provided to a pixel may be performed prior to burn-in compensation and sub-pixel uniformity correction. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the burn-in compensation may be performed with, immediately subsequent to, immediately prior to, or between stages of the sub-pixel uniformity correction. For example, the burn-in compensation may be performed between a gain correction and a digital code conversion of the sub-pixel uniformity correction such that modifications to the image data due to burn-in compensation may be performed in accordance with the post-processed image data and the total current provided to each pixel. 
     With the foregoing in mind,  FIG.  1    is an example electronic device  10  with an electronic display  12  having independently controlled color component illuminators (e.g., projectors, backlights, etc.). As described in more detail below, the electronic device  10  may be any suitable electronic device, such as a computer, a mobile phone, a portable media device, a tablet, a television, a virtual-reality headset, a wearable device such as a watch, a vehicle dashboard, or the like. Thus, it should be noted that  FIG.  1    is merely one example of a particular implementation and is intended to illustrate the types of components that may be present in an electronic device  10 . 
     The electronic device  10  may include one or more electronic displays  12 , input devices  14 , input/output (I/O) ports  16 , a processor core complex  18  having one or more processors or processor cores, local memory  20 , a main memory storage device  22 , a network interface  24 , a power source  26 , and image processing circuitry  28 . The various components described in  FIG.  1    may include hardware elements (e.g., circuitry), software elements (e.g., a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions), or a combination of both hardware and software elements. As should be appreciated, the various components may be combined into fewer components or separated into additional components. For example, the local memory  20  and the main memory storage device  22  may be included in a single component. Moreover, the image processing circuitry  28  (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a display image processing pipeline, etc.) may be included in the processor core complex  18  or be implemented separately. 
     The processor core complex  18  is operably coupled with local memory  20  and the main memory storage device  22 . Thus, the processor core complex  18  may execute instructions stored in local memory  20  or the main memory storage device  22  to perform operations, such as generating or transmitting image data to display on the electronic display  12 . As such, the processor core complex  18  may include one or more general purpose microprocessors, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or any combination thereof. 
     In addition to program instructions, the local memory  20  or the main memory storage device  22  may store data to be processed by the processor core complex  18 . Thus, the local memory  20  and/or the main memory storage device  22  may include one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media. For example, the local memory  20  may include random access memory (RAM) and the main memory storage device  22  may include read-only memory (ROM), rewritable non-volatile memory such as flash memory, hard drives, optical discs, or the like. 
     The network interface  24  may communicate data with another electronic device or a network. For example, the network interface  24  (e.g., a radio frequency system) may enable the electronic device  10  to communicatively couple to a personal area network (PAN), such as a BLUETOOTH® network, a local area network (LAN), such as an 802.11x Wi-Fi network, or a wide area network (WAN), such as a 4G, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), or 5G cellular network. 
     The power source  26  may provide electrical power to operate the processor core complex  18  and/or other components in the electronic device  10 . Thus, the power source  26  may include any suitable source of energy, such as a rechargeable lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery and/or an alternating current (AC) power converter. 
     The I/O ports  16  may enable the electronic device  10  to interface with various other electronic devices. The input devices  14  may enable a user to interact with the electronic device  10 . For example, the input devices  14  may include buttons, keyboards, mice, trackpads, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the electronic display  12  may include touch sensing components that enable user inputs to the electronic device  10  by detecting occurrence and/or position of an object touching its screen (e.g., surface of the electronic display  12 ). 
     The electronic display  12  may display a graphical user interface (GUI) (e.g., of an operating system or computer program), an application interface, text, a still image, and/or video content. The electronic display  12  may include a display panel with one or more display pixels to facilitate displaying images. Additionally, each display pixel may represent one of the sub-pixels that control the luminance of a color component (e.g., red, green, or blue). Although sometimes used to refer to a collection of sub-pixels (e.g., red, green, and blue subpixels) as used herein, a display pixel or pixel refers to an individual sub-pixel (e.g., red, green, or blue subpixel). 
     As described above, the electronic display  12  may display an image by controlling the luminance output (e.g., light emission) of the sub-pixels based on corresponding image data. In some embodiments, pixel or image data may be generated by an image source, such as the processor core complex  18 , a graphics processing unit (GPU), or an image sensor (e.g., camera). Additionally, in some embodiments, image data may be received from another electronic device  10 , for example, via the network interface  24  and/or an I/O port  16 . Moreover, in some embodiments, the electronic device  10  may include multiple electronic displays  12  and/or may perform image processing (e.g., via the image processing circuitry  28 ) for one or more external electronic displays  12 , such as connected via the network interface  24  and/or the I/O ports  16 . 
     The electronic device  10  may be any suitable electronic device. To help illustrate, one example of a suitable electronic device  10 , specifically a handheld device  10 A, is shown in  FIG.  2   . In some embodiments, the handheld device  10 A may be a portable phone, a media player, a personal data organizer, a handheld game platform, and/or the like. For illustrative purposes, the handheld device  10 A may be a smartphone, such as an IPHONE® model available from Apple Inc. 
     The handheld device  10 A may include an enclosure  30  (e.g., housing) to, for example, protect interior components from physical damage and/or shield them from electromagnetic interference. The enclosure  30  may surround, at least partially, the electronic display  12 . In the depicted embodiment, the electronic display  12  is displaying a graphical user interface (GUI)  32  having an array of icons  34 . By way of example, when an icon  34  is selected either by an input device  14  or a touch-sensing component of the electronic display  12 , an application program may launch. 
     Input devices  14  may be accessed through openings in the enclosure  30 . Moreover, the input devices  14  may enable a user to interact with the handheld device  10 A. For example, the input devices  14  may enable the user to activate or deactivate the handheld device  10 A, navigate a user interface to a home screen, navigate a user interface to a user-configurable application screen, activate a voice-recognition feature, provide volume control, and/or toggle between vibrate and ring modes. Moreover, the I/O ports  16  may also open through the enclosure  30 . Additionally, the electronic device may include one or more cameras  36  to capture pictures or video. In some embodiments, a camera  36  may be used in conjunction with a virtual reality or augmented reality visualization on the electronic display  12 . 
     Another example of a suitable electronic device  10 , specifically a tablet device  10 B, is shown in  FIG.  3   . The tablet device  10 B may be any IPAD® model available from Apple Inc. A further example of a suitable electronic device  10 , specifically a computer  10 C (e.g., notebook computer), is shown in  FIG.  4   . By way of example, the computer  10 C may be any MACBOOK® model available from Apple Inc. Another example of a suitable electronic device  10  (e.g., a worn device), specifically a watch  10 D, is shown in  FIG.  5   . By way of example, the watch  10 D may be any APPLE WATCH® model available from Apple Inc. As depicted, the tablet device  10 B, the computer  10 C, and the watch  10 D each also includes an electronic display  12 , input devices  14 , I/O ports  16 , and an enclosure  30 . The electronic display  12  may display a GUI  32 . Here, the GUI  32  shows a visualization of a clock. When the visualization is selected either by the input device  14  or a touch-sensing component of the electronic display  12 , an application program may launch, such as to transition the GUI  32  to presenting the icons  34  discussed in  FIGS.  2  and  3   . 
     Turning to  FIG.  6   , a computer  10 E may represent another embodiment of the electronic device  10  of  FIG.  1   . The computer  10 E may be any suitable computer, such as a desktop computer or a server, but may also be a standalone media player or video gaming machine. By way of example, the computer  10 E may be an IMAC® or other similar device by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California. It should be noted that the computer  10 E may also represent a personal computer (PC) by another manufacturer. A similar enclosure  30  may be provided to protect and enclose internal components of the computer  10 E, such as the electronic display  12 . In certain embodiments, a user of the computer  10 E may interact with the computer  10 E using various peripheral input devices  14 , such as a keyboard  14 A or mouse  14 B, which may connect to the computer  10 E. 
     As discussed above, the electronic device  10  may include one or more electronic displays  12  of any suitable type. In some embodiments, the electronic display  12  may be a micro-LED display having a display panel  40  that includes an array of micro-LEDs (e.g., red, green, and blue micro-LEDs) as display pixels. Support circuitry  42  may receive display image data  44  (e.g., digital coded image data) and send control signals  46  to an array  48  of micro-drivers  50 . As should be appreciated, the display image data  44  may be of any suitable format depending on the implementation (e.g., type of display). In some embodiments, the support circuitry  42  may include a video timing controller (video TCON) and/or emission timing controller (emission TCON) that receives and uses the display image data  44  in a serial bus to determine a data clock signal and/or an emission clock signal to control the provisioning of the display image data  44  to the display panel  40 . The video TCON may also pass the display image data  44  to serial-to-parallel circuitry that may deserialize the display image data  44  into several parallel image data signals. That is, the serial-to-parallel circuitry may collect the display image data  44  into the control signals  46  that are passed on to specific columns of the display panel  40 . The control signals  46  (e.g., data/row scan controls, data clock signals, and/or emission clock signals) for each column of the array  48  may contain luminance values corresponding to pixels in the first column, second column, third column, fourth column . . . and so on, respectively. Moreover, the control signals  46  may be arranged into more or fewer columns depending on the number of columns that make up the display panel  40 . 
     The micro-drivers  50  may be arranged in an array  48 , and each micro-driver  50  may drive a number of display pixels  52 . Different display pixels  52  (e.g., display sub-pixels) may include different colored micro-LEDs (e.g., a red micro-LED, a green micro-LED, or a blue micro-LED) to emit light according to the display image data  44 . Moreover, in some embodiments, the subset of display pixels  52  located at each anode  54  may be associated with a particular color (e.g., red, green, blue). Furthermore, although shown for only a single color channel, it should be appreciated that each anode  54  may have a respective cathode  56  associated with the particular color channel. For example, the depicted cathodes  56  may correspond to red color channels (e.g., subset of red display pixels  52 ). Indeed, there may be a second set of cathodes  56  that couple to a green color channels (e.g., subset of green display pixels  52 ) and a third set of cathodes  56  that couple to a blue color channels (subset of blue display pixels  52 ), but these are not expressly illustrated in  FIG.  7    for ease of description. 
     Additionally, a power supply  58  may provide a reference voltage (VREF)  60  (e.g., to drive the micro-LEDs of the display pixels  52 ), a digital power signal  62 , and/or an analog power signal  64 . In some cases, the power supply  58  may provide more than one reference voltage  60  signal. For example, display pixels  52  of different colors may be driven using different reference voltages, and the power supply  58  may generate each reference voltage  60  (e.g., VREF for red, VREF for green, and VREF for blue display pixels  52 ). Additionally or alternatively, other circuitry on the display panel  40  may step a single reference voltage  60  up or down to obtain different reference voltages and drive the different colors of display pixels  52 . 
     The micro-drivers  50  may include pixel data buffer(s)  70  and/or a digital counter  72 , as shown in  FIG.  8   . The pixel data buffer(s)  70  may include sufficient storage to hold pixel data  74  that is provided (e.g., via support circuitry  42  such as column drivers) based on the display image data  44 . Moreover, the pixel data buffer(s)  70  may take any suitable logical structure based on the order that the pixel data  74  is provided. For example, the pixel data buffer(s)  70  may include a first-in-first-out (FIFO) logical structure or a last-in-first-out (LIFO) structure. Moreover, the pixel data buffer(s)  70  may output the stored pixel data  74 , or a portion thereof, as a digital data signal  76  representing a desired gray level for a particular display pixel  52  that is to be driven by the micro-driver  50 . 
     The counter  72  may receive the emission clock signal  78  and output a digital counter signal  80  indicative of the number of edges (only rising, only falling, or both rising and falling edges) of the emission clock signal  78 . The digital data signal  76  and the digital counter signal  80  may enter a comparator  82  that outputs an emission control signal  84  in an “on” state when the digital counter signal  80  does not exceed the digital data signal  76 , and an “off” state otherwise. The emission control signal  84  may be routed to driving circuitry (not shown) for the display pixel  52  being driven on or off. The longer the selected display pixel  52  is driven “on” by the emission control signal  84 , the greater the amount of light that will be perceived by the human eye as originating from the display pixel  52 . 
     To help illustrate, the timing diagram  86  of  FIG.  9    provides an example of the operation of the micro-driver  50 . The timing diagram  86  shows the digital data signal  76 , the digital counter signal  80 , the emission control signal  84 , and the emission clock signal  78 . In the example of  FIG.  9   , the gray level for driving the selected display pixel  52  is gray level  4 , and this is reflected in the digital data signal  76 . The emission control signal  84  drives the display pixel  52  to “on” for a period of time defined for gray level  4  based on the emission clock signal  78 . Namely, as the emission clock signal  78  rises and falls, the digital counter signal  80  gradually increases. The comparator  82  outputs the emission control signal  84  to an “on” state as long as the digital counter signal  80  remains less than the digital data signal  76 . When the digital counter signal  80  reaches the digital data signal  76 , the comparator  82  outputs the emission control signal  84  with an “off” state, thereby causing the selected display pixel  52  no longer to emit light. 
     In some embodiments, the steps between gray levels, reflected by the steps between emission clock signal  78  edges, may be of consistent width (e.g., linearly additive) or changing width (e.g., indicative of a gamma domain). For example, based on the way humans perceive light, the difference between lower gray levels may be more perceptible than the difference between higher gray levels. The emission clock signal  78  may, therefore, increase the time between clock edges as the frame progresses. The particular pattern of the emission clock signal  78 , as generated by the emission TCON, may have increasingly longer differences between edges (e.g., periods) so as to provide a gamma encoding of the gray level of the display pixel  52  being driven. 
     As discussed above, an electronic display  12  may display an image by pulsing light emissions from display pixels  52  such that the time averaged luminance output is equivalent to the desired luminance level of the display image data  44 . Furthermore, a single image frame may be broken up into multiple (e.g., two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, and so on) sub-frames, and a particular pixel may be illuminated (e.g., pulsed) or deactivated during each sub-frame such that the aggregate luminance output over the total image frame is equivalent to the desired luminance output of the particular pixel. In other words, in addition to regulating the duration of the pixel emission during a sub-frame (e.g., as discussed above with reference to  FIGS.  7 - 9   ) the frequency of the pixel emissions during an image frame may be regulated to maintain an average luminance output during the image frame that appears to the human eye as the desired luminance output. For example, source image data (e.g., indicative of an image) may be processed and split into separate sets of pixel data  74  for each sub-frame. As such, the gray level discussed with respect to the digital data signal  76  may or may not correlate directly to the source image data, as the source image data is representative of the gray level for the image frame, and the digital data signal  76  is representative of the luminance output for a sub-frame. As should be appreciated, the above discussion of the operations of a micro-LED electronic display  12  is but one example of a time-multiplexed operation of an electronic display  12 , and the techniques discussed herein may be applicable to other implementations of time-multiplexed electronic displays  12 . 
     Due at least in part to the time-multiplexed nature of operating the electronic display  12  (e.g., micro-LED display), it may be difficult to ascertain the physical utilization of individual pixels until the display image data  44  is or is ready to be generated, such as after other display image processing compensations, corrections, enhancements, etc. have been performed. Indeed, as discussed herein, the display image data  44  may be a digitally coded format (e.g., non-linear gray code) indicative of desired luminance levels to be displayed. Prior to being sent to the display panel  40 , the display image data  44  may be generated by converting image data (e.g., via a sub-pixel uniformity digital code conversion of the image processing circuitry  28 ) from a luminance or current domain to the digital code domain. In general, the image processing circuitry  28  may correct, compensate, enhance, or otherwise alter image data in a luminance domain (e.g., linear domain), gamma domain (e.g., non-linear domain), current domain, voltage domain, etc. to reduce or eliminate image artifacts and/or improve perceived image quality. 
     To help illustrate, a portion of the electronic device  10 , including image processing circuitry  28 , is shown in  FIG.  10   . The image processing circuitry  28  may be implemented in the electronic device  10 , in the electronic display  12 , or a combination thereof. For example, the image processing circuitry  28  may be included in the processor core complex  18 , a timing controller (TCON) or the support circuitry  42  in the electronic display  12 , or any combination thereof. As should be appreciated, although image processing is discussed herein as being performed via a number of image data processing blocks, embodiments may include hardware or software components to carry out the techniques discussed herein. 
     In addition to the display panel  40 , the electronic device  10  may also include an image data source  90  and/or a controller  92  in communication with the image processing circuitry  28 . In some embodiments, the controller  92  may control operation of the image processing circuitry  28 , the image data source  90 , and/or the display panel  40 . To facilitate controlling operation, the controller  92  may include a controller processor  94  and/or controller memory  96 . As should be appreciated, the controller processor  94  may be included in the processor core complex  18 , the image processing circuitry  28 , the electronic display  12 , a separate processing module, or any combination thereof and execute instructions stored in the controller memory  96 . Moreover, the controller memory  96  may be included in the local memory  20 , the main memory storage device  22 , a separate tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, or any combination thereof. In general, the image processing circuitry  28  may process source image data  98  for display on one or more electronic displays  12 . For example, the image processing circuitry  28  may include a display pipeline, memory-to-memory scaler and rotator (MSR) circuitry, warp compensation circuitry, or additional hardware or software means for processing image data. The source image data  98  may be processed by the image processing circuitry  28  to reduce or eliminate image artifacts, compensate for one or more different software or hardware related effects, and/or format the image data for display on one or more electronic displays  12 . As should be appreciated, the present techniques may be implemented in standalone circuitry, software, and/or firmware, and may be considered a part of, separate from, and/or parallel with a display pipeline or MSR circuitry. 
     The image processing circuitry  28  may receive source image data  98  corresponding to a desired image to be displayed on the electronic display  12  from the image data source  90 . The source image data  98  may indicate target characteristics (e.g., luminance data) corresponding to the desired image using any suitable source format, such as an RGB format, an aRGB format, a YCbCr format, and/or the like. Moreover, the source image data  98  may be fixed or floating point and be of any suitable bit-depth. Furthermore, the source image data  98  may reside in a linear color space, a gamma-corrected color space, or any other suitable color space. The image data source  90  may include captured images from cameras  36 , images stored in memory, graphics generated by the processor core complex  18 , or a combination thereof. Additionally, the image processing circuitry  28  may include one or more sets of image data processing blocks  100  (e.g., circuitry, modules, or processing stages) such as a burn-in compensation/burn-in statistics (BIC/BIS) block  102  and/or a sub-pixel uniformity correction (SPUC) block  104 . As should be appreciated, multiple other processing blocks  106  may also be incorporated into the image processing circuitry  28 , such as a color management block, image enhancement block, a pixel contrast control (PCC) block, a dither block, a scaling/rotation block, etc. before the BIC/BIS block  102  and/or SPUC block  104 . The image data processing blocks  100  may receive and process source image data  98  and output display image data  44  in a format (e.g., digital format and/or resolution) interpretable by the display panel  40  and/or its support circuitry  42 . Further, the functions (e.g., operations) performed by the image processing circuitry  28  may be divided between various image data processing blocks  100 , and, while the term “block” is used herein, there may or may not be a logical or physical separation between the image data processing blocks  100 . 
     In general, the BIC/BIS block  102  may compensate the image data for burn-in related aging of the display pixels  52 . For example, as the display pixels  52  are utilized over the life of the display panel  40 , the display pixels  52  may incur burn-in related aging, whereby the pixels emit less light when given the same amount of driving current or voltage values. Moreover, as different display pixels  52  may be used differently and/or have different environments (e.g., temperature), the display pixels  52  may age non-uniformly. As such, the BIC/BIS block  102  may include a burn-in statistics (BIS) sub-block  110 , as shown in  FIG.  11   , to track an estimated amount of aging for each display pixel  52  or a grouping thereof. Additionally, the BIC/BIS block  102  may include a burn-in compensation (BIC) sub-block  112  to apply gains to the pixel values to compensate for the effects of the estimated amount of aging such that each display pixel  52  appears to have aged uniformly. 
     Additionally, in some embodiments, the image processing circuitry  28  may include the SPUC block  104  having a sub-pixel uniformity gain correction sub-block  114  and a sub-pixel uniformity digital code conversion sub-block  116 . In general, the sub-pixel uniformity gain correction sub-block  114  applies individual gains to pixels values to account for non-uniformities in luminance output efficiency between different display pixels  52 . For example, manufacturing variations may cause different display pixels  52  to have different luminance output responses given the same current and voltage. As such, the sub-pixel uniformity gain correction sub-block  114  may apply a gain to the pixel values to adjust an amount of current, voltage, or timing at which the current/voltage is supplied to each display pixel  52  to normalize the differences in manufacturing between display pixels  52 . Such gains may be pre-programmed and/or set on a per-display-panel basis at manufacturing (e.g., in response to per-display-panel testing). Moreover, the amount of gain may vary based on the desired luminance level (e.g., pixel value). Additionally, the sub-pixel uniformity digital code conversion sub-block  116  converts the pixel values from a luminance or current domain into a digital code (e.g., grayscale) interpretable by the electronic display  12  (e.g., the support circuitry  42  of the electronic display  12 ). Moreover, in some embodiments, the sub-pixel uniformity digital code conversion sub-block  116  may also compensate for non-linearities in luminance outputs with regard to the time modulation of the display pixels  52 . Indeed, different display pixels  52  (e.g., due to manufacturing tolerances/differences) may exhibit different amounts of luminance output given the same (e.g., compensated via the sub-pixel uniformity gain correction sub-block  114 ) current and time multiplexing. For example, the voltage swings of the time multiplexing may cause different luminance outputs for different display pixels  52 . Moreover, in some embodiments, the sub-pixel uniformity gain correction sub-block  114  may perform a normalization of gains that are implemented by the sub-pixel uniformity digital code conversion sub-block  116  during the conversion to the digital code. 
     As discussed herein, due at least in part to the time multiplexing of display pixels  52 , it may be desired to perform burn-in compensation for the display pixels  52  after other display image processing techniques (e.g., via other processing blocks  106 ) or any change to the image data that would cause a change in total current draw (e.g., time integrated current over the image frame) of the display pixels  52 . Indeed, any changes in luminance affecting the current after the BIC/BIS block  102  would not be taken into account during estimating the age of the display pixels  52  and/or may alter the desired burn-in compensation. Moreover, as the sub-pixel uniformity digital code conversion sub-block  116  performs the conversion to the display image data  44 , such conversion may be after the BIC/BIS block  102 . As such, in some embodiments, the SPUC block  104  may be separated into the sub-pixel uniformity gain correction sub-block  114  and the sub-pixel uniformity digital code conversion sub-block  116 , with the BIC/BIS block  102  disposed (e.g., physically and/or functionally) therebetween. 
     To help illustrate,  FIG.  11    is a flow diagram of the BIC/BIS block  102  and SPUC block  104  receiving input image data  118  and outputting display image data  44 . As should be appreciated, as used herein, the input image data  118  may be in any suitable format (e.g., linear domain, gamma domain, current domain) and be generally after other image processing blocks  106 , if implemented. The sub-pixel uniformity gain correction sub-block  114  applies individual gains to pixel values of the input image data  118  based on known or estimated differences (e.g., due to manufacturing differences) between the display pixels  52  to generate gain corrected image data  120 . As discussed further below, the gain corrected image data  120  may be compensated for burn-in related aging and/or temperature variations across the display panel  40  to generate compensated image data  122 . Furthermore, the sub-pixel uniformity digital code conversion sub-block  116  converts the compensated image data  122  into display image data  44  while compensating for the current/luminance response of different display pixels  52  exhibited due to the time multiplexing implementation of the display panel  40  (e.g., micro-LED display panel  40 ). 
     As discussed above, the BIC/BIS block  102  tracks an estimated amount of aging of each display pixel  52  or grouping of display pixels  52  and compensates the image data (e.g., input image data  118 , gain corrected image data  120 , or source image data  98 ) for burn-in related aging of the display pixels  52 . Additionally, in some embodiments, the BIC/BIS block  102  may also compensate for temperature-based current scaling due to the temperature of the display pixels  52 . As should be appreciated, although discussed above in the context of the SPUC block  104 , the features of the BIC/BIS block  102  may be implemented with or without the SPUC block  104  or other image processing blocks  106 . 
       FIG.  12    is a block diagram of the BIC sub-block  112 . To compensate for burn-in related aging, the BIC sub-block  112  may apply gains  124  to input pixel values  126  (e.g., of input image data  118 , gain corrected image data  120 , or source image data  98 ) to generate output pixel values  128 . The gains  124  may gain down input pixel values  126  that will be sent to the less-aged display pixels  52  (which would otherwise be brighter) without gaining down, by gaining down less, or by gaining up the input pixel values  126  that will be sent to the display pixels  52  with the greatest amount of aging (which would otherwise be darker). In this way, the display pixels  52  of the electronic display  12  that are likely to exhibit the greatest amount of aging will appear to be equally as bright as pixels with less aging. As such, perceivable burn-in artifacts on the electronic display  12  may be reduced or eliminated. 
     To calculate the gains  124  the BIC sub-block  112  may utilize one or more gain maps  130  corresponding to the estimated aging (e.g., burn-in history map(s)) and/or a normalization factor  132 . The gain maps  130  may be two-dimensional (2D) maps of per-color-component pixel gains generated based on a cumulative estimated aging of each display pixel  52  or grouping of multiple display pixels  52 . Additionally, in some embodiments, the gain maps  130  may be upsampled (e.g., depending on implementation) to spatially support the pixel-resolution of the display panel  40 . For example, the burn-in history map(s) storing the estimated aging of the display pixels  52  may be downsampled compared to the pixel-resolution of the display panel  40  (e.g., for storage and/or bandwidth reduction), and the burn-in history map(s) and/or gain maps  130  derived therefrom may be upsampled accordingly. Moreover, in some embodiments, the normalization factor  132  may be used to normalize the luminance output of the display pixels  52  with respect to a maximum gain for each color component. 
     In addition to the gain maps  130  and/or normalization factor  132 , in some embodiments, the BIC sub-block  112  may utilize a current adaptation factor  134  to account for a change in current due to the temperature  136  of the display pixels  52  and/or brightness setting  138  of the electronic display  12 . As should be appreciated, the desired brightness setting of a time multiplexed display panel  40  may be related to the current at which the display pixels  52  are driven. However, the actual current delivered to the display pixels  52  may vary depending on temperature. As such, a global current value  140 , based on the brightness setting  138  (e.g., global brightness setting) may be used (e.g., via a global current look-up-table  142 ) to ascertain a global current indicative of the actual current delivered for a preset temperature. Additionally, in some embodiments, a temperature grid  144  may provide temperatures  136  at one or more locations across the electronic device  10 . As should be appreciated, the temperature grid  144  may be uniformly spaced or non-uniformly spaced across the display panel  40 . Moreover, in some embodiments, the temperatures  136  for each display pixel  52  or groups of display pixels  52  may be interpolated from the temperature grid  144 . Furthermore, in some scenarios, a single temperature value (e.g., measured, estimated, or preset value) may utilized instead of individual temperatures  136 . The temperatures  136  (or single temperature value) may undergo a temperature scale/offset to define a temperature differential  146  indicative of the local temperature&#39;s delta from a preset temperature. The temperature differential  146  may be utilized with the global current  140  (e.g., via using look-up-table) to perform a temperature-based current scaling and generate values of the local currents  148 . As should be appreciated, the temperature differential  146  or temperature  136  may be utilized in the temperature-based current scaling depending on implementation. The local currents  148  for each display pixel  52  or groups of display pixels  52  maybe used to calculate the current adaptation factor  134  (e.g., via a look-up-table). As should be appreciated, while look-up-tables are discussed herein, the calculations of the BIC/BIS block  102  may be, in whole or in part, performed via hardware or software (e.g., via the controller processor  94  and controller memory  96 ). By taking into account the current adaptation factor  134 , the normalization factor  132 , and the gain maps  130 , the gains  124  may be calculated and applied to the input pixel values  126  to generate the output pixel values  128  (e.g., compensated image data  122 ). 
     To maintain the estimated amount of aging (e.g., via one or more burn-in history maps) the burn-in statistics sub-block  110  may calculate history updates  150  to be aggregated over time using the output pixel values  128  of the burn-in compensation sub-block  112 , as shown in  FIG.  13   . In addition to changing the delivered current, the local temperature  136  may also affect the aging of display pixels  52 . As such, the temperature  136  (e.g., from the temperature grid  144  or single temperature value) or temperature differential  146  calculated therefrom may be used to calculate a temperature adaption factor  152  to account for the aging of the display pixels due to temperature. Additionally, a current aging factor  154  may be calculated (e.g., via a look-up-table) based on the local currents  148  of the display pixels  52  to account for the contribution of aging of the display pixels due to their current utilization. In some embodiments, the local currents  148  may be normalized via a current normalizer  156  prior to calculating the current aging factor  154 . 
     To generate the history update  150 , the temperature adaptation factor  152  and the current aging factor  154  may be combined (e.g. via multiplication) with a duty cycle factor  158 . Indeed, as the temperature adaptation factor  152  and the current aging factor  154  account for the temperature and current utilization, respectively, of the display pixels  52 , the duty cycle factor  158  accounts for how long (e.g., duty cycle per image frame) the pixels are active during the time multiplexed image frame in accordance with the output pixel values  128 . For example, the brightness setting  138  may be used to calculate a global duty cycle  160  (e.g., via a look-up-table), which may be combined with the output pixel values  128  to generate the duty cycle factor. As such, by combining the temperature adaptation factor  152 , the current aging factor  154 , and the duty cycle factor  158 , a history update  150  is generated to estimate the amount of aging that has occurred for each display pixel  52  or group of display pixels  52 . As should be appreciated, each look-up-table discussed above, or calculation represented thereby, may be shared by or specific to each color component display pixel type. For example, the global duty cycle LUT, the current aging LUT, the temperature adaptation LUT, and/or other LUTs discussed herein may be different for red, green, and/or blue display pixels  52 . 
       FIG.  14    is a flowchart  170  of an example process for performing burn-in compensation, which may be in conjunction with sub-pixel uniformity correction. In some embodiments, image processing circuitry  28  may receive source image data  98  (process block  172 ) and perform one or more display image processing techniques (e.g., via one or more image processing blocks  100 ) on the source image data  98  (process block  174 ). Additionally, in some embodiments, sub-pixel uniformity gain correction may be performed (process block  176 ) on the processed image data (e.g., input image data  118 ) to generate gain corrected image data  120 . As should be appreciated, the gain corrected image data  120  may be indicative of the desired luminance level corrected for sub-pixel non-uniformities in brightness for a given current. Burn-in compensation may be performed (e.g., via the BIC sub-block  112 ) on the gain corrected image data  120  to generate compensated image data  122  (process block  178 ). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the burn-in compensation may include calculating a temperature-based current adaptation factor  134  (process block  180 ) and/or calculating one or more gain maps  130  from an estimated amount of aging (process block  182 ), such as one or more burn-in history maps. Additionally, burn-in statistics may be gathered (e.g., via the BIS sub-block  110 ) based on the compensated image data  122  (process block  184 ), and the burn-in statistics may be used to update one or more burn-in history maps (e.g., a map for each color component display pixel type) indicative of the estimated display pixel aging (process block  186 ). Further, in some embodiments, a sub-pixel uniformity digital code conversion may be performed on the compensated image data  122  to generate display image data  44  (process block  188 ), and the display image data  44  may be output to the display panel  40  (process block  190 ). 
     Although the above referenced flowchart  170  is shown in a given order, in certain embodiments, process/decision blocks may be reordered, altered, deleted, and/or occur simultaneously. Additionally, the referenced flowchart  170  is given as an illustrative tool and further decision and process blocks may also be added depending on implementation. 
     The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should be further understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. 
     It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled so as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users. 
     The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and applied to material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claims appended to the end of this specification contain one or more elements designated as “means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ” or “step for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ”, it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claims containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20230308
Publication Date: 20241126
Grant Date: 20241126
Priority Date: 20230308
Inventors: YOUNG, VINCENT Z
CHAPPALLI, MAHESH B
KOH, TAE-WOOK
ZHANG, YIFAN
Price, Jared S
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G09G2320/041", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2320/0233", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2320/046", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G3/32", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G3/32", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2320/046", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2320/041", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G2320/0233", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09G3/32", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 92635843