Apparatus and method and means for producing a natural color display

Abstract

A method for producing a natural color display on a display panel, wherein means for reformatting video signal images for a grey-scale matrix liquid crystal or ferroelectric liquid crystal panel such that frames of image are presented sequentially in time, each frame containing the information of a particular color, and then illuminating said image with the appropriate primary color light. Such images are presented to the viewer at a rate above the color fusion frequency of the eye and thus appear as a full color image.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus for displaying natural color of an input video signal utilizing a set of three frames of said input video signal, comprising: a display panel means   a sync separator means for extracting horizontal sync information and vertical sync information from each frame of said input video signal;   a divide-by-three counter having three output lines, said counter receiving said vertical sync information associated with each frame and issuing a digital control signal in the high state on one of said three output lines for each frame, wherein said digital control signal appears once on each of said three output lines for said set of three frames;   a color separator means for extracting brightness information on three primary colors contained in each frame of said input video signal and for providing individual brightness analog signals corresponding to each of said three primary colors for each frame;   a multiplexing means for multiplexing each of said three output lines with a corresponding one of said individual brightness analog signals wherein a modulated signal is issued to said display panel for each frame, said modulated signal containing brightness information corresponding to a selected primary color of said three primary colors, wherein the selected primary color for each frame corresponds to one of said individual brightness analog signals multiplexed with said digital control signal; and   means, responsive to said horizontal sync information and said digital control signal, for lighting said display panel with the selected primary color for each frame in correspondence with said modulating signal.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a horizontal sync pulse counter for supplying, at the end of each frame, said horizontal sync information to said means for lighting said display panel. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said means for lighting said display panel with the selected primary color includes a plurality of logical AND switches connected to a corresponding plurality of light emitting sources triggered by the simultaneity of said horizontal sync. information and said digital control signal to energize the light source of the selected primary color for each frame. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said modulating signal activates a first plurality of horizontal drivers and a second plurality of vertical drivers to display each frame of said input video signal on said display panel. 
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said display panel comprises a liquid crystal type of display. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said display panel includes ferroelectric liquid crystal material. 
     
     
       7. A method for displaying natural color of an input video signal on a display panel utilizing a set of three frames of said input video signal, comprising the steps of: extracting vertical sync information from each frame of said input video signal;   generating, based on the presence of said vertical sync information, a digital control signal in the high state for each frame;   extracting brightness information on three primary colors contained in each frame of said input video signal;   providing individual brightness analog signal corresponding to each of said three primary colors for each frame;   multiplexing said digital control signal in the high state with a corresponding one of said individual brightness analog signals wherein a modulated signal is issued to said display panel for each frame, said modulated signal containing brightness information corresponding to a selected primary color of said three primary colors, wherein the selected primary color for each frame corresponds to one of said individual brightness analog signals multiplexed with said digital control signal, and wherein the selected primary color is different for each frame in said set of three frames; and   lighting said display panel with the selected primary color for each frame in correspondence with said modulating signal.