Display device, method of controlling same, computer program for controlling same, and computer program storage medium

• US 20070159410A1
• Filed: 02/15/2005
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Toshiya, Yamamoto, Takeshi, Miake, Aki, Itoh, Megumi, Okuda, Mitsukazu, Doi, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,755,593 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/026 Video wall, i.e. juxtaposition of a plurality of screens to create a display screen of bigger dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device (100) includes mean value computing sections (9a, 9b) and an optical intensity regulation section (11). The mean value computing section (9a) outputs a mean luminance level (A1) for the pixels forming an image display produced in a driver seat display area (2). The mean value computing section (9b) outputs a mean luminance level (A2) for the pixels forming an image display produced in a front passenger seat display area (3). The optical intensity regulation section (11) controls (regulates) the output optical intensity of backlights (4a, 4b) according to the mean luminance level (A1) and the mean luminance level (A2). As a result, the luminance of the image display in the front passenger seat display area (3) is further limited than the luminance of the image display in the driver seat display area (2). The control ensures high visibility of image displays for the driver.

Claims

1. A display device mounted to a mode of transport including at least a first display area and a second display area which is closer to a position of an operator than is the first display area when the display device is mounted to the mode of transport,

the display device comprising:

first luminance level output means outputting a first luminance level representing luminance of an image display produced in the first display area;

second luminance level output means outputting a second luminance level representing luminance of an image display produced in the second display area; and

luminance limiting means correcting according to the first luminance level and the second luminance level so that the luminance of the image display produced in the first display area is further limited than the luminance of the image display produced in the second display area.

2. The display device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the first and second display areas are provided on a transmissive liquid crystal display device with separate backlights for each of the display areas; and

the luminance limiting means regulates output optical intensity of one of the backlights which corresponds to the first display area and/or output optical intensity of the other one of the backlights which corresponds to the second display area.

3. The display device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising motion detecting means sensing a motion of the mode of transport,

if the mode of transport is determined to be moving according to a result of sensing fed from the motion detecting means, the luminance limiting means correcting according to the first luminance level and the second luminance level so that the luminance of the image display produced in the first display area is further limited than the luminance of the image display produced in the second display area.

4. The display device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the first and second display areas are both provided on a single transmissive liquid crystal display device.

5. The display device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the first luminance level output means outputs the first luminance level according to image data for the image display produced in the first display area; and

the second luminance level output means outputs the second luminance level according to image data for the image display produced in the second display area.

6. The display device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the luminance limiting means corrects pixel values for pixels corresponding to the image display produced in the first display area and/or pixel values for pixels corresponding to the image display produced in the second display area.

7. The display device as set forth in claim 2, further comprising:

brightness detecting means for sensing brightness inside the mode of transport; and

optical intensity regulation data correction means correcting optical intensity regulation data according to an output of the brightness detecting means, the optical intensity regulation data being used to regulate the output optical intensity of the backlights, the intensity being regulated by the luminance limiting means.

8. The display device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising luminance regulation disable means precluding an operation of the luminance limiting means in response to an instruction from a driver and/or a fellow passenger.

9. The display device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a first luminance sensor sensing the luminance of the image display produced in the first display area and a second luminance sensor sensing the luminance of the image display produced in the second display area,

the first luminance level output means outputting the first luminance level according to a detection signal from the first luminance sensor,

the second luminance level output means outputting the second luminance level according to a detection signal from the second luminance sensor.

10. The display device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first display area and the second display area, when seen as a whole, have an aspect ratio of 7:

3 or greater.

11. A method of controlling a display device mounted to a mode of transport including at least a first display area and a second display area which is closer to a position of an operator than is the first display area when the display device is mounted to the mode of transport,

the method comprising the steps of:

outputting a first luminance level representing luminance of an image display produced in the first display area;

outputting a second luminance level representing luminance of an image display produced in the second display area; and

correcting according to the first luminance level and the second luminance level so that the luminance of the image display produced in the first display area is further limited than the luminance of the image display produced in the second display area.

12. A computer program controlling a display device mounted to a mode of transport including at least a first display area and a second display area which is closer to a position of an operator than is the first display area when the display device is mounted to the mode of transport,

the program causing a computer to execute:

outputting a first luminance level representing luminance of an image display produced in the first display area;

outputting a second luminance level representing luminance of an image display produced in the second display area; and

correcting according to the first luminance level and the second luminance level so that the luminance of the image display produced in the first display area is further limited than the luminance of the image display produced in the second display area.

13. A computer-readable storage medium containing the computer program of claim 12.