Display Apparatus and Driving Method Therefor

• US 20070296886A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Inada, Tetsuji, Asano, Mitsuyasu, Katsu, Yoshihiro, Furukawa, Norimasa, Murakami, Ichiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,248,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/61
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133603 with LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133609 including means for improving the color mixing, e.g. white

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a display section, a backlight, and a drive section. The display section is formed from a liquid crystal display apparatus of the transmission type having a display area formed from pixels arranged in a matrix. The backlight is formed from a plurality of light source units disposed individually corresponding to a plurality of display area units which form the display area and configured to illuminate the back side of the display section. The drive section is configured to drive the display section and the backlight based on input signals from the outside. The drive section includes a control section configured to control a light emitting state of the light source unit corresponding to each of the display area units based on a display area unit internal maximum input signal which indicates a maximum value from among the input signals corresponding to the display area unit.

Claims

1. A display apparatus, comprising:

a display section formed from a liquid crystal display apparatus of the transmission type having a display area formed from pixels arranged in a matrix;

a backlight formed from a plurality of light source units disposed individually corresponding to a plurality of display area units which form the display area and configured to illuminate the back side of said display section; and

a drive section configured to drive said display section and said backlight based on input signals from the outside;

said drive section including a control section configured to control a light emitting state of the light source unit corresponding to each of said display area units based on a display area unit internal maximum input signal which indicates a maximum value from among the input signals corresponding to the display area unit;

said control section being operable to check whether or not there exists, around a low luminance light emitting display area unit wherein the value of the display area unit internal maximum input signal is lower than a first prescribed value, a high luminance light emitting display area unit whose display area unit internal maximum input signal has a value equal to or higher than a second prescribed value which is higher than the first prescribed value and perform a process of increasing, where such a high luminance light emitting display area unit exists around the low luminance light emitting display area unit, and the luminance of the light source unit corresponding to the low luminance of the light emitting display area unit.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, where the low luminance light emitting display area unit exists at least adjacent to the high luminance light emitting display area unit, said control section performs a process of increasing the luminance of the light source unit corresponding to the low luminance light emitting display area unit.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first prescribed value is equal to or lower than 25% the highest value of the input signal.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control section checks whether or not there exists a low luminance light emitting display area unit and besides checks whether or not a high luminance light emitting display area unit exists around the low luminance light emitting display area unit.

5. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second prescribed value is higher than 25% the maximum value among a plurality of the value of the display area unit internal maximum input signals.

6. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control section determines a ratio of the low luminance light emitting display area units to all of the display area units and performs, where the ratio of the low luminance light emitting display area units is equal to or higher than a predetermined value and a high luminance light emitting display area unit exists around any of the low luminance light emitting display area units, a process of increasing the luminance of the light source unit corresponding to the low luminance light emitting display area unit.

7. The display apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first prescribed value is equal to or lower than 25% the highest value of the input signal.

8. The display apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second prescribed value is higher than 25% the maximum value among a plurality of the value of the display area unit internal maximum input signals.

9. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control section checks whether or not a high luminance light emitting display area unit exists adjacent to a plurality of successive low luminance light emitting display area units and performs, where a high luminance light emitting display area unit exists adjacent to a plurality of successive low luminance light emitting display area units, a process of increasing the luminance of the light source unit by a greater amount as the low luminance light emitting display area unit which corresponds to the light source unit is positioned nearer to the high luminance light emitting display area unit.

10. The display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said control section determines a ratio of the low luminance light emitting display area units to all of the display area units and performs, where the ratio of the low luminance light emitting display area units is equal to or higher than a predetermined value and the high luminance light emitting display area unit exists adjacent a plurality of successive low luminance light emitting display area units, a process of increasing the luminance of the light source unit by a greater amount as the low luminance light emitting display area unit which corresponds to the light source unit is positioned nearer to the high luminance light emitting display area unit.

11. The display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first prescribed value is equal to or lower than 25% the highest value of the input signal.

12. The display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second prescribed value is higher than 25% the maximum value among a plurality of the value of the display area unit internal maximum input signals.

13. A driving method for a display apparatus which includes:

a display section formed from a liquid crystal display apparatus of the transmission type having a display area formed from pixels arranged in a matrix;

a backlight formed from a plurality of light source units disposed individually corresponding to a plurality of display area units which form the display area and configured to illuminate the back side of said display section; and

a drive section configured to drive said display section and said backlight based on input signals from the outside;

said drive section including a control section configured to control a light emitting state of the light source unit corresponding to each of said display area units based on a display area unit internal maximum input signal which indicates a maximum value from among the input signals corresponding to the display area unit;

wherein said control section performs the steps of

checking whether or not there exists, around a low luminance light emitting display area unit wherein the value of the display area unit internal maximum input signal is lower than a first prescribed value, a high luminance light emitting display area unit whose display area unit internal maximum input signal has a value equal to or higher than a second prescribed value which is higher than the first prescribed value, and

performing a process of increasing, where such a high luminance light emitting display area unit exists around the low luminance light emitting display area unit, the luminance of the light source unit corresponding to the low luminance light emitting display area unit.

14. The driving method for the display apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said control section further performs the steps of:

determining a ratio of the low luminance light emitting display area units to all of the display area units;

checking whether or not a high luminance light emitting display area unit exists around any of the low luminance light emitting display area units; and

performing, where the ratio of the low luminance light emitting display area units is equal to or higher than a predetermined value and a high luminance light emitting display area unit exists around any of the low luminance light emitting display area units, a process of increasing the luminance of the light source unit corresponding to the low luminance light emitting display area unit.

15. The driving method for the display apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said control section further performs the steps of:

checking whether or not a high luminance light emitting display area unit exists adjacent a plurality of successive low luminance light emitting display area units; and

performing, where a high luminance light emitting display area unit exists adjacent a plurality of successive low luminance light emitting display area units, a process of increasing the luminance of the light source unit by a greater amount as the low luminance light emitting display area unit which corresponds to the light source unit is positioned nearer to the high luminance light emitting display area unit.