DISPLAY DEVICE, LIQUID CRYSTAL MODULE, AND IMAGE DISPLAY SYSTEM

• US 20130021349A1
• Filed: 11/01/2010
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kohtoku, Yukihide
• Application Number:
  US13/638,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20130021349A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/501
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13318 Circuits comprising a photodetector
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133601 for spatial active dimming
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133603 with LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/58 Arrangements comprising a monitoring photodetector
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0233 Improving the luminance or brightness uniformity across the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/041 Temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3426 the different display panel areas being distributed in two dimensions, e.g. matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence

Abstract

A display device includes a display panel in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a display region; a plurality of photosensors each configured to receive external light irradiating the display region of the display panel; and a graphic display controller in which a reference value is preset for light reception information obtained by the photosensors and which is configured to display, when one or more of values for the light reception information exceeding the reference value is obtained by the photosensors, a graphic image indicating predetermined information in the display region based on the light reception information.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a display panel in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a display region;

a plurality of photosensors each configured to receive external light irradiating the display region of the display panel; and

a graphic display controller in which a reference value is preset for light reception information obtained by the photosensors and which is configured to display, when one or more of values for the light reception information exceeding the reference value is obtained by the photosensors, a graphic image indicating predetermined information in the display region based on the light reception information.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein

when a proportion of an area of part of the display region corresponding to the one or more of values for the light reception information exceeding the reference value to an entire area of the display region exceeds a certain proportion, the graphic display controller displays the graphic image.

3. The display device of claim 1, wherein

in a region of the display region other than the part of the display region corresponding to the one or more of values for the light reception information exceeding the reference value, the graphic display controller sets, based on the light reception information obtained by the photosensors, a graphic display area where the graphic image is displayed.

4. The display device of claim 3, wherein

the graphic display controller changes dimensions of the graphic image depending on the graphic display area.

5. The display device of claim 3, wherein

the graphic display controller divides, based on the light reception information obtained by the light reception sensors, the region of the display region other than the part of the display region corresponding to the one or more of values for the light reception information exceeding the reference value into a plurality of divided regions, and sets the graphic display area or an image display area in each of the divided regions.

6. The display device of claim 5, wherein

the graphic display controller detects coordinate information of the graphic display area by image analysis, and sets the image display area in a region of the display region other than the graphic display area and the part of the display region corresponding to the one or more of values for the light reception information exceeding the reference value.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein

the graphic display controller displays the graphic image in a preset region of the display region.

8. The display device of claim 1, wherein

the graphic image indicates information relating to contents of a display image in the display region.

9. The display device of claim 1, wherein

the graphic image is subtitles.

10. The display device of claim 1, wherein

the graphic display controller displays the graphic image when one or more of values for the light reception information exceeding the reference value is obtained in a center part of the display region.

11. The display device of claim 1, further comprising:

a switcher configured to switch between a graphic display mode in which the graphic image is displayed by the graphic display controller and a graphic non-display mode in which the graphic display mode is not executed; and

a timer into which a setting for a time period for which the graphic display mode is executed is saved in advance,

wherein the switcher switches between the graphic display mode and the graphic non-display mode based on the time period saved into the timer.

13. The display device of claim 1, wherein

the photosensors are dispersively arranged in the display region.

14. The display device of claim 13, wherein

each of the photosensors is, as viewed in plane, arranged in a region of the display panel where each of the pixels is formed.

15. The display device of claim 1, further comprising:

a liquid crystal panel which is the display panel; and

a backlight unit arranged so as to face the liquid crystal panel and including an irradiator configured to emit illumination light.

16. The display device of claim 15, wherein

the photosensors are arranged inside the liquid crystal panel.

17. The display device of claim 16, wherein

apertures through which illumination light emitted from the backlight unit to the liquid crystal panel passes are formed respectively in the pixels,

a back matrix configured to block irradiation light is, as viewed in the plane, formed in a grid pattern so as to extend along a region of the liquid crystal panel between adjacent ones of the apertures, and

the photosensors are, as viewed in the plane, arranged in a region of the liquid crystal panel where the black matrix is formed.

18. The display device of claim 15, further comprising:

a backlight unit controller configured to adjust, for each of the divided regions of the display region, luminance of illumination light emitted from the backlight unit,

wherein the backlight unit controller increases the luminance of illumination light in some of the divided regions including the graphic display area.

19. The display device of claim 15, further comprising:

an intermittent drive controller configured to alternately switch between a light-off period for which the backlight unit is turned off and a light-on period for which the backlight unit is turned on,

wherein, when the intermittent drive controller switches the backlight unit to be at the light-off period, the graphic display controller displays the graphic image based on the light reception information obtained by the photosensors.

12. (canceled)

20-22. -22. (canceled)

23. An image display system comprising:

a display device including a display panel in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a display region;

an external processing device configured to generate an image signal for displaying an image in the display region and send the image signal to the display device;

a plurality of photosensors each configured to receive external light irradiating the display region of the display panel, and

a graphic display controller in which a reference value is preset for light reception information obtained by the photosensors and which is configured to display, when one or more of values for light reception information exceeding the reference value is obtained by the photosensors, a graphic image indicating predetermined information in the display region based on the light reception information.

24. A method for controlling a display panel in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a display region, the method comprising:

a first step for obtaining, at a plurality of positions of the display region of the display panel, light reception information of external light irradiating the display region; and

a second step for displaying, when one or more of values for the light reception information exceeding a preset reference value is obtained at the first step, a graphic image indicating predetermined information in the display region based on the light reception information.