METHOD FOR FOCUS CONTROL AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE THEREOF

• US 20160019868A1
• Filed: 07/17/2015
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Ken-Hyung, Heo, Chang-Ryong, Kim, Tae-Kyun, Kim, Tae-Seon, Kim, Min-Young
• Granted Patent: US 10,134,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0006 Arrays G02B3/02, G02B5/188 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/56 by projecting aerial or floating images
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/08 Mirrors vehicle mirrors involving special optical features B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/391 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats

Abstract

An electronic device includes a display unit configured to display a plurality images, an eye tracking sensor configured to detect a eye-focused area on the display unit, a reflective layer, a reflective control layer configured to change a regional reflectivity of the reflective layer, and a processor configured to receive the eye-focused area on the display unit from the eye tracking sensor, and determine a focus image within the eye-focused area and an unfocused image out of the eye-focused area, and cause the reflective control layer to reflect the unfocused image. In some embodiment, the processor is configured to cause the reflective control layer not to reflect the focused image.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a display unit configured to display an image;

a reflective layer;

a focus control layer disposed between the display unit and the reflective layer,

a processor configured to control a focus of the image displayed on the display unit through the focus control layer.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the focus control layer comprises a lens array including a plurality of lenses.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein each lens is configured to determine a regional reflectivity of the reflective layer.

4. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein respective refractive indices of the plurality of lenses of the lens array vary based on respective applied voltages.

5. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein each lens included in the lens array corresponds to each pixel included in a pixel array of the display unit.

6. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein each lens included in the lens array corresponds to a plurality of pixels included in a pixel array of the display unit.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

identify the occurrence of an image display event through the display panel,

identifies a location where an image is to be displayed, and

controls the focus of the location, where the image is to be displayed, through the focus control layer.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to control the focus of the image displayed through the display panel by changing the refractive indices of lenses corresponding to the location where the image is to be displayed, among lenses included in a micro lens array included in the focus control layer.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to control the focus of the image displayed through the display panel by applying a voltage to the lenses corresponding to the location where the image is to be displayed.

10. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to identifies whether the location where the image is to be displayed is included in an important display area, and makes a control to make the refractive indices of lenses corresponding to the important display area different from those of lenses corresponding to an area other than the important display area when the location is included in the important display area.

11. A method in an electronic device, comprising:

identifying occurrence of an image display event;

identifying a location where an image is to be displayed; and

controlling the focus of the location, where the image is to be displayed, through a focus control layer.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the controlling of the focus comprises:

controlling the focus of the image displayed on a display unit by changing the refractive indices of lenses corresponding to the location where the image is to be displayed, among lenses included in a micro lens array included in the focus control layer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the controlling of the focus further comprises:

controlling the focus of the image displayed on the display unit by applying a voltage to the lenses corresponding to the location where the image is to be displayed.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying whether the location where the image is to be displayed is included in an important display area; and

making a control to make the refractive indices of lenses corresponding to the important display area different from those of lenses corresponding to an area other than the important display area when the location is included in the important display area.

15. An electronic device comprising:

a display unit configured to display a plurality images;

an eye tracking sensor configured to detect a eye-focused area on the display unit;

a reflective layer;

a reflective control layer configured to change a regional reflectivity of the reflective layer; and

a processor configured to;

receive the eye-focused area on the display unit from the eye tracking sensor;

determine a focus image within the eye-focused area and an unfocused image out of the eye-focused area; and

cause the reflective control layer to reflect the unfocused image.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the reflective control layer not to reflect the focused image.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein each lens is configured to determine a regional reflectivity of the reflective panel.

18. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein respective refractive indices of the plurality of lenses of the lens array vary according to respective applied voltages.

19. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein each lens included in the lens array corresponds to each pixel included in a pixel array of the display unit.