Display device and display system

• US 8,405,686 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2009
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Tanizoe, Hideki, Ashizaki, Yoshihiro, Yamagishi, Nobuhiko, Nakamura, Yoshitomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US12/650,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20100201716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 345/8, 345/88, 345/102, 345/156, 345/204, 345/207, 345/214, 345/556, 345/590, 345/600, 345/690, 348/607, 348/673, 348/739, 348/745, 348/E5.066, 349 58- 68, 349/114, 349/199
• US Class Current: 345/690
• 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 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/16 Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2007 Display of intermediate tones
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

A display device according to the present invention includes a display which is provided on a front surface of the display device and is a display surface on which images are displayed, an illuminance sensor which is provided on a rear surface of the display device and is a first measuring unit measuring illuminance on the rear surface, and a control unit which is a first control unit controlling brightness of the images displayed on the display.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising:

a display surface provided on a front surface of said display device, on which images are displayed;

a first measuring unit provided on a rear surface of said display device and measuring illuminance on said rear surface;

a first control unit performing brightness control on said images displayed on said display surface in accordance with a measurement result of said first measuring unit,

a second measuring unit provided on said front surface of said display device and measuring illuminance on said front surface; and

a calculating unit calculating reflection brightness on said front surface from said measurement result of said second measuring unit,

wherein said first control unit performs said brightness control, black level control, gamma control and saturation control on said images displayed on said display surface in accordance with at least one of said measurement result of said first measuring unit and a result of said calculating unit,

wherein said first control unit performs said brightness control on said images displayed on said display surface in accordance with at least one of said measurement result of said first measuring unit and a measurement result of said second measuring unit.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said first control unit performs black level control on said images displayed on said display surface in accordance with said measurement result of said at least one of said first and second measuring units.

3. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising

a unit measuring an average picture luminance gradation level of said images, wherein said first control unit performs said brightness control on said images displayed on said display surface in accordance with said average picture luminance gradation level.

4. The display device according to claim 3, further comprising

first and second reference tables used in setting of a first control value corresponding to said average picture luminance gradation level,

wherein said first and second reference tables are selected in accordance with said measurement result of said at least one of said first and second measuring units,

wherein said first control unit performs said brightness control on said images displayed on said display surface also in accordance with said first control value set in said selected first and second reference tables.

5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said first control unit performs gamma control on said images displayed on said display surface in accordance with said measurement result of said at least one of said first and second measuring units.

6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein said first control unit performs saturation control on said images displayed on said display surface in accordance with said measurement result of said at least one of said first and second measuring units.

7. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising

third and fourth reference tables used in setting of a second control value in at least any one of said brightness control, black level control, gamma control and saturation control of said images, wherein said first and second measuring units are made to correspond to said third and fourth reference tables in an exchangeable manner,

wherein said first control unit performs said at least any one of said brightness control, said black level control, said gamma control and said saturation control by said second control value set in said third and fourth reference tables.

8. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising first switching units switching between ON and OFF of a function of said at least one of said first and second measuring units.

9. The display device according to claim 8, wherein a control value corresponding to one of said first and second measuring units set to be OFF by said first switching units is a fixed value set in advance.

10. The display device according to claim 7, further comprising setting units setting information indicating a positional relationship between said display surface and an external lighting source.

11. The display device according to claim 10, wherein said setting units also set information indicating a distance between said display surface and an outer wall.

12. The display device according to claim 11, further comprising a second switching unit switching control setting of an operation mode of said first control unit in accordance with said positional relationship between said display surface and said external lighting source and said distance between said display surface and said outer wall.

13. The display device according to claim 12, wherein said control setting is control setting for switching a correspondence between said first measuring unit and said third and fourth reference tables and a correspondence between said second measuring unit and said third and fourth reference tables.

14. A display system, comprising a plurality of display devices each including:

a display surface provided on a front surface of said display device, on which images are displayed;

a first measuring unit provided on a rear surface of said display device and 20 measuring illuminance on said rear surface;

a first control unit performing brightness control on said images displayed on said display surface in accordance with a measurement result of said first measuring unit; and

a second measuring unit provided on a front surface of said display device and measuring illuminance on said front surface,

wherein one display device among said plurality of display devices includes a distributing unit distributing, to said plurality of display devices other than said one display device, at least one of said measurement result on illuminance of said first measuring unit, and the measurement result on illuminance of said first measuring unit and a measurement result on illuminance of said second measuring unit of said one display device,

wherein said plurality of display devices other than said one display device each include a second control unit performing said brightness control on said images displayed on said display surface of said plurality of display devices other than said one display device in accordance with said distributed measurement result on illuminance.

15. A display system, comprising a plurality of display devices each including:

a display surface provided on a front surface of said display device, on which images are displayed;

a first measuring unit provided on a rear surface of said display device and measuring illuminance on said rear surface;

a first control unit performing brightness control on said images displayed on said display surface in accordance with a measurement result of said first measuring unit; and

a second measuring unit provided on a front surface of said display device and measuring illuminance on said front surface,

wherein one display device among said plurality of display devices includes;

an obtaining unit obtaining at least one of said measurement result on illuminance of said first measuring unit, and said measurement result on illuminance of said first measuring unit and a measurement result on illuminance of said second measuring unit of each of said plurality of display devices other than said one display device; and

a third control unit performing said brightness control on said images displayed on said display surface of said plurality of display devices in accordance with said measurement result obtained by said obtaining unit and said measurement results of said first and second measuring units of said one display device.

16. The display system according to claim 15, further comprising:

a communication unit configured to receive measurement data from a master display device and wherein the first control unit performs brightness control based on the received measurement data if in a remote mode and based on the measurement result of said first measuring unit if in a local mode.