Brightness adjusting device, display device, computer-readable recording medium, and brightness adjusting method

• US 8,648,969 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2008
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp NEC Display Solutions, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: NEC Display Solutions, Ltd. (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsui, Katsuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Harold, Jefferey
• Assistant Examiner(s): TEITELBAUM, MICHAEL E
• Application Number:
  US12/734,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20110043705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,910 Days
• Field of Search: 348/687
• US Class Current: 348/687
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0271 Adjustment of the gradation levels within the range of the gradation scale, e.g. by redistribution or clipping
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/064 by time modulation of the brightness of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers

Abstract

A brightness adjusting device of the present invention includes: a brightness setting section that accepts input of brightness change information that is an instruction to change a brightness setting value; a brightness adjusting section that performs brightness adjustment by either one of a first brightness adjusting unit and a second brightness adjusting unit having different characteristics from each other, in accordance with the instruction that is input from the brightness setting section; a determining section that determines whether or not the brightness adjustment of the brightness adjusting section switches from the first brightness adjusting unit to the second brightness adjusting unit; and an output section that outputs an alarm when the brightness adjustment of the brightness adjusting section is determined to switch from the first brightness adjusting unit to the second brightness adjusting unit based on a determination result of the determining section.

Claims

1. A brightness adjusting device, comprising:

a brightness setting section that accepts an input of brightness change information that comprises an instruction to change a brightness setting value;

a brightness adjusting section that performs a brightness adjustment by one of a brightness adjusting unit and a video signal adjusting unit having different characteristics from each other, in accordance with an instruction that is input from the brightness setting section;

a determining section that determines whether the brightness adjustment of the brightness adjusting section switches from the brightness adjusting unit to the video signal adjusting unit;

an output section that outputs an alarm when the brightness adjustment of the brightness adjusting section is determined to switch from the brightness adjusting unit to the video signal adjusting unit based on a determination result of the determining section; and

a storage section that stores first and second reference values comprising brightness setting values in cases of the brightness adjustment switching between the brightness adjusting unit and the video signal adjusting unit, the first reference value being less than the second reference value,

wherein the brightness adjusting section performs a brightness adjustment by the video signal adjusting unit in a case where the brightness change information from the brightness setting section is in a range from a minimum value to the first reference value and in a range from the second reference value to a maximum value, and the brightness adjusting section performs a brightness adjustment by the brightness adjusting unit in a case where the brightness change information from the brightness setting section is in a range from the first reference value to the second reference value.

2. The brightness adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the output section displays a warning on a screen of a display device in which the brightness adjusting device is provided.

3. The brightness adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the brightness adjusting section stops a brightness change until an elapse of a fixed time or until an input of a certain operation, even if the brightness change information is input from the brightness setting section when the brightness adjustment of the brightness adjusting section is determined to switch from the brightness adjusting unit to the video signal adjusting unit based on the determination result of the determining section.

6. The brightness adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein, when the brightness change information is input from the brightness setting section when the brightness adjustment of the brightness adjusting section is determined to switch from the brightness adjusting unit to the video signal adjusting unit based on the determination result of the determining section, the brightness adjusting section stops a brightness change.

10. The brightness adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein, between the minimum value and the maximum value, the brightness adjusting section performs only one of the brightness adjustment by the video signal adjusting unit and the brightness adjustment by the brightness adjusting unit.

11. The brightness adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the brightness adjusting section performs the brightness adjustment only by the video signal adjusting unit in a case where the brightness change information from the brightness setting section is in the range from the minimum value to the first reference value or in the range from the second reference value to a maximum value.

12. The brightness adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the brightness adjusting section performs the brightness adjustment only by the brightness adjusting unit in the case where the brightness change information from the brightness setting section is in the range from the first reference value to the second reference value.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores a computer program that causes a computer to function as:

a brightness setting section that accepts an input of brightness change information that comprises an instruction to change a brightness setting value;

an adjusting section that performs brightness adjustment by one of a brightness adjusting unit and a video signal adjusting unit having different characteristics from each other, in accordance with an instruction that is input from the brightness setting section;

a determining section that determines whether the brightness adjustment of the brightness adjusting section switches from the brightness adjusting unit to the video signal adjusting unit;

an output section that outputs an alarm when the brightness adjustment of the brightness adjusting section is determined to switch from the brightness adjusting unit to the video signal adjusting unit based on a determination result of the determining section; and

a storage section that stores first and second reference values comprising brightness setting values in cases of the brightness adjustment switching between the brightness adjusting unit and the video signal adjusting unit, the first reference value being less than the second reference value,

wherein the brightness adjusting section performs a brightness adjustment by the video signal adjusting unit in a case where the brightness change information from the brightness setting section is in a range from a minimum value to the first reference value and in a range from the second reference value to a maximum value, and the brightness adjusting section performs a brightness adjustment by the brightness adjusting unit in a case where the brightness change information from the brightness setting section is in a range from the first reference value to the second reference value.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 4, wherein the brightness adjusting section stops a brightness change until an elapse of a fixed time or until an input of a certain operation, even if the brightness change information is input from the brightness setting section when the brightness adjustment of the brightness adjusting section is determined to switch from the brightness adjusting unit to the video signal adjusting unit based on the determination result of the determining section.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 4, wherein, when the brightness change information is input from the brightness setting section when the brightness adjustment of the brightness adjusting section is determined to switch from the brightness adjusting unit to the video signal adjusting unit based on the determination result of the determining section, the brightness adjusting section stops a brightness change.

5. A brightness setting method, comprising:

a brightness setting of accepting an input of brightness change information that comprises an instruction to change a brightness setting value;

performing a brightness adjustment by one of a brightness adjusting unit and a video signal adjusting unit having different characteristics from each other, in accordance with an instruction that is input by the brightness setting;

determining whether the brightness adjustment switches from the brightness adjusting unit to the video signal adjusting unit;

outputting an alarm when the brightness adjustment is determined to switch from the brightness adjusting unit to the video signal adjusting unit based on a determination result of the determining; and

storing first and second reference values comprising brightness setting values in cases of the brightness adjustment switching between the brightness adjusting unit and the video signal adjusting unit, the first reference value being less than the second reference value,

wherein a brightness adjustment is performed by the video signal adjusting unit in a case where the brightness change information from the brightness setting is in a range from a minimum value to the first reference value and in a range from the second reference value to a maximum value, and a brightness adjustment is performed by the brightness adjusting unit in a case where the brightness change information from the brightness setting is in a range from the first reference value to the second reference value.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the brightness adjustment stops a brightness change until an elapse of a fixed time or until an input of a certain operation, even if the brightness change information is input from the brightness adjustment when the brightness adjustment is determined to switch from the brightness adjusting unit to the video signal adjusting unit based on the determination result.