Display device, display method and computer program

• US 8,681,188 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakahata, Yuji, Suzuki, Toshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): PARDO, THUY N
• Application Number:
  US13/113,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20110292089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 345/175, 345/690, 345/419, 345/589, 345/581, 348/51, 348/53, 348/54, 348/56, 382/285
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

There is provided a display device including a display unit configured to include a liquid crystal panel, which displays an image by changing an orientation state of a liquid crystal, and a backlight, whose light emission state is independently controllable with respect to each of multiple regions within a screen, and to line-sequentially display in an image display region a first image based on a first image signal and a second image based on a second image signal, by alternately displaying the first image and the second image by one frame or two or more consecutive frames and sequentially switching the first image and the second image at a predetermined time interval, and a backlight control unit configured to control the light emission state of the backlight for each region in accordance with signal levels of the first image signal and the second image signal.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising:

a display unit configured to include a liquid crystal panel, which displays an image by changing an orientation state of a liquid crystal, and a backlight, whose light emission state is independently controllable with respect to each of multiple regions within a screen, and to line-sequentially display in an image display region a first image based on a first image signal and a second image based on a second image signal, by alternately displaying the first image and the second image by one frame or two or more consecutive frames and sequentially switching the first image and the second image at a predetermined time interval; and

a backlight control unit configured to control the light emission state of the backlight for each region in accordance with signal levels of the first image signal and the second image signal.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the backlight control unit controls luminance of the backlight in a region in which there is large difference in signal level between the first image signal and the second image signal such that the luminance of the backlight is lower than the luminance of the backlight in a region in which there is little difference in signal level between the first image signal and the second image signal.

3. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a video signal control unit configured to detect signal levels of the first image signal and the second image signal.

4. The display device according to claim 3, wherein the video signal control unit performs signal correction processing which makes luminance of an image uniform on the entire screen, even when the luminance of the backlight is different for each region due to control by the backlight control unit.

5. The display device according to claim 3, wherein the video signal control unit performs signal correction processing which causes signal levels of the first image signal and the second image signal to be desired levels in a predetermined period.

6. The display device according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined period is a period during which a user observes the first image and the second image.

7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the backlight control unit controls with regard to respective signal levels of the first image signal and the second image signal the light emission state of the backlight for each region.

8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the backlight emits red, blue, and green light, and wherein the backlight control unit separately performs light emission control of the backlight for each color of the first image and the second image.

9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first image and the second image displayed on the display unit are perceived as a stereoscopic image, by being viewed through shutter glasses.

10. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first image and the second image displayed on the display unit are presented to different users as different images, by being viewed through shutter glasses.

11. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays by a parallax barrier scheme the first image and the second image, by sequentially switching the first image and the second image at the predetermined time interval.

12. A display method, comprising:

line-sequentially displaying in an image display region on a display unit configured to include a liquid crystal panel, which displays an image by changing an orientation state of a liquid crystal, and a backlight, whose light emission state is independently controllable with respect to each of multiple regions within a screen, a first image based on a first image signal and a second image based on a second image signal, by alternately displaying the first image and the second image by one frame or two or more consecutive frames and sequentially switching the first image and the second image at a predetermined time interval; and

controlling the light emission state of the backlight for each region in accordance with signal levels of the first image signal and the second image signal.

13. A non-transitory recording medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to perform a display method, the method comprising:

line-sequentially displaying in an image display region on a display unit configured to include a liquid crystal panel, which displays an image by changing an orientation state of a liquid crystal, and a backlight, whose light emission state is independently controllable with respect to each of multiple regions within a screen, a first image based on a first image signal and a second image based on a second image signal, by alternately displaying the first image and the second image by one frame or two or more consecutive frames and sequentially switching the first image and the second image at a predetermined time interval; and

controlling the light emission state of the backlight for each region in accordance with signal levels of the first image signal and the second image signal.