Display device

• US 9,240,147 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yasumoto, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, VINH TANG
• Application Number:
  US13/793,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20130307757A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 345/32, 345/87, 345108-111, 340 755- 756, 3406911-6916, 340/688, 340/525, 340/441, 340/996, 34099524-99528, 349/1, 348/148
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0252 Improving the response speed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/145 the light originating from the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/10 Automotive applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

A display device includes movable members arranged to face a display screen of a liquid crystal display panel, a movable member driving mechanism, a display controller that controls the display of an image in a first display area and controls the display of a predetermined mark in a second display area on the liquid crystal display panel, and a drive controller that controls the movable member driving mechanism to move the movable members in accordance with a movement of the mark displayed. The display of an image object in the first display area and the display of the mark in the second display area are controlled so that the position of the image object displayed in the first display area corresponds to the position of the mark displayed in the second display area.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a liquid crystal display panel having a display screen;

a movable member arranged to face the display screen of the liquid crystal display panel in overlapping relation;

a movable member driving mechanism configured to move the movable member in front of and along a dimension of the display screen;

a display control unit configured to control display of a movable image object in a first display area of the display screen and control display and movement of a predetermined mark in a second display area of the display screen;

a drive control unit configured to control the movable member driving mechanism so that the movable member tracks movement of the mark displayed in the second display area; and

wherein the display control unit is configured to control display of the movable image object in the first display area and control display and movement of the mark in the second display area so that a position of the image object displayed in the first display area and a position of the mark displayed in the second display area along the dimension of the display screen correspond to each other.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit includes:

a first image display control unit configured to control display of the image object in the first display area;

a second image display control unit configured to control display of the mark in the second display area; and

wherein the first image display control unit and the second image display control unit control display of the image object in the first display area and control the mark in the second display area so that the position of the image object displayed in the first display area and the position of the mark in the second display area correspond to each other.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the first image display control unit includes a displayed image object position control unit configured to control the position of the image object displayed in the first display area in accordance with the position of the mark displayed in the second display area.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit performs display control so that a background portion in the second display area is displayed with the same brightness as a dark portion in the image object displayed in the first display area, and the mark is displayed with the same brightness as a bright portion in the image object displayed in the first display area, wherein a difference in brightness between the bright portion and the dark portion is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the bright portion is equivalent to a brightest portion in the image object, and the dark portion is equivalent to a darkest portion in the image object.

6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the drive control unit further includes:

a mark movement detection unit configured to detect movement of the mark displayed in the second display area; and

an operation control unit configured to control an operation of the movable member driving mechanism in accordance with the movement of the mark.

7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the movable member driving mechanism is configured to drive the movable member to linearly move while facing the display screen.

8. The display device according to claim 7, wherein the drive control unit further includes

a mark movement detection unit configured to detect movement of the mark displayed in the second display area;

and

an operation control unit configured to control an operation of the movable member driving mechanism based on the movement of the mark so that the movable member follows movement of the mark moving in the second display area.

9. The display device according to claim 8, wherein the mark movement detection unit includes a plurality of light detectors arranged to face the second display area and configured to detect light emitted from the mark displayed in the second display area;

and

wherein a change in level of the light detected by each of the plurality of light detectors is detected as a movement of the mark.

10. The display device according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of light detectors are provided in the movable member.

11. The display device according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of light detectors include a first light detector and a second light detector, which are placed at a predetermined interval in a direction in which the second display area extends along the display screen;

and

wherein the operation control unit controls the movable member driving mechanism to drive the movable member so that a difference between a level of the light detected by the first light detector and a level of the light detected by the second light detector is maintained within a predetermined range.

12. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display screen is rectangular;

and

wherein the display screen includes an area having a first width from a top side thereof, and an area below the first display area and having a second width smaller than the first width, the area having the first width being set as the first display area and the area having the second width being set as the second display area.

13. A method of controlling a display screen of a liquid crystal display panel, the method comprising:

providing a movable member arranged to face the display screen of the liquid crystal display panel in overlapping relation;

moving the movable member in front of and along a dimension of the display screen using a movable member driving mechanism;

controlling display of a movable image object in a first display area of the display screen and controlling display and movement of a predetermined mark in a second display area of the display screen, using a display control unit;

controlling the movable member driving mechanism so that the movable member tracks movement of the mark displayed in the second display area; and

controlling display of the movable image object in the first display area and controlling display and movement of the mark in the second display area so that a position of the image object displayed in the first display area and a position of the mark displayed in the second display area along the dimension of the display screen correspond to each other.

14. The method according to claim 13, including:

controlling display of the image object in the first display area using a first image display control unit;

controlling display of the mark in the second display area using a second image display control unit; and

controlling display of the image object in the first display area and controlling the mark in the second display area so that the position of the image object displayed in the first display area and the position of the mark in the second display area correspond to each other.

15. The method according to claim 14, further including:

controlling the position of the image object displayed in the first display area in accordance with the position of the mark displayed in the second display area using a displayed image object position control unit.

16. The method according to claim 13, further including:

controlling the display screen so that a background portion in the second display area is displayed with the same brightness as a dark portion in the image object displayed in the first display area, and so that the mark is displayed with the same brightness as a bright portion in the image object displayed in the first display area, wherein a difference in brightness between the bright portion and the dark portion is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the bright portion is equivalent to a brightest portion in the image object, and the dark portion is equivalent to a darkest portion in the image object.