Display control system

• US 9,292,150 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2012
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Pure Depth Limited
• Inventors: Engel, Gabriel Damon, Ferguson, David John, MacLeod, Harnish John Ogilvie, Seymour, Bruce David
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Ruay
• Application Number:
  US13/443,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20130104061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-277, 715700-867, 700701-866, 709201-229, 705 50- 79, 345 30-111
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/395 with depth sampling, i.e. the volume being constructed from a stack or sequence of 2D image planes

Abstract

A display control system for a multi-layer display system including at least one multi-layer display unit. A multi-layer display unit includes multiple stacked or overlapped display layers each adapted to render display elements thereon for viewing through the uppermost display layer. The level of difficulty for a user to view an overlapped image differs depending on the color, brightness or type of images (for example text-on-text) being displayed and also the layer in which the image is being displayed and whether the image is currently active. At least any overlapping portion of display elements from different display layers are adjusted (automatically or by a user) in order to improve the viewing experience for a viewer. Types of adjustment possible include moving the images within their display layer or to an alternative display layer or altering their visual properties (such as color, brightness, contrast, etc.).

Claims

1. A method of displaying images, said method comprising:

displaying a first image and a second image on a multi-component display, wherein said displaying further comprises displaying a first portion of said first image on a first display screen of said multi-component display, wherein said displaying further comprises displaying a second portion of said second image on a second display screen of said multi-component display;

determining an interference associated with said first and second images associated with an overlapping region of said first portion and said second portion;

detecting a user interaction with a user interface, wherein said user interaction is associated with a reduction in said interference, wherein said user interface is separate from said first and second images, and wherein said user interface is displayed using a display screen selected from a group consisting of said first and second display screens, wherein said user interaction selects said first image as an active image and said second image as a non-active image;

combining visual properties of said overlapping region of said first portion and said second portion into a resultant combined visual property;

applying said resultant combined visual property to pixels of active display elements in said first display screen displaying said overlapping region of said first portion of said first image while visual properties applied to pixels of said first display screen displaying another region of said first portion that is not overlapping with said second portion of said second image remain unaltered;

adjusting an alpha value of said second portion associated with said overlapping region to reduce said interference as applied to pixels of inactive display elements in said second display screen; and

displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display in accordance with said user interaction to reduce said interference.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises a first element associated with said first display screen and a second element associated with said second display screen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises a third element associated with said first image, wherein said user interaction comprises a user interaction with said third element, and wherein said user interaction with said third element is operable to initiate an operation selected from a group consisting of making said first image active, changing a position of said first image on said first display screen, and displaying said first image on said second display screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises a fourth element associated with said second image, and wherein said user interaction comprises a user interaction with said fourth element, and wherein said user interaction with said fourth element is operable to initiate an operation selected from a group consisting of making said second image active, changing a position of said second image on said second display screen, and displaying said second image on said first display screen.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting an overlap of said second portion of said second image by said first portion of said first image; and

displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display to increase visibility of said second portion of said second image.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display to increase visibility further comprises displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display to reduce said overlap of said second portion of said second image by said first portion of said first image.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display to increase visibility further comprises displaying said first and second images without said overlap of said second portion of said second image by said first portion of said first image.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display to increase visibility further comprises changing a position of said first image on said first display screen.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein said displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display to increase visibility further comprises changing a position of said second image on said second display screen.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein said displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display to increase visibility further comprises displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display to increase visibility of an active image, wherein said active image is selected from a group consisting of said first image and said second image.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein said displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display to increase visibility further comprises displaying said second image on said first display screen.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein said displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display to increase visibility further comprises displaying said first image on said second display screen.

13. The method of claim 5, wherein said displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display to increase visibility further comprises changing a visual property of at least one image selected from a group consisting of said first image and said second image.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said visual property is selected from a group consisting of a color, a brightness, and a transparency.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said visual property comprises a contrast between said first portion of said first image and said second portion of said second image.

16. A system comprising:

means for displaying a first image and a second image on a multi-component display, wherein said means for displaying further comprises means for displaying a first portion of said first image on a first display screen of said multi-component display, wherein said means for displaying further comprises means for displaying a second portion of said second image on a second display screen of said multi-component display;

means for determining an interference associated with said first and second images associated with an overlapping region of said first portion and said second portion;

means for detecting a user interaction with a user interface, wherein said user interaction is associated with a reduction in said interference, wherein said user interface is separate from said first and second images, and wherein said user interface is displayed using a display screen selected from a group consisting of said first and second display screens, wherein said user interaction selects said first image as an active image and said second image as a non-active image;

means for combining visual properties of said overlapping region of said first portion and said second portion into a resultant combined visual property;

means for applying said resultant combined visual property to pixels of active display elements in said first display screen displaying said overlapping region of said first portion of said first image while visual properties applied to pixels of said first display screen displaying another region of said first portion that is not overlapping with said second portion of said second image remain unaltered;

means for adjusting an alpha value of said second portion associated with said overlapping region to reduce said interference as applied to pixels of inactive display elements in said second display screen; and

means for displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display in accordance with said user interaction to reduce said interference.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said user interface comprises a first element associated with said first display screen and a second element associated with said second display screen.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said user interface comprises a third element associated with said first image, wherein said user interaction comprises a user interaction with said third element, and wherein said user interaction with said third element is operable to initiate an operation selected from a group consisting of making said first image active, changing a position of said first image on said first display screen, and displaying said first image on said second display screen.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein said user interface comprises a fourth element associated with said second image, and wherein said user interaction comprises a user interaction with said fourth element, and wherein said user interaction with said fourth element is operable to initiate an operation selected from a group consisting of making said second image active, changing a position of said second image on said second display screen, and displaying said second image on said first display screen.

20. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

means for detecting an overlap of said second portion of said second image by said first portion of said first image; and

means for displaying said first and second images on said multi-component display to increase visibility of said second portion of said second image.