Display device and method of controlling the same

• US 9,368,081 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Hansu
• Primary Examiner(s): WU, XIAO MIN
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhavannik, Mohammad H
• Application Number:
  US14/179,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20150062175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• 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 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

A display device is provided that includes a transparent display unit, a setting unit that sets transparency of a first screen that is output in the foreground to the transparent display unit, and a controller that determines transparency of a background object that is seen through the transparent display unit, based on the transparency of the first screen that is set, such that the transparency of at least one of the background object and at least one region of the first screen is changed, based on a detected event that is associated with transparency control of the transparent display unit.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a transparent display capable of displaying a first screen in a foreground of the transparent display; and

a controller capable of;

setting transparency level the first screen and applying the set transparency level to the first screen;

setting transparency level of background object that is visible through the transparent display based on the transparency level of the first screen, wherein the transparency level of the background object is higher than the transparency level of a first screen; and

changing at least the transparency level of the first screen or the transparency level of the background object in response to a display of a second screen;

applying the transparency level of the background object to the second screen and increasing the transparency level applied to the background object when the second careen is displayed behind the first screen; and

applying the transparency level of the first screen to the second screen and increasing the transparency level applied to each of the first screen and the background object when the second screen is displayed in front of the first screen.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of setting different transparencies of each of a plurality of background objects that are visible through the transparent display according to a distance between each of the a plurality of background objects and the transparent display.

3. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of:

setting transparency level of the second screen that is displayed behind the first screen higher than the set transparency level of the first screen and decreasing a transparency of the first screen to less than a transparency previously set for the second screen; and

setting the transparency level of the background object higher than the set transparency level of each of the first and second screens.

4. The display device of claim 3, wherein the controller is further capable of:

setting transparency levels of a plurality of screens displayed behind the first screen, the transparency levels set in a sequential order from a highest transparency to a lowest transparency such that a screen that corresponds to an application executed most recently has the lowest transparency level set and a screen that corresponds to an application executed most previously has the highest transparency level set; and

setting transparency level of the background object higher than the highest transparency level set for the screen corresponding to the application executed most previously.

5. The display device of claim 3, wherein the controller is further capable of:

switching the set transparency level of the first screen and the set transparency level of the second screen when an indication is received to switch the first screen and second screen.

6. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of decreasing the set transparency level of an input region of the first screen or applying a non-transparency mode to the input until the input region disappears from the first screen when a predetermined touch is received on the input region.

7. The display device of claim 6, wherein the controller is further capable of decreasing a set transparency level of a region of the transparent display on which a graphic image is displayed to less than the set transparency level of the first screen or switching the region to the non-transparency mode when a touch corresponding to the region is received on the graphic image.

8. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of:

setting a clearness priority of the background object and first screen according to an execution status of an application that is executed on the transparent display;

changing the set transparency level of the first screen or the background object based on the set clearness priority.

9. The display device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further capable of:

setting the clearness priority of the background object higher than the clearness priority of the first screen;

increasing the set transparency level of the first screen; and

decreasing the set transparency level of the background object to less than the set transparency level of the first screen if the execution status of the application is a preview screen of a camera.

10. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of setting the transparency level of the first screen according to a type of application that corresponds to the first screen.

11. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of:

applying a non-transparency mode to at least one region of the first screen when a dragging touch input is received on a border region of the first screen in a first direction, the non-transparency mode applied along the first direction and in proportion to an extent of the dragging.

12. The display device of claim 11, wherein the controller is further capable of applying a transparency mode to the at least one region of the first screen when a dragging touch input is received on the border region of the first screen in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction, the transparency mode applied at a predetermined transparency along the second direction and in proportion to an extent of the dragging.

13. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of:

displaying an indicator for adjusting the set transparency level of the first screen; and

adjusting the set transparency level of the first screen according to an extent to which a touch applied to the indicator is dragged.

14. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of:

detecting a user'"'"'s gaze within a predetermined range of the transparent display; and

changing the set transparency level of at least one region of the first screen according to the detected gaze.

15. The display device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further capable of gradually decreasing the set transparency level of a specific region of the first screen or applying a non-transparency mode to the specific region of the first screen when the detected gaze is fixed on the specific region for a predetermined time.

16. The display device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor capable of detecting a change in strength of light incident on the transparent display according to an inclination of the transparent display,

wherein the controller is further capable of adjusting a difference in set transparency level between a first region of the first screen on which at least one character is displayed and a second region of the first screen that is not part of the first region.

17. The display device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further capable of:

applying a non-transparency mode to a region of the first screen on which a specific object is displayed when a signal related to the specific object is received; and

displaying an indicator of the non-transparency mode.

18. The display device of claim 17, wherein the controller is further capable of replacing the specific object on the first screen with a previously-registered substitute image when the non-transparency mode is applied during execution of an application corresponding to the first screen.

19. A method of controlling a display device, the method comprising:

displaying a first screen in a foreground of a transparent display;

setting transparency level of the first screen and applying the set transparency level to the first screen;

determining transparency level of background object that is visible through the transparent display based on the transparency of the first screen, wherein the transparency level of the background object is higher than the transparency level of a first screen;

changing at least the transparency level of the first screen or the transparency level of the background object in response to a display of a second screen;

applying the transparency level of the background object to the second screen and increasing the transparency level applied to the background object when the second screen is displayed behind the first screen; and

applying the transparency level of the first screen to the second screen and increasing the transparency level applied to each of the first screen and the background object when the second screen is displayed in front of the first screen.