Transparent display apparatus

• US 9,666,118 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chunghwa Picture Tubes Limited
• Original Assignee: Chunghwa Picture Tubes Limited
• Inventors: Hsieh, Pei-Lin, Lin, Hsiang-Tan
• Primary Examiner(s): Sajous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US14/872,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20170098408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0452 Details of colour pixel setup, e.g. pixel composed of a red, a blue and two green components
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0276 for the purpose of adaptation to the characteristics of a display device, i.e. gamma correction
• 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 3/2074 using sub-pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3607 for displaying colours or for displaying grey scales with a specific pixel layout, e.g. using sub-pixels display of colours in flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; grey scales specific for television H04N3/127

Abstract

A transparent display apparatus is provided. The transparent display apparatus includes a transparent display unit and a controller. The transparent display unit displays an image frame according to a display data signal and a transparency control signal. The controller receives the display data signal and the transparency control signal, determines a first gradation and a second gradation according to the display data signal and the transparency control signal respectively, and controls the transparent display unit to display the image frame according to the first and second gradations. The first and second gradations are respectively within an interval between two of three display states including a transparent state, a black state and a white state, such that a first and second display states determined based on the first and second gradations may cover all the display effects of the transparent state, the black state and the white state.

Claims

1. A transparent display apparatus, comprising:

a transparent display unit, displaying an image frame according to a display data signal and a transparency control signal; and

a controller, coupled to the transparent display unit, receiving the display data signal and the transparency control signal, determining a first gradation of the image frame within an interval from a transparent state to a white state according to the display data signal, determining a second gradation of the image frame within an interval from a black state to the transparent state according to the transparency control signal, controlling the transparent display unit to display the image frame according to the first gradation and the second gradation, and adjusting a transparency of the image frame according to a signal strength of the transparency control signal.

2. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller detects a control region of the transparency control signal in the image frame, and adjusts a transparency within the control region according to the signal strength of the transparency control signal.

3. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transparent display unit comprises a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels are divided into a first pixel group and a second pixel group, the first pixel group is controlled by the display data signal, and the second pixel group is controlled by the transparency control signal.

4. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transparent display unit further comprises:

a first transparent display panel, configured by the first pixel group; and

a second transparent display panel, arranged in parallel with the first transparent display panel, and configured by the second pixel group.

5. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller determines the first gradation according to a gray-level part of the display data signal, controls at least one first pixel of the first pixel group to operate with a first display state determined by the interval from the transparent state to the white state according to the first gradation, determines the second gradation according to the signal strength of the transparency control signal, and controls at least one second pixel of the second pixel group to operate with a second display state determined by the interval from the black state to the transparent state according to the second gradation.

6. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first display state is one of the transparent state and the white state, the second display state is one of the black state and the transparent state, and the controller controls to display the image frame with one of the transparent state, the white state and the black state according to the first display state and the second display state, wherein the at least one first pixel overlaps with the at least one second pixel.

7. A transparent display apparatus, comprising:

a transparent display unit, displaying an image frame according to a display data signal and a transparency control signal; and

a controller, coupled to the transparent display unit, receiving the display data signal and the transparency control signal, determining a first gradation of the image frame within an interval from a black state to a white state according to the display data signal, determining a second gradation of the image frame within an interval from the black state to a transparent state according to the transparency control signal, controlling the transparent display unit to display the image frame according to the first gradation and the second gradation, and adjusting a transparency of the image frame according to a signal strength of the transparency control signal.

8. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controller detects a control region of the transparency control signal in the image frame, and adjusts a transparency within the control region according to the signal strength of the transparency control signal.

9. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the transparent display unit comprises a plurality of pixels, the plurality of pixels are divided into a first pixel group and a second pixel group, the first pixel group is controlled by the display data signal, and the second pixel group is controlled by the transparency control signal.

10. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the transparent display unit further comprises:

a third transparent display panel, configured by the first pixel group and the second pixel group, wherein each pixel of the second pixel group is arranged adjacently to at least one pixel of the first pixel group; and

a shelter layer, arranged in parallel with the third transparent display panel, and sheltering each pixel of the first pixel group.

11. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller determines the first gradation according to a gray-level part of the display data signal, controls at least one first pixel of the first pixel group to operate with a first display state determined by the interval from the black state to the white state according to the first gradation, determines the second gradation according to the signal strength of the transparency control signal, and controls at least one second pixel of the second pixel group to operate with a second display state determined by the interval from the black state to the transparent state according to the second gradation.

12. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first display state is one of the black state and the white state, the second display state is one of the black state and the transparent state, and the controller controls to display the image frame with one of the transparent state, the white state and the black state according to the first display state and the second display state, wherein the at least one first pixel is arranged adjacently to the at least one second pixel.

13. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first pixel group comprises a plurality of color sub-pixels, and the second pixel group comprises a plurality of transparent sub-pixels for controlling the transparency of the image frame.

14. A transparent display apparatus, comprising:

a transparent display unit, comprising a liquid crystal layer and a polarization element, displaying an image frame according to a display data signal and a transparency control signal; and

a controller, coupled to the transparent display unit, receiving the display data signal and the transparency control signal, controlling an arranging direction of a plurality of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer according to a gray-level part of the display data signal, controlling a polarization direction of the polarization element according to the transparency control signal, detecting a control region of the transparency control signal in the image frame, and adjusting a transparency within the control region according to the signal strength of the transparency control signal.

15. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the polarization element comprises a first polarization unit and a second polarization unit, and the controller controls an angle between a first polarized axial of the first polarization unit and a second polarized axial of the second polarization unit according to a signal strength of the transparency control signal, determines the polarization direction of the polarization element according to the angle, controls an electrical field according to the gray-level part of the display data signal, and determines the arranging direction of the liquid crystal molecules according to the electrical field.

16. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the controller determines a first gradation of the image frame within an interval from a transparent state to a white state according to the arranging direction of the liquid crystal molecules, determines a second gradation of the image frame within an interval from a black state and the transparent state according to the polarization direction of the polarization element, and controls the transparent display unit to display the image frame according to the first gradation and the second gradation.

17. The transparent display apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the controller determines a first display state to be the black state or the transparent state by controlling the first polarized axial and the second polarized axial orthogonal or parallel to each other, determines a second display state to be the transparent state or the white state by controlling the arranging direction of the liquid crystal molecules standing or scattered, and displays the image frame with one of the transparent state, the white state and the black state according to the first display state and the second display state.