Display device with switchable viewing angle and operation method thereof

• US 9,898,957 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2016
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Lin, Hui-Feng
• Primary Examiner(s): SHERMAN, STEPHEN G
• Application Number:
  US15/165,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20170154563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 345 90
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0439 Pixel structures
• 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 2320/028 by changing the viewing angle properties, e.g. widening the viewing angle, adapting the viewing angle to the view direction
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/068 for control of viewing angle adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2085 Special arrangements for addressing the individual elements of the matrix, other than by driving respective rows and columns in combination
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2096 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a flat panel suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/006; specific for a CRT G09G1/167
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

A display device with switchable viewing angle includes a first pixel and a second pixel. The first pixel has a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel. The second pixel has a third sub-pixel, a fourth sub-pixel and a fifth sub-pixel. The fifth sub-pixel is configured to be enabled when operating in a narrow viewing angle mode and to be disabled when operating in a wide viewing angle mode. When the fifth sub-pixel is enabled, each viewing angle of the first sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel, the third sub-pixel and the fourth sub-pixel is narrower than that when the fifth sub-pixel is disabled.

Claims

1. A display device with switchable viewing angle, comprising:

a first pixel, comprising;

a first sub-pixel; and

a second sub-pixel;

a second pixel, disposed to be adjacent to the first pixel, comprising;

a third sub-pixel;

a fourth sub-pixel; and

a fifth sub-pixel, having a light emission direction less than 90 degrees from a surface of said display device; and

a detection circuit, for detecting a primary target and a secondary target;

wherein, when operating in a first viewing angle mode, the fifth sub-pixel is configured to be enabled, and the display device displays in a first viewing angle;

wherein, when operating in a second viewing angle mode, the fifth sub-pixel is configured to be disabled, and the display device displays in a second viewing angle;

wherein the display device is set to be operated in the first viewing angle mode from the second viewing angle mode when said secondary target is detected, and the display device is set to be operated in the second viewing angle mode, and disabling the fifth sub-pixel when only said primary target is detected;

wherein, said first viewing angle is narrower than said second viewing angle, and the fifth sub-pixel has a light emission direction less than 90 degrees from the surface of said display device; and

wherein a primary display data is provided to the first sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel, and the third sub-pixel, and a secondary display data is provided to the fourth sub-pixel according to the primary display data.

2. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a switching circuit, for receiving a first control signal to switch the display device to operate in the first angle viewing mode, and for receiving a second control signal to switch the display device to operate in the second viewing angle mode;

wherein, when the detection circuit detects only the primary target, the detection circuit outputs the second control signal to the switching circuit;

and when the detection circuit detects the secondary target, the detection circuit outputs the first control signal to the switching circuit.

3. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of the first pixels and a plurality of the second pixels in a first column, wherein each of the first pixels and each of the second pixels are configured alternatively.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein, a length-width ratio for the first sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel, and the third sub-pixel is 2:

1, each of the first sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel and the third sub-pixel is n times larger than the fourth sub-pixel, and n is a positive number.

5. The display device according to claim 4, further comprising a processing unit, wherein the processing unit determines a backlight brightness of the display device according to a dynamically adjustable color gamut threshold, a color gamut threshold ranges from 0 to 1, and the processing unit controls the backlight brightness to be full open when the color gamut threshold is 1.

6. The display device according to claim 5, further comprising a display data providing unit, configured to provide a display data required by the first sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel and the third sub-pixel.

7. The display device according to claim 6, wherein said processing unit extracts a secondary display data to be displayed by the fourth sub-pixel according to the primary display data received by the first sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel, and the third sub-pixel.

8. The display device according to claim 7, wherein, the processing unit extracts the a minimum brightness display data from the primary display data, multiply the minimum brightness data by a mapping value for extracting the secondary display data, and the mapping value is inversely proportional to the backlight brightness.

9. The display device according to claim 8, wherein, when operating in the second viewing angle mode, the processing unit respectively multiplies the primary display data by the mapping value to form a product, then subtract a correction value from the products to get a value, and determines an adjusted primary display data to be output to the first sub-pixel based on the value, the second sub-pixel, and the third sub-pixel, wherein the correction value is obtained from dividing said secondary display data to be output to the fourth sub-pixel by n.

10. The display device according to claim 8, when operating in the first viewing angle mode, the mapping value is 1, the processing unit extracts the minimum brightness display data from the primary display data, and divides said minimum brightness display data by n to extract said secondary display data to be out put to the fourth pixel.

11. The display device according to claim 10, wherein, when operating in the first viewing angle mode, the primary display data is equal to the secondary display data.

12. An operation method of a display device with switchable viewing angle, the display device comprises a first pixel and a second pixel, said first pixel having a first sub-pixel and a second sub-pixel, said second pixel having a third sub-pixel, a fourth sub-pixel, and a fifth sub-pixel, the operation method comprising:

detecting a primary target and a secondary target;

setting the display device to be operated in the first viewing angle mode from a second viewing angle mode when said secondary target is detected; and

setting the display device to be operated in the second viewing angle mode, and disabling the fifth sub-pixel when only the primary target is detected;

wherein, when operating in the first viewing angle mode, the fifth sub-pixel is enabled and the display device displays in a first viewing angle;

wherein, when operating in the second viewing angle mode, the fifth sub-pixel is disabled, and the display device displays in a second viewing angle;

wherein, the first viewing angle is narrower than the second viewing angle, and the fifth sub-pixel has a light emission direction less than 90 degrees from a surface of said display device; and

wherein a primary display data is provided to the first sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel, and the third sub-pixel, and a secondary display data is provided to the fourth sub-pixel according to the primary display data.

13. The operation method according to claim 12, further comprising:

determining backlight brightness of said display device when operating in said second viewing angle mode, wherein said backlight brightness is determined according to a dynamically adjustable color gamut threshold, and a minimum brightness display data in said primary display data is extracted to be multiplied by a mapping value for providing said secondary display data, and said mapping value being inversely proportional to said backlight brightness.

14. The operation method according to claim 13, further comprising when operating in said second viewing angle mode, multiplying said primary display data by said mapping value to form products, subtracting a correction value from the products, and outputting subtracted products to said first sub-pixel, said second sub-pixel, and said third sub-pixel, wherein the correction value is obtained by dividing the secondary display data by n.

15. The operation method according to claim 13, wherein the color gamut threshold ranges from 0 to 1, the color gamut threshold corresponds to the backlight brightness, and when the color gamut threshold is 1, said backlight brightness is to be full open.

16. The operation method according to claim 12, wherein,

when operating in the first viewing angle mode, extracting a minimum brightness display data in the primary display data, and producing the secondary display data by dividing the minimum brightness display data by n.

17. The operation method according to claim 16, wherein when operating in the first viewing angle mode, the primary display data is equal to the secondary display data.

18. The operation method according to claim 17, wherein when the fifth sub-pixel is disabled, the fifth sub-pixel emits single-color light, and a display brightness of said single-color light is adjustable.