Display device and method of controlling the same

• US 10,451,879 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd. (BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.), BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Wang, Chenru, Dong, Xue, Chen, Dong, Sun, Haiwei, Dong, Ruijun, Chen, Lili
• Primary Examiner(s): Briggs, Nathanael R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peterson, William D
• Application Number:
  US15/544,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20180217378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 349 33
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2207/115 Electrowetting
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/005 based on electrowetting
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/02 for controlling the intensity of light G02B26/004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/14 of variable focal length
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13 based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133531 characterised by the arrangement of polariser or analyser axes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/137 characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/29 for the control of the position or the direction of light beams, i.e. deflection
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/294 Variable focal length devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/841 Self-supporting sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/858 comprising refractive means, e.g. lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/86 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/50 OLEDs integrated with light modulating elements, e.g. with electrochromic elements, photochromic elements or liquid crystal elements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/871 Self-supporting sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/879 comprising refractive means, e.g. lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8791 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light

Abstract

A display device and a method of controlling the same realizes a virtual reality display and an augmented reality display. The display device includes a transparent display panel, an imaging device disposed at a light-exiting side of the transparent display panel, and a light adjusting cover disposed at a side of the transparent display panel away from the light-exiting side. The transparent display panel is disposed within a focal length of the imaging device. The imaging device is configured to image pictures displayed on the transparent display panel at a side thereof away from the imaging device. The light adjusting cover is switchable between a light-transmitting state and a light-shaded state, and is capable of covering a viewing field of human eyes. The display device can perform the virtual reality display or the augmented reality display.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a transparent display panel;

an imaging device disposed at a light-exiting side of the transparent display panel; and

a light adjusting cover disposed at a side of the transparent display panel opposite to the light-exiting side, the transparent display panel being disposed such that a distance between the transparent display panel and the imaging device is less than or equal to a focal length of the imaging device;

wherein the imaging device is configured to image a picture displayed on the transparent display panel at a side of the transparent display panel away from the imaging device; and

wherein the light adjusting cover is switchable between a light-transmitting state and a light-shaded state, and is capable of covering a viewing field of human eyes;

wherein the imaging device comprises a liquid lens, and the liquid lens comprises a transparent housing and a conductive aqueous solution and an insulation solution that are packaged in the transparent housing;

a hydrophobic layer being provided on an inner wall of the transparent housing and incompletely covering the transparent housing;

wherein the conductive aqueous solution and the insulation solution have different refractive indexes and are not soluble in each other.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device comprises a lens group.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light adjusting cover comprises a curved-surface type light adjusting cover.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light adjusting cover comprises a liquid crystal light adjusting cover configured to control the light adjusting cover to switch between the light-transmitting state and the light-shaded state by controlling deflection of liquid crystal molecules.

5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the liquid crystal light adjusting cover comprises a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, an upper polarizer disposed on a side of the first substrate away from the liquid crystal layer, and a lower polarizer disposed on a side of the second substrate away from the liquid crystal layer,

wherein a polarization direction of the upper polarizer is perpendicular to that of the lower polarizer.

6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light adjusting cover comprises a movable shutter plate movable to block or transmit light to control whether the light adjusting cover is in the light-transmitting state or the light-shaded state.

7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the transparent display panel comprises an organic light-emitting diode display panel.

8. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to control the light adjusting cover to be in the light-transmitting state or the light-shaded state and/or to control the focal length of the imaging device.

9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device comprises wearable glasses or a wearable helmet.

10. A method for controlling the display device according to claim 1, the method comprising:

controlling the light adjusting cover to be in the light-shaded state and adjusting the focal length of the imaging device to perform a virtual reality display;

or

controlling the light adjusting cover to be in the light-transmitting state while adjusting the focal length of the imaging device to obtain a bigger and farther image of the picture displayed on the transparent display panel and thus perform an augmented reality display.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein adjusting the focal length of the imaging device to perform a virtual reality display comprises:

adjusting a focal length (f₁) of the imaging device so that f₁=L×

d×

tan α

/[r+(d−

L)×

tan α

];

wherein α

is an included angle between a line connecting a top of the image imaged during the virtual reality display and the human eyes and a primary optical axis of the imaging device, d is a distance between the imaging device and the human eyes, r is a distance between a top of the transparent display panel and the primary optical axis of the imaging device, and L is a distance between the transparent display panel and the imaging device.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein adjusting the focal length (f₁) of the imaging device so that f₁=L×

d×

tan α

/[r+(d−

L)×

tan α

] comprises;

adjusting the focal length f₁ of the imaging device so that f₁=L×

d×

tan β

/[r+(d−

L)×

tan β

],

wherein β

is an included angle between a line connecting a top of the image just covering the view field of the human eyes and the human eyes, and the primary optical axis of the imaging device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein adjusting the focal length of the imaging device to perform the augmented reality display comprises adjusting a focal length (f₂) of the imaging device so that f₂=L×

d×

tan γ

/[r+(d−

L)×

tan γ

],

wherein γ

is an included angle between a line connecting a top of the image imaged during the augmented reality display and the human eyes and the primary optical axis of the imaging device, and γ

<

β

.

14. The display device according to claim 1, wherein a first electrode is provided on an inner wall of the transparent housing, a second electrode is provided in contact with the conductive aqueous solution on a bottom surface of the transparent housing, and an insulation layer is disposed between the first electrode and the hydrophobic layer such that the conductive aqueous solution, the first electrode and the insulation layer constitute a capacitor such that a radian of interface between the conductive aqueous solution and the insulation solution is changed when a voltage is applied between the conductive aqueous solution and the first electrode, which results in change of the focal length of the liquid lens.