JPH0738909A - Electronic display - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the electronic display device always offering ease of observation and not giving damage to eyes by automatically adjusting the brightness and the coloring of a screen in response to a change in the surroundings without being consiousness of adjustment by the user. CONSTITUTION:The display device is provided with a display means 4 displaying a picture, a light source 5a emitting a back light to the display means 4, a back light system (brightness adjustment means) 5 adjusting the brightness of the light source 5a, a color lookup table group (coloring adjustment mean) 6 adjusting the coloring of the display means 4, a real time clock section 7 outputting current time information and a main control section 3 referencing the current time information to control the brightness adjustment means 5 and the coloring adjustment means 6, the screen luminance is bright and the coloring is made and the coloring is modulated when it is discriminated to be bright based on the current time and the screen luminance is dark and the coloring is made to be a mono-tone when it is discriminated to be dark.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic display device used in, for example, a personal computer, a word processor, a navigation system and other electronic equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The current mainstream of electronic display devices is an inexpensive CRT which can have a large screen. Besides, a TFT type liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as TFT-LCD) which is easy to make thin and can obtain a clear image but is difficult to manufacture and is currently expensive, and a liquid crystal which is relatively easy to make thin and inexpensive Display (hereinafter, LCD
Say. Furthermore, STN-LCD and TN-L are used for LCD.
There is a CD etc.) The light emission control type displays (CRT, plasma display, LE
D display, EL display, etc.) and external light control type displays (LCD, laser display, etc.). Then, a backlight is required for the external light control type display.

Generally, these displays are not provided with a dimmer control device (also called a dimmer or dimmer, which is a device for adjusting the brightness of the backlight), and only a manual adjusting means is provided. It is only provided. There are some that are equipped with an auto dimmer control device, but this is one that functions by sensing external light with a sensor, and since the sensor is expensive, the electronic device itself is not cheap In fact, it cannot be installed.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional electronic display device with a dimmer control device among the above-mentioned displays.

In FIG. 5, 4 is an LCD which is a means for displaying an image (external light control type and requires a backlight as described above), 3 is display data, and LCD
It is the main control unit that performs the control of 4 and other various processes. Reference numeral 5 is a backlight system of the LCD 4.

The backlight system 5 currently in the mainstream has a certain thickness but can be made thinner than a CRT, has a bright display surface, has a long life, and has a long life, and emits light from a cold cathode tube suitable for a color LCD. As a body, a cold cathode tube backlight system that collects light with a reflector, the display surface brightness is not as bright as a cold cathode tube and has a short life, but it does not require parts such as a reflector and a condenser due to surface emission, There is an EL backlight system that can be made as thin as about 1 mm, and is the backlight of monochrome type LCD backlights for word processors and notebook computers. In addition, it is a display of an audio device or the like that is not something that is always viewed, and therefore does not require much brightness, and can be expected to reduce power consumption and cost (a circuit that drives a backlight such as an inverter is unnecessary). There is also an LED backlight system in which a light source is combined with a reflector or the like.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a light source for applying a backlight, which is a cold cathode tube in this example. Reference numeral 12 is a reflector, and 13 is an inverter for driving the light source (cold-cathode tube) 11. Reference numeral 14 is a brightness control circuit for adjusting the brightness of the light source 11, which limits the input voltage and the input current to the inverter 13,
The brightness of the light source 11 is controlled by controlling the output frequency. Reference numeral 15 represents a brightness adjusting volume.

[0008]

In the electronic display device with the dimmer control device of the above-mentioned conventional example, the user himself / herself adjusts the brightness by using the volume 15 according to the preference of the user and the brightness of the surroundings. It has to be adjusted and the operation is troublesome. Further, it is not possible to change the hue of the display screen according to the ambient brightness.

By the way, a recent television is used as a display (navigation system) which is installed in a car and displays various car information and road information by developing a thin cathode ray tube and using a TFT-LCD. There are many things going on. Also, by adopting LCD, personal computers and personal word processors have become smaller notebook types and can now be used not only in offices and other rooms, but also in cars and outdoors. There are many users who are actually using it.

As described above, even if the environment around the electronic display device is variously changed, it is said that if the electronic display device is always fixed to the same brightness and color tone, the visibility is extremely poor. I have no choice.

For example, when considering the inside of a car, the screen is difficult to see unless the brightness of the electronic display device is very bright in the daytime because it is much brighter than in an ordinary office. Also,
Visibility is better if the screen is sharp so that the colors are clear. On the other hand, at night, a bright screen in the car may be reflected on the windshield, obscuring the dark road conditions outside the car, which is a serious safety issue. Therefore, the display brightness should be reduced in the car at night.

It is easier to see if the color tone is darker and less stimulating.

Even in a normal office or home, since the surroundings of the electronic display device are bright in the daytime due to the influence of outside light, it is easier to see a screen with a bright and crisp color tone. In addition, since only the interior lighting is used at night, the surroundings of the display device are dark, and therefore, it is easier to see the display screen with a darker brightness and a color tone close to monotone. In addition, a screen that is difficult to see in the dark in the daytime, a whitish screen due to outside light, a screen that is too bright at night, or a screen that looks unnecessarily confusing seems to be bad for your eyes.

As described above, it is often the case that the brightness and hue of the screen should be variously adjusted according to the environment around the electronic display device. However, in the conventional electronic display device,
There is a problem that it is difficult to smoothly adjust the brightness and color of the screen according to changes in the surrounding environment.

The present invention was devised in view of such circumstances, and the brightness and hue of the screen are automatically adjusted according to changes in the surrounding environment without the user being aware of the adjustment. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic display device that can be adjusted and is always easy to see and easy on the eyes.

[0016]

A first electronic display device according to the present invention comprises a display means for displaying an image, a light source for applying a backlight to the display means, and a brightness for adjusting the brightness of the light source. Adjusting means, hue adjusting means for adjusting the hue of the display means, a real-time clock section for outputting current time information, and the brightness adjusting means and hue adjustment with reference to the current time information output by the real-time clock section. A main control unit for controlling the means is provided.

The second electronic display device according to the present invention comprises a display means for displaying an image, a light source for applying a backlight to the display means, and a brightness adjusting means for adjusting the brightness of the light source. Hue adjusting means for adjusting the hue of the display means, a real-time clock unit for outputting current time information, a current position recognizing means for outputting current position information, and a reference ground light for storing reference brightness corresponding to the current position. The brightness adjustment by referring to a reference brightness corresponding to the current time information output from the real-time clock unit and the current position information output from the current position recognizing means by accessing the reference table brightness table and the reference ground brightness table. And a main control unit for controlling the means and the hue adjusting means.

[0018]

According to the first electronic display device, the screen display state is automatically adjusted to the brightness and the hue matching the current time.

Further, according to the second electronic display device, even if the brightness of the current position is different from the brightness of the reference place, the brightness of the current position is calculated from the current position information, and the correction of the brightness and the hue is corrected. In addition, the screen is displayed in a state that matches the current position.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT An electronic display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, as an example, a navigation system having an electronic display device that is often used in a vehicle and basically has many color displays will be taken up.

First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of an electronic display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is an electronic map storage means for storing an electronic map. The electronic map storage means 1 is an internal storage device such as a ROMIC, or a compact disk (CD) which is a large capacity capable of storing a large number of maps, which is the mainstream at present, and an external storage device which is inexpensive, easy to make and easy to carry. ROM or simply CD) etc. are preferred. In addition, as the electronic map storage means 1, a flexible disk (FD), a hard disk (HD), an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk (MO), other disk systems, and a mechanical drive block for reading because of high access speed and miniaturization. It is also possible to use a memory card or the like that does not have the above and can be expected to reduce the price in the future.

Reference numeral 2 is an electronic map reading device for reading and decoding map information from the electronic map storage means 1. The electronic map reading device 2 naturally differs depending on the electronic map storage means 1. Reference numeral 3 is a control of the electronic map reading device 2, a process of decoding and processing data read by the electronic map reading device 2 from the electronic map storage means 1, a process for judging and displaying a user's input, and various other processes. It is the main control unit that performs. Reference numeral 4 is a display means for displaying an image. At present, a TFT-LCD which can be easily thinned to obtain a clear image and a large-sized and inexpensive C
There is RT etc. In this example, an external light control type TFT
-Use LCD.

Reference numeral 5 is a backlight system having a light source 5a for applying a backlight to the display means 4 and a brightness adjusting means for adjusting the brightness of the light source 5a. This backlight system 5 includes a cold cathode tube which is thinner than a CRT but has a brighter display surface and a longer life and is suitable for a color LCD, a reflecting plate which is a light concentrating device, and a cold cathode tube. Including a driving inverter. Further, the backlight system 5 can control the brightness of the display means 4 in response to a command from the main control section 3.

Reference numeral 6 is a group of color look-up table groups for changing the color tone of the display means 4, as a means for adjusting the color tone of the display means 4. Of course, when the screen of the display unit 4 is displayed, the main control unit 3 refers to the hue adjustment unit 6 including the color look-up table group 6 to determine the color and display the color on the display unit 4. Here, since the hue is changed by the main control unit 3 according to the time information, the hue adjusting means (color lookup table group) 6 is provided with a color lookup table group 61 having a sharp hue.
Alternatively, it is assumed that the color lookup table group 62 having a color tone close to monotone is provided.

Reference numeral 7 is a real time clock unit (RTC) for outputting current time information to the main control unit 3. The real-time clock unit 7 is provided because it is necessary for a navigation system that uses GPS (Global Positioning System; a type of radio navigation). Also, most computers and word processors have it. Reference numeral 8 denotes a user input means, such as a keyboard, a more user-friendly joystick type or mouse type. Reference numeral 9 is a current position recognizing means for notifying the main control section 3 of the current position when performing navigation. Currently, many use GPS.

The operation of the navigation system using the electronic display device of the first embodiment having the above construction will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, every time the processing moves to step S1,
The main control unit 3 always looks for the current time information output by the real-time clock unit 7. At this time, in the setting of the main control unit 3, it is assumed that it is determined that 8:00 to 18:00 is daytime and 18:00 to 8:00 the next morning is nighttime. The main controller 3 determines in step S2 whether the current time is between 8:00 and 18:00 (daytime). For example, if it is 19:00, the determination becomes negative, the process proceeds to step S3, and the main control unit 3 instructs the backlight system 5 to reduce the brightness of the light source 5a. This makes the display screen relatively dark. Then, step S4
Then, the main control unit 3 causes the color adjustment table 6 to display a monotone color look-up table group 62 so that the color tone is closer to monotone than the normal display.
Use the shades of to make the display color less stimulating.
As a result, in particular, in a car, the reflection of the display screen on the windshield is reduced, and quick visual judgment can be performed, so that driving safety can be ensured. As described above, it is possible to realize a display state that is easy to see even at night and does not get in the way in the car. It can be realized relatively inexpensively in terms of configuration.

If the current time is, for example, 12 o'clock in the determination in step S2, the determination is affirmative, and the process proceeds to step S5, in which the main control section 3 backlights the screen in order to make it bright against external light. The system 5 is instructed to increase the brightness of the light source 5a. This makes the display screen relatively bright. Next, in step S6, the main control unit 3 displays a group of display colors with sharpness so that the screen does not become whitish due to external light (a combination of colors close to the primary colors, or colors that avoid colors close to white in anticipation of a screen that becomes whitish). A desired color is created by using the color lookup table group 61 which is a combination of. By the above processing, it is possible to realize the screen display of the navigation system which is easy to see and safe even in a bright car in the daytime.

A dimmer control device in which time information such as a season is added to the above processing may be adopted.

Second Embodiment FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of an electronic display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, 1 is an electronic map storage unit, 2 is an electronic map reading device, 3 is a main control unit, 4 is a display unit, 5 is a backlight system as a brightness adjusting unit, 5a is a light source, and 6 is a tint adjusting unit. Color lookup table group as a reference, 61 is a color lookup table group for adding sharpness, 6
2 is a group of color lookup tables for monotone, 7
Is a real-time clock unit, 8 is an input unit, and 9 is a current position recognition unit. These configurations are the same as those described in FIG.
Since it is similar to the embodiment, only the reference numeral is described here, and the description is omitted. In this embodiment, the following configuration is provided in addition to the above configuration.

Reference numeral 10 is a reference ground brightness table for storing reference brightness corresponding to the current position, which is connected to the main control section 3. This reference ground brightness table 1
Although 0 may be stored anywhere in 0, the reference brightness at a certain time at a point where the latitude / longitude is known is stored. Then, the main control unit 3 determines, based on this reference brightness, how much the current position is in which direction from the reference position, and based on the judgment, the backlight system (brightness adjusting means) 5 and the hue. The command given to the adjusting means 6 is corrected (see steps S12 and S13 of FIG. 4 described later).

Next, the operation of the navigation system using the electronic display device of the second embodiment having the above construction will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S11, the main control unit 3
Goes to see the current time information of the real-time clock unit 7. In step S12, the main control unit 3 obtains the current position information from the current position recognition means 9. Step S13
Then, the main control unit 3 uses the reference ground brightness table 10
To determine the brightness of the current position at the current time. This is the point of the second embodiment. Step S1
At 4, it is judged whether the present daytime brightness.

When it is judged that it is nighttime, step S
In step 15, the main controller 3 instructs the backlight system 5 to reduce the brightness of the light source 5a. Next, in step S16, the main control unit 3 uses the hue of the monotone color look-up table group 62 in the hue adjusting means 6 so that the hue is closer to that of monotone than in normal display, and the display color is less stimulating. I shall. When it is determined that it is daytime, the process proceeds to step S17, and the main control unit 3 commands the backlight system 5 to brighten the brightness of the light source 5a in order to brighten the screen with respect to external light. Next, in step S18, the main control unit 3 uses the color look-up table group 61 that adds sharpness to create a necessary color so that the screen does not become whitish due to external light.

For example, it is assumed that the reference place brightness table 10 has information in which Tokyo is set as the reference place. It is assumed that the current position is Kagoshima and the time is 17:00 on December 31st, and the reference place is the brightness at night, but it is determined that the ambient brightness is the daytime brightness at the current position. In that case, the screen brightness and screen display color may be displayed as they are during the daytime.

The current position is 12 in Hokkaido and the time is the same.
It is assumed that it is 17:00 on the 31st of the month, and it is determined that the reference place has daytime brightness but the surrounding brightness at the current position is nighttime brightness. At that time, the screen brightness and the screen display color are determined to be those for the night. That is, it is only necessary to realize relatively dark screen brightness and realize a monotone screen display color.

As described above, by adding the positional information, it is possible to realize an electronic display device that is more user friendly.
Needless to say, the larger the screen brightness adjustment range, the larger the number of color lookup table groups 6 and the more detailed the information of the reference ground brightness table 10, the more easily the screen can be realized.

[0038]

As described above, according to the first electronic display device of the present invention, even if the user is not particularly aware of the adjustment,
Since the brightness and color of the screen are automatically adjusted according to changes in the surrounding environment, it is possible to provide a screen display state that is always easy to see and easy on the eyes.

Further, according to the second electronic display device of the present invention, by adding the current position information, the brightness of the current position can be calculated even if the brightness of the current position is different from the brightness of the reference ground. Since a correction is made to the adjustment of brightness and color tone, it is possible to provide a user with a screen display state that is more friendly to the current position.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic display device according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic display device according to a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Electronic map storage means 2 ... Electronic map reading device 3 ... Main control section 4 ... Display means 5 ... Backlight system (brightness adjusting means) 5a ... Light source 6 ... Color lookup table group (hue) Adjusting means) 61 ... Color look-up table group for sharpening 62 ... Monotone color look-up table group 7 ... Real-time clock section 8 ... Input means 9 ... Current position recognizing means 10 ... Reference area brightness table

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A display unit for displaying an image, a light source for applying a backlight to the display unit, a brightness adjusting unit for adjusting the brightness of the light source, and a tint adjusting unit for adjusting the hue of the display unit. A real time clock unit for outputting current time information, and a main control unit for controlling the brightness adjusting unit and the hue adjusting unit by referring to the current time information output by the real time clock unit. Electronic display device. 2. Display means for displaying an image, a light source for applying a backlight to the display means, brightness adjusting means for adjusting the brightness of the light source, and hue adjusting means for adjusting the hue of the display means. , A real-time clock unit that outputs current time information, a current position recognition unit that outputs current position information, a reference ground brightness table that stores reference brightness corresponding to the current position, and access the reference ground brightness table And a main control unit for controlling the brightness adjusting unit and the hue adjusting unit with reference to the current time information output by the real-time clock unit and the reference brightness corresponding to the current position information output by the current position recognizing unit. An electronic display device comprising: