Display device and control method for display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017263201-A1
Application number	US-201515529147-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 2, 2015
Priority date	Dec 8, 2014
Publication date	Sep 14, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention allows a user to realize that a display device is in a state of low electric power consumption. A display device ( 1 ) is a display device for refreshing a display screen at a refresh rate which is variable, the display device including: an eco-state sensing circuit ( 8 ) for specifying the refresh rate which is variable; and a state display control circuit ( 9 ) for presenting a state of the specified refresh rate to a user.

First claim

1 . A display device for refreshing a display screen at a refresh rate which is variable,
said display device comprising: a rate detecting section for specifying the refresh rate which is variable; and a state presenting section for presenting, to a user, information indicative of a degree of the specified refresh rate.

2 . The display device as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
a timing controller for generating a timing signal instructing the display screen to be refreshed, the rate detecting section specifying the refresh rate in accordance with how many times in a predetermined period the display screen is instructed by the timing controller to be refreshed.

3 . The display device as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
an image generating section for generating image data to be displayed, the rate detecting section specifying the refresh rate in accordance with a time elapsed from the last time the image generating section output the image data.

4 . The display device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein, for a plurality of most recent vertical periods, the rate detecting section specifies the refresh rate in accordance with a pattern of presence or absence of refresh in each of the plurality of most recent vertical periods.

5 . The display device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the state presenting section presents, to the user, the information indicative of the degree of the refresh rate by carrying out a display in a display section different from the display screen, changing a luminance of a backlight of the display screen, or outputting a specific sound.

6 . The display device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the state presenting section presents, to the user, the information indicative of the degree of the refresh rate only when the refresh rate has a lower limit value.

7 . The display device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:
by causing a state display in accordance with the degree of the refresh rate to be made in the display screen, the state presenting section presents, to the user, the information indicative of the degree of the refresh rate; and the state presenting section changes the state display in the display screen in accordance with either refresh carried out when image content of the image data to be displayed is changed, or refresh in accordance with a lower limit of the refresh rate.

8 . The display device as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
a timing controller for generating a timing signal instructing the display screen to be refreshed, the timing controller reducing the refresh rate in stages while a still image is being displayed in the display screen, by causing a state display in accordance with the degree of the refresh rate to be made in the display screen, the state presenting section presenting, to the user, the information indicative of the degree of the refresh rate, and the state presenting section changing the state display in the display screen when the display screen is refreshed.

9 . The display device as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
an image generating section for generating image data to be displayed, the rate detecting section supplying transition of the degree of the specified refresh rate to the image generating section, and the image generating section displaying, in the display screen at a predetermined timing, the information indicative of the degree of the refresh rate in a predetermined period.

10 . The display device as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising:
an image generating section for generating image data to be displayed, the rate detecting section supplying transition of the degree of the specified refresh rate to the image generating section, and the image generating section generating the image data which shows the transition of the degree of the refresh rate in a form of a graph.

11 . A method for controlling a display device for refreshing a display screen at a refresh rate which is variable,
said method comprising: a rate detecting step of specifying the refresh rate which is variable; and a state presenting step of presenting, to a user, information indicative of a degree of the specified refresh rate.

12 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a control program for causing a computer to function as a display device recited in claim 1 , the control program causing the computer to function as each of the rate detecting section and the state presenting section.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Sato Yuichi
• Maeda Kenji

Classifications

• H04N5/63

  Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers · CPC title

• G09G2340/0435

  Change or adaptation of the frame rate of the video stream · CPC title

• G09G3/20

  for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix {no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters} · CPC title

• G09G2330/021

  Power management, e.g. power saving · CPC title

• G09G3/3406

  Control of illumination source (illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336) · CPC title