Electronic device and display method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9558690-B2
Application number	US-201414445644-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2014
Priority date	Feb 28, 2014
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

An electronic device includes a display panel including a plurality of sub-pixels, a distance sensor which senses a viewing distance between the display panel and a user, and a control unit which compares the viewing distance with a first critical distance and controls the display panel based on a result of comparison between the viewing distance and the first critical distance, where when the viewing distance is less than the first critical distance, the control unit controls the display panel such that all of the sub-pixels are activated and the display panel displays an image at a basic resolution, and when the viewing distance is greater than the first critical distance, the control unit controls the display panel such that a first number of sub-pixels are inactivated and the display panel displays an image at a first resolution lower than the basic resolution.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a display panel comprising a plurality of sub-pixels;
a distance sensor which senses a viewing distance between the display panel and a user; and
a control unit which compares the viewing distance with a first critical distance and controls the display panel based on a result of comparison between the viewing distance and the first critical distance,
wherein
when the viewing distance is less than the first critical distance, the control unit controls the display panel such that all of the sub-pixels are activated and the display panel displays at a basic resolution, and
when the viewing distance is greater than the first critical distance, the control unit controls the display panel such that a first number of sub-pixels are inactivated and the display panel displays at a first resolution lower than the basic resolution.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein
the control unit compares the viewing distance with a second critical distance, and
when the viewing distance is greater than the first critical distance and is less than the second critical distance, the control unit controls the display panel such that the display panel displays at the first resolution, and
when the viewing distance is greater than the second distance, the control unit controls the display panel such that a second number of sub-pixels greater than the first number are inactivated and the display panel displays at a second resolution lower than the first resolution.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the second critical distance is twice the first critical distance.

4. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the second number of sub-pixels inactivated when the display panel displays at the second resolution is twice the first number of sub-pixels inactivated when the display panel displays at the first resolution.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein
the sub-pixels are grouped into a plurality of sub-pixel groups, wherein the sub-pixels in each sub-pixel group are disposed adjacent to each other, and
the sub-pixel groups are alternately inactivated based on a predetermined sequential order.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein when the viewing distance becomes greater than the first critical distance, the control unit controls the display panel such that sub-pixels of a sub-pixel group at a second time interval, adjacent to the sub-pixel group inactivated during a first time interval previous to the second time interval based on the predetermined sequential order, are inactivated and the display panel displays at the first resolution.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein
the display panel comprises a plurality of pixels arranged substantially in a matrix form,
wherein each of the pixels comprises:
a first sub-pixel which displays a first color;
a second sub-pixel which displays a second color; and
a third sub-pixel which displays a third color,
wherein
the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel are vertically disposed on a left side portion in a pixel, and
the third sub-pixel disposed on a right side portion in the pixel.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein
a group pixel is defined by four adjacent pixels disposed in two rows and two columns,
the first number of sub-pixels comprise:
second sub-pixels in two pixels in an upper row of the group pixel;
first sub-pixels in two pixels in a lower row of the group pixel; and
third sub-pixels in two pixels in a left column of the group pixel.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein
the display panel comprises a plurality of group pixels, each of which is defined by four adjacent pixels disposed in two rows and two columns,
wherein the group pixels are divided into first group pixels and second group pixels which are alternately arranged with each other in a row direction and a column direction, and
wherein the control unit controls the display panel such that every time the viewing distance becomes greater than the first critical distance, the first group pixels or the second group pixels are inactivated,
when the first group pixels are inactivated, second sub-pixels in two pixels in an upper row in each of the first group pixels, first sub-pixels in two pixels in a lower row in each of the first group pixels, and third sub-pixels in two pixels in a left column in each of the first group pixels are inactivated, and
when the second group pixels are inactivated, second sub-pixels in two pixels in an upper row in each of the second group pixels, first sub-pixels in two pixels in a lower row in each of the second group pixels, and third sub-pixels in two pixels in a left column in each of the second group pixels are inactivated.

10. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein
the display panel comprises a plurality of group pixels, each of which is defined by four pixels arranged in two rows and two columns,
wherein the group pixels are divided into first group pixels and second group pixels which are alternately arranged with each other in a row direction and a column direction,
wherein each of the group pixels comprises twelve sub-pixels divided into a first sub-pixel group and a second sub-pixel group,
wherein the first sub-pixel group is defined by second sub-pixels in two pixels in an upper row, first sub-pixels in two pixels in a lower row, and third sub-pixels in two pixels in a left column, among the twelve sub-pixels of each of the group pixels, and
the second sub-pixel group is defined by remaining sub-pixels, except the sub-pixels in the first sub-pixel group, among the twelve sub-pixels of each of the group pixels, and
wherein the control unit controls the display panel such that every time the viewing distance becomes greater than the first critical distance, the sub-pixels of the first sub-pixel group of the first group pixels, the sub-pixels of the first sub-pixel group of the second group pixels, the sub-pixels of the second sub-pixel group of the first group pixels, or the sub-pixels of the second sub-pixel group of the second group pixels are inactivated in a predetermined sequential order.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein
the control unit compares the viewing distance with a second critical distance, and
the control unit controls the display panel based on a result of comparison between the viewing distance and the second critical distance such that the sub-pixels of the first sub-pixel group or the sub-pixels of the second sub-pixel group are alternately inactivated every time the viewing distance becomes greater than the second critical distance.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the distance sensor comprises an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor.

13. An electronic device comprising:
a display panel comprising a plurality of pixels arranged substantially in a matrix form, wherein each of the pixels comprises a plurality of sub-pixels;
a distance sensor which senses a viewing distance between the display panel and a user; and
a control unit which compares the viewing distance with a first critical distance and controls the display panel based on a result of comparison between the viewing distance and the first critical distance,
wherein
when the viewing distance is less than the first critical distance, the control unit controls the display panel such that all of the sub-pixels of the display panel are activated and the display panel displays an image at a basic resolution, and
when the viewing distance is greater than the first critical distance, the control unit controls the display panel such that a first number

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Seung-Rok
• Shin Yoon-Jee

Classifications

• H04N21/4436

  Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver (power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418) · CPC title

• H04N21/44218

  Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV programme (methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45) · CPC title

• G09G3/3607

  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) · CPC title

• G09G2340/0457

  Improvement of perceived resolution by subpixel rendering · CPC title

• G09G3/2003 Primary

  Display of colours (specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607) · CPC title