Variable curvature display device and displaying method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9891442-B2
Application number	US-201514685878-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2015
Priority date	Aug 12, 2014
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

A display device includes a display panel displaying an image and having a first radius of curvature, a distance measuring unit measuring a user distance, the user distance being a distance between the display panel and a user, and a curvature radius changing unit receiving the measured user distance from the distance measuring unit, to change the first radius of curvature of the display panel to a second radius of curvature different from the first radius of curvature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display device, comprising:
a display panel displaying an image and having a changeable curvature, the curvature of the display panel being changeable between a first radius of curvature and a second radius of curvature that is different from the first radius of curvature; and
a distance measuring unit measuring a user distance, the user distance being a distance between the display panel and a user;
wherein the curvature of the display panel is changeable in proportion to the measured user distance from the distance measuring unit,
wherein, when there is a plurality of users, the user distance is an average of distances between the display panel and each of the plurality of users, or the user distance is a median of distances between the display panel and each of the plurality of users, and
wherein a pattern of the image does not change based on the user distance.

2. The display device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, when the measured user distance is shorter than a reference distance, the display panel has the second radius of curvature and the second radius of curvature is smaller than the first radius of curvature.

3. The display device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein, when the measured user distance is longer than the reference distance, the display panel has the second radius of curvature and the second radius of curvature is larger than the first radius of curvature.

4. The display device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a remote controller remotely adjusting the display panel; and
an adjustment signal receiving unit receiving an adjustment signal from the remote controller.

5. The display device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the distance measuring unit includes the adjustment signal receiving unit.

6. The display device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the distance measuring unit includes at least one of a camera, an infrared sensor, an ultraviolet sensor, and a laser sensor.

7. The display device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the display panel is further changeable to a third radius of curvature different from the first radius of curvature.

8. A displaying method of a display device, the displaying method comprising:
measuring a user distance between a display panel having a first radius of curvature and a user;
receiving the measured user distance data; and
changing the first radius of curvature of the display panel to a second radius of curvature different from the first radius of curvature based on the received distance data,
wherein, when there is a plurality of users, measuring the user distance includes measuring an average of distances between the display panel and the plurality of users, or measuring the user distance includes measuring a median of distances between the display panel and the plurality of users, and
wherein a pattern of an image the display panel displays, does not change based on the user distance.

9. The displaying method as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising setting a reference distance corresponding to the first radius of curvature.

10. The displaying method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein changing the first radius of curvature includes setting the second radius of curvature to be smaller than the first radius of curvature when the user distance is shorter than the reference distance.

11. The displaying method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein changing the first radius of curvature includes setting the second radius of curvature to be larger than the first radius of curvature when the user distance is longer than the reference distance.

12. The displaying method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein measuring the user distance includes measuring a shortest distance from a point on the distance measuring unit to a point between a left eye of the user and a right eye of the user.

13. The displaying method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein, when there is a plurality of users, measuring the user distance includes measuring a distance between a user closest to the display panel among the plurality of users and the display panel.

14. A display device, comprising:
a display panel including a first display part displaying a first image in a first direction and a second display part displaying a second image in a second direction which is opposite to the first direction, wherein the first display part has a first radius of curvature and the second display part has a second radius of curvature; and
a distance measurer measuring a first user distance and a second user distance different from the first user distance, the first user distance being a distance between the first display part and a first user apart from the first display part in the first direction, the second user distance being a distance between the second display part and a second user apart from the second display part in the second direction;
wherein the curvature of the first display part is changeable from the first radius of curvature to a third radius of curvature different from the first radius of curvature in proportion to the measured first user distance from the distance measurer, wherein the curvature of the second display part is changeable from the second radius of curvature to a fourth radius of curvature different from both the second radius of curvature and the third radius of curvature in proportion to the measured second user distance from the distance measurer;
wherein the first display part has a concave shape in the first direction and the second display part has a concave shape in the second direction.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Gu Bon Seog
• Choi Nam Gon

Classifications

• G09G2340/14

  Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed · 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

• G06F3/013

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G09G5/00

  Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators (image data processing or generation, in general G06T) · CPC title

• H04N5/44

  Receiver circuitry {for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards} (H04N5/14 takes precedence) · CPC title