Display device and control method thereof

Abstract

To provide a display device capable of achieving a longer lifespan by effectively suppressing degradation of display quality, and a control method thereof.SOLUTION: A display device 100 includes: a video display unit 14; a line-of-sight detection unit 20 that detects a user's line of sight; an area identification unit 11 that identifies the coordinates of the user's viewpoint and a gaze area, on the video display unit 14 based on the detected line of sight; and a video processing unit 13 that displays an image in normal display in the gaze area of the video display unit 14, and displays an image in inhibited display that inhibits degradation of display quality in non-gaze areas other than the gaze area of the video display unit 14. The area identification unit 11 changes the size of the gaze area so that the gaze area becomes smaller as a distance detected by the line-of-sight detection unit 20 becomes closer, and the video processing unit 13 increases the degree of inhibited display as the size of the gaze area becomes smaller.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a display device and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Self-luminous displays such as organic electroluminescence (EL) displays are used in a variety of displays due to their good image quality, etc. However, there is no fundamental solution to the degradation of display quality (image quality) caused by burn-in and unevenness in self-luminous displays, and extending their lifespan is a major issue for self-luminous displays.

[0003] Related techniques are known, for example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for controlling the contrast ratio depending on the brightness of external light incident on a display screen. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for controlling the brightness of pixels depending on whether the image to be displayed is a moving image or a still image. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5050462 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4742615 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As described above, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the occurrence of burn-in and unevenness is suppressed by controlling the contrast ratio and brightness. Other related technologies include a process of lowering brightness when the same screen is displayed for a long time, a process of periodically slightly changing the display position of the image to prevent degradation from concentrating on a specific pixel, and a process of calculating the light emission time for each pixel, calculating the degree of degradation, and correcting the brightness. However, although these related technologies have a certain effect in extending the lifespan, there is a problem in that they cannot effectively suppress the deterioration of display quality to extend the lifespan. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides a display device comprising: a video display unit; a gaze detection unit that detects a user's gaze and the distance between the user and the video display unit; an area identification unit that identifies the coordinates of the user's viewpoint and a gaze area on the video display unit based on the detected gaze; and a video processing unit that displays an image in a normal display manner in the gaze area on the video display unit, and displays the image in an inhibited display manner that inhibits a deterioration in display quality in a non-gaze area other than the gaze area on the video display unit, wherein the area identification unit changes the size of the gaze area so that the gaze area becomes smaller as the distance detected by the gaze detection unit becomes closer, and the video processing unit increases the degree of the inhibited display as the size of the gaze area becomes smaller. The present invention also provides a display device comprising: a video display unit; a gaze detection unit that detects a user's gaze and a distance between the user and the video display unit; an area identification unit that identifies the coordinates of the user's viewpoint and a gaze area on the video display unit based on the detected gaze; and a video processing unit that displays an image in a normal display manner in the gaze area on the video display unit, and displays the image in a suppressed display manner that suppresses a deterioration in display quality in a non-gaze area other than the gaze area on the video display unit, wherein the area identification unit changes the size of the gaze area in accordance with the magnitude of the gaze movement within a specified period of time, making the gaze area larger as the gaze movement increases, and the video processing unit increases the degree of the suppressed display as the size of the gaze area decreases.

[0007] The present invention provides a control method for a display device equipped with a video display unit, which detects a user's line of sight and a distance between the user and the video display unit, and identifies the coordinates of the user's viewpoint and a gaze area on the video display unit based on the detected line of sight, and displays an image in a normal display in the gaze area on the video display unit, and displays the image in a suppressed display that prevents a deterioration in display quality in a non-gaze area other than the gaze area on the video display unit, and when identifying the gaze area, changes the size of the gaze area so that the gaze area becomes smaller as the detected distance becomes closer, and when displaying the image, the degree of the suppressed display is increased as the size of the gaze area becomes smaller. The present invention also provides a control method for a display device equipped with a video display unit, which detects a user's line of sight and a distance between the user and the video display unit, and identifies the coordinates of the user's viewpoint and a gaze area on the video display unit based on the detected line of sight, and displays an image in a normal display in the gaze area on the video display unit, and displays the image in a suppressed display that suppresses a deterioration in display quality in a non-gaze area other than the gaze area on the video display unit, and when identifying the gaze area, changes the size of the gaze area depending on the magnitude of the gaze movement within a specified period of time, making the gaze area larger as the gaze movement is greater, and when displaying the image, increases the degree of the suppressed display as the size of the gaze area is smaller. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a display device and a control method thereof that can effectively suppress deterioration in display quality and extend the lifespan. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration example of a display device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the display device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the display device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the display device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the display device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration example of a display device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the display device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration example of a display device according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the display device according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the display device according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted as necessary.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) First, a first embodiment will be described. As described above, for example, a self-luminous display displays an image by emitting light from each pixel, and therefore the light emission intensity and light emission time of each pixel differ depending on the content of the displayed image, resulting in variations in lifespan, which in turn leads to degradation of display quality such as burn-in and unevenness. Therefore, in this embodiment, a gaze sensor is mounted on the display to detect the area the user is looking at, and the input image is normally displayed only in the area the user is looking at, while image processing such as filtering the image and reducing the gradation characteristics is applied to the area the user is not looking at, thereby reducing the difference in lifespan between pixels and lengthening the lifespan of the display.

[0012] 1 shows an example of the configuration of a display device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a display device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a display unit 10 and a gaze detection unit 20.

[0013] The gaze detection unit 20 is a gaze sensor that detects the gaze of a user who uses the display device 100. The gaze detection unit 20 is installed at an arbitrary position on the display device 100. The gaze detection unit 20 may be attached to the outside of the display unit 10, or may be built into the display unit 10. The gaze detection unit 20 detects the distance of the user in addition to the gaze of the user. The detected distance is the distance from the display device 100 to the user. Note that, when the user uses the display device 100 at a predetermined position, a predetermined distance may be used without detecting the distance. In this case, the gaze detection unit 20 detects only the gaze of the user.

[0014] The gaze detection unit 20 includes, for example, an infrared light emitting unit 21, an imaging unit 22, and a calculation unit 23. Note that the gaze detection unit 20 may have other configurations as long as it can detect the gaze and distance of the user. The infrared light emitting unit 21 is a light emitting device that irradiates (emits) infrared light to the user's eyes. The imaging unit 22 is an imaging device that images the user's eyes, and is, for example, a brightness sensor for obtaining reflected light from the user's eyeball.

[0015] The calculation unit 23 calculates (detects) the line of sight and distance of the user from the detection result of the imaging unit 22, and outputs the calculation result to the display unit 10 (area specification unit 11). The calculation unit 23 detects the center of the user's pupil and the position of the corneal reflex from the image obtained by the imaging unit 22, and detects the user's line of sight from the information. In this example, the line of sight is detected from the position of the pupil relative to the position of the corneal reflex, but the line of sight may be detected by other methods, such as detecting the line of sight from the position of the iris relative to the position of the inner corner of the eye. Furthermore, the calculation unit 23 calculates the distance between the display device 100 and the user from the image of the user's eye obtained by the imaging unit 22, for example. In this embodiment, in order to specify the area on the display screen based on the line of sight, it is preferable to calculate the distance from the user's eye to the image display unit 14 described later. The distance of the user may be detected by other methods, such as acquiring the distance from a stereo image captured by a stereo camera.

[0016] The display unit 10 includes, for example, an area identification unit 11, a video input unit 12, a video processing unit 13, and a video display unit 14. Note that the display unit 10 may have other configurations as long as it can display using the method according to the present embodiment. For example, each unit of the display unit 10 may be realized by one device, or may be realized by multiple devices.

[0017] The area specifying unit 11 specifies the user's viewpoint and gaze area in the image display unit 14 based on the user's gaze and distance detected by the gaze detection unit 20. The user's gaze is specified as an intersection between the user's gaze and the image display unit 14. The gaze area is an area in the image display unit 14 that the user gazes at, and is a predetermined area centered on the user's gaze in the image display unit 14. In this embodiment, the gaze area is an area in which an image is normally displayed. Since non-gaze areas other than the gaze area are also specified by specifying the gaze area, it can be said that the area specifying unit 11 specifies the non-gaze area together with the gaze area. The area specifying unit 11 specifies a gaze area of ​​a predetermined shape with a size according to the distance of the user, centered on the coordinates of the user's gaze, from the specified coordinates of the user's gaze point and the acquired distance between the user and the display device 100. For example, the shape of the gaze area may be a horizontally elongated ellipse according to the distance and inclination between the user's two eyes, but may be other shapes such as a circle or any polygon.

[0018] Video input unit 12 is an input device that inputs (acquires) a video to be displayed on video display unit 14. Video input unit 12 may acquire a video that is input from the outside, or may acquire a video that is stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown) of display device 100.

[0019] The image processing unit 13 is a display control device that controls the image (image) to be displayed on the image display unit 14 based on the user's gaze area identified by the area identification unit 11. The image processing unit 13 draws the gaze area of ​​the identified size and shape, and controls the image within the area to be displayed normally (normal display), and controls the image to be displayed in the non-gaze area other than the gaze area after image processing such as filtering or reduction in gradation characteristics. Note that image processing such as filtering or reduction in gradation characteristics is an example of a quality degradation suppression display that suppresses deterioration of the display quality of the display screen (image display unit 14) such as burn-in or unevenness. In other words, it can be said that the image processing unit 13 controls the image of the non-gaze area to be displayed in a quality degradation suppression manner. The quality degradation suppression display may be realized by performing image processing on the image to be displayed, or may be realized by controlling the light emission (display) of the pixels of the display screen (image display unit 14). Not limited to image processing such as filtering or reduction in gradation characteristics, the brightness of the image (pixel) may be reduced for the non-gaze area. For example, by lowering the luminance in addition to image processing of the non-attention area, the life of the display device can be further extended. Note that the image processor 13 may control the display device so that the image within the attention area is normally displayed (normal display) without drawing the attention area, and the image in the non-attention area other than the attention area is displayed after image processing such as filtering or lowering of gradation characteristics.

[0020] The image display unit 14 displays the image processed by the image processing unit 13. The image display unit 14 is, for example, a self-emitting display such as an organic EL display that emits a plurality of images. Note that the image display unit 14 is not limited to a self-emitting display, and may be another display including a plurality of pixels such as a liquid crystal display. For example, the image display unit 14 is preferably a flat panel display, but may be a non-flat display as long as the gaze area can be specified.

[0021] FIG. 2 shows an example of the operation (control method) of the display device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, first, the display device 100 detects the line of sight of the user (S101). The infrared emitting unit 21 irradiates the user's eye with infrared rays, and the imaging unit 22 captures an image including the reflected light. FIG. 3 shows an image of the user's eye captured. As shown in FIG. 3, the irradiated infrared rays are reflected by the cornea of ​​the user's eyeball, and light is obtained. The calculation unit 23 recognizes the user's pupil from the captured image and obtains the coordinates of the center of the pupil. The calculation unit 23 detects the user's line of sight from the obtained position of the corneal reflection and the center of the pupil.

[0022] Next, display device 100 measures the distance to the user (S102). Calculation unit 23 recognizes the two irises of the user from the image of the user's eyes captured by imaging unit 22, and calculates the distance between image display unit 14 and the user from the size of the recognized irises and the distance between the two irises.

[0023] Next, the display device 100 determines whether or not a line of sight has been detected (S103). If a line of sight has been detected (S103 / Yes), the display device 100 counts the number of detected lines of sight, and determines whether or not the lines of sight of multiple users have been detected (S104). If the lines of sight of only one user, not multiple users, have been detected (S104 / No), the display device 100 identifies the user's gaze area (S105).

[0024] The area specifying unit 11 calculates the coordinates of the user's viewpoint on the video display unit 14 based on the user's line of sight. The area specifying unit 11 also specifies the size and shape of the gaze area from the distance of the user. For example, it specifies an elliptical area with the calculated coordinates of the viewpoint as its center and the size of its axis according to the distance. That is, the area specifying unit 11 changes the size of the gaze area to be displayed depending on the distance of the user. For example, the closer the user is to the video display unit 14, the smaller the gaze area to be displayed, and the farther the user is from the video display unit 14, the larger the gaze area to be displayed.

[0025] Next, the display device 100 performs image processing on the non-focused area and displays the image-processed video (S106). The video processor 13 performs predetermined image processing on the non-focused area other than the focus area in the input video, and the video display unit 14 displays the image-processed video. For example, as an example of quality degradation prevention display, the image of the non-focused area may be blurred by filtering, or the gradation characteristics may be reduced.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a display image of the video display unit 14 without image processing, and FIG. 5 is a display image of the video display unit 14 with image processing applied to the non-attention area. That is, for a normal display image as shown in FIG. 4, an elliptical attention area centered on the user's viewpoint is drawn as shown in FIG. 5. The position of the viewpoint may be displayed on the video display unit 14 or may not be displayed. Inside the elliptical attention area having a size according to the distance, the input image is normally displayed as it is without image processing, and in the non-attention area outside the attention area, the input image is displayed with blurring or the like. The level (degree) of reducing the blurring or gradation characteristics may be a predetermined level or may be changed according to the size of the attention area (distance of the user) or the like. For example, the smaller the attention area is, the stronger the level of blurring of the non-attention area may be.

[0027] 2, when the line of sight cannot be detected (S103 / No), the display device 100 performs image processing on the entire area, and displays the image-processed image on the entire image display unit 14 (S107). When the image processing unit 13 cannot detect the line of sight, it determines that the user is not looking at the image display unit 14, applies image processing to the entire image, and displays the image-processed image on the image display unit 14. The image processing at this time may be the same blurring or reduction in gradation characteristics as when the line of sight is detected, or a different level of blurring or reduction in gradation characteristics. Also, a different method of quality degradation prevention display, such as reduction in brightness, may be used.

[0028] Furthermore, when the gazes of multiple users are detected (S104 / Yes), the display device 100 displays the input image on the entire image display unit 14 (S108). When the gazes of multiple people are detected, the image processing unit 13 cannot specify an area to apply image processing to, and therefore does not apply image processing to the input image, as shown in Fig. 4, and displays the entire image as is on the image display unit 14 in the normal manner.

[0029] As described above, in this embodiment, a display device such as an organic EL display or a liquid crystal display is provided with a sensor that detects the user's line of sight to constantly observe the gaze area that the user is looking at, and controls to normally display an image only in the gaze area that the user is looking at, and to apply image processing such as filtering and lowering of gradation characteristics to the other non-gaze areas. This reduces the variation in the life of each pixel, and suppresses deterioration of display quality such as burn-in and unevenness in a self-luminous display, thereby enabling the display device to have a long life. In addition, if the non-gaze area is hidden, there is a risk that it will be difficult to determine what is being displayed. For this reason, a processed image is displayed in the non-display area to suppress quality degradation. This makes it possible for the user to grasp the entire image and follow the area they want to see with their eyes while suppressing deterioration of the display.

[0030] (Embodiment 2) Next, a second embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the display device of the first embodiment is further provided with a human sensor. FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of a display device according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the display device 100 according to this embodiment includes a display unit 10 and a gaze detection unit 20, as in the first embodiment, and further includes a human sensor 30. The human sensor 30 detects a user in front of the display device 100 and measures the distance between the display device 100 and the user. In addition to the human sensor, a distance measuring sensor capable of measuring the distance with high accuracy may be provided. For example, when the user cannot be detected by the human sensor 30, the image processing unit 13 may hide the entire image on the image display unit 14. It should be noted that the display may not be hidden, and a quality degradation prevention display may be performed as in the first embodiment.

[0031] As in this embodiment, the display device of the first embodiment may further measure the distance to the user using a human presence sensor or a distance measuring sensor. This allows the user's distance to be measured accurately, and the gaze area in which normal display is performed to be specified with high accuracy. In addition, when the human presence sensor cannot detect a user in front of the display device, the image is hidden, thereby further extending the life of the display device.

[0032] (Embodiment 3) Next, a description will be given of embodiment 3. This embodiment is an example in which the gaze detection method is improved in the display device of embodiment 1 or 2. The configuration of the display device is similar to that of embodiment 1 or 2, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0033] FIG. 7 shows an example of the operation (control method) of the display device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, the display device 100 performs the gaze detection (S101) of the user and the distance measurement (S102) of the user in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and repeats these processes for a predetermined period (S112). That is, the display device 100 repeats the gaze detection (S101) and the distance measurement (S102) until the predetermined period has elapsed (S112 / No), and performs the averaging process (S113) after the predetermined period has elapsed (S112 / Yes). For example, the calculation unit 23 performs the gaze detection by integrating while time-resolving at about several tens of frames per second, and calculates the position of the user's gaze point and the distance between the display device 100 and the user from the average value of the data for several frames. That is, the calculation unit 23 calculates the coordinates and distance of the gaze point for each image from the images captured continuously for a predetermined period, and sets the average value of the calculated coordinates and distance of the gaze point as the detection result (measurement result). Thereafter, the processes from S103 onwards are carried out in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the gaze area is specified based on the result of averaging the viewpoints and distances detected within a predetermined time (S114), and the image is displayed on the image display unit 14 (S106). This prevents the blinking of the user, for example, from being immediately reflected on the display screen.

[0034] Also, while repeating gaze detection (S101) and distance measurement (S102), it is determined whether the movement of the gaze is greater than a predetermined value (S111), and if the movement of the gaze is equal to or less than the predetermined value (S111 / No), the repetition of gaze detection and distance measurement is continued, and if the movement of the gaze is greater than the predetermined value (S111 / Yes), the repetition of gaze detection and distance measurement is stopped. For example, if the coordinates of the gaze (or viewpoint) change significantly, the accumulated averaging process is stopped, and the process from S103 onwards is performed as in the first embodiment, the gaze area is specified based on the current viewpoint and distance (S114), and the image is displayed on the image display unit 14 (S106). As a result, the current viewpoint position is immediately reflected in the display position of the display screen.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the region specifying unit 11 specifies the gaze region in consideration of the movement of the line of sight (S114). For example, the region specifying unit 11 constantly calculates a movement vector, which is the magnitude and direction of the movement of the line of sight (or viewpoint), and controls the size of the gaze region according to the magnitude of the movement vector of the line of sight at a predetermined time. For example, the gaze region is enlarged as the movement vector of the line of sight becomes larger, and the gaze region is reduced as the movement vector of the line of sight becomes smaller. In addition, the gaze region may be specified by predicting the destination region from the movement vector of the line of sight. For example, while the movement of the line of sight continues, that is, before the movement of the line of sight is completed (ended), the gaze region may be specified so as to include the predicted destination region. At this time, the gaze region may be set to a size including the destination, or may be set to a shape extending in the direction of the destination.

[0036] As described above, in the display device of the first or second embodiment, the user's viewpoint and distance may be obtained from the average value of the detection results within a predetermined period. This prevents the user from immediately following the action of closing his or her eyes for a short period of time. In addition, by stopping the averaging process when the line of sight moves significantly, it is possible to prevent delays in following the gaze area on the screen when the line of sight moves significantly.

[0037] (Embodiment 4) Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. This embodiment is an example in which the display device according to any one of the first to third embodiments controls luminance in accordance with pixel degradation information when performing quality degradation suppression display such as image processing.

[0038] FIG. 8 shows a configuration example of a display device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the display device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a display unit 10 and a gaze detection unit 20, as in the first embodiment, and further includes a deterioration information storage unit 15 in the display unit 10. The deterioration information storage unit 15 stores deterioration information of pixels of the video display unit 14. Specifically, for each block of pixels constituting the video display unit 14 (display screen), deterioration information indicating the degree of deterioration of the pixel based on the display history of the image is stored. For example, the deterioration information is information obtained by integrating the video signal level displayed in the pixel and the display time. The video processing unit 13 may calculate deterioration information for each block from the video to be displayed and store it in the deterioration information storage unit 15.

[0039] Furthermore, the image processor 13 controls the luminance of pixels for each block of the image display unit 14 based on the stored deterioration information. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, deterioration information is stored for each block, and the luminance of pixels for each block is adjusted so that the degree of deterioration is balanced for each block in the area where image processing is performed. The luminance of blocks with a large degree of deterioration compared to the average deterioration progress of the display is lowered, and the luminance of blocks with a small degree of deterioration is raised, so that there is no difference in the overall degree of deterioration. For example, if a pixel includes RGB (red, green, and blue) subpixels and the degree of deterioration differs for each RGB subpixel, the luminance may be controlled for each RGB color. However, if there is a risk of a change in the white balance, the luminance may be controlled so that the degree of deterioration of RGB is balanced.

[0040] Fig. 10 shows an example of operation (control method) of the display device according to the present embodiment. Fig. 10 shows a process of further controlling brightness when displaying an image that has been subjected to image processing or the like in a non-focused area other than the focused area in the first to third embodiments (S106 in Fig. 2 and S114 in Fig. 7).

[0041] As shown in FIG. 10, the image processor 13 acquires the deterioration information of the blocks in the non-focused region from the deterioration information storage unit 15 (S201). The image processor 13 determines whether the deterioration degree of the block is large (S202), and if there is a block in the non-focused region with a deterioration degree larger than a predetermined value (S202 / Yes), reduces the luminance of the corresponding block (S203). For example, the luminance is reduced at a level corresponding to the degree of deterioration that is greater than the predetermined value. If there is no block with a deterioration degree larger than the predetermined value (S202 / No), the process proceeds to the next step. Next, the image processor 13 determines whether the deterioration degree of the block is small (S204), and if there is a block in the non-focused region with a deterioration degree smaller than a predetermined value (S204 / Yes), the luminance of the corresponding block is increased (S205). For example, the luminance is increased at a level corresponding to the degree of deterioration that is greater than the predetermined value. If there is no block with a deterioration degree smaller than the predetermined value (S204 / No), the process ends. The predetermined value for determining the degree of deterioration in S202 and S205 may be a preset average value or an average value calculated from the deterioration information of all blocks. The predetermined value in S202 and the predetermined value in S205 may be the same value or different values. For example, a range may be provided between the two, and the second predetermined value for determining that the degree of deterioration is small may be smaller than the first predetermined value for determining that the degree of deterioration is large.

[0042] As described above, in the display devices according to the first to third embodiments, when the non-focused area is displayed after image processing, the luminance of each block is controlled to adjust the degree of deterioration based on the deterioration information of each block of the area to be image-processed. This makes it possible to suppress the difference in deterioration of the entire area, thereby enabling a long life.

[0043] In addition, not only in the non-gaze area specified according to the gaze detection, but also in a predetermined area where the quality degradation prevention display is performed, the brightness of each block may be controlled according to the degradation information as in the present embodiment. For example, not only in the gaze detection, but also in the case where the user is not detected by the human sensor or the user does not perform an operation for a predetermined period of time, image processing such as blurring may be performed, and the brightness may be controlled in the area where the image processing is performed as in the present embodiment.

[0044] (Embodiment 5) Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. This embodiment is an example of controlling the display color of a pixel when performing quality degradation suppression display such as image processing in the display device of the first to fourth embodiments. When a pixel of the image display unit 14 (display screen) includes a plurality of sub-pixels each displaying a different color, the image processing unit 13 may display only a sub-pixel of an arbitrary color selected from the plurality of sub-pixels of the pixel in the non-attention area (a predetermined area in which quality degradation suppression display is performed). For example, when a pixel is composed of four sub-pixels of white, red, green, and blue, only the white sub-pixel may be lit to display monochrome when image processing is performed in the non-attention area. This can extend the life of the red, green, and blue sub-pixels.

[0045] Also, instead of being limited to white, only some of the multiple colors (for example, one or two colors) may be displayed (lit up). In this case, the color selected and displayed may be switched according to the time or timing of display, and may be rotated. For example, the colors displayed may be changed in the order of white, red, blue, and green. This makes it possible to suppress pixel deterioration and prevent unevenness in the degree of deterioration.

[0046] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0047] Each configuration in the above-described embodiments is configured by hardware or software, or both, and may be configured by one piece of hardware or software, or may be configured by multiple pieces of hardware or software. The function (processing) of each device may be realized by a computer having a CPU, memory, etc. For example, a program for performing a method in the embodiment (e.g., a control method) may be stored in a storage device, and each function may be realized by executing the program stored in the storage device with a CPU.

[0048] These programs can be stored and provided to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer readable media include various types of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD-R / W, and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory)). The programs may also be provided to a computer by various types of transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer readable media include electric signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. The transitory computer readable media can provide the programs to a computer via a wired communication path such as an electric wire and an optical fiber, or via a wireless communication path. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 10 Display section 11 Area identification part 12 Video input section 13. Video Processing Section 14 Video display section 15 Deterioration information storage section 20. Line of Sight Detection Unit 21 Infrared emitting part 22 Imaging unit 23 Calculation section 30 Human Sensor 100 display device

Claims

1. A video display unit; a gaze detection unit that detects a user's gaze and a distance between the user and the image display unit; an area specifying unit that specifies a coordinate of a viewpoint and a gaze area of ​​the user on the image display unit based on the detected line of sight; a video processing unit that displays an image in a normal display manner in the gaze area of ​​the video display unit, and displays the image in a suppressed display manner that suppresses a deterioration in display quality in a non-gaze area other than the gaze area of ​​the video display unit, the region specifying unit changes a size of the gaze region so that the gaze region becomes smaller as the distance detected by the gaze detection unit becomes closer; The image processing unit increases the degree of the suppressive display as the size of the gaze area decreases. Display device.

2. A video display unit; A gaze detection unit that detects the gaze of a user; an area specifying unit that specifies a coordinate of a viewpoint and a gaze area of ​​the user on the image display unit based on the detected line of sight; a video processing unit that displays an image in a normal display manner in the gaze area of ​​the video display unit, and displays the image in a suppressed display manner that suppresses a deterioration in display quality in a non-gaze area other than the gaze area of ​​the video display unit, the region specifying unit changes a size of the gaze region in accordance with a magnitude of the line of sight movement within a predetermined time, and makes the gaze region larger as the line of sight movement increases; The image processing unit increases the degree of the suppressive display as the size of the gaze area decreases. Display device.

3. When the gaze detection unit does not detect a gaze, The video processing unit performs the suppressed display on the entire screen of the video display unit. The display device according to claim 1 .

4. A method for controlling a display device having a video display unit, comprising: Detecting a user's line of sight and a distance between the user and the image display unit; Identifying a coordinate of a viewpoint and a gaze area of ​​the user on the image display unit based on the detected line of sight; an image is displayed in a normal display manner in the gaze area of ​​the video display unit, and the image is displayed in a suppressed display manner that suppresses a deterioration in display quality in a non-gaze area other than the gaze area of ​​the video display unit; In identifying the gaze area, a size of the gaze area is changed so that the gaze area becomes smaller as the detected distance becomes closer; In displaying the image, the smaller the size of the fixation area, the stronger the degree of the suppressive display. A method for controlling a display device.

5. A method for controlling a display device having a video display unit, comprising: Detects the user's gaze, Identifying a coordinate of a viewpoint and a gaze area of ​​the user on the image display unit based on the detected line of sight; an image is displayed in a normal display manner in the gaze area of ​​the video display unit, and the image is displayed in a suppressed display manner that suppresses a deterioration in display quality in a non-gaze area other than the gaze area of ​​the video display unit; In the determination of the gaze area, a size of the gaze area is changed according to a magnitude of the gaze movement within a predetermined time, and the larger the gaze movement, the larger the gaze area is set; In displaying the image, the smaller the size of the fixation area, the stronger the degree of the suppressive display. A method for controlling a display device.

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