Electronic device, display control method, and display control program

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus, a display control method and a display control program.SOLUTION: In an electronic apparatus, a display control part determines, based upon indication input of a user, a non-irradiation mode in which the backlight is not turned on or an irradiation mode in which a backlight is turned on, and then performs first display control in the non-irradiation mode or second display control in the irradiation mode so as to perform display control so that the ratio of an information display region or background region which is larger in area to the whole display region of a liquid crystal display panel does not exceed a set threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, a display control method, and a display control program, and more particularly to a technique for improving the visibility of a liquid crystal display. [Background technology]

[0002] In liquid crystal display devices, visibility changes depending on the configuration of the display device, the conditions at the time of observation, etc., and therefore various measures have been taken. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which, in a light source device capable of switching the range of irradiation angles, the wavelength band of an LED (Light-Emitting Diode) to be turned on is switched according to the viewing angle, and the state of an element that switches between a transparent state and a scattering state is changed to suppress changes in color when the irradiation angle is switched.

[0003] Patent Document 2 also describes a liquid crystal display of the STN type (STN: Super Twisted Nematic) that uses reflected light to display positive images and transmits light from a backlight unit to display negative images. Patent Documents 2 and 3 describe a technique for obtaining a display with good visibility by using optical components such as a retardation plate and a polarization separation element in a display element. Furthermore, Patent Document 3 describes a technique for suppressing a decrease in contrast by using a λ / 4 plate in a semi-transmissive liquid crystal display device that is capable of negative and positive display using a backlight unit. Patent Documents 2 and 3 also state that "positive display refers to a white display when no voltage is applied, and negative display refers to a black display when voltage is applied." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-079093 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-222833 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-11049 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When a backlight is used to illuminate a display device using a transmissive or semi-transmissive liquid crystal display, the color of the liquid crystal display appears to change depending on the angle (viewing direction) because the transmission wavelength characteristics of the backlight differ depending on the angle (color shift). In particular, the light-shielding area (black area) has a high angle dependency of the transmission wavelength characteristics, so the color appears to change significantly when the angle changes. This problem of color shift is particularly noticeable in TN (TN: Twisted Nematic) liquid crystal display elements, which are widely used because they can be driven at low voltage and are low cost. Below, we will discuss TN liquid crystal displays in conventional technology. The color change of the element will be explained.

[0006] Part (a) of Figure 18 shows the state of a liquid crystal display panel (assuming it uses a TN liquid crystal display) viewed from the front without backlight illumination, with information (date, ISO: ISO sensitivity, SS: shutter speed, F: aperture) displayed in white (transparent areas) and the background displayed in black (light-shielded areas). Part (b) of Figure 18 shows the same liquid crystal display panel viewed from the front with backlight illumination. Due to the backlight, the background, which is the light-shielded area, appears to have a different color (e.g., a bluish tint, depending on the wavelength band of the backlight, etc.). Also, as shown in Figure 19, when the liquid crystal display panel of Figure 18 (in the state of part (b) of Figure 18) is viewed from an oblique angle with backlight illumination (part (a) of Figure 19 viewed from the lower left, and part (b) viewed from the lower right), there is almost no change in color in the text area, which is the backlight-transmitting area. However, because the viewing angle of TN liquid crystal displays is very narrow, even a slight change in the viewing direction causes the color of the background area to appear to change significantly.

[0007] To address this issue of color shift, the technology described in Patent Document 1 uses multiple types of light sources (white LED, blue LED) depending on the viewing angle and also controls a switching element, which makes the device configuration and control complicated. Furthermore, the technologies described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 use optical components such as a retardation plate and a polarization separation element, which makes the configuration complicated, and do not describe how to deal with color shifts due to the viewing direction.

[0008] As described above, it has been difficult with conventional techniques to make the color change due to the viewing direction inconspicuous in a liquid crystal display device.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide an electronic device and a display control method that make color variations in a liquid crystal display less noticeable depending on the viewing direction, and a display control program that causes the electronic device to execute such a display control method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a liquid crystal display device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a semi-transmissive liquid crystal display panel using TN-type liquid crystal, a backlight unit that can be set to an illumination mode in which a backlight containing light of two or more wavelength bands is irradiated, or a non-illumination mode in which the backlight is not irradiated, and a display control unit that displays information on the liquid crystal display panel by designating one of a shading region that blocks the backlight and external incident light and a transmissive region that transmits the backlight and external incident light as an information display region and the other as a background region, and the display control unit performs a first display control in the non-illumination mode in which the larger of the information display region and the background region is set as the shading region and the smaller of the information display region and the background region is set as the transmissive region, and performs a second display control in the illumination mode in which the larger of the information display region and the background region is set as the transmissive region and the smaller of the information display region and the background region is set as the shading region.

[0011] In the illumination mode, the color of the light-blocking area appears to change depending on the viewing direction. However, unlike the non-illumination mode in which the first display control is performed, the larger of the information display area and the background area is set as a transparent area, and the smaller is set as a light-blocking area (second display control). This reduces the area where color changes occur (light-blocking area), making the color change due to the viewing direction less noticeable. Furthermore, the first aspect can be realized with a simple configuration in a liquid crystal display device using a TN-type liquid crystal, without complicating the configuration by adding additional optical components, light sources, etc. Furthermore, when the backlight emits light containing two or more wavelength bands, the transmittance varies depending on the wavelength band, making the color change due to the viewing direction more noticeable. However, the first aspect can make the color change less noticeable. In the non-illumination mode, the backlight is not illuminated, so external incident light on the liquid crystal display panel is either blocked or transmitted.

[0012] In the first aspect, the liquid crystal display panel is "semi-transmissive" meaning that it can use both reflected external incident light and backlight as light sources. In addition, the information display area can display information using letters, numbers, symbols, figures, etc.

[0013] The liquid crystal display device according to the second aspect is the same as that according to the first aspect, except that the liquid crystal display panel has polarizers on both the front and back sides, and the polarizer on the back side does not have a wavelength compensation function. When a polarizer without a wavelength compensation function is used as in the second aspect, color shifts occur depending on the viewing direction, but even in such cases, the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention can make the color shift less noticeable.

[0014] A liquid crystal display device according to a third aspect is the first or second aspect, wherein the backlight unit includes a white LED as the backlight light source. When a white LED is used as the backlight light source as in the third aspect, the white LED emits light over multiple wavelength bands (wide wavelength bands), which causes color shifts depending on the viewing direction. However, the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention can make such color shifts less noticeable even in such cases. Furthermore, by using a white LED as the backlight light source, it is possible to prevent the light source color from appearing in the transmissive region in the illumination mode.

[0015] A liquid crystal display device according to a fourth aspect is any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the light blocking area and the light transmitting area are set independently for each dot of the liquid crystal display panel.

[0016] To achieve the above-mentioned object, an electronic device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is an electronic device comprising an electronic device main body and a liquid crystal display device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the liquid crystal display device displays operating status information indicating the operating status of the electronic device main body as information. The electronic device according to the fifth aspect comprises a liquid crystal display device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, and since the operating status information is displayed on the liquid crystal display device, it is possible to make color changes due to the viewing direction less noticeable when displaying the operating status information. Because users often pay attention to information indicating the operating status of the electronic device main body, it is effective to make color changes less noticeable using the fifth aspect when displaying such information on the liquid crystal display device.

[0017] In the electronic device according to the sixth aspect, in the fifth aspect, the display control unit performs the first display control and the second display control in an attention area that is set in a part of the display area of ​​the liquid crystal display panel and in which operation status information indicating the operation status is displayed. Since the operation status information is not necessarily displayed over the entire range of the display area of ​​the liquid crystal display panel, in the sixth aspect, the first and second display controls are performed in the attention area in which the operation status information is displayed and which attracts the user's attention.

[0018] To achieve the above-mentioned object, a seventh aspect of the present invention provides a display control method for a liquid crystal display device including a semi-transmissive liquid crystal display panel using TN liquid crystals and a backlight unit that can be set to an illumination mode in which a backlight containing light of two or more wavelength bands is irradiated or a non-illumination mode in which the backlight is not irradiated, the method comprising: a display control step of causing the liquid crystal display panel to display information by using one of a light-shielding region that blocks the backlight and external incident light and a light-transmitting region that transmits the backlight and external incident light as an information display region and the other as a background region; a first display control step in the non-illumination mode in which the larger of the information display region and the background region is set as the light-shielding region and the smaller of the information display region and the background region is set as the light-transmitting region; and a second display control step in the illumination mode in which the larger of the information display region and the background region is set as the light-transmitting region and the smaller of the information display region and the background region is set as the light-shielding region. According to the seventh aspect, similar to the first aspect, a simple configuration can be used to make color variations due to viewing direction less noticeable. The display control method according to the seventh aspect can be applied to the liquid crystal display devices according to the second to sixth aspects, and can also be applied to electronic devices equipped with liquid crystal display devices (for example, the electronic devices according to the fifth and sixth aspects).

[0019] To achieve the above-mentioned object, a display control program according to an eighth aspect of the present invention causes a liquid crystal display device to execute the display control method according to the seventh aspect. Also, a non-transitory recording medium according to a ninth aspect records computer-readable code of the display control program according to the eighth aspect. According to the eighth and ninth aspects, similar to the first and seventh aspects, a simple configuration can make color variations due to viewing direction less noticeable. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] As described above, the electronic device, imaging device, display control method, and display control program of the present invention can make color variations in a liquid crystal display due to the viewing direction less noticeable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an imaging device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of the imaging device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the imaging device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a liquid crystal display device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the display control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the first display control process. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the second display control process. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of information displayed on the liquid crystal display device. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the state of display when the backlight is not irradiated and when it is irradiated. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how color changes depending on the viewing direction. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is another diagram showing the state of display when the backlight is not irradiated and when it is irradiated. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing how the attention area is set. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state of display control in a state in which a region of interest has been set. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing how color changes depending on the viewing direction. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the relationship between the area ratio of the light-shielding region and the amount of change in color tone. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining display control taking hysteresis into consideration. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is another diagram for explaining display control taking hysteresis into consideration. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining display control according to the conventional technique. [Figure 19]FIG. 19 is another diagram for explaining display control according to the conventional technique. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of an electronic device, an imaging device, a display control method, and a display control program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] First Embodiment <Configuration of imaging device> FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an imaging device 100 (electronic device, electronic device main body) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The imaging device 100 is composed of an imaging device main body 200 (electronic device main body) and a lens device 300 (electronic device main body) attached to the imaging device main body 200. The imaging device main body 200 and the lens device 300 are attached by coupling a mount 246 provided on the imaging device main body 200 with a mount 346 (see FIG. 3) on the lens device 300 that corresponds to the mount 246, and are removed by releasing this coupling. In addition to the mount 246, a flash 240 is provided on the front of the imaging device main body 200, and a release button 220-1, a dial 220-2 for setting a shooting mode, and a top monitor 213 (liquid crystal display device) are provided on the top surface (see FIG. 2).

[0024] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the imaging device 100. The operation of the imaging device 100 is centrally controlled by a main CPU (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 214 of the imaging device body 200 and a lens CPU 340 of the lens device 300. Programs and data required for the operation of the main CPU 214 are stored in a flash ROM 226 and a read-only memory (ROM) 228 within the imaging device body 200. A display control program according to the present invention (a display control program that causes the liquid crystal display device 260 to execute a display control method according to the present invention) is stored in the ROM 228 as code readable by a computer (the main CPU 214 and the display control unit 210). Therefore, the ROM 228 is an example of a non-transitory recording medium according to the present invention. However, other non-transitory recording media, such as a hard disk, a magneto-optical recording device such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or various semiconductor memories, can also be used. Programs and data required for the operation of the lens CPU 340 are stored in a ROM 344 ​​within the lens CPU 340.

[0025] The imaging device body 200 is provided with an operation unit 220 that includes a release button 220-1, a dial 220-2, a playback button, a MENU / OK key, a cross key, a BACK key, etc., and the user can select a shooting mode or a playback mode, start shooting, select an image, play, erase, and issue a zoom command by operating the buttons and / or keys included in the operation unit 220. The user can also switch between an illumination mode in which the backlight is illuminated and a non-illumination mode in which the backlight is not illuminated by operating these buttons and / or keys. Signals from the operation unit 220 are input to a main CPU 214, which controls each circuit of the imaging device body 200 based on the input signals and transmits and receives signals to and from the lens device 300 via a mount 246 and a mount communication unit 250.

[0026] Mount 246 is provided with terminal 247, and mount 346 is provided with terminal 347. When lens device 300 is attached to imaging device body 200, corresponding terminals 247 and 347 come into contact, enabling communication (note that terminals 247 and 347 in Figures 1 and 3 are shown conceptually, and the position and number of terminals in imaging device 100 are not limited to those shown in these figures).

[0027] The above-mentioned terminals include, for example, a ground terminal, a synchronization signal terminal, a serial communication terminal, a control status communication terminal, and a terminal for supplying power from a battery 242 of the imaging device body 200 to each unit of the lens device 300. Power is supplied from the battery 242 under the control of a power supply control unit 244.

[0028] In the shooting mode, subject light passes through the zoom lens ZL, focus lens FL, and aperture I of the lens device 300 and forms an image on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 202 of the image capturing device body 200. In the first embodiment, the image sensor 202 is a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) type, but is not limited to the CMOS type and may be a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type. The focus lens FL, zoom lens ZL, and aperture I are driven by a zoom lens control unit 310, a focus lens control unit 320, and an aperture control unit 330, which are controlled by the lens CPU 340, to perform focus control, zoom control, and aperture control.

[0029] The zoom lens control unit 310 changes the shooting magnification by moving the zoom lens ZL in the optical axis direction in accordance with commands from the lens CPU 340. The focus lens control unit 320 moves the focus lens FL back and forth in the optical axis direction in accordance with commands from the lens CPU 340 to focus on the subject. The aperture control unit 330 changes the aperture value of the aperture I in accordance with commands from the lens CPU 340.

[0030] When the release button 220-1 is pressed to the first stage (pressing it halfway down the stroke; also called "half-pressing"), the main CPU 214 starts AF (Auto Focus) and AE (Auto Exposure) operations, and in response, image data output from the A / D converter 204 (A / D: Analog to Digital) is taken into an AE / AWB detection unit 224 (AE: Automatic Exposure, AWB: Automatic White Balance). The main CPU 214 calculates the brightness of the subject (shooting Ev value, Ev: Exposure Value) from the integrated value of the G signal (signal of a pixel with a green color filter) input to the AE / AWB detection unit 224, and Based on the result, the aperture value of the aperture I, the charge accumulation time (corresponding to the shutter speed) in the image sensor 202, the light emission time of the flash 240, and the like are controlled.

[0031] The AF detection unit 222 is a part that performs contrast AF processing or phase difference AF processing. When performing contrast AF processing, the focus lens FL in the lens barrel is controlled so that the AF evaluation value, which indicates the focus state and is calculated by integrating the high-frequency components of image data within the focus area, becomes a local maximum. When performing phase difference AF processing, the focus lens FL in the lens device 300 is controlled so that the defocus amount calculated from phase difference data calculated using multiple pixels with phase differences within the focus area of ​​the image data becomes zero.

[0032] When the AE operation and AF operation are completed and the release button 220-1 is pressed a second stage (a full-stroke depression operation; also referred to as a "full press"), the flash 240 is fired under control of the flash control unit 238. Furthermore, based on a readout signal applied from the image sensor control unit 201, the signal charge accumulated in the image sensor 202 is read out as a voltage signal corresponding to the signal charge and applied to the analog signal processing unit 203. The analog signal processing unit 203 samples, holds, and amplifies the R, G, and B signals of each pixel by correlated double sampling processing of the voltage signal output from the image sensor 202, and applies the resulting signal to the A / D converter 204. The A / D converter 204 converts the sequentially input analog R, G, and B signals (signals of pixels equipped with red, green, and blue color filters, respectively) into digital R, G, and B signals and outputs them to the image input controller 205. When the image sensor 202 is a MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type image sensor, the A / D converter 204 is often built into the image sensor 202, and the above-mentioned correlated double sampling is not required.

[0033] Image data output from the image input controller 205 is input to a digital signal processing unit 206, where it undergoes signal processing such as offset processing, gain control processing including white balance correction and sensitivity correction, gamma correction processing, and YC processing (processing of luminance signals and color difference signals), and is then written to and / or read from a VRAM 230 (Video RAM), encoded by a display control unit 210, and output to a rear monitor 212, whereby an image of the subject is displayed on the rear monitor 212.

[0034] In response to full pressing of the release button 220-1, image data output from the A / D converter 204 is input from the image input controller 205 to an SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) 232 (SDRAM) for temporary storage. After temporary storage in the SDRAM 232, the image data undergoes signal processing such as gain control, gamma correction, and YC processing in the digital signal processing unit 206, and compression processing into JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format in the compression / expansion processing unit 208, to generate an image file. The image file is read by a media control unit 234 and recorded on a memory card 236. Images recorded on the memory card 236 can be played back and displayed on a rear monitor 212 by operating a playback button on the operation unit 220. Meanwhile, a top monitor 213 displays information such as the operating state of the imaging device 100 and shooting conditions under the control of a display control unit 210 (liquid crystal display device, display control unit). The display control unit 210 and the top monitor 213 constitute a liquid crystal display device 260 (liquid crystal display device) according to the first embodiment.

[0035] <Top monitor configuration> FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the top-surface monitor 213. The top-surface monitor 213 includes a liquid crystal cell 272, a transmission-side polarizer 274 (polarizer), a reflection-side polarizer 276 (polarizer), and a backlight unit 280 (backlight unit). The liquid crystal cell 272, the transmission-side polarizer 274, and the reflection-side polarizer 276 are components of a liquid crystal display panel 270 (liquid crystal display panel) according to the first embodiment. The liquid crystal cell 272 uses TN-type liquid crystal (TN: Twisted Nematic), and by applying or not applying voltage using electrodes (not shown), a light-shielding region and a light-transmitting region are independently set for each dot, thereby displaying the information described above (the details of display control will be described later). The transmission-side polarizer 274 provided on the front side (viewing side) of the liquid crystal cell 272 has a wavelength compensation function, while the reflection-side polarizer 276 provided on the back side (opposite the viewing side) does not have a wavelength compensation function. External incident light is reflected by the reflection-side polarizer 276. The backlight unit 280 includes a white LED 280A (white LED) as a light source for the backlight, and a light guide plate 280B that guides the backlight (including light of two or more wavelength bands) emitted from the white LED 280A to the liquid crystal display panel 270. The backlight unit 280 is set to an illumination mode in which the backlight is illuminated or a non-illumination mode in which the backlight is not illuminated under the control of the display control unit 210 (the display control unit 210 can switch between illumination and non-illumination of the backlight based on instructions input by the user via the operation unit 220). That is, the liquid crystal display panel 270 is a semi-transmissive liquid crystal display panel that can use both reflected external light and the backlight as light sources. The liquid crystal display panel 270 can be a so-called normally white liquid crystal display panel, but the present invention can also be applied to a normally black liquid crystal display panel.

[0036] <Hardware structure of the display control unit> In the first embodiment, various processors as shown below can be employed as a hardware structure for executing various processes (first display control, second display control, backlight illumination / non-illumination switching control, etc. in the display control process) in the display control unit 210. These include CPUs (Central Processing Units), which are general-purpose processors that perform a variety of processes, programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), which are processors whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, and dedicated electrical circuits, such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), which are processors with circuit configurations designed specifically to perform specific processes.

[0037] The functions of the display control unit 210 may be realized by one of these various processors, or by two or more processors of the same or different types (e.g., multiple FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). Furthermore, multiple functions may be realized by a single processor. Examples of multiple functions realized by a single processor include: a first configuration in which a single processor is configured by a combination of one or more CPUs and software, as typified by client and server computers, and this processor realizes multiple functions; a second configuration in which a processor is used to realize the functions of an entire system, including multiple functions, on a single IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, as typified by a system-on-chip (SoC). In this way, the various functions are realized as a hardware structure using one or more of the various processors described above. Furthermore, the hardware structure of these various processors is, more specifically, an electric circuit formed by combining circuit elements such as semiconductor devices.

[0038] In the display control unit 210, the processor and electric circuitry configured as described above perform various processes (each step of the display control method) by referring to the program (display control program) and data stored in the flash ROM 226 and the ROM 228. As a temporary storage area or working area during processing, a VRAM 230 and / or an SDRAM 232 are used as necessary.

[0039] <Display control processing> Next, display control in the imaging device 100 configured as described above will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the display control process (display control method). In the following example, the date and shooting conditions shown in Fig. 8 are displayed on the top monitor 213 as operating status information indicating the operating status of the imaging device 100 (imaging device body 200, lens device 300). Specifically, the date is 2017 / 1 / 1 Sun (January 1, 2017, Sunday), the ISO sensitivity (ISO: International Organization for Standardization) is 200, and the shutter speed SS is 1 / 60 seconds, aperture value F1.4.

[0040] When the display control process starts, screen design information (e.g., the number, position, shape, and arrangement of information display areas and background areas, and whether they are displayed in black on a white background or white on a black background) is acquired in step S10. The display control unit 210 may acquire the screen design information by reading it from the flash ROM 226 and / or ROM 228, or the display control unit 210 may acquire it in response to a user instruction input via the operation unit 220. Here, the display area is not divided into two for the date and the operating status information, and the display pattern (whether a transparent area is arranged based on a light-shielding area or vice versa) is not changed. After acquiring the screen design information, the display control unit 210 acquires operating status information from each unit of the imaging device 100 in step S12. The operating status information is information indicating the operating status of the imaging device 100 (the imaging device body 200 and the lens device 300). In the first embodiment, the above-mentioned shooting conditions are acquired as the operating status information. After acquiring the screen design and operating status information, the display control unit 210 sets the positions, number, arrangement, etc. of the information display areas and background areas based on the screen design and operating status information (step S14). In the following description, "white" refers to the color of the liquid crystal display panel 270 in a state where the backlight and / or external incident light reflected by the reflective polarizer 276 is transmitted, and "black" refers to the color of the liquid crystal display panel 270 in a state where these lights are blocked.

[0041] In step S16, it is determined whether the mode is non-illumination mode (whether the backlight is illuminated or not illuminated). This determination can be made by the display control unit 210 based on, for example, a user's instruction input via the operation unit 220. If the determination is affirmative (if the mode is non-illumination mode), the process proceeds to step S18, where first display control is performed, and if the determination is negative (if the mode is illumination mode), the process proceeds to step S20, where second display control is performed, and information (the date and shooting conditions described above) is displayed based on the result of the first or second display control (step S22; display control step).

[0042] 6 is a flowchart showing the processing of the first display control (display control in non-illumination mode; display control step). In the first display control, it is determined which of the information display area and the background area has a larger area (whether the area of ​​the information display area is larger than the area of ​​the background area) (step S30). If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S32, where the information display area with a larger area is set as a light-blocking area and the background area with a smaller area is set as a transparent area (black display on a white background). On the other hand, if the determination in step S30 is negative, the process proceeds to step S34, where the information display area with a smaller area is set as a transparent area and the background area with a larger area is set as a light-blocking area (white display on a black background).

[0043] 7 is a flowchart showing the processing of the second display control (display control in illumination mode; display control step). In the second display control, it is determined which of the information display area and the background area has a larger area (whether the area of ​​the information display area is larger than the area of ​​the background area) (step S40). If the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S42, where the information display area with a larger area is made a transparent area and the background area with a smaller area is made a light-blocking area (white display on a black background). On the other hand, if the determination in step S40 is negative, the process proceeds to step S44, where the information display area with a smaller area is made a light-blocking area and the background area with a larger area is made a light-blocking area (black display on a white background).

[0044] In the example of FIG. 8, since the area of ​​the information display region is smaller than the area of ​​the background region, in the non-illumination mode, the first display control (see FIG. 6) causes the larger background region to become a light-blocking region (the black display portion in part (a) of FIG. 9), and the smaller information display region to become a transparent region (the white display portion in part (a) of FIG. 9). On the other hand, in the illumination mode, the second display control (see FIG. 7) causes the larger background region to become a transparent region (the white display portion in part (b) of FIG. 9), and the smaller information display region to become a light-blocking region (the black display portion in part (b) of FIG. 9) (steps S40, S44). With this display control, the change in color depending on the angle (viewing direction) in the illumination mode is as shown in FIG. 10 (part (a) is the state viewed from the lower left, and part (b) is the state viewed from the lower right; the difference in color is represented by the difference in shading). Therefore, although there is a color change depending on the viewing direction in the illumination mode, the color change is not noticeable because the small information display area (character part) is a light-blocking area due to the second display control described above, and the large background area is transmitted by white light. This effect can be obtained with a simple configuration without using additional optical components, etc.

[0045] In the first and second display controls described above, there are cases where the information display area becomes a light-blocking area and the background area becomes a transparent area, and conversely, there are cases where the information display area becomes a transparent area and the background area becomes a light-blocking area.

[0046] Information such as operating status information may be displayed using graphics, symbols, graphs, etc., instead of using letters and numbers as in Figures 9 and 10. Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of a histogram of a captured image, with the horizontal axis representing the brightness of the captured image and the vertical axis representing the number of pixels. In the example of Figure 11, the area of ​​the information display region (below curve C1 representing the histogram) is larger than the area of ​​the background region (above curve C1), so in the non-illumination mode, the first display control is used to make the larger information display region a light-blocking region and the smaller background region a transparent region (part (a) of Figure 11; black display on a white background). On the other hand, in the illumination mode, contrary to the non-illumination mode, the larger information display region is a light-blocking region and the smaller background region a light-blocking region (part (b) of Figure 11; white display on a black background). Even with this type of display control, there is a change in color depending on the viewing direction in the illumination mode (part (b) of Figure 11), as described above for Figures 8 to 10, but the change in color is not noticeable because the background area, which has a small area, is used as a light-blocking area.

[0047] <Example of display control in the area of ​​interest> In the examples shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the display area is not divided into two areas, and the display pattern is not changed between the date and the shooting conditions (operating state information). However, the display area may be divided into two areas, and the display pattern may be changed between the date and the shooting conditions. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, a region of interest (ROI) is provided in part of the display area to display the shooting conditions as operating state information, and the date (information other than the operating state information) is displayed in the area other than the region of interest (ROI). The display pattern (e.g., which of the information display area and the background area is a transparent area and which is a light-blocking area, i.e., white on a black background or black on a white background) is changed between the region of interest (ROI) and the other areas. For example, in the region of interest, when the backlight is not illuminated, the character area (information display area) is displayed as a transparent area and the background area (background area) is displayed as a light-blocking area (white on a black background), while in the area other than the region of interest, the character area is displayed as a light-blocking area and the background area is displayed as a transparent area (black on a white background). In this way, by dividing the display area into the region of interest and the other areas and changing the display pattern, the content changes during shooting, and the information (shooting conditions) that attracts the user's attention can be easily seen.

[0048] When the attention area is provided as described above, first and second display controls can be performed depending on the ratio of the information display area in the attention area. For example, in FIG. 13, the area of ​​the background area (black portion) in the attention area ROI is larger than the area of ​​the information display area (white portion where the shooting conditions as operation status information are displayed), so first and second display controls are performed in the attention area ROI. Specifically, when the backlight is not irradiated, the first display control is performed in the attention area ROI, resulting in the display state shown in part (a) of FIG. 13, and when the backlight is irradiated, the second display control is performed, resulting in the display state shown in part (b) of FIG. 13. Therefore, the color change depending on the viewing direction when the backlight is irradiated is as shown in FIG. 14 (part (a) is the state when viewed from the bottom left, and part (b) is the state when viewed from the bottom right; the difference in color is represented by the difference in shading), making the color change depending on the viewing direction less noticeable.

[0049] <Setting the threshold value according to the tolerance for color change> In the imaging device 100 having the above-described configuration, a threshold value may be set in consideration of the tolerance for color change, as in the following example, and display control may be performed based on the set threshold value.

[0050] Fig. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing the relationship between the area ratio Sb of the light-shielded area and the amount of color change when a backlight is irradiated. The "area ratio Sb of the light-shielded area" in Fig. 15 can be associated with the "ratio of the information display area" described above, which is the ratio of the larger area of ​​the information display area and the background area to the entire display area (or area of ​​interest) when a backlight is irradiated. The amount of color change can be obtained, for example, by quantifying the percentage of people who feel that "the color has changed" in a sensory evaluation of a specific number of people, and the area ratio where the amount of color change exceeds the maximum allowable value can be used as a threshold value for the light-shielded area.

[0051] Once the threshold value is set, it is determined which of the information display area and the background area should be a light-blocking area and which should be a transparent area so that the ratio of the light-blocking area does not exceed the set threshold value (third display control). For example, if the ratio of the larger area between the information display area and the background area is higher than the threshold value, the larger area is made a transparent area and the smaller area is made a light-blocking area (third display control). If the ratio of the larger area is equal to or less than the threshold value, either area can be made a light-blocking area; for example, the larger area can be made a transparent area and the smaller area can be made a light-blocking area. In this case, the transparent area and the light-blocking area can be set so that the screen design (black and white display pattern) when the backlight is not irradiated is maintained.

[0052] The tolerance and threshold values ​​may be different for each of a plurality of screen designs (e.g., a plurality of screen designs that differ in at least one of the number, position, and shape of information display areas). For example, in FIG. 15, design 1 has a threshold value TH1, and design 2 has a threshold value TH2 (assuming that the MAX tolerance value for color change is the same for designs 1 and 2). Depending on the design, the area that the user focuses on may not be the entire display area, so a threshold value may be set for a portion of the display area, such as the focus area described above. The threshold value may be set by a user's instruction input (direct input, selection, etc.) via the operation unit 220, or the screen design and threshold value may be associated and stored in flash ROM 226, ROM 228, display control unit 210, etc., and the threshold value may be set according to the screen design.

[0053] <Display control taking hysteresis into account> Since information such as operating state information changes while the imaging device 100 is in use, the proportion of the shaded area may sometimes be higher than the threshold value and sometimes lower. In such a situation, the display may be switched each time the relationship between the proportion and the threshold value (whether the proportion is higher or lower than the threshold value) changes, but depending on the usage status of the imaging device 100 (the type of information to be displayed, the shooting conditions settings, etc.), the display pattern may change frequently, making the display difficult to see. Therefore, as will be described below, display control can be performed that takes into account the hysteresis (history) of the proportion of the shaded area.

[0054] In the examples shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, an upper limit (X+α) and a lower limit (X-α) are set for the threshold value X of the area ratio Sb. In the illumination mode, when the area ratio Sb increases (e.g., monotonically increases) from a state where it is smaller than the lower limit (X-α) (Sb<(X-α)) to the upper limit (X+α) (Sb>(X+α)), the display is reversed (from black display on a white background to white display on a black background; fourth display control). In FIG. 17, the changes at times t1 and t3 correspond to such cases. Similarly, when the area ratio Sb decreases (e.g., monotonically decreases) from a state where it is larger than the upper limit (X+α) (Sb>(X+α)) to the lower limit (X-α) (Sb<(X-α)), the display is reversed (from white display on a black background to black display on a white background; fifth display control). In the example of FIG. 17, the change at time t2 corresponds to such a case. If these conditions are not met (for example, changes at times t4 and t5), the display will not be switched even if the relationship between the area ratio Sb and the threshold value changes. This type of display control makes it possible to make color changes due to the viewing direction less noticeable, while suppressing frequent changes in the display pattern, resulting in an easy-to-view display.

[0055] <Other Aspects of the Invention> In addition to the first to ninth aspects described above, the present invention also includes the tenth to sixteenth aspects described below. In the tenth to sixteenth aspects, descriptions similar to those in the first to ninth aspects shall mean similar configurations.

[0056] <Tenth Aspect> A liquid crystal display device according to a tenth aspect comprises a semi-transmissive liquid crystal display panel using TN-type liquid crystal, a backlight unit that can be set to an illumination mode in which a backlight containing light of two or more wavelength bands is irradiated, or a non-illumination mode in which the backlight is not irradiated, and a display control unit that displays information on the liquid crystal display panel by designating one of a shading region that blocks the backlight and external incident light and a transmissive region that transmits the backlight and external incident light as an information display region and the other as a background region, and performs a first display control in the non-illumination mode in which the information display region or the background region, whichever has a larger area, is designated as a shading region and the smaller area as a transmissive region, and in the illumination mode in which, if the ratio of the larger area of ​​the information display region or the background region to the total display region of the liquid crystal display panel is higher than a threshold value, performs a third display control in which the larger area of ​​the information display region or the background region is designated as a transmissive region and the smaller area is designated as a shading region.

[0057] <Eleventh aspect> An eleventh aspect is the tenth aspect, wherein the display control unit sets different threshold values ​​for each of a plurality of display modes in which at least one of the number, position, and shape of information display areas on the liquid crystal display panel differs.

[0058] <Twelfth Aspect> A twelfth aspect is an electronic device comprising an electronic device main body and a liquid crystal display device according to the tenth or eleventh aspect, wherein the liquid crystal display device displays operating status information indicating the operating status of the electronic device main body as information.

[0059] <Thirteenth aspect> The thirteenth aspect is the twelfth aspect, in which the display control unit performs first display control and third display control in a focus area that is set as part of the display area of ​​the liquid crystal display panel and in which operating status information indicating the operating status is displayed.

[0060] <14th aspect> A display control method according to a fourteenth aspect is a display control method for a liquid crystal display device including a semi-transmissive liquid crystal display panel using TN-type liquid crystal and a backlight unit that is set to an illumination mode in which a backlight including light of two or more wavelength bands is irradiated, or a non-illumination mode in which the backlight is not irradiated, and the display control unit displays information on the liquid crystal display panel by designating one of a shading region that blocks the backlight and external incident light and a transparent region that transmits the backlight and external incident light as an information display region and the other as a background region, and includes a display control process that performs a first display control in the non-illumination mode in which the information display region or the background region, whichever has a larger area, is designated as a shading region and the smaller area is designated as a transparent region, and in the illumination mode in which, if the ratio of the larger area of ​​the information display region or the background region to the total display region of the liquid crystal display panel is higher than a threshold value, performs a third display control in which the larger area of ​​the information display region or the background region is designated as a transparent region and the smaller area is designated as a shading region.

[0061] <Fifteenth and sixteenth aspects> A display control program according to a fifteenth aspect causes a liquid crystal display device to execute the display control method according to the fourteenth aspect. A non-transitory recording medium according to a sixteenth aspect is a non-transitory recording medium on which computer-readable code of the display control program according to the fifteenth aspect is recorded.

[0062] Although various aspects of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described aspects and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the above-described imaging device 100 has been described as using a white LED 280A as the backlight light source, but the present invention is not limited to white LEDs and can be applied to light sources that irradiate light in two or more wavelength bands (e.g., a red wavelength band and a blue wavelength band). With such light sources, the transmission characteristics vary depending on the wavelength even at the same angle (viewing direction), resulting in a change in color. However, the display control according to the present invention can make the color change less noticeable. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 100 Imaging device 200 Imaging device body 201 Image sensor control unit 202 Image sensor 203 Analog signal processing section 204 A / D converter 205 Image Input Controller 206 Digital Signal Processing Unit 208 Compression / Decompression Processing Unit 210 Display control unit 212 Rear monitor 213 Top monitor 214 Main CPU 220 Operation section 220-1 Release button 220-2 Dial 222 AF detection unit 224 AE / AWB detector 226 Flash ROM 228 ROM 230 VRAM 232 SDRAM 234 Media Control Unit 236 Memory Card 238 Flash control unit 240 Flash 242 Battery 244 Power supply control unit 246 Mount 247 terminals 250 Mount Communication Unit 260 LCD display device 270 LCD display panel 272 Liquid Crystal Cell 274 Transmission side polarizer 276 Reflection side polarizer 280 Backlight section 280A white LED 280B Light guide plate 300 Lens Device 310 Zoom lens control unit 320 Focus lens control unit 330 Aperture control unit 340 Lens CPU 344 ROM 346 Mount 347 terminals F aperture FL Focus Lens I aperture MAX tolerance ROI focus area S10~S44 Display control method steps Sb area ratio SS Shutter Speed X Threshold ZL Zoom Lens

Claims

1. A backlight unit, a liquid crystal display panel that uses the backlight emitted by the backlight unit as a light source; a display control unit that displays information on the liquid crystal display panel by designating one of a light-shielding region that blocks the backlight and external incident light and a light-transmitting region that transmits the backlight and external incident light as an information display region and the other as a background region; An electronic device comprising: The display control unit Whether the backlight is in a non-illumination mode in which the backlight is not illuminated based on a user's instruction input; determining whether the backlight is in an illumination mode; In the non-illumination mode, a first display control is performed in which the area having a larger area of ​​the information display area and the background area is set as the light-blocking area, and the area having a smaller area is set as the transmissive area. In the illumination mode, if the ratio of the area of ​​the information display area or the background area, whichever is larger, to the entire display area of ​​the liquid crystal display panel is higher than a set threshold value, the area of ​​the information display area or the background area, whichever is larger, is set as the transmissive area, and the area of ​​the smaller area is set as the light-blocking area, when a change in information displayed on the liquid crystal display panel causes the proportion of the light-blocking region to exceed the threshold value, each time the proportion of the light-blocking region exceeds the threshold value, a relationship between which of the information display region and the background region is to be the light-blocking region and which is to be the transmissive region before the proportion of the light-blocking region exceeds the threshold value is reversed from that before the proportion of the light-blocking region exceeds the threshold value, thereby performing display control so that the proportion of the light-blocking region does not exceed the threshold value; the information display area is an area in the display area of ​​the liquid crystal display panel that displays information using one or more of letters, numbers, symbols, and graphic graphs; The electronic device, wherein the background area is an area other than the information display area in the display area of ​​the liquid crystal display panel.

2. the backlight unit is a backlight unit that irradiates a backlight having two or more wavelength bands, 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display panel has different transmission wavelength characteristics depending on the viewing direction, and uses reflection of external incident light and the backlight as a light source.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit sets the threshold value in accordance with a screen design.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit sets different values ​​as the threshold for a plurality of screen designs that differ in at least one of the number, position, and shape of information display areas.

5. 5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display panel is a liquid crystal display panel using a TN type liquid crystal.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the light source when the first display control is executed is the external incident light.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the backlight unit is a white LED.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the backlight unit is an LED having two different wavelength outputs.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit controls the light-shielding area and the light-transmitting area independently for each dot of the liquid crystal display panel.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control unit displays operation status information indicating an operation status of the electronic device.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the information includes any one of a date, a photographing condition, and a histogram of the photographed image.

12. A display control method for an electronic device including a backlight unit and a liquid crystal display panel that uses backlight emitted by the backlight unit as a light source, comprising: a display control step of displaying information on the liquid crystal display panel by using one of a light-shielding region that blocks the backlight and external incident light and a light-transmitting region that transmits the backlight and external incident light as an information display region and the other as a background region, In the display control step, determining whether the display mode is a non-illumination mode in which the backlight is not illuminated or an illumination mode in which the backlight is illuminated based on an instruction input by a user, and if the display mode is the non-illumination mode, performing a first display control in which the larger area of ​​the information display area and the background area is set as the light-blocking area and the smaller area is set as the transmissive area; In the illumination mode, if the ratio of the area of ​​the information display area or the background area, whichever is larger, to the entire display area of ​​the liquid crystal display panel is higher than a set threshold value, the area of ​​the information display area or the background area, whichever is larger, is set as the transmissive area, and the area of ​​the smaller area is set as the light-blocking area, when a change in information displayed on the liquid crystal display panel causes the proportion of the light-blocking region to exceed the threshold value, each time the proportion of the light-blocking region exceeds the threshold value, a relationship between which of the information display region and the background region is to be the light-blocking region and which is to be the transmissive region before the proportion of the light-blocking region exceeds the threshold value is reversed from that before the proportion of the light-blocking region exceeds the threshold value, thereby performing display control so that the proportion of the light-blocking region does not exceed the threshold value; the information display area is an area in the display area of ​​the liquid crystal display panel that displays information using one or more of letters, numbers, symbols, figures, and graphs; A display control method, wherein the background area is an area other than the information display area in the display area of ​​the liquid crystal display panel.

13. The display control method according to claim 12 , wherein the display control step sets the threshold value in accordance with a screen design.

14. 14. The display control method according to claim 12, wherein the display control step sets different values ​​as the threshold values ​​for a plurality of screen designs that differ in at least one of the number, position, and shape of information display areas.

15. The display control method according to claim 12 , wherein in the display control step, the light source when the first display control is executed is the external incident light.

16. The display control method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein a liquid crystal display panel using a TN type liquid crystal is controlled as the liquid crystal display panel.

17. The display control method according to claim 12 , wherein the information includes any one of a date, a photographing condition, and a histogram of the photographed image.

18. A display control program that causes an electronic device to execute the display control method according to any one of claims 12 to 17.

Images