See-Through Display Transparency via Ambient Light Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
See-through displays using liquid crystal or organic EL panels suffer from reduced background brightness and altered ambient light chromaticity and color temperature, making it difficult for viewers to achieve a sense of transparency due to limited transmittance and color interference.
Innovation Solution
An image display device with a light source, an image display unit, an ambient light measuring sensor, and a drive control unit that adjusts the chromaticity and luminance of the source light to match the ambient light, ensuring transparency and visibility by controlling the light transmission and polarization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a liquid crystal panel or organic EL panel is used for see-through display, then the display can show images while allowing background to be seen, but the transmittance is limited (20-30% for liquid crystal, 50% for organic EL) causing background brightness to decrease considerably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color correction by adjusting the chromaticity and color temperature of the backlight to match the ambient light characteristics. The drive control unit modifies the spectral distribution of the backlight so that its chromaticity coordinates and color temperature approximate those of the ambient light, thereby compensating for the color distortion caused by the display panel and improving the natural appearance of the transmitted background light.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the backlight parameters (chromaticity and color temperature) based on measured ambient light conditions. By changing these optical parameters of the light source, the system compensates for the fixed transmittance characteristics of the display panel, improving background brightness and color accuracy without requiring higher panel transmittance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the liquid crystal panel transmits ambient light, then the background can be seen through the screen, but the chromaticity and color temperature of the transmitted light are altered by the panel color, making it difficult to obtain a sense of transparency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs color correction technology where the drive control unit adjusts the backlight's chromaticity and color temperature to match the ambient light. This compensates for the color distortion introduced by the liquid crystal panel, ensuring that the transmitted background light maintains accurate chromaticity and color temperature, thereby enhancing the sense of transparency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an ambient light sensor to measure the chromaticity and color temperature of the ambient light, providing feedback to the drive control unit. Based on this feedback, the system dynamically adjusts the backlight parameters to compensate for panel-induced color distortion, maintaining accurate color reproduction of the transmitted background light.
3Illumination intensity
If the display adjusts luminance based on external brightness, then visibility of display content is improved, but the chromaticity and color temperature of the ambient light are not corrected, so the sense of transparency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the luminance adjustment functionality by adding chromaticity and color temperature correction. While existing technology adjusts only the intensity of the backlight, this patent simultaneously modifies the spectral characteristics to match the ambient light, thereby maintaining both improved visibility and an accurate sense of transparency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enhances the functionality of the backlight control system by making it perform multiple functions: luminance adjustment for visibility and chromaticity/color temperature correction for transparency. This multi-functional approach allows a single system to address both visibility and transparency requirements without requiring separate control mechanisms.
4Illumination intensity
If the transmittance of the display screen is increased to improve background visibility, then more ambient light can pass through, but the image display quality and contrast are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of the backlight (chromaticity and color temperature) rather than changing the physical transmittance of the display panel. By adjusting the optical characteristics of the light source, the system compensates for the limited panel transmittance, improving background visibility without requiring the panel itself to have higher transmittance, thereby preserving image display quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device enhances transparency and visibility by approximating the chromaticity and luminance of the source light to the ambient light, improving the viewer's ability to see the background with increased brightness and reduced power consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) panel is used
Implementation Method 2
an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) panel is used
Implementation Method 3
an ambient light measuring sensor attached to the display, and capable of at least measuring chromaticity and a color temperature of the ambient light
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an image display device having a see-through-type display capable of suppressing decrease in visibility when background is visually recognized through a screen. The liquid crystal panel is driven such that chromaticity and a color temperature of source light are approximated to chromaticity and a color temperature of ambient light that have been measured by a color illuminance sensor attached to the display, the source light being transmitted through a region through which the ambient light is originally to be transmitted and having luminance lower than luminance of source light emitted from the light source. With this, in a region through which background of the liquid crystal panel can be seen, transparency seems to be increased and a viewer is able to see the background more easily.