JP2012208392A - Image display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image display device which can prevent a brightness adjustment contrary to user's intention during an operation.SOLUTION: The image display device comprises: displaying means (a display part) for displaying an image; illuminance detecting means (a brightness sensor) for detecting surrounding brightness; adjusting means (a main control unit) for making the brightness adjustment of the image displayed by the displaying means according to a detection value by the illuminance detecting means; and operation detecting means (an operation part or an inclination sensor) for detecting the operation by a user. If the operation detecting means detects the operation by the user, the brightness adjustment by the adjusting means is stopped.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display device, and more particularly to an image display device that performs luminance adjustment according to ambient brightness.

  Conventionally, an image display device equipped with a brightness sensor is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes that as an example of an image display device, an electronic photo frame is provided with a brightness sensor, and an image to be displayed is controlled in accordance with the ambient brightness of the image display device. Further, Patent Document 1 describes that a slide switch that is an operation unit for a user to operate the image display device is provided on the back side of the image display device.

  In addition, the image display device that performs control according to the brightness has both a function of changing the brightness of the display unit according to the brightness and a function of turning off the power when the surrounding becomes dark, or one of them. Some are implemented. Examples of such an image display device include a digital photo frame (hereinafter also referred to as DPF) and an image display device used in a car navigation device.

  The DPF is a small terminal that sequentially displays input image data or video data (slide show) at regular intervals. Such a DPF is known that includes an operation unit such as a button in the main body, and is configured to perform various settings such as a slide show setting by the operation of the operation unit by a user.

JP 2003-296701 A

  By the way, the electronic photo frame described in Patent Document 1 and the image display device such as the above-mentioned DPF are small devices comparable to the size of the palm of the user, and the brightness sensor is an operation unit. It is arranged in the vicinity. For this reason, while the user is operating the operation unit provided in the image display apparatus, the brightness sensor disposed near the user may be blocked by his / her hand.

  When the brightness sensor operates normally in such a situation, the image display device determines that the surrounding area has become dark even though the surrounding brightness has not changed, and performs control that is not intended by the user. There was a problem that. For example, in the image display apparatus as described above, the function of changing the brightness of the display unit or turning off the power against the user's intention even though the ambient brightness has not changed. Will work.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and is intended to solve the above-described problems as an example, and image display capable of solving at least one of these problems An object is to provide an apparatus.

  In order to achieve such an object, an image display device according to the invention described in claim 1 includes a display unit that displays an image, an illuminance detection unit that detects ambient brightness, and In accordance with a detection value, an adjustment unit that adjusts the brightness of an image displayed on the display unit and an operation detection unit that detects an operation by a user are detected, and the operation of the user is detected by the operation detection unit. In this case, the brightness adjustment by the adjusting means is stopped.

It is a front view which shows the external appearance of the digital photo frame which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a rear view which shows the external appearance of the digital photo frame which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the digital photo frame which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the brightness sensor control process of the digital photo frame which concerns on one embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. For convenience, the same or equivalent constituent elements will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted when the description overlaps. Note that the present invention can be widely applied to an image display device that performs luminance adjustment according to ambient brightness. Here, the present invention is applied to a digital photo frame (hereinafter referred to as a DPF) as an image display device. An example will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the DPF 10 includes a display unit 12 for displaying an image and the like and a brightness sensor 22 for detecting ambient brightness on the front side of the housing 14, and on the back side. A power button 18 for turning on / off the power, an operation unit 20 for performing a predetermined input operation, an external memory I / F 28, and a USB slave I / F 30. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the DPF 10 includes a main control unit 16 as a control unit that performs operation control, a tilt sensor 24 that detects the tilt and movement of the DPF, and image data. The built-in memory 26 and the wireless I / F 32 are stored.

  The display unit 12 is a display unit for displaying an image including a still image and a moving image, and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display, a CRT (Carthode Ray Tube) display, and the like.

  The housing 14 is a member that accommodates the members constituting the DPF 10 such as the display unit 12 and the main control unit 16 therein. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the front side of the housing 14 has a frame shape surrounding the display unit 12, and the back side is configured to cover the whole. Further, a brightness sensor 22 is disposed on the front side of the housing 14, and a power button 18, an operation unit 20, an external memory I / F 28, and a USB slave I / F 30 are disposed on the back side.

  The operation unit 20 includes a plurality of operation buttons for instructing setting of various operations of the DPF 10 such as determination of display contents by the DPF 10, and is disposed on the back side of the housing 14. The user can perform various settings of the DPF 10 by operating the operation unit 20 while viewing the setting screen displayed on the display unit 12.

  The main control unit 16 is a control unit that controls various operations of the DPF 10, and includes, for example, a CPU 16a, a ROM 16b, a RAM 16c, and a timer 16d as shown in FIG. The CPU 16a functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a control unit, and controls the overall operation of the DPF 10 according to various programs. The ROM 16b stores programs, calculation parameters, and the like used by the CPU 16a. The RAM 16c temporarily stores programs used in the execution of the CPU 16a, parameters that change as appropriate during the execution, and the like. The timer 16d is a time measuring unit for measuring time in brightness sensor control processing described later.

  The built-in memory 26 is storage means for storing data (including still image data, moving image data, audio data, etc.) used to generate an image to be displayed on the display unit 12 in the DPF 10. The built-in memory 26 is disposed inside the housing 14.

  The external memory I / F 28 is an interface for connecting the external memory storing data used to generate an image to be displayed on the display unit 12 and the main control unit 16 of the DPF 10. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the external memory I / F 28 includes, for example, a memory card I / F 28a for connecting various memory cards and a USB memory I / F 28b for connecting a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. It is provided and is arranged on the side surface of the housing 14.

  The USB slave I / F 30 is an interface for connecting a PC (Personal Computer) to the DPF 10 and is disposed on the side surface of the housing 14. The user connects a PC (not shown) to the DPF 10 and inputs data stored in the PC to the main control unit 16 or edits and deletes data stored in the built-in memory 26 of the DPF 10 from the PC. can do.

  The wireless I / F 32 is a wireless communication unit that conforms to various wireless communication standards such as a wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark). The DPF 10 can be connected to an external device via the wireless I / F 32, and data in the external device can be input to the main control unit 16 as data to be displayed on the display unit 12.

  The DPF 10 configured as described above is connected to the data stored in the internal memory 26, the data stored in the external memory connected via the external memory I / F 28, and the PC connected via the USB slave I / F 30. A slide show generated using predetermined data selected from the stored data and data in an external device connected via the wireless I / F 32 is displayed on the display unit 12.

  The tilt sensor 24 is a sensor for detecting the tilt and orientation of the DPF 10, and is disposed inside the housing 14. The tilt sensor 24 may be any sensor that can detect the tilt of the DPF 10 such as a gyro sensor or a mechanical or optical four-direction detection sensor. The gyro sensor can detect the inclination of the DPF 10 by measuring the angular velocity. The mechanical and optical four-direction detection sensors are devices capable of detecting four directions using infrared LEDs and transistors, and can detect the inclination and orientation of the DPF 10. A signal indicating the inclination of the DPF 10 detected by the inclination sensor 24 is input to the main control unit 16. In the present embodiment, a gyro sensor is used as the tilt sensor.

  The direction of the DPF 10 is the direction in which the DPF 10 is installed. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the direction in which the longitudinal direction is arranged parallel to the ground is referred to as a lateral direction, and the direction in which the longitudinal direction is arranged to be orthogonal to the ground is referred to as a vertical direction.

  The DPF 10 adjusts the orientation of the image displayed on the display unit 12 according to the orientation detected by the tilt sensor 24. For example, when the tilt sensor 24 detects that the DPF 10 is disposed horizontally, the main control unit 16 adjusts the orientation of the image so that the short direction is the vertical direction of the display image. When the tilt sensor 24 detects that the DPF 10 is arranged vertically, the main control unit 16 adjusts the orientation of the image so that the longitudinal direction is the vertical direction of the display image.

  The brightness sensor 22 as illuminance detection means is a sensor for detecting the brightness (illuminance) around the DPF 10, and as shown in FIG. It arrange | positions so that it may become the upper part of a front side. A signal indicating the brightness around the DPF 10 detected by the brightness sensor 22 is input to the main controller 16. The arrangement position of the brightness sensor is not particularly limited as long as ambient brightness can be detected, and may be another position on the front side of the housing 14 or on the back side. Good.

  The DPF 10 adjusts the luminance of the display unit 12 according to the brightness detected by the brightness sensor 22. For example, when the brightness sensor 22 detects a value at a constant level for a predetermined time, the main control unit 16 adjusts the luminance of the display unit 12 to a luminance that is easy for the user to see according to the detection value by the brightness sensor 22. In addition, when the brightness sensor 22 detects a value equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value that hardly detects light for a predetermined time, the main control unit 16 determines that the predetermined time has passed since the surroundings became dark. The function of turning off the power can also be provided. As described above, the main control unit 16 has a function as an adjusting unit that adjusts the luminance of the display unit 12 according to the ambient brightness.

  Here, in the DPF 10 including the brightness sensor 22, the brightness sensor 22 is covered with its own hand while the user is operating the operation unit 20 (or when attempting to operate). There is a possibility. In this case, since the detection value of the brightness sensor 22 decreases, if the main control unit 16 operates normally as described above, it is determined that the surrounding has become dark although the surrounding brightness has not changed. As a result, functions for adjusting the brightness of the display unit 12 and turning off the power supply operate.

  Thus, in order to solve the problem that the luminance of the display unit 12 changes or the power is turned off against the user's intention, the DPF 10 detects a predetermined operation by the user. The brightness adjustment control is stopped. Specifically, the main control unit 16 performs brightness sensor control processing for stopping the function of the brightness sensor 22 in accordance with detection values from the operation unit 20 and the tilt sensor 24. Hereinafter, the brightness sensor control process will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, in step S <b> 12, the main control unit 16 determines whether there is an input from the operation unit 20. That is, in this step, the main control unit 16 determines whether or not the user has operated the operation unit 20. When there is an input from the operation unit 20 (the result of step S12 is YES), the control by the main control unit 16 proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, when there is no input from the operation unit 20 (the result of step S12 is NO), the control by the main control unit 16 proceeds to step S14.

  If there is no input from the operation unit 20, it is determined in step S14 whether there is an input from the tilt sensor 24. That is, in this step, the main control unit 16 determines whether or not the user is operating the DPF by determining whether or not there is an input from the tilt sensor 24 and the tilt of the DPF 10 is changing. It is. If there is an input from the inclination sensor 24 (the result of step S14 is YES), the control by the main control unit 16 proceeds to step S16. On the other hand, when there is no input from the inclination sensor 24 (NO in step S14), the control by the main control unit 16 ends the current process and repeats the process from step S12 again.

  When it is determined in step S12 that an operation by the user is performed by an input from the operation unit 20, or when it is determined in step S14 that the inclination of the DPF 10 is changed by an input from the inclination sensor 24. In step S16, the main control unit 16 turns off the brightness sensor 22, and proceeds to step S18.

  Subsequently, in step S18, a timer 16d for turning on the brightness sensor 22 is set one minute after the input from the operation unit 20 and the tilt sensor 24 is lost. As a result, the original brightness adjustment control by the brightness sensor 22 is resumed one minute after the operator finishes the input operation and the DPF 10 is placed. When step S18 is completed, the current process is terminated, and the process from step S12 is repeated again. In the present embodiment, the power is turned on after one minute. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the brightness sensor may be turned on when a predetermined time elapses. For example, the control of the brightness sensor may be resumed after a time longer than 1 minute has elapsed, or the control of the brightness sensor 22 may be resumed immediately after the input from the operation unit 20 and the tilt sensor 24 is lost. Absent.

  The main control unit 16 determines the brightness of the display unit 12 while the brightness sensor 22 is turned off, the brightness when the brightness sensor 22 is turned off, and a predetermined time before the brightness sensor 22 is turned off. However, for example, the brightness may be adjusted to a predetermined brightness.

  As described above, in the DPF 10 according to the present invention, when the input from the operation unit 20 is detected or when it is determined that the inclination is changed by the input from the inclination sensor 24, the input operation by the user is performed. The brightness sensor 22 is turned off. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the luminance of the display unit 12 from changing or the power from being turned off against the user's intention during the operation by the user. Further, by preventing the luminance of the display unit 12 from changing, it is possible to prevent image quality adjustment such as color tone correction according to the luminance from being performed. Furthermore, power consumption can be suppressed by temporarily turning off the brightness sensor 22 or not performing unnecessary brightness control.

  In addition, since the brightness adjustment and the image quality adjustment associated therewith are not performed during the operation, for example, the image quality changes during the setting of the slide show, and there is no inconvenience in the setting of the slide show. The user's troublesomeness caused by unintentionally adjusting the brightness can be suppressed.

  As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the design can be changed without departing from the scope of the present invention. Is included in the present invention. For example, the DPF has been described as a preferred embodiment of the image display device, but is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention can be suitably applied to a car navigation device or the like that includes an image display device in the same manner as the DPF.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the brightness sensor was turned off according to the input of an operation part and an inclination sensor as control of a main control part, it is not limited to this. In the image display device of the present invention, the brightness sensor does not necessarily have to be turned off, and the main control unit adjusts the brightness according to the input of the operation unit and the tilt sensor, regardless of the input of the brightness sensor. The image quality adjustment accompanying the brightness adjustment may not be performed.

  In the above embodiment, an operation unit and an inclination sensor are provided as operation detection means for detecting a user operation, and the brightness adjustment is stopped according to these inputs. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, the image display apparatus includes a temperature sensor and a proximity sensor that detect the approach of the user as the operation detection unit that detects the user's operation, and is configured to stop the brightness adjustment in response to these inputs. May be. In addition, the image display device includes an image pickup unit and a detection unit that detects a user in an image captured by the image pickup unit as an operation detection unit that detects a user operation. You may comprise so that it may detect that it approached and the adjustment of a brightness is stopped.

  Further, the image display apparatus may be configured so that the same operation as that of the operation unit can be performed by a remote controller (not shown). In this case, the brightness adjustment may be stopped according to the input from the remote controller.

  Further, although an example in which a plurality of operation buttons provided on the back side of the housing is provided as the operation unit has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. The operation unit may be in any form as long as various operations can be performed. For example, the operation unit may be configured with a touch panel by configuring the display unit with a liquid crystal display device or the like. Absent.

10 Digital photo frame (image display device)
12 Display unit 14 Housing 16 Main control unit 18 Power button 20 Operation unit 22 Brightness sensor 24 Tilt sensor 26 Built-in memory 28 External memory I / F
30 USB Slave I / F
32 Wireless I / F

Claims (5)

Display means for displaying an image;
Illuminance detection means for detecting ambient brightness;
Adjusting means for adjusting brightness of an image displayed on the display means according to a detection value of the illuminance detecting means;
An operation detecting means for detecting an operation by the user,
An image display apparatus, wherein when the user's operation is detected by the operation detection means, the brightness adjustment by the adjustment means is stopped.   The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the illuminance detection unit is stopped when a user operation is detected by the operation detection unit.   The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the brightness adjustment is stopped for a predetermined time when a user operation is detected by the operation detection unit.   The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the operation detection unit is an input operation detection unit that detects an input operation performed on the image display device. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the operation detection unit is an inclination detection unit that detects an inclination of the image display device.

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