JP7613530B2 - Display device, display method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a display device , a display method , and a program .

Display devices equipped with a backlight to improve the visibility of a liquid crystal display screen are known. For example, a display device is known in which an organic electroluminescence (EL) element, which is a self-luminous display element, is arranged on the opposite side of an observation surface of a liquid crystal display screen that displays a clock (see Patent Document 1).
This display device functions as a backlight for the clock display by having the organic EL element emit light on the side opposite the observation surface of the clock display.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-160704

However, in conventional technologies such as those described in Patent Document 1, organic EL elements only display fixed information using light emission.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a wide variety of displays in a display device that is made up of a liquid crystal display device and a self-luminous display device.

In order to achieve the above object, a display device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises:
A display device including a liquid crystal display device, a self-luminous display device disposed on an opposite side to an observation side of the liquid crystal display device, and a control unit that controls the liquid crystal display device and the self-luminous display device,
The control unit is
a first control unit that executes a first process and controls the self-luminous display device;
a second control unit that executes a second process that can be executed with lower power consumption than the first process and controls the liquid crystal display device and the self-luminous display device;
The second control unit is
causing the liquid crystal display device to perform a predetermined display, and simultaneously causing the self-luminous display device to function as a background for the predetermined display;
The functioning of the self-luminous display device as a background for the predetermined display includes causing the self-luminous display device to perform a monochromatic display and function as a backlight for the liquid crystal display device.

The present invention makes it possible to provide a wide variety of displays using a self-luminous display device.

1 is a schematic diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the display device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a display area of the display device of FIG. 1 . This is a schematic diagram showing the X-X' cross section in Figure 3A. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration for executing an image generation process, among the functional configurations of the display device in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of an image generating process executed by the display device of FIG. 1 having the functional configuration of FIG. 4 . FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen in the image generating process of FIG. 4 . 5 is a diagram showing an example of a font of characters in an image generated in the image generating process of FIG. 4. 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating other examples of fonts of characters in an image generated in the image generating process of FIG. 4 . 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating an example of position adjustment of each element in an image generated in the image generation process of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a decision screen for an image generated in the image generation process of FIG. 4 . 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a power control process executed by the display device of FIG. 1 having the functional configuration of FIG. 4 . 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of an image controlled in the power control process of FIG. 9 .

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

[External appearance]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a display device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in Fig. 1, the display device 1 of the present embodiment is configured as a wristwatch-type device, so-called a smart watch. The display device 1 includes a first display unit 18 and a second display unit 27, which will be described later, and is configured such that the second display unit 27 is stacked on the first display unit 18. The second display unit 27 is a transmissive display unit, and can perform both a transmissive display that allows the display area of the first display unit 18 to be visible, and a non-transmissive display that makes it difficult to view the display area of the first display unit 18.
Therefore, in the display device 1, by making at least a portion of the first display unit 18 a transparent display, it is possible to display the display of the first display unit 18 and the display of the second display unit 27 in an overlapping manner.

[Hardware configuration]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the display device 1. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the display device 1 includes a first central processing unit (CPU) 11, a first read only memory (ROM) 12, a first random access memory (RAM) 13, a first storage unit 14, and a first real time clock (RTC). The portable terminal device includes a first clock unit 15, a drive 16, a removable medium 51 detachable from the drive 16, a first input unit 17, a first display unit 18, a second CPU 21, a second ROM 22, a second RAM 23, a second storage unit 24, a sensor unit 25, a second input unit 26, a second display unit 27, a battery remaining capacity measurement IC 29, a second RTC unit 30, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) antenna 31, a Bluetooth module 32, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) antenna 33, a wireless LAN module 34, a GPS (Global Positioning System) antenna 41, and a GPS module 42.

The main microcomputer 10 has a first CPU 11, a first ROM 12, and a first RAM 13. The sub-microcomputer 20 has a second CPU 21, a second ROM 22, and a second RAM 23.

The display device 1 functions under the control of a first CPU 11 and a second CPU 21 .
Specifically, the first CPU 11 performs various arithmetic processing based on an OS (Operating System) and various programs executed under the management of the OS, and executes various processes based on the results of the arithmetic processing, thereby realizing functions similar to those of a smartphone in the display device 1. In this embodiment, the first CPU 11 displays, on the first display unit 18, messages related to incoming e-mails and weather information received via the Bluetooth module 32 or the wireless LAN module 34. The first CPU 11 also recognizes voice input via the first input unit 17, and performs other processes related to various functions implemented as functions similar to those of a smartphone. In this embodiment, the first CPU 11 performs arithmetic processing based on a general-purpose OS such as Android (registered trademark).
In addition, in this embodiment, the first CPU 11 obtains a time signal from the first RTC unit 15 at a predetermined timing.

The second CPU 21 performs various arithmetic processing based on a specific program such as an embedded program, and executes processing based on the results of the arithmetic processing, thereby instructing the second display unit 27 and the first display unit 18 to display, acquiring the detection results of various sensors, and performing other processing related to various functions implemented as functions of the wristwatch. In this embodiment, the second CPU 21 calculates the time based on the time signal input from the second RTC unit 30, and displays the time, day of the week, date, etc. on the second display unit 27. The processing of the specific program executed by the second CPU 21 (calculation of time, etc.) is a simple operation compared to the processing of the OS executed by the first CPU 11, so the processing load is small and it can be executed with low power consumption. In addition, therefore, the hardware specifications required for the second CPU 21 are sufficient to be lower than those of the first CPU 11. Therefore, when only the functions of the wristwatch are required, the second CPU 21 is operated while most of the functions of the first CPU 11 are stopped and put into a so-called sleep state, thereby reducing the power consumption of the entire display device 1. This allows the display device 1 to be driven for a long period of time by a battery (not shown) built into the display device 1 (for example, a rechargeable battery).
In addition, in this embodiment, the second CPU 21 obtains a time signal from the second RTC unit 30 at a predetermined timing.

The first ROM 12 can read data from the first CPU 11 and stores various programs and initial setting data executed by the first CPU 11. For example, the first ROM 12 stores the OS program executed by the first CPU 11 and various programs executed under the control of the OS.

The first RAM 13 is capable of reading and writing data from and to the first CPU 11, providing a working memory space for the first CPU 11 and storing temporary working data. For example, the first RAM 13 provides a system area and a work area for the first CPU 11 to execute the OS and the like and to execute the image generation process described below.

The first storage unit 14 is a non-volatile memory to which data can be read and written by the main microcomputer 10, and is, for example, a flash memory or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory).
The first storage unit 14 stores various data (such as data on various settings) generated in various smartphone-like functions realized under the control of the first CPU 11.

A removable medium 51, such as a semiconductor memory, is appropriately attached to the drive 16. The removable medium 51 can read and write data from the main microcomputer 10 via the drive 16, and can store various data such as data detected by various sensors.

The first display unit 18 is configured with an organic EL display, and displays various information on the display screen according to the control of the first CPU 11 or the second CPU 21 .
The first input unit 17 includes a so-called physical button and receives user input via this physical button. Alternatively, the first input unit 17 includes a microphone that converts voice into an electric signal and outputs a signal indicating the input voice (such as a voice command for an operation) to the first CPU 11. Alternatively, the first input unit 17 may be a touch panel provided on the upper part of the first display unit 18.

The Bluetooth antenna 31 is an antenna for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves based on the Bluetooth standard, and is configured, for example, by a monopole antenna, etc. The Bluetooth antenna 31 transmits wireless communication electrical signals input from the Bluetooth module 32 as electromagnetic waves, and converts received electromagnetic waves into electrical signals and outputs them to the Bluetooth module 32.
The Bluetooth module 32 transmits signals to other devices via the Bluetooth antenna 31 in accordance with instructions from the first CPU 11. The Bluetooth module 32 also receives signals transmitted from other devices and outputs information indicated by the received signals to the first CPU 11.

The wireless LAN antenna 33 is an antenna capable of receiving radio waves at a frequency corresponding to the wireless communication used by the wireless LAN module 34, and is configured by, for example, a loop antenna or a rod antenna. The wireless LAN antenna 33 transmits the wireless communication electrical signal input from the wireless LAN module 34 as an electromagnetic wave, and converts the received electromagnetic wave into an electrical signal and outputs it to the wireless LAN module 34.
The wireless LAN module 34 transmits signals to other devices via the wireless LAN antenna 33 in accordance with instructions from the first CPU 11. The wireless LAN module 34 also receives signals transmitted from other devices and outputs information indicated by the received signals to the first CPU 11.

The second ROM 22 can read data from the second CPU 21, and stores specific programs and initial setting data executed by the second CPU 21. For example, the second ROM 22 stores an embedded program that realizes the functions of a wristwatch, and a program for realizing the function of performing the power control processing described below.

The second RAM 23 is capable of reading and writing data from and to the second CPU 21, providing a working memory space for the second CPU 21 and temporarily storing working data. For example, the second RAM 23 provides a storage area when the second CPU 21 executes an embedded program, etc.

The GPS antenna 41 receives radio waves transmitted from GPS satellites, converts the radio waves into electrical signals, and outputs the converted electrical signals (hereinafter referred to as “GPS signals”) to a GPS module 42 .
The GPS module 42 detects the position (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the display device 1 and the current time indicated by the GPS based on the GPS signal input from the GPS antenna 41. In addition, the GPS module 42 outputs information indicating the detected position and current time to the second CPU 21.

The second storage unit 24 is a non-volatile memory that can read and write data from and to the sub-microcomputer 20, such as a flash memory or an EEPROM. The second storage unit 24 stores various data (such as data on various settings) generated by the functions of the wristwatch, and images generated in the image generation process described below.

The sensor unit 25 is a collection of a plurality of sensors that measure various information, and includes, for example, a pulse sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and an illuminance sensor.
The pulse sensor is installed on the back side of the display device 1 (the side facing the user's arm) and detects the pulse of the user wearing the display device 1, and outputs information indicating the detected pulse to the sub-microcomputer 20.
The geomagnetic sensor detects the direction of the geomagnetism, and outputs information indicating the detected direction of the geomagnetism to the sub-microcomputer 20 .
The acceleration sensor detects the acceleration in three axial directions in the display device 1 , and outputs information indicating the detected acceleration to the sub-microcomputer 20 .
The gyro sensor detects angular velocities in three axial directions in the display device 1 , and outputs information indicating the detected angular velocities to the sub-microcomputer 20 .
The illuminance sensor is installed, for example, at a predetermined location on the back side of the first display unit 18 or at a predetermined location in the bezel portion of the display device 1, detects the brightness (illuminance) in the display area of the display device 1, and outputs information indicating the detected brightness to the sub-microcontroller 20.

The second CPU 21 outputs information detected by these various sensors to the first CPU 11 as necessary. The first CPU 11 uses the information detected by these various sensors, for example, through a function similar to that of a smartphone. For example, the first CPU 11 adjusts the brightness of the display screen of the first display unit 18 based on the brightness detected by the illuminance sensor.
The second input section 26 is made up of various buttons, and inputs various information in response to user operations.

The second display unit 27 is composed of a PN (Polymer Network) liquid crystal display that is partially or entirely light-transmitting, and displays various information on the display screen according to the control of the second CPU 21. In this embodiment, the display is a segment display.

The positional relationship between the second display unit 27 and the first display unit 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.
Fig. 3A is a schematic diagram showing a display area of the display device 1. Fig. 3B is a schematic diagram showing a cross section taken along line XX' in Fig. 3A.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the display area of the first display unit 18 and the display area of the second display unit 27 are arranged to overlap each other.
As shown in Fig. 3B, the display area of the display device 1 has a cross-sectional structure in which the cover glass CG, the second display unit 27, the first display unit 18, the black sheet BS, and the main substrate MB are laminated in this order from the front side. Of these, the black sheet BS is a member that adjusts the color when the second display unit 27 and the first display unit 18 are viewed through, and in this embodiment, the black color is viewed. Furthermore, the main substrate MB has the various hardware components described with reference to Fig. 2 arranged thereon, and signal lines connecting the various hardware components are also arranged.

In this embodiment, the PN liquid crystal display, which is the second display unit 27, is layered on the display screen of the organic EL display, which is the first display unit 18 described above, as shown in FIG. 3B. In this PN liquid crystal display, the liquid crystal molecules are arranged irregularly in areas where no potential is applied, and light is reflected. In other words, the PN liquid crystal display displays an image in this area where no potential is applied. In this case, for example, a milky white color display is displayed in a specified display area of the PN liquid crystal display. In other words, this color display allows a specified amount of the display by the organic EL display to be seen through. Hereinafter, this state in which light is reflected in the display area of the PN liquid crystal display is referred to as a "non-transparent state."

On the other hand, in the area where a potential is applied, the liquid crystal molecules are aligned perpendicular to the display screen, allowing light to pass through. In other words, in the area where this potential is applied, light from the organic EL display can pass through, and the display by the organic EL display can be viewed through the PN liquid crystal display. In other words, in the display area of the display device 1, the display by the organic EL display can be displayed superimposed on the display by the PN liquid crystal display. Hereinafter, this state in which light passes through the display area of the PN liquid crystal display is referred to as the "transparent state."

The display direction of the first display unit 18 and the PN liquid crystal display is the direction from each display unit toward the cover glass, as shown in FIG. 3B. This corresponds to the direction from the back to the front of the paper in FIG. 3A.

[Functional configuration]
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration for executing an image generation process and a power control process, among the functional configurations of the display device 1 in FIG.
The image generation process refers to a series of processes in which a user generates a background image 60 to be displayed on the organic EL display, which is the first display unit 18 .
The power control process refers to a series of processes for controlling the power supply to the first display unit 18, which is an organic EL display, in accordance with the remaining battery power of the display device 1.

In the image generation process, as shown in FIG. 4, a first program processing section 111, a first display control section 112, and a background content generation section 113 function.
In the power control process, as shown in FIG. 4, the background content change unit 114, the second program processing unit 211, the second display control unit 212, the switching unit 213, and the power control unit 214 function.
In addition, a background image storage section 241 is set in one area of the second storage section 24 .

The first program processing unit 111 controls the overall operation of the main microcomputer 10. For example, the first program processing unit 111 operates the first display control unit 112, the background content generation unit 113, and the background content change unit 114.

The first display control unit 112 controls the display of the first display unit 18. For example, map information or a predetermined picture image is displayed on the first display unit 18, which is an organic EL display. Alternatively, the first display control unit 112 adjusts the brightness and color of the displayed image by controlling the light emission of the organic EL display.

The background content generating unit 113 generates the content of a background image 60 or the like that can become the background of the second display unit 27. The background content generating unit 113 stores the generated background image 60 in the background image storage unit 241.
Here, the content generated by the background content generating unit 113 includes, for example, not only monochromatic light emission as the background of the second display unit, but also the generation of a background image 60 to be displayed on the first display unit 18 and used as the background of the second display unit 27. This background image 60 is generated based on a user input. The user input is, for example, an operation on the touch panel of the first display unit 18. The generation of the background image 60 will be described in detail later.

The background content change unit 114 changes the background image 60 generated by the above-mentioned background content generation unit 113. A change refers to, for example, changing one of the multiple background images 60 to another background image 60, or changing the content displayed on the first display unit 18 from a single-color emission to a background image 60.

The second program processing unit 211 controls the entire sub-microcomputer 20. For example, the second program processing unit 211 operates the second display control unit 212, the switching unit 213, and the power control unit 214. In addition, the second program processing unit 211 obtains time information from the second RTC unit 30 and transmits the time information to the second display control unit 212.

The second display control unit 212 controls the display of the first display unit 18 and the second display unit 27. For example, the second display control unit 212 displays time information in segments on the second display unit 27, which is a liquid crystal display. The second display control unit 212 also displays a predetermined image on the first display unit 18, which is an organic EL display. The predetermined image is, for example, a background image 60. Furthermore, the second display control unit 212 changes the background image 60 to another image in response to a button operation by the user via the second input unit 26, etc.

The switching unit 213 switches the display on the first display unit 18 as described in detail below.

[Switch display]
Here, we will explain the manner in which the display unit in the display device 1 can be switched. That is, there is a manner in which the second display unit 27 displays predetermined information and the first display unit 18 functions as a backlight for the second display unit 27, and a manner in which the display of the first display unit 18 is switched so that the first display unit itself functions as an information terminal that displays various information.

As a configuration common to the two aspects described above, the display device 1 switches between displaying a first pattern on the first display unit 18 (first mode) and emitting light without displaying the first pattern on the first display unit 18 (second mode) using the switching unit 213.
The following describes a case where the display device 1 causes the second display unit 27 to display predetermined information such as a clock display, and uses the first display unit 18 as a backlight for the second display unit 27. The switching unit 213 switches between displaying a first pattern as a background image 60 on the first display unit 18 (first mode) and causing the first display unit 18 to emit monochromatic light (second mode). Alternatively, the switching unit 213 switches between displaying the background image 60 as a first pattern on the first display unit 18 (first mode) and displaying a second pattern different from the first pattern (second mode).

The case where the display device 1 uses the first display unit 18 as an information terminal will be described below. In this case, the first display unit 18 displays predetermined information, for example, digital time information using the self-luminous function of the organic EL display, analog time information, map information, and various other applications. At this time, the switching unit 213 switches the display of predetermined icons or pictures as an information screen on the first display unit 18 (switching between the first mode and the second mode), thereby displaying the information that changes from moment to moment.
In this way, a user can use the organic EL display as an information terminal capable of displaying various kinds of information, thereby making it possible for the self-luminous display device to provide a wide variety of displays.

In addition, in a mode in which the first display unit 18 is used as a backlight for the second display unit 27, it is assumed that the area of the liquid crystal display that displays the time information is in a transparent state. In this case, the user can visually recognize the time information of the seven-segment digital clock display on the liquid crystal display as black, which is the color of the black sheet BS.
The single-color emission is then visually recognized by the user through the non-transmissive areas of the liquid crystal display, and is therefore visually recognized by the user as a mixture of the emission color of the organic EL element and a milky white color.

On the other hand, in a mode in which the first display unit 18 is used as a backlight for the second display unit 27, it is assumed that the area of the liquid crystal display that displays the time information is in a non-transparent state.
In this case, the user can visually recognize the time information on the seven-segment digital clock display on the liquid crystal display as a mixture of monochromatic luminescent color and milky white.
The background image 60 is visually recognized by the user through the transparent region of the liquid crystal display. Therefore, in the transparent region, the single-color emission is visually recognized by the user as the emission color of the organic EL element itself.

When the display device 1 causes the first display unit 18 to function as a backlight for the second display unit 27, the organic EL element emits light at a lower brightness than when the display device 1 causes the organic EL element to function as an information display terminal for displaying time information, etc.

The above-mentioned two modes of the display device 1 are switched by the user via the second input unit 26 .
Depending on the switched mode, the first display unit 18 is controlled by either the main microcomputer 10 or the sub-microcomputer 20. The second display unit 27 is controlled by the sub-microcomputer 20 based on the switched mode.

In addition, in the above-mentioned two aspects of the display device 1, the control of displaying the background image 60 on the first display unit and causing the first display unit 18 to emit monochromatic light can be performed only by the sub-microcomputer 20. That is, the sub-microcomputer 20 acquires the background image 60 from the background image storage unit 241 and causes the acquired background image 60 to be displayed on the first display unit 18. In this case, the main microcomputer 10 does not operate, so power consumption is reduced. Naturally, this control is performed in this embodiment, and the main microcomputer 10 may be operated to control displaying the background image 60 on the first display unit and causing the first display unit 18 to emit monochromatic light.

[Image generation processing]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of an image generating process executed by the display device 1 of FIG. 2 having the functional configuration of FIG.
The image generation process is started when the user operates the first input unit 17 to start the image generation process.

In step S11, the first program processing section 111 accepts an operation to start an image generation process from the user through the first input section 17. Then, the first program processing section 111 causes the first display control section 112 to display a menu for image generation on the first display section 18, which is an organic EL display. As will be described in detail later with reference to Fig. 6, the menu indicates an editing process for generating an image.
Once the user has edited the image by selecting an option from the menu, processing proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, when the user has completed editing the image, a background image is generated. Once the background image has been generated, processing proceeds to step S13.

In step S13, the background content generation unit 113 stores the background image in the background image storage unit 241.

When the background image is stored, the process proceeds to step S14. In step S14, it is determined whether or not a termination condition is satisfied. The termination condition may be, for example, that the background image is stored in the background image storage unit 241.
If the background content generating section 113 determines that the end condition is satisfied, it ends the image generating process, and if it determines that the end condition is not satisfied, it returns the process to step S11.

In this way, a background image customized by the user is generated through a series of image generation processes from step S11 to step S14.

Here, the menu selection in step S11 above will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 6 to Fig. 8A. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a menu in the image generation process. By selecting a menu, the user can edit each element, for example, letters, numbers, characters, etc.
6, menu 61 is an option that allows the user to hand-edit elements of background image 60. Menu 62 is an option that allows the user to insert text into the background image. Menu 63 is an option that allows the user to add an icon to the background image. Menu 64 is an option that allows the user to insert an image selected from images prepared in advance into the background image.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an example of the font of characters in an image generated in the image generating process of FIG.
When a prepared image, for example, the baseball image 70, is selected by the above-mentioned menu 64, the baseball image 70 is added to the background image 60 as shown in FIG. 7A.
Menu 71 is a menu for selecting a predetermined font. When menu 71 is selected, the font of the characters displayed in background image 60 is set to the font associated with menu 71, and character 72 is displayed.

Figure 7B is a diagram showing another example of the font of the characters in the image generated in the image generation process of Figure 4. Menu 73 is a menu for selecting a font different from menu 71. When menu 73 is selected, the font of the characters displayed in the background image 60 is set to the font associated with menu 73, and characters 74 in another font are displayed.

Figure 8A is a diagram showing an example of adjusting the position of each element in an image generated in the image generation process of Figure 4. Menu 81 is a menu for adjusting the position of each element edited by each of the menus described above. When the user selects menu 81, the position of each element becomes variable. For example, the user can change the position of these elements in background image 60 by manipulating baseball ball image 70 or text 74 with their finger. Furthermore, these images can also be enlarged or reduced.

Next, the generation of the background image in step S12 will be described with reference to FIG. 8B. FIG. 8B is a diagram showing an example of a decision screen for an image generated in the image generation process of FIG. 4. When the menu selection in the above-mentioned step S11 is completed, the background content generation unit 113 displays a message 82 asking the user whether or not to save the currently displayed background image 60. The user can select either of options 83 or 84 displayed near the message 82. When the user selects option 83 for saving the background image 60, the background image 60 is saved in the background image storage unit 241. This completes the process of step S12. Of course, when the user selects option 84 for not saving the background image 60, the process returns to step S11 in order to continue editing the background image 60.

[Power control processing]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of a power control process executed by the display device of FIG. 1 having the functional configuration of FIG.
In step S21, the battery remaining amount measurement IC 29 measures the remaining amount of energy of a battery (not shown) for operating the display device 1. When the measured remaining amount of energy is input to the second program processing unit 211, the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S22, the second program processing unit 211 determines whether the remaining energy value is equal to or less than a predetermined value. The second program processing unit 211 repeats the process of step S22 until it determines that the remaining energy value is equal to or less than the predetermined value. On the other hand, if the second program processing unit 211 determines that the remaining energy value is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S23.

In step S23, the power control unit 214 transitions the operation mode of the display device 1 from the normal mode to the power saving mode. Here, the normal mode is a mode in which the second display control unit 212 displays the background image 60 by causing the organic EL elements to emit light in a color based on the image specified by the user. On the other hand, the power saving mode is a mode in which the second display control unit 212 displays a part of the background image 60 in a color that consumes relatively less power and is different from the color based on the image specified by the user.
That is, in step S23, the power control unit 214 controls the power required to display the background image 60 by a method described in detail below so that power consumption is reduced compared to the normal mode.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of an image controlled in the power control process. In step S23, the power control unit 214 transitions the operation mode of the display device 1 to a power saving mode. In the power saving mode, the second display control unit 212 controls the display or monochromatic emission of the background image 60 being displayed as a backlight, as shown in Figure 10.

The current consumption of the organic EL element varies depending on the color of the light emitted. For this reason, depending on the background image 60 or the color of the monochromatic light emitted by the user, the amount of current when the background image 60 is displayed may become excessive, causing the battery voltage to drop. When this happens, the voltage of the sub-microcomputer 20 may momentarily drop below the operating voltage, causing the display to disappear.

Typically, the power consumption due to the emission of light from an organic EL element is less for green than for white, and less for black than for yellow. Therefore, for example, as shown below, the power control unit 214 reduces the power consumption required to display the background image 60 by shifting the operation of the display device 1 from the normal mode to the power saving mode.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the background image 60 on the left side is the normal mode image and the background image 60 on the right side is the power saving mode image, the elements change as follows. In normal mode, the organic EL element corresponding to the baseball image 70 emits white light, but in power saving mode, the organic EL element corresponding to the baseball image 70' emits green light. Also, in normal mode, the organic EL element corresponding to the letter 74 emits yellow light, but in power saving mode, the organic EL element corresponding to the letter 74' does not emit light. Therefore, the display color of the letter 74' is the same black as the color of the black sheet BS.

Similarly, when the organic EL element emits a single color as a backlight, the second display control unit 212 changes the emitted color to a color that consumes relatively less power. Alternatively, the background content change unit 114 reduces power consumption by changing the background image 60 to emit a single color that consumes less power.

In this way, the second display control unit 212 changes the display color of the background image 60 of the self-luminous display device when the remaining battery charge of the display device is below a threshold value. The change in the emission color of the organic EL elements is achieved, for example, by not emitting light from some of the organic EL elements corresponding to each of the RGB colors. This makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of the display device 1.

The display device 1 configured as described above includes a second display unit 27, a first display unit 18 arranged on the opposite side of the second display unit 27 from the observation side, a switching unit 213, and a control unit.
The switching unit 213 switches between a first mode in which at least the first pattern is displayed on the first display unit 18 and a second mode in which light is emitted so as not to display at least the first pattern on the first display unit 18. The control unit controls the display of the first display unit 18 based on the mode switched by the switching unit 213.
In this manner, the display device 1 can provide a wide variety of displays on the first display section 18 .

The first display unit 18 emits a single color light in the second mode.
In this way, the display device 1 can display a picture or emit light depending on the mode in the first display portion 18. This allows the display device 1 to provide a wide variety of displays.

In the second mode, the first display unit 18 displays a second picture that is different from the first picture.
In this way, the display device 1 can display various pictures on the first display portion 18. This allows the display device 1 to provide a wide variety of displays.

The first display unit 18 functions as an information display device that provides the user with predetermined information by changing the first picture to the second picture.
In this way, the display device 1 can display various pictures on the first display portion 18. This allows the display device 1 to provide a wide variety of displays.

The display device 1 further includes a background content generating section 113 that generates a first picture.
In this way, the display device 1 is capable of displaying a variety of pictures on the first display portion 18. This allows the display device 1 to provide a wide variety of displays.

The display device 1 further includes a liquid crystal control unit that controls the content displayed on the second display unit 27. The second display unit 27 displays predetermined content on the second display unit 27, and the first display unit 18 functions as a backlight for the second display unit 27.
In this manner, the display device 1 can also cause the first display unit 18 to function as a backlight, thereby enabling the display device 1 to provide a wide variety of displays.

The display device 1 sets the luminance of the display of the first content or the second content to be lower than the luminance of the display when not functioning as a backlight.
This allows the display device 1 to provide a wide variety of displays while achieving power saving.

When the remaining battery charge of the display device 1 is equal to or lower than a threshold, the display device 1 reduces the luminance of the self-luminous display device.
This allows the display device 1 to provide a wide variety of displays while achieving power saving.

When the remaining battery charge of the display device 1 is equal to or lower than a threshold, the background content change unit 114 changes the second content.
This allows the display device 1 to provide a wide variety of displays while achieving power saving.

[Modification]
In the above embodiment, the background content generating unit 113 newly generates the background image 60, but this is not limiting.

<Modification 1>
As another modified example, for example, the background content generation unit 113 may select from among a plurality of background images 60 previously stored in the second storage unit 24. The previously stored background image 60 may be created in real time by an external terminal (not shown), and stored in the second storage unit 24 via wireless communication, for example.
The user can change the backlight to any one of a plurality of background images 60 each time. Therefore, the display device 1 can provide a display using a wide variety of backlights.

<Modification 2>
In the above embodiment, the background content generating unit 113 is provided in the main microcomputer 10, and the image generating process for generating the background image 60 is executed in the main microcomputer 10, but this is not limited to the above.
As another modified example, for example, the background content generation unit 113 may be provided in the sub-microcomputer 20, and the image generation process may be executed in the sub-microcomputer 20. With this configuration, it becomes possible for only the sub-microcomputer 20 to generate the background image 60, without operating the main microcomputer 10, and to set the generated background image 60 as the backlight. Since the main microcomputer 10 is not operating, there is an advantage in that power consumption is reduced.

<Modification 3>
In the above embodiment, the menu for editing each element of the background image 60 is illustrated with reference to FIG. 6, but the menu is not limited to this.
As another modification, the number and types of menus are not limited to those shown in Fig. 6, and other menus that accept other operations may be prepared. For example, when an imaging unit (not shown) is provided in the display device 1, a menu that allows editing of the background image 60 using an image from the imaging unit may be provided. In addition, the display position of the menu is not limited to that shown in Fig. 6.

<Modification 4>
In the above-described embodiment, in the area displaying the time information, the liquid crystal display of the second display unit 27 is in a transparent state, and the time information of the seven-segment digital clock display is displayed in black, but the display color of the time information is not limited to black.
For example, as another modified example, the time information may be the display color of the background image 60. If the color of the time information display area corresponding to the background image 60 is green, the time information is displayed in green. In this case, the user can recognize the time information because the display area of the time information is clearly visible compared to other milky white areas.
Alternatively, a basic image in which the entire seven-segment digital clock display is cut out in the time display area of the background image 60 may be stored in advance in the background image storage unit 241. In this case, the background content generation unit 113 does not change the image in the time display area. As a result, the first program processing unit 111 displays the time according to the current time acquired by the first RTC unit 15 in black in the time display area.

<Modification 5>
In the power control process in the above embodiment, the display color of the background image 60 is changed, but the power control in the power saving mode is not limited to this.
For example, the second display control unit 212 may reduce the luminance of the whole or part of the background image 60 instead of changing the display color of the picture. Alternatively, the second display control unit 212 may change the display color of the picture and reduce the luminance of the whole background image 60. Furthermore, the second display control unit 212 may change the display color of the whole background image 60 to a single color that allows the user to just barely see the time information, or may make only the time information a certain color and make the other areas black.

<Modification 6>
In the above-described embodiment, in a configuration in which the first display unit 18 functions as a backlight for the second display unit 27, the second display control unit 212 controls the first display unit 18 and the second display unit 27, but this is not limited to this.
For example, the first display control unit 112 may control both or either one of the second display unit 27 and the first display unit 18 .
In this way, when the first display control unit 112 controls the second display unit 27 and the first display unit 18, in the above-mentioned step S23, the first display control unit 112 transitions from a normal mode in which the background image 60 is displayed to a power saving mode in which a part of the background image 60 is displayed in a relatively low power consumption color different from the color based on the image specified by the user, by causing the organic EL element to emit light in a color based on the image specified by the user.
In this way, the first display control unit 112 changes the display color of the background image 60 of the self-luminous display device when the remaining battery charge of the display device is equal to or lower than a threshold value. The change in the emission color of the organic EL elements is realized, for example, by not emitting light from some of the organic EL elements corresponding to each of the RGB colors. This makes it possible to reduce the power consumption of the display device 1.

<Modification 7>
In the above embodiment, the user uses the above menu 64 to select a pre-prepared image, for example, baseball ball image 70, and then generates background image 60. However, the method of generating background image 60 is not limited to this.
Of course, the background image 60 may be generated by an external device, and the display device 1 may acquire the data from the outside using wired or wireless communication. Note that a menu 61 may be selected to freely create an image by handwriting in place of the above-mentioned pre-prepared image. In this case, a method of inputting handwriting using a touch panel may be adopted.

<Modification 8>
In the above embodiment, the first display unit 18 is switched between a mode in which it functions as a backlight for the second display unit 27 and a mode in which it functions as an information terminal in response to an input from the user, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the mode may be changed in response to the movement of the user.

In the above embodiment, the display device 1 to which the present invention is applied has been described as a digital camera, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the present invention can be applied to electronic devices in general that have an image processing function. Specifically, the present invention can be applied to notebook personal computers, television receivers, video cameras, portable navigation devices, mobile phones, smartphones, portable game consoles, and the like.

<Modification 9>
In the above-described embodiment, switching between the first mode and the second mode was performed regardless of whether the first display unit 18 functions as an information terminal or as a backlight, but this is not limited to this.
For example, the first mode and the second mode may be switched depending on whether the first display unit 18 functions as an information terminal or as a backlight. For example, when the first display unit 18 functions as an information terminal, the mode may be switched to the first mode, and when the first display unit 18 functions as a backlight, the mode may be switched to the second mode.

The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or software.
In other words, the functional configuration in Fig. 4 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient that the display device 1 has a function capable of executing the above-mentioned series of processes as a whole, and the type of functional block used to realize this function is not particularly limited to the example in Fig. 4.
Furthermore, one functional block may be configured as a single piece of hardware, a single piece of software, or a combination of both.
The functional configuration in this embodiment is realized by a processor that executes arithmetic processing, and processors that can be used in this embodiment include those configured by various processing devices alone, such as a single processor, a multiprocessor, and a multicore processor, as well as those in which these various processing devices are combined with processing circuits, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

When the series of processes is executed by software, the program constituting the software is installed into a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium.
The computer may be a computer built into dedicated hardware, or may be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, such as a general-purpose personal computer.

The recording medium containing such a program may be constituted not only by the removable medium 51 in FIG. 4 that is distributed separately from the device body in order to provide the user with the program, but also by a recording medium provided to the user in a state in which it is pre-installed in the device body. The removable medium 51 may be constituted, for example, by a magnetic disk (including a floppy disk), an optical disk, or a magneto-optical disk. The optical disk may be constituted, for example, by a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc. The magneto-optical disk may be constituted, for example, by an MD (Mini-Disk). In addition, the recording medium provided to the user in a state in which it is pre-installed in the device body may be constituted, for example, by the first ROM 12 or the second ROM 22 in FIG. 2 in which the program is recorded.

In this specification, the steps of describing a program to be recorded on a recording medium include not only processes that are performed chronologically according to the order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically but are executed in parallel or individually.
In addition, in this specification, the term "system" refers to an overall device that is composed of a plurality of devices or a plurality of means.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take various other embodiments, and various modifications such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention described in this specification, etc., and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

The invention as described in the claims of the original application is set forth below.
[Appendix 1]
A display device including a liquid crystal display device and a self-luminous display device disposed on an opposite side to an observation side of the liquid crystal display device,
A switching means for switching between a first mode in which the self-luminous display device displays at least a first pattern and a second mode in which the self-luminous display device emits light so as not to display at least the first pattern;
a control unit that controls a display of the self-luminous display device based on the mode switched by the switching means;
A display device comprising:
[Appendix 2]
2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the self-luminous display device emits monochromatic light in the second mode.
[Appendix 3]
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the self-luminous display device displays a second pattern different from the first pattern in the second mode.
[Appendix 4]
The display device described in Appendix 3, characterized in that the self-luminous display device functions as an information display device that provides predetermined information to a user by changing from the first image to the second image.
[Appendix 5]
5. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a generating means for generating the first image.
[Appendix 6]
A liquid crystal control unit that controls the content displayed by the liquid crystal display device,
The liquid crystal control unit causes the liquid crystal display device to display a predetermined content,
6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the self-luminous display device functions as a backlight for the liquid crystal display device.
[Appendix 7]
The display device according to claim 6, characterized in that the luminance of the display of the first content or the second content is lower than the luminance of the display when not functioning as a backlight.
[Appendix 8]
8. The display device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the luminance of the self-luminous display device is reduced when the remaining battery charge of the display device is equal to or lower than a threshold value.
[Appendix 9]
9. The display device according to claim 6, wherein the content change means changes the second content when a remaining battery charge of the display device is equal to or lower than a threshold.
[Appendix 10]
A display method performed by a display device including a liquid crystal display device and a self-luminous display device disposed on an opposite side to an observation side of the liquid crystal display device, the method comprising:
A switching step of switching between a first mode in which at least a first pattern is displayed in the self-luminous display device and a second mode in which the self-luminous display device emits light so as not to display at least the first pattern;
a control step of controlling a display of the self-luminous display device based on the mode switched in the switching step;
A display method comprising the steps of:
[Appendix 11]
A computer including a liquid crystal display device and a self-luminous display device disposed on the opposite side to the observation side of the liquid crystal display device,
A switching function for switching between a first mode in which the self-luminous display device displays at least a first pattern and a second mode in which the self-luminous display device emits light so as not to display at least the first pattern;
a control function that controls a display of the self-luminous display device based on the mode switched by the switching function;
A display program that realizes the above.

1: Display device, 10: Main microcomputer, 11: First CPU, 12: First ROM, 13: First RAM, 14: First memory unit, 15: RTC unit, 16: Drive, 17: First input unit, 18: First display unit, 20: Sub-microcomputer, 21: Second CPU, 22: Second ROM, 23: Second RAM, 24: Second memory unit, 25: Sensor unit, 26: Second input unit, 27: Second display unit, 29: Battery remaining capacity measurement IC, 31: Bluetooth antenna, 32: Bluetooth module, 33 ...Wireless LAN antenna, 34...Wireless LAN module, 51...Removable media, 60...Background image, 61-64, 71, 73, 81, 82...Menu, 70, 70'...Baseball image, 74...Character, BS...Black sheet, MB...Main board, 83, 84...Options, 111...First program processing unit, 112...First display control unit, 113...Background pattern change unit, 211...Second program processing unit, 212...Second display control unit, 213...Mode switching unit, 214...Power control unit, 241...Background image storage unit

Claims (6)

A display device including a liquid crystal display device, a self-luminous display device disposed on an opposite side to an observation side of the liquid crystal display device, and a control unit that controls the liquid crystal display device and the self-luminous display device,
The control unit is
a first control unit that executes a first process and controls the self-luminous display device;
a second control unit that executes a second process that can be executed with lower power consumption than the first process and controls the liquid crystal display device and the self-luminous display device;
The second control unit is
causing the liquid crystal display device to perform a predetermined display, and simultaneously causing the self-luminous display device to function as a background for the predetermined display;
The functioning of the self-luminous display device as a background for the predetermined display includes causing the self-luminous display device to perform a monochromatic display and function as a backlight for the liquid crystal display device.
Display device. The second control unit is
When a remaining battery charge of the display device is equal to or greater than a threshold, a first pattern is displayed by the self-luminous display device;
When a remaining battery charge of the display device is equal to or lower than a threshold, a color scheme of the first pattern is changed so as to consume less power than when the first pattern is displayed, and at least a part of the first pattern is displayed as the background by the self-luminous display device.
The display device according to claim 1. When the remaining battery charge of the display device is equal to or lower than a threshold, the display device is capable of switching between causing the self-luminous display device to perform a monochrome display by the second control unit so as to function as a backlight for the liquid crystal display device, or causing the self-luminous display device to display at least a part of the first pattern, the color scheme of which has been changed, as the background by the second control unit.
The display device according to claim 2. When causing the self-luminous display device to function as a backlight for the liquid crystal display device, the second control unit causes the self-luminous display device to emit light with a lower luminance than when causing the self-luminous display device to function for displaying information.
The display device according to claim 3. A display method performed by a display device including a liquid crystal display device and a self-luminous display device disposed on an opposite side to an observation side of the liquid crystal display device, the method comprising:
The display device includes:
a first control unit that executes a first process and controls the self-luminous display device;
a control unit that executes a second process that can be executed with lower power consumption than the first process and controls the liquid crystal display device and the self-luminous display device;
The second control unit,
causing the liquid crystal display device to perform a predetermined display, and simultaneously causing the self-luminous display device to function as a background for the predetermined display;
The functioning of the self-luminous display device as a background for the predetermined display includes causing the self-luminous display device to perform a monochromatic display and function as a backlight for the liquid crystal display device.
Display method. A display device comprising: a liquid crystal display device; a self-luminous display device disposed on the opposite side of the liquid crystal display device from the observation side; and a control unit including a first control unit that executes a first process and a second control unit that executes a second process that can be executed with lower power consumption than the first process .
causing the first control unit of the control unit to control the self-luminous display device;
The second control unit of the control unit
A program for controlling the liquid crystal display device and the self-luminous display device, and causing the liquid crystal display device to perform a specified display, while at the same time causing the self-luminous display device to perform a monochrome display and function as a backlight for the liquid crystal display device, thereby causing the self-luminous display device to function as a background for the specified display.