JP2017146546A - Display, method for detecting failure of display, and on-line device including display - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display that can detect a failure in an early stage with an inexpensive configuration.SOLUTION: A display comprises: a display element 1 that displays an image; a backlight 2 that is a light source for the display element 1; a temperature sensor 3 that is arranged in the vicinity of the backlight 2; and failure detection means 4 that detects a failure of the backlight 2 on the basis of an output from the temperature sensor 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device, a failure detection method for a display device, and an online device provided with the display device.

  There is a display device using an illumination device called a backlight. Various methods for early detection of problems such as backlight failure in such display devices have been studied.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, the color of a backlight is measured using a color sensor at a plurality of different times, and the failure of the backlight is detected from the change amount or change rate thereof, or the time of failure is predicted. Technology is disclosed.

Special table 2010-503892 gazette

  However, the technique of Patent Document 1 has a problem that the color sensor is expensive.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a display device capable of detecting a failure at an early stage with an inexpensive configuration.

  In order to solve the above problems, a display device of the present invention includes a display element that displays an image, a backlight that is a light source of the display element, a temperature sensor that is disposed in the vicinity of the backlight, and an output of the temperature sensor. And a failure detection means for detecting a failure of the backlight.

  An effect of the present invention is to provide a display device that can detect a failure at an early stage with an inexpensive configuration.

It is a block diagram which shows the display apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the display apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the display apparatus of 3rd Embodiment. It is a graph which shows an example of the standard temperature pattern of a 3rd embodiment. It is a graph which shows an example of the allowable output data change rate of a 3rd embodiment. It is a top view which shows the specific example of the backlight and temperature sensor of 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the online apparatus of 4th Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the preferred embodiments described below are technically preferable for carrying out the present invention, but the scope of the invention is not limited to the following. In addition, the same number is attached | subjected to the same component of each drawing, and description may be abbreviate | omitted.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a display device according to the first embodiment. The display device includes a display element 1 for displaying an image, a backlight 2 as a light source of the display element 1, a temperature sensor 3 disposed in the vicinity of the backlight 2, and a backlight 2 based on the output of the temperature sensor 3. And a failure detection means 4 for detecting the failure.

  With the above configuration, it is possible to detect a backlight failure at low cost and at an early stage.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a display device according to the second embodiment. The display device includes a display element 10, a backlight 20, a temperature sensor 30, a failure detection unit 40, and a communication unit 50.

  The display element 10 displays images and characters by controlling the light emitted from the backlight 20 for each location. Specifically, for example, a liquid crystal display element can be used.

  The backlight 20 is a light source that supplies light to the display element 10. Specifically, an LED (Light Emitting Diodes), a cold cathode tube, or the like can be used.

  The temperature sensor 30 is a sensor that electrically detects the temperature. Specifically, a thermistor, a thermocouple, or the like can be used. However, it is not limited to these, and other methods may be used as long as they are inexpensive.

  The failure detection unit 40 detects an abnormality of the backlight 20 based on the output of the temperature sensor 30. For this purpose, the failure detection unit 40 includes an output data storage unit 41, a reference condition storage unit 42, and a comparison determination unit 43.

  The output data storage unit 41 stores output data of the temperature sensor 30. Here, the output data is an output of the temperature sensor 30 or a variable reflecting a temperature calculated from the output according to a predetermined rule.

  The reference condition storage unit 42 stores reference conditions for output data. This reference condition may be set in advance, or may be calculated later based on the design and installation location of the display device. The content of the reference condition can be determined by, for example, the value of the output data, but can also be determined by a variable that is calculated based on the output data, such as a time change of the output data. In addition, it is possible to determine each operating state such as when the display device is in operation, at rest, and in power saving mode. In this way, for example, it is possible to distinguish between extinguishing due to a hibernation state and extinguishing due to a failure.

  The comparison determination unit 43 compares the output data stored in the output data storage unit 41 with the reference conditions stored in the reference condition storage unit 42, and determines whether the backlight is normal.

  Specifically, for example, an upper limit and a lower limit are set for the output data (temperature) as the reference condition. If the output data is below the lower limit, it can be determined that the backlight 20 is off. If the upper limit is exceeded, a failure can be detected as an abnormality of the backlight 20 or the display element 10 or the like. Further, by setting a predetermined range for the hibernation state and the power saving mode, it is possible to distinguish between the failure and these modes. Furthermore, it is possible to estimate what state the display device is currently in.

  The communication unit 50 transmits the detection result of the failure detection unit 40 to the outside.

  According to the above configuration, the failure of the backlight can be quickly detected by an inexpensive configuration in which a temperature sensor is installed in the vicinity of the backlight and simple calculation.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a display device according to the third embodiment. Similar to the second embodiment, the display device includes the display element 10, the backlight 20, the temperature sensor 30, the failure detection unit 40, and the communication unit 50. However, in the present embodiment, a plurality of temperature sensors 30 are arranged along the backlight 20. The display device is provided with an outside air temperature sensor 60.

  The outside air temperature sensor 60 measures the temperature outside the display device. As a specific sensor element, a thermistor, a thermocouple, or the like can be used.

  In the display device according to the present embodiment, the reference condition storage unit 42 includes a reference temperature pattern storage unit 421. The reference pattern stored in the reference temperature pattern storage unit 421 can be determined as a temperature distribution with respect to the positions of a plurality of temperature sensors 30, for example.

  A plurality of the reference temperature patterns are set corresponding to the outside air temperature. This is because the temperature when the backlight 20 is turned off, which is a reference for temperature measurement, varies with changes in the outside air temperature. That is, since the temperature range indicating the normal operation of the display device changes depending on the outside air temperature, the failure detection with higher accuracy can be performed by adjusting the failure determination standard according to the temperature range.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the reference temperature pattern. The horizontal axis of the graph is the position where each temperature sensor is installed, and the vertical axis is the temperature. Since the temperature when the backlight is turned on differs depending on the position in the backlight, the reference temperature can be set for each position and can be determined as one pattern depending on the position. In addition, the temperature of the backlight varies depending on the outside air temperature. In the example of FIG. 4, a reference temperature pattern is defined for each outside air temperature, and a normal range indicated by a dotted line is defined for each reference temperature pattern. If the measured temperature distribution is out of this normal range, it is determined as a failure. In the graph of FIG. 4, the reference temperature distribution corresponding to the outside air temperature 1, the outside air temperature 2, the outside air temperature 3,. The reference temperature distribution may be determined in advance or may be calculated later based on the design and installation location of the display device.

  In the above, an example in which an upper limit and a lower limit are provided in the temperature range of each temperature sensor has been shown.For example, the sum of the differences between each temperature sensor output and the reference temperature is calculated, and the normal range is set with respect to the sum It can also be determined. Using the example described above, it is possible to estimate the cause of the failure, such as whether the failure has occurred in the backlight 20, whether it has occurred in the display element 10, or has occurred in another location.

  The comparison determination unit 43 compares the reference temperature pattern corresponding to the outside air temperature measured by the outside air temperature sensor 60 and the output data to determine whether the backlight is normal, that is, whether or not the backlight is malfunctioning. Further, failure mode estimation and current state determination may be performed. The determined result is transmitted from the communication unit 50 to the outside, for example, a terminal in a maintenance department.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to accurately detect a backlight failure even if the outside air temperature varies. In the above example, the reference is set for the temperature distribution with respect to the position, but it is also possible to set the reference for the time change of the output data of each temperature sensor, for example. Specifically, for example, assuming that the output data at the time t1 of the nth temperature sensor is Tn1, the output data at the time t2 is Tn2, and the output data change rate is ΔT12, | ΔT12 | ≧ | (Tn2−Tn1) / (t2− t1) |. FIG. 5 shows a specific example of the output data change rate allowed. Permissible output data change rate is set for each temperature sensor. Further, by adjusting the allowable output data change rate according to the outside air temperature, it is possible to detect a failure with higher accuracy.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a specific example of the backlight 20 configured as described above. The backlight 20 includes a mounting substrate 21 and a plurality of LEDs 22 mounted on the mounting substrate 21. A chip-type NTC thermistor 31 is installed in the vicinity of each LED 22. Here, NTC is an abbreviation for Negative Temperature Coefficient, which means that the resistance decreases as the temperature rises. In this example, since an inexpensive chip-type NTC thermistor 31 is used, a display device capable of detecting a failure can be configured at low cost. In the above example, the LEDs 22 and the NTC thermistors 31 are arranged on a one-to-one basis, but may be arranged at different intervals. In the configuration of this example, for example, if there is a broken LED 22, it can be specified. Also, for example, if the temperature of the entire LED exceeds the upper limit, it is estimated that the backlight control circuit is abnormal, or if the distribution is in an abnormal shape, it is estimated that the case that houses the display device is abnormal. Is possible.

  Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the display device. First, the failure detection unit acquires output data of each temperature sensor (S1). Next, the failure detection unit acquires the outside air temperature (S2). Next, the failure detection unit selects a reference temperature pattern corresponding to the outside air temperature (S3). Then, the output data is compared with the reference temperature pattern (S4). If the output data is within the predetermined range, the process ends (S5_Yes). On the other hand, if the output data is not within the predetermined range (S5_No), failure information is transmitted to the outside (S6).

  With the above operation, a failure can be detected quickly and accurately, and the information can be notified to the outside.

(Fourth embodiment)
Since the display devices of the first to third embodiments can quickly detect a failure, they can be suitably used for an on-line device. For example, an automatic transaction apparatus installed in an unmanned store is particularly useful because it cannot frequently check the operating state.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an online system in which any one of the first to third display devices 100 is mounted. The online device 200 can communicate with the management server 300 in a wired or wireless manner. An outside air temperature sensor 60 is provided to monitor the outside air temperature. According to this configuration, when the display device 100 fails, the management server 300 can quickly obtain the information. Using this information, the online device 200 can be repaired at an early stage.

  A program for causing a computer to execute the processes of the first to fourth embodiments described above and a recording medium storing the program are also included in the scope of the present invention. As the recording medium, for example, a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like can be used.

  The present invention has been described above using the above-described embodiment as an exemplary example. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, the present invention can apply various modes that can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 10 Display element 2, 20 Backlight 3, 30 Temperature sensor 4 Failure detection means 40 Failure detection part 41 Output data storage part 42 Reference condition storage part 43 Comparison determination part 50 Communication part 60 Outside temperature sensor 100 Display apparatus 200 Online apparatus 300 Management server

Claims (10)

  A display element that displays an image, a backlight that is a light source of the display element, a temperature sensor that is disposed in the vicinity of the backlight, and a failure detection that detects a failure of the backlight based on the output of the temperature sensor And a display device.   An output data storage unit for storing output data based on the output of the temperature sensor; and a reference condition storage unit for storing a reference condition for determining whether the output data is normal. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a comparison determination unit that compares the output data with the reference condition to determine whether the output data is normal.   The display device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of temperature sensors are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the backlight.   The display device according to claim 3, wherein the backlight includes a plurality of LEDs arranged along a longitudinal direction of the backlight. The reference condition storage unit includes a reference temperature pattern storage unit that stores a reference temperature pattern serving as a reference of a temperature pattern formed by the output data of the plurality of temperature sensors.
The display device according to claim 3, wherein the failure detection unit detects a failure by comparing the temperature pattern with the reference temperature pattern. An outside air temperature sensor for measuring the outside air temperature of the display element;
The reference temperature pattern storage unit stores a plurality of the reference temperature patterns corresponding to the outside air temperature,
The display device according to claim 5, wherein the failure detection unit determines whether the output data is normal by selecting the reference temperature pattern corresponding to the outside air temperature.   An on-line device comprising the display device according to claim 1.   A display device having a display element and a backlight as a light source of the display element, wherein a temperature sensor is disposed in the vicinity of the backlight, and a failure of the backlight is detected based on an output of the temperature sensor. A failure detection method for a display device. Storing output data based on the output of the temperature sensor;
A reference condition serving as a reference for determining whether or not the output data is normal is stored,
The display device failure detection method according to claim 8, wherein the output data is compared with the reference condition to determine whether or not the output data is normal. A plurality of the temperature sensors are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the backlight,
Obtaining a temperature pattern based on the output data of the plurality of temperature sensors;
Storing a reference temperature pattern which is a reference of the temperature pattern;
The failure detection method for a display device according to claim 9, wherein a failure is detected by comparing the temperature pattern with the reference temperature pattern.

Images