JPH04267217A - Liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a liquid display device which reads a contrast and a back- light from a memory device in accordance with a brightness therearound, and a condition of a display or the like, and which can adjust them. CONSTITUTION:A liquid crystal display device comprises a liquid crystal display means, memory means 44, 45, 47, 48 which store therein data concerning contrast and backlight, and an output means for delivering a contrast signal and a backlight signal in accordance with data stored in the memory means when the contrast and the backlight are adjusted.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device.
Specifically, the present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device used as a display means for various electronic devices equipped with computer functions.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art An example of conventional computer equipment equipped with a liquid crystal display unit is shown in FIG. Here, 100 is the main body of the computer device, 101 is the keyboard, 102
103 is the liquid crystal display unit, and 103 is the device main body 100.
104 is a floppy disk drive. In addition, the liquid crystal display unit 1
02, as shown in FIG. 12, a touch panel 105, a liquid crystal display panel 106, and an electroluminescent EL backlight panel 107.
Furthermore, on the liquid crystal display panel 106, an icon 108 for operating the device (hereinafter referred to as a contrast adjustment volume) for adjusting the contrast of the liquid crystal display unit 102 is formed. has been done.

[0003] In the liquid crystal display device of the computer device configured as described above, the liquid crystal display unit 1
In addition to displaying data input via the keyboard 101 and processed output information on the screen 02, position information and the like can also be input via the touch panel 105 on the screen. Furthermore, by touching the icon 108 with a finger on the touch panel 105, the contrast of the display screen can be adjusted.

[0004] In such a computer device 100,
Due to the viewing angle with respect to the liquid crystal display unit 102, if the screen may be difficult to see depending on the position of the operator's eyes or the brightness of the surrounding environment, conventionally, the unit 1
02 and the contrast adjustment volume via the icon 108.

[0005]

However, in the conventional liquid crystal display device as described above, for example, the liquid crystal display unit 10 cannot be used indoors in a relatively dark surrounding.
Even if the contrast of the screen on screen 2 is adjusted, if the computer device main body 100 is moved to an environment where the surroundings are bright, such as outdoors, it will still be difficult to see. Furthermore, since the icon 108 is displayed as a contrast adjustment volume on the liquid crystal display unit 102, there is a problem in that the icon 108 itself is difficult to see, which makes it difficult to adjust the contrast itself.

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to focus on such conventional problems, and in order to solve the problems, it is an object of the present invention to store information related to contrast and backlight, and to freely adjust contrast and backlight according to the surrounding brightness. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device that can switch to a state based on stored information.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a liquid crystal display means, a storage means for storing information on the contrast and backlight in the liquid crystal display means, and a storage means for storing information on the contrast and backlight in the liquid crystal display means, respectively. and means for outputting contrast and backlight signals based on the information stored in the storage means when the contrast and backlight are adjusted by the adjustment means.

[0008]

[Operation] According to the present invention, when any one of the contrast and backlight adjustment means is operated, the combination of contrast and backlight information stored in the storage means is selected according to the operation. When an object is selected, a contrast signal and a backlight signal corresponding to each piece of information are output simultaneously, so you can adjust the contrast and backlight one by one depending on the surrounding brightness and the tilt of the display unit, unlike conventional methods. The hassle of doing this will be eliminated.

[0009]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a computer device to which the present invention is applied. Here, 1 is a keyboard, 2 is a liquid crystal display unit, 3 is a battery, and 4 is a floppy disk drive. The liquid crystal display unit 2 of this example has a structure that is like a lid that can be opened and closed on the top of the computer device main body 10, and can be stored by closing the lid. Furthermore, the tilt of the liquid crystal display unit 2 can be changed according to the operator's visual field. Further, 8 is a contrast adjustment volume displayed as an icon on the unit 2, and adjusts the contrast of the screen of the liquid crystal display unit 2. Furthermore, 9 is a backlight adjustment volume with a similar display, and is used to adjust the brightness of the liquid crystal display unit 2. Note that the battery 3 in this example is a rechargeable type that can be attached to and detached from the device main body 10.

FIG. 2 shows the angle adjustment mechanism of the liquid crystal display unit 2. Here, reference numeral 11 is a volume device that reads the tilt angle of the display unit 2. In the volume device 11, the resistance value of the output related to the display changes depending on the change in the tilt of the liquid crystal display unit 2. In addition, the contrast adjustment volume 8 and the backlight adjustment volume 9 are icons displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 2 as described above, and the contrast can be adjusted by touching the positions of these icons from the touch panel, which will be described later. You can also adjust the backlight.

The influence of the tilt angle of the display unit 2 on the contrast will now be explained with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 shows the change in contrast with respect to the change in viewing angle when the plane perpendicular to the surface of the display unit 2 is set at 0° and the contrast signal is kept constant. From this figure, it can be seen that contrast decreases as the viewing angle changes with the maximum viewing angle of 0°. Note that by changing the contrast signal, the viewing angle at which the contrast is maximum can be moved. From this, it is possible to shift the adjustment range of display contrast and backlight brightness in conjunction with the tilt of the display unit 2, and the display screen can be viewed in the optimal condition regardless of the tilt of the liquid crystal display unit 2. becomes possible.

Further, the structure of the liquid crystal display unit 2 will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. 15 is a touch panel that is a pressure-sensitive coordinate input device, 16 is a liquid crystal display panel, 17 is an EL backlight panel, and 18 is a back cover of the liquid crystal display unit 2. The liquid crystal display panel 16 is a transmissive liquid crystal EL backlight panel. 1
It has a structure that allows light from 7 to pass through.

On the other hand, the EL backlight panel 17 is electrically connected to the liquid crystal display unit 2 via an edge connector 19 as shown in FIG. 5, and can be removed by sliding as shown in FIG. It can be attached to either the light-emitting surface or the back. Note that the back side thereof is a white plate and reflects external light that enters through the liquid crystal display panel 16. Furthermore, the control pins 20 of the EL backlight panel 17 are installed on both sides, and the one on the light emitting side is 5V;
When it is on the back side, an output of 0V is output, and the EL backlight panel 17 is turned off at 0V when it is on the back side, and at 5V when it is on the light emitting side, depending on the signal input through the control pin 20. It will be lit.

Next, the structure of the touch panel 15 and its switch operation will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

The touch panel 15 has a transparent switch structure, and as shown in FIG. 7, the panel 15 has transparent electrodes 23 and 24 attached to thin transparent plastic films 21 and 22, respectively. A transparent electrode 23 and a transparent electrode 24 are arranged to face each other with a spacer 25 in between. Note that both the transparent electrode 23 and the plastic film 21 are flexible, and can be depressed by the operator by pressing with a finger in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. 7, thereby bringing the facing electrodes into contact with each other.

That is, in the touch panel 15, as shown in FIG. 8, the transparent electrodes 23 and 24 described above are both formed into short circular shapes and are arranged to intersect vertically and horizontally. Then, 10 transparent electrodes A are placed in the vertical direction.
~J, and ten transparent electrodes a~j are also provided in the lateral direction. Note that all the vertical and horizontal transparent electrodes are connected to the main circuit 26, and it is possible to detect which electrodes are in contact with each other. For example, when the shaded area in FIG. 8 is pressed, the main circuit 26 detects that the area C-c on the touch panel 15 is pressed.

FIG. 9 shows the configuration of a control circuit for adjusting contrast and backlight of a liquid crystal display unit according to the present invention. Here, 31 is a CPU of a central processing unit, 32 is an A/D converter, and 33 and 34 are D/A
It is a converter. Display angle reading volume device 1
By digitizing the voltage Va extracted from the display unit 1 with the A/D converter 32, a digital signal corresponding to the tilt angle of the display unit 2 can be extracted. Further, the touch panel 15 outputs respective information via icons for contrast and backlight adjustment volumes 8 and 9 displayed on the liquid crystal display 16. Thus, the CPU 31 outputs a contrast signal and a backlight signal according to the angle of the display unit 2 by inputting the above-described display angle signal and information from the touch panel 15. Note that the output signals are converted into analog signals by D/A converters 33 and 34, respectively, as a contrast signal and a backlight signal.

FIG. 10 shows an arrangement in which means for storing the contrast of the liquid crystal and the brightness of the backlight are further stored in the control circuit. 41 is an A/D converter that converts the contrast signal output from the contrast adjustment volume 8 from an analog signal to a digital signal; 42
43 is an A/D converter that converts the backlight signal output from the backlight adjustment volume 9 from an analog signal to a digital signal, and 43 is an A/D converter that converts the backlight signal output from the backlight adjustment volume 9 into a digital signal. The first switch that switches to
46 is a second switch that switches the supply of the digital backlight signal to either the backlight A memory 47 or the backlight B memory 48, and the first switch 43 and the second switch 46 are interlocked; Each has a function of switching between A memory and B memory. Thus, the input digital contrast signal can be stored in the contrast A memory 44 and the B memory 45, and the digital backlight signal can be similarly stored in the backlight A memory 47 and the B memory 48.

Further, 49 is a third switch for switching between the output from the contrast A memory 44 and the output from the contrast B memory 45, and 50 is a switch for switching between the output from the backlight A memory 47 and the output from the backlight B memory 48. The third switch 49 and the fourth switch 50 are interlocked to switch between the A memory and the B memory. 51 is a D/A converter that converts the digital signal output from the third switch 49 into an analog signal, and 52 is a D/A converter that converts the digital signal output from the fourth switch 50 into an analog signal.
It is a converter.

Next, a control operation by the control circuit configured as described above will be explained.

The contrast signal output from the contrast adjustment volume 8 is converted into a digital signal by the A/D converter 41, but the first switch 43 is connected to the contrast A memory side in the normal initial state. Note that the contrast A memory 44 includes this A memory 44.
The read and write signals alternately sent to keep it active for writing and reading are repeated. At the same time, the third switch 4
9, if the contrast A memory 44 is selected, its output is sent to the D/A converter 51 to convert the digital signal into an analog signal. In this way, the contrast can be changed according to the contrast signals input to the contrast memories 44 and 45. Also, for example, by pressing a liquid crystal information storage button (not shown) on the keyboard 1, only the read signal of the contrast A memory 44 is activated, and the data immediately before the liquid crystal information storage button is pressed is repeatedly read out. This allows you to continue using the stored contrast information. Further, by releasing the liquid crystal information storage button, the above-described write/read operations are repeated. Furthermore, by switching the first switch 43 and the third switch 49, up to two types of contrast information can be stored as described above. Note that the above control operation is also performed for the backlight signal in conjunction with the contrast signal, and a detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

[Other Embodiments] In the embodiments described above,
By increasing the number of contrast memories and backlight memories each made up of two unit memories A and B, it is possible to increase the amount of information that can be stored.

[0025] Furthermore, the first switch, the second switch, and the third
Although the switch and the fourth switch are respectively linked, it is also possible to configure the electrical connection means so that various combinations of contrast and backlight illuminance can be obtained instead.

[0026]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention,
a liquid crystal display means, a storage means for storing information on the contrast and backlight in the liquid crystal display means, an adjustment means for the contrast and the backlight, and when the adjustment means adjusts the contrast and the backlight, the storage means By providing a means for outputting a contrast and backlight signal based on the information stored in the display, it is possible to adjust the contrast and backlight according to the tilt of the liquid crystal display unit and the brightness of the surroundings. , the number of times this happens can be reduced, and it can be used in the same usage environment forever. Also,
This prevents the contrast adjustment and backlight adjustment icons from disappearing even when the surrounding brightness changes drastically.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing an example of a computer device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a liquid crystal display display adjustment mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a characteristic curve diagram showing the relationship between viewing angle and contrast in a liquid crystal display.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the liquid crystal display unit shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram relating to control pins of the EL backlight of the unit shown in FIG. 2;

6 is an explanatory diagram related to the operation of the EL backlight shown in FIG. 5. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a transparent switch.

FIG. 8 is a functional explanatory diagram of a transparent switch array.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a basic display adjustment circuit of a liquid crystal display.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a display adjustment control circuit according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an external view showing an example of a conventional computer device.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a conventional liquid crystal display unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Keyboard 2 Liquid crystal display unit 3 Battery 4 Floppy disk drive 8 Contrast adjustment volume 9 Backlight adjustment volume 11 Angle reading volume 15 Touch panel 31 CPU 43, 46, 49, 50 Changeover switch 44, 45
Contrast memory 47, 48 Backlight memory

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. Liquid crystal display means, storage means for storing information on contrast and backlight in the liquid crystal display means, adjustment means for the contrast and backlight, and adjustment of the contrast and backlight by the adjustment means. A liquid crystal display device, further comprising: means for outputting a contrast and a backlight signal based on the information stored in the storage means. 2. The contrast adjustment means and the backlight adjustment means are operated through an icon of a pressure-sensitive coordinate input means provided in association with the liquid crystal display means. The liquid crystal display device described. 3. The storage means is capable of storing a plurality of combinations of the contrast and backlight information,
2. The method of claim 1, wherein when adjusting either the contrast or the backlight by the adjusting means, one of the plurality of combinations of information can be selected and the contrast and backlight signals can be output based on the combination. 2. The liquid crystal display device according to 2.