IP Library Granted Patent US 7,193,356
Granted Patent B2
US 7,193,356 · App. 10/988,877 · Granted Mar 20, 2007

Image display apparatus

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,193,356
App. No.
10/988,877
Granted
Mar 20, 2007
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image display apparatus is provided that enables the chromaticity of a display screen of a display apparatus to be adjusted to the chromaticity desired by a user. The image display apparatus is formed by a backlight unit that is provided with a plurality of light sources and by an image display panel that is placed at a front surface of the backlight unit. The image display apparatus performs a monochrome display. In the image display apparatus, the light sources have at least three different types of luminescent colors that surround a target color on a chromaticity diagram.

Claims (10)

1. An image display apparatus comprising a backlight unit that is provided with a plurality of light sources and an image display panel that is placed at a front surface of the backlight unit, and performing monochrome display, wherein the light sources emit at least three different colors light which color coordinates surround a target color's coordinate on a chromaticity diagram, wherein the color coordinates of emitted light from the plurality of light sources are decided by predicting in advance an amount of change that is caused by an accumulation of the length of time the light sources are inactive.

2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein it is possible to change an emission intensity for each light source independently.

3. The image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, in order to improve color uniformity on a display screen, at least one light source has emission spectrums of two or more of the three primary colors of red, green, and blue.

4. The image display apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a lighting time ratio control, the lighting time ratio control configured to provide: a first step in which an emission intensity ratio of each of the plurality of light sources is determined such that a brightness and chromaticity of the display screen at a time T satisfy desired values; a second step in which a judgement is made as to whether or not the emission intensity ratios are between 0 and 100%; a third step in which, if the emission intensity ratio is between 0 and 100%, then, in each light source it is assumed that a state after a step time ΔT is equal to a deterioration when lighting has continued for a time (emission intensity ratio×ΔT), and the deterioration in the chromaticity and brightness of each light source at the time T+ΔT is calculated under assumption that a deterioration after a step time ΔT with certain emission intensity ratio is equal to a deterioration after a time (emission intensity ratio×ΔT) with 100% emission intensity ratio; and a fourth step in which the brightness of 100% emission intensity ratio and the chromaticity at the time T=T+ΔT in each light source are calculated, and the amount of change that is caused by an accumulation of the length of time the light sources are inactive is decided by repeating the first step through the fourth step with the time T taken as T=T+ΔT.

5. The image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image display apparatus further comprises: a device that detects emission intensities of the plurality of light sources and a device that increases or decreases emission intensities of the plurality of light sources in accordance with an output from the device that detects emission intensities in order to keep the chromaticity and brightness of the display screen substantially constant.

6. The image display apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the device that detects emission intensities comprises sensors that detect the respective emission intensities of red, green, and blue spectrums independently, and is further provided with a storage means that stores light source control data by which the sensor output is related to the light source emission intensity.

7. The image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein there is provided a data table of light source control data that is calculated from an emission intensity of each light source deterioration characteristics against emission time of each light source, and each light source is controlled by referring to the data table of light source control data.

8. The image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of light sources are cold cathode fluorescent lamps.

9. The image display apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the cold cathode fluorescent lamps are placed along an outer side of a display area of the image display panel, and greenish cold cathode fluorescent lamps are placed so as to be sandwiched by the cold cathode fluorescent lamps of the other luminescent colors.

10. The image display apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of light sources are LED lamps.

Assignments (4)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 7, 2008
From: NEC VIEWTECHNOLOGY, LTD.
To: NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 020762/0247 →
MERGER Recorded Apr 4, 2008
From: NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS
To: NEC VIEWTECHNOLOGY, LTD.
Reel/Frame 020753/0439 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 3, 2008
From: NEC-MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC VISUAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
To: NEC DISPLAY SOLUTIONS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 020753/0017 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 18, 2004
From: KOKUBO, HISATO; YOSHIOKA, KAZUO; ITAYA, HIDEKI; TERAMATSU, HIDEKI; YUUKI, AKIMASA; ODA, KYOICHIRO
To: NEC-MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC VISUAL SYSTEM CORPORATION; MITSUBISHI DENKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 016260/0386 →