IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,536,477
Granted Patent B2
US 9,536,477 · App. 14/085,111 · Granted Jan 3, 2017

Display control device and recording medium

Inventors: Yoichiro Sako (Tokyo, JP); Etsuko Nakamura (Gifu, JP); Tsuyoshi Ito (Gifu, JP); Hitoshi Kubota (Nagano, JP); Tsuyoshi Nagata (Tokyo, JP); Akira Tange (Tokyo, JP); Masashi Takeda (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
G09G3/3406G02F1/133555H04W52/027G09G3/32G09G3/34G09G2360/144H04M1/72522H04M1/72544H04M2250/52
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,536,477
App. No.
14/085,111
Granted
Jan 3, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

There is provided a display control device including a determination unit configured to determine a type of input information, and a display controller configured to switch modes of a display unit capable of being switched to a mirror surface mode and a display mode in accordance with a result of determination by the determination unit.

Claims (29)

1. A display control device comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine a type of input information to be displayed in a display mode on a display unit; and

a display controller configured to switch modes of the display unit between a mirror surface mode and the display mode in accordance with the type of the input information to be displayed in the display mode,

wherein the input information is not input by a user of the display control device, and

wherein, in an event the display unit is in the mirror surface mode and the display controller determines that the type of the input information to be displayed gives priority to the mirror surface mode over the display mode, the display controller is configured to maintain the display unit in the mirror surface mode.

2. The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the display controller is configured to control light emission of a light emitting element which is not included in a mirror surface portion of the display unit in accordance with context in an event the display unit is in the mirror surface mode.

3. The display control device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the context is a current time or an illuminance of ambient environment, and

wherein, in an event the current time is predetermined nighttime or in an event the illuminance of the ambient environment is lower than a predetermined value, the display controller is configured to allow the light emitting element which is not included in the mirror surface portion of the display unit to emit light.

4. The display control device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the light emitting element is a backlight, and

wherein the display controller is configured to allow the backlight to emit light with a predetermined light emission level or higher.

5. The display control device according to claim 2 ,

wherein the light emitting element is an image element, and

wherein the display controller is configured to allow the image element to emit white light.

6. The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit includes a material capable of switching states between a mirror surface state and a transparent state.

7. The display control device according to claim 6 , wherein the material is an electrochromic material.

8. The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit includes a mirror surface filter formed of a metal evaporation film.

9. The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit includes a half mirror.

10. The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein, in an event the display unit is in the mirror surface mode, the display controller is configured to perform control such that a part of the display unit is switched to the display mode to display information.

11. The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein, in an event the display unit is in the mirror surface mode and the type of the input information gives priority to the display mode over the mirror surface mode, the display controller is configured to switch to the display mode of the display unit.

12. The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein, in an event it is set that the mirror surface mode has priority over the display mode for the determined type of the input information, the display controller is configured to switch to the mirror surface mode of the display unit.

13. The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit is configured to display the input information with any of a liquid crystal module, an organic electroluminescence (EL), and a light emitting diode (LED).

14. The display control device according to claim 1 , wherein the display controller sets the mirror surface mode as a default state of the display unit, and in case information display in the display mode is finished, the display mode is automatically switched to the mirror surface mode.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a set of a computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform steps comprising:

determining a type of input information to be displayed in a display mode on a display unit of a display control device; and

switching modes of the display unit between a mirror surface mode and the display mode in accordance with the type of the input information to be displayed in the display mode,

wherein the input information is not input by a user of the display control device, and

wherein, in an event the display unit is in the mirror surface mode and the type of the input information to be displayed is determined to dive priority to the mirror surface mode over the display mode, the mirror surface mode of the display unit is maintained.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 22, 2014
From: SAKO, YOICHIRO
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 032733/0434 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 20, 2013
From: NAKAMURA, ETSUKO; ITO, TSUYOSHI; KUBOTA, HITOSHI; NAGATA, TSUYOSHI; TANGE, AKIRA; TAKEDA, MASASHI
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 031787/0663 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2012-258580 · Nov 27, 2012 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20140146093A1 · May 29, 2014