The present invention relates to a light emitting device, a display device, a photoelectric conversion device, an electronic apparatus, an illumination device, and a moving body.
An active matrix display device in which a driving transistor for controlling a current flowing to a light emitting element is arranged in a pixel circuit is under development. The pixel circuit of a display device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-145579 includes a capacitive element connecting the source and gate of a driving transistor and another capacitive element connecting the source of the driving transistor and a power supply line. International Publication No. 2018/020844 describes a technique for forming one of two capacitive elements in a pixel circuit in a semiconductor substrate. If a particular function provided by the pixel circuit can be implemented with fewer elements, this can lead to pixel size reduction and cost reduction.
An aspect of the present disclosure reduces the number of elements in a pixel circuit for providing a particular function. According to some embodiments, a light emitting device comprising: a light emitting element; a driving transistor and a switching transistor each arranged on a path where a current for causing the light emitting element to emit light flows; a writing transistor arranged on a path connecting a signal line to which a pixel signal is supplied and a gate of the driving transistor; and a holding transistor configured to hold a gate-source voltage of the driving transistor, wherein a gate of the holding transistor is connected to the gate of the driving transistor, each of a source and a drain of the holding transistor is connected to a source of the driving transistor, the holding transistor and the switching transistor are formed in a same impurity region, and a conductivity type of the holding transistor is the same as a conductivity type of the driving transistor is provided.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note, the following embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention. Multiple features are described in the embodiments, but limitation is not made to an invention that requires all such features, and multiple such features may be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same or similar configurations, and redundant description thereof is omitted.
With reference to
The light emitting device 100 may include a plurality of pixel circuits 101, a write scanning circuit 103, a signal output circuit 104, and a light emission scanning circuit 105. The plurality of pixel circuits 101 are arranged in a two-dimensional array (that is, to form a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns) in a pixel array portion 102. Instead, the plurality of pixel circuits 101 may be arranged in a one-dimensional array. In the example shown in
The write scanning circuit 103, the signal output circuit 104, and the light emission scanning circuit 105 are arranged around the pixel array portion 102. The write scanning circuit 103, the signal output circuit 104, and the light emission scanning circuit 105 are examples of circuits forming the driving unit of the light emitting device 100. The write scanning circuit 103 and the light emission scanning circuit 105 form a scan-driving system. The signal output circuit 104 forms a signal supply system. In the layout shown in
One pixel of an image displayed by the light emitting device 100 may be displayed by one pixel circuit 101, or may be displayed by multiple pixel circuits 101. When one pixel of an image is displayed by multiple pixel circuits 101, this pixel may be referred to include a plurality of sub-pixels. Each of the plurality of sub-pixels may be displayed by one pixel circuit 101. For example, one pixel may be formed by three sub-pixels of a sub-pixel which emits red (R) light, a sub-pixel which emits green (G) light, and a sub-pixel which emits blue (B) light. Instead, one pixel may be formed by sub-pixels of three primary colors and one or more sub-pixels of other colors. One or more sub-pixels of other colors may include a sub-pixel which emits white (W) light to improve luminance, or may include one or more sub-pixels which emit light of complementary colors to expand the color reproduction range.
In the pixel array portion 102, m write scanning lines 106-1 to 106-m and m light emission scanning lines 108-1 to 108-m are arranged along pixel rows (that is, rows each formed by multiple pixels arranged in the horizontal direction in
The write scanning line 106 is connected to the corresponding output terminal of m output terminals of the write scanning circuit 103. The light emission scanning line 108 is connected to the corresponding output terminal of m output terminals of the light emission scanning circuit 105. The signal line 107 is connected to the corresponding output terminal of n output terminals of the signal output circuit 104.
The signal output circuit 104 supplies pixel signals SIG_1 to SIG_n to the n signal lines 107. In the following description, the n pixel signals SIG_1 to SIG_n are collectively referred to as pixel signals SIG. The pixel signal SIG can have a signal potential Vsig corresponding to luminance information supplied from a signal supply source (not shown). The signal potentials Vsig output from the signal output circuit 104 are written in multiple pixel circuits 101 on a row basis via the signal lines 107. Such writing may be referred to as line sequential writing.
The write scanning circuit 103 is formed by a shift register, which sequentially shifts a start pulse in synchronization with a clock pulse, or the like. When writing the pixel signals SIG in respective pixel circuits 101, the write scanning circuit 103 supplies write scanning signals SEL_1 to SEL_m to the m write scanning lines 106 to sequentially scan the plurality of pixel circuits 101 on a row basis. Such scanning may be referred to as line sequential scanning. In the following description, the m write scanning signals SEL_1 to SEL_m are collectively referred to as write scanning signals SEL. The pixel signal SIG may be called an image signal when the light emitting device 100 displays an image, and may be called a video signal when the light emitting device 100 displays a video.
The light emission scanning circuit 105 is formed by a shift register, which sequentially shifts a start pulse in synchronization with a clock pulse, or the like. The light emission scanning circuit 105 supplies light emission scanning signals SW_1 to SW_m to the m light emission scanning lines 108 in synchronization with line sequential scanning by the write scanning circuit 103, thereby controlling each pixel circuit 101 to emit light or not. In the following description, the m light emission scanning signals SW_1 to SW_m are collectively referred to as light emission scanning signals SW.
With reference to
The driving transistor 202 may be, for example, a p-channel transistor. The conductivity type of the holding transistor 205 may be the same as the conductivity type of the driving transistor 202 (for example, both may be p-channel). The holding transistor 205 and the switching transistor 204 may be formed on the same semiconductor substrate. Further, the holding transistor 205 and the switching transistor 204 may be formed in the same n-type impurity region (for example, well region) formed on a p-type semiconductor substrate. Instead, the holding transistor 205 and the switching transistor 204 may be formed in an n-type impurity region which is a part of an n-type semiconductor substrate.
The driving transistor 202 is a transistor configured to adjust the amount of current flowing through the light emitting element 201. The current flowing through the light emitting element 201 can also be called a driving current. Since the light emitting element 201 emits light when a driving current flows therethrough, the driving current is a current that causes the light emitting element 201 to emit light. The driving transistor 202 is arranged on a path where the driving current flows (in the example shown in
The writing transistor 203 is a transistor configured to switch whether to write, in the gate of the driving transistor, the pixel signal supplied from the signal output circuit 104 to the pixel circuit 101 via the signal line 107. The writing transistor 203 is arranged on a path connecting the signal line 107 and the gate of the driving transistor 202. The gate of the writing transistor 203 is connected to the write scanning line 106. One (for example, source) of two main terminals of the writing transistor 203 is connected to the signal line 107. The other (for example, drain) of two main terminals of the writing transistor 203 is connected to the gate of the driving transistor 202. The write scanning signal SEL is supplied to the gate of the writing transistor 203 from the write scanning circuit 103 via the write scanning line 106.
The switching transistor 204 is a transistor configured to switch whether to cause the light emitting element 201 to emit light. The switching transistor 204 is arranged on the path where the driving current flows. In the example shown in
The holding transistor 205 is a transistor configured to hold the gate-source voltage of the driving transistor 202. The gate of the holding transistor 205 is connected to the gate of the driving transistor 202. Each of two main terminals (for example, source and drain) of the holding transistor 205 is connected to the main terminal (for example, source) not connected to the light emitting element 201 among two main terminals of the driving transistor 202. The back gate of the holding transistor 205 is connected to the power supply line 206. That is, the back gate of the holding transistor 205 and the source of the switching transistor 204 are connected to the same power supply line 206.
As has been described above, in the circuit arrangement shown in
Next, with reference to
The impurity region 302 functions as one (for example, source) of two main terminals of the holding transistor 205. The impurity region 303 functions as the other (for example, drain) of two main terminals of the holding transistor 205. The gate electrode 304 functions as the gate of the holding transistor 205. The power supply potential PVDD is supplied to the well region 301 from the power supply line 206 via a well contact (not shown).
A capacitance 306 is formed between the impurity region 302 and the gate electrode 304. A capacitance 307 is formed between the impurity region 303 and the gate electrode 304. A capacitance 308 is formed between the impurity region 302 and the well region 301. A capacitance 309 is formed between the impurity region 303 and the well region 301. In this manner, a plurality of capacitances are formed by the holding transistor 205.
With reference to
The writing transistor 203 is switched between a conductive state and a non-conductive state in accordance with the write scanning signal SEL. When the writing transistor 203 is in the conductive state, the pixel signal SIG supplied from the signal output circuit 104 via the signal line 107 is supplied to the gate of the driving transistor 202, and the pixel signal SIG is held by the capacitance 401 of the holding transistor 205. The pixel signal SIG is set to have two values of a reference potential Vcal and the signal potential Vsig in one horizontal period. The signal potential Vsig can be a value corresponding to luminance information.
The switching transistor 204 is switched between a conductive state and a non-conductive state in accordance with the light emission scanning signal SW. When the switching transistor 204 is in the conductive state, a current flows from the power supply line 206 to the driving transistor 202. With this, the driving transistor 202 can cause the light emitting element 201 to emit light. More specifically, the driving transistor 202 supplies, to the light emitting element 201, a driving current corresponding to the signal potential Vsig held by the capacitance 401 of the holding transistor 205. This driving current causes the light emitting element 201 to emit light. When the switching transistor 204 is in the non-conductive state, no current flows from the power supply line 206 to the driving transistor 202. Accordingly, the driving transistor 202 cannot cause the light emitting element 201 to emit light.
The light emitting device 100 can control the ratio of the light emission period and the non-light emission period of the light emitting element 201 by the switching operation of the switching transistor 204. Such control can be called duty control. The duty control can reduce an afterimage generated when the pixel circuit 101 emits light over one frame period. This improves the quality of an image (particularly, moving image) displayed by the light emitting device 100.
With reference to
In the example shown in
Before time t1, the switching transistor 204 is in the ON state because the light emission scanning signal SW is at low level. Further, the writing transistor 203 is in the OFF state because the write scanning signal SEL is at high level. As a result, as indicated by an arrow 601 in
At time t1, the light emission scanning circuit 105 switches the light emission scanning signal SW from low level to high level to turn off the switching transistor 204 as shown in
At time t2, the signal output circuit 104 switches the value of the pixel signal SIG to the reference potential Vcal. The supply cycle of the reference potential Vcal defines the horizontal period.
At time t3, the write scanning circuit 103 switches the write scanning signal SEL from high level to low level to turn on the writing transistor 203 as shown in
At time t4, the light emission scanning circuit 105 switches the light emission scanning signal SW from high level to low level to turn on the switching transistor 204 as shown in
At time t5, the light emission scanning circuit 105 switches the light emission scanning signal SW from low level to high level to turn off the switching transistor 204 as shown in
At time t6, the write scanning circuit 103 switches the write scanning signal SEL from low level to high level to turn off the writing transistor 203. As a result, the gate-source voltage Vgs of the driving transistor 202 at this point of time (that is, the threshold voltage of the driving transistor 202) is held by the capacitance 401 of the holding transistor 205.
The operation performed from time t5 to time t6 is an operation for correcting the variation of the threshold voltage of the driving transistor 202 among the plurality of pixel circuits 101, so that this can be called a threshold voltage correction operation. The operation performed from time t3 to time t5 is an operation for preparing for the threshold voltage correction operation, so that this may be called a correction preparation operation. The length of the period of the threshold voltage correction operation (that is, the length from time t5 to time t6) may be the length required for the gate-source voltage Vgs of the driving transistor 202 to sufficiently converge to the threshold voltage of the driving transistor 202. For example, the period of the threshold voltage correction operation may be longer than the period during which both the writing transistor 203 and the switching transistor 204 are set in the ON state (that is, the length from time t4 to time t5).
In order to properly execute the threshold voltage correction operation, the value of the reference potential Vcal may be set such that the gate-source voltage Vgs of the driving transistor 202 at time t5 (that is, |Vcal−PVDD|) is higher than a threshold voltage Vth of the driving transistor 202.
Since a current flows to the light emitting element 201 due to the correction preparation operation and the threshold voltage correction operation, the light emitting element 201 emits light. However, by setting the length of each of the correction preparation operation and the threshold voltage correction operation to be sufficiently short with respect to one frame period, the influence of such light emission can be reduced.
At time t7, the signal output circuit 104 switches the value of the pixel signal SIG to the signal potential Vsig. At time t8, the write scanning circuit 103 switches the write scanning signal SEL from high level to low level to turn on the writing transistor 203. As a result, the signal potential Vsig supplied to the signal line 107 is written in the gate of the driving transistor 202 via the writing transistor 203. With this, the gate-source voltage Vgs of the driving transistor 202 changes. Letting C1 be the capacitance value of the capacitance 401 and C2 be the capacitance value of the capacitance 402, the change amount of the gate-source voltage Vgs is given by C2×(Vsig−Vcal)/(C1+C2).
At time t9, the write scanning circuit 103 switches the write scanning signal SEL from low level to high level to turn off the writing transistor 203. As a result, the gate-source voltage Vgs of the driving transistor 202 at this point of time is held by the capacitance 401 of the holding transistor 205.
At time t10, the light emission scanning circuit 105 switches the light emission scanning signal SW from high level to low level to turn on the switching transistor 204 as shown in
In the pixel circuit 101 described above, the conductivity type of the holding transistor 205 may be the same as the conductivity type of the driving transistor 202 (for example, both may be p-channel). The effect of this arrangement will be described below.
Furthermore, all of the plurality of transistors included in the pixel circuit 101 may be transistors of the same conductivity type (for example, p-type transistors). This can reduce the number of steps of the manufacturing process of the light emitting device 100, thereby implementing cost reduction.
The holding transistor 205 and the driving transistor 202 may be formed such that the threshold voltage of the holding transistor 205 is lower than the threshold voltage of the driving transistor 202. With this, even if the gate-source voltage Vgs of the driving transistor 202 is low (for example, in a case of low tone display), a channel 800 is formed in the capacitance transistor 205 as shown in
In order to implement the relationship between the threshold voltages as described above, the holding transistor 205 and the driving transistor 202 may be formed such that the channel concentration of the holding transistor 205 is higher than the channel concentration of the driving transistor 202. The channel concentration may be the impurity concentration of the region where a channel (for example, the channel 800 in
Instead of or in addition to implementation due to the difference in the channel concentration, the relationship between the threshold voltages described above may be implemented by another method. For example, in order to implement the relationship between the threshold voltages as described above, the holding transistor 205 and the driving transistor 202 may be formed such that the conductivity type of the gate of the holding transistor 205 is different from the conductivity type of the gate of the driving transistor 202. With this, the threshold voltage increases by the difference in work function, and the threshold voltage of the holding transistor 205 becomes lower than the threshold voltage of the driving transistor 202. More specifically, the conductivity type (polarity) of the gate of the holding transistor 205 may be p-type, and the conductivity type (polarity) of the gate of the driving transistor 202 may be n-type. The relationship between the threshold voltages described above may be implemented by a method different from the above-described examples.
The holding transistor 205 may be formed on the same semiconductor substrate as the driving transistor 202. Instead, the holding transistor 205 may be formed on a semiconductor substrate different from the driving transistor 202. When the holding transistor 205 is formed on a semiconductor substrate different from the driving transistor 202, the area of each of the driving transistor 202 and the holding transistor 205 can be increased. In general, as the area of a transistor increases, its characteristic variation tends to decrease. That is, by increasing the area of the driving transistor 202, its characteristic variation can be decreased. Furthermore, by increasing the area of the holding transistor 205, the values of the capacitances 401 and 402 of the holding transistor 205 can be increased. As a result, for example, in a case of low tone display such as black display, the gate potential of the driving transistor 202 becomes less susceptible to the influence of the leakage of the writing transistor 203, and the image quality improves.
More specifically, four impurity regions 1001, 1003, 1007, and 1009 are formed in the active region 1000. Three gate electrodes 1002, 1005, and 1008 are formed to partially cover the active region 1000. A gate insulating film (not shown) is formed between each gate electrode and the active region 1000. The impurity region 1003 and the impurity region 1007 are electrically connected by a conductive member 1004. The gate electrode 1005 and the gate electrode 1008 are electrically connected by a conductive member 1006.
The impurity region 1001 functions as the source of the switching transistor 204. The gate electrode 1002 functions as the gate of the switching transistor 204. The impurity region 1003 functions as the drain of the switching transistor 204 and the source of the holding transistor 205. The gate electrode 1005 functions as the gate of the holding transistor 205. The impurity region 1007 functions as the drain of the holding transistor 205 and the source of the driving transistor 202. The gate electrode 1008 functions as the gate of the driving transistor 202. The impurity region 1009 functions as the drain of the driving transistor 202.
With reference to
With reference to
The pixel circuit 1200 may further include the capacitive element 1101 shown in
In the above-described embodiment, the switching transistor 204, the driving transistor 202, and the light emitting element 201 are connected in series such that the driving transistor 202 is arranged on the path between the switching transistor 204 and the light emitting element 201. The connection order of the switching transistor 204, the driving transistor 202, and the light emitting element 201 is not limited to this, and they may be arranged in another order.
According to the above-described embodiment, the capacitance connecting the gate and source of the driving transistor 202 and the capacitance connecting the gate of the driving transistor 202 and the power supply line 206 can be implemented by one holding transistor 205. In this case, since the number of elements included in the pixel circuit 101 can be limited, for example, pixel size reduction and cost reduction can be implemented. In addition, according to the arrangement of the pixel circuit 101 shown in
With reference to
The initialization scanning circuit 1302 is arranged around a pixel array portion 102. The initialization scanning circuit 1302 is an example of circuits forming the driving unit of the light emitting device 1300. The initialization scanning circuit 1302 forms a scanning driving system together with a write scanning circuit 103 and a light emission scanning circuit 105. In the layout shown in
In the pixel array portion 102, m initialization scanning lines 1303-1 to 1303-m are arranged along pixel rows. The m initialization scanning lines 1303-1 to 1303-m are collectively referred to as initialization scanning lines 1303. One initialization scanning line 1303 may be arranged for one pixel row.
The initialization scanning line 1303 is connected to the corresponding output terminal of m output terminals of the initialization scanning circuit 1302. The initialization scanning circuit 1302 is formed by a shift register, which sequentially shifts a start pulse in synchronization with a clock pulse, or the like. The initialization scanning circuit 1302 supplies initialization signals RES_1 to RES_m (to be collectively referred to as initialization signals RES) to the anodes of light emitting elements 201 in synchronization with line sequential scanning by the write scanning circuit 103. The initialization signal RES is used to initialize the potential of the anode of the light emitting element 201.
With reference to
The initialization transistor 1401 is arranged on a path connecting the drain of a driving transistor 202 and the power supply line 1402. In the example shown in
One (for example, source) of two main terminals of the initialization transistor 1401 is connected to the drain of the driving transistor 202. The other (for example, drain) of two main terminals of the initialization transistor 1401 is connected to the power supply line 1402. The gate of the initialization transistor 1401 is connected to the initialization scanning line 1303.
A negative power supply potential VSS is supplied to the power supply line 1402. Let Vthel be the threshold voltage of the light emitting element 201, and Vcath be the power supply potential supplied to the power supply line 207 connected to the cathode of the light emitting element 201. In this case, the power supply potential VSS is set to satisfy a condition of VSS<Vthel+Vcath. With this, while the initialization transistor 1401 is in the conductive state, a reverse vias is applied to the light emitting element 201. The power supply potential VSS may have the value same as or different from the value of the power supply potential Vcath. If the power supply potential VSS and the power supply potential Vcath have the same value, the power supply line 207 can be used instead of the power supply line 1402. This can reduce the number of wirings.
Before the timing of inputting a signal potential Vsig to the gate of the driving transistor 202, the initialization scanning circuit 1302 turns on the initialization transistor 1401 to write the power supply potential VSS in the anode of the light emitting element 201. With this, the anode of the light emitting element 201 is set to VSS during a threshold voltage correction operation, so no current flows to the light emitting element 201 during the threshold voltage correction operation. As a result, a phenomenon such as so-called fading of a black color does not occur during black image display, and satisfactory contrast can be obtained.
As shown in
More specifically, in addition to four impurity regions 1001, 1003, 1007, and 1009, an impurity region 1601 is formed in the active region 1000. Further, in addition to three gate electrodes 1002, 1005, and 1008, a gate electrode 1600 is formed to partially cover the active region 1000. The impurity region 1009 functions as the drain of the driving transistor 202 and the source of the initialization transistor 1401. The gate electrode 1600 functions as the gate of the initialization transistor 1401. The impurity region 1601 functions as the drain of the initialization transistor 1401.
Also in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the pixel circuit 1301 may include one or both of capacitive elements 1101 and 1201. Also in the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the switching transistor 204, the driving transistor 202, and the light emitting element 201 may be arranged in another order.
The second embodiment can also reduce the number of elements included in the pixel circuit having the initialization function of the light emitting element 201.
The display device according to this embodiment may include color filters of red, green, and blue. The color filters of red, green, and blue may be arranged in a delta array.
The display device according to this embodiment may also be used for a display unit of a portable terminal. At this time, the display unit may have both a display function and an operation function. Examples of the portable terminal are a portable phone such as a smartphone, a tablet, and a head mounted display.
The display device according to this embodiment may be used for a display unit of an image capturing device including an optical unit having a plurality of lenses, and an image sensor for receiving light having passed through the optical unit. The image capturing device may include a display unit for displaying information acquired by the image sensor. In addition, the display unit may be either a display unit exposed outside the image capturing device, or a display unit arranged in the finder. The image capturing device may be a digital camera or a digital video camera.
The timing suitable for image capturing is a very short time, so the information is preferably displayed as soon as possible. Therefore, the display device using the organic light emitting element of the present invention is preferably used. This is so because the organic light emitting element has a high response speed. The display device using the organic light emitting element can be used for the apparatuses that require a high display speed more preferably than for the liquid crystal display device.
The image capturing device 1800 includes an optical unit (not shown). This optical unit includes a plurality of lenses, and forms an image on an image sensor that is accommodated in the housing 1804. The focal points of the plurality of lenses can be adjusted by adjusting the relative positions. This operation can also automatically be performed. The image capturing device may be called a photoelectric conversion device. Instead of sequentially capturing an image, the photoelectric conversion device can include, as an image capturing method, a method of detecting the difference from a previous image, a method of extracting an image from an always recorded image, or the like.
The display device 1900 includes a base 1903 that supports the frame 1901 and the display unit 1902. The base 1903 is not limited to the form shown in
In addition, the frame 1901 and the display unit 1902 may be bent. The radius of curvature may be 5,000 mm (inclusive) to 6,000 mm (inclusive).
The illumination device is, for example, a device for illuminating the interior of the room. The illumination device may emit white light, natural white light, or light of another color from blue to red. The illumination device may include a light control circuit for controlling these light components. The illumination device may include the organic light emitting element according to the present invention and a power supply circuit connected to the organic light emitting element. The power supply circuit is a circuit for converting an AC voltage into a DC voltage. White has a color temperature of 4,200 K, and natural white has a color temperature of 5,000 K. The illumination device may also include a color filter.
In addition, the illumination device according to this embodiment may include a heat radiation unit. The heat radiation unit radiates the internal heat of the device to the outside of the device, and examples are a metal having a high specific heat and liquid silicon.
The taillight 2051 may include the organic light emitting element according to the embodiment. The taillight may include a protection member for protecting the organic EL element. The material of the protection member is not limited as long as the material is a transparent material with a strength that is high to some extent, and is preferably polycarbonate or the like. A furandicarboxylic acid derivative, an acrylonitrile derivative, or the like may be mixed in polycarbonate.
The automobile 2050 may include a vehicle body 2053, and a window 2052 attached to the vehicle body 2053. The window may be a transparent display as long as it is not a window for checking the front or rear of the automobile. This transparent display may include the organic light emitting element according to the embodiment. In this case, the constituent materials of the electrodes and the like of the organic light emitting element are formed from transparent members.
The moving body according to this embodiment includes a driving unit such as an engine or a motor and a moving unit such as wheels, a propeller, or tires. For example, the moving body may be an automobile, a ship, an airplane, a drone, a bicycle, a railroad car, or the like. The moving body may include a main body and a lighting appliance provided on the main body. The lighting appliance may emit light for making a notification of the position of the main body. The lighting appliance includes the organic light emitting element according to the embodiment.
An application example of the display device according to each embodiment described above will be described with reference to
Glasses 2100 (smartglasses) according to one application example will be described with reference to
The glasses 2100 further includes a control device 2103. The control device 2103 functions as a power supply that supplies power to the image capturing device 2102 and the display device according to each embodiment. In addition, the control device 2103 controls the operations of the image capturing device 2102 and the display device. An optical system configured to condense light to the image capturing device 2102 is formed on the lens 2101.
Glasses 2150 (smartglasses) according to one application example will be described with reference to
The line of sight of the user to the displayed image is detected from the captured image of the eyeball obtained by capturing the infrared rays. An arbitrary known method can be applied to the line-of-sight detection using the captured image of the eyeball. As an example, a line-of-sight detection method based on a Purkinje image obtained by reflection of irradiation light by a cornea can be used.
More specifically, line-of-sight detection processing based on pupil center corneal reflection is performed. Using pupil center corneal reflection, a line-of-sight vector representing the direction (rotation angle) of the eyeball is calculated based on the image of the pupil and the Purkinje image included in the captured image of the eyeball, thereby detecting the line-of-sight of the user.
The display device according to the embodiment of the present invention may include an image capturing device including a light receiving element, and a displayed image on the display device may be controlled based on the line-of-sight information of the user from the image capturing device.
More specifically, the display device decides a first display region at which the user is gazing and a second display region other than the first display region based on the line-of-sight information. The first display region and the second display region may be decided by the control device of the display device, or those decided by an external control device may be received. In the display region of the display device, the display resolution of the first display region may be controlled to be higher than the display resolution of the second display region. That is, the resolution of the second display region may be lower than that of the first display region.
In addition, the display region includes a first display region and a second display region different from the first display region, and a region of higher priority is decided from the first display region and the second display region based on line-of-sight information. The first display region and the second display region may be decided by the control device of the display device, or those decided by an external control device may be received. The resolution of the region of higher priority may be controlled to be higher than the resolution of the region other than the region of higher priority. That is, the resolution of the region of relatively low priority may be low.
Note that AI may be used to decide the first display region or the region of higher priority. The AI may be a model configured to estimate the angle of the line of sight and the distance to a target ahead the line of sight from the image of the eyeball using the image of the eyeball and the direction of actual viewing of the eyeball in the image as supervised data. The AI program may be held by the display device, the image capturing device, or an external device. If the external device holds the AI program, it is transmitted to the display device via communication.
When performing display control based on line-of-sight detection, smartglasses further including an image capturing device configured to capture the outside can preferably be applied. The smartglasses can display captured outside information in real time.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-189527, filed Nov. 6, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2023-189527 | Nov 2023 | JP | national |