This application is based upon and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application 201911207314.8, filed on Nov. 29, 2019, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The disclosure relates to the field of display, and particularly to a panel, a display component, and a method for controlling a view angle of a display component.
With wide application of smart terminal technologies, electronic products with display screens are more and more popular in daily lives. In order to protect privacy, when using an electronic product with a display screen at a densely populated public place, people do not want their private information displayed on the display screen to be seen by other people in the surrounding.
In the related art, a display screen of a mobile phone has a large view angle, resulting in that what is displayed on the display screen can be clearly seen even by people far away from the front side of the display screen. This is not favorable for protecting the privacy of the mobile phone user, since there is a risk of privacy leak.
Provided in the disclosure are a panel, a display component, a terminal, a method for controlling a view angle of a display component, and a device for controlling a view angle of a display component.
According to a first aspect of the disclosure, a panel is provided. The panel includes: a first conductive layer that is transparent, a second conductive layer that is transparent, and a variable-refractive-index layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, wherein a refractive index of the variable-refractive-index layer varies in response to a change of a voltage applied between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.
According to a second aspect of the disclosure, provided is a display component including a display screen and the panel provided in any example of the disclosure. The panel is located on an outer surface of the display screen, and the display component has a view angle varying with a refractive index of the variable-refractive-index layer of the panel.
According to a third aspect of the disclosure, provided is a terminal, including: the display component provided in any example of the disclosure, and a processing module, connected with the display component and configured to control the voltage applied between the first and second conductive layers of the panel in the display component.
According to a fourth aspect of the disclosure, provided is a method for controlling a view angle of a display component, applied to the terminal according to any example of the disclosure, and the method including: determining a present display mode of the terminal; in response to the present display mode being a first display mode, applying a first voltage between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer in the display component, to enable the variable-refractive-index layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer to have a first refractive index, wherein the display component has a first view angle when the variable-refractive-index layer has the first refractive index.
According to a fifth aspect of the disclosure, provided is a terminal, including a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory for running, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the method for controlling a view angle of a display component according to any example of the disclosure.
It should be understood that the general description above and detailed description later are merely exemplary and explanatory, and are not intended to restrict the disclosure.
The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute part of the present specification, illustrate examples consistent with the disclosure and are intended for explaining the principles of the disclosure together with the specification.
Detailed description will be made here to examples, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When drawings are involved in the following description, identical numerals in different drawings refer to identical or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated. Implementations described in the following examples do not mean all the implementations consistent with the disclosure. On the contrary, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the disclosure detailed in the appended claims.
A refractive index of the variable-refractive-index layer 13 varies with a voltage applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12.
Here, it may be the case where the variable-refractive-index layer 13 has a first refractive-index when a first voltage U1 is applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12, and the variable-refractive-index layer 13 has a second refractive-index when a second voltage U2 is applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12. Here, the first refractive-index may be greater than the second refractive-index when U1 is greater than U2.
Here, the first conductive layer that is transparent is a first conductive layer through which light rays can pass, and the second conductive layer that is transparent is a second conductive layer through which light rays can pass. Here, the first conductive layer that is transparent and the second conductive layer that is transparent may be conductive layers, each having a light transmittance greater than a set threshold.
Here, the first conductive layer 11 may be a coating layer or a conductive film formed by applying a conductive material on the variable-refractive-index layer 13. The second conductive layer 12 may be a coating layer or a conductive film formed by applying a conductive material on the variable-refractive-index layer 13. The conductive material and the material of the film may be indium tin oxid (ITO). Here, the variable-refractive-index layer 13 may be fabricated by one of the following materials: potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystal, lithium niobate (LiNbO3) crystal or gallium arsenide (GaAs) crystal.
Here, the incident light enters the panel at a position 1 with a corresponding incidence angle θ1. The variable-refractive-index layer 13 has the first refractive-index when the first voltage U1 is applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12. At this time, the refraction angle in the variable-refractive-index layer 13 is θ2. The incidence angle in the variable-refractive-index layer 13 is θ4, where θ2=θ4. The light ray is emergent at a position 2 with a corresponding refraction angle θ5, where θ1=θ5.
The variable-refractive-index layer 13 has the second refractive-index when the second voltage U2 is applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12. At this time, the refraction angle in the variable-refractive-index layer 13 is θ3. The incidence angle in the variable-refractive-index layer 13 is θ6, where θ3=θ6. The light ray is emergent at the position 3 with a corresponding refraction angle θ7, where θ1=θ7,
Here, after a same light ray enters the panel at the position 1, when the second voltage U2 is applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12, the light ray entered at the position 1 can be seen by a human eye at a position 5. If the first voltage U1 is applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12, the light ray entered at the position 1 can be seen merely by a human eye at a position 4 and cannot be seen by the human eye at the position 5. It is to be noted that in order to make the schematic diagram more clear, the influence of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer on the optical path is omitted in
In examples of the disclosure, by applying a different voltage between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 to change the refractive index of the refractive-index-variable layer 13, the optical path of a light ray entering the panel at a same position can be changed, so that the emergent angle of the light ray leaving the panel is changed. As such, the view angle of a display screen of a terminal containing the panel can be changed. The requirement of providing different view angles in different application scenarios can be satisfied, and user experience can be promoted.
At least one of the refractive index of the core 15 or the refractive index of the cladding 16 varies with the voltage applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12.
In this example, the refractive index of at least one of the core 15 and the cladding 16 of the optical transmission structure 14 is changed with the applied voltage, so that the refractive index of the entire variable-refractive-index layer 13 is changed.
Here, the cladding may be a coating layer or a film formed by applying a transparent material on an outer surface of the core 15. Here, the core 15 and the cladding 16 may be fabricated by one of the following materials: potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystal, lithium niobate (LiNbO3) crystal or gallium arsenide (GaAs) crystal.
Preferably, the optical transmission structure 14 may be fiber.
As shown in
In an example, the core 15 is fabricated of a variable-refractive-index material, and the cladding 16 is fabricated of an invariable-refractive-index material. The refractive index of the core 15 varies with the voltage applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12, and the refractive index of the cladding 16 is not changed.
In an example, the core 15 is fabricated of an invariable-refractive-index material, and the cladding 16 is fabricated of a variable-refractive-index material. The refractive index of the core 15 is not changed, and the refractive index of the cladding 16 varies with the voltage applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12. As such, θ8 can be changed by changing the refractive index of the core 15 or the refractive index of the cladding 16, so as to obtain a different value for α.
In an example, the core 15 is fabricated of a variable-refractive-index material, and the cladding 16 is fabricated of a variable-refractive-index material. The refractive index of the core 15 and the refractive index of the cladding 16 vary with the voltage applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12.
As shown in
The transformer 17 is connected to the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 respectively.
For example, the transformer 17 has a first output and a second output. The first output is connected to the first conductive layer 11, and the second output is connected to the second conductive layer 12. One of the first output and the second output is a high voltage output, and the other one is a low voltage output. As such, a voltage difference is produced between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12, so that a voltage of a certain magnitude is applied to the variable-refractive-index layer 13 between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12.
Here, the transformer 17 can output a continuously variable voltage, for example, a voltage of any magnitude between 1 V to 20 V. The transformer 17 may also output discrete voltages, e.g., 1 V, 5 V and 10 V. Here, since the transformer is connected to the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 respectively, and different voltages can be output by the transformer 17, different voltages can be applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12.
The transformer 17 includes a primary coil 18 and a plurality of secondary coils 19.
The panel further includes a shift switch 20 for controlling a subset of the secondary coils 19 to be coupled with the primary coil 18 through adjusting a switch state. Each subset of the secondary coils 19, when being coupled with the primary coil 18, causes a respective voltage applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 by the transformer 17.
In some examples, the primary coil may be coupled with one of the secondary coils. In some other examples, the secondary coils may also be coupled with multiple of the secondary coils at the same time. When the primary coil is coupled with multiple of the secondary coils, the voltage output by the transformer may be equal to the voltage of the primary coil. The multiple of the secondary coils may be combined to be coupled with the primary coil to output a transformed voltage.
As shown in
It is to be noted that the transformer 17 may be arranged within the panel in this example. Alternatively, in this example, the panel may also be merely provided with an interface for connecting to the transformer 17, and the transformer 17 can be arranged on another component (instead of the panel) of the terminal.
As shown in
The panel 23 is located on an outer surface of the display screen 22.
The display component has a view angle varying with a refractive index of the variable-refractive-index layer of the panel.
In an example, when the variable-refractive-index layer have a first refractive index, the display component has a first view angle. When the variable-refractive-index layer has a second refractive index, the display component has a second view angle. The first view angle is smaller than the second view angle.
Here, the display screen may be a display screen of a mobile phone, a display screen of a computer, a display screen of a smart television, etc. Since the first view angle is smaller than the second view angle, the view angle within which the content displayed on the display screen 22 is visible can be reduced. In this way, it would be difficult for other people to peep the information displayed on the display screen 22, so as to promote the security of the information.
In an example, as shown in
The panel 23 is located between the display screen 22 and the protective glass 24.
The protective glass 24 can protect the panel 23 and the display screen 22 from being damaged.
The terminal may be a mobile phone, a computer, a smart television, etc. The processing module may be a mainboard or processor of the terminal. As shown in
The processing module may apply, according to an operation instruction of a user, a different voltage between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 of the panel in the display component 25, so that the refractive index of the variable-refractive-index layer 13 of the panel is changed, so as to adjust the view angle of the display component 25.
At step 101, a present display mode of the terminal is determined.
The present display mode may be one selected from multiple selectable display modes at present. The display component has different view angles in different display modes.
The terminal has two or more display modes. In the examples of the disclosure, the first display mode and the second display mode merely refer to any two different display modes in general.
For example, in a display mode, the display component has a view angle of 30°, and in another display mode, the display component has a view angle of 45°. For example, if a user selects, on a setting interface displayed on a display screen of a terminal, a setting option of a display mode with a view angle of 45°, then the present display mode of the terminal is the display mode with the view angle of 45°. Since the display component has a view angle of 45° in this display mode, the user can only see information displayed on the display screen of the terminal within the view angle of 45°.
At step 102, in response to the present display mode being a first display mode, a first voltage is applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 in the display component, to enable the refractive-index-variable layer between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 to have a first refractive index. The display component has a first view angle with the first refractive index of the refractive-index-variable layer.
In an example, in response to the present display mode being the first display mode, the first voltage is applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 in the display component, to enable the variable-refractive-index layer between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 to have the first refractive index. In response to the present display mode being a second display mode, a second voltage is applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 in the display component, to enable the refractive-index-variable layer between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 to have a second refractive index. The display component has a first view angle with the first refractive index of the refractive-index-variable layer. The display component has a second view angle with the second refractive index of the variable-refractive-index layer. The first view angle is smaller than the second view angle. When the voltage applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 is changed from the second voltage to the first voltage, the view angle is changed from the second view angle to the first view angle, thus reducing the view angle.
According to different display modes, different voltages are applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 in the display component. This will change the view angle of the display component, so that a human eye can only see information displayed in the display component within partial region (within the view angle) in front of the display component, facilitating protecting privacy.
In an example, the terminal is further provided with a transformer. The method further includes the following step.
At step 103, an output voltage of the transformer 17 is controlled according to the present display mode. The output voltage of the transformer 17 is applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12.
Here, the transformer 17 may be controlled to output a continuously variable voltage. As such, the magnitude of the view angle may also be continuously variable, and the control over the view angle is more exquisite. For example, if the transformer 17 is controlled to output a voltage continuously variable in a range from 5 V to 10 V, the view angle may be continuously variable in a range from 30° to 60°.
Here, the transformer 17 may also be controlled to output discrete voltages, so that the magnitude of the view angle may be changed among different discrete values. For example, if the transformer 17 is controlled to output voltages 5 V, 7.5 V and 10 V, the view angles may be 30°, 45° and 60° correspondingly.
In step 103, the operation of controlling the output voltage of the transformer 17 according to the present display mode includes the following step:
At step 104, according to the present display mode, a subset of the secondary coils 19 in the transformer 17 is controlled to be coupled with the primary coil 18, through adjusting a switch state of a shift switch 20. Each subset of the secondary coils 19, when being coupled with the primary coil 18, causes a respective voltage applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 by the transformer 17.
The transformer 17 may include a plurality of secondary coils 19. Each of the secondary coils 19 outputs a respective voltage. For example, the first secondary coil correspondingly outputs a voltage of 5V. The second secondary coil correspondingly outputs a voltage of 7.5V. The third secondary coil correspondingly outputs a voltage of 10V. The state of the switch may be a state in which the shift switch 20 connects the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 to one of the secondary coils 19. Here, when the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12 are connected to the first secondary coil, a voltage of 5 V is applied between the first conductive layer 11 and the second conductive layer 12.
The determination module 111 is configured to determine a present display mode of the terminal.
The processing module 112 is configured to: in response to the present display mode being a first display mode, apply a first voltage between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer in the display component, to enable the variable-refractive-index layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer to have a first refractive index; and in response to the present display mode being a second display mode, apply a second voltage between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer in the display component, to enable the refractive-index-variable layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer to have a second refractive index. The display component has a first view angle with the first refractive index of the refractive-index-variable layer. The display component has a second view angle with the second refractive index of the variable-refractive-index layer. The first view angle is smaller than the second view angle.
In an example, the device further includes a control module 113. The control module 113 is configured to control an output voltage of the transformer according to the present display mode. The output voltage of the transformer is applied between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.
In an example, the control module 113 is further configured to control, according to the present display mode, a subset of the secondary coils in the transformer to be coupled with the primary coil, through adjusting a switch state of a shift switch. Each subset of the secondary coils, when being coupled with the primary coil, causes a respective voltage applied between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer by the transformer.
Further provided in examples of the disclosure is a terminal, including a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory for running. The computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the method for controlling a view angle of a display component according to any example of the disclosure.
The technical solution provided in the examples of the disclosure may have the following beneficial effects:
In the examples of the disclosure, the panel includes a first conductive layer that is transparent; a second conductive layer that is transparent, wherein light rays can enter through the first conductive layer and the second conductive; and a refractive-index-variable layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer. A refractive index of the variable-refractive-index layer varies with a voltage applied between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer. Here, by applying a different voltage between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer to change the refractive index of the refractive-index-variable layer, the optical path of a light ray entering the panel through a same position can be changed, so that the emergent angle of the light ray leaving the panel is changed. As such, the view angle of a display screen of a terminal (for example, a display screen of a mobile phone) containing the panel can be changed. The requirement of providing different view angles in different application scenarios can be satisfied, and user experience can be promoted.
Other examples of the disclosure would readily occur to those skilled in the art when considering the specification and practicing the disclosure here. The disclosure is aimed at covering any variants, usages or adaptive changes that comply with generic principles of the disclosure and include common knowledge or customary technical means in the art that is not disclosed in the disclosure. The specification and examples are merely considered exemplary, and the true scope and spirit of the disclosure are specified by the appended claims.
It should be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the disclosure is merely defined by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201911207314.8 | Nov 2019 | CN | national |