Patent Publication Number: US-2016231771-A1

Title: Display equipment and display method

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is based on, and claims priority from, Taiwan Patent Application No. 104104510, filed on Feb. 11, 2015, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The application relates in general to a display equipment, and in particular, to a display equipment with a semitransparent reflective member. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Most of the portable electronic devices in use nowadays (for example, smartphones and tablet computers) have navigation features. For the most part, the user cannot take the portable electronic device in hand when he is driving, and so a holding device is required to hold the portable electronic device upright. However, when the portable electronic device is upright, the sight on the back of the portable electronic device is shielded, and driving safety may be affected. For this reason, how to provide a navigation screen to the user without affecting the sight thereof has become an important issue. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     To address the deficiencies of conventional electronic products, an embodiment of the invention provides a display equipment connected to an electronic device, comprising a flat optical component and a pivot unit, wherein the optical component comprises a semitransparent reflective element. The pivot unit is pivotally connected to the optical component and the electronic device. When the optical component is in a first position and substantially parallel to a display surface of the electronic device, the light emitted from the display surface passes through the optical component. When the optical component rotates from the first position to the second position relative to the electronic device with an inclined angle formed between the optical component and the display surface, the light emitted from the display surface is reflected by the semitransparent reflective element to the user. 
     In some embodiments, the optical component further comprises a transparent protecting member connected to the semitransparent reflective member, wherein when the optical component is in the first position, the semitransparent reflective member is disposed between the transparent protecting member and the electronic device. 
     In some embodiments, the optical component further comprises a transparent insulating member connected to the semitransparent reflective member, wherein when the optical component is in the first position, the transparent protecting member is disposed between the semitransparent reflective member and the electronic device. 
     In some embodiments, the display equipment further comprises an accommodating member for accommodating the electronic device, and the pivot unit is pivotally connected to the accommodating member and the optical component. 
     In some embodiments, the accommodating member comprises an electrical connector for electrically connecting the electronic device. 
     In some embodiments, the thickness of the optical component is 0.1 mm-0.2 mm. 
     In some embodiments, the dimensions of the optical component exceed or are equal to those of the display surface. 
     A display method is also provided in the invention, comprising providing an optical component, wherein the optical component is rotatable around a rotation axis relative to an electronic device and comprises a semitransparent reflective member; rotating the optical component and forming an inclined angle between the optical component and a display surface of the electronic device; and mirroring an image on the display surface relative to a central axis of the display surface when the inclined angle is formed between the optical component and the display surface, wherein the mirrored image is reflected to a user by the semitransparent reflective member, and the central axis is parallel to the rotation axis. 
     In some embodiments, the inclined angle is 30°-80°. 
     In some embodiments, the electronic device is a smartphone or a tablet computer. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of a display equipment according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded-view diagram of the display equipment in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged partial schematic diagram of the display equipment in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an optical component according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIGS. 5A-5C  is a schematic diagram of the display equipment when the optical component is in a first position; and 
         FIGS. 6A-6B  is a schematic diagram of the display equipment when the optical component is in a second position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
     The making and using of the embodiments of the display equipment and the display method are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the embodiments provide many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the embodiments, and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. 
     Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It should be appreciated that each term, which is defined in a commonly used dictionary, should be interpreted as having a meaning conforming to the relative skills and the background or the context of the present disclosure, and should not be interpreted by an idealized or overly formal manner unless defined otherwise. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , a display equipment in an embodiment of the invention primarily comprises a flat optical component  100 , a pivot unit  200 , an accommodating member  300 , and a gripper  400 . The gripper  400  comprises a first clamping member  410  and a second clamping member  420 , and the optical component  100  is fixed therebetween. The pivot unit  200  comprises two pivot members  210  and a hinge  220 , wherein the pivot members  210  are fixed on the accommodating member  300 , and the hinge  220  is pivotally and rotatably connected to the pivot members  210 . Furthermore, the hinge  220  is clamped between the first clamping member  410  and the second clamping member  420 , such that the optical component  100  can be fixed on the hinge  220  (as shown in  FIG. 3 ). In other words, the optical component  100  and the gripper  400  are pivotally connected to the accommodating member  300  by the pivot unit  200 , and the optical component  100  can rotate around a rotation axis A relative to the accommodating member  300  ( FIG. 1 ). 
     It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the accommodating member  300  comprises plastic or other flexible materials. Therefore, an electronic device E (for example, a smartphone or a tablet computer) can be easily put in the accommodating member  300  (as shown in  FIG. 6A ). The accommodating member  300  has an electrical connector  310  ( FIG. 1 ) for electrically connecting the electronic device E. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , in this embodiment, the optical component  100  primarily has three layers, comprising a transparent insulating member  110 , a semitransparent reflective member  120 , and a transparent protecting member  130 . The semitransparent reflective member  120  is disposed between the transparent insulating member  110  and the transparent protecting member  130 . These three layers are attached to each other and have no gap therebetween. The transparent insulating member  110  comprises plastic, the semitransparent reflective member  120  comprises a polyester film, and the transparent protecting member  130  comprises acrylic. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , when the electronic device E is disposed in the accommodating member  300 , and the optical component  100  is in a first position relative to the electronic device E, a surface  140  of the optical component  100  is parallel and faces a display surface D of the electronic device E. The light emitted from the display surface D can pass through the transparent insulating member  110 , the semitransparent reflective member  120 , and transparent protecting member  130  of the optical component  100  sequentially (the arrow in  FIG. 5B ). That is, the user can watch the image on the display surface D without opening the optical component  100 . Moreover, since the thickness of the optical component  100  is small (between 0.1 mm-0.2 mm, such as 0.14 mm), the user can control the electronic device E by touching the surface  150  opposite to the surface  140  when the touch control function of the electronic device E is generated by an optical sensing method. 
     Specifically, as shown in  FIG. 5C , when the optical component  100  is in the first position, the transparent insulating member  110  is disposed between the semitransparent reflective member  120  and the electronic device E. Therefore, the sensing is not generated even if the optical component  100  contacts the display surface D when the electronic device E comprises a capacitive sensing touch panel. Furthermore, when the optical component  100  is in the first position, the semitransparent reflective member  120  is disposed between the transparent protecting member  130  and the electronic device E. The transparent protecting member  130  has a certain rigidity, such that the damage of the semitransparent reflective member  120  and the display surface D from being compressed or scraped can be prevented. In some embodiments, the transparent insulating member  110  and the transparent protecting member  130  can be removed as required to reduce the thickness of the optical component  100 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 6A and 6B , when the optical component  100  and the gripper  400  rotate from the first position around the rotation axis A to a second position through the pivot unit  200 , the optical component  100  can be fixed in the second position by the friction between the hinge  220  and the pivot member  210 , and an inclined angle a is formed between the surface  140  and the display surface D (as shown in  FIG. 6B ). The light R 1  emitted from the display surface D can be reflected by the optical component  100  to the user, such that the user can directly watch the surface  140  and remember the image on the display surface D. Some background light R 2  is not shielded by the optical component  100 , and therefore the sight on the back of the optical component  100  can be seen by the user. 
     It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the display equipment can detect the rotating angle of the hinge  220  to remember the angle between the surface  140  and the display surface D. When the inclined angle a is formed between the surface  140  and the display surface D, the display equipment can transfer a signal through the electrical connector  310  to the electronic device E. When the electronic device E receives the aforementioned signal, the image on the display surface D can be mirrored relative to a central axis C, wherein the central axis is parallel to the rotation axis A. Thus, the image on the surface  140  is upright. The inclined angle a is about 30°-80°, for example. 
     In this embodiment, the dimensions of the optical component  100  exceed or are equal to those of the display surface D, such that the image on the display surface D can be entirely projected to the optical component  100 . Furthermore, in some embodiments, the pivot unit  200  can be disposed on the electronic device E. The optical component  100  can be pivotally connected to the electronic device E through the pivot unit  200  directly, and the accommodating member  300  can be omitted. 
     In summary, the display equipment and the display method are provided. When the optical component of the display equipment covers the display surface of the electronic device, and the optical component is parallel to the display surface, the user can directly watch and control the electronic device without opening the optical component. When the optical component rotates to the inclined angle relative to the electronic device, the user can watch the image on the optical component, which is reflected from the display surface. Furthermore, the sight on the back of the display equipment can be seen by the user, such that safety can be improved. 
     While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.