Display brightness updating

• US 10,152,947 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2016
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Albadawi, Haithem, Fung, Han Yee Mimi, Shariff, Farah
• Primary Examiner(s): Reed, Stephen T
• Application Number:
  US15/092,301
• Publication Number:
  US 20170294174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1118 Determining activity level
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6898 Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0233 Handheld
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4204 with determination of ambient light solar light G01J2001/4266
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/429 applied to measurement of ultraviolet light using counting tubes G01T
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0653 Controlling or limiting the speed of brightness adjustment of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/08 Arrangements within a display terminal for setting, manually or automatically, display parameters of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 : the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 : Intensity circuits

Abstract

Computing devices and methods for controlling light output of a display are disclosed. In one example, a default brightness setting is set to an indoor light output level. A UV light sensor is activated to detect UV radiation levels. Based on determining that one or more of the UV radiation levels exceed a UV threshold, the default brightness setting is updated to correspond to an outdoor light output level that is greater than the indoor light output level. Without using information from an ambient light sensor, the display is activated from a deactivated state to illuminate at the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a display;

a UV light sensor;

a memory storing a default brightness setting;

a processor; and

a display brightness program executable by the processor, the display brightness program configured to;

set the default brightness setting to an indoor light output level;

activate the UV light sensor to detect UV radiation levels;

while the display is deactivated, determine that one or more of the UV radiation levels goes above a UV threshold;

based on determining that one or more of the UV radiation levels goes above the UV threshold, update the default brightness setting to an updated default brightness setting that corresponds to an outdoor light output level that is greater than the indoor light output level;

activate the display from the deactivated state to illuminate at the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level; and

wherein the UV threshold is a positive non-zero value.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the display brightness program is further configured to set a magnitude of the outdoor light output level from a plurality of possible magnitudes based on the one or more UV radiation levels.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein a default display dimming period is stored in the memory, and the display brightness program is further configured to:

based on determining that the one or more UV radiation levels goes above the UV threshold;

update the default display dimming period to an updated default display dimming period that is shorter than the default display dimming period; and

after activating the display from the deactivated state at an activation time, reduce a light output of the display upon an expiration of the updated default display dimming period as measured from the activation time.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the display brightness program is further configured to:

after activating the display from the deactivated state, continue sampling the UV radiation levels; and

when one or more of the UV radiation levels do not go above the UV threshold, reduce a light output of the display.

5. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising a GPS system, wherein the display brightness program is further configured to, based on receiving a GPS signal from the GPS system that is above a predetermined signal threshold, update the default brightness setting to the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level.

6. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising a GPS system, wherein the display brightness program is further configured to, based on receiving location data from the GPS system that indicates a velocity of the device within a predetermined range of velocities, update the default brightness setting to the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a heart rate sensor system, and the display brightness program is further configured to, based on receiving heart rate data from the heart rate sensor system indicating a heart rate above a predetermined exertion level, update the default brightness setting to the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a barometer, and the display brightness program is further configured to, based on receiving barometric pressure data from the barometer indicating that the device is outdoors, update the default brightness setting to the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level.

9. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising an athletic activity application stored in the memory, wherein the display brightness program is further configured to:

determine that the athletic activity application is launching; and

based on determining that the athletic activity application is launching, update the default brightness setting to the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level.

10. A method for controlling light output of a display in a computing device, the method comprising:

setting a default brightness setting in a memory of the computing device to an indoor light output level;

activating a UV light sensor to detect UV radiation levels;

while the display is deactivated, determining that one or more of the UV radiation levels goes above a UV threshold;

based on determining that one or more of the UV radiation levels goes above the UV threshold, updating the default brightness setting to an updated default brightness setting that corresponds to an outdoor light output level that is greater than the indoor light output level;

without using information from an ambient light sensor, activating the display from the deactivated state to illuminate at the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level; and

wherein the UV threshold is a positive non-zero value.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising setting a magnitude of the outdoor light output level from a plurality of possible magnitudes based on the one or more UV radiation levels.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a default display dimming period is stored in the memory, the method further comprising:

based on determining that the one or more UV radiation levels goes above the UV threshold;

updating the default display dimming period to an updated default display dimming period that is shorter than the default display dimming period; and

after activating the display from the deactivated state at an activation time, reducing a light output of the display upon an expiration of the updated default display dimming period as measured from the activation time.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

after activating the display from the deactivated state, continuing to sample the UV radiation levels; and

when one or more of the UV radiation levels do not go above the UV threshold, reducing a light output of the display.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising, based on receiving a GPS signal that is above a predetermined signal threshold, updating the default brightness setting to the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising, based on receiving location data that indicates a velocity of the computing device within a predetermined range of velocities, updating the default brightness setting to the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising, based on receiving a sound pressure signal that is below a predetermined sound pressure threshold, updating the default brightness setting to the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising, based on receiving barometric pressure data indicating that the device is outdoors, updating the default brightness setting to the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that an athletic activity application is launching; and

based on determining that the athletic activity application is launching, updating the default brightness setting to the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level.

19. A wearable computing device, comprising:

a display;

an ambient light sensor;

a UV light sensor;

a memory storing a default brightness setting and a default display dimming period;

a processor; and

a display brightness program executable by the processor, the display brightness program configured to;

set the default brightness setting to an indoor light output level;

activate the UV light sensor to detect UV radiation levels;

while the display is deactivated, determine that one or more of the UV radiation levels goes above a UV threshold;

based on determining that one or more of the UV radiation levels goes above the UV threshold;

update the default brightness setting to an updated default brightness setting that corresponds to an outdoor light output level that is greater than the indoor light output level; and

update the default display dimming period to an updated default display dimming period that is shorter than the default display dimming period;

without using information from the ambient light sensor and in response to a display activation command at an activation time, activate the display from the deactivated state to illuminate at the updated default brightness setting corresponding to the outdoor light output level;

reduce a light output of the display upon an expiration of the updated default display dimming period as measured from the activation time; and

wherein the UV threshold is a positive non-zero value.

20. The wearable computing device of claim 19, wherein the display brightness program is further configured to set a magnitude of the outdoor light output level from a plurality of possible magnitudes based on the one or more UV radiation levels.