Display with ambient-adaptive backlight color

• US 10,306,729 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Cheng, Wu, Jiaying, Zhang, Lu, Doyle, David A., Glazowski, Christopher E., Herranz, Adria Fores, You, Chenhua, Chen, Wei, Qi, Jun, Zhong, John Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fernandez, Pedro C
• Application Number:
  US15/334,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20170303365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133614 using photoluminescence, e.g. phosphors illuminated by UV or blue light
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133621 providing coloured light G02F1/133617, G02F1/133533 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3413 Details of control of colour illumination sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with a display having a backlight with light sources of different colors. The electronic device may include a color ambient light sensor that measures the color of ambient light and control circuitry that adjusts the color of light emitted from the backlight based on the color of ambient light. The light sources may include at least first and second light-emitting diodes that emit light having different color temperatures. The control circuitry may adjust the intensity of light emitted from the first light-emitting diode relative to the intensity of light emitted from the second light-emitting diode to produce a backlight color that more closely matches the color of ambient light. The first and second light-emitting diodes may include an ultraviolet light-emitting diode die and a blue light-emitting diode die that are mounted in a common semiconductor package.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display having a backlight and a pixel array, wherein the backlight includes;

a light guide layer having first and second opposing surfaces;

light sources that emit light into the light guide layer; and

a reflector that covers the second surface of the light guide layer and that reflects the light towards the first surface; and

a color ambient light sensor that measures a color of ambient light, wherein the ambient light originates from outside of the electronic device; and

control circuitry that adjusts a color temperature of light from the light sources based on the color of ambient light to shift a white point of the display between a warm white and a cool white.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light sources comprise a first light source that produces light of a first color and a second light source that produces light of a second color that is different from the first color.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the control circuitry adjusts the intensity of light produced by the first light source relative to the intensity of light produced by the second light to shift the white point of the display between the warm white and the cool white based on the color of ambient light.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the first color of light has a color temperature that is less than 6,500 K and the second color of light has a color temperature that is greater than 6,500 K.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the first light source comprises a first light-emitting diode and the second light source comprises a second light-emitting diode.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the first light-emitting diode comprises an ultraviolet light-emitting diode die and the second light-emitting diode comprises a blue light-emitting diode die.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the ultraviolet light-emitting diode die and the blue light-emitting diode die are coated with red and green phosphors.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the ultraviolet light-emitting diode die is coated with red and green phosphors and the blue light-emitting diode die is coated with a yellow phosphor.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the first and second light-emitting diodes are mounted in a common semiconductor package.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the color of light produced by the first light source has a lower color temperature than the color of light produced by the second light source.

11. An electronic device, comprising:

a display having a backlight and having a pixel array that receives light from the backlight, wherein the backlight comprises light sources that generate the light and wherein the light generated by the light sources is the only light received by the pixel array from the backlight, wherein the light sources include first and second light sources, and wherein the first light source produces light having a first color temperature and the second light source produces light having a second color temperature that is higher than the first color temperature;

a color ambient light sensor that measures a color of ambient light, wherein the ambient light originates from outside of the electronic device; and

control circuitry that adjusts a color temperature of the light from the light sources based on the color of ambient light by adjusting the intensity of light produced by the first light source relative to the intensity of light produced by the second light source to shift a color cast of the display between a warm color cast and a cool color cast.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the control circuitry increases the intensity of light produced by the first light source relative to the intensity of light produced by the second light source when the color of ambient light has a color temperature that is closer to the first color temperature than the second color temperature.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the control circuitry increase the intensity of light produced by the second light source relative to the intensity of light produced by the first light source when the color of ambient light has a color temperature that is closer to the second color temperature than the first color temperature.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 11 further comprising a third light source that produces light having a third color temperature that is different from the first and second color temperatures.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the first, second, and third light sources each comprise at least one light-emitting diode, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to adjust the relative intensities of light produced by the first, second, and third light sources to shift the color cast of the display between the warm color cast and the cool color cast based on the color of ambient light.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a display having a backlight and having a pixel array that receives light from the backlight, wherein the backlight includes a light guide layer, first and second light sources that emit the light into the light guide layer, and a reflective material covering a lower surface of the light guide layer, and wherein the first light source comprises an ultraviolet light-emitting diode die and the second light source comprises a blue light-emitting diode die;

a color ambient light sensor that measures a color of ambient light, wherein the ambient light originates from outside of the electronic device; and

control circuitry that adjusts a color temperature of the light from the backlight based on the color of ambient light by adjusting the intensity of light emitted from the first light source relative to the intensity of light emitted from the second light source to shift a white point of the display between a warm white and a cool white.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the ultraviolet light-emitting diode die and the blue light-emitting diode die are mounted in a common semiconductor package.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the ultraviolet light-emitting diode die and the blue light-emitting diode die are coated with a phosphor.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the ultraviolet light-emitting diode die is coated with a first phosphor and the blue light-emitting diode die is coated with a second phosphor that is different from the first phosphor.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the backlight includes a third light source comprising an additional blue light-emitting diode die, wherein the ultraviolet light-emitting diode die is interposed between the blue light-emitting diode die and the additional blue light-emitting diode die in the semiconductor package.