Context aware selective backlighting techniques

• US 10,324,525 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2016
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sharma, Dhaval V., Rai, Nivruti, Srivastava, Durgesh, Kumar, Shobhit
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US15/396,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20180188803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 899 Days
• Field of Search: 345 8, 345102, 1 1, 715744, 715727, 362613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0686 with two or more screen areas displaying information with different brightness or colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/10 Special adaptations of display systems for operation with variable images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3426 the different display panel areas being distributed in two dimensions, e.g. matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

Context aware backlighting techniques include determining a focal point of a display space based on a user display context. The user display context represents an area of interest on the monitor. The user display context can be based on eye tracking data, ambient light data, motion sensing data, cursor location in the display space, an image content, proximity data, or the like and any combination thereof. A first set of one or more of a plurality of backlight sections corresponding to the determined focal point of the display space can be driven to output at a first intensity level, while a second set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections can be driven to output at a second intensity level.

Claims

1. A backlight controller comprising:

a sensor input interface to receive a user display context;

a focal point module to determine a focal point of a display space based on the user display context; and

a backlight driver interface to encode a backlight control signal, wherein said signal indicates that a first set of one or more of a plurality of backlight sections, corresponding to the focal point of the display space, outputs at a different light intensity than a second set of one or more of a plurality of backlight sections.

2. The backlight controller of claim 1, wherein the sensor input interface to receive the user display context includes an application programming interface (API) to receive context display data from one or more software routines.

3. The backlight controller of claim 1, wherein the sensor input interface to receive the user display context includes an application binary interface to decode context display data from one or more sensor signals.

4. The backlight controller of claim 1, wherein the user display context is based on eye tracking data.

5. The backlight controller of claim 1, wherein the user display context is based on ambient light data.

6. The backlight controller of claim 1, wherein the user display context is based on motion sensing data.

7. The backlight controller of claim 1, wherein the user display context is based on a cursor location in the display space.

8. The backlight controller of claim 1, wherein the user display context is based on an image content.

9. The backlight controller of claim 1, wherein the backlight driver interface to encode the backlight control signal wherein the first set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections, corresponding to the focal point of the display space, outputs at the different light intensity than the second set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections during a power save mode.

10. The backlight controller of claim 1, wherein the backlight driver interface to encode the backlight control signal wherein the first set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections, corresponding to the focal point of the display space, outputs at the same light intensity as the second set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections during a normal runtime mode.

11. The backlight controller of claim 1, wherein the user display context is based on proximity data.

12. The backlight controller of claim 11, wherein the backlight driver interface to encode the backlight control signal wherein the first set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections, corresponding to the focal point of the display space, outputs at the different light intensity than the second set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections when the proximity data is in a first range.

13. The backlight controller of claim 12, wherein the backlight driver interface to encode the backlight control signal wherein the first set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections, corresponding to the focal point of the display space, outputs at the same light intensity as the second set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections when the proximity data is in a second range.

14. A backlight controller comprising:

a sensor input interface to receive one or more sensor input signals;

a focal point module to determine a focal point of a display space from the one or more sensor input signals; and

a backlight driver interface to encode a backlight control signal, wherein said signal indicates that a first set of one or more of a plurality of backlight sections, corresponding to the focal point of the display space, outputs at a different light intensity than a second set of one or more of a plurality of backlight sections.

15. The backlight controller of claim 14, wherein the focal point of the display space is determined as a function of one or more eye tracking sensor signals.

16. The backlight controller of claim 14, wherein the focal point of the display space is determined as a function of a light sensor signal.

17. The backlight controller of claim 14, wherein the focal point of the display space is determined as a function of one or more image sensor signals.

18. The backlight controller of claim 14, wherein the focal point of the display space is determined as a function of one or more motion sensor signal.

19. The backlight controller of claim 14, wherein the focal point of the display space is determined as a function of frame buffer signals.

20. The backlight controller of claim 14, wherein the focal point of the display space is determined as a function of one or more cursor location signals.

21. The backlight controller of claim 14, wherein the focal point of the display space is determined as a function of one or more proximity signals.

22. The backlight controller of claim 21, wherein the backlight driver API to encode the backlight control signal wherein the first set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections, corresponding to the focal point of the display space, outputs at the different light intensity than the second set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections when the proximity data is in a first range.

23. The backlight controller of claim 22, wherein the backlight driver API to encode the backlight control signal wherein the first set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections, corresponding to the focal point of the display space, outputs at the same light intensity as the second set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections when the proximity data is in a second range.

24. The backlight controller of claim 14, wherein the backlight driver API to encode the backlight control signal wherein the first set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections, corresponding to the focal point of the display space, outputs at the different light intensity than the second set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections during a power save mode.

25. The backlight controller of claim 24, wherein the backlight driver API to encode the backlight control signal wherein the first set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections, corresponding to the focal point of the display space, outputs at the same light intensity as the second set of one or more of the plurality of backlight sections during a normal runtime mode.