Method and system for reducing power consumption in a display

• US 20060066597A1
• Filed: 04/01/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sampsell, Jeffrey B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,532,195 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/204
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/04 Partial updating of the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3466 based on interferometric effect
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3607 for displaying colours or for displaying grey scales with a specific pixel layout, e.g. using sub-pixels display of colours in flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; grey scales specific for television H04N3/127

Abstract

A method and system for reducing power consumption in a display includes driving a display comprising a plurality of display elements characterized by a display state. In a first mode of operation, the display state of substantially all the display elements is periodically re-set so as to display a first series of image frames. Upon changing to a second mode of operation, a second mode of operations comprises re-setting the display state of only a portion of the display elements so as to display a second series of image frames at a display element resolution which is less than said display element resolution used to display said first series of image frames.

Claims

1. A method of updating a display, said display comprising a plurality of display elements characterized by a display state, said method comprising:

in a first mode of operation, periodically re-setting said display state of substantially all said display elements at a first frame update rate so as to display a first series of image frames; and

changing to a second mode of operation, wherein said second mode of operation comprises periodically re-setting said display state of a first portion of said display elements at a second frame update rate and periodically re-setting said display state of a remaining portion of said display elements at a third frame update rate that is less than said second frame update rate,

wherein in said second mode, a second series of image frames are displayed at a display element resolution which is less than said display element resolution used to display said first series of image frames.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first frame update rate is the same as said second frame update rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said third frame update rate is varied over time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said third frame update rate is varied based at least in part on said second series of image frames.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein periodically re-setting said display state of said remaining portion of said display elements comprises determining said display state based at least in part on at least one of said second series of image frames.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said changing to said second mode of operation comprises re-setting said display state of said remaining portion of said display elements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said second mode of operation consumes less power than said first mode.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said second mode of operation is utilized under low battery conditions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said second mode of operation is utilized for displaying motion picture data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said second mode of operation displays a reduced color gamut as compared to said first mode of operation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said second mode of operation displays a reduced gray scale as compared to said first mode of operation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of display elements comprises a MEMS array arranged in rows and columns and wherein said remaining portion comprises a selected subset of the columns.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of display elements comprises a MEMS array of rows and columns and wherein said remaining portion comprises a selected subset of the rows.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting between said first mode of operation and said second mode of operation based on predetermined criteria.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said predetermined criteria comprises power usage data.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said predetermined criteria comprises battery status data.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said predetermined criteria comprises a user selection.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said predetermined criteria comprises a classification of said image frames.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said classification comprises a classification of said image frames as motion picture data.

20. A system for displaying image data, said system comprising:

a display device having a plurality of operational modes, at least some of said operational modes corresponding to reduced display element resolution when displaying image data on a display; and

a source of image data configured to provide image data to said display device at a data rate that depends at least in part on the mode in which said display device is operating.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein in at least one of said operational modes, said display device displays a reduced color gamut as compared to said first mode of operation.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising a communications network, wherein said source of image data is configured to provide said image data over said communications network.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said source of image data is configured to control said operational mode.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein said operational mode is selected based at least in part on a data rate of said communications network.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said operational mode is selected based at least in part on a data rate utilized by said communications network.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein in at least one of said operational modes, said display device displays a reduced gray scale as compared to said first mode of operation.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein said display device comprises a plurality of display elements and at least one of the said operational modes comprises re-setting display states of less than all of the display elements.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the source of image data is further configured to provide a display state to re-set a remaining portion of the display elements.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein said less than all of the display elements comprise a first set of rows.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein said image data comprises motion picture data.

31. A method of updating a display, the method comprising:

applying a series of row voltage strobes to a first set of rows of display elements during a display write operation so as to configure display elements in said first set of rows to a selected state;

skipping subsequent row voltage strobes to said first set of rows during subsequent display write operations that set the remaining rows of the display in accordance with received display data.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein skipping said subsequent row voltage strobes is performed under low battery conditions.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein skipping said subsequent row voltage strobes comprises displaying a reduced color gamut.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein skipping said subsequent row voltage strobes comprises displaying a reduced gray scale as compared to said first mode of operation.

35. The method of claim 31, further comprising determining said selected state based at least in part on image data.

36. A method of updating a display, the method comprising:

applying a set of column voltages to a first set of columns of display elements during a display write operation so as to configure display elements in said first set of columns to a selected state;

skipping subsequent column transitions to said first set of columns during subsequent display write operations that set the remaining columns of the display in accordance with received display data.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein skipping said subsequent column transitions is performed under low battery conditions.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein skipping said subsequent column transitions comprises displaying a reduced color gamut.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein skipping said subsequent column transitions comprises displaying a reduced gray scale as compared to said first mode of operation.

40. The method of claim 36, further comprising determining said selected state based at least in part on image data.