METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING POWER CONSUMPTION IN A DISPLAY FOR AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20070146344A1
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Hassan, Ahmed, Martin, Daryl, Michael, Mark, Wilson, J.F.
• Application Number:
  US11/614,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20070146344A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0686 with two or more screen areas displaying information with different brightness or colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• 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 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A display module comprising a display screen; a controller, said controller having an input for receiving information, and an output coupled to said display screen for outputting display information to said display screen; said controller including a component for determining an area of interest on said display screen; and said controller having a component for dimming at least a portion of said display screen outside of said area of interest.

Claims

1. A display module comprising:

a display screen;

a controller, said controller having an input for receiving information, and an output coupled to said display screen for outputting display information to said display screen;

said controller including a component for determining an area of interest on said display screen; and

said controller having a component for dimming at least a portion of said display screen outside of said area of interest.

2. The display module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said component for determining an area of interest is responsive to a cursor input on said display screen.

3. The display module as claimed in claim 2, wherein said display screen comprises a normally black transmissive liquid crystal display, said liquid crystal display comprising a plurality of light valve elements, and said component for dimming comprises a mask for dimming a plurality of said light valve elements outside of said area of interest.

4. The display module as claimed in claim 3, wherein the display screen is touch sensitive and said component for determining an area of interest is responsive to a user contacting said touch sensitive display screen.

5. The display module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display screen comprises an emissive display, said emissive display having a matrix of illumination elements, and at least a plurality of said illumination elements being responsive to said dimming component.

6. The display module as claimed in claim 5, wherein said illumination elements comprise organic light emitting diodes.

7. The display module as claimed in claim 6, wherein said dimming component comprises a device for generating a variable voltage signal, and said organic light emitting diodes being responsive to said variable voltage signal for decreasing or increasing their respective brightness levels.

8. The display module as claimed in claim 1, wherein said display screen comprises a transmissive liquid crystal display that is backlit by a plurality of lighting components, and said component for dimming controls the lighting components to effect the dimming of said display screen outside of said area of interest.

9. The display module as claimed in claim 1 wherein the component for dimming increases the dimming of the area outside of the area of focus as a distance from the area of focus increases.

10. A method of controlling a display for an electronic device, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying an image on the display;

defining an area of interest on the display;

dimming at least a portion of the displayed image outside said area of interest.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said step of defining an area of interest comprises monitoring the electronic device for a user input.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said user input comprises positioning a cursor on the display, said cursor position defining said area of interest.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said display is touch sensitive, and said step of defining an area of interest comprises monitoring said touch sensitive display for a contact position and determining said area of interest based on said contact position.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said display comprises a normally black transmissive liquid crystal display, and said step of dimming comprises altering a portion of the image being displayed outside of said area of interest.

15. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said display comprises an emissive display having a matrix of illumination elements, said illumination elements being individually controllable for displaying said image.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said step of dimming comprises altering a portion of the image being displayed outside of said area of interest.

17. The method as claimed in claim 10 wherein said display comprises a backlit transmissive liquid crystal display, and said step of dimming comprises altering a backlighting of the display outside of said area of interest.

18. A mobile electronic device comprising:

an input device;

a liquid crystal display including,

a display screen;

a controller, said controller having an input for receiving information, and an output coupled to said display screen for outputting display information to said display screen;

said controller including a component for determining an area of interest on said display screen, and said controller having a component for dimming at least a portion of said display screen outside of said area of interest.

19. The mobile electronic device as claimed in claim 18, wherein said component for determining an area of interest is responsive to a cursor input on said display screen.

20. The mobile electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein said display screen comprises a normally black transmissive liquid crystal display, and said component for dimming alters a portion of said display screen outside of said area of interest.

21. The mobile electronic device as claimed in claim 19, wherein said display screen comprises an emissive display, and said component for dimming alters a portion of said display screen outside of said area of interest.

22. The mobile electronic device as claimed in claim 21, wherein said illumination elements comprise organic light emitting diodes.

23. The mobile electronic device as claimed in claim 21, wherein said dimming component comprises a circuit for generating a variable voltage signal and said organic light emitting diodes being responsive to said variable voltage signal for decreasing or increasing their respective brightness levels.