Method and Apparatus for Automatic Brightness Adjustment on a Display of a Mobile Electronic Device

• US 20090278828A1
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: FLETCHER, Bergen, BOS, Jeff, KREEK, Conrad A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,610,659 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3271 Power saving in keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/064 by time modulation of the brightness of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• 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 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A system and method is provided for use in a mobile electronic device for adjusting brightness of a display on the mobile electronic device. The method comprises collecting a plurality of light sensor samples using an ambient light sensor of the mobile electronic device; calculating a representative value of the plurality of light sensor samples; comparing the representative value to at least one brightness threshold value; determining if a predetermined application is active on the mobile electronic device; determining whether to adjust the brightness of the display based on the comparison and based on whether predetermined application is active on the device; and adjusting the brightness of the display.

Claims

1. A method for use in a mobile electronic device for adjusting brightness of a display on the mobile electronic device, the method comprising:

collecting a plurality of light sensor samples using an ambient light sensor of the mobile electronic device;

calculating a representative value of the plurality of light sensor samples;

comparing the representative value to at least one brightness threshold value;

determining if a predetermined application is active on the mobile electronic device;

determining whether to adjust the brightness of the display based on the comparison and based on whether predetermined application is active on the device; and

adjusting the brightness of the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined application is a multi-media application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display of which the brightness is adjusted is at least one of a light-emitting screen display and a keypad backlight.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the brightness of the display is performed if it was determined that the brightness was to be adjusted based on the comparison and based on whether predetermined application is active on the device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the plurality of light sensor samples further comprises collecting the plurality of light sensor samples for a moving interval of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the representative value comprises sorting the plurality of light sensor samples and selecting the median value as the representative value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the representative value comprises taking an average of the plurality of light sensor samples and making the average the representative value.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining whether to adjust the brightness of the display based on the comparison and based on whether the predetermined application is active on the device includes, when the predetermined application is active, overriding any determination based on the representative value and the at least one brightness threshold value and adjusting the brightness based on the predetermined application.

9. A wireless device comprising:

a processor for controlling operation of the wireless device;

an ambient light sensor providing a signal to the processor indicating an ambient light intensity surrounding the wireless device;

a keypad device coupled to the processor for accepting an input;

at least one display device coupled to the processor for communicating an output to the user;

a communications subsystem coupled to the processor for communicating with a communications network;

a memory coupled to the processor; and

a storage device coupled to the processor;

the wireless device including a brightness adjustment module resident in the memory for execution by the processor, the brightness adjustment module configured to;

collect a plurality of light sensor samples using the ambient light sensor;

calculate a representative value of the plurality of light sensor samples;

compare the representative value to at least one brightness threshold value;

determine if a predetermined application is active;

determine whether to adjust the brightness of at least one of the display device and the keypad device based on the comparison and based on whether the predetermined application is active; and

adjust the brightness of the display.

10. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the predetermined application is a multimedia application.

11. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein adjusting the brightness of the display is performed if it was determined that the brightness was to be adjusted based on the comparison and based on whether predetermined application is active on the device.

12. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein collecting the plurality of light sensor samples comprises collecting the plurality of light sensor samples for a moving interval of time.

13. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein calculating the representative value comprises sorting the plurality of light sensor samples and selecting the median value as the representative value.

14. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein calculating the representative value comprises taking an average of the plurality of light sensor samples and making the average the representative value.

15. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the determining whether to adjust the brightness of the display based on the comparison and based on whether predetermined application is active on the device includes, when the predetermined application is active, overriding any determination based on the representative value and the at least one brightness threshold value and adjusting the brightness based on the predetermined application.

16. A method for automatically adjusting at least one of display screen brightness and keypad brightness on a wireless device having a processor connected to an ambient light sensor, display screen, and keypad, the method comprising:

collecting a plurality of light sensor samples using the ambient light sensor;

calculating a representative value of the plurality of light sensor samples;

comparing the representative value to a plurality of brightness threshold values;

determining whether to adjust at least one of the display screen brightness and the keypad brightness based on the comparison; and

adjusting at least one of the display screen brightness and the keypad brightness;

wherein the brightness threshold values include;

an upper limit for a VERY DIM mode where the display screen brightness is set for a very low lighting environment;

a lower limit and an upper limit for a DIM mode where the display screen brightness is set for a low lighting environment and the display screen brightness is set to a brightness that is higher than the VERY DIM mode;

a lower limit and an upper limit for an OFFICE mode where the display screen brightness is set to a brightness that is higher than the DIM mode; and

a lower limit for a BRIGHT mode where the display screen brightness is set to full brightness.

17. The method of claim 16, the brightness threshold values further comprise:

an upper limit for a KEYPAD DIM mode where the keypad brightness is set for a very low lighting environment;

a lower limit and upper limit for a KEYPAD NORMAL mode where the keypad brightness is set for a low lighting environment and the keypad brightness is higher than the KEYPAD DIM mode; and

a lower limit for a KEYPAD OFF mode where the keypad brightness is turned off as ambient light is sufficient for the keypad to operate in a reflective mode.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the limits incorporate hysteresis, the upper limit for the VERY DIM mode being higher than the lower limit for the DIM mode, the upper limit for the DIM mode being higher than the lower limit for the OFFICE mode, and the upper limit for the OFFICE mode being higher than the lower limit for the BRIGHT mode.