SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SWITCHING BETWEEN AN ELECTRONIC PAPER DISPLAY AND A VIDEO DISPLAY

• US 20110080417A1
• Filed: 10/01/2009
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lin, Gloria, Hodge, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,760,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/522
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/103 Detection of image changes, e.g. determination of an index representative of the image change
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/03 specially adapted for displays having non-planar surfaces, e.g. curved displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/344 based on particles moving in a fluid or in a gas, e.g. electrophoretic devices electrophoretic devices per se G02F1/167

Abstract

Systems and methods for switching between an electronic paper display and a video display are provided. Control circuitry in an electronic device can analyze visual content to determine one or more features of the visual content. For example, the control circuitry can analyze visual content to determine the rate of change and/or color composition of the visual content. Based on the one or more features, the control circuitry can selectively enable the device'"'"'s electronic paper display or the device'"'"'s video display.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

an electronic paper display electrically coupled with the processor; and

a video display electrically coupled with the processor and stacked with the electronic paper display, wherein the processor is operative to;

determine at least one feature of visual content; and

selectively enable at least one of the electronic paper display and the video display, based on the at least one determined feature, to display the visual content.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the electronic paper display is stacked over the video display.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the electronic paper display is operative to configure at least a portion of itself to be translucent if the video display is enabled.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the electronic paper display comprises:

a plurality of microcapsules;

an electrical conductor disposed between a first pair of the plurality of microcapsules, wherein the electrical conductor is operative to attract particles in the first pair of microcapsules to side walls of the first pair of microcapsules if the video display is enabled.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one feature of the visual content comprises a rate of change of the visual content; and

the processor is operative to;

selectively enable the electronic paper display to display the visual content if the rate of change is below a threshold; and

selectively enable the video display to display the visual content if the rate of change is above a threshold.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one feature of the visual content comprises a color composition of the visual content; and

the processor is operative to;

selectively enable the electronic paper display to display the visual content if the color composition is below a threshold; and

selectively enable the video display to display the visual content if the color composition is above a threshold.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the electronic paper display comprises a plurality of electronic paper display regions;

the video display comprises a plurality of video display regions, each of which is electrically coupled with the processor;

each of the video display regions is stacked with a respective one of the electronic paper display regions to form a plurality of composite display regions; and

the processor is operative to;

divide the visual content into a plurality of content segments, wherein each of the plurality of content segments corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of composite display regions;

determine at least one feature of a first segment of the plurality of content segments, the first segment corresponding to a first region of the plurality of composite display regions; and

selectively enable, based on the at least one determined feature, at least one of the first region'"'"'s electronic paper display region and the first region'"'"'s video display region.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of video display regions comprises a plurality of video display panels.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of electronic display regions is operative to configure itself to be translucent if the corresponding video display region is enabled

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one feature of the visual content comprises:

a rate of change of the visual content; and

a color composition of the visual content.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

an electronic paper display electrically coupled with the processor; and

a video display electrically coupled with the processor and stacked with the electronic paper display, wherein the processor is operative to;

distinguish dynamic visual content having a rate of change above a threshold from static visual content having a rate of change below a threshold;

selectively enable the electronic paper display to display the static visual content; and

selectively enable the video display to display the dynamic visual content.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein:

a first region of the electronic paper display overlaps a first region of the video display; and

the processor is further operative to configure the first region of the electronic paper display to be substantially translucent if the first region of the video display is enabled to display dynamic visual content.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the first region of the electronic paper display comprises:

a plurality of microcapsules;

an electrical conductor disposed between a first pair of the plurality of microcapsules, wherein the electrical conductor is operative to attract particles in the first pair of microcapsules to side walls of the first pair of microcapsules if the video display is enabled.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein:

the electronic paper display comprises a plurality of electronic paper display regions;

the video display comprises a plurality of video display regions, each of the video display regions being associated with an electronic paper display region; and

the processor is operative to;

divide visual content into a plurality of segments, each of the segments being associated with an electronic paper display region and a video display region;

for each of the plurality of segments, distinguish dynamic visual content having a rate of change above a threshold from static visual content having a rate of change below a threshold;

selectively enable at least one electronic paper display region to display static visual content associated with the at least electronic display region; and

selectively enable at least one video display region to display dynamic visual content associated with the video display region.

15. A method for switching between an electronic paper display and a video display, the method comprising:

determining at least one feature of visual content;

selectively enabling one of an electronic paper display and a video display, based on the determined feature, to display the visual content, wherein the electronic paper display is stacked over the video display.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

configuring at least a portion of the electronic paper display to be translucent if the video display is enabled.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one feature of the visual content comprises:

a rate of change of the visual content.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein selectively enabling one of an electronic paper display and a video display to display the visual content comprises:

transmitting a display signal to the electronic paper display if the rate of change is below a threshold; and

transmitting a display signal to the video display if the rate of change is above the threshold.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one feature of the visual content comprises a color composition of the visual content.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein selectively enabling one of an electronic paper display and a video display to display the visual content comprises:

transmitting a display signal to the electronic paper display if the color composition is below a threshold; and

transmitting a display signal to the video display if the color composition is above a threshold.

21. A method for switching between an electronic paper and a video display, the method comprising:

dividing visual content into a plurality of visual content segments, wherein each of the plurality of visual content segments corresponds to a region of a composite display;

determining at least one feature of a first visual content segment of the plurality of visual content segments, wherein the first visual content segment corresponds to a first region of the composite display;

in response to determining the at least one feature of the first visual content segment, selectively enabling one of an electronic paper display and a video display to display the first visual content segment;

determining at least one feature of a second visual content segment of the plurality of visual content segments, wherein the second visual content segment corresponds to a second region of the composite display; and

in response to determining the at least one feature of the second visual content segment, selectively enabling one of the electronic paper display and the video display to display the second visual content segment.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

in response to selectively enabling the video display, configuring at least a portion of the electronic paper display to be translucent.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein:

the at least one feature of the first visual content segment comprises;

a rate of change of the first visual content segment; and

a color composition of the first visual content segment; and

the at least one feature of the second visual content segment comprises;

a rate of change of the second visual content segment; and

a color composition of the second visual content segment.

24. A method for switching between an electronic paper display and a video display, the method comprising:

determining a rate of change of visual content;

in response to determining that the rate of change is above a first threshold, enabling a video display to display the visual content;

determining a color composition of the visual content;

in response to determining that the color composition of the visual content is above a second threshold, enabling the video display to display the visual content; and

in response to determining that the rate of change is below the first threshold and the color composition is below the second threshold, enabling an electronic paper display to display the visual content.

25. A computer readable medium for an electronic device, the computer readable medium comprising:

determining at least one feature of visual content;

selectively enabling one of an electronic paper display and a video display, based on the determined feature, to display the visual content; and

in response to enabling the video display, configuring at least a portion of the electronic paper display to be translucent.