POWER MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH DISPLAY

• US 20110246801A1
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Locker, Howard, Springfield, Randall Scott, Seethaler, Kenneth Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,996,901 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display 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 2340/0435 Change or adaptation of the frame rate of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/14 Electronic books and readers
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

An electronic device, such as an e-book, for displaying information includes a power source; a display having a high power mode and a low power mode, said display being powered by said power source; and a power control arrangement for switching the display to a low power mode when no changes to selected regions of the display are required for at least a predetermined time. The power control arrangement switches said display from said low power mode to said high power mode when changes of said display are required in display portions other than said selected portions. A method for operating the electronic device. A computer readable medium having computer readable instructions thereon for implementing the method.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a power source;

a display having a high power mode and a low power mode, said display being powered by said power source; and

a power controller which switches the device to a low power mode in response to no changes being indicated for one or more first selected regions of the display for at least a predetermined time, wherein the area of said one or more first selected regions is less than the area of the display.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said power controller switches said display from said low power mode to said high power mode in response to changes to said display being indicated in display portions other than said one or more first selected regions.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein in said low power mode, said display is static, and is not refreshed.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein said predetermined time is between fractions of a second and sixty seconds.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, having a region selection mode, wherein one or more second regions of said display are selected so that changes in said second regions do not change the mode of said display from a low power mode to a high power mode.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the one or more of said second regions that are selected is a region for the display of a specific icon.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein said icon is selected from the group consisting of a clock icon and a status icon.

8. The electronic device of claim 5, further having a monitoring mode wherein changes in said second selected regions of said display do not switch the display from a low power mode to a high power mode.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein change in regions of said display other than said second selected regions of said display switch the display from a low power mode to a high power mode.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, configured as an electronic book.

11. A method comprising:

providing an electronic device including a display having a high power mode and a low power mode;

wherein a switching of said device to a low power mode occurs when no changes to one or more first selected regions of the display are indicated for at least a predetermined time, wherein the area of said one or more first selected regions is less than the area of the display.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising switching said display from said low power mode to said high power mode when changes of said display are indicated in display portions other than said one or more first selected regions.

13. The method claim 12, wherein in said low power mode, said display is static, and is not refreshed.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said predetermined time is between a fraction of a second and sixty seconds.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising placing said device in a region selection mode wherein second regions of said display are selected so that changes in said second regions do not change the mode of said display from a low power mode to a high power mode.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a region of said second regions that are selected is a region for the display of a specific icon.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said icon is selected from the group of a clock icon and a status icon.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising placing said device in a monitoring mode wherein changes in said second selected regions of said display do not switch the display from a low power mode to a high power mode.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein change in regions of said display other than said second selected regions of said display switch the display from a low power mode to a high power mode.

20. An electronic device comprising:

a power source;

a display memory;

a display for displaying contents of said display memory, said display defaulting to a low power mode during ordinary use, and having a high power mode, said display being powered by said power source; and

a power controller which switches the device to a high power mode in response to changes being indicated in said display memory.

21. A computer storage medium having computer readable code stored thereon for execution by an electronic device including a display having a high power mode and a low power mode, so as to switch the display to a low power mode when no changes to one or more selected regions of the display are indicated for at least a predetermined time.