LUMINESCENCE SHOCK AVOIDANCE IN DISPLAY DEVICES

• US 20120068981A1
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kai Achim Pantfoerder
• Original Assignee: Kai Achim Pantfoerder
• Inventors: PANTFOERDER, Kai Achim
• Granted Patent: US 8,405,688 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/207
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0633 by amplitude modulation of the brightness of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0653 Controlling or limiting the speed of brightness adjustment of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• 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 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

A luminescence shock avoidance algorithm is disclosed to selectively limit the brightness level of a display device when the display device is activated in a dark environment to prevent the temporary vision impairment that can occur when a display device is activated in a dark environment. The algorithm receives the state of the display (e.g. on or in standby mode), and can optionally receive an ambient lighting value from an ambient light sensor and a user-selectable manual brightness adjustment setting to determine whether luminescence shock avoidance should even be triggered, and if it is triggered, how much should the brightness level of the display be limited.

Claims

1. A method for avoiding luminescence shock in a display device when a previously dark display device is suddenly illuminated, comprising:

detecting a triggering activity in the display device;

adjusting a brightness of the display device from a dark state to a first brightness level, the first brightness level independent of an ambient light level; and

after a predetermined time interval has elapsed, changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to a second brightness level different from the first brightness level.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a current ambient light level at the display device when the triggering activity is detected;

adjusting the brightness of the display device from the dark state to the first brightness level when the current ambient light level is below a luminescence shock threshold; and

adjusting the brightness of the display device from the dark state to the second brightness level when the current ambient light level meets or exceeds the luminescence shock threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to the second brightness level comprises ramping up the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to the second brightness level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to the second brightness level comprises immediately changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to the second brightness level.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the first or second brightness levels using a display brightness control.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising program code for avoiding luminescence shock in a display device when a previously dark display device is suddenly illuminated, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

detecting a triggering activity in the display device;

adjusting a brightness of the display device from a dark state to a first brightness level, the first brightness level independent of an ambient light level; and

after a predetermined time interval has elapsed, changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to a second brightness level different from the first brightness level.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, the method further comprising:

detecting a current ambient light level at the display device when the triggering activity is detected;

adjusting the brightness of the display device from the dark state to the first brightness level when the current ambient light level is below a luminescence shock threshold; and

adjusting the brightness of the display device from the dark state to the second brightness level when the current ambient light level meets or exceeds the luminescence shock threshold.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to the second brightness level comprises ramping up the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to the second brightness level.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to the second brightness level comprises immediately changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to the second brightness level.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, further comprising adjusting the first or second brightness levels using a display brightness control.

11. A system for avoiding luminescence shock in a display device when a previously dark display device is suddenly illuminated, comprising:

a display device; and

a processor coupled to the display device and programmed for

detecting a triggering activity in the display device;

adjusting a brightness of the display device from a dark state to a first brightness level, the first brightness level independent of an ambient light level; and

after a predetermined time interval has elapsed, changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to a second brightness level different from the first brightness level.

12. The system of claim 11, the processor further programmed for:

detecting a current ambient light level at the display device when the triggering activity is detected;

adjusting the brightness of the display device from the dark state to the first brightness level when the current ambient light level is below a luminescence shock threshold; and

adjusting the brightness of the display device from the dark state to the second brightness level when the current ambient light level meets or exceeds the luminescence shock threshold.

13. The system of claim 11, the processor further programmed for changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to the second brightness level by ramping up the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to the second brightness level.

14. The system of claim 11, the processor further programmed for changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to the second brightness level by immediately changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to the second brightness level.

15. The system of claim 11, the processor further programmed for adjusting the first or second brightness levels using a display brightness control.

16. The system of claim 11, the system incorporated into a computing device.

17. A computing device, comprising:

a display device; and

a processor coupled to the display device and programmed for,

detecting a triggering activity in the display device;

adjusting a brightness of the display device from a dark state to a first brightness level, the first brightness level independent of an ambient light level; and

after a predetermined time interval has elapsed, changing the brightness of the display device from the first brightness level to a second brightness level different from the first brightness level