METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING SCREEN BRIGHTNESS CORRESPONDING TO VARIATION OF ILLUMINATION

• US 20140092119A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: JUNG, Hansub, KIM, Kyoungmo, PARK, Wansang, KANG, Dongwook, JANG, Seongji
• Granted Patent: US 9,424,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0653 Controlling or limiting the speed of brightness adjustment of the illumination source
• 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: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

A method of controlling a screen brightness in a user device includes determining an illumination when a display unit is turned on, determining an optimal brightness according to the illumination and displaying according to the optimal brightness during an illumination change, determining an illumination when the current optimal brightness reaches a threshold, and determining an optimal brightness in the determined illumination and controlling a screen display according to the optimal brightness.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a screen brightness in a user device, the method comprising:

determining a first illumination when a display unit is turned on;

determining an optimal brightness according to the first illumination with reference to predefined brightness profiles for respective illuminations, and controlling a screen display according to the optimal brightness;

maintaining the optimal brightness when an illumination change is detected while a screen is displayed according to the optimal brightness;

determining a second illumination when the current optimal brightness reaches a threshold of the brightness profile according to the illumination change; and

determining an optimal brightness in the second illumination and controlling a screen display according to the optimal brightness.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the brightness profiles for the respective illuminations include a minimum brightness, an optimal brightness, and a maximum brightness.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second illumination comprises:

detecting an illumination at which the optimal brightness becomes less than or equal to the minimum brightness profile while maintaining the optimal brightness when the illumination increases while the screen is displayed according to the optimal brightness,

wherein the screen brightness corresponding to the optimal brightness profile in the detected illumination is determined as the optimal brightness according to the illumination change.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the second illumination comprises:

detecting an illumination at which the optimal brightness becomes greater than the maximum brightness profile while maintaining the optimal brightness when the illumination decreases while the screen is displayed according to the optimal brightness,

wherein the screen brightness corresponding to the optimal brightness profile at the detected illumination is determined as the optimal brightness according to the illumination change.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein maintaining the optimal brightness comprises:

analyzing whether the illumination change corresponds to a noise-type illumination change when the illumination change is detected.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the noise-type illumination change includes an illumination change that is generated as an illumination sensor is covered when a user uses the user device, and an illumination change that is generated as an angle between the user device and a light source is changed.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein maintaining the optimal brightness comprises:

maintaining the current screen brightness if the illumination change corresponds to the noise-type illumination change; and

controlling the screen brightness with reference to the optimal brightness according to the illumination when the optimal brightness reaches a threshold of the brightness profile for each illumination as the illumination is changed while the current screen brightness is maintained.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the noise-type illumination change further comprises sensing a criterion state of sensing the illumination change according to a change-sensing sensitivity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the brightness profiles for the respective illuminations include a minimum brightness, a dark adaptation optimal brightness, an optimal brightness, a light adaptation optimal brightness, and a maximum brightness.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the illumination comprises:

detecting an illumination at which the optimal brightness becomes less than or equal to the minimum brightness profile while maintaining the optimal brightness when the illumination increases according to light adaptation while the screen is displayed according to the optimal brightness,

wherein the screen brightness corresponding to the light adaptation optimal brightness profile at the detected illumination is determined as the optimal brightness according to the illumination change.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the illumination comprises:

detecting an illumination at which the optimal brightness increases to be greater than or equal to the maximum brightness profile while maintaining the optimal brightness when the illumination decreases according to dark adaptation while the screen is displayed according to the optimal brightness,

wherein the screen brightness corresponding to the dark adaptation optimal brightness profile at the detected illumination is determined as the optimal brightness according to the illumination change.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the optimal brightness of the light adaptation optimal brightness profile is less than the optimal brightness at the optimal brightness profile at a same illumination when the illumination increases, and the optimal brightness of the dark adaptation optimal brightness profile at the same illumination is greater than the optimal brightness of the optimal brightness profile if the illumination decreases.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the illumination value measured by the illumination sensor in the light adaptation is reflected in the screen in a shorter time than in the dark adaptation, and the illumination value measured by the illumination sensor in the dark adaptation is reflected in the screen in a longer time than in the light adaptation, so as to secure sufficient dark adaptation time.

14. A method of controlling screen brightness in a user device, the method comprising:

determining an illumination when a screen is turned on, and determining a first optimal brightness according to the illumination;

controlling a screen display according to the determined first optimal brightness;

detecting an illumination change during the screen display;

determining whether the illumination change corresponds to a noise-type illumination change;

performing an exceptional process for the noise-type illumination change if the illumination change corresponds to the noise-type illumination change;

determining whether an adaptation mode that considers characteristics of a user'"'"'s vision angle is set after performing the exceptional process for the noise-type illumination change, or when the illumination change does not correspond to the noise-type illumination change;

determining a second optimal brightness according to the illumination change based on the optimal brightness profile of the brightness profiles for respective illuminations if the adaptation mode has not been set;

determining the adaptation optimal brightness according to the illumination change based on the adaptation optimal brightness profile of the brightness profiles for respective illuminations if the adaptation mode has been set; and

controlling the screen display according to the determined second optimal brightness.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the optimal brightness for each illumination is determined with reference to the brightness profiles for respective illuminations according to a minimum brightness, an optimal brightness, and a maximum brightness when the adaptation mode has not been set, and

the optimal brightness for each illumination in consideration of characteristics of a user'"'"'s vision angle is determined with reference to the brightness profiles for respective illuminations according to a minimum brightness, a dark adaptation optimal brightness, an optimal brightness, a light adaptation optimal brightness, and a maximum brightness when the adaptation mode has been set.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the noise-type illumination change further comprises sensing a criterion state of sensing the illumination change according to a change-sensing sensitivity.

17. A user device, comprising:

an illumination sensor configured to measure an illumination surrounding the user device;

a display unit configured to display a screen corresponding to a screen brightness determined according to the surrounding illumination;

a storage unit configured to store brightness profiles for respective illuminations; and

a controller configured to control a screen display by determining an optimal brightness at a first illumination when the display unit is turned on with reference to the brightness profiles for respective illuminations, and to control a screen display by determining an optimal brightness at a second illumination when a current optimal brightness reaches a threshold of the brightness profiles for respective illuminations while maintaining the current optimal brightness when an illumination change is detected while the screen is displayed.

18. The user device of claim 17, wherein the brightness profiles for the respective illuminations include a minimum brightness, a dark adaptation optimal brightness, an optimal brightness, a light adaptation optimal brightness, and a maximum brightness.

19. The user device of claim 17, wherein the controller:

analyzes whether the illumination change is a noise-type illumination change when the illumination change is detected, and maintains the current screen brightness if the screen brightness is a noise-type illumination change; and

determines the optimal brightness at the second illumination when the current optimal brightness reaches the threshold of the brightness profiles for respective illuminations while maintaining the current screen brightness.

20. The user device of claim 19, wherein the controller senses the noise-type illumination change according to a change-sensing sensitivity, which defines a criterion state of sensing the illumination change.

21. The user device of claim 17, wherein the controller determines the optimal brightness according to the illumination change based on the optimal brightness profile of brightness profiles for respective illuminations in an adaptation mode non-setting state, and determines the optimal brightness according to the illumination change based on the adaptation optimal brightness profile of the brightness profiles for respective illuminations in the adaptation mode setting state.

22. The user device of claim 21, wherein in the light adaptation, the controller reflects the illumination value measured by the illumination sensor in the screen in a shorter time compared to the dark adaptation, and in the dark adaptation, reflects the illumination value measured by the illumination sensor in the screen in a longer time compared to the light adaptation, so as to secure a sufficient dark adaptation time.

23. A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a method of controlling a screen brightness in a user device, the method comprising:

determining a first illumination when a display unit is turned on;

determining an optimal brightness according to the first illumination with reference to predefined brightness profiles for respective illuminations, and controlling a screen display according to the optimal brightness;

maintaining the optimal brightness when an illumination change is detected while a screen is displayed according to the optimal brightness;

determining a second illumination when the current optimal brightness reaches a threshold of the brightness profile according to the illumination change; and

determining an optimal brightness in the second illumination and controlling a screen display according to the optimal brightness.