Synchronized Ambient Light Sensor and Display

• US 20140132158A1
• Filed: 01/22/2013
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Land, Brian R., Drzaic, Paul S., Yao, Wei H., Holenarsipur, Prashanth S. S., Gilton, Terry
• Granted Patent: US 9,024,530 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/152
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0237 Switching ON and OFF the backlight within one frame
• 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 2360/141 the light conveying information used for selecting or modulating the light emitting or modulating element
• 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 3/3225 using an active matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/10 Controlling the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/13 comprising photosensors that control luminance

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided that has a display. The display may produce light using a backlight unit or using an array of light-emitting display pixels. An ambient light sensor may be mounted under an active area of the display to measure ambient light that is transmitted through the display. The display may be periodically disabled to prevent the display from producing light that interferes with the ambient light sensor. Display pixels may be coupled to a common cathode switch that can be periodically opened or the backlight in a display with a backlight can be periodically turned off. Control circuitry for periodically disabling the display while enabling the ambient light sensor may be implemented using a display driver integrated circuit mounted to a display.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

an ambient light sensor mounted under the display that receives ambient light through the display; and

control circuitry that periodically disables the display while enabling the ambient light sensor so that the ambient light sensor gathers ambient light sensor data without interference from light from the display.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is configured to periodically disable the display while enabling the ambient light sensor so that the ambient light sensor exhibits an active duty cycle of less than 20%.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the display includes an array of display pixels each of which has a light-emitting diode and wherein the control circuitry is configured to periodically disable the light-emitting diodes.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the light-emitting diodes are coupled to a common switch and wherein the switch is periodically closed to enable the light-emitting diodes and is periodically opened to disable the light-emitting diodes.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the light-emitting diodes are organic light-emitting diodes.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the control circuitry includes a display driver integrated circuit that periodically enables the ambient light sensor while producing display disable signals that open the switch to disable the light-emitting diodes.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display comprises a backlight unit and wherein the control circuitry is configured to provide a control signal that turns off the backlight unit while turning on the ambient light sensor.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry is configured to adjust display brightness for the display in response to data from the ambient light sensor.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a housing in which the display is mounted; and

a display cover layer, wherein the display cover layer has a clear central portion that covers an active area of the display, wherein the display cover layer has an opaque inactive border region with an opaque masking layer that surrounds the clear central portion, and wherein the ambient light sensor is mounted under the active area of the display.

11. Apparatus, comprising:

a display having an array of display pixels that each contain a light-emitting diode;

switching circuitry configured to provide power to the light-emitting diodes when closed and to interrupt power to the light-emitting diodes when open;

an ambient light sensor that measures ambient light that is transmitted through the array of display pixels; and

control circuitry that directs the switching circuitry to periodically interrupt power to the light-emitting diodes while using the ambient light sensor to measure the ambient light.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein the control circuitry includes a display driver integrated circuit that provides a periodic control signal to the switching circuitry to periodically interrupt the power to the light-emitting diodes.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 12 wherein the light emitting diodes comprise organic light-emitting diodes.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the periodic control signal periodically enables the ambient light sensor so that the ambient light sensor exhibits an active duty cycle of less than 20%.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a display mounted in the housing;

an ambient light sensor that is mounted under an active area of the display and that receives ambient light through the display; and

display driver circuitry that periodically directs the display not to produce light while directing the ambient light sensor to measure the ambient light received through the display.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the display driver circuitry comprises a display driver integrated circuit mounted on the display.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the display comprises an array of organic light-emitting diode display pixels.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the display driver circuitry is configured to alternately enable and disable the ambient light sensor so that the ambient light sensor exhibits an active duty cycle of less than 20%.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the display driver circuitry is attached to the display and wherein the ambient light sensor is mounted on a printed circuit.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19 further comprising a flexible printed circuit that couples the display driver circuitry on the display with the ambient light sensor on the printed circuit.