ELECTRONIC DEVICE HAVING DISPLAY DEVICE FOR SYNC BRIGHTNESS CONTROL AND OPERATING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20150009122A1
• Filed: 01/05/2014
• Published: 01/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Inventors: CHOU, Sheng-Jung, TSENG, Sheng-Kai
• Granted Patent: US 9,990,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

An electronic device having a display device for sync brightness control includes a brightness key, an embedded controller, a storage unit, a processing unit, a peripheral controlling circuit and BIOS. The storage unit stores an operating system and a brightness application. The processing unit executes the brightness control application in the operating system. The peripheral controlling circuit receives a request from the brightness key. The BIOS acquires the request from the peripheral controlling circuit and send an event to notify a brightness user interface of the operating system, so that the brightness user interface notifies a driver in the operating system and sends a brightness adjusting command to the brightness control application according to the event. The brightness control application notifies the embedded controller to adjust the brightness of the display device according to the brightness adjusting command.

Claims

1. An electronic device having a display device for synchronized brightness control, the electronic device comprising:

an embedded controller, electrically connected to the display device;

a storage unit, configured to store an operating system and a brightness control application;

a processing unit, electrically connected to the storage unit and configured to execute the brightness control application in the operating system;

a peripheral controlling circuit, electrically connected to the embedded controller;

an external brightness key, electrically connected to the embedded controller and the peripheral controlling circuit, wherein the peripheral controlling circuit is configured to receive a request from the external brightness key;

a basic input/output system, electrically connected to the peripheral controlling circuit and the processing unit, and configured to acquire the request from the peripheral controlling circuit, and send an event to notify a brightness user interface of the operating system, so that the brightness user interface notifies a driver in the operating system and sends a brightness adjusting command to the brightness control application according to the event, and the brightness control application notifies the embedded controller according to the brightness adjusting command to adjust the brightness of the display device.

2. The electronic device according to the claim 1, wherein after the external brightness key is triggered, the external brightness key sends the request to the embedded controller, and the embedded controller notifies the basic input/output system of the request via the peripheral controlling circuit.

3. The electronic device according to the claim 1, wherein the peripheral controlling circuit is a south bridge circuit, the south bridge circuit having a serial communication interface configured to receive the request.

4. The electronic device according to the claim 1, wherein the embedded controller has a low pin count bus configured to receive the notification brightness control application.

5. The electronic device according to the claim 1, wherein the embedded controller sends a pulse width modulated signal to the display device to adjust the brightness of the display device.

6. The electronic device according to the claim 1, wherein the operating system is a Microsoft operating system.

7. The electronic device according to the claim 1, wherein the display device is a flat display panel.

8. An operating method of an electronic device having a display device for synchronized brightness control, the operating method comprising:

(a) executing a brightness control application in an operating system;

(b) receiving a request from an external brightness key via a peripheral controlling circuit; and

(c) using a basic input/output system to acquire the request from the peripheral controlling circuit, and send an event to notify a brightness user interface of the operating system, so that the brightness user interface notifies a driver in the operating system and sends a brightness adjusting command to the brightness control application according to the event, and the brightness control application notifies an embedded controller according to the brightness adjusting command to adjust the brightness of the display device.

9. The operating method according to the claim 8, wherein the step (b) comprises:

sending the request to the embedded controller after the external brightness key is triggered; and

notifying the basic input/output system of the request via the peripheral controlling circuit, when the embedded controller.

10. The operating method according to the claim 9, wherein the peripheral controlling circuit is a south bridge circuit, and the step (b) comprises:

receiving the request via a serial communication interface of the south bridge circuit.

11. The operating method according to the claim 10, wherein the embedded controller has a low pin count bus, and the step (c) comprises:

receiving the notification of the brightness control application via the low pin count bus.

12. The operating method according to the claim 11, wherein the step (c) comprises:

sending a pulse width modulated signal to the display device via the embedded controller to adjust the brightness of the display device.

13. The operating method according to the claim 8, wherein the operating system is a Microsoft operating system.

14. The operating method according to the claim 8, wherein the peripheral controlling circuit is a south bridge circuit, and the step (b) comprises:

receiving the request via a serial communication interface of the south bridge circuit.

15. The operating method according to the claim 14, wherein the embedded controller having a low pin count bus, the step (c) comprising:

receiving the notification of the brightness control application via the low pin count bus.

16. The operating method according to the claim 15, wherein the step (c) comprises:

sending a pulse width modulated signal to the display device via the embedded controller to adjust the brightness of the display device.

17. The operating method according to the claim 8, wherein the embedded controller having a low pin count bus, the step (c) comprising:

receiving the notification of the brightness control application via the low pin count bus.

18. The operating method according to the claim 17, wherein the step (c) comprising:

sending a pulse width modulated signal to the display device via the embedded controller to adjust the brightness of the display device.

19. The operating method according to the claim 8, wherein the step (c) comprising:

sending a pulse width modulated signal to the display device via the embedded controller to adjust the brightness of the display device.