IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING SAME

• US 20160239062A1
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Published: 08/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Soogi
• Granted Patent: US 9,836,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/02 Details of power systems and of start or stop of display operation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0414 Vertical resolution change
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0421 Horizontal resolution change
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0428 Gradation resolution change
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/342 using several illumination sources separately controlled corresponding to different display panel areas, e.g. along one dimension such as lines
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/373 for modifying the size of the graphic pattern
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 : Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 : Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 : for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 : Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/57 : Control of contrast or brightness
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/63 : Generation or supply of power specially adapted for television receivers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an image display apparatus including a battery and a method for controlling the same, and the image display apparatus, which receives an input signal for channel selection from an external input device, comprising: an antenna; a tuner for selecting a broadcast signal corresponding to a specific channel, among signals received through the antenna, on the basis of the input signal and converting the selected broadcast signal into an image signal; a display unit for outputting an image associated with the specific channel by using the converted image signal; a power supply unit which includes a battery, charges the battery while electric energy from the outside is received and supplies power to the display unit using the electric energy received from the outside; a power failure detection unit for detecting whether power failure corresponding to a cut off of the electric energy supplied from the outside occurs; and a control unit for supplying power to the display unit using the battery when the power failure detection unit detects power failure and controlling brightness of at least one area of the display unit on the basis of residual capacity of the battery.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus receiving an input signal for selecting a channel from an external input device, the apparatus comprising:

a tuner capable of selecting a broadcast signal corresponding to a specific channel based on the input signal, and switching the selected broadcast signal into an image signal;

a display unit capable of outputting an image associated with the specific channel using the switched image signal;

a power supply unit provided with a battery, and capable of charging the battery while electric energy is received from the exterior, the power supply unit supplying power to the display unit using the externally-received electric energy;

a power failure sensing unit capable of sensing whether or not power failure that the externally-supplied electric energy is cut off occurs; and

a controller capable of supplying power to the display unit using the battery when power failure is sensed by the power failure sensing unit, and adjusting brightness of at least one area of the display unit based on a residual capacity of the battery.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller resets the at least one area of the display unit according to a user input that is input to the external input device to re-adjust brightness of the display unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller adjusts brightness of at least one area of an entire area of a backlight that emits light to the display unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one area for which the brightness is adjusted of the entire area of the backlight is differently set according to the residual capacity of the battery.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller, when power failure is sensed, scales down an image output on the display unit at a predetermined ratio, and outputs the scaled-down image on a partial area of the display unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein a lamp, emitting light toward an area, on which the scaled-down image is not output on the display unit, among a plurality of backlight lamps emitting light toward the display unit, is turned off.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the predetermined ratio is differently set based on a user input.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller, when power failure is sensed, selectively executes one of a general mode, and a power-saving mode of using power of the battery in a saving manner based on the residual capacity of the battery.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller, when power failure is sensed, outputs power failure information notifying the occurrence of the power failure on the at least one area of the display unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the power failure information includes at least one of a residual capacity of the battery, a time for which an image is outputtable on the display unit with the residual capacity of the battery, contact information regarding an organization associated with power failure, and an instruction for action upon an occurrence of power failure.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a signal input/output unit capable of transmitting a message notifying the occurrence of the power failure to a power failure management server when the power failure is sensed by the power failure sensing unit.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller outputs an estimated time, within which the power failure is expected to be recovered, on at least one area of the display unit when the predicted time is received from the power failure management server.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller calculates brightness of the at least one area of the display unit for outputting an image until the estimated time on the basis of the residual capacity of the battery, and adjusts brightness to the calculated brightness.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller, when power failure is sensed, searches for an external device and transmits a control command to the searched external device to activate a display unit provided on the searched external device, the external device being located within a predetermined distance and thus capable of performing wireless communication.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller, when power failure is sensed, switches a channel of an image output on the display unit into a predetermined channel on which information related to the power failure is viewable.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power failure sensing unit senses that power failure has occurred, when an inverter signal and a reference clock signal (Gclk) generated in the power supply unit are simultaneously switched into a low level.

17. A method for controlling an image display apparatus receiving an input signal for selecting a channel from an external input device, the method comprising:

selecting a broadcast signal corresponding to a specific channel, on the basis of the input signal, and outputting an image associated with the specific channel on the display unit using the selected broadcast signal;

charging a battery while externally-supplied electric energy is received, and supplying power to the display unit using the externally-supplied electric energy;

supplying power to the display unit using the battery when power failure occurs during the output of the image; and

adjusting brightness of at least one area of the display unit based on a residual capacity of the battery.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the adjusting brightness of at least one area of the display unit is configured to adjust brightness of at least one area of an entire area of a backlight that emits light to the display unit.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising searching for an external device located within a predetermined distance and capable of performing wireless communication, when power failure occurs, and transmitting a control command to the searched external device to activate a display unit provided on the searched external device.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising outputting power failure information notifying the occurrence of the power failure on the at least one area of the display unit.