METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A DISPLAY MODULE CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20190327817A1
• Filed: 04/18/2019
• Published: 10/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Aviation Systems Limited (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: GE Aviation Systems Limited (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Smith, Mark Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 10,834,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/11 by determining the brightness or colour temperature of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/18 via data-bus transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

A method and apparatus for operating a display module includes a backlight illuminator, an ambient light sensor configured to generate an output signal, and a backlight controller module operably coupled with the backlight illuminator, the ambient light sensor, and configured to determine the operational status signal of the ambient light sensor based on the output signal and operate backlight illuminator in accordance with the operational status signal.

Claims

1. A display module, comprising:

a backlight illuminator;

an ambient light sensor configured to generate an output signal;

a network interface; and

a backlight controller module operably coupled with the backlight illuminator, the ambient light sensor, and the network interface, and configured to communicate by way of the network interface and to determine an operational status signal of the ambient light sensor based on the output signal and operate backlight illuminator in accordance with the operational status signal, and, upon a determination that the operational status signal indicates the ambient light sensor has failed, operate the backlight illuminator in accordance with a replacement ambient light operational status signal receivable at the network interface.

2. The display module of claim 1 wherein the backlight controller module is further configured to, upon the determination that the operational status of the ambient light sensor is failed, select the replacement ambient light operational status signal from a set of replacement ambient light operational status signals receivable at the network interface.

3. The display module of claim 2, further comprising at least one of physical location data or orientation data, which is associated with the ambient light sensor and wherein the at least one of physical location data or orientation data is stored in memory of the backlight controller module.

4. The display module of claim 3 wherein the backlight controller module is further configured to select the replacement ambient light operational status signal from the set of replacement ambient light operational status signals based on at least one of physical location data or orientation data associated with the set of replacement ambient light operational status signals.

5. The display module of claim 3 wherein the backlight controller module is further configured to publish at least a subset of operational ambient light sensor data, physical location data, or orientation data, to the network interface.

6. A display control system, comprising:

a network bus;

a display module having a backlight illuminator, an ambient light sensor, and a backlight controller module; and

a controller module remote from the display module and configured to receive an ambient light status signal from the network bus and to supply a replacement ambient light status signal;

wherein the backlight controller module is configured to determine an operational status of the ambient light sensor, and to supply an ambient light status signal representative of an operational status of the ambient light sensor to the network bus and wherein the backlight controller module is configured to illuminate the backlight illuminator in accordance with the ambient light sensor, and, upon a determination that the operational status of the ambient light sensor is failed, the backlight controller module is configured to receive the replacement ambient light status signal from the remote controller module and illuminate the backlight illuminator in accordance with the received replacement ambient light status signal.

7. The display control system of claim 6 wherein the ambient light status signal further includes at least a subset of:

data sensed by the ambient light sensor, physical location data of the ambient light sensor, or orientation data of the ambient light sensor.

8. The display control system of claim 7 wherein the replacement ambient light status signal includes is a set of replacement ambient light status signals and, wherein the backlight controller module is further configured to select the replacement ambient light status signal from the set of replacement ambient light status signals.

9. The display control system of claim 8 wherein the remote controller module is configured to receive a signal from the display module indicative of the determination that the operational status of the ambient light sensor is failed, and to select the replacement ambient light status signal based on the most physically proximate ambient light sensor data, relative to the display module having the failed ambient light sensor, or the most similarly orientated ambient light sensor data, relative to the display module having the failed ambient light sensor.

10. A method of operating a display module, the method comprising:

determining, in a backlight controller module, one of a failed status or an operating status of an ambient light sensor of the display module;

upon determining the failed status, receiving a replacement ambient light operational status signal at a network interface operably coupled to the backlight controller module; and

illuminating, via the backlight controller module, a backlight illuminator of the display module in accordance with the received replacement ambient light operational status signal.

11. The method of claim 10, further upon determining the operating status, publishing, by the backlight controller module, the operating status of the ambient light sensor to a network by way of the network interface and illuminating the backlight illuminator in accordance with ambient light data generated by the ambient light sensor.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising accumulating, in a controller module remote from the display module and communicatively coupled with the network interface, a set of operational statuses from a set of ambient light sensors, and publishing, by the controller module, at least one replacement ambient light operational status signal to the network interface.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the accumulating the set of operational statuses from the set of ambient light sensors includes at least a subset of operational statuses from a set of ambient light sensors of other display modules and at least a subset of operational statuses from a set of ambient light sensors without display modules.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein publishing the at least one replacement ambient light operational status signal includes at least a portion of at least one of the accumulated set of operational statuses.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the accumulating the set of operational statuses includes accumulating at least one of physical location data or orientation data related to each of the set of ambient light sensors.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein publishing the at least one replacement ambient light operational status signal includes at least one of comparing a physical location of the display module having the failed ambient light sensor with a physical location of another ambient light sensor, or comparing the orientation of the display module having the failed ambient light sensor with an orientation of another ambient light sensor.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein publishing the at least one replacement ambient light operational status signal further comprises at least one of selecting for publishing the operational status of the most physically proximate another ambient light sensor, relative to the display module having the failed ambient light sensor, or selecting for publishing the operational status of the most similarly orientated another ambient light sensor, relative to the display module having the failed ambient light sensor.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein publishing the at least one replacement ambient light operational status signal includes combining at least a subset of the accumulated set of operational statuses.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising selecting, in the controller module the replacement ambient light status signal from a published set of replacement ambient light operational status signals.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising at least one of selecting the replacement ambient light operational status signal corresponding to the most physically proximate ambient light sensor, relative to the display module having the failed ambient light sensor, or selecting the replacement ambient light operational status signal corresponding to the most similarly orientated ambient light sensor, relative to the display module having the failed ambient light sensor.