Method and apparatus to reduce power consumption of a computer system display screen

• US 7,036,025 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2002
• Issued: 04/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Hunter, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): ELAMIN, ABDELMONIEM I
• Application Number:
  US10/071,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20030146897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 713/324, 713/323, 713/300, 700/12, 700/13, 700/14, 700/15, 345/590
• US Class Current: 713/300
• 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 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/22 using controlled light sources
• 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 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a computer system may determine focus areas and non-focus areas of the display screen. The brightness of non-focus areas may then be reduced with respect to focus areas, thereby reducing power consumption of the display screen and, hence, reducing power consumption of the computer system. For example, a focus area may be an active window of the display screen and a non-focus area may be an inactive window of the display screen. As another example, a focus area may be a region of the display screen within a vicinity of a cursor (i.e. data entry point), and a non-focus area may be the region outside this vicinity. The size of the vicinity may be measured in radius or in lines of data (e.g. in a word processing or spreadsheet program) surrounding the cursor. The size and shape of the vicinity may be determined by a user.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a display screen; and

a camera coupled to the display screen and configured as a cursor control device to select one or more portions of the display screen to be brighter than remaining portions of the display screen in accordance with a display power management protocol, wherein an image of a user'"'"'s face captured by the camera is to be analyzed to determine position of a cursor.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the display screen includes a plurality of backlights.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the backlights are to be independently controlled in accordance with the protocol.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the display screen includes a plurality of light emitting pixels.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the light emitting pixels are to be independently controlled in accordance with the protocol.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more portions of the display screen selected by the cursor control device is to be brighter than the remaining portions by an amount to be defined according to a user preference.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the cursor control device controls position of a pointer or of the cursor.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the one or more portions is to include at least a portion of an active window, and the remaining portions are to include at least a portion of an inactive window.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the one or more portions is to be within an active window within a vicinity of the cursor, and the remaining portions are to be within the active window beyond the vicinity of the cursor.

10. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising a storage device storing focus detection code to be executed by the computer system, the focus detection code to determine the one or more portion of the display screen using input from the camera.

11. A method, comprising:

providing a computer system with a display screen and a camera; and

enabling brightness of one or more portions of the display screen to be adjusted with respect to a remaining portion of the display screen image of a user'"'"'s face captured by the camera to determine a position of the display screen the user is looking and in accordance with a display power management protocol.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein enabling the brightness of the or more portions of the display screen to be adjusted comprises enabling the brightness to be decreased to reduce power consumed by the display screen.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein enabling the brightness of the one or more portions of the display screen to be adjusted comprises enabling the brightness to be increased if the or more portions are determined to be included in a focus area.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more portions are determined to be included in the focus area if the one or more portions include an active window.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more portions are determined to be included in the focus area if the one or more portions is within a vicinity of a cursor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more portions and the remaining portion are portions of a single window.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein enabling the brightness of the more portions of the display screen to be adjusted includes storing instructions in the computer system to adjust the brightness of the one or more portions of the display screen.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

an image capturing device to capture a first image a users face to determine a first focus area on a display screen, the first focus area corresponding to a location on the display screen the user is looking at a first time, wherein brightness of at least one portion of the display screen outside of the first focus area is reduced.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the image capturing device is to capture a second image of the user'"'"'s face to determine a second focus area on the display screen, the second focus area corresponding to a location on the display screen the user is looking at a second time.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the image capturing device is to analyze the first image or the second image to determine position of a cursor on the display screen.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the position of the cursor on the display screen corresponds to the first focus area or the second focus area.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the wherein the first focus area or the second focus area is within a vicinity of the position of the cursor on the display screen.