White-based power savings

• US 7,760,210 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Honeywood Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Plut, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stone, Robert M
• Application Number:
  US11/121,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20060250525A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,903 Days
• Field of Search: 345 82- 83, 345/204, 345/211, 345/76, 345/77, 345/690, 715/867
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Described herein are power conservation techniques that reduce power consumption for an electronics device including a display. The techniques divide video information for display into white and non-white video information. The white video information is altered such that the alteration decreases the amount of power required to display the white video information. The altered white video information and non-white video information are then visually output together. White-based power conservation as described herein may be performed while a person uses the electronics device, which reduces power consumption continually during usage.

Claims

1. A method for reducing power consumed by an electronics device that includes a display device, the method comprising:

identifying white video information included in video information for display on the display device by applying a predetermined white threshold to all video information in the display, wherein the video information is represented according to an RGB scheme and the predetermined white threshold comprises a red threshold, a green threshold, and a blue threshold, and wherein the white video information is characterized by a red value greater than the red threshold, a blue value greater than the blue threshold and a green value greater than the green threshold;

altering the white video information, to create altered white video information characterized by an altered red value that is less than the red value, an altered green value that is less than the green value and an altered blue value, and wherein the altered red value and the altered green value are both less than the altered blue value, such that the display device will consume less power when displaying the altered white video information than an amount of power that would be required to display the white video information without the alteration; and

displaying the altered white video information with non-white video information included in the video information for display that was not identified as the white video information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the altered blue value is greater than the blue value in the white video information before the alteration.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the white threshold corresponds to a shade of white.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the red threshold, the blue threshold, and the green threshold are different.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the white video information is represented according to an HSL scheme and the white threshold comprises a luminance threshold.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein altering the white video information comprises replacing the white video information with a replacement white.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the replacement white includes a predetermined shade of white.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the altered red value, the altered blue value, and the altered green value are different.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the video information is represented according to an RGB scheme and altering the white video information comprises reducing one of a red value, a green value and a blue value for the white video information.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the white video information is included in one of:

a word processing program, a background, a drawing program and a file navigation menu.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the display device is an OLED device.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the display device is included in one of a laptop computer, a handheld computer, a portable phone or a portable music player.

13. A method for reducing power consumed by an electronics device that includes a display device, the method comprising:

identifying white video information included in video information for display on the display device by applying a predetermined white threshold to all video information in the display, wherein the video information is represented according to an RGB scheme and the predetermined white threshold comprises a red threshold of 220, a green threshold of 220, and a blue threshold of 230, and wherein the white video information is characterized by a red value greater than the red threshold, a blue value greater than the blue threshold and a green value greater than the green threshold;

altering the white video information, to create altered white video information characterized by an altered red value that is less than the red value, an altered green value that is less than the green value and an altered blue value, and wherein the altered red value and the altered green value are both less than the altered blue value, such that the display device will consume less power when displaying the altered white video information than an amount of power that would be required to display the white video information without the alteration,

wherein the altered blue value is greater than the blue value in the white video information before the alteration; and

simultaneously displaying the altered white video information with non-white video information included in the video information for display that was not identified as the white video information.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the altering the white video information comprises replacing the white video information with a replacement white.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium including executable instructions for reducing power consumed by an electronics device that includes a display device, the computer-readable medium comprising:

instructions for identifying white video information included in video information for display on the display device by applying a predetermined white threshold to all video information in the display, wherein the video information is represented according to an RGB scheme and the predetermined white threshold comprises a red threshold, a green threshold, and a blue threshold, and wherein the white video information is characterized by a red value greater than the red threshold, a blue value greater than the blue threshold and a green value greater than the green threshold;

instructions for altering the white video information, to create altered white video information characterized by an altered red value that is less than the red value, an altered green value that is less than the green value and an altered blue value, and wherein the altered red value and the altered green value are both less than the altered blue value, such that the display device will consume less power when displaying the altered white video information than an amount of power that would be required to display the white video information without the alteration; and

instructions for displaying the altered white video information with non-white video information included in the video information for display that was not identified as the white video information.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15 further comprising executable instructions for specifying that the altered blue value is greater than the blue value in the white video information before the alteration.