Apparatus and method for displaying picture in portable terminal

• US 8,026,925 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2007
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Dong-Seop, Lee, Kyung-Goo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sajous; Wesner
• Application Number:
  US11/935,238
• Publication Number:
  US 20080106553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 348/68, 348/655, 348759-761, 349 69- 70, 349/97, 349/41, 349/108, 349/16, 349 61- 63, 345/102, 345/207, 345/426, 345/428, 345/581, 345/589, 345/600, 345/619, 345/48, 345/690, 345/38, 345/63, 345/77, 315/312, 356/402, 250/205, 358/504, 358/509, 358/510, 358/516, 358/518, 358/520, 382/162, 382/167, 382/274, 382/312
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0613 The adjustment depending on the type of the information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0428 Gradation resolution change
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3607 for displaying colours or for displaying grey scales with a specific pixel layout, e.g. using sub-pixels display of colours in flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; grey scales specific for television H04N3/127
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607

Abstract

Provided is an apparatus and method for displaying a picture in a portable terminal. The method includes identifying a visibility color quality corresponding to the external brightness upon sensing of generation of a visibility control event, identifying external brightness, identifying a set color quality that is a color quality currently output to a display unit, comparing whether the visibility color quality is equal to the set color quality, and altering the set color quality into the visibility color quality when the comparison result is that the visibility color quality is not equal to the set color quality.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying a picture in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a display unit for displaying one of state information and an indicator generated during an operation of the portable terminal, a limited number of numerals and characters, moving pictures, and still pictures;

an illumination sensor for measuring an external brightness;

a visibility decider for identifying a visibility color quality that is a preset color quality corresponding to the external brightness measured by the illumination sensor; and

a controller for, upon sensing generation of a visibility control event, identifying, by the visibility decider, the visibility color quality corresponding to the external brightness measured by the illumination sensor, and controlling and altering a currently set color quality into the identified visibility color quality for an output to the display unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the visibility color quality identified by the visibility decider is preset by dividing the external brightness into a plurality of brightness levels and measuring a high-visibility color quality corresponding to each of the levels through experimentation.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the visibility color quality identified by the visibility decider decreases as the external brightness increases, and increases as the external brightness decreases.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the visibility color quality identified by the visibility decider can be set to eight colors for a picture displayed on the display unit and can be set to black and white, or monochrome for a menu for interfacing with a user when the external brightness is high.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when a variation of the external brightness is greater than a preset range, the controller senses the variation of the external brightness through the illumination sensor and senses the generation of the visibility control event.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the display unit to adjust a display brightness of the display unit to a preset brightness corresponding to the external brightness measured by the illumination sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller controls the display brightness of the display unit to a higher-than-normal brightness state as the external brightness measured by the illumination sensor increases, and controls the display brightness of the display unit to a lower-than-normal brightness state as the external brightness decreases.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit is a reflective Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) using only an external light source to output a picture.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit is a transflective LCD using both an external light source and a backlight source.

10. A method for displaying a picture in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

upon sensing a generation of a visibility control event, identifying an external brightness;

identifying a visibility color quality that is a preset color quality corresponding to the external brightness;

identifying a set color quality that is a color quality currently output to a display unit;

comparing whether the visibility color quality is equal to the set color quality; and

when the comparison result is that the visibility color quality is not equal to the set color quality, altering the set color quality into the visibility color quality.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the visibility color quality is preset by dividing the external brightness into a plurality of brightness levels and measuring a high-visibility color quality corresponding to each of the levels through experimentation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the visibility color quality decreases as the external brightness increases, and increases as the external brightness decreases.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the visibility color quality can be set to eight colors for a picture displayed on the display unit and can be set to black and white, or monochrome for a menu for interfacing with a user when the external brightness is high.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the sensing of the generation of the visibility control event comprises:

sensing a variation of the external brightness; and

when the variation of the external brightness is greater than a preset range, sensing the generation of the visibility control event.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

adjusting a display brightness of the display unit to a preset brightness corresponding to the external brightness.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the adjusting of the display brightness of the display unit comprises:

adjusting the display brightness of the display unit to a higher-than-normal state as the external brightness increases; and

adjusting the display brightness of the display unit to a lower-than-normal state as the external brightness decreases.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the display unit is a reflective LCD using only an external light source to output a picture.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the display unit is a transflective LCD using both an external light source and a backlight source to output a picture.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium for displaying a picture, comprising:

a first code for identifying an external brightness when sensing a generation of a visibility control event;

a second code for identifying a visibility color quality that is a preset color quality corresponding to the external brightness;

a third code for identifying a set color quality that is a color quality currently output to a display unit;

a fourth code for comparing whether the visibility color quality is equal to the set color quality; and

a fifth code for altering the set color quality into the visibility color quality when the comparison result is that the visibility color quality is not equal to the set color quality.