Power consumption optimized display update

• US 8,049,713 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sampsell, Jeffrey Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz; Sumati
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carter, III; Robert E
• Application Number:
  US11/409,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20070247419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,017 Days
• Field of Search: 345 32- 33, 345 84- 86, 345/100, 345/103, 345108-111, 359237-238, 359/242, 359/260, 359/288, 359290-291
• US Class Current: 345/108
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/06 Passive matrix structure, i.e. with direct application of both column and row voltages to the light emitting or modulating elements, other than LCD or OLED
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0213 controlling the sequence of the scanning lines with respect to the patterns to be displayed, e.g. to save power
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3466 based on interferometric effect

Abstract

Systems and methods for reducing the power consumption necessary for updating a display are provided. The methods include determining a row addressing order based on an attribute of the image data that minimizes the number of column charging transitions necessary to write the image data to the display. In some embodiments, the row-addressing order is determined based on a determination of a whiteness value for the row. In some embodiments, a power-optimized row-addressing order is embedded in image data, allowing a display device to write the image data to the display more efficiently.

Claims

1. A method of writing a display image to a display having an array of pixels, the method comprising:

receiving, from a server and via a network, an image file comprising a plurality of rows and row-addressing order data for the plurality of rows;

deriving a row-addressing order for the plurality of rows based at least in part on the row-addressing order data in the image file, wherein the row-addressing order is at least partially non-sequential following a starting location; and

writing the display image to the display by addressing the plurality of rows in the array of pixels according to the row-addressing order.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of rows are stored in a frame buffer, and wherein the row-addressing order data is derived from an attribute of one or more rows of the plurality of rows stored in the frame buffer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the display is a bi-stable display comprising an array of interferometric modulator pixels, said pixels having an actuated state and an un-actuated state.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein one or more row attributes for the one or more rows is derived from a count of actuated pixels and a count of un-actuated pixels in that row.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein one or more row attributes for the one or more rows is derived from a ratio of actuated pixels to un-actuated pixels in a sub-row of the row.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising prior to creating the display image on the display, sorting the one or more attributes into a numerical order.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein creating the display image on the display comprises addressing the rows in the display according to the numerical order.

8. A computer-implemented method of determining a row-addressing order for an image comprising:

determining one or more row attributes for a plurality of rows of data in the image;

determining, based on one or more row attributes, the row-addressing order for the plurality of rows, wherein the row-addressing order is at least partially non-sequential following a starting location; and

embedding the row-addressing order in an image file comprising the plurality of rows of data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the row attributes comprises calculating a ratio of pixels in a first display state to pixels in a second display state for each of the one or more rows of data in the image.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the row-addressing order comprises sorting the determined row attributes.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the image is displayed on a bi-stable display comprising an array of interferometric modulator pixels, said pixels having an actuated state and an un-actuated state.

12. A method of displaying an image on a display comprising:

receiving, from a server and via a network, an image data file, the image data file including a row-addressing order for a plurality of rows, wherein the row-addressing order is at least partially non-sequential following a starting location; and

creating a display image on the display by addressing the plurality of rows on the display according to the row-addressing order.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the row-addressing order is stored in control data of the image data file.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the control data of the image data file comprises a header of the image data file.

15. A display apparatus comprising:

a memory storing an image file, the image file comprising a plurality of rows and row-addressing order data for the plurality of rows;

a processor configured to receive, from a server and via a network, said image file and determine a row-addressing order for the plurality of rows based on the row-addressing order data, wherein the row-addressing order is at least partially non-sequential following a starting location; and

a controller configured to present the plurality of rows to a display on a row-by-row basis according to the determined row-addressing order for the plurality of rows.

16. The display apparatus of claim 15, wherein the memory is a frame buffer.

17. The display apparatus of claim 15, wherein the row-addressing order is based at least in part on a number of released pixels in the plurality of rows.

18. The display apparatus of claim 15, wherein the row-addressing order is based at least in part on a first value for a first part of a row in the image file and a second value for a second part of the row in the image file.

19. The display apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first part of the row is a left half of the row, and the second part of the row is a right half of the row.

20. The display apparatus as recited in claim 15, further comprising a driver circuit configured to send at least one signal to said display.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to send at least a portion of said plurality of rows to said driver circuit.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, further comprising an image source module configured to send said plurality of rows to said processor.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein said image source module comprises at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, further comprising an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate said input data to said processor.

25. A display apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, from a server and via a network, an image file, the image file comprising a plurality of rows and row-addressing order data for the plurality of rows;

means for deriving a row-addressing order for the plurality of rows based at least in part on the row-addressing order data in the image file, wherein the row-addressing order is at least partially non-sequential following a starting location; and

means for writing a display image to a display by addressing the plurality of rows in an array of pixels in accordance with the row-addressing order.

26. The display apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for receiving the image file comprises a network interface.

27. The display apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for deriving a row-addressing order comprises a system processor.

28. The display apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for deriving a row-addressing order further comprises a driver controller.

29. The display apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for writing a display image to the display comprises an array driver.

30. A system for displaying data on an array of interferometric modulators comprising:

a server configured to calculate an addressing order for a plurality of rows, and to store the calculated addressing order in control data associated with an image data file, wherein the addressing order is at least partially non-sequential following a starting location; and

a client device comprising a display and configured to receive, from the server, via a network, the plurality of rows and the calculated addressing order from the server, and to display the plurality of rows on the array by addressing the plurality of rows in the array according to the addressing order.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the addressing order is a row-addressing order.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the addressing order is a pixel-addressing order.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the server is further configured to embed the calculated addressing order in the image data file.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the calculated addressing order is embedded in a header for the image data file.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the calculated addressing order is embedded in a body of the image data file.

36. The system of claim 30, wherein the server is a headend system in a telecommunications network.