Televisions with reduced power consumption

• US 8,203,551 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Plut, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDULSELAM, ABBAS I
• Application Number:
  US12/632,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20100079595A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 345/102, 345/204, 345/211, 345/214, 348/556, 348/558, 348/564, 348/568, 348/569, 348/729, 348/790, 362/97.1, 362/97.2
• US Class Current: 345/211
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/04 Partial updating of the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0686 with two or more screen areas displaying information with different brightness or colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/16 Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3611 Control of matrices with row and column drivers
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

Described herein are systems and methods that reduce power consumption for a television that includes an LCD display. Power conservation systems and methods described herein alter video information in one or more inactive portions of a display area such that the altered video information decreases power consumption.

Claims

1. A television comprising:

a backlit liquid crystal display device;

a power conservation system designed or configured to alter video information in an inactive portion of a display area for the backlit liquid crystal display device such that the backlit liquid crystal display device will consume less power when displaying the altered video information in the inactive portion than an amount of power that would be required to display the video information in the inactive portion without the alteration, and to output a signal indicative of the alteration; and

a video adaptor designed or configured to receive the signal from the power conservation system, alter the video information in the inactive portion based on the signal, and output, for display on the backlit liquid crystal display device, a) active portion video information for display in an active portion of the display area, and b) the altered video information for display in the inactive portion, which is for display while the active portion video information is displayed.

2. The television of claim 1 wherein the power conservation apparatus comprises a power conservation control designed or configured to determine the alteration to the video information in the inactive portion according to stored power conservation instructions, and to output a signal indicative of the alteration.

3. The television of claim 1 further comprising a monitoring apparatus that is designed or configured to separate the display area into an active graphics component that represents the active portion and an inactive portion of the display area that includes video information in the display area that is outside the active graphics component.

4. The television of claim 3 wherein the monitoring apparatus is designed or configured to determine the active graphics component based on user activity in a perimeter of the active graphics component.

5. The television of claim 1 further comprising at least one display buffer designed or configured to receive the altered video information from the video adaptor and to output, to the display device, a) the active portion video information, and b) the altered video information for display in the inactive portion.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the backlit liquid crystal display device reduces luminance in the inactive portion such that the liquid crystal display device will consume less power when displaying the altered video information.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the backlit liquid crystal display device reduces luminance in the inactive portion by a constant number for all video information in the inactive portion.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the luminance reduction comprises reducing luminance values for video information in the inactive portion to black.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the backlit liquid crystal display device reduces luminance in the inactive portion such that the liquid crystal display device will consume less power when displaying the altered video information.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the backlit liquid crystal display device reduces luminance in the inactive portion by a constant number for all video information in the inactive portion.

11. A television comprising:

a backlit liquid crystal display device;

a power conservation system designed or configured to reduce luminance for a backlight portion of the backlit liquid crystal display device that corresponds to an inactive portion of a display area for the backlit liquid crystal display device such that the backlit liquid crystal display device will consume less power, and to output a signal indicative of the alteration; and

a video adaptor designed or configured to receive the signal from the power conservation system, alter the video information in the inactive portion based on the signal, and output, for display on the backlit liquid crystal display device, a) active portion video information for display in an active portion of the display area, and b) the altered video information for display in the inactive portion, which is for display while the active portion video information is displayed.

12. The television of claim 11 wherein the power conservation apparatus comprises a power conservation control designed or configured to determine the alteration to the video information in the inactive portion according to stored power conservation instructions, and to output a signal indicative of the alteration.

13. The television of claim 11 further comprising a monitoring apparatus that is designed or configured to separate the display area into an active graphics component that represents the active portion and an inactive portion of the display area that includes video information in the display area that is outside the active graphics component.

14. The television of claim 13 wherein the monitoring apparatus is designed or configured to determine the active graphics component based on user activity in a perimeter of the active graphics component.

15. The television of claim 11 further comprising at least one display buffer designed or configured to receive the altered video information from the video adaptor and to output, to the display device, a) the active portion video information, and b) the altered video information for display in the inactive portion.

16. A method for reducing power consumed by a display device, the method comprising:

displaying video information on the display device at a first luminance level;

in response to user inactivity, reducing luminance for the video information to a second luminance level;

wherein the luminance reduction from the first luminance level to the second luminance level includes displaying the video information at incrementally altering luminance levels between the first luminance level and the second luminance level, and

wherein each luminance change in the incrementally altering luminance levels is less noticeable to a viewer than the change from the first luminance level to the second luminance level.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the incrementally altering luminance levels occur at a rate that is greater than 1 hertz.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the incrementally altering luminance levels occur without substantially noticeable stepwise changes in luminance.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the luminance reduction in each interval of the incrementally altering luminance levels is determined by dividing a desired total luminance alteration from the first luminance level to the second luminance level by the number of intervals in the incrementally altering luminance levels.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the incrementally altering luminance levels include at least four luminance levels.