Spatial based power savings for LCD televisions

• US 8,207,934 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• 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
• Application Number:
  US12/632,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149197A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 345/102, 345/204, 345/211, 345/214, 345/698, 348/556, 348/558, 348/790, 348/729, 362/97.1, 362/97.2
• US Class Current: 345/102
• 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 method for reducing power consumed by a liquid crystal display television, the method comprising:

displaying an active graphics component in a first portion of a display area provided by the liquid crystal display television;

in response to video inactivity in an inactive portion of the display area that is outside the first portion, reducing luminance for a backlight portion for the liquid crystal display television such that the liquid crystal display television will consume less power when displaying the altered video information than an amount of power that would be required to display the video information in the inactive portion without the alteration; and

simultaneously displaying the active graphics component in the first portion and the altered video information in the inactive portion on the liquid crystal display television.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising altering video information in the inactive portion such that the backlight portion for the liquid crystal display television will consume less power when displaying the altered video information.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the luminance reduction comprises reducing luminance values for the set of pixels in the inactive portion by a constant value.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the constant value includes a function of one of a) a maximum luminance for the inactive portion, and b) a maximum luminance provided by the display device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising a second luminance reduction for the set of pixels in the inactive portion.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first luminance reduction is greater than the second luminance reduction.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein a magnitude of the first luminance reduction and a magnitude of the second luminance reduction are related to a function that increases exponentially with a number of alterations to the video information in the inactive portion.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the luminance reduction comprises reducing luminance values for video information in the inactive portion to black.

9. A method for reducing power consumed by a backlit liquid crystal display television, the method comprising:

displaying a graphics component in a first portion of a display area provided by the backlit liquid crystal display television;

in response to user inactivity in an inactive portion of the display area that is outside the first portion, altering video information in the inactive portion such that that luminance for video information in the inactive portion decreases;

reducing backlight luminance in the inactive portion for the liquid crystal display television such the backlit liquid crystal display television will consume less power when displaying the altered video information; and

simultaneously displaying the graphics component in the first portion and the altered video information in the inactive portion.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the luminance reduction comprises reducing luminance values for the set of pixels in the inactive portion by a constant value.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising a second luminance reduction for the set of pixels in the inactive portion.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first luminance reduction is greater than the second luminance reduction.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the luminance reduction comprises reducing luminance values for video information in the inactive portion to black.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium including executable instructions for reducing power consumed by a liquid crystal display television, the executable instructions comprising:

instructions for displaying an active graphics component in a first portion of a display area provided by the liquid crystal display television;

in response to video inactivity in an inactive portion of the display area that is outside the first portion, instructions for altering a backlight portion for the liquid crystal display television will consume less power when displaying the altered video information than an amount of power that would be required to display the video information in the inactive portion without the alteration; and

instructions for simultaneously displaying the active graphics component in the first portion and the altered video information in the inactive portion.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 further comprising instructions for altering video information in the inactive portion such that the backlight portion for the liquid crystal display television will consume less power when displaying the altered video information.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the luminance reduction comprises reducing luminance values for the set of pixels in the inactive portion by a constant value.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 further comprising instructions for a second luminance reduction for the set of pixels in the inactive portion.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein instructions for the luminance reduction comprise instructions for reducing luminance values for video information in the inactive portion to black.