Ambient light dependent themes

• US 8,350,834 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2007
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ek, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US11/940,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20090128530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,881 Days
• Field of Search: 345/102, 345/207, 345/690
• US Class Current: 345/207
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• 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 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

Abstract

A portable electronic device may include a display for displaying an image having different color or grey scale fields. Neighboring fields in the image may have different luminance. The portable electronic device may also include an ambient light detecting unit and a control unit. The control unit receives a luminance value corresponding to detected ambient light from the ambient light detecting unit, compares the luminance value with an ambient light level threshold and increases the difference in luminance between neighboring fields of an image being displayed by the display when the luminance exceeds the ambient light level threshold.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a display configured to display an image comprising a plurality of icons or data through providing different color or grey scale fields, where neighboring fields have different luminance;

an ambient light detecting unit; and

a control unit configured to;

receive a luminance value corresponding to detected ambient light from the ambient light detecting unit,

compare the luminance value with a first ambient light level threshold,

change content of the image, being displayed by the display, to obtain a changed image if the luminance value exceeds the first ambient light level threshold,

the control unit being arranged to retain icons or data, of the plurality of icons or data, relating to functions often used by a user, and remove icons or data, of the plurality of icons or data, relating to functions infrequently used by the user, if the luminance value exceeds the first ambient light level threshold, and

increase a difference in luminance between neighboring fields of the changed image, if the luminance value exceeds the first ambient light level threshold.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, where the control unit, when increasing the difference in luminance, is configured to change from color or grey scale to black and white.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, where the control unit is further configured to compare a luminance value with a second ambient light level threshold and to decrease the difference in luminance for neighboring fields for a previously increased difference in luminance, if the luminance value is below the second ambient light level threshold.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one circumstance data provision unit, where the control unit, when changing the content of the image being displayed, is configured to receive circumstance data from the at least one circumstance data provision unit and change the content of the image based on the received circumstance data.

5. The portable electronic device according to claim 4, where a first circumstance data provision unit, of the at least one circumstance data provision unit, comprises a clock and the circumstance data associated with the first circumstance data provision unit is time data.

6. The portable electronic device according to claim 4, where a first circumstance data provision unit, of the at least one circumstance data provision unit, comprises a temperature detecting unit and the circumstance data associated with the first circumstance provision unit is temperature data.

7. The portable electronic device according to claim 4, where a first circumstance data provision unit, of the at least one circumstance data provision unit, comprises a positioning unit and the circumstance data associated with the first circumstance provision unit is position data.

8. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, where the display is a liquid crystal display.

9. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, where the portable electronic device comprises a portable communication device.

10. The portable electronic device according to claim 9, where the portable communication device comprises a cellular phone.

11. A method for adjusting a display displaying an image comprising a plurality of icons or data through providing different color or grey scale fields, where neighboring fields have different luminance, the method comprising:

receiving a luminance value corresponding to detected ambient light;

comparing the luminance value with a first ambient light level threshold; and

if the luminance value exceeds the first ambient light level threshold;

changing content of the image being displayed by the display, to obtain a changed image,

changing the content of the image including;

retaining icons or data, of the plurality of icons or data, relating to functions often used by a user, and

removing icons or data, of the plurality of icons or data, relating to functions infrequently used by the user, and

increasing a difference in luminance between neighboring fields of the changed image.

12. The method according to claim 11, where the increasing the difference in luminance comprises changing from color or grey scale to black and white.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising comparing a luminance value with a second ambient light level threshold and decreasing the difference in luminance for neighboring fields for a previously increased difference in luminance, if the luminance value is below the second ambient light level threshold.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising receiving circumstance data, and performing the changing the content of the image being displayed based on the received circumstance data.

15. The method according to claim 14, where the circumstance data includes time data.

16. The method according to claim 14, where the circumstance data includes temperature data.

17. The method according to claim 14, where the circumstance data includes position data.

18. A non-transitory computer program product for adjusting a display in a portable electronic device, which display is displaying an image comprising a plurality of icons or data through providing different color or grey scale fields, where neighboring fields have different luminance, the non-transitory computer program product comprising computer program code, provided on a computer-readable medium, configured to make the portable electronic device execute, when said computer program code is loaded in the portable electronic device, a method comprising:

receiving a luminance value corresponding to detected ambient light;

comparing the luminance value with a first ambient light level threshold; and

if the luminance value exceeds the first ambient light level threshold;

changing content of the image, being displayed by the display, to obtain a changed image,

changing the content of the image including;

retaining icons or data, of the plurality of icons or data, relating to functions often used by a user, and

removing icons or data, of the plurality of icons or data, relating to functions infrequently used by the user,

and

increasing a difference in luminance between neighboring fields of the changed image.