Automatic brightness control for displays

• US 8,466,907 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Issued: 06/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Bell, Cynthia S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Md Saiful A
• Application Number:
  US12/587,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20100039414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 345/102, 345/426, 345/108, 345/207, 345/211, 345/690, 349 61- 64, 348/602, 362 971- 973
• US Class Current: 345/207
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• 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 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

An automatic brightness adjustment for devices with displays includes the capability to assess ambient light. The assessment may be made using circuitry, such as a light meter circuit, by exploiting exposure control circuitry, or using other approaches. The ambient light value is sent to a brightness adjustment driver, which may employ a look-up table to keep track of brightness adjustments for particular ambient conditions. The look-up table may include distinct adjustment values based upon the type of display.

Claims

1. A processor-based mobile information device, comprising:

a processor;

a display coupled to the processor;

an ambient light sensor, wherein the ambient light sensor comprises a charge coupled device; and

circuitry on the mobile information device to;

store display brightness information based on a current ambient light condition sensed by the ambient light sensor, wherein the brightness information is to be derived from at least one of a first eye adaption process which takes into account a slow sensitivity adjustment of an eye to the average luminance of an object being viewed and a second eye adaption process which takes into account a reaction of the eye to an average luminance of a surrounding environment; and

automatically adjust a brightness of the display based on the stored information and changes in the ambient light condition sensed by the ambient light sensor.

2. The processor-based mobile information device of claim 1, wherein the changes in the ambient light condition sensed by the ambient light sensor are based on an integration interval.

3. The processor-based mobile information device of claim 1, wherein the charge coupled device is part of an image capture circuit for a camera.

4. The processor-based mobile information device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry to store display brightness information based on a current ambient light condition further comprises circuitry to perform a calibration operation to store display brightness information based on a current ambient light condition sensed by the ambient light sensor.

5. The processor-based mobile information device of claim 4, wherein the circuitry on the mobile information device comprises a lookup table.

6. The processor-based mobile information device of claim 5, wherein the lookup table is configured to store information representing ambient light conditions and corresponding display brightness information.

7. The processor-based mobile information device of claim 6, wherein the lookup table is configured to store information representing ambient light conditions and corresponding display brightness information based on the calibration operation.

8. The processor-based mobile information device of claim 1, wherein the ambient light sensor comprises a charge coupled device.

9. The processor-based mobile information device of claim 8, wherein the charge coupled device is part of an image capture circuit for a camera.