Backlight and ambient light sensor system

• US 8,698,727 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Herz, Scott M., Yepez, Roberto G., Forstall, Scott, Coffman, Patrick L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELNAFIA, SAIFELDIN E
• Application Number:
  US11/770,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20080165116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,483 Days
• Field of Search: 345/102, 345/207, 345/173, 455/556.2
• US Class Current: 345/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods to operate a display device of an electronic device. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a user setting or input of a display control parameter, and causing or altering, based on the user setting or input, an effect of an ambient light sensor value (ALS) on control of the display control parameter. The user input may be an unlock of a touch screen input capability of the display device, and a wake of the display device from an inactivity dim. Also, according to embodiments of the inventions, a method of operating a display of an electronic device includes receiving a change to one of a display brightness output level and an ambient light sensor output level, and altering, according to the change, a display brightness or contrast output level. Other apparatuses and methods and data processing systems and machine readable media are also described.

Claims

1. A method of operating a display device of an electronic device, the method comprising:

powering on the electronic device and the display device;

as a result of powering on, displaying a first brightness level of the display device as one of a user selected brightness, or a predetermined brightness, wherein a plurality of different ambient light levels do not affect control of the brightness level of the display device after powering on, and prior to wake of the display device from an inactivity dim state;

operating the display device in an on state in the inactivity dim state prior waking of the display device;

receiving a user input requesting a wake of the display device from the inactivity dim, wherein the user input requesting a wake is a tap on a touch screen;

as a result of the user input, waking the display device, wherein determining comprises;

determining, as a result of the user input, whether an ambient light sensor (ALS) value affects control of a brightness level of the display device;

if the ALS value is greater than a wake threshold, automatically causing, based on the ALS value, a first increase in the brightness level of the display device, wherein automatically causing occurs throughout a first range of the brightness level; and

if the ALS value is less than the wake threshold, automatically causing, not based on the ALS value, a predetermined second increase in the brightness level of the display device, wherein automatically causing occurs throughout a second range of the brightness level, wherein the second increase is less than the first increase.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a further user input at the touch screen input to unlock a touch screen input capability and unlocking the touch screen input capability in response to the further user input.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the input wakes the display device, and wherein the effect includes automatically causing a brightness level of the display device to become brighter.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising displaying a physical brightness level of a backlight of a portable device according to the brightness level of the display device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

if the ALS value is greater than the wake threshold, automatically causing, based on the value change, a brightness level of the display device to snap brighter by the first increase, wherein automatically causing occurs throughout the total range of the brightness level; and

if the ALS value is less than the wake threshold, automatically causing, based on the value change, the brightness level of the display device to snap a little brighter by the second increase, wherein automatically causing occurs throughout the total range of the brightness level.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the ALS value is based on an amount of ambient light in the environment incident upon the display device;

and wherein a physical brightness level is sufficient to allow a user to see and identify text, images, and/or video displayed on the display device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user setting of a physical brightness level of a backlight of the display device;

wherein the wake threshold is based on a predetermined value and the user setting; and

wherein the brightness level of the display device is based on the predetermined value, the user setting, and the ALS value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user setting comprises a backlight brightness level of a portable device, and the level is capable of being a value within a range of values.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first increase in the brightness level of the display device matches the ALS value throughout the total range of the brightness level, and the second increase in the brightness level of the display device is sufficient to allow a user to notice a change in backlight brightness of the display device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the inactivity dim is equal to or less than 5 or 10 percent of the maximum display device brightness, and wherein the affect includes a smooth transition of a brightness level of the display device from an inactivity dim brightness level to another brightness.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after powering on but prior to waking, entering the inactivity dim state.

12. A non-transitory tangible machine readable medium containing executable program instructions which when executed cause a method of operating a display device of a data processing system, the method comprising:

powering on the electronic device and the display device;

as a result of powering on, displaying a first brightness level of the display device as one of a user selected brightness, or a predetermined brightness, wherein a plurality of different ambient light levels do not affect control of the brightness level of the display device after powering on, and prior to wake of the display device from an inactivity dim state;

operating the display device in an on state in the inactivity dim state prior to waking of the display device;

receiving a user input requesting a wake of the display device from the inactivity dim, wherein the user input requesting a wake is a tap on a touch screen;

as a result of the user input, waking the display device;

determining, as a result of the user input, whether an ambient light sensor (ALS) value affects control of a brightness level of the display device, wherein determining comprises;

if the ALS value is greater than a wake threshold, automatically causing, based on the ALS value, a first increase in the brightness level of the display device, wherein automatically causing occurs throughout a first range of the brightness level; and

if the ALS value is less than the wake threshold, automatically causing, not based on the ALS value, a predetermined second increase in the brightness level of the display device, wherein automatically causing occurs throughout a second range of the brightness level,

wherein the second increase is less than the first increase.

13. The medium of claim 12 wherein the input wakes the display device, and wherein the effect includes automatically causing a brightness level of the display device to become brighter.

14. The medium of claim 12 the method further comprising:

if the ALS value is greater than the wake threshold, automatically causing, based on the value change, a brightness level of the display device to snap brighter by the first increase, wherein automatically causing occurs throughout the total range of the brightness level; and

if the ALS value is less than the wake threshold, automatically causing, based on the value change, the brightness level of the display device to snap a little brighter by the second increase, wherein automatically causing occurs throughout the total range of the brightness level.

15. The medium of claim 12 the method further comprising:

receiving a user setting of a physical brightness level of a backlight of the display device;

wherein the wake threshold is based on a predetermined value and the user setting; and

wherein the brightness level of the display device is based on the predetermined value, the user setting, and the ALS value.

16. The medium of claim 12, further comprising receiving a further user input at the touch screen input to unlock a touch screen input capability and unlocking the touch screen input capability in response to the further user input.

17. The medium of claim 12, wherein the inactivity dim is equal to or less than 5 or 10 percent of the maximum display device brightness, and wherein the affect includes a smooth transition of a brightness level of the display device from an inactivity dim brightness level to another brightness.

18. The medium of claim 12, further comprising:

after powering on but prior to waking, entering the inactivity dim state.