Luminescence shock avoidance in display devices

• US 8,743,161 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2013
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pantfoerder, Kai Achim
• Primary Examiner(s): Caschera, Antonio A
• Application Number:
  US13/777,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/690
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0633 by amplitude modulation of the brightness of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0653 Controlling or limiting the speed of brightness adjustment of the illumination source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• 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 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

A luminescence shock avoidance algorithm selectively limits the brightness level of a display device when the display device is activated in a dark environment to prevent the temporary vision impairment that can occur when a display device is activated in a dark environment. The algorithm receives the state of the display (e.g. on or in standby mode), and can optionally receive an ambient lighting value from an ambient light sensor and a user-selectable manual brightness adjustment setting to determine whether luminescence shock avoidance should even be triggered, and if it is triggered, how much should the brightness level of the display be limited.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

activating a display device, wherein activating the display device comprises;

with a sensor, detecting a current ambient light level at the display device; and

after detecting the current ambient light level, increasing a brightness of the display device from a zero brightness level, wherein increasing the brightness of the display device from the zero brightness level comprises;

increasing the brightness of the display device from the zero brightness level to a first brightness level when the current ambient light level is below a threshold; and

increasing the brightness of the display device from the zero brightness level to a second brightness level when the current ambient light level meets or exceeds the threshold.

2. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising detecting a triggering activity, wherein activating the display device comprises activating the display device in response to detection of the triggering activity.

3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein the second brightness level is greater than the first brightness level.

4. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

when the current ambient light level is below the threshold and a predetermined time period after the display device is activated, increasing the brightness of the display device to a third brightness level.

5. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving user input that adjusts the level of the threshold.

6. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

an ambient light sensor; and

circuitry coupled to the display and to the ambient light sensor, wherein the circuitry, prior to activating the display, determines a current ambient light level at the electronic device using the ambient light sensor and then activates the display by increasing the brightness of the display from a zero brightness level, wherein the circuitry activates the display by increasing the brightness level from the zero brightness level to a first brightness level whenever the determined current ambient light level is below a threshold and by increasing the brightness level from the zero brightness level to a second brightness level whenever the determined current ambient light level meets or exceeds the threshold.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the electronic device comprises a mobile telephone and wherein the circuitry activates the display in response to a triggering event.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 6 further comprising:

a user input device, wherein the electronic device comprises a mobile telephone and wherein the circuitry activates the display in response to user input received through the user input device.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the display comprises a touch screen display.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the second brightness level is greater than the first brightness level.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 further comprising:

a user input device operable to receive user input, wherein the circuitry is operable to adjust the level of the threshold in response to the user input.

12. A method, comprising:

detecting a triggering activity;

with a sensor, detecting a current ambient light level at a display device when the triggering activity is detected; and

after detecting the current ambient light level, activating the display device, wherein activating the display device comprises;

adjusting a brightness of the display device from a zero brightness level to a first brightness level when the current ambient light level is below a threshold.

13. The method defined in claim 12 wherein activating the display device comprises:

adjusting the brightness of the display device from the zero brightness level to a second brightness level when the current ambient light level meets or exceeds the threshold.

14. The method defined in claim 12 wherein the sensor and the display device are part of a mobile telephone and wherein detecting the triggering activity comprises detecting an incoming call to the mobile telephone.

15. A method, comprising:

detecting a triggering activity;

with a sensor, detecting a current ambient light level at a display device when the triggering activity is detected; and

after detecting the current ambient light level, activating the display device, wherein activating the display device comprises;

adjusting the brightness of the display device from the zero brightness level to a first brightness level when the current ambient light level meets or exceeds a threshold.

16. The method defined in claim 15 wherein the sensor and the display device are part of a mobile telephone, wherein the display device comprises a touch screen, and wherein detecting the triggering activity comprises detecting an incoming call to the mobile telephone.