Light sensor to adjust contrast or size of objects rendered by a display

• US 8,749,478 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2009
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bowen, James Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLANCHA, JONATHAN M
• Application Number:
  US12/545,514
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 345/207, 345/76, 345/77, 345/107
• US Class Current: 345/107
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/041 Temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/06 Adjustment of display parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0613 The adjustment depending on the type of the information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092

Abstract

Techniques and apparatuses are disclosed to adjust a visual representation of content displayed by an electronic device based at least in part on a measured light intensity. In some aspects, a light sensor may be used to measure a light intensity of ambient light. An electronic display may present a visual representation of objects including text and images. A display controller may control aspects of the electronic display based on at least the light intensity, such as a font size of the text, size of the images, or contrast of the text and the images. In further aspects, the electronic display may be an electronic paper display.

Claims

1. An electronic paper display device, comprising:

a light sensor to measure a light intensity of ambient light;

memory to store instructions that, when executed on one or more processors, are operable to cause the light sensor to measure the light intensity of the ambient light in response to receiving a user request to turn a page;

an electronic paper display configured to present a visual representation of content by selectively moving particles through associated capsules, each particle and associated capsule representing a pixel of the content and the capsules being aligned substantially perpendicular to a display surface of the electronic paper display; and

a display controller in communication with the electronic paper display and the memory to adjust the movement of the particles based at least in part on the light intensity value, wherein the display controller selects a waveform corresponding at least in part, to the light intensity value to adjust a contrast of rendered content, the waveform comprising an input that determines a duration of the movement of the particles, the display controller further implementing a page turn duration based at least in part on the waveform, the page turn duration corresponding to a maximum movement of the particles that are selectively moved in the electronic paper display.

2. The electronic paper display device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature sensor to measure a temperature of an environment proximate to the electronic paper display; and

wherein the display controller further adjusts the movement of the particles based at least in part on the temperature.

3. The electronic paper display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the light sensor is located proximate to the electronic paper display to measure ambient light from a direction substantially perpendicular to a planar surface defined by an exterior surface of the electronic paper display.

4. The electronic paper display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the movement of the particles is adjusted to modify a contrast or a size of the visual representation of the content.

5. A method implemented by an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving a user input that associates a contrast of an object displayed on a display device with a preferred light intensity value;

measuring a light intensity of ambient light proximate to the display device at least partly in response to receiving a user request to turn a page;

determining a measured light intensity value based at least in part on the measurement of the light intensity;

adjusting, via a display controller, the contrast of the object displayed on the display device based at least in part on the measured light intensity value and the user input, the display controller selecting a waveform corresponding to the measured light intensity value to adjust the contrast of the object displayed, the waveform determining a duration of movement of individual particles within respective capsules; and

updating, via the display controller, a page turn duration based at least in part on the waveform, the page turn duration corresponding to a maximum movement of the particles that are selectively moved in the display device.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting a font size or an image size of the object displayed on the display device.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the contrast rendered on the display device that uses a backlight or decreasing the contrast rendered on the display device that uses reflective light when the measured light intensity value is higher than a previously determined light intensity value.

8. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the display device comprises an electronic paper display device.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

measuring a second light intensity of the ambient light at least party in response to receiving a user input to refresh a rendered display;

determining a weighted average measured light intensity value based at least in part on a weighted average of the measured light intensity and second measured light intensity; and

adjusting the contrast of the rendered display based at least in part on the weighted average measured light intensity value and the user input.

10. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instruction that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform the method of claim 5.

11. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a light sensor to measure a light intensity of ambient light;

a display to render a visual presentation of content; and

memory to store instructions that, when executed on the one or more processors, are operable to;

receive at least two light intensity values corresponding to separate measurements of the light intensity that is measured by the light sensor at least partly in response to a user request to turn a page;

determine a light intensity value based at least in part on the at least two light intensity values;

determine, based on user input, a preferred contrast of the content that is associated with the light intensity value;

adjust, via a display controller, a current contrast of the content rendered on the display to the preferred contrast, the display controller selecting a waveform corresponding to the light intensity value to adjust a contrast of rendered content, the waveform determining a duration of the movement of individual particles within respective capsules; and

adjust, via the display controller, a page turn duration based at least in part on the waveform, the page turn duration corresponding to a maximum movement of the individual particles that are selectively moved in the display to render the visual presentation of the content.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the display comprises an electronic paper display.

13. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the individual particles comprise ink.

14. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the waveform is selected after receiving a request to turn a page to render a new visual presentation of content.

15. The system as recited in claim 11, further comprising a temperature sensor to measure a temperature, and wherein the instructions stored in memory are further operable to adjust the current contrast of the content rendered on the display based at least in part on the temperature.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the adjustment of the current contrast of the content rendered on the display includes:

selecting the waveform based at least in part on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor and the light intensity measured by the light sensor, where a greater light intensity results in a decrease in contrast.