Information processing apparatus and program

• US 8,780,033 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2009
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fujii, Yasutaka, Fujita, Kiyohito
• Primary Examiner(s): MANDEVILLE, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US12/534,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20100060658A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 345/102, 345/87, 345/88, 715/700, 715/864, 715/866
• US Class Current: 345/102
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13318 Circuits comprising a photodetector
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/58 Arrangements comprising a monitoring photodetector
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/064 by time modulation of the brightness of the illumination source
• 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

Abstract

An information processing apparatus is provided that includes an illuminance detection unit to detect brightness and output an illuminance value corresponding to the detected brightness, a luminance control unit to derive a luminance set value for controlling a light emission signal regulating luminance of a light source based on the illuminance value, and a display control unit to derive power consumption information related to power consumption of the light source based on the luminance set value and display the power consumption information on a display screen.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

circuitry configured to

detect brightness and output an illuminance value corresponding to the detected brightness;

derive a luminance set value for controlling a light emission signal regulating luminance of a light source based on the illuminance value and a luminance level set from a plurality of luminance levels corresponding to a level of brightness that a user actually senses;

derive power consumption information based on the luminance set value, the power consumption information representing at least one of power consumption and a power consumption rate of the light source;

control a display to display the power consumption information in graphical form in relation to a minimum value and a maximum value, wherein the graphical form of the power consumption shows the power consumption rate of the light source and a percentage of power consumption in relation to a minimum power consumption rate of the light source and a maximum power consumption rate of the light source; and

selectively disable a function of controlling the light emission signal regulating the luminance of the light source based on the luminance set value derived based on the illuminance value.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

if the set luminance level is changed, the circuitry is configured to derive a luminance set value corresponding to a luminance level after change from the luminance set value corresponding to the luminance level before change in a step-by-step manner.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

the light source, wherein

the circuitry is configured to transfer the light emission signal corresponding to the luminance set value to the light source based on the derived luminance set value.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

detect when the amount of change in the detected brightness exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

output the illuminance value based on the detection.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to

control the display to display an interface that receives a selection to disable the function of controlling the light emission signal regulating the luminance of the light source based on the luminance set value derived based on the illuminance value;

and

derive the luminance set value based on selection received at the interface.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the circuitry is configured to derive the luminance set value based on a manual operation after receiving the selection to disable the function of controlling the light emission signal regulating the luminance of the light source based on the luminance set value derived based on the illuminance value.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to control the display to display the power consumption in the form of a bar graph.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

a left end of the bar graph corresponds to the minimum value, a right end of the bar graph corresponds to the maximum value, and the bar graph includes a graphic indicia extending from the left end that corresponds to the power consumption information.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the circuitry is configured to control the display to display the power consumption in the form of a circular meter.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to derive the luminance set value based on the following expression:

PWM(LV(x),lx)=a(LV(x))×

lx+PWM(LV(x),Lmin), wherein

lx is the illuminance value, LV(x) is a luminance level, PWM(LV(x), lx) indicates the luminance set value in a case where a certain luminance level is set and a certain illuminance value is detected, and PWM(LV(x), Lmin) indicates the lower limit of the luminance set value at a certain luminance level.

11. A method performed by an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:

acquiring an illuminance value from an illuminance detection unit to detect brightness and output an illuminance value corresponding to the detected brightness;

deriving a luminance set value for controlling a light emission signal regulating luminance of a light source based on the illuminance value and a luminance level set from a plurality of luminance levels corresponding to a level of brightness that a user actually senses;

deriving power consumption information related to power consumption of the light source based on the luminance set value, the power consumption information representing at least one of power consumption and a power consumption rate of the light source; and

controlling a display to display the power consumption information in graphical form in relation to a minimum value and a maximum value, wherein the graphical form of the power consumption information shows the power consumption rate of the light source and a percentage of power consumption in relation to a minimum power consumption rate of the light source and a maximum power consumption rate of the light source; and

selectively disabling a function of controlling the light emission signal regulating the luminance of the light source based on the luminance set value derived based on the illuminance value.