Automatic backlight intensity adjustment in an embedded operating system environment

• US 8,996,897 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Nikam, Sachin Krishna
• Primary Examiner(s): Bae, Ji H
• Application Number:
  US13/228,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/340, 345/211, 345/212, 345/690
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/06 Adjustment of display parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method includes monitoring, through a battery driver component of a embedded operating system executing on a data processing system deriving power from a battery, a state of the battery. The method also includes modifying, through a backlight driver component of the embedded operating system, an intensity level of a backlight of one or more Input/Output (I/O) devices of the data processing system from a current level associated with a normal operation thereof to an intensity level lower than the current level when the battery is detected to be in a critical state to prolong a lifetime thereof. The critical state is associated with a remaining charge on the battery being below a threshold required to maintain the data processing system in a powered on state.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring, through a battery driver component of an embedded operating system executing on a data processing system deriving power from a battery, a state of the battery; and

modifying, through a backlight driver component of the embedded operating system, an intensity level of a backlight of at least one Input/Output (I/O) device of the data processing system from an intensity level associated with a normal operation thereof to a lower intensity level when the battery is detected to be in a critical state by the battery driver component to prolong a lifetime thereof, the critical state being associated with a remaining charge on the battery being below a threshold required to maintain the data processing system in a powered on state, the modification of the intensity level of the backlight comprising switching between a plurality of intensity levels of the backlight defined through an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) thereof and stored in at least one registry setting associated with the embedded operating system, and the plurality of intensity levels comprising both the intensity level associated with the normal operation and the lower intensity level.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining a plurality of levels associated with the battery through another ODM associated therewith, the plurality of levels including a level associated with the critical state of the battery.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising signaling, through the battery driver component, an event associated with the critical state of the battery to the backlight driver component prior to modifying the intensity level of the backlight.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, modifying the intensity level of the backlight to the lower intensity level through a backlight driver circuit, in accordance with a control signal from the backlight driver component.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

signaling, through the battery driver component, an event associated with the battery being out of the critical state to the backlight driver component when at least one of;

the data processing system is powered through a power supply and the battery is charged; and

modifying, through the backlight driver component, the intensity level of the backlight of the data processing system from the lower intensity level to the intensity level associated with the normal operation upon receipt of the signal associated with the battery being out of the critical state.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading, through the backlight driver component, the lower intensity level from the at least one registry setting prior to modifying the intensity level of the backlight.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising at least one of enabling and disabling a functionality associated with the modification of the intensity level of the backlight when the battery is in the critical state through the at least one registry setting.

8. A method comprising:

monitoring, through a battery driver component of an embedded operating system executing on a data processing system deriving power from a battery, a state of the battery;

modifying, through a backlight driver component of the embedded operating system, an intensity level of a backlight of at least one I/O device of the data processing device from an intensity level associated with a normal operation thereof to a lower intensity level when the battery is detected to be in a critical state by the battery driver component to prolong a lifetime thereof, the critical state being associated with a remaining charge on the battery being below a threshold required to maintain the data processing system in a powered on state, the modification of the intensity level of the backlight comprising switching between a plurality of intensity levels of the backlight defined through an ODM thereof and stored in at least one registry setting associated with the embedded operating system, and the plurality of intensity levels comprising both the intensity level associated with the normal operation and the lower intensity level;

maintaining, through the backlight driver component of the embedded operating system, the backlight at the lower intensity level following the modification; and

modifying, through the backlight driver component, the intensity level of the backlight back to the intensity level associated with the normal operation when the battery is detected to be out of the critical state by the battery driver component.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising defining a plurality of levels associated with the battery through another ODM associated therewith, the plurality of levels including a level associated with the critical state of the battery.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

signaling, through the battery driver component, an event associated with the critical state of the battery to the backlight driver component.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising, modifying the intensity level of the backlight to the lower intensity level through a backlight driver circuit, in accordance with a control signal from the backlight driver component.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

signaling, through the battery driver component, an event associated with the battery being out of the critical state to the backlight driver component when at least one of the data processing system is powered through a power supply and the battery is charged prior to modifying the intensity level of the backlight back to the intensity level associated with the normal operation.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

reading, through the backlight driver component, the intensity level associated with the normal operation from the at least one registry setting prior to modifying the intensity level of the backlight back to the intensity level associated with the normal operation.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising at least one of enabling and disabling a functionality associated with the modification of the intensity level of the backlight when the battery is in the critical state through the at least one registry setting.

15. A data processing system executing an embedded operating system thereon comprising:

a memory comprising instructions associated with the embedded operating system stored therein and at least one registry setting;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory;

a battery communicatively interfaced with the processor;

at least one I/O device also communicatively interfaced with the processor; and

a backlight of the at least one I/O device, wherein the embedded operating system executing on the data processing system comprises a battery driver component integrated therewith to monitor, in conjunction with the processor, a state of the battery when the data processing system derives power from the battery,

wherein the at least one registry setting comprises a plurality of intensity levels of the backlight defined through an ODM thereof stored therein,

wherein the embedded operating system also comprises a backlight driver component integrated therewith to modify, in conjunction with the processor, an intensity level of the backlight from an intensity level associated with a normal operation thereof to a lower intensity level when the battery is detected to be in a critical state by the battery driver component to prolong a lifetime of the battery, the critical state being associated with a remaining charge on the battery being below a threshold required to maintain the data processing system in a powered on state, and

wherein the backlight driver component is configured to effect the modification of the intensity level of the backlight in conjunction with the processor through switching between the plurality of intensity levels of the backlight stored in the at least one registry setting, the plurality of intensity levels comprising both the intensity level associated with the normal operation and the lower intensity level.

16. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the battery driver component is further configured to enable signaling, in conjunction with the processor, an event associated with the critical state of the battery to the backlight driver component prior to the backlight driver component modifying the intensity level of the backlight in conjunction with the processor.

17. The data processing system of claim 16, further comprising a backlight driver circuit configured to modify the intensity level of the backlight to the lower intensity level in accordance with a control signal from the backlight driver component.

18. The data processing system of claim 16,

wherein the battery driver component is further configured to signal, in conjunction with the processor, an event associated with the battery being out of the critical state to the backlight driver component when at least one of:

the data processing system is powered through a power supply and the battery is charged, and

wherein the backlight driver component is further configured to modify the intensity level of the backlight from the lower intensity level to the intensity level associated with the normal operation upon receipt of the signal associated with the battery being out of the critical state.

19. The data processing system of claim 15,

wherein the backlight driver component is configured to read, in conjunction with the processor, the lower intensity level from the at least one registry setting prior to modifying the intensity level of the backlight.

20. The data processing system of claim 15, wherein the at least one I/O device is at least one of a display and a keypad.