Systems and methods for display systems with dynamic power control

• US 9,134,825 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2012
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGNIS Innovation Incorporated
• Original Assignee: IGNIS Innovation Incorporated
• Inventors: Chaji, Gholamreza
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Jr., Kenneth B
• Application Number:
  US13/474,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20120293481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0866 by means of changes in the pixel supply voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/043 Preventing or counteracting the effects of ageing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/045 Compensation of drifts in the characteristics of light emitting or modulating elements
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/048 using evaluation of the usage time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0613 The adjustment depending on the type of the information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0686 with two or more screen areas displaying information with different brightness or colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3225 using an active matrix
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

Methods and systems to dynamically adjust a voltage supply of a display are provided. Systems are provided to receive a digital data input indicative of an amount of luminance to be emitted from the display, to determine a desired supply voltage to supply to the display based on the received digital data, and to adjust an adjustable voltage supply according to the determined desired supply voltage. Furthermore, the methods and systems disclosed herein provide for dynamically separately controlling supply voltages supplied to distinct subsections of the display. Systems and methods are also provided for operating a display device in an idle mode by turning off subsections of the display that would otherwise be shown dark and thereby save energy required to program the subsections with display information.

Claims

1. A system for driving a display, the system comprising:

an array of pixel circuits that includes a plurality of subsections arranged in a grid, each of said pixel circuits comprising a light emitting device and a driving transistor for conveying a driving current through the light emitting device;

a first plurality of pairs of supply lines providing driving currents to said pixel circuits, at least one of each of said pairs of supply lines being coupled to all the pixel circuits in one of said subsections;

multiple adjustable voltage supplies configured to provide an adjustable supply voltage to at least each of said supply lines that are coupled to all the pixel circuits in one of said subsections;

a controller for determining, based on digital data indicative of an amount of luminance to be emitted from the pixel circuits in each of said subsections, an output level sufficient to enable the pixel circuits in each of said subsections to emit light according to the digital data.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to dynamically determine, based on a range of luminance values indicated by the digital data for the first plurality of pixel circuits, a voltage level to apply to the first plurality of pixel circuits sufficient to set the driving transistors in the first plurality of pixel circuits in a saturation mode.

3. The system according to claim 2, the controller being further configured to select one of a plurality of supply voltages the adjustable voltage supply is configured to provide, based on the determined voltage level for the first plurality of pixel circuits, the adjustable voltage supply being configured to supply the selected one of the plurality of supply voltages to the at least one of the first plurality of supply lines responsive to the selection.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to calculate a magnitude of a desired supply voltage based on a range of luminance values indicated by the digital data for the first plurality of pixel circuits, the magnitude of the desired supply voltage being sufficient to enable the first plurality of pixel circuits to emit light according to the luminance values indicated by the digital data.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured to dynamically adjust the adjustable voltage supply to provide a desired supply voltage via the at least one of the plurality of supply lines in real time.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured to dynamically adjust the adjustable voltage supply to provide a desired supply voltage via the at least one of the plurality of supply lines based on both predicted or measured degradation information for the display and the digital data indicative of luminance.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting device in each of the plurality of pixel circuits is an organic light emitting diode and wherein the driving transistor in each of the plurality of pixel circuits is an n-type or p-type thin film transistor.

7. A system for driving a display, the system comprising:

a first plurality of pixel circuits arranged in an array, each of the first plurality of pixel circuits comprising a light emitting device and a driving transistor for conveying a driving current through the light emitting device;

a first plurality of supply lines each associated with one or more of the first plurality of pixel circuits, the first plurality of supply lines providing driving currents to the one or more of the first plurality of pixel circuits associated therewith;

an adjustable voltage supply configured to provide a supply voltage to at least one of the first plurality of supply lines;

a controller for determining, based on digital data indicative of an amount of luminance to be emitted from the first plurality of pixel circuits, an output level from the adjustable voltage supply to apply to the at least one of the first plurality of supply lines, the output level being sufficient to enable the one or more of the first plurality of pixel circuits associated with the at least one of the first plurality of supply lines to emit light according to the digital data; and

a graphical user interface having features that are interactively highlighted to be alternately brightened or dimmed according to inputs provided by a user for selecting and deselecting the features, the features being positioned on distinct portions of the display, the distinct portions of the display each being associated with a respective plurality of supply lines providing respective supply voltages that are separately adjustable by the adjustable voltage supply.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the supply voltages provided to the distinct portions of the display according to digital data indicative of the amount of luminance to be emitted by pixels in each of the distinct portions of the display.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the distinct portions of the display are non-overlapping.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the display is a mobile device display and the features comprise icons on a menu for selecting programs operating on the mobile device.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the mobile device is a phone.

13. A method of operating a display, the method comprising:

receiving digital data input indicative of an amount of luminance to be emitted from an array of pixel circuits that includes a plurality of subsections arranged in a grid, each of said pixel circuits comprising a light emitting device and a driving transistor for conveying a driving current through the light emitting device;

providing driving currents to said pixel circuits from a first plurality of pairs of supply lines, at least one of each of said pairs of supply lines being coupled to all the pixel circuits in one of said subsections;

determining, based on the received digital data, one of a plurality of supply voltages to apply to each of said first plurality of pairs of supply lines;

providing an adjustable supply voltage to at least each of said supply lines that are coupled to all the pixel circuits in one of said subsections;

determining, based on digital data indicative of an amount of luminance to be emitted from the pixel circuits in each of said subsections, an output level-in each of said subsections to emit light according to the digital data; and

adjusting a voltage of one or more supply voltage lines associated with the first plurality of pixels according to the determined one of the plurality of supply voltages.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining, based on the received digital data, voltages necessary to set driving transistors in each of the first plurality of pixels in a saturation mode;

analyzing the determined necessary voltages to find the maximum necessary voltage; and

setting the adjustable voltage supply to provide the maximum necessary voltage to the first plurality of pixels.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

determining a magnitude of a supply voltage to be applied to a first portion of the display sufficient to set driving transistors in the first portion in a saturation mode.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the determining includes:

evaluating the voltages required in each pixel to operate emissive elements according to measured or predicted aging information for each pixel.