Method and apparatus for displaying content on a display of an electronic device during different device operating modes

• US 9,230,486 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2013
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Klement, Alexander, Baciu, Paul N., Manea, Adrian G., Yang, Sen
• Primary Examiner(s): SHERMAN, STEPHEN G
• Application Number:
  US14/078,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20150102992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 783 Days
• Field of Search: 345/102, 345173-178, 178 1801- 1809, 178/18.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3228 Monitoring task completion, e.g. by use of idle timers, stop commands or wait commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0233 Improving the luminance or brightness uniformity across the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/023 using energy recovery or conservation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• 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

An electronic device utilizes a method for displaying content on a display of the device during different device operating modes. According to one embodiment, the device (e.g., through its processing subsystem) determines whether it is in an active mode or a sleep mode. If the device is in an active mode, the device illuminates a first portion of the display to display content. On the other hand, if the device is in a sleep mode, the device illuminates a second, substantially lesser portion of the display to display content. In one embodiment, the device display includes a display panel and two disparate backlights positioned behind the display panel. The first backlight is operable to illuminate the first portion of the display panel and the second backlight is operable to illuminate the second portion of the display panel when each backlight is respectively activated by the device'"'"'s processing subsystem.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining whether an electronic device is in an active mode or a sleep mode;

illuminating, by a first backlight of a display of the electronic device, when the first backlight is activated, a first portion of the display to display content when the electronic device is in the active mode; and

illuminating, by a second backlight of the display, when the second backlight is activated, a second portion of the display to display the content when the electronic device is in the sleep mode, wherein the second backlight is distinct from the first backlight, wherein the second portion of the display is substantially less than the first portion of the display, and wherein the first portion of the display includes at least part of the second portion of the display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the electronic device is in the active mode or the sleep mode comprises:

determining whether a user of the electronic device has interacted with one or more controls of the electronic device within a predetermined period of time;

if the user has interacted with the one or more controls of the electronic device within the predetermined period of time, determining that the electronic device is in the active mode; and

if the user has not interacted with the one or more controls of the electronic device within the predetermined period of time, determining that the electronic device is in the sleep mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the display is substantially all of a display area of the display.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the display is less than or equal to about 25% of a display area of the display.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the display is limited to a portion of the display which immediately surrounds the content being displayed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first backlight and the second backlight are each positioned behind a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, and wherein the first portion of the display includes substantially all of a display area of the LCD panel, and wherein the illuminating of the first and second portions of the display comprises:

activating the first backlight, but not the second backlight, when the electronic device is in the active mode; and

activating the second backlight, but not the first backlight, when the electronic device is in the sleep mode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second portion of the display is limited to a portion of the display which includes and immediately surrounds the content being displayed.

8. A display comprising:

a display panel;

a first backlight positioned behind the display panel and being operable to illuminate a first portion of the display panel when electronically activated by a processing subsystem of an electronic device; and

a second backlight positioned behind the display panel and being operable to illuminate a second portion of the display panel when electronically activated by the processing subsystem of the electronic device, wherein the second backlight is distinct from the first backlight, wherein the second portion of the display panel is substantially less than the first portion of the display panel, and wherein the first portion of the display panel includes at least part of the second portion of the display panel.

9. The display of claim 8, wherein the first portion of the display panel is substantially all of a display area of the display panel.

10. The display of claim 8, wherein the second portion of the display panel is less than or equal to about 25% of a display area of the display panel.

11. The display of claim 8, wherein the second portion of the display panel is limited to a portion of a display area of the display panel which includes and immediately surrounds content being displayed.

12. The display of claim 8, wherein the second backlight includes an organic light emitting diode.

13. The display of claim 8, wherein the display panel is a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel and wherein the first backlight comprises:

a reflective layer;

a light diffuser positioned between the reflective layer and the LCD display panel; and

a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) positioned at one or more ends of the light diffuser such that the plurality of LEDs emit light into the diffuser when the plurality of LEDs are activated.

14. The display of claim 13, wherein the second backlight is positioned behind the reflective layer at a location corresponding to the second portion of the display panel, and wherein the reflective layer is at least partially optically transmissive in a direction from the second backlight to the display panel.

15. The display of claim 13, further comprising:

a substrate including a top surface and a bottom surface, and defining a recess relative to the top surface, wherein the second backlight is positioned within the recess and the reflective layer is positioned upon the top surface of the substrate so as to cover the recess and the second backlight.

16. The display of claim 13, wherein the second backlight is positioned between the reflective layer and the light diffuser at a location corresponding to the second portion of the display panel.

17. An electronic device, comprising:

a display panel;

a first backlight positioned behind the display panel and being operable to illuminate a first portion of the display panel when electronically activated;

a second backlight positioned behind the display panel and being operable to illuminate a second portion of the display panel when electronically activated, wherein the second backlight is distinct from the first backlight, wherein the second portion of the display panel is substantially less than the first portion of the display panel, and wherein the first portion of the display panel includes at least part of the second portion of the display panel; and

a processing subsystem operably coupled to the first backlight and the second backlight, the processing subsystem operable in accordance with stored operating instructions to;

activate the first backlight and deactivate the second backlight to display content on the first portion of the display panel; and

activate the second backlight and deactivate the first backlight to display the content on the second portion of the display panel.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the processing subsystem is further operable in accordance with the stored operating instructions to:

determine whether the electronic device is in an active mode or a sleep mode;

activate the first backlight, but not the second backlight, when the electronic device is in an active mode; and

activate the second backlight, but not the first backlight, when the electronic device is in a sleep mode.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, further comprising:

a user interface including one or more controls,

wherein the processing subsystem is operable to determine whether the electronic device is in the active mode or the sleep mode by;

determining whether a user of the electronic device has interacted with the one or more controls within a predetermined period of time;

if the user has interacted with the one or more controls device within the predetermined period of time, determining that the electronic device is in the active mode; and

if the user has not interacted with the one or more controls within the predetermined period of time, determining that the electronic device is in the sleep mode.

20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the second portion of the display panel is less than or equal to about 25% of a display area of the display panel.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the second portion of the display panel is limited to a portion of the display area of the display panel which includes and immediately surrounds the content being displayed.

22. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the display panel is a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, and wherein the first backlight comprises:

a reflective layer;

a light diffuser positioned between the reflective layer and the LCD display panel; and

a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) positioned at one or more ends of the light diffuser such that the plurality of LEDs emit light into the diffuser when the plurality of LEDs are activated.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the second backlight is positioned behind the reflective layer at a location corresponding to the second portion of the display panel, and wherein the reflective layer is at least partially optically transmissive in a direction from the second backlight to the display panel.

24. The electronic device of claim 23, further comprising:

a substrate including a top surface and a bottom surface, and defining a recess relative to the top surface, wherein the second backlight is positioned within the recess and the reflective layer is positioned upon the top surface of the substrate so as to cover the recess and the second backlight.

25. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the second backlight is positioned between the reflective layer and the light diffuser at a location corresponding to the second portion of the display panel.