Apparatus and method for controlling screen brightness in portable terminal

• US 9,349,347 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwon, Tae-Youn, Choi, Chi-Jeong, Kim, Jun-Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): Karimi, Pegeman
• Application Number:
  US13/428,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20130093799A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,523 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/163, 345/690, 715/835, 715/856
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/045 Zooming at least part of an image, i.e. enlarging it or shrinking it
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for controlling a screen brightness in a portable terminal, by which consumption of current by the portable terminal can be reduced by reducing the brightness of the display while a screen is being loaded for display. The apparatus preferably includes: a display unit for changing a screen brightness value thereof depending on whether data is operated, and displaying a screen thereof having the changed screen brightness value; and a controller for performing a control operation for changing the screen brightness value while the data is operated, and performing a control operation for causing the changed screen brightness value to return to a screen brightness value before the change when the operation of the data is completed.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a brightness in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

displaying at least one item on a display unit of the portable terminal;

receiving input for selecting one item among the at least one item;

initiating a loading operation for executing the selected item;

automatically changing a brightness of the display unit to a predetermined brightness value in response to initiating the loading operation and prior to a display of data of the selected item and changing the brightness of the display unit after the loading operation has completed to provide a brightness value that has been modified by changed ambient brightness as sensed by an ambient sensor and based on a type of the selected item, and

displaying the at least one item on the display unit of the portable terminal with the predetermined brightness value during the loading operation, wherein

the predetermined brightness value is greater than zero.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the changing of the brightness of the display unit comprises changing the brightness of the display unit by applying a set brightness to the selected item.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, changing the brightness after the loading operation has been completed.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the automatically changing of the brightness of the display unit comprises decreasing the brightness of the display unit during the loading operation.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the item includes an application.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the application comprises at least one of:

an album application;

an Internet application; and

a Television (TV) application.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the item includes particular data executable by the portable terminal.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the data includes image data.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising bringing the brightness of the display unit back to a brightness value before being changed, when execution of the data has been completed.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising sequentially changing the brightness of the display unit until execution of the data is completed.

11. A portable terminal comprising:

a display unit that displays a screen image on a screen thereof; and

a controller configured to display at least one item on the display unit, receive input for selecting the at least one item, initiate a loading operation for executing the selected item and display the at least one item on the display unit of the portable terminal with a predetermined brightness value during the loading operation prior to a display of data of the selected item, changing the brightness of the display unit after the loading operation has completed to provide a brightness value that has been modified by changed ambient brightness as sensed by an ambient sensor and based on a type of the selected item, wherein

the predetermined brightness value is greater than zero.

12. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 11, wherein the controller changes the brightness of the display unit by applying a set brightness to the selected item.

13. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 11, wherein after the loading operation has ended, the controller changes the brightness of the display unit.

14. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 11, wherein the controller changes the brightness of the display unit to increase during the loading operation.

15. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 11, wherein the item includes an application.

16. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 15, wherein the application comprises at least one of:

an album application;

an Internet application; and

a Television (TV) application.

17. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 11, wherein the item includes particular data executable by the portable terminal.

18. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 17, wherein the data includes image data.

19. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 17, wherein the controller changes the brightness of the display unit to decrease during the loading operation.

20. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 17, wherein the controller sequentially changes the brightness of the display unit until execution of the data is completed.