Selective monitor control

• US 9,418,621 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2015
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kumar, Sanjay, Mishra, Kamlesh K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sadio, Insa
• Application Number:
  US14/724,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20150269906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3218 of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0237 Switching ON and OFF the backlight within one frame
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• 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 5/02 characterised by the way in which colour is displayed details of colour display specific for CRTs G09G1/28; specific for flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/04 using circuits for interfacing with colour displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

Reducing energy usage by a monitor includes a map manager between a monitor interface and a processor that divides a display area of a monitor into areas and stores display information in a staging area. The map manager distinguishes an active window selected by a user from the remainder inactive, unselected areas of a display, and further determines a used subset of areas within the active window distinguished from the remainder unused areas as a function of a user preference. Accordingly, the map manager drives the monitor at each of the used area active window areas with the processor display information stored in the staging area at a normal luminance specified by the processor display information, and at each of the remainder unused, inactive and unselected areas of the total display area at a reduced luminance lower than the specified normal luminance.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for reducing energy usage by a monitor, the method comprising executing on a processing unit the steps of:

distinguishing, from a remainder second plurality of blocks, a first plurality of blocks that are each within a top-focused active window within display information that is output by a main monitor board to a display area of a monitor, wherein the display area of the monitor is divided into a total display area grid of different blocks that includes the first plurality of blocks and the second plurality of blocks, wherein the remainder second plurality of the blocks are each within a remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area of the monitor that is different from the top-focused active window;

selecting a first subset of the top-focused active window first plurality of blocks that is defined to include a focal point within the top-focused active window and at least one corner block located about and within at least one block from the focal point, wherein the first subset of the top-focused active window first plurality of blocks is distinguished from a remainder second subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window;

driving the first subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the display area of the monitor with display information at a normal level of color luminance and at a normal level of backlight power;

driving the second remainder subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the monitor at the normal level of backlight power, and at a reduced level of color luminance that is lower than the normal level of color luminance; and

driving the remainder second plurality of the blocks within the remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area of the monitor at the reduced level of color luminance, and at a reduced level of backlight power that is lower than the normal level of backlight power.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reduced level of backlight power is no backlight power.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reduced level of color luminance level comprises contrasting color tones selected to allow a specific user to distinguish distinct display elements within the second remainder subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the monitor, and wherein the contrasting color tones are selected to be intelligible to a user having one or more of protanopia, protanomalia, deuteranopia, deuteranomalia, tritanopia and tritanomalia.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one corner block is a plurality of corner blocks that are disposed about the focal point;

and

wherein the step of selecting the first subset of the top-focused active window first plurality of blocks comprises selecting the plurality of corner blocks to demarcate boundaries of an area of interest that includes the focal point within the plurality of corner blocks.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing on the processor the step of:

visually distinguishing a first task bar subset group of the second plurality of the blocks within the remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area of the monitor from another subset group of the second plurality of the blocks within the remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area, by driving the first task bar subset group blocks with display information at the normal level of color luminance and at the normal level of backlight power.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reduced level of color luminance comprises a predefined low-contrast color combination that causes the monitor to emit a first amount of radiation in rendering the display information from the main monitor board;

and

wherein the normal level of color luminance comprises a high-contrast color combination that causes the monitor to emit a second amount of radiation in rendering the display information from the main monitor board that is a higher than the first amount of radiation emitted by the monitor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the top-focused active window is a one of a plurality of windows in the display information from the main monitor board that has a highest Z-order value.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

integrating computer-readable program code into a computer system comprising the processing unit, a computer readable memory and a computer readable storage hardware device;

wherein the computer readable program code is embodied on the computer readable storage hardware device and comprises instructions for execution by the processing unit via the computer readable memory that cause the processing unit to perform the steps of distinguishing from the first plurality of blocks the remainder second plurality of blocks that are each within the top-focused active window within the display information that is output by the main monitor board to the display area of the monitor, selecting the first subset of the top-focused active window first plurality of blocks that is distinguished from the remainder second subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window, driving the first subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the display area of the monitor with display information at the normal level of color luminance and at the normal level of backlight power, driving the second remainder subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the monitor at the normal level of backlight power and at the reduced level of color luminance, and driving the remainder second plurality of the blocks within the remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area of the monitor at the reduced level of color luminance and at the reduced level of backlight power.

9. A system, comprising:

a processor that is interposed between a monitor and a main monitor board;

a computer readable memory in communication with the processor; and

a computer-readable storage hardware device in communication with the processor;

wherein the processor executes program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage hardware device via the computer readable memory and thereby;

distinguishes, from a remainder second plurality of blocks, a first plurality of blocks that are each within a top-focused active window within display information that is output by a main monitor board to a display area of a monitor, wherein the display area of the monitor is divided into a total display area grid of different blocks that includes the first plurality of blocks and the second plurality of blocks, wherein the remainder second plurality of the blocks are each within a remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area of the monitor that is different from the top-focused active window;

selects a first subset of the top-focused active window first plurality of blocks that is defined to include a focal point within the top-focused active window and at least one corner block located about and within at least one block from the focal point, wherein the first subset of the top-focused active window first plurality of blocks is distinguished from a remainder second subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window;

drives the first subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the display area of the monitor with display information at a normal level of color luminance and at a normal level of backlight power;

drives the second remainder subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the monitor at the normal level of backlight power, and at a reduced level of color luminance that is lower than the normal level of color luminance; and

drives the remainder second plurality of the blocks within the remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area of the monitor at the reduced level of color luminance, and at a reduced level of backlight power that is lower than the normal level of backlight power.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the reduced level of backlight power is no backlight power.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the reduced level of color luminance level comprises contrasting color tones selected to allow a specific user to distinguish distinct display elements within the second remainder subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the monitor, and wherein the contrasting color tones are selected to be intelligible to a user having one or more of protanopia, protanomalia, deuteranopia, deuteranomalia, tritanopia and tritanomalia.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one corner block is a plurality of corner blocks that are disposed about the focal point;

and

wherein the processor executes the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage hardware device via the computer readable memory and thereby selects the first subset of the top-focused active window first plurality of blocks by selecting the plurality of corner blocks to demarcate boundaries of an area of interest that includes the focal point within the plurality of corner blocks.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor executes the program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage hardware device via the computer readable memory and thereby further visually distinguishes a first task bar subset group of the second plurality of the blocks within the remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area of the monitor from another subset group of the second plurality of the blocks within the remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area, by driving the first task bar subset group blocks with display information at the normal level of color luminance and at the normal level of backlight power.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the reduced level of color luminance comprises a predefined low-contrast color combination that causes the monitor to emit a first amount of radiation in rendering the display information from the main monitor board;

and

wherein the normal level of color luminance comprises a high-contrast color combination that causes the monitor to emit a second amount of radiation in rendering the display information from the main monitor board that is a higher than the first amount of radiation emitted by the monitor.

15. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a computer readable storage hardware device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a transitory signal per se, the computer readable program code comprising instructions for execution by a processor that cause the processor to;

distinguish, from a remainder second plurality of blocks, a first plurality of blocks that are each within a top-focused active window within display information that is output by a main monitor board to a display area of a monitor, wherein the display area of the monitor is divided into a total display area grid of different blocks that includes the first plurality of blocks and the second plurality of blocks, wherein the remainder second plurality of the blocks are each within a remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area of the monitor that is different from the top-focused active window;

select a first subset of the top-focused active window first plurality of blocks that is defined to include a focal point within the top-focused active window and at least one corner block located about and within at least one block from the focal point, wherein the first subset of the top-focused active window first plurality of blocks is distinguished from a remainder second subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window;

drive the first subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the display area of the monitor with display information at a normal level of color luminance and at a normal level of backlight power;

drive the second remainder subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the monitor at the normal level of backlight power, and at a reduced level of color luminance that is lower than the normal level of color luminance; and

drive the remainder second plurality of the blocks within the remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area of the monitor at the reduced level of color luminance, and at a reduced level of backlight power that is lower than the normal level of backlight power.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the reduced level of backlight power is no backlight power.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the reduced level of color luminance level comprises contrasting color tones selected to allow a specific user to distinguish distinct display elements within the second remainder subset of the first plurality of blocks of the top-focused active window display area of the monitor, and wherein the contrasting color tones are selected to be intelligible to a user having one or more of protanopia, protanomalia, deuteranopia, deuteranomalia, tritanopia and tritanomalia.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the at least one corner block is a plurality of corner blocks that are disposed about the focal point;

and

wherein the computer readable program code instructions for execution by the processor further cause the processor to select the first subset of the top-focused active window first plurality of blocks by selecting the plurality of corner blocks to demarcate boundaries of an area of interest that includes the focal point within the plurality of corner blocks.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program code instructions for execution by the processor further cause the processor to visually distinguish a first task bar subset group of the second plurality of the blocks within the remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area of the monitor from another subset group of the second plurality of the blocks within the remainder inactive and unselected area of the total display area, by driving the first task bar subset group blocks with display information at the normal level of color luminance and at the normal level of backlight power.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the reduced level of color luminance comprises a predefined low-contrast color combination that causes the monitor to emit a first amount of radiation in rendering the display information from the main monitor board;

and

wherein the normal level of color luminance comprises a high-contrast color combination that causes the monitor to emit a second amount of radiation in rendering the display information from the main monitor board that is a higher than the first amount of radiation emitted by the monitor.