Power-efficient control of display data configured to be rendered on a display unit of a data processing device

• US 9,437,165 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Kumar, Harsha
• Primary Examiner(s): FARAGALLA, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US14/067,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20150116294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/342 using several illumination sources separately controlled corresponding to different display panel areas, e.g. along one dimension such as lines
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A method includes scanning, through a processor of a data processing device communicatively coupled to a memory, display data to be rendered on a display unit communicatively coupled to the data processing device for boundaries of one or more virtual object(s) therein. The method also includes rendering, through the processor, a portion of the display data outside the boundaries of the one or more virtual object(s) at a reduced level compared to a portion of the display data within the boundaries on the display unit.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

scanning, through a processor of a data processing device communicatively coupled to a memory, display data to be rendered on a display unit communicatively coupled to the data processing device for boundaries of playable video content therein;

detecting, by the processor, a command to play the video content on the display unit; and

in response to detecting the command, rendering, through the processor, a portion of the display data outside the boundaries of the video content at a reduced level compared to a portion of the display data within the boundaries on the display unit;

wherein the rendering of the portion of the display data outside the boundaries of the video content at the reduced level is performed for a duration that the video content is played on the display unit.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising leveraging a virtual desktop background surface on which the display data is overlaid and a definition of a spatial position of the video content within the virtual desktop background surface provided through an operating system executing on the data processing device during determination of the boundaries of the video content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein rendering the portion of the display data outside the boundaries at the reduced level further comprises at least one of:

modifying at least one parameter associated with the display data corresponding to the portion outside the boundaries; and

reducing an intensity level of a backlight of the display unit for the portion outside the boundaries.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising transmitting, through the processor, a control signal to a backlight driver circuit of the backlight to enable reduction of the intensity level thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

triggering at least one of;

the scanning of the display data and the rendering of the portion of the display data outside the boundaries at the reduced level through a driver component associated with at least one of the processor and the display unit.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing the driver component packaged with at least one of:

an operating system executing on the data processing device and an application executing on the data processing device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the command is detected responsive to selection by a user of the data processing device of an option displayed on the display unit to play the video content.

7. A non-transitory medium, readable through a data processing device and including instructions embodied therein that are executable through the data processing device, comprising:

instructions to scan, through a processor of the data processing device communicatively coupled to a memory, display data to be rendered on a display unit communicatively coupled to the data processing device for boundaries of playable video content therein;

detecting, by the processor, a command to play the video content on the display unit; and

instructions responsive to detecting the command to render, through the processor, a portion of the display data outside the boundaries of the video content at a reduced level compared to a portion of the display data within the boundaries on the display unit;

wherein the rendering of the portion of the display data outside the boundaries of the video content at the reduced level is performed for a duration that the video content is played on the display unit.

8. The non-transitory medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions to leverage a virtual desktop background surface on which the display data is overlaid and a definition of a spatial position of the video content within the virtual desktop background surface provided through an operating system executing on the data processing device during determination of the boundaries of the video content.

9. The non-transitory medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions to render the portion of the display data outside the boundaries at the reduced level further comprise instructions to at least one of:

modify at least one parameter associated with the display data corresponding to the portion outside the boundaries; and

reduce an intensity level of a backlight of the display unit for the portion outside the boundaries.

10. The non-transitory medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions to transmit, through the processor, a control signal to a backlight driver circuit of the backlight to enable reduction of the intensity level thereof.

11. The non-transitory medium of claim 7, further comprising instructions to:

trigger at least one of;

the scanning of the display data and the rendering of the portion of the display data outside the boundaries at the reduced level through a driver component associated with at least one of the processor and the display unit.

12. A data processing device comprising:

a memory; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute instructions to;

scan display data to be rendered on a display unit communicatively coupled to the data processing device for boundaries of playable video content therein,

detect a command to play the video content on the display unit; and

in response to detecting the command, render a portion of the display data outside the boundaries of the video content at a reduced level compared to a portion of the display data within the boundaries on the display unit;

wherein the rendering of the portion of the display data outside the boundaries of the video content at the reduced level is performed for a duration that the video content is played on the display unit.

13. The data processing device of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions to leverage a virtual desktop background surface on which the display data is overlaid and a definition of a spatial position of the video content within the virtual desktop background surface provided through an operating system executing on the data processing device during determination of the boundaries of the video content.

14. The data processing device of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to render the portion of the display data outside the boundaries at the reduced level based on at least one of:

modifying at least one parameter associated with the display data corresponding to the portion outside the boundaries, and reducing an intensity level of a backlight of the display unit for the portion outside the boundaries.

15. The data processing device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions to transmit a control signal to a backlight driver circuit of the backlight to enable reduction of the intensity level thereof.

16. The data processing device of claim 12, wherein

the data processing device further comprises a driver component associated with at least one of the processor and the display unit to trigger at least one of:

the scanning of the display data and the rendering of the portion of the display data outside the boundaries at the reduced level.

17. The data processing device of claim 16, wherein the driver component is provided packaged with at least one of:

an operating system executing on the data processing device and an application executing on the data processing device.