Opportunistically changing display brightness

• US 9,811,146 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2015
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Worthington, Bruce Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUBEDI, DEEPROSE D
• Application Number:
  US14/675,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20160291681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 345690, 345589
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• 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 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

Automatically changing the brightness of a display device. A method includes, while the display device is at a first brightness power output level, detecting a power saving event indicating that it is desirable to reduce overall power consumed by the display device. The method further includes continuing to operate the display device at the first power output level while attempting to identify a brightness power output level change triggering event. The brightness power output level change triggering event is an event that occurs that makes a change to the brightness power output level of the display device less perceptible to a user. The method further includes detecting a brightness power output level change triggering event. In response to detecting the brightness power output level change triggering event, the method includes changing the power output level of the display device to a second brightness power output level.

Claims

1. In a computing environment, a method of automatically changing a brightness of a display device, the method comprising:

while the display device is at a first brightness power output level, detecting a power saving event indicating that it is desirable to reduce overall power consumed by the display device;

as a result of detecting the power saving event, continuing to operate the display device at the first brightness power output level while attempting to identify a brightness power output level change triggering event, the first brightness power output level change triggering event is an event that is at least one of a change in ambient lighting or a change in screen output of the display device, the brightness power output level change triggering event is an event which masks changes to brightness power output level of the display device;

detecting the brightness power output level change triggering event; and

in response to detecting the brightness power output level change triggering event and the power saving event, changing the a the first brightness power output level of the display device during the brightness power output level change triggering event from the first brightness power output level to a second brightness power output level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the power saving event comprises detecting a battery level being at or below a predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the power saving event comprises detecting a device mode being activated.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the power saving event comprises detecting a device being within a particular physical boundary location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the power saving event comprises detecting a user interacting with a graphical user interface element or a hardware user interface element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the brightness power output level change triggering event comprises detecting a device switching between applications or workloads.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the brightness power output level change triggering event comprises detecting a device switching between phases of an application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the brightness power output level change triggering event comprises detecting that the display device is being rotated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the brightness power output level change triggering event comprises detecting the change in the ambient lighting.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the brightness power output level change triggering event comprises detecting the display device either dimming or undimming.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the brightness power output level change triggering event comprises detecting the display device either turning off or turning on.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the brightness power output level change triggering event comprises detecting an indication from a content-adaptive backlight control.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first brightness power output level is higher than the second brightness power output level.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing the first brightness power output level of the display device a plurality of times for a single power saving event in response to a plurality of brightness power output level change triggering events to incrementally change the first brightness power output of the display device from the first brightness power output level to a different brightness power output level.

15. In a computing environment, a method of managing power output to a display device, the method comprising:

while the display device is at a first brightness power output level, detecting a power saving event indicating that it is desirable to reduce overall power consumed by the display device;

then, as a result of detecting the power savings event, continuing to operate the display device at the first brightness power output level;

then, identifying a first brightness power output level change triggering event that would ordinarily cause the display device to have a second brightness power output level where the first brightness power output level change triggering event is an event that is at least one of a change in ambient lighting or a change in screen output of the display device, the first brightness power output level change triggering event is an event which masks changes to a brightness power output level of the display device; and

then, as the result of detecting the power saving event continuing to operate the display device at the first brightness power output level.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

then, detecting a second brightness power output level change triggering event that would ordinarily cause the display device to change from the second brightness power output level to the first brightness power output level; and

then, as the result of detecting the power saving event and detecting the second brightness power output level change triggering event, operating the display device at a third brightness power output level that is different than the first brightness power output level.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the third brightness output power level is lower than the first brightness power output level.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first brightness power output level change triggering event comprises the display device moving from an indoor location to an outdoor location and wherein the second brightness power output level change triggering event comprises the display device moving from the an the outdoor location to the indoor location.

19. A device comprising:

a display device;

one or more hardware processors configured to implement on the display device;

a first signal detector that is configured to, while the display device is at a first brightness power output level, detect a power saving event indicating that it is desirable to reduce overall power consumed by the display device;

a brightness level manager configured to continue to operate the display device at the first brightness power output level while, as a result of the power saving event, attempting to identify a brightness power output level change triggering event, where the brightness power output level change triggering event is an event that is at least one of a change in ambient lighting or a change in screen output of the display device, the brightness power output level change triggering event is an event which masks changes to brightness power output level of the display device;

a second signal detector that is configured to detect the brightness power output level change triggering event; and

wherein the brightness level manager is configured to, in response to detecting the brightness power output level change triggering event and the power saving event, change the brightness power output level of the display device during the brightness power output level change triggering event from the first brightness power output level to a second brightness power output level.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the device further comprises a light sensor, and wherein the brightness power output level change triggering event comprises the change in the ambient lighting.