Backlight and Ambient Light Sensor System

• US 20080165116A1
• Filed: 06/28/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Yepez, Roberto G., Forstall, Scott, Coffman, Patrick L., Herz, Scott M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,698,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• 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: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods to operate a display device of an electronic device. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a user setting or input of a display control parameter, and causing or altering, based on the user setting or input, an effect of an ambient light sensor value (ALS) on control of the display control parameter. The user input may be an unlock of a touch screen input capability of the display device, and a wake of the display device from an inactivity dim. Also, according to embodiments of the inventions, a method of operating a display of an electronic device includes receiving a change to one of a display brightness output level and an ambient light sensor output level, and altering, according to the change, a display brightness or contrast output level. Other apparatuses and methods and data processing systems and machine readable media are also described.

Claims

1. A method of operating a display device of an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving a user input of a first display control parameter;

causing, as a result of the input, an effect of an ambient light sensor (ALS) value on control of a second display control parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display control parameter is one of an unlock of a touch screen input capability of the display device, and a wake of the display device from an inactivity dim;

and wherein the second display control parameter is a brightness level of the display device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the input unlocks the display device, and wherein the effect includes automatically causing a brightness level of the display device to become one of brighter and dimmer.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying a physical brightness level of a backlight of a portable device according to the second display control parameter.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the input unlocks the display device from a locked state to an unlocked state, the locked state prohibiting the display device from receiving inputs from a touch screen of the display device, and the unlocked state allowing the display device to receive inputs from the touch screen.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the input unlocks the display device, and further comprising:

if the ALS value is greater than a lock threshold, automatically causing, based on the ALS value, an increase in the display control parameter; and

if the ALS value is less than the lock threshold, automatically causing, based on the ALS value, a decrease in the display control parameter.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

receiving a user setting of a physical brightness level of a backlight of the display device;

wherein the lock threshold is based on a predetermined value and the user setting; and

wherein the second display control parameter is based on the predetermined value, the user setting, and the ALS value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user setting comprises a backlight brightness level of a portable device, and the level is capable of being a value within a range of values.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the increase in the display control parameter matches the ALS value, and the decrease in the display control parameter matches the ALS value.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the input wakes the display device, and wherein the effect includes automatically causing a brightness level of the display device to become brighter.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying a physical brightness level of a backlight of a portable device according to the second display control parameter.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the input wakes the display device, and further comprising:

if the ALS value is greater than a wake threshold, automatically causing, based on the ALS value, a first increase in the display control parameter; and

if the ALS value is less than the wake threshold, automatically causing, not based on the ALS value, a predetermined second increase in the display control parameter,

wherein the second increase is less than the first increase.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

if the ALS value is greater than the wake threshold, automatically causing, based on the value change, a brightness level of the display device to snap brighter by the first increase; and

if the ALS value is less than the wake threshold, automatically causing, based on the value change, the brightness level of the display device to snap a little brighter by the second increase.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the ALS value is based on an amount of ambient light in the environment incident upon the display device;

and wherein the physical brightness level is sufficient to allow a user to see and identify text, images, and/or video displayed on the display.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving a user setting of a physical brightness level of a backlight of the display device;

wherein the wake threshold is based on a predetermined value and the user setting; and

wherein the second display control parameter is based on the predetermined value, the user setting, and the ALS value.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the user setting comprises a backlight brightness level of a portable device, and the level is capable of being a value within a range of values.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the first increase in the display control parameter matches the ALS value, and the second increase in the display control parameter is sufficient to allow a user to notice a change in backlight brightness of the display device.

10. The method of claim above 6, wherein the ALS value is based on an amount of ambient light in the environment incident upon the display device;

wherein the display control parameter is a physical brightness level of the display device; and

wherein the physical brightness level is sufficient to allow a user to see and identify text, images, and/or video displayed on the display.

19. A method of operating a display device of an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving an ambient light sensor (ALS) value change;

if the change is an increase, automatically altering, based on the ALS value change, an effect of the ALS value change on control of the display control parameter; and

if the change is a decrease, not automatically altering, based on the ALS value change, an effect of the ALS value change on control of the display control parameter.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

if the value change is greater than a predetermined transition threshold, automatically causing, based on the value change, an increase in the display control parameter; and

if the value change is less than the predetermined transition threshold, causing the display control parameter to not become brighter or dimmer.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the increase in the display control parameter matches the ALS value change.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising displaying a physical brightness level of a backlight of a portable device according to the second display control parameter.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the ALS value is based on an amount of ambient light in the environment incident upon the display device;

wherein the display control parameter is a physical brightness level of the display device; and

wherein the physical brightness level is sufficient to allow a user to see and identify text, images, and/or video displayed on the display.

24. A machine readable medium containing executable program instructions which when executed cause a method of operating a display device of a data processing system, the method comprising:

receiving a user input of a first display control parameter;

causing, as a result of the input, an effect of an ambient light sensor (ALS) value on control of a second display control parameter.

25. The medium of claim 24 wherein the input unlocks the display device, and wherein the effect includes automatically causing a brightness level of the display device to become one of brighter and dimmer.

26. The medium of claim 24 wherein the input unlocks the display device, and the method further comprising:

if the ALS value is greater than a lock threshold, automatically causing, based on the ALS value, an increase in the display control parameter; and

if the ALS value is less than the lock threshold, automatically causing, based on the ALS value, a decrease in the display control parameter.

27. The medium of claim 26 the method further comprising:

receiving a user setting of a physical brightness level of a backlight of the display device;

wherein the lock threshold is based on a predetermined value and the user setting; and

wherein the second display control parameter is based on the predetermined value, the user setting, and the ALS value.

28. The medium of claim 24 wherein the input wakes the display device, and wherein the effect includes automatically causing a brightness level of the display device to become brighter.

29. The medium of claim 24 wherein the input wakes the display device, and the method further comprising:

if the ALS value is greater than a wake threshold, automatically causing, based on the ALS value, a first increase in the display control parameter; and

if the ALS value is less than the wake threshold, automatically causing, not based on the ALS value, a predetermined second increase in the display control parameter,

wherein the second increase is less than the first increase.

30. The medium of claim 29 the method further comprising:

if the ALS value is greater than the wake threshold, automatically causing, based on the value change, a brightness level of the display device to snap brighter by the first increase; and

if the ALS value is less than the wake threshold, automatically causing, based on the value change, the brightness level of the display device to snap a little brighter by the second increase.

31. The medium of claim 29 the method further comprising:

receiving a user setting of a physical brightness level of a backlight of the display device;

wherein the wake threshold is based on a predetermined value and the user setting; and

wherein the second display control parameter is based on the predetermined value, the user setting, and the ALS value.

32. A machine readable medium containing executable program instructions which when executed cause a method of operating a display device of a data processing system, the method comprising:

receiving an ambient light sensor (ALS) value change;

if the change is an increase, automatically altering, based on the ALS value change, an effect of the ALS value change on control of the display control parameter; and

if the change is a decrease, not automatically altering, based on the ALS value change, an effect of the ALS value change on control of the display control parameter.

33. The medium of claim 32 the method further comprising:

if the value change is greater than a predetermined transition threshold, automatically causing, based on the value change, an increase in the display control parameter; and

if the value change is less than the predetermined transition threshold, causing the display control parameter to not become brighter or dimmer.