Portable media device with power-managed display

• US 8,358,273 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2006
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hodge, Andrew Bert, Bar-Nahum, Guy, Gettemy, Shawn R., Tupman, David John
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, AFROZA Y
• Application Number:
  US11/439,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20070273714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,436 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/169
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/062 Adjustment of illumination source parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0686 with two or more screen areas displaying information with different brightness or colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/16 Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336

Abstract

Improved techniques for controlling power utilization of a display device are disclosed. The improved techniques reduce power consumption by lowering display intensity at appropriate times. In one embodiment, the display intensity can be controlled depending on the type of content being displayed. In another embodiment, the display intensity can be controlled depending on the characteristics of the content being displayed. In still another embodiment, the display intensity can be controlled depending on the type and characteristics of content being displayed. The improved techniques are well suited for use with portable media devices.

Claims

1. A method for conserving power by controlling display intensity of a display device incorporated in a power limited portable electronic device for identified content to be displayed on the display device, the content having a content type associated therewith, wherein an external device wirelessly coupled to the portable electronic device determines the content type of the identified content and identifies a user preference set for the determined content type, the method comprising:

receiving at the portable electronic device from the external device a brightness level for the identified content determined by the external device, wherein the brightness level for the identified content to be displayed is determined based on the identified user preference and determined content type associated with the identified content; and

after receiving the brightness level at the portable electronic device, adjusting an output intensity level for the display device of the portable electronic device based on the brightness level received.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the output intensity level is adjusted to maximum intensity based on the brightness level received.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the output intensity level is adjusted on a relative basis, wherein the output intensity level is set to a certain percentage of maximum intensity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the external device is a host computer, the host computer operating in advance of sending the brightness level to determine the brightness level and associate the brightness level with the identified content thereby alleviating a video processing computational burden from the display device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the host computer examines the identified content to be displayed to identify a dominant content type from a plurality of different visual content types, determines a particular output intensity level associated with the dominant content type, associates information in accordance with the particular output intensity level with the content, and sends the content and the associated information to the display having reduced computational resources, the information used by the reduced computational resource display to alter intensity of displayed content in accordance with the received information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the information is used by the reduced computational resource display to alter intensity of the displayed content without incurring a computational burden from examining the content to identify a dominant content type.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of visual content types include text and images.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of visual content types include text and video.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of visual content types include text, video, and images.

10. A power-limited video display device comprising:

a display portion for displaying video content;

a processor, wherein the processor is configured to preserve power consumption by the video display device by adjusting an output intensity of all of the display portion based upon video brightness information received prior to adjusting the output intensity, wherein the video brightness information is based in part upon a type of video content and a user preference associated with the type of video content, wherein the video brightness information is determined by and associated with the video content by an external device during preprocessing prior to the video brightness information being received by the video display device.

11. The power-limited video display device of claim 10, wherein the processor adjusts the output intensity over a number of step reductions or increases.

12. The power-limited video display device of claim 10, wherein the video display device is a portable media device.

13. The power-limited video display device of claim 10, wherein the display portion is a liquid crystal display.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing at least executable computer program code for controlling a power-limited display device, wherein the display device has a display portion for displaying visual content, the computer readable medium comprising:

executable computer code for receiving preprocessed visual content data at the display device, the visual content data including information corresponding to a content type and brightness information, wherein the brightness information is determined by an external device based in part upon the content type and a user preference associated with the content type wherein the external device associates the brightness information with the visual content data prior to sending the preprocessed visual content data to the display device; and

executable computer code for adjusting an output intensity level of all of the display portion in accordance with the brightness information received with the preprocessed visual content data.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein if the visual content data is text, the output intensity level is set to a level lower than if the visual content data is an image.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the display portion is an LED.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the display portion if an OLED.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing at least executable computer program code for performing predisplay processing of content to be displayed, wherein the content comprises a plurality of different visual content types, comprising:

executable computer code for, on a host device, examining the content to identify a dominant content type from the plurality of different visual content types;

executable computer code for determining a particular output intensity level associated with the dominant content type based on the identified dominant content type and a user preference associated with the identified content type; and

executable computer code for sending the content to a portable media device along with information regarding the particular output intensity level after the executable computer code determines the particular output intensity level associated with the dominant content type, such that the portable media device can utilize the information to alter display intensity of a display to match the particular output intensity level without incurring a computational burden from examining the content to identify a dominant content type, wherein display intensity of the display can be altered after the portable media device receives the content and the information regarding the particular output intensity level.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the plurality of visual content types include text and images.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the plurality of visual content types include text and video.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the plurality of visual content types include text, video, and images.

22. A power-limited portable electronic device comprising:

a battery;

a display;

an interface capable of connecting to a host device;

an adjustable illumination circuit coupled to the battery, the display, and the interface and configured to;

receive video content and brightness information preprocessed by the host device, wherein the brightness information is determined by the host device based on the video content including information corresponding to a video content type and a user preference set for the video content type, wherein the video content is preprocessed by associating the video brightness information with the video content; and

after receiving the video content preprocessed by the host device, adjust the adjustable illumination circuit based on the video brightness information received with the preprocessed video content, wherein the adjustable illumination circuit affects the brightness of the entire display regardless of how much of the display is currently playing the video content type.

23. The power-limited portable electronic device of claim 22, further comprising sending to the host device information regarding characteristics of the display of the power-limited electronic device for use by the host device in preprocessing the video content.

24. The power-limited portable electronic device of claim 22, wherein the interface is a wireless interface.

25. The power-limited portable electronic device of claim 22, wherein the interface is a wired interface.

26. The power-limited portable electronic device of claim 22, wherein the adjustable illumination circuit directly reduces power used from the battery when causing the brightness of the display to be reduced.

27. A method for pre-processing, at a host device, content to be displayed on a power-limited portable electronic device having reduced computational resources, wherein the content comprises a plurality of different visual content types, the method comprising:

examining the content to be displayed to identify a dominant content type from the plurality of different visual content types;

determining a user preference associated with the dominant content type;

associating information regarding the user preference with the content; and

after associating information regarding the user preference with the content, sending the content and the associated information to the power-limited portable electronic device, the information being used by the power-limited portable electronic device to alter output intensity level of the display based on the retrieved information.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the retrieving and the sending are performed over a wireless transmission medium.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein an intensity of a display of the power-limited portable electronic device affects an amount of power used by the display and affects the intensity of the entire display, regardless of whether the display is showing the dominant content type or other content types, either alone or simultaneously.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the method further comprises retrieving information regarding a maximum brightness of the display.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the user preference is stored by the host device.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the method further comprises determining a particular output intensity level associated with the dominant content type, wherein the particular output intensity level can be varied based on ambient light in the vicinity of the display.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein user preferences stored on the host device specify a particular percentage of maximum brightness for each of the plurality of visual content types.

34. The method of claim 27, wherein the dominant visual content type is selected based on colors of the plurality of visual content types.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein the dominant visual content type is selected based on contrasts of the plurality of visual content types.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the dominant visual content type is selected based on brightness levels of the plurality of visual content types.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein the particular output intensity level is selected based on each frame of the content.