Ambient light aware display apparatus

• US 9,183,812 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2013
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pixtronix, Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Myers, Robert L., Gandhi, Jignesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Hicks, Charles V
• Application Number:
  US13/753,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20140210802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• Field of Search: 345/207
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0666 for control of colour parameters, e.g. colour temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3413 Details of control of colour illumination sources
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3426 the different display panel areas being distributed in two dimensions, e.g. matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3433 using light modulating elements actuated by an electric field and being other than liquid crystal devices and electrochromic devices using liquid crystal devices G09G3/36; using electrochromic devices G09G3/38
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/346 based on modulation of the reflection angle, e.g. micromirrors micromirrors devices per se G02B26/0833
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/06 using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and methods are disclosed herein for adjusting the operation of a display based on ambient lighting conditions. One such apparatus includes a sensor input for receiving sensor data indicative of an ambient lighting condition, output logic and color gamut correction logic. The output logic is configured to simultaneously cause light sources of at least two colors to be illuminated to form each of at least three generated primary colors. The color gamut correction logic is configured to cause the output logic to adjust the output of at least one display light source for each of the at least three generated primary colors to change the saturation of each of the at least three generated primary colors based on the received ambient light sensor data.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a sensor input for receiving sensor data indicative of an ambient lighting condition;

output logic configured to simultaneously cause display light sources of at least two colors to be illuminated to form each of at least three generated primary colors, wherein each of the at least three generated primary colors corresponds to a nominal primary color of a nominal color gamut and has a chromaticity that is less saturated than a chromaticity of a corresponding light source; and

color gamut correction logic configured, in response to detecting the ambient lighting condition indicated in the received sensor data, to cause the output logic to adjust the output of at least one display light source for each of the at least three generated primary colors to change the saturation of each of the at least three generated primary colors.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output logic is configured, for a first of the generated primary colors, to cause a first display light source having a chromaticity similar to that of a first nominal primary color and a second display light source having a substantially different chromaticity from the first nominal primary color to be simultaneously illuminated.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the color gamut correction logic causes the output logic to adjust the output of the at least one display light source in response to the detected ambient lighting condition by causing the output logic to alter relative intensities at which the output logic causes the first and second display light sources to be simultaneously illuminated when forming the first generated primary color.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the color gamut correction logic causes the output logic to adjust the output of the at least one display light source in response to the detected ambient lighting condition by causing the output logic to reduce the relative intensity at which the output logic causes the second display light source to be illuminated when forming the first generated primary color in relation to the intensity at which the output logic causes the first display light source to be illuminated when forming the first generated primary color.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein in forming a remainder of the generated primary colors, the color gamut correction logic causes the output logic to adjust the output of the display light sources in response to the detected ambient lighting condition such that a perceived white point of the generated color gamut of the display after the adjustment is the same as a perceived white point of the generated color gamut of the display before the adjustment.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the color gamut correction logic is configured to cause the output logic to adjust the output of the at least one display light source, when forming the first generated primary color, in response to the detected ambient lighting condition such that under the ambient lighting condition, the color gamut made available by use of the generated primary colors more closely replicates the nominal color gamut.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the color gamut correction logic is configured to cause the output logic to adjust the output of at least one display light source for each of the at least three generated primary colors such that the color gamut made available through use of the generated primary colors is a scaled version of the nominal color gamut.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a memory storing a lookup table (LUT) storing a plurality of display light source output levels associated with a corresponding plurality of ambient light conditions, and wherein the color gamut correction logic causes the output logic to adjust the output of the at least one display light source, when forming the first generated primary color, in response to the detected ambient lighting condition by forwarding display light source output levels obtained from the LUT based on the ambient light conditions to the output logic.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the generated primary colors include red, green, and blue.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the nominal color gamut includes one of the sRGB and the Adobe RGB color gamut.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one display light source includes a light emitting diode.

12. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving sensor data indicative of an ambient lighting condition;

output control means configured to simultaneously cause display light sources of at least two colors to be illuminated to form each of at least three generated primary colors, wherein each of the at least three generated primary colors corresponds to a nominal primary color of a nominal color gamut and has a chromaticity that is less saturated than a chromaticity of a corresponding light source; and

color gamut correction means configured, in response to detecting the ambient lighting condition indicated in the received sensor data, to cause the output control means to adjust the output of at least one display light source for each of the at least three generated primary colors to change the saturation of each of the at least three generated primary colors.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the output control means is configured, for a first of the generated primary colors, to cause a first display light source having a chromaticity similar to that of the first nominal primary color and a second display light source having a substantially different chromaticity from the first nominal primary color to be simultaneously illuminated.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the color gamut correction means causes the output control means to adjust the output of the at least one display light source in response to the detected ambient lighting condition by causing the output control means to alter relative intensities at which the output control means causes the first and second display light sources to be simultaneously illuminated when forming the first generated primary color.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the color gamut correction means causes the output control means to adjust the output of the display light sources, when forming a remainder of the generated primary colors, in response to the detected ambient lighting condition such that a perceived white point of the generated color gamut of the display after the adjustment is the same as a perceived white point of the generated color gamut of the display before the adjustment.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the color gamut correction means is configured to cause the output control means to adjust the output of the at least one display light source, when forming the first generated primary color, in response to the detected ambient lighting condition such that under the ambient lighting condition, the color gamut made available by use of the generated primary colors more closely replicates the nominal color gamut.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the color gamut correction means is configured to cause the output control means to adjust the output of at least one display light source for each of the at least three generated primary colors such that the color gamut made available through use of the generated primary colors is a scaled version of the nominal color gamut.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising a storage means storing lookup table (LUT) that includes a plurality of display light source output levels associated with a corresponding plurality of ambient light conditions, and wherein the color gamut correction means causes the output control means to adjust the output of the at least one display light source, when forming the first generated primary color, in response to the detected ambient lighting condition by forwarding light source output levels obtained from the LUT based on the ambient light conditions to the output control means.

19. A method for adjusting the operation of a display based on ambient lighting conditions, comprising:

receiving sensor data indicative of an ambient lighting condition;

simultaneously causing light sources of at least two colors to be illuminated to form each of at least three generated primary colors, wherein each of the at least three generated primary colors corresponds to a nominal primary color of a nominal color gamut and has a chromaticity that is less saturated than a chromaticity of a corresponding display light source; and

in response to detecting the ambient lighting condition indicated in the received sensor data, adjusting the output of at least one display light source for each of the at least three generated primary colors to change the saturation of each of the at least three generated primary colors.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein adjusting the output of the at least one display light source in response to the detected ambient lighting condition includes altering relative intensities at which at least two display light sources associated with different colors are simultaneously illuminated when forming a first generated primary color.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising storing in a lookup table (LUT) a plurality of display light source output levels associated with a corresponding plurality of ambient light conditions, and adjusting the output of the at least one display light source, when forming a first generated primary color, in response to the detected ambient lighting condition includes adjusting the output of the at least one display light source based on display light source output levels obtained from the LUT.