KR20110070046A - Method for power saving of display device with a graded brightness and apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method for power saving of a display device with a graded brightness and a terminal device using the same are provided to improve power saving efficiency by separately and differentially controlling brightness according to the feature of a screen. CONSTITUTION: A brightness value around an active area, an inactive area, a program window and a pointer is set up(S201). If a gradation energy saving function is executed, the initiation of gradation power saving control is determined(S203). If the activity or inactive area is set up, the gradation brightness control for each set up area is operated(S205). If a program is executed, the gradation brightness control for each program window is operated(S207). If the pointer moves, the gradation brightness control for each pointer location is operated(S209).

Description

Differential power saving method of display device and terminal device using the same {Method for power saving of display device with a graded brightness and apparatus using the same}

The present invention relates to a differential power saving method of a display device and a terminal device using the same. Particularly, a differential power saving method of a display device capable of improving power saving efficiency by differentially controlling brightness differently according to characteristics of regions on a display screen and the same It relates to a terminal device used.

In general, a display device uses a power saving method for controlling brightness on a screen in order to reduce power consumption. In particular, in the case of a portable terminal that needs to be driven by a battery, the power saving method is used as an essential function.

Such a power saving method prevents unnecessary power consumption by controlling the brightness of the screen to be minimized when the screen is not used, that is, when there is no input for a predetermined time.

However, since the conventional power saving method is applied to the entire screen at once, the user cannot perform partial power saving when the user is in use, and moreover, since the power saving method is performed while the user is not using it, there is a problem that the power saving method is not efficient. .

The next generation display device that uses a light source control display such as LED or OLED as a light source can control brightness by pixel or a certain area, but this is mainly used to improve the resolution and the advantage of such performance. There is no power saving method used.

Moreover, the above-described display apparatus is becoming larger and larger, and accordingly, a user can execute a plurality of programs at the same time, thereby displaying a plurality of program windows on the screen. In this case, a program window that is not currently being used by the user may cause unnecessary power consumption.

Therefore, the conventional power saving method is required to improve the performance of the next generation display device that can control the brightness of each part and the efficiency of the power saving method according to the use of many program windows according to various multimedia.

In order to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a differential power saving method of a display device capable of differentially controlling each brightness according to a plurality of areas set on the display screen and a terminal device using the same.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power saving method of a display device. It is characterized by.

Preferably, when the plurality of areas is the active area, the brightness of areas other than the active area may be reduced to be smaller than the brightness of the plurality of areas.

Preferably, when the plurality of areas are inactive areas, the brightness of the inactive areas can be reduced to be smaller than the brightness of other areas.

Preferably, when the inactive area is set not to be used, the screen size may be reduced by mapping the entire screen to a screen area except the inactive area.

Preferably, the brightness of the program window may be differentially adjusted according to the execution order of the executing program and the association between the programs, but the brightness of the other area may be reduced to be smaller than the brightness of the program window.

Preferably, the brightness of a program window not associated with a program currently being used and an area other than the running program window may be reduced.

Preferably, the brightness of the program window executed in conjunction with the currently used program may be reduced to a value between the brightness of the currently used program window and the brightness of the other area.

Preferably, the setting of the plurality of areas may be provided in the form of a setting window whose position and size are adjustable by the user.

Preferably, the brightness of the area near the pointer location may be increased according to the movement trajectory of the pointer.

Preferably, if the area where the pointer is located is within the program window, the brightness of the program window may be increased.

If the area where the pointer is located is an area other than the program window, the brightness of the area near the pointer may be increased.

Preferably, when the program being used performs a search function, the brightness of an area other than the area corresponding to the searched object may be reduced.

Preferably, the brightness of each area of the screen may be adjusted by the user.

Preferably the brightness adjustment may be performed by an adjustable button or adjustment bar formed in any one of the title bar, status bar, and any area of the program window.

Preferably, the adjustment of the brightness may be performed by a predetermined time input for a specific button of the input means.

Preferably, the differential power saving may be terminated when a plurality of areas and areas other than the program window are selected for a predetermined time.

Preferably, when the brightness of each area on the screen is reduced, the brightness may be reduced to a preset brightness or a minimum brightness.

Preferably, when the light source of the display device can be individually controlled, the minimum brightness can cut off the power of the light source of the display device for the corresponding area.

Preferably, the brightness may include brightness and contrast of the screen.

Preferably, the differential control of the plurality of areas may be performed in preference to the differential control according to the program window and the pointer position.

Differential power saving terminal according to another aspect of the present invention may use one of the above methods.

Preferably, the terminal may be any one of a notebook computer, a PC, a mobile communication terminal, a PDA, a mobile terminal, and a TV receiver.

Preferably, the display device may be any one of LCD, PDP and OLED.

Differential power saving method of the display device according to the present invention and a terminal device using the same, the power saving function can be variously and easily by differentially controlling the corresponding brightness according to the screen characteristics such as each program window, active area, inactive area, point position, etc. It can be set to provide user convenience and improve the power saving efficiency of the display, thereby extending the life of the display.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

First, a terminal to which a differential power saving method of a display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

1 is a configuration diagram of a terminal to which a differential power saving method of a display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied.

The terminal 10 controls the input unit 110 for inputting various settings from the user, the controller 120 for performing brightness differential control for each region, the storage unit 130 storing brightness differential control related settings, and the controller 120. The display unit 140 includes a display driver 140 for driving the display unit 150, and a display unit 150 including a back light unit (BLU) 152.

The terminal 10 may be any one of a notebook computer, a PC, a mobile communication terminal, a PDA, a mobile terminal, and a TV receiver.

The input unit 110 may be configured as a keypad, a remote controller, or the like, and a setting value for brightness control is input by a dedicated program or a specific button.

The controller 120 controls the active area to be the normal brightness among the areas set on the display screen, and controls the surrounding area to be darkened by decreasing the brightness, and for the inactive area, the area is set to the minimum brightness or the preset brightness. The brightness is reduced to darken and the surrounding area is kept at its original brightness.

In addition, the control unit 120 controls the brightness of the plurality of program windows being executed, and differentially controls the brightness of the windows for the associated programs. At this time, the brightness of the program window associated with the current program being used is controlled to be about the middle of the brightness of the program window or other area irrelevant to the brightness of the program window currently being used.

In addition, the controller 120 increases the brightness of the area near the moving path of the pointer. When the pointer is located outside the active program window or the active area and the inactive area, that is, the area where the pointer is located. When the brightness is decreased by the differential control, the brightness of the area near the pointer is increased to make it brighter, and when the brightness is located in a program window that is not currently being used, the brightness of the corresponding program window is increased to make it brighter.

The storage unit 130 is configured to display the brightness level of the step by step between the program window associated with various setting values, for example, active areas, inactive areas, respective program windows, other peripheral areas, and setting values of the brightness of the pointer periphery. The set value is saved.

The display driver 140 drives the BLU 152 of the display unit 150 according to the image output signal of the controller 120. For example, the display driver 140 may be a system driver of a video card.

The display unit 150 is made of any one of LCD, PDP, and OLED, and may have a firmware (S / W) installed therein.

Hereinafter, a differential power saving method of a display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 16.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a differential power saving method of a display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The differential power saving method of the present invention sets the display differential power saving function (step S201), determines whether the differential power saving mode is being executed (step S202), and if it is determined that the display window is to be changed by the differential control condition (step S203), The brightness is differentiated and controlled for each area on the display screen according to the differential control condition (steps S204 to S209).

More specifically, first, a setting for display differential brightness control is made. For example, brightness values around the active area, the inactive area, each program window, and the pointer are set (step S201). Here, the brightness includes brightness and contrast on the screen.

Detecting whether the set differential power saving function is executed (step S202), and when the differential power saving function is executed, the brightness of the display according to the positions of a plurality of active or inactive areas having a predetermined size, any running program window, and the pointer. It is determined whether no change is necessary, i.e., differential power saving control is started (step S203).

As a result of the determination in step S203 (CASE 1), when the active area or the inactive area is set (step S204), differential brightness control is performed for each set area (step S205).

When the result of the determination in step S203 (CASE 2) is executed (step S206), differential brightness control for each program window is performed (step S207).

As a result of the determination in step S203 (CASE 3), when the pointer is moved (step S208), differential brightness control for each pointer position is performed (step S209).

Here, each power saving mode (CASE 1 to 3) can be performed independently and simultaneously, in this case, the differential control (CASE 1) of the plurality of areas to the differential control according to the program window (CASE 2) and the pointer position (CASE 3). It is preferably carried out first.

After the differential brightness control for each power saving mode is performed, the process returns to step S203 to continuously detect whether another differential control condition is executed.

The display differential brightness control may be configured to be performed alone or mutually organically through general applications, system drivers of video cards, operating systems (OSs), firmware mounted on the display unit, and the like.

Hereinafter, brightness differential control for each power saving mode (CASE 1 to 3) will be described in detail.

CASE  One

3 is a flowchart illustrating a differential power saving method according to an active / inactive region, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are examples of a differential power saving method according to an inactive area, and FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a differential power saving method according to an active area. The figure shown.

In the differential power saving method according to the active / inactive region, when a plurality of regions are set (step S204), it is determined whether the set region is an inactive region (step S301). Reduce to be smaller.

At this time, it is determined whether or not to use the inactive area (step S302), and if it is set not to use the inactive area, the entire screen is mapped to the screen area except the inactive area to reduce the screen size (step S303).

As shown in FIG. 4, the entire size of the screen is reduced to a size excluding an inactive area, which can be achieved by mapping the resolution by the operating system.

In this way, the user can set the inactive area not freely used at any time to obtain the power saving effect, which is easier and simpler than the conventional power saving method, and may be performed in parallel with the operating system or the hardware method of the display. In other words, it can only be implemented by the operating system so that the technical dependency on hardware is much smaller.

In this case, when the light source of the display device can be individually controlled, power saving of the light source of the display device with respect to the inactive area may be further improved.

On the other hand, when the inactive area is set to be used, the brightness of the inactive area is reduced to the minimum brightness or the predetermined brightness as shown in FIG. 5 (step S304). Here, the inactive area is provided in the form of a setting window in which the position and size can be adjusted by the user. By using this, the user can set the size or position of the inactive area.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the user arranges the inactive area setting window at a desired position and places a program window which is not mainly used or not important in the inactive setting window, the brightness of the inactive setting window is minimized or darkened by the preset brightness. Thus, the actual use screen area is reduced, thereby achieving a power saving effect.

As a result of the determination in step S301, when the setting area is not the inactive area, that is, the active area, the brightness of areas other than the active area is reduced to be smaller than the brightness of the active area (step S305). In this case, the active area becomes the brightness before the power saving mode (hereinafter, referred to as normal brightness) or the preset brightness, and the areas other than the active area become the minimum brightness or the preset brightness. Here, the active area is provided in the form of a setting window in which the position and size can be adjusted by the user similarly to the inactive area. Using this, the user can set the size or position of the active area.

As shown in FIG. 6, the active area setting window is placed at a desired position of the user, and a user's mainly used or important program window is placed in the active setting window so as to be easily recognized by controlling to normal brightness.

After the differential brightness control according to the active area and the inactive area is performed, the process returns to step S203 to continuously detect whether another differential control condition is executed.

As described above, the differential brightness control according to the active / inactive region (CASE 1) enables the user to set the brightness of each region in real time more easily, thereby achieving more efficient power saving of the display and partially displaying the display screen. It can also be used to extend the life of the display.

CASE  2

7 is a flowchart illustrating a differential power saving method according to each program window, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the differential power saving method of FIG. 7.

Differential power saving method according to each program window, if the program is executed (step S206), the brightness of the program window is adjusted step by step according to the execution order of the program being executed and the association between the programs, first, the corresponding program window is generated ( In step S701, it is determined whether there is a program associated with the currently executed program (step S702). If there is an associated program, the brightness of a program window executed in association with the currently used program is determined by the brightness of the currently used program window and other areas. It decreases to the value between the brightness of (step S703).

Here, the program associated with the program currently in use may include a program including a file used by the currently used program, a program including a result file of the currently used program, a similar program in a package form that is installed and used together with the currently used program, A program that contains an important file that a specific file must not be in the current program, or the program that was last used.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the brightness of areas other than the program window and the running program window which are not related to the program currently being used is reduced.

For example, if you are currently using a word processor, the brightness of the explorer window in which the word processor file is displayed will be darker than the brightness of the word processor's program window, but brighter than unrelated programs or other areas, including unused programs. To control.

Here, the step-by-step differential control, for example, if the brightness is controlled in three steps, the associated program windows are 1st class and the brightness is half the brightness of the currently used program window, and the less relevant program windows are currently in use. The brightness of the program window is 1/4 of the brightness. The irrelevant brightness of the program window and other backgrounds is controlled by the minimum or preset brightness.

Similarly, in the case of a large display, when an image is displayed in a picture in picture (PIP) for various image sources, the brightness is differentially controlled according to each image source so that the important image is displayed as normal brightness and the non-important image is displayed. It can be a little darker or display at a preset brightness.

As a result of the determination in step S702, when there is no associated program, the brightness of an area other than the corresponding program is reduced to be darker than the brightness of the current execution program window (step S704). In this case, when there is no program executed on the display screen, the brightness of an area outside the corresponding program window is reduced, and when there is an executed program, the brightness is gradually controlled gradually according to a preset value for each program.

After the differential brightness control for each program is performed, the process proceeds to step S1201 as described later, or returns to step S203 to continuously detect whether other differential control conditions are executed.

If you run and use a large number of programs like this, the brightness of each program window is set to a different brightness step by step according to the nature of each program. By controlling the brightness to a small degree, the brightness of the entire screen is automatically determined according to the program used to improve the power saving efficiency.

CASE  3

9 is a flowchart illustrating a differential power saving method for each pointer position, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are views illustrating an example of differential power saving of FIG. 9.

The differential power saving method for each pointer position increases the brightness of an area near the pointer position according to the movement trajectory of the pointer when the pointer is moved (step S208).

Specifically, it is determined whether the position of the current pointer is within a specific program window (step S901), and when located within the specific program window, the brightness of the corresponding program window is increased. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10, when the corresponding program window is darker than the normal brightness by the power saving function, for example, only the brightness of the corresponding area is located in the associated program window which is not currently being used. To increase. That is, when the program window is in the active area or the inactive area or is in use and has the normal brightness, the brightness of the area does not increase.

As a result of the determination in step S901, when the position of the pointer is not located in the specific program window, the brightness of the area near the pointer is increased to the preset brightness.

Similar to the above, as shown in Fig. 11, the brightness is increased only when the corresponding area is darker than the normal brightness by the power saving function. That is, when the area where the pointer is located is located in the active area or the inactive area, the brightness of the area does not increase.

After the differential brightness control for each pointer position is performed, the process proceeds to step S1401 or S1601 as described later, or returns to step S203 to continuously detect whether another differential control condition is executed.

12 is a flowchart illustrating a differential power saving method according to a search target, and FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the differential power saving method of FIG. 12.

In the differential power saving method according to the search target, if there are programs in use (steps S703 and S704), it is determined whether the corresponding program is a search program (step S1201), and it is determined whether a search target exists (step S1202).

As a result of the determination, when the search target exists, the brightness of an area other than the area corresponding to the search target is reduced. As shown in FIG. 13, the brightness of the region to be searched is maintained at a normal brightness, and the brightness of the other regions is reduced to a minimum brightness or a predetermined brightness so as to be darker than the region to be searched.

As a result of the determination in step S1202, it is determined whether the search function program has ended after the search target does not exist or after the differential brightness control of the search object is performed (step S1204). If it is being executed, the process returns to step S1202 to continuously detect whether a search target exists.

When the search function program is terminated or as a result of the determination in step S1201, if the program being used is not a search program, the process returns to step S203 to continuously detect whether another differential control condition is executed.

As such, the brightness of the text or content (image and video) including the content searched by the user in the currently used program window is controlled to normal brightness, and the brightness of the remaining area of the program window, that is, the area other than the search target, is controlled. It can be dimmed to make the search target easily identifiable and at the same time improve the power saving efficiency.

14 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting brightness of each region, and FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the differential power saving method of FIG. 14.

The brightness adjustment method of each area is determined by the presence of a brightness adjustment input when the pointer is present in an arbitrary program window (step S902) or when the pointer is located in an active area or an inactive area (step S1401). In this case, the brightness of each area on the screen is adjusted by the user.

At this time, it is determined whether the brightness adjustment target is the corresponding program window (step S1402), and when the brightness adjustment target is the corresponding program window, the brightness of the corresponding program window is adjusted according to the brightness adjustment input (step S1403).

The brightness adjustment input may be performed by a predetermined time input for a specific button of the input means. For example, the brightness adjustment input may be performed by pressing a predetermined time for a specific button of a mouse. At this time, when the brightness adjustment is started by a predetermined time input, the brightness decreases or increases in stages according to time so that the corresponding area becomes bright or dark.

Also, as shown in FIG. 15, the brightness adjustment input may include an adjustable button formed at any one of the title bar (a) at the top of the program window, the status bar (b) at the bottom, and any area (c) of the program window. It can be performed by a control bar.

As a result of the determination in step S1402, when the brightness adjustment target is not the program window, the brightness of the area other than the program is adjusted according to the brightness adjustment input (step S1404).

After the adjustment of the brightness is performed or if there is no brightness adjustment input as a result of the determination in step S1401, the process returns to step S203 to continuously detect whether another differential control condition is executed.

16 is a flowchart illustrating a method of stopping a differential power saving mode.

In the method of stopping the differential power saving mode, it is determined whether the differential power saving mode is stopped when the pointer is located outside the program window (step S903) or when the pointer is moved outside the program window (step S1501). In this case, for example, when a region other than the inactive region, the active region, or the program window being executed is selected by the mouse pointer for a predetermined time, the differential power saving mode ends (step S1502).

When the differential power saving mode ends, the process returns to step S202 to continuously detect whether the differential power saving mode is executed.

If the differential power saving mode is not stopped as a result of the determination in step S1501, the process returns to step S203 to continuously detect whether another differential control condition is executed.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention, and it is obvious that the present invention belongs to the appended claims. Do.

1 is a configuration diagram of a terminal to which a differential power saving method of a display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied;

2 is a flowchart illustrating a differential power saving method of a display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a differential power saving method according to an active / inactive region,

4 and 5 are views showing an example of a differential power saving method according to an inactive area,

6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a differential power saving method according to an active region,

7 is a flowchart illustrating a differential power saving method according to each program window.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the differential power saving method of FIG. 7;

9 is a flowchart illustrating a differential power saving method for each pointer position.

10 and 11 illustrate examples of differential power saving of FIG. 9;

12 is a flowchart illustrating a differential power saving method according to a search target.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the differential power saving method of FIG. 12.

14 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting brightness of each region.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the differential power saving method of FIG. 14.

16 is a flowchart illustrating a method of stopping a differential power saving mode.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: differential power saving terminal 110: input unit

120: control unit 150: display unit

Claims (23)

In the power saving method of the display device, A differential power saving method for a display device, characterized in that the brightness is controlled by differentially controlling a plurality of areas having a predetermined size, an arbitrary running program window, and areas on the display screen according to the position of the pointer. The method of claim 1, And when the plurality of areas is an active area, reducing brightness of areas other than the active area to be smaller than brightness of the plurality of areas. The method of claim 1, And when the plurality of areas are inactive areas, reducing the brightness of the inactive areas to be smaller than the brightness of other areas. The method of claim 3, wherein And when the inactive area is set not to be used, reducing the screen size by mapping the entire screen to a screen area except the inactive area. The method of claim 1, And differentially adjusting the brightness of the program window according to the execution order of the program being executed and the association between the programs, and reducing the brightness of the other area to be smaller than the brightness of the program window. The method of claim 5, A method of differential power saving of a display device, characterized by reducing the brightness of a program window not associated with a program currently being used and an area other than the running program window. The method of claim 5, And reducing the brightness of a program window executed in association with the currently used program to a value between the brightness of the currently used program window and the brightness of the other area. The method of claim 1, And setting the plurality of areas in the form of a setting window whose position and size can be adjusted by a user. The method of claim 1, And increasing brightness of a region adjacent to the pointer position according to the movement trajectory of the pointer. The method of claim 9, And if the area where the pointer is located is within the program window, increasing brightness of the program window. The method of claim 9, And if the area where the pointer is located is an area other than the program window, increasing brightness of the area near the pointer. The method of claim 1, And when the program being used performs a search function, brightness of an area other than an area corresponding to the searched object is reduced. The method of claim 1, Differential power saving method of the display device, characterized in that for adjusting the brightness of the respective areas on the screen by the user. The method of claim 13, And the brightness adjustment is performed by an adjustable button or an adjustment bar formed in any one of a title bar, a status bar, and an arbitrary area of the program window. The method of claim 13, The adjustment of the brightness is differential power saving method of the display device, characterized in that performed by a predetermined time input to a specific button of the input means. The method of claim 1, The differential power saving method of the display device, characterized in that the differential power saving is terminated when a plurality of areas, other than the program window is selected for a predetermined time. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, When the brightness of each area on the screen is reduced, the differential power saving method of the display device, characterized in that for reducing to a predetermined brightness or the minimum brightness. The method of claim 17, And when the light sources of the display device are individually controlled, the minimum brightness cuts off the power of the light source of the display device for the corresponding area. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, And wherein the brightness includes brightness and contrast of the screen. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, And differential control of the plurality of areas is performed in preference to differential control according to the program window and the pointer position. Differential power saving terminal comprising a display device using the method of any one of claims 1 to 20. The method of claim 21, The terminal is a differential power saving terminal, characterized in that any one of a laptop, PC, mobile communication terminal, PDA, portable terminal, TV receiver. The method of claim 21, The display device is a differential power saving terminal, characterized in that any one of LCD, PDP, OLED.

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