KR102349201B1 - Power consumption reduction device using dimming control of monitor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a power consumption reduction device using monitor dimming control. According to the present invention, a monitor itself controls the screen brightness of a backlight LED through dimming control on a display running screen, and thus the power consumption of the monitor can be reduced. The device includes: a scaler determining a dimming control mode by analyzing a display running screen state in accordance with dimming mode selection data input for dimming mode selection and outputting dimming control data corresponding to the determined dimming control mode; a backlight drive unit reducing power consumption by performing backlight LED dimming control by channel in accordance with the dimming control data output from the scaler; and a display unit provided with a backlight LED in which dimming is performed by channel in accordance with a dimming control signal of the backlight drive unit.

Description

Power consumption reduction device using dimming control of monitor

The present invention relates to an apparatus for reducing power consumption using dimming control of a monitor, and in particular, dimming of a monitor that can reduce monitor power consumption by adjusting the screen brightness of a backlight LED through dimming control according to the display execution screen of the monitor itself It relates to a device for reducing power consumption using regulation.

With the development of technology and the improvement of living standards, the distribution of electronic products such as personal computers (PCs) and display devices (eg monitors) has become popular. The scope of its use is expanding.

A display device such as a monitor consumes a lot of power because it uses a light source technology such as a backlight. Therefore, many studies are being conducted on monitor power saving to realize power saving by reducing power consumption of the monitor, thereby improving environmental problems, and solving power difficulties.

The monitor power saving technology proposed by these studies realizes power saving by arbitrarily adjusting the screen brightness, entering a power saving mode when not in use for a long time, or sending a power saving command to the monitor according to the power saving process from the computer body connected to the monitor. In most cases, it is

Such monitor power saving is a case of implementing monitor power saving based on power saving in a situation where the computer is not used.

1 is an example of dimming of a general monitor, and is an example of a screen when a user arbitrarily adjusts the screen brightness of the monitor.

The left screen has the screen brightness set to be bright, and the right screen has the screen brightness set to be dark. When the backlight is adjusted like the right screen, the backlight power consumption can be reduced compared to the left screen. It is impossible to selectively adjust the screen brightness (dimming) for a part of the screen, and dimming can only be adjusted to the same brightness over the entire screen.

In addition, there is an execution screen that maintains the brightness to an unnecessary portion of the display execution screen, causing a glare to the user, adversely affecting eyesight or wasting power consumption. For example, in an Internet screen, search data is usually displayed centered on a central portion of the screen, and advertisements are mainly displayed on the left or right portion of the screen. In most cases, the user wants to see the actual search results on the Internet screen, so even if the brightness of the left and right sides are lowered, there is no problem in recognizing the search results by the user. However, the dimming method of a general display device has a disadvantage in that it is only possible to adjust the brightness of the entire screen and it is impossible to selectively adjust the brightness of only a part of the screen.

On the other hand, another technique proposed in the prior art for monitor power saving is disclosed in <Patent Document 1> to <Patent Document 2>.

The prior art disclosed in <Patent Document 1> includes the steps of acquiring image data by photographing the periphery of a display device, analyzing the acquired image data to detect a human body region in the image data, and within the image data If the human body area is not detected, it is determined that there is no user watching the display device and the step of entering the power saving mode is performed.

Through this configuration, the presence or absence of the user is detected, and power saving is realized by controlling the power of the display device according to the detected presence of the user.

In addition, the prior art disclosed in <Patent Document 2> uses the steps of checking whether a signal instructing to enter the power saving mode is generated, guiding the entry into the power saving mode when a signal is generated, and entering the power saving mode after guidance, Guides the power saving mode of the video display device.

This prior art has a limitation in that power saving efficiency is lowered because it implements monitor power saving in an environment in which a computer is not used, and power saving cannot be realized while a computer is being used.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Patent No. 10-2013-0127777 (published on Jan. 1, 2013) (Display device and power saving method thereof) Korean Patent Laid-Open Patent No. 10-2004-0092548 (published on April 1, 2004) (Method for guiding power saving mode of video display device)

Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed to solve the problem of limitation of power saving performed in a display device such as a general monitor as described above and various problems occurring in the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide a power consumption saving device using dimming control of one monitor so that the monitor power consumption can be reduced by adjusting the screen brightness of the monitor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for reducing power consumption using dimming control of a monitor so that the monitor itself can reduce the power consumption of the monitor by adjusting the screen brightness of the backlight LED for each channel according to the user's dimming selection or automatic dimming selection. will provide

In order to achieve the above object, "power consumption saving device using dimming control of the monitor" according to the present invention,

a scaler for determining a dimming control mode by analyzing a display execution screen state according to dimming mode selection data input for dimming mode selection, and outputting dimming control data corresponding to the determined dimming control mode;

a backlight driver configured to reduce power consumption by dimming the backlight LED for each channel according to the dimming control data output from the scaler; and

and a display unit including a backlight LED that is dimmed for each channel according to the dimming control signal of the backlight driver.

In the above, the dimming mode selection data is generated when a dimming mode is selected through a separate dimming mode selection device and is transmitted to the scaler.

In the above, when the dimming mode selection data is selected through the OSD (On Screen Display) of the main body, it is characterized in that it is transmitted to the scaler through a Display Data Channel - Command Interface (DDC-CI).

In the above dimming mode,

a selection mode in which the user directly selects dimming control for each channel of the backlight LED composed of a plurality of channels;

It is characterized in that it includes an automatic mode that automatically selects dimming control for each channel of the backlight LED by analyzing the display execution screen.

In the above, the scaler is

a dimming mode selection data input unit for receiving dimming mode selection data;

Analysis time setting unit for setting the analysis time of the display execution screen;

a screen state analysis unit that analyzes the state of the display execution screen according to the analysis time set by the analysis time setting unit and outputs a screen analysis result;

a control mode determination unit for determining a dimming control mode of the backlight LED according to the screen analysis result output from the screen state analysis unit; and

and a dimming control unit for extracting dimming control data for each channel of the backlight LED from the memory according to the dimming mode selection data and the dimming control mode determined by the control mode determiner and transmitting the data to the backlight driving unit.

In the above screen state analysis unit,

It is characterized in that the display execution screen is analyzed based on the frame contrast ratio or gamma value change amount, and whether it is a moving picture screen, an Internet screen, or a document screen is determined as a result of the screen analysis.

In the above screen state analysis unit,

If the amount of change in the frame contrast ratio is higher than the set first contrast reference value, it is determined as a video screen, and if the amount of change in the frame contrast ratio is lower than the first contrast reference value and higher than the second contrast reference value, it is determined as an Internet screen, and the frame contrast ratio change amount is the second If the contrast is lower than the standard value, it is characterized in that the document screen is judged.

In the above screen state analysis unit,

The amount of change in the gamma value of the frame is checked, and if the amount of change in the gamma value is higher than the set first gamma reference value, it is determined as a video screen. When the value change amount is lower than the second gamma reference value, the document screen is determined.

In the dimming control unit,

When controlling the dimming of each channel of the backlight LED, it is characterized in that the dimming is adjusted by lowering the screen brightness of each channel step by step based on time.

In the above, the backlight LED of the display unit is composed of four channels, and dimming is performed independently for each channel.

According to the present invention, there is an effect that the monitor itself can reduce the power consumption of the monitor by adjusting the screen brightness of the backlight LED through dimming control according to the display execution screen.

In addition, the monitor itself has the effect of reducing the power consumption of the monitor by adjusting the screen brightness of the backlight LED for each channel according to the user's dimming selection or automatic dimming selection.

In addition, according to the present invention, when the screen brightness of the backlight LED is adjusted for each channel, by adjusting the screen brightness step by step based on time, a sudden change in screen brightness causes discomfort to the user or affects the user's eyesight. There are advantages to avoiding it.

1 is an example of adjusting the screen brightness in a monitor employing a basic backlight LED;
2 is a block diagram of a device for reducing power consumption using dimming control of a monitor according to the present invention;
3 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the scaler of FIG. 2;
4 is an exemplary diagram of a dimming mode in the present invention;
5 is an example of channel dimming control of the backlight LED when the display execution screen is the Internet in the present invention;
6 is a diagram illustrating an example of channel dimming adjustment of a backlight LED according to a display execution screen in the present invention.

Hereinafter, an apparatus for reducing power consumption using dimming control of a monitor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The terms or words used in the present invention described below should not be construed as being limited to conventional or dictionary meanings, and the inventor may appropriately define the concept of terms to describe his invention in the best way. It should be interpreted as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it can be.

Accordingly, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all of the technical spirit of the present invention, so various equivalents and It should be understood that there may be variations.

2 is a block diagram of an apparatus for reducing power consumption using dimming control of a monitor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and includes a scaler 100, a backlight driving unit 200, and a display unit 300 including a backlight LED.

The scaler 100 determines the dimming control mode by analyzing the display execution screen state according to the dimming mode selection data input for selecting the dimming mode, and outputs dimming control data corresponding to the determined dimming control mode. do.

Here, the dimming mode selection data is generated when a dimming mode is selected through a separate dimming mode selection device and transmitted to the scaler 100, or when a dimming mode is selected through the OSD (On Screen Display) of the main body, DDC-CI (Display Data Channel - Command Interface) may be transmitted to the scaler 100 . In the case of using a separate dimming mode selection device, since a separate selection switch needs to be implemented outside the monitor, it may be efficient to use the OSD of the main body.

The dimming mode may include a selection mode in which the user directly selects dimming control for each channel of the backlight LED composed of a plurality of channels, and an automatic mode in which the dimming control for each channel of the backlight LED is automatically selected by analyzing the display execution screen. can The selection mode may include an intensive mode in which you need to focus on a task, such as working with a document, and an Internet mode, in which you search and check information.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the scaler 100 includes a dimming mode selection data input unit 101 for receiving dimming mode selection data, an analysis time setting unit 102 for setting an analysis time of the display execution screen, and the analysis time The screen state analysis unit 103 that analyzes the state of the display execution screen according to the analysis time set by the setting unit 102, and outputs the screen analysis result, and the screen analysis result output from the screen state analysis unit 103 The control mode determining unit 104 that determines the dimming control mode of the backlight LED according to the memory 106 in which dimming control data corresponding to the dimming mode is stored, and the dimming mode selection data and the control mode determining unit 104. and a dimming control unit 105 that extracts dimming control data for each channel of the backlight LED from the memory 106 according to the dimming control mode and transmits it to the backlight driving unit 200 .

The screen state analyzer 103 analyzes the display execution screen based on the frame contrast ratio or the amount of change in the gamma value, and determines whether the screen is a moving picture screen, an Internet screen, or a document screen as a result of the screen analysis.

In addition, the screen state analysis unit 103 determines that the frame's contrast ratio change is higher than the set first contrast reference value as a video screen, and when the frame contrast ratio change is lower than the first contrast ratio and higher than the second contrast reference value, it is determined as an Internet screen If the amount of change in the contrast ratio of the frame is lower than the second reference value, it is determined as a document screen.

In addition, the screen state analyzer 103 checks the amount of change in the gamma value of the frame, determines that it is a moving picture screen if the amount of change in the gamma value is higher than the set first gamma reference value, and the amount of change in the gamma value is lower than the first gamma reference value and the second If it is higher than the gamma reference value, it is determined as an Internet screen, and if the amount of change in the gamma value is lower than the second gamma reference value, it is determined as a document screen.

In addition, the dimming control unit 105 adjusts the dimming by lowering the screen brightness of each channel step by step based on time when controlling the dimming of the backlight LED for each channel.

The backlight driver 200 serves to reduce power consumption by dimming the backlight LED for each channel according to the dimming control data output from the scaler 100 .

The display unit 300 includes a backlight LED that is dimmed for each channel according to the dimming control signal of the backlight driver 200 , and serves to provide a backlight.

Here, the backlight LED consists of 4 channels, and dimming is performed independently for each channel.

The operation of the power consumption saving device using the dimming control of the monitor according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail as follows.

First, the scaler 100 determines the dimming mode by checking the dimming mode selection data input to select the dimming mode when the backlight LED of the display unit 300 is driven.

Here, the dimming mode selection data is generated when a user manually selects a dimming mode through a separately provided dimming mode selection device and transmitted to the scaler 100, or DDC- It may be transmitted to the scaler 100 through a Display Data Channel - Command Interface (CI).

When a user manually selects a dimming mode using a separately provided dimming mode selector, as shown in FIG. 4, the user selects a dimming channel among channels (1ch, 2ch, 3ch, 4ch) provided in the dimming mode selector. select Channel selection can be done using the corresponding channel selection button. By operating the corresponding channel selection button once, dimming of the corresponding channel is selected, and by operating the corresponding channel selection button once again, the channel can be selected in such a way that dimming of the corresponding channel is released. In addition, the selection mode may include an intensive mode in which you need to focus on a task, such as working with a document, and an Internet mode, in which you search and check information. Accordingly, the user can eliminate the inconvenience of selecting a dimming channel by manipulating each channel button several times as described above by selecting only the intensive mode or the Internet mode in the selection mode. It is assumed that the dimming channel in the intensive mode or the Internet mode is preset and registered in the memory.

Meanwhile, the user may select the automatic mode by using the dimming mode selection device. When the automatic mode is selected, the scaler 100 analyzes the display execution screen and automatically selects dimming control for each channel of the backlight LED.

Also, when a dimming mode is selected through the OSD (On Screen Display) of the main body, a dimming channel or a dimming mode can be selected in the same way as above. It is transmitted to the scaler 100 of a display device (eg, a monitor) through a Display Data Channel - Command Interface (CI).

The dimming mode selection data input unit 101 of the scaler 100 receives the dimming mode selection data input as described above and transmits it to the dimming control unit 105 .

The dimming control unit 105 determines a dimming control mode based on the received dimming mode selection data. If the user selects the manual mode, the backlight driver 200 may be controlled by fetching dimming control data corresponding to the selected dimming mode stored in the memory 106 .

On the contrary, when the user selects the automatic mode, the dimming control mode is automatically determined through the analysis time setting unit 102 , the screen state analysis unit 103 , and the control mode determining unit 104 .

Here, when the dimming control mode is determined, the dimming of the backlight LEDF is controlled by the same control method in both the manual mode and the automatic mode.

When the dimming mode selection data is an automatic mode, the analysis time setting unit 102 sets the analysis time of the display execution screen. Here, the analysis time of the display execution screen means the time to receive the execution screen data for screen analysis. Here, the assay time may be fixed or arbitrarily variable. If the analysis time is too short, there is a disadvantage that screen analysis must be performed frequently, and if the analysis time is too long, the power consumption saving effect may decrease. Therefore, it is desirable to set the analysis time to an appropriate time through various experiments.

In this way, the analysis time set by the analysis time setting unit 102 is input to the screen state analysis unit 103 .

The screen state analysis unit 103 analyzes the state of the display execution screen according to the analysis time set by the analysis time setting unit 102 , and outputs the screen analysis result to the control mode determining unit 104 .

For example, the screen state analysis unit 103 analyzes the display execution screen based on the change amount of the contrast ratio or gamma value of the screen frame input at the analysis time, and determines whether the screen is a moving picture screen, an Internet screen, or a document screen as a result of the screen analysis.

In other words, if the amount of change in the frame contrast ratio is higher than the set first contrast reference value, it is determined as a video screen. If it is lower than the second contrast reference value, it is determined as a document screen. Here, the first contrast reference value and the second contrast reference value are reference data set by checking the contrast ratio of the Internet screen, the contrast ratio of the video screen, and the contrast ratio of the document screen through an experiment.

As another method, the screen state analyzer 103 checks the amount of change in the gamma value of the frame, and if the amount of change in the gamma value is higher than the set first gamma reference value, it is determined as a video screen, and the amount of change in the gamma value is lower than the first gamma reference value If it is higher than the second gamma reference value, it is determined as an Internet screen, and if the amount of change in the gamma value is lower than the second gamma reference value, it is determined as a document screen. Here, the first gamma reference value and the second gamma reference value are reference data set by checking the amount of change in the gamma value of the Internet screen, the amount of change in the gamma value of the video screen, and the amount of change in the gamma value of the document screen through an experiment.

The control mode determining unit 104 determines the dimming control mode of the backlight LED according to the screen analysis result output from the screen state analysis unit 103 , and transmits the determined dimming control mode data to the dimming control unit 105 .

The dimming control unit 105 may include dimming control data corresponding to the dimming control mode according to the dimming control mode determined by the control mode determination unit 104 or the dimming mode selection data input through the dimming mode selection data input unit 101 . is extracted into the memory 106 . Then, the extracted dimming control data is transferred to the backlight driver 200 as dimming control data for each channel of the backlight LED.

Here, the dimming control data for each channel includes 4 channel control data for individually controlling the brightness of 4 channels. Even when the backlight LED has fewer or more channels, it is possible to generate per-channel dimming control data in the same way as for four channels.

Each channel control data includes channel identification data and a PWM duty adjustment value for dimming control of the corresponding channel.

Here, when the dimming control unit 105 controls the dimming of each channel of the backlight LED, if the screen brightness of each channel is momentarily lowered or raised, the user's eyes cannot adapt to the brightness, which may cause discomfort. Therefore, the dimming control unit 105 adjusts the dimming by lowering the brightness step by step based on time so that the user's eyes can adaptively adapt even if the screen brightness of the channel changes.

That is, when the dimming control mode is the Internet screen, the brightness of the middle two channels (2ch, 3ch) among the four channels (1ch, 2ch, 3ch, 4ch) is maintained as it is, and the left and right two channels (1ch, 4ch) are maintained. ), adjust the PWM duty to gradually lower the brightness from the initial 100% brightness to 90%, 80%, and 70% based on time.

5 is an example of adjusting the brightness of 1ch and 4ch of the backlight LED when the display execution screen is an Internet screen.

The backlight driver 200 reduces power consumption by dimming the backlight LED of the display unit 300 for each channel according to the dimming control data for each channel output from the scaler 100 .

Here, since the backlight driving unit 200 controls the backlight LED of the display unit 300 for each channel is a technique already known in the LED control technology for each channel, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The display unit 300 is dimmed for each channel according to the dimming control signal of the backlight driver 200 .

6 is an example of dimming control according to the display execution screen. The screen on the right shows the screen brightness when the execution screen before dimming adjustment is an Internet screen, and the first screen on the right shows first and fourth screens when the execution screen is an Internet screen. The illuminance of the channel is primarily reduced, and the second screen on the right is a screen state in which the illuminance of the first to fourth channels is further reduced compared to the Internet screen when the execution screen is a document screen, and the third screen on the right is the execution screen In the case of this Internet screen, it is an example of a screen in which the illuminance of the first and fourth channels is secondarily reduced.

Here, in order to compensate for the lowering of the luminance of the channel on which the dimming control is performed during dimming adjustment for each channel, the dimming control unit 105 of the scaler 100 finely varies the LCD transmittance (LVDS BUS & Panel t-con power) Through this, it is possible to compensate for the lowering of the overall screen luminance even during channel dimming. Here, since the control function for the LCD transmittance in the scaler 100 is also a known technology, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the present invention described above, the monitor itself reduces the power consumption of the monitor by adjusting the screen brightness of the backlight LED through dimming control according to the display execution screen.

In addition, the monitor itself reduces the power consumption of the monitor by adjusting the screen brightness of the backlight LED for each channel according to the user's dimming selection or automatic dimming selection.

In addition, when the screen brightness of the backlight LED is adjusted for each channel, by adjusting the screen brightness step by step based on time, a sudden change in screen brightness causes discomfort to the user or prevents the user's eyesight from being affected.

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been described in detail according to the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and it is common knowledge in the art that various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is self-evident to those who have

100: scaler
101: dimming mode selection data input unit
102: analysis time setting unit
103: screen state analysis unit
104: control mode determining unit
105: dimming control
106: memory
200: backlight driving unit
300: display

Claims (11)

As a device to reduce power consumption through dimming control of the monitor,
a scaler that determines a dimming control mode by analyzing a display execution screen state according to dimming mode selection data input for dimming mode selection, and outputs dimming control data corresponding to the determined dimming control mode;
a backlight driver configured to reduce power consumption by dimming the backlight LED for each channel according to the dimming control data output from the scaler; and
and a display unit having a backlight LED that is dimmed for each channel according to the dimming control signal of the backlight driving unit;
The dimming mode includes a selection mode in which the user directly selects dimming control for each channel of the backlight LED composed of a plurality of channels,
The selection mode includes an intensive mode in which you need to focus on work, including document work, and an Internet mode in which you search and check information,
The scaler includes a screen state analysis unit that analyzes the state of the display execution screen according to the set analysis time and outputs the screen analysis result,
The screen state analysis unit,
Analyzes the display execution screen based on the frame contrast ratio or gamma value change, and determines whether it is a video screen, an Internet screen, or a document screen as a result of the screen analysis,
The scaler is an apparatus for reducing power consumption using dimming control of a monitor, characterized in that outputting dimming control data for different dimming control for each channel.
The device of claim 1, wherein the dimming mode selection data is generated when a dimming mode is selected through a separate dimming mode selection device and transmitted to a scaler.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the dimming mode selection data is transmitted to the scaler through DDC-CI (Display Data Channel - Command Interface) when the dimming mode is selected through the OSD (On Screen Display) of the main body. Power consumption reduction device used.
The consumption using dimming control of the monitor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the scaler determines the dimming control mode according to the dimming mode selection data manually selected by the user when the dimming mode selection data input for dimming mode selection is the selection mode. power saving device.
The method according to claim 1, The dimming mode,
A device for reducing power consumption using dimming control of a monitor, characterized in that it includes an automatic mode for automatically selecting dimming control for each channel of the backlight LED by analyzing the display execution screen.
The method according to claim 1, The scaler,
a dimming mode selection data input unit for receiving dimming mode selection data;
Analysis time setting unit for setting the analysis time of the display execution screen;
a control mode determination unit for determining a dimming control mode of the backlight LED according to the screen analysis result output from the screen state analysis unit; and
Dimming control of the monitor, characterized in that it comprises a dimming control unit that extracts the dimming control data for each channel of the backlight LED from the memory according to the dimming mode selection data and the dimming control mode determined by the control mode determiner and transmits it to the backlight driver. Power consumption reduction device using
delete The method according to claim 6, The screen state analysis unit,
If the amount of change in the frame contrast ratio is higher than the set first contrast reference value, it is determined as a video screen, and if the amount of change in the frame contrast ratio is lower than the first contrast reference value and higher than the second contrast reference value, it is determined as an Internet screen, and the frame contrast ratio change amount is the second Power consumption saving device using dimming control of the monitor, characterized in that if the contrast is lower than the standard value, the document screen is judged.
The method according to claim 6, The screen state analysis unit,
The amount of change in the gamma value of the frame is checked, and if the amount of change in the gamma value is higher than the set first gamma reference value, it is determined as a video screen. Power consumption saving apparatus using dimming control of a monitor, characterized in that when the value change amount is lower than the second gamma reference value, it is determined as a document screen.
The method according to claim 6, The dimming control unit,
A device for reducing power consumption using dimming control of a monitor, characterized in that the dimming is controlled by lowering the screen brightness of each channel step by step based on time when controlling the dimming of each channel of the backlight LED.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the backlight LED of the display unit is formed of a plurality of channels, and dimming is independently performed for each channel.

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