Using image recognition for controlling display lighting

1. A method performed by a device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the device, one or more images;

analyzing, by the device, the one or more images to determine a relative position of a person's eyes and nose within the one or more images indicative of a position of a person's face relative to a display unit; and

adjusting, by the device, a lighting level associated with the display unit proportionately to the extent to which the person's face is facing away from the display unit as determined from the relative position of the person's eyes and nose within the one or more images.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display unit comprises at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD) display device, a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a plasma screen display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or an organic LED display device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display unit is a component of a cellular radio-telephone and the one or more images are obtained from a camera of the cellular radio-telephone.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting reducing the lighting level associated with the display unit comprises:

decreasing a backlighting of the display unit.

5. A method performed by a device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the device, one or more images that depict a region adjacent to a display unit associated with the device;

analyzing, by the device, the one or more images to determine a relative position of a person's eyes and nose within the one or more images indicative of a position of a person's face relative to the display unit; and

adjusting, by the device, a lighting level associated with the display unit proportionately to the extent to which the person's face is facing away from, or towards, the display unit as determined by the relative position of the person's eyes and nose within the one or more images, where the adjusting comprises:

increasing the lighting level associated with the display unit proportionately to the extent to which the person's face is facing towards the display unit as determined by the relative position of the person's eyes and nose within the one or more images, and

decreasing the lighting level associated with the display unit proportionately to the extent to which the person's face is facing away from the display unit as determined by the relative position of the person's eyes and nose within the one or more images.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the display unit comprises at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD) display device, a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a plasma screen display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or an organic LED display device.

7. The method of claim 5 , where the device comprises a cellular radiotelephone, a computer, a telephone, or a personal digital assistant.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein adjusting the lighting level associated with display unit comprises:

adjusting a backlighting of the display unit.

9. A device, comprising:

means for obtaining an image;

means for analyzing the image to determine a relative position of a person's eyes and nose within the image indicative of a position of a person's face relative to a display unit; and

means for reducing a lighting level associated with the display unit proportionately to the extent to which the person's face is facing away from the display unit as determined from the relative position of the person's eyes and nose within the image.

10. A device, comprising:

a camera;

a visual display, where the camera and a display screen of the visual display are directed towards a specific region;

a processing unit configured to:

receive an image of a person's face within the specific region from the camera,

use a facial recognition technique that determines a relative position of the person's eyes and nose within the image to determine a position of the person's face relative to the visual display, and

reduce a lighting level associated with the visual display proportionately to the extent to which the person's face is facing away from the visual display as determined from the relative position of the person's eyes and nose within the image.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores computer-executable instructions, comprising:

instructions for receiving one or more images from at least one of a camera or a video unit;

instructions for analyzing the one or more images to determine a relative position of a person's eyes and nose within the one or more images indicative of a position of a person's face relative to a display unit; and

instructions for reducing a lighting level associated with the display unit proportionately to the extent to which the person's face is facing away from the display unit as determined from the relative position of the person's eyes and nose within the one or more images.

12. A method, comprising:

obtaining an image that depicts a region in a vicinity of a first display unit;

analyzing the image to determine a position of a person's face relative to the first display unit; and

adjusting a lighting level associated with a second display unit based on the determined position of the person's face relative to the first display unit,

wherein the first display unit is a component of a first device and the second display unit is a component of a second device, and

wherein the first device is different than, and physically separate from, the second device.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein adjusting the lighting level associated with the second display unit comprises:

decreasing the lighting of the second display unit when the person's face is turned towards the first display unit; and

increasing the lighting of the second display unit when the person's face is turned away from the first display unit.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein analyzing the image comprises:

using a facial recognition technique that determines a relative position of the person's eyes and nose within the image to determine the position of the person's face relative to the first display unit.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first device is a computer and the second device is a cellular radiotelephone.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first device and the second device operate in a networked environment.

17. The device of claim 9 , wherein the display unit comprises at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD) display device, a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a plasma screen display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or an organic LED display device.

18. The device of claim 9 , wherein the display unit is a component of a cellular radio-telephone and the one or more images are obtained from a camera of the cellular radio-telephone.

19. The device of claim 9 , wherein the means for reducing the lighting level associated with the display unit comprises:

means for decreasing a backlighting of the display unit.

20. The device of claim 10 , wherein, when reducing the light level associated with the visual display, the processing unit is configured to:

decrease a backlighting of the visual display.

21. The device of claim 10 , wherein the visual display comprises at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD) display device, a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a plasma screen display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or an organic LED display device.

22. The device of claim 10 , wherein the device comprises a cellular radiotelephone, a computer, a telephone, or a personal digital assistant.