IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,170,061
Granted Patent B2
US 10,170,061 · App. 15/364,529 · Granted Jan 1, 2019

Backlight compensation for a computing device with two or more display devices

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,170,061
App. No.
15/364,529
Granted
Jan 1, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

In some implementations, a computing device may include a first display device and a second display device. An embedded controller may determine a first amount of ambient light and a first current associated with the first display device and modify the first current to create a first modified amount of current associated with the first display device. The embedded controller may determine a second amount of ambient light and second current associated with the second display device. The embedded controller may determine a ratio of a first perceived brightness of the first display device to a second perceived brightness of the second display device and modify the second current until the ratio is within a predetermined amount from a target ratio.

Claims (77)

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a computing device comprising a first display device and a second display device, a first amount of ambient light associated with the first display device;

determining, by the computing device, a first current associated with the first display device;

determining, by the computing device, a second amount of ambient light associated with the second display device;

determining, by the computing device, a second current associated with the second display device;

determining, by the computing device, a first perceived brightness associated with the first display device based on the first current and the first amount of ambient light;

determining, by the computing device, a second perceived brightness associated with the second display device based on the second current and the second amount of ambient light;

determining, by the computing device, a first ratio of the first perceived brightness of the first display device to the second perceived brightness of the second display device; and

modifying, by the computing device and based at least in part on the first ratio, the second current to create a second modified amount of current associated with the second display device, wherein the second modified amount of current modifies the second perceived brightness of the second display device to create a modified second perceived brightness of the second display device.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a second ratio of the first perceived brightness of the first display device to the modified second perceived brightness of the second display device.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

determining that the second ratio differs from a target ratio by less than a predetermined amount.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

determining that the second ratio differs from a target ratio by at least a predetermined amount; and

modifying the second modified amount of current to create a third modified amount of current.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the second current to create the second modified amount of current comprises:

modifying a duty cycle of a square wave providing power to a backlight of the second display device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

increasing the second current to create the second modified amount of current increases the modified second perceived brightness of the second display device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

decreasing the second current to create the second modified amount of current decreases the modified second perceived brightness of the second display device.

8. A computing device comprising:

a first display device;

a second display device;

an embedded controller configured with logic instructions to perform operations comprising:

determining a first amount of ambient light associated with the first display device;

determining a first current associated with the first display device;

determining a second amount of ambient light associated with the second display device;

determining a second current associated with the second display device;

determining a first perceived brightness associated with the first display device based on the first current and the first amount of ambient light;

determining a second perceived brightness associated with the second display device based on the second current and the second amount of ambient light;

determining a first ratio of the first perceived brightness of the first display device to the second perceived brightness of the second display device; and

modifying, based at least in part on the first ratio, the second current to create a second modified amount of current associated with the second display device, wherein the second modified amount of current modifies the second perceived brightness of the second display device to create a modified second perceived brightness of the second display device.

9. The computing device of claim 8 , further comprising:

a first ambient light sensor to measure the first amount of ambient light associated with the first display device; and

a second ambient light sensor to measure the second amount of ambient light associated with the second display device.

10. The computing device of claim 8 , further comprising:

a first backlight driver circuit to provide the first current to a first set of light emitting diodes (LEDs) associated with the first display device; and

a second backlight driver circuit to provide the second current to a second set of light emitting diodes (LEDs) associated with the second display device.

11. The computing device of claim 8 , further comprising:

a first set of temperature sensors to determine a first temperature associated with the first display device; and

a second set of temperature sensors to determine a second temperature associated with the second display device.

12. The computing device of claim 11 , the operations further comprising:

determining the first ratio based at least in part on the first temperature and the second temperature.

13. The computing device of claim 8 , the operations further comprising:

determining a second ratio of the first perceived brightness of the first display device to the modified second perceived brightness of the second display device;

determining that the second ratio differs from a target ratio by at least a predetermined amount; and

modifying the second modified amount of current to create a third modified amount of current.

14. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media to store instructions executable by a computing device to perform operations comprising:

determining a first amount of ambient light associated with a first display device of the computing device;

determining a first current associated with the first display device;

determining a second amount of ambient light associated with a second display device of the computing device;

determining a second current associated with the second display device;

determining a first perceived brightness associated with the first display device based on the first current and the first amount of ambient light;

determining a second perceived brightness associated with the second display device based on the second current and the second amount of ambient light;

determining a first ratio of the first perceived brightness of the first display device to the second perceived brightness of the second display device; and

modifying, based at least in part on the first ratio, the second current to create a second modified amount of current associated with the second display device, wherein the second modified amount of current modifies the second perceived brightness of the second display device to create a modified perceived brightness of the second display device.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 14 wherein:

a first backlight driver circuit provides the first current to a first set of light emitting diodes (LEDs) associated with the first display device; and

a second backlight driver circuit provides the second current to a second set of light emitting diodes (LEDs) associated with the second display device.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , the operations further comprising:

determining a third current associated with a third display device of the computing device;

determining a third ratio of the first perceived brightness of the first display device to a third perceived brightness of the third display device; and

modifying the third current to create a third modified amount of current.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , the operations further comprising:

determining a second ratio of the first perceived brightness of the first display device to the second perceived brightness of the second display device;

determining that the second ratio differs from a target ratio by at least a predetermined amount; and

modifying the second modified amount of current to create a third modified amount of current.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , the operations further comprising:

determining, using a first brightness sensor, a first brightness associated with the first display device; and

determining, using a second brightness sensor, a second brightness associated with the second display device.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , the operations further comprising:

determining an orientation of the computing device; and

determining a display mode of the computing device.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 14 , the operations further comprising:

sending an instruction to a backlight driver associated with the second display device to create the second modified amount of current, wherein the instruction is sent via an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) bus.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (053546/0001) Recorded Jun 23, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL MARKETING L.P. (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.); DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC. AND WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.); EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 071642/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (041829/0873) Recorded Apr 26, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND AS SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO MOZY, INC.); DELL MARKETING CORPORATION (SUCCESSOR-IN-INTEREST TO WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.)
Reel/Frame 059803/0724 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 041808 FRAME 0516 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL INTERNATIONAL, L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; MOZY, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
Reel/Frame 058297/0573 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 22, 2020
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053546/0001 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 21, 2019
From: CREDANT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL MARKETING L.P.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; DELL USA L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; FORCE10 NETWORKS, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Reel/Frame 049452/0223 →
PATENT SECURITY INTEREST (NOTES) Recorded Feb 28, 2017
From: DELL INTERNATIONAL L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; MOZY, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 041829/0873 →
PATENT SECURITY INTEREST (CREDIT) Recorded Feb 24, 2017
From: DELL INTERNATIONAL, L.L.C.; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC CORPORATION; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; MOZY, INC.; WYSE TECHNOLOGY L.L.C.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 041808/0516 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 30, 2016
From: FILES, JACE W.; SRINIVASAN, PREETH K.
To: DELL PRODUCTS L. P.
Reel/Frame 040744/0187 →