Gradual resolution panel driving for multi-pixel density OLED display panel

1. A method comprising:

receiving a deactivation pattern for a light-emitting diode (LED) display panel comprising a first display area having a first pixel density and a second display area having a second pixel density lower than the first pixel density, wherein the deactivation pattern indicates individual pixels in the first display area to be deactivated when the LED display panel displays image content, the deactivation pattern having been determined based on images of the LED display panel that were captured by an external camera while the LED display panel was driven with various different patterns of pixels in the first display area having been turned off;

displaying image content on the LED display, and

while displaying the image content, deactivating the individual pixels in the first display area in accordance with the deactivation pattern, the individual pixels deactivated in the first display area being proximate the second display area such that a region of the first display area adjacent the second display area has a virtual pixel density between the first pixel density and the second pixel density.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein, while displaying the image content, regions of the first display area that are more proximate to the second display area have virtual pixel densities that are more similar to the second pixel density.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first display area includes pixels that are less spaced apart than pixels in the second display area.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virtual pixel density comprises a density of pixels that emit light when the image content is shown.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deactivation pattern comprises a map of all the individual pixels in the display panel where the map indicates whether each of the individuals pixels in the display panel should be kept off when image content are displayed on the display panel.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving a deactivation pattern comprises:

accessing the deactivation pattern from storage on a computing device that includes the display panel.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the images of the LED display panel driven with various different patterns of pixels in the first display area having been turned off are obtained by the external camera facing the display panel during a factory calibration process.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein deactivating the individual pixels in the first display area comprises:

for each of the individual pixels that are to be deactivated, providing red, green, and blue values of zero, zero, zero for the individual pixel to a driver circuit for the LED display panel.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second display area is surrounded by the first display area.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein deactivating the individual pixels in the first display area in accordance with the deactivation pattern comprises:

deactivating the individual pixels in the first display area such that a line of pixels, where each of the individual pixels in the line of pixels is adjacent to the second display area, and three lines of pixels in the first display area both parallel to the line of pixels and closest to the line of pixels have different sequences of deactivated pixels.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein deactivating the individual pixels in the first display area in accordance with the deactivation pattern comprises:

activating a first pixel in a line of pixels in the first display area, where each of the individual pixels in the line of pixels is adjacent to the second display area, and a second pixel both adjacent to the first pixel and not in the line of pixels.

12. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving a deactivation pattern for a light-emitting diode (LED) display panel comprising a first display area having a first pixel density and a second display area having a second pixel density lower than the first pixel density, wherein the deactivation pattern indicates individual pixels in the first display area to be deactivated when the LED display panel displays image content, the deactivation pattern having been determined based on images of the LED display panel that were captured by an external camera while the LED display panel was driven with various different patterns of pixels in the first display area having been turned off;

displaying image content on the LED display, and

while displaying the image content, deactivating the individual pixels in the first display area in accordance with the deactivation pattern, the individual pixels deactivated in the first display area being proximate the second display area such that a region of the first display area adjacent the second display area has a virtual pixel density between the first pixel density and the second pixel density.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein, while displaying the image content, regions of the first display area that are more proximate to the second display area have virtual pixel densities that are more similar to the second pixel density.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first display area includes pixels that are less spaced apart than pixels in the second display area.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the virtual pixel density comprises a density of pixels that emit light when the image content is shown.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the deactivation pattern comprises a map of all the individual pixels in the display panel where the map indicates whether each of the individuals pixels in the display panel should be kept off when image content are displayed on the display panel.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving a deactivation pattern for a light-emitting diode (LED) display panel comprising a first display area having a first pixel density and a second display area having a second pixel density lower than the first pixel density, wherein the deactivation pattern indicates individual pixels in the first display area to be deactivated when the LED display panel displays image content, the deactivation pattern having been determined based on images of the LED display panel that were captured by an external camera while the LED display panel was driven with various different patterns of pixels in the first display area having been turned off;

displaying image content on the LED display, and

while displaying the image content, deactivating the individual pixels in the first display area in accordance with the deactivation pattern, the individual pixels deactivated in the first display area being proximate the second display area such that a region of the first display area adjacent the second display area has a virtual pixel density between the first pixel density and the second pixel density.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deactivation pattern is determined based on a neural network that is trained on the images, of the LED display panel that were captured by an external camera while the LED display panel was driven with various different patterns of pixels in the first display area having been turned off.