IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,725,550
Granted Patent B1
US 12,725,550 · App. 19/290,510 · Granted Sep 1, 2026

Vehicle display system

Inventors: Biaohe Guo (Northville, MI); Mark Larry (Macomb, MI); Junghua Hsiao (Novi, MI)
Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
G09G3/20G09G2320/0626G09G2360/16G09G2380/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,725,550
App. No.
19/290,510
Granted
Sep 1, 2026
Kind
B1
Abstract

A computer includes a processor and a memory, and the memory stores instructions executable by the processor to determine an arithmetic mean of red-green-blue (RGB) values in an image frame, determine a luminance fraction as a function of the arithmetic mean, and actuate an edge-lit display screen to display the image frame at the luminance fraction of a maximum luminance. The luminance fraction is a fraction of the maximum luminance of the edge-lit display screen.

Claims (40)

1 . A computer comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:

determine an arithmetic mean of red-green-blue (RGB) values in an image frame;

determine a luminance fraction as a function of the arithmetic mean, the luminance fraction being a fraction of a maximum luminance of an edge-lit display screen, by:

setting the luminance fraction to a first preset value in response to the arithmetic mean exceeding a first threshold;

setting the luminance fraction to a second preset value in response to the arithmetic mean being below the first threshold and exceeding a second threshold;

setting the luminance fraction to a third preset value in response to the arithmetic mean being below the second threshold; and

actuate the edge-lit display screen to display the image frame at the luminance fraction of the maximum luminance.

2 . The computer of claim 1 , wherein the RGB values include red values, green values, and blue values, and the instructions further include instructions to:

determine a red arithmetic mean of the red values, a green arithmetic mean of the green values, and a blue arithmetic mean of the blue values; and

determine the arithmetic mean of the RGB values by selecting a maximum of the red arithmetic mean, the green arithmetic mean, and the blue arithmetic mean.

3 . The computer of claim 1 , wherein the arithmetic mean is determined from the RGB values over an entire area of the image frame.

4 . The computer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to determine the luminance fraction include instructions to determine the luminance fraction according to an inverse relationship between the luminance fraction and the arithmetic mean.

5 . The computer of claim 1 , wherein the second preset value is greater than the first preset value.

6 . The computer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to determine the luminance fraction include instructions to determine the luminance fraction as a function of only the arithmetic mean.

7 . The computer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further include instructions to determine the maximum luminance as a function of an ambient brightness.

8 . The computer of claim 7 , wherein the instructions to determine the maximum luminance include instructions to determine the maximum luminance according to a positive relationship between the maximum luminance and the ambient brightness.

9 . The computer of claim 1 , wherein the image frame is a first image frame, and the instructions further include instructions to, before actuating the edge-lit display screen to display the first image frame, actuate the edge-lit display screen to display a second image frame at the luminance fraction of the maximum luminance.

10 . The computer of claim 9 , wherein the luminance fraction is a first luminance fraction, the arithmetic mean is a first arithmetic mean, and the instructions further include instructions to, before actuating the edge-lit display screen to display the second image frame at the first luminance fraction of the maximum luminance, actuate the edge-lit display screen to display the second image frame at a second luminance fraction of the maximum luminance based on a second arithmetic mean of RGB values in the second image frame.

11 . The computer of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to actuate the edge-lit display screen to display the image frame include instructions to actuate the edge-lit display screen to display the image frame at the luminance fraction of the maximum luminance over an entire area of the edge-lit display screen.

12 . The computer of claim 1 , wherein the edge-lit display screen is located inside a passenger compartment of a vehicle.

13 . A method comprising:

determining an arithmetic mean of red-green-blue (RGB) values in an image frame;

determining a luminance fraction as a function of the arithmetic mean, the luminance fraction being a fraction of a maximum luminance of an edge-lit display screen, by:

setting the luminance fraction to a first preset value in response to the arithmetic mean exceeding a first threshold;

setting the luminance fraction to a second preset value in response to the arithmetic mean being below the first threshold and exceeding a second threshold;

setting the luminance fraction to a third preset value in response to the arithmetic mean being below the second threshold; and

actuating the edge-lit display screen to display the image frame at the luminance fraction.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the RGB values include red values, green values, and blue values, the method further comprising:

determining a red arithmetic mean of the red values, a green arithmetic mean of the green values, and a blue arithmetic mean of the blue values; and

determining the arithmetic mean of the RGB values by selecting a maximum of the red arithmetic mean, the green arithmetic mean, and the blue arithmetic mean.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein determining the luminance fraction includes determining the luminance fraction according to an inverse relationship between the luminance fraction and the arithmetic mean.

16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein determining the luminance fraction includes determining the luminance fraction as a function of only the arithmetic mean.

17 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising, before actuating the edge-lit display screen to display the image frame, actuating the edge-lit display screen to display a preceding image frame at the luminance fraction of the maximum luminance.

18 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the edge-lit display screen is located inside a passenger compartment of a vehicle.

19 . A computer comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to:

determine a first arithmetic mean of red-green-blue (RGB) values in a first image frame;

determine a first luminance fraction as a function of the first arithmetic mean, the first luminance fraction being a fraction of a maximum luminance of an edge-lit display screen;

before actuating the edge-lit display screen to display a second image frame at the first luminance fraction of the maximum luminance, actuate the edge-lit display screen to display the second image frame at a second luminance fraction of the maximum luminance based on a second arithmetic mean of RGB values in the second image frame;

before actuating the edge-lit display screen to display the first image frame, actuate the edge-lit display screen to display the second image frame at the first luminance fraction of the maximum luminance; and

actuate the edge-lit display screen to display the first image frame at the first luminance fraction of the maximum luminance.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 5, 2025
From: GUO, BIAOHE; LARRY, MARK; HSIAO, JUNGHUA
To: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 071932/0341 →
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