IP Library Granted Patent US 8,228,321
Granted Patent B2
US 8,228,321 · App. 12/037,575 · Granted Jul 24, 2012

Apparatus for adjusting luminance, display device having the same and method of adjusting luminance

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,228,321
App. No.
12/037,575
Granted
Jul 24, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus for adjusting luminance includes a comparing part, a summing part, a mode selecting part, an inverting part and a decoding part. The comparing part compares a photo sensing voltage with a reference voltage in each of a plurality of sensing periods and generating a photo sensing signal. The summing part sums the photo sensing signal during the sensing periods and generates a plurality of summation signals. The mode selecting part controls an application of the summation signals based on a mode selection. Then, the inverting part inverts the summation signals based on the control of the mode selecting part and generates a plurality of inversion signals. The decoding part decodes the summation signals or the inversion signals and generates a decoding signal. Therefore, light pollution and power consumption may be decreased, and manufacturing costs may be decreased.

Claims (62)

1. An apparatus for adjusting luminance, comprising:

a comparing part that compares a photo sensing voltage with a reference voltage in each of a plurality of sensing periods and generates a photo sensing signal;

a summing part that sums the photo sensing signal during the sensing periods and generates a plurality of summation signals;

a mode selecting part controls an application of the summation signals based on a mode selection;

an inverting part that inverts the summation signals based on the control of the mode selecting part and generates a plurality of inversion signals;

a decoding part that decodes the summation signals or the inversion signals and generates a decoding signal;

a sensing part that senses an external luminance level and generates a preliminary sensing current; and

a smoothing part integrating the preliminary sensing current in the each sensing period and generating the photo sensing voltage.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the summing part comprises:

a plurality of summing circuits that sum the photo sensing signal and generate the summation signals; and

a distributing circuit that distributes the summation signals in each of the periods to the summing circuits, in sequence.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein there are n summing circuits and n summation signals, and the number of the sensing periods is 3n, wherein n is a natural number.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mode selecting part is in a transmissive mode, and the decoding part decodes the inversion signals and outputs a decoding signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mode selecting part is in a transflective mode, and the decoding part decodes the summation signals and outputs a decoding signal.

6. An apparatus for adjusting luminance, comprising:

a comparing part that compares a photo sensing voltage with a reference voltage in each of a plurality of sensing periods and generates a photo sensing signal;

a summing part that sums the photo sensing signal during the sensing periods and generates a plurality of summation signals;

a decoding part that decodes the summation signals and outputs a decoding signal;

a mode selecting part that controls an application of the decoding signal based on a mode selection; and

an inverting part that inverts the decoding signal based on the control of the mode selecting part and generates an inversion signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the mode selecting part is in a transmissive mode, and a level of a driving current is determined by the inversion signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the mode selecting part is in a transflective mode, and a level of a driving current is determined by the decoding signal.

9. A display device comprising:

a display panel that displays an image;

a backlight assembly disposed under the display panel that supplies the display panel with light; and

a luminance adjusting unit including:

a comparing part that compares a photo sensing voltage with a reference voltage in each of a plurality of sensing periods and generates a photo sensing signal;

a summing part that sums the photo sensing signal during the sensing periods and generates a plurality of summation signals;

a mode selecting part that controls an application of the summation signals based on a mode selection;

an inverting part that inverts the summation signals based on the control of the mode selecting part and generates a plurality of inversion signals; and

a driving element that controls a driving current of the backlight assembly based on the summation signals or the inversion signals.

10. The display device of claim 9 , wherein the luminance adjusting unit further comprises a sensing part that senses an external luminance level on the display panel and generates the photo sensing voltage.

11. The display device of claim 10 , wherein the sensing part is provided on an array substrate of the display panel.

12. The display device of claim 11 , wherein the luminance adjusting unit is directly formed on the array substrate.

13. The display device of claim 9 , wherein the backlight assembly comprises:

a light source unit generating light based on the driving current; and

a light-guiding plate adjacent to the light source unit guiding the light generated from the light source unit toward the display panel.

14. A method of adjusting luminance, comprising:

sensing an external luminance level of a display device and generating a preliminary sensing current;

integrating the preliminary sensing current in each of a plurality of sensing periods and generating a photo sensing voltage;

comparing the photo sensing voltage with a reference voltage in each of the sensing periods and generating a photo sensing signal;

summing the photo sensing signal during the sensing periods and generating a plurality of summation signals;

inverting the summation signals based on a mode selection and generating a plurality of inversion signals; and

decoding the summation signals or the inversion signals and outputting a decoding signal.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising generating a driving current having a level corresponding to the decoding signal.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the summation signals are generated by:

distributing the photo sensing signal in each of the sensing periods, in sequence; and

summing the distributed photo sensing signal.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the summation signals or the inversion signals are decoded by:

decoding the summation signals when the mode selection is in a transflective mode.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the summation signals or the inversion signals are decoded by:

decoding the inversion signals when the mode selection is in a transmissive mode.

19. A method of adjusting luminance, comprising:

sensing an external luminance level of a display device and generating a preliminary sensing current;

integrating the preliminary sensing current in each of a plurality of sensing periods and generating a photo sensing voltage;

comparing the photo sensing voltage with a reference voltage in each of the sensing periods and generating a photo sensing signal;

summing the photo sensing signal during the sensing periods and generating a plurality of summation signals;

decoding the summation signals and outputting a decoding signal;

inverting the decoding signal based on a mode selection and generating an inversion signal; and

generating a driving current having a level corresponding to the decoding signal or the inversion signal.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the driving current is generated by determining the level of the driving current based on the decoding signal when the mode selection is a transflective mode.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the driving current is generated by determining the level of the driving current based on the inversion signal when the mode selection is a transmissive mode.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 17, 2012
From: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
To: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 029045/0860 →