Brightness control device, electronic device and brightness control method

Abstract

A brightness control device is used for controlling the brightness of a display device and comprises an image acquisition device and a processing circuit. The image capturing device detects the attention direction of an eyeball and is used for generating a detection signal. The processing circuit determines whether the display device presents a static picture. When the display device presents a static picture, the processing circuit controls the brightness of the display device according to the detection signal. When the eyeball pays attention to a main area of the display device, the processing circuit reduces the brightness of the surrounding area of the main area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a brightness control device, and more particularly to a control device for controlling the brightness of a display device. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels and active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) panels have extremely high contrast and extremely fast response times, so they are widely used in various 3C products, such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and screens. However, when an OLED panel displays the same picture for a long time (about 3000 hours or more), it is very easy for the colors of the picture to be permanently burned into the panel, resulting in the user often seeing the previously burned-in image remaining on the screen when using the OLED panel. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An embodiment of the present invention provides a brightness control device for controlling the brightness of a display device, and includes an image capturing device and a processing circuit. The image capturing device detects the attention direction of an eyeball to generate a detection signal. The processing circuit determines whether the display device presents a static picture. When the display device presents a static picture, the processing circuit controls the brightness of the display device according to the detection signal. When the eyeball focuses on a main area of the display device, the processing circuit reduces the brightness of the surrounding area of the main area.

[0004] The present invention further provides an electronic device, including a display device and a brightness control device. The display device includes a plurality of organic light-emitting diodes. The brightness control device includes an image capturing device and a host device. The image capturing device detects the attention direction of an eyeball to generate a detection signal. The host device determines whether the display device presents a static picture. When the display device presents a static picture, the host device controls the brightness of the organic light-emitting diodes according to the detection signal. When the eyeball focuses on a main area of the display device, the host device maintains the brightness of the organic light-emitting diodes in the main area and reduces the brightness of the organic light-emitting diodes in a surrounding area of the main area. The display device, the image capturing device, and the host device are integrated in the same housing.

[0005] The present invention also provides a brightness control method for controlling the brightness of a display device. The brightness control method of the present invention includes detecting whether the display device presents a static picture. When the display device presents a static picture, detecting whether an eyeball focuses on the display device. When the eyeball focuses on a main area of the display device, reducing the brightness of a surrounding area of the main area.

[0006] The control method of the present invention can be implemented via the brightness control device and the electronic device described in the present invention, which are hardware or firmware capable of performing specific functions, or can be incorporated in a computer-readable storage medium in the form of program code and implemented in combination with specific hardware. When the program code is loaded and executed by an electronic device, a processor, a computer, or a data processing device, the electronic device, the processor, the computer, or the data processing device becomes the brightness control device and the electronic device described in the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the electronic device of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2A It is a schematic diagram of the screen area of the display device of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 2B It is another schematic diagram of the screen area of the display device of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 3A It is a flowchart of a control method of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 3B It is another flowchart of a control method of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 4 It is another flowchart of a control method of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 5 It is another flowchart of a control method of the present invention.

[0014] Among them, the reference numerals are:

[0015] UR: User

[0016] 100: Electronic device

[0017] 110: Brightness control device

[0018] 111: Image capture device

[0019] 112: Host device

[0020] 113: Processing circuit

[0021] 114: Software system

[0022] 120: Display device

[0023] SB: Control signal

[0024] SD: Detection signal

[0025] A - J: Areas

[0026] S311 to S317, S411 to S415, S511 to S520: Steps Detailed implementation manners

[0027] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, specific embodiments are hereinafter given and detailed descriptions are made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The specification of the present invention provides different embodiments to illustrate the technical features of different implementation manners of the present invention. Among them, the configurations of the components in the embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, some of the reference numerals in the embodiments are repeated. For the sake of simplicity of description, this does not mean the relevance between different embodiments.

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the electronic device of the present invention. The electronic device 100 operates according to the attention direction of the user UR's eyes. In this embodiment, the electronic device 100 includes a brightness control device 110 and a display device 120. The brightness control device 110 may be integrated with the display device 120 in the same case. In a possible embodiment, the electronic device 100 is a notebook computer.

[0029] The brightness control device 110 generates a control signal SB according to the attention direction of the user UR's eyes to adjust the brightness of the display device 120. The present invention does not limit the type of the display device 120. In a possible embodiment, the display device 120 has a plurality of pixels. Each pixel has at least one organic light-emitting diode (OLED). Since the organic light-emitting diode is a self-luminous element, the display device 120 does not need to be additionally provided with a backlight.

[0030] The brightness control device 110 includes an image capturing device 111 and a host device 112. The image capturing device 111 detects the attention direction of the user UR's eyes to generate a detection signal SD. The present invention does not limit the architecture of the image capturing device 111. In a possible embodiment, the image capturing device 111 includes a camera. The camera may have a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor. In another possible embodiment, the image capturing device 111 further includes a distance sensor (not shown) for measuring the distance between the user UR and the electronic device 100. When the distance between the user UR and the electronic device 100 is less than a preset distance, it means that the user UR is in front of the electronic device 100.

[0031] The host device 112 determines whether the display device 120 presents a static image. When the display device 120 presents a static image, the host device 112 controls the brightness of the organic light-emitting diodes of the display device 120 according to the detection signal SD. In a possible embodiment, when the user UR's eyes focus on a main area of the display device 120, the host device 112 reduces the brightness of the organic light-emitting diodes in the surrounding area of the main area.

[0032] In other embodiments, when the display device 120 presents a dynamic image, the host device 112 does not control the brightness of the display device 120 according to the detection signal SD. In other words, regardless of whether the user UR's eyes focus on the display device 120, the host device 112 does not adjust the brightness of the display device 120 according to the detection signal SD. In this example, when the display device 120 presents a dynamic image, the brightness of each pixel of the display device 120 is refreshed, so the host device 112 does not need an additional detection signal SD to adjust the brightness of the display device 120.

[0033] The present invention does not limit the architecture of the host device 112. In a possible embodiment, the host device 112 includes a processing circuit 113 and a software system 114. In a possible embodiment, the software system 114 is stored in a memory. In this example, the processing circuit 113 accesses the memory to execute the software system 114. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 113 determines whether the display device 120 presents a static image. When the display device 120 presents a static image, the processing circuit 113 controls the brightness of the display device 120 according to the detection signal SD.

[0034] The present invention does not limit how the processing circuit 113 determines whether the display device 120 presents a static image. In a possible embodiment, when the display device 120 presents the same image and the time for which the image is presented reaches a preset value (such as 30 minutes), it indicates that the display device 120 presents a static image. In this example, when the display device 120 does not present the same image for a long time, it indicates that the display device 120 presents a dynamic image.

[0035] In some embodiments, when the display device 120 presents a static image, the processing circuit 113 drives the image capture device 111. Therefore, the image capture device 111 detects the direction of the user UR's eye gaze to generate the detection signal SD. In a possible embodiment, after the processing circuit 113 receives the detection signal SD, the processing circuit 113 may turn off the image capture device 111. At this time, the image capture device 111 pauses detecting the direction of the user UR's eye gaze. After a preset time, the processing circuit 113 drives the image capture device 111 again to avoid the continuous operation of the image capture device 111 and reduce the power consumption of the image capture device 111.

[0036] Figure 2A It is a schematic diagram of the screen area 200 of the display device 120. When the user UR's eyeball focuses on area A of the screen area 200, the processing circuit 113 takes area A as a main area, and centered on area A, divides the area outside area A into areas B to F. In this embodiment, areas B to F are called surrounding areas. Area B surrounds area A, area C surrounds area B, area D surrounds area C, area E surrounds area D, and area F surrounds area E.

[0037] When the user UR's eyeball focuses on area A (also called a main area), the processing circuit 113 reduces the brightness of areas B to F. At this time, the processing circuit 113 may maintain the brightness of area A. For example, when the user UR's eyeball focuses on area A, the processing circuit 113 maintains the brightness of area A at 500 nits and reduces the brightness of area B, such as 450 nits. In a possible embodiment, the brightness of areas B to F is the same, such as 450 nits. In another possible embodiment, the processing circuit 113 sequentially decreases the brightness of areas B to F. For example, the brightness of area B is 450 nits, the brightness of area C is 400 nits, the brightness of area D is 350 nits, the brightness of area E is 300 nits, and the brightness of area F is 250 nits.

[0038] In this embodiment, when the display device 120 presents a static picture, by dynamically adjusting the brightness of the screen area 200 through the processing circuit 113, the chance of image burn-in can be reduced. Moreover, since the processing circuit 113 reduces the brightness of the areas not focused by the user, the power consumption of the display device 120 can be greatly reduced. Moreover, when the picture presented by the display device 120 has been stationary for a while (such as 30 minutes), the processing circuit 113 starts to adjust the brightness of the display device 120. Therefore, the process of brightness adjustment can be avoided from interfering with the user.

[0039] The present invention does not limit how the processing circuit 113 divides the screen area 200. In a possible embodiment, the processing circuit 113 radially divides the screen area 200 centered on area A. In this example, the area of area A is smaller than the area of area B, that is to say, the number of organic light-emitting diodes in area A is less than the number of organic light-emitting diodes in area B. Similarly, the area of area B is smaller than the area of area C, the area of area C is smaller than the area of area D, the area of area D is smaller than the area of area E, and the area of area E is smaller than the area of area F. In this example, the brightness of the organic light-emitting diodes in the same area is the same.

[0040] Figure 2BAnother schematic diagram of the screen area 200 of the display device 120 of the present invention. In this embodiment, the processing circuit 113 takes the area G gazed at by the user UR's eyeball as a main area, and takes the area G as the central area to divide the areas H to J. The processing circuit 113 maintains the brightness of the area G and gradually attenuates the brightness of the areas H to J. For example, the brightness of the area G is greater than the brightness of the area H, the brightness of the area H is greater than the brightness of the area I, and the brightness of the area I is greater than the brightness of the area J.

[0041] Figure 3A A schematic flowchart of the control method of the present invention. The control method of the present invention can exist through program code. When the program code is loaded and executed by a machine, the machine becomes the electronic device 100 and the brightness control device 110 for implementing the present invention. For the convenience of description, the following will take Figure 1 the electronic device 100 as an example.

[0042] First, turn on an image capturing device 111 to detect an eyeball (step S311). Then, determine whether the eyeball is paying attention to the display device 120 (step S312). When the eyeball is not paying attention to the display device 120, wait for a preset time (step S314). In some embodiments, in step S314, first turn off the image capturing device 111, then wait for a preset time, and then return to step S311 to turn on the image capturing device 111 again.

[0043] When the eyeball is paying attention to the display device 120, maintain the brightness of the area being paid attention to (or a main area), and sequentially decrease the brightness of the surrounding areas outside the area being paid attention to (step S313). Taking Figure 2A as an example, in step S313, maintain the brightness of area A and sequentially decrease the brightness of areas B to F. In other embodiments, areas B to F have the same brightness but are less than the brightness of area A.

[0044] Then, wait for a preset time (step S314). In a possible embodiment, step S314 also turns off the image capturing device 111 to avoid frequently adjusting the brightness of the display device 120 and affecting the user's work. Then, return to step S311 to turn on the image capturing device 111 again.

[0045] Figure 3B Another schematic flowchart of the control method of the present invention. The control method of the present invention can exist through program code. When the program code is loaded and executed by a machine, the machine becomes the electronic device 100 and the brightness control device 110 for implementing the present invention. Figure 3B Similar Figure 3A except that Figure 3BSteps S315 to S317 are added. Step S315 determines whether the user is in front of the electronic device 100. If the user is detected, the image capture device 111 is turned on (step S311). In a possible embodiment, step S315 drives a distance sensor of the electronic device 100 to detect whether the user is in front of the electronic device 100.

[0046] If the user is not detected, the overall brightness of the display device 120 is reduced (step S316). Taking Figure 2 as an example, the original brightness of the screen area 200 may be 500 nits. If the user is not detected, the processing circuit 113 may set the brightness of the screen area 200 (including areas A to F) to 300 nits. Then, return to step S315 to determine whether the user is in front of the electronic device 100.

[0047] In addition, after decreasing the brightness of the surrounding area outside the area of interest (step S313), wait for a preset time (step S317), and then return to step S315 to determine whether the user is in front of the electronic device 100. In a possible embodiment, step S317 also turns off the image capture device 111 to reduce the power consumption of the image capture device 111.

[0048] Figure 4 Another flowchart diagram of the control method of the present invention. The control method of the present invention can exist through program code. When the program code is loaded and executed by a machine, the machine becomes the electronic device 100 and the brightness control device 110 for implementing the present invention. First, determine whether the display device 120 presents a static image (step S411). In a possible embodiment, step S411 determines whether the image presented by the display device 120 is stationary for a period of time (such as 15 minutes). If not, it means that the display device 120 does not present a static image. Therefore, return to step S411. In some embodiments, when the display device 120 does not present a static image, the brightness of the display device 120 is not temporarily controlled according to the gaze direction of the user's eyes.

[0049] When the display device 120 presents a static image, turn on an image capture device 111 to detect an eyeball (step S412). Then, determine whether the eyeball is focusing on the display device 120 (step S413). When the eyeball is not focusing on the display device 120, wait for a preset time (step S415), and then return to step S411. In a possible embodiment, step S415 also turns off the image capture device 111 to save power.

[0050] When the eyeball is focusing on the display device 120, maintain the brightness of the area of interest (or a main area), and sequentially decrease the brightness of the surrounding area outside the area of interest (step S414). Figure 2AFor example, in step S414, the brightness of area A is maintained, and the brightness of areas B to F is sequentially decreased. In some embodiments, the difference between adjacent areas is the same. For example, after being adjusted by step S414, the brightness difference between area A and area B is the same as the brightness difference between area B and area C.

[0051] Then, wait for a preset time (step S415), and then return to step S411. In a possible embodiment, step S415 also turns off the image capture device 111. In other embodiments, step S415 requires the processing circuit 113 to pause adjusting the brightness of the display device 120 according to the detection signal SD of the image capture device 111. Since the processing circuit 113 does not adjust the brightness of the display device 120 too frequently, the user is not easily aware, but the image can be prevented from being imprinted on the display device 120. At this time, the image capture device 111 continues to work. The detection results generated by the image capture device 111 can be used by video software (such as Teams, Google Meet, Zoom). In some embodiments, the video software is integrated into the software system 114.

[0052] Figure 5 Another flowchart of the control method of the present invention. The control method of the present invention can exist through program code. When the program code is loaded and executed by a machine, the machine becomes the electronic device 100 and the brightness control device 110 for implementing the present invention. First, determine whether the user is in front of the electronic device 100 (step S511). In a possible embodiment, step S511 drives a distance sensor to detect whether the user is in front of the electronic device 100.

[0053] When the user is not in front of the electronic device 100, reduce the overall brightness of the display device 120 (step S512). Then, wait for a preset time (step S513), and then return to step S511. In a possible embodiment, step S513 first turns off the distance sensor, waits for a preset time (such as 30 seconds), and then turns on the distance sensor. Since the distance sensor does not need to continuously operate, the power consumption can be reduced.

[0054] When the user is in front of the electronic device 100, determine whether the display device 120 presents a static picture (step S514). In a possible embodiment, step S514 determines whether the picture presented by the display device 120 is stationary for a period of time (such as 15 minutes). If not, it means that the display device 120 does not present a static picture. Therefore, return to step S511. In some embodiments, when the display device 120 does not present a static picture, the brightness of the display device 120 is maintained.

[0055] When the display device 120 presents a static picture, an image capturing device 111 is turned on to detect an eyeball (step S515). Then, it is determined whether the eyeball is paying attention to the display device 120 (step S516). For Figure 2A example, in step S516, the brightness of area A is maintained, and the brightness of areas B - F is sequentially decreased. Then, a preset time is waited for (step S518), and then it returns to step S511. In a possible embodiment, in step S518, the image capturing device 111 is also turned off to save power consumption.

[0056] When the eyeball is not paying attention to the display device 120, a preset time is waited for (step S519). In a possible embodiment, in step S519, the image capturing device 111 is also turned off to save power consumption. Then, it is determined whether the waiting time reaches a critical value (step S520). When the waiting time reaches a critical value, it means that the user has not paid attention to the display device 120 for a long time. Therefore, it returns to step S511 to re - determine whether the user is in front of the electronic device 100. When the waiting time does not reach a critical value, the image capturing device 111 is turned on (step S515). In some embodiments, when the user's eyeball is not paying attention to the display device 120, the brightness of the display device 120 is maintained. At this time, the brightness of all areas of the display device 120 (such as areas A - F in Figure 2) is the same.

[0057] The control method of the present invention, or a specific form or a part thereof, may exist in the form of program code. The program code can be stored in a physical medium, such as a floppy disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, or any other machine - readable (such as computer - readable) storage medium, or not limited to an external - form computer - readable storage medium. Wherein, when the program code is loaded and executed by a machine, such as a computer, this machine becomes an electronic device for participating in the present invention. The program code can also be transmitted through some transmission media, such as wires or cables, optical fibers, or any transmission form. Wherein, when the program code is received, loaded, and executed by a machine, such as a computer, this machine becomes an electronic device for participating in the present invention. When implemented in a general - purpose processing unit, the program code combined with the processing unit provides a unique device whose operation is similar to that of an application - specific logic circuit.

[0058] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) herein belong to the general understanding of those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. In addition, unless clearly stated, the definitions of terms in a general dictionary should be interpreted as being consistent with their meanings in the articles of the relevant technical field, and should not be interpreted as ideal states or overly formal voices. Although terms such as "first", "second", etc. may be used to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0059] Although the present invention has been disclosed above in preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person having ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field may make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the systems, devices or methods described in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in physical embodiments of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to that defined by the appended claims for patent application.

Claims

1. A brightness control device for controlling the brightness of a display device, characterized in that, it includes: an image capturing device for detecting the attention direction of an eyeball to generate a detection signal; and a processing circuit for determining whether the display device presents a static picture, and when the display device presents the static picture, the processing circuit controls the brightness of the display device according to the detection signal, wherein: when the eyeball pays attention to a main area of the display device, the processing circuit reduces the brightness of a first surrounding area of the main area.

2. The brightness control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the eyeball pays attention to the main area, the processing circuit maintains the brightness of the main area.

3. The brightness control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the first surrounding area surrounds the main area.

4. The brightness control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the eyeball pays attention to the main area, the processing circuit sets the brightness of the main area to a first value and sets the brightness of the first surrounding area to a second value, and the second value is less than the first value.

5. The brightness control device according to claim 4, characterized in that, when the eyeball pays attention to the main area, the processing circuit sets the brightness of a second surrounding area to a third value, and the third value is less than the second value.

6. The brightness control device according to claim 5, characterized in that, the first surrounding area surrounds the main area, and the second surrounding area surrounds the first surrounding area.

7. The brightness control device according to claim 5, characterized in that, the area of the main area is less than the area of the first surrounding area, and the area of the first surrounding area is less than the area of the second surrounding area.

8. The brightness control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the display device presents a dynamic picture, the processing circuit stops controlling the brightness of the display device according to the detection signal.

9. The brightness control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, after the processing circuit reduces the brightness of the first surrounding area, the image capturing device stops detecting the eyeball, and after a preset time, detects the attention direction of the eyeball again.

10. The brightness control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the image capturing device cannot detect the eyeball, the processing circuit reduces the brightness of the display device.

11. The brightness control device according to claim 10, characterized in that, when the image capturing device cannot detect the eyeball, the processing circuit sets the brightness of the main area to a fourth value and sets the brightness of the first surrounding area to a fifth value, and the fourth value is equal to the fifth value.

12. A brightness control method for controlling the brightness of a display device, characterized in that, it includes: detecting whether the display device presents a static picture; when the display device presents the static picture, detecting whether an eyeball pays attention to the display device; and when the eyeball pays attention to a main area of the display device, reducing the brightness of a first surrounding area of the main area.

13. The brightness control method according to claim 12, It is characterized in that, further comprising: When the eyeball focuses on the main area, maintaining the brightness of the main area.

14. The brightness control method according to claim 12, It is characterized in that, further comprising: When the eyeball focuses on the main area, reducing the brightness of a second surrounding area, wherein the second surrounding area surrounds the first surrounding area, and the first surrounding area surrounds the main area.

15. The brightness control method according to claim 14, It is characterized in that, When the eyeball focuses on the main area, setting the brightness of the main area to a first value, setting the brightness of the first surrounding area to a second value, and setting the brightness of the second surrounding area to a third value, the first value being greater than the second value, and the second value being greater than the third value.

16. The brightness control method according to claim 12, It is characterized in that, further comprising: When the display device does not present the static picture, maintaining the brightness of the display device.

17. The brightness control method according to claim 12, It is characterized in that, further comprising: After reducing the brightness of the first surrounding area, pausing the detection of the eyeball and waiting for a preset time; and After the preset time, re-detecting whether the eyeball focuses on the display device.

18. The brightness control method according to claim 12, It is characterized in that, further comprising: When the eyeball cannot be detected, reducing the brightness of the display device.

19. The brightness control method according to claim 18, It is characterized in that, When the eyeball cannot be detected, the brightness of the main area is the same as the brightness of the first surrounding area.

20. An electronic device, It is characterized in that, comprising: A display device including a plurality of organic light-emitting diodes; and A brightness control device including: An image capturing device for detecting the focus direction of an eyeball to generate a detection signal; and A host device for determining whether the display device presents a static picture, and when the display device presents the static picture, the host device controls the brightness of the organic light-emitting diodes according to the detection signal, wherein: When the eyeball focuses on a main area of the display device, the host device maintains the brightness of the organic light-emitting diodes in the main area and reduces the brightness of the organic light-emitting diodes in a surrounding area of the main area, The display device, the image capturing device and the host device are integrated in the same housing.

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