Variable brightness dimming around the display

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this disclosure can be embodied in a method, system, and program product for presenting display content on a display of a computing system. The method includes selecting a first luminance profile based on a current display brightness setting from a collection of luminance profiles (308), each configured to reduce the brightness of the display content in a different manner, the first luminance profile specifying a first brightness reduction amount for a peripheral portion of the display content and a first brightness reduction gradient for a portion of the display content between the peripheral portion of the display content and a central portion of the display content. The method further includes applying the first luminance profile to the display content to modify the display content by reducing the brightness of the display content in accordance with the first luminance profile, and presenting the display content on the display.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This document relates generally to display devices. [Background technology]

[0002]

[0003] Electronic devices may include display devices on which visual images are displayed. To improve the user experience in outdoor applications, the brightness of the display may be increased automatically or manually to improve readability. Increasing the brightness of a display generally results in higher power consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This document describes techniques, methods, systems, and other mechanisms for providing a display device with variable brightness dimming at the periphery of the display. The peripheral region of the display device can be dimmed to a dimmed luminance level than the central region of the display device for the same programmed pixel color. The amount of dimming in the peripheral region can be automatically adjusted by a device process based on the brightness of the display, a power saving mode, and / or ambient lighting conditions. For example, the difference between the luminance in the central region and the luminance in the peripheral region can be greater for a higher brightness level of the display than for a lower brightness level of the display.

[0004] Varying the amount of dimming around the periphery of a display depending on the display brightness can reduce power consumption of a display device while maintaining image clarity and readability under high brightness conditions. Using the disclosed techniques, the periphery brightness profile can be dynamically adjusted to achieve high brightness with greater power efficiency. Higher overall display brightness can be achieved without increasing the supply current or by increasing the supply current beyond what would otherwise be possible without periphery dimming. As an example, a uniformly bright display may achieve 1200 nits of brightness at 650 milliamps (mA). If the periphery of the display is dimmed relative to the center of the display, the display may achieve 1400 nits of brightness at the same 650 mA current. Thus, periphery dimming can be implemented to increase overall display brightness while reducing increased power consumption and the risk of exceeding power management limits.

[0005] In some examples, brightness of undimmed pixels (typically in the center of the display) can be achieved without increasing the supply current, or by increasing the supply current less than would be the case without perimeter dimming. Thus, perimeter dimming can be implemented to increase the brightness of the display in visually important areas while minimizing the increase in power consumption.

[0006] The disclosed techniques can be used to reduce power consumption while maintaining or increasing the brightness level experienced by a user. Users typically focus on content near the center of a display. Therefore, dimming of pixels near the periphery of a display is likely to go unnoticed by the user. Reducing the brightness of peripheral pixels reduces power consumption. Higher display brightness settings achieve significant power savings, while lower display brightness settings save less power. Displays are typically brighter in daylight outdoor environments. Therefore, greater power savings can generally be achieved in brighter outdoor environments.

[0007] Furthermore, in brighter environments, the human eye becomes less sensitive to small spatial variations in luminance. As a result, dimming of pixels at the periphery of a display device is less noticeable in bright ambient environments than when the device is used in a normal brightness environment. The reduced sensitivity allows for greater dimming of peripheral pixels in brighter environments, dulling the visual perception of uneven brightness in the display.

[0008] In some examples, the power saved by dimming the peripheral pixels can be used to increase the brightness of the central pixel. In some examples, the power saved by dimming the peripheral pixels can result in a reduced power consumption of the display. In some examples, as the brightness of the display increases, the amount of peripheral dimming can be gradually increased over time so that the change in dimming can be imperceptible to a user.

[0009] As additional description to the embodiments described below, the present disclosure describes the following embodiments.

[0010] Embodiment 1 is a method for presenting display content on a display of a computing system, the method including: identifying that a current display brightness setting of the computing system has a first value representing a first display brightness level; and selecting, from a set of brightness profiles each configured to reduce the brightness of the display content in a different manner, a first brightness profile based on the current display brightness setting having the first value, the first brightness profile specifying a first brightness reduction amount for a peripheral portion of the display content and a first brightness reduction gradient between the peripheral portion of the display content and a central portion of the display content; and selecting, from a set of brightness profiles each configured to reduce the brightness of the peripheral portion of the display content in a different manner, a first brightness reduction amount for a peripheral portion of the display content and a first brightness reduction gradient between the peripheral portion of the display content and a central portion of the display content, the method further including: and presenting the display content on a display after the display content has been modified by applying the first luminance profile to the display content, wherein the computing system is configured to select a second luminance profile from a set of luminance profiles based on a current display brightness setting having a second value representing a second display brightness level greater than the first display brightness level, and apply the second luminance profile to the display content before presenting the display content.

[0011] Embodiment 2 is the method of embodiment 1, wherein reducing the brightness of peripheral portions of the displayed content includes reducing the brightness levels of a plurality of pixels in each frame of a plurality of frames of the displayed content while maintaining image content represented by the plurality of pixels.

[0012] Embodiment 3 is a method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the second luminance profile specifies a second brightness reduction amount for a peripheral portion of the displayed content and a second brightness reduction gradient for a portion of the displayed content between the peripheral portion of the displayed content and a central portion of the displayed content, and the second brightness reduction amount is greater than the first brightness reduction amount.

[0013] Embodiment 4 is the method of embodiment 3, in which the first brightness profile includes a first image mask specifying a plurality of first dimming levels, each first dimming level being associated with a respective portion of the first image mask, and the second brightness profile includes a second image mask specifying a plurality of second dimming levels, each second dimming level being associated with a respective portion of the second image mask.

[0014] Embodiment 5 is the method of embodiment 3, wherein the first brightness profile includes a first function that specifies how different portions of the displayed content are dimmed, and the second brightness profile includes a second function that specifies how different portions of the displayed content are dimmed.

[0015] Embodiment 6 is a method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the first brightness reduction gradient extends away from a central portion of the displayed content towards a peripheral portion of the displayed content as the level of brightness reduction increases, and the second brightness reduction gradient extends away from a central portion of the displayed content towards a peripheral portion of the displayed content as the level of brightness reduction increases.

[0016] Embodiment 7 is a method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, comprising: identifying that a current display brightness setting of the computing system has a third value representing a third display brightness level that is lower than the first display brightness level and lower than the second display brightness level; and presenting display content on the display without applying any brightness profile from the set of brightness profiles to the display content based on the current display setting having the third value that is lower than the first display brightness level and lower than the second display brightness level.

[0017] Example 8 is the method of any one of the preceding examples, wherein the peripheral portion of the displayed content surrounds and excludes the central portion of the displayed content.

[0018] Embodiment 9 is a method as described in embodiment 8, wherein the first luminance profile specifies a greater reduction in brightness for peripheral portions of the displayed content than for central portions of the displayed content, and the second luminance profile specifies a greater reduction in brightness for peripheral portions of the displayed content than for central portions of the displayed content.

[0019] Embodiment 10 is a method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein a first brightness reduction amount specified by the first brightness profile is greater in absolute and relative brightness reduction amount than a second brightness reduction amount specified by the second brightness profile.

[0020] Embodiment 11 is a method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, including a computing system receiving user input interacting with the display to change a current display brightness setting from a first value to a second value.

[0021] Example 12 is the method of example 11, wherein the user input that changes the current display brightness setting from a first value to a second value includes user contact with the display that drags an element of a display brightness slider from a first position to a second position.

[0022] Embodiment 13 is a method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, including: the computing system receiving an indication that an amount of light sensed by a light sensor of the computing system has increased; and, as a result of receiving the indication that the amount of light sensed by the light sensor has increased, the computing system modifying a current display brightness setting from a first level to a second level.

[0023]

[0023] Embodiment 14 is a method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein one or more processors of a computing system perform applying the first luminance profile to the display content.

[0024] Embodiment 15 is a method according to embodiment 14, in which presenting display content on the display includes one or more processors of the computing system device transmitting the display content to a display driver integrated circuit of the display for presentation.

[0025] Embodiment 16 is a computing system including a display, one or more processors, and one or more computer-readable devices containing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform the method described in any one of embodiments 1 to 15.

[0026] Embodiment 17 is a computing system including a display configured to present display content, one or more processors, and one or more computer-readable devices, wherein the one or more computer-readable devices include a set of luminance profiles each configured to reduce the brightness of the display content in a different manner, at least one of the luminance profiles specifying a brightness reduction gradient for a portion of the display content between a central portion of the display content and a peripheral portion of the display content, the brightness reduction being greater in the peripheral portion of the display content than in the central portion of the display content, and the one or more computer-readable devices further include instructions configured, when executed by the one or more processors, to select a selected luminance profile from the set of luminance profiles based on a current display brightness setting of the computing system, and apply the selected luminance profile to the display content before presenting the display content by the display.

[0027] Embodiment 18 is a method of presenting display content, the method including: receiving a first frame of display content for presentation to a display device of a computing device; identifying that a current display brightness setting of the computing device has a first value representing a first display brightness level; modifying the first frame of display content to dim a brightness of a peripheral portion of the first frame of display content by a first amount based on the current display brightness setting having the first value, the peripheral portion of the first frame of display content being configured for presentation by the peripheral portion of the display device; and presenting the first frame of display content to the display device after the first frame of display content has been modified to dim the brightness of the peripheral portion of the first frame by the first amount; receiving a second frame of display content to display the second frame of display content; identifying that the current display brightness setting has a second value representing a second display brightness level greater than the first display brightness level; and modifying the second frame of display content based on the current display brightness setting having the second value to dim a brightness of a peripheral portion of the second frame of display content by a second amount greater than the first amount, the peripheral portion of the second frame of display content being configured for presentation by the peripheral portion of the display device such that the peripheral portion of the second frame corresponds to the peripheral portion of the first frame, the method further including presenting the second frame of display content on the display device after the second frame of display content has been modified to dim a brightness of the peripheral portion of the second frame by the second amount greater than the first amount.

[0028] Embodiment 19 is the method of embodiment 18, wherein dimming the brightness of the peripheral portion of the first frame by a first amount includes reducing the brightness levels of a plurality of first pixels in the peripheral portion of the first frame while maintaining the image content represented by the plurality of first pixels, and dimming the brightness of the peripheral portion of the second frame by a second amount includes reducing the brightness levels of a plurality of second pixels in the peripheral portion of the second frame while maintaining the image content represented by the second frame.

[0029] Embodiment 20 is a method according to any one of embodiments 18 or 19, wherein modifying the first frame to reduce the brightness of a peripheral portion of the first frame by a first amount includes, by the computing device, selecting a first luminance profile from a set of luminance profiles based on the current display brightness setting having a first value and applying the first luminance profile to the first frame; and modifying the second frame to reduce the brightness of a peripheral portion of the second frame by a second amount includes, by the computing device, selecting a second luminance profile from the set of luminance profiles based on the current display brightness setting having a second value and applying the second luminance profile to the second frame, wherein the second luminance profile specifies a greater amount of vignetting than the amount of vignetting specified by the first luminance profile.

[0030] Embodiment 21 is a method described in embodiment 20, in which the first brightness profile includes a first image mask specifying a plurality of first dimming levels, each first dimming level being associated with a respective portion of the first image mask, and the second brightness profile includes a second image mask specifying a plurality of second dimming levels, each second dimming level being associated with a respective portion of the second image mask.

[0031] Embodiment 22 is a method according to embodiment 21, in which the first image mask specifies a first gradient of a first dimming level that extends away from the center of the first image mask towards the periphery of the first image mask as the level of dimming increases, and the second image mask specifies a second gradient of a second dimming level that extends away from the center of the second image mask towards the periphery of the second image mask as the level of dimming increases.

[0032] Embodiment 23 is a method as described in embodiment 20, wherein the first brightness profile includes a first function that specifies how different portions of the image frame are dimmed, and the second brightness profile includes a second function that specifies how different portions of the image frame are dimmed.

[0033] Embodiment 24 is a method according to any one of embodiments 20 to 23, comprising receiving a third frame of display content for presentation to a display device; identifying that a current display brightness setting of the computing device has a third value representing a third display brightness level that is lower than the first display brightness level and lower than the second display brightness level; and presenting the third frame of display content on the display device without applying any brightness profile from the set of brightness profiles or after applying a third brightness profile from the set of brightness profiles that represents the least amount of dimming from among the brightness profiles in the set of brightness profiles to the third frame.

[0034] Embodiment 25 is a method according to any one of embodiments 18 to 24, wherein the peripheral portion of the display device surrounds and excludes the central portion of the display device, the peripheral portion of the first frame surrounds and excludes the central portion of the first frame, and the peripheral portion of the second frame surrounds and excludes the central portion of the second frame.

[0035] Embodiment 26 is a method as described in embodiment 25, in which the first amount by which the peripheral portion of the first frame is dimmed represents an amount by which the peripheral portion of the first frame is dimmed that is greater than the amount by which the central portion of the first frame is dimmed, and the second amount by which the peripheral portion of the second frame is dimmed represents an amount by which the peripheral portion of the second frame is dimmed that is greater than the amount by which the central portion of the second frame is dimmed.

[0036] Embodiment 27 is a method as described in embodiment 25, in which the first amount by which the peripheral portion of the first frame is dimmed represents a first ratio of the amount by which the peripheral portion of the first frame is dimmed to the amount by which the central portion of the first frame is dimmed, and the second amount by which the brightness of the second frame is dimmed represents a second ratio of the amount by which the peripheral portion of the second frame is dimmed to the amount by which the central portion of the second frame is dimmed.

[0037] Embodiment 28 is a method described in any one of embodiments 25 to 27, in which a first amount by which the peripheral portion of a first frame of content is dimmed is greater than the amount by which the central portion of the first frame is dimmed, and a second amount by which the peripheral portion of a second frame of content is dimmed is greater than the amount by which the central portion of the second frame is dimmed.

[0038] Embodiment 29 is a method according to any one of embodiments 18 to 28, in which the second amount by which the peripheral portion of the second frame of the content is dimmed is a greater absolute and relative amount of brightness reduction than the first amount by which the peripheral portion of the first frame of the content is dimmed.

[0039] Embodiment 30 is a method according to any one of embodiments 25 to 29, comprising receiving a third frame of display content for presentation to a display device, identifying that a current display brightness setting of the computing device has a third value representing a third display brightness level that is lower than the first display brightness level and lower than the second display brightness level, and presenting the third frame of display content to the display device after the third frame of display content has been modified to dim the brightness of a peripheral portion of the third frame by a third amount that is lower than the first amount and lower than the second amount.

[0040] Embodiment 31 is a method according to any one of embodiments 18 to 30, including receiving user input by a computing device interacting with a display device to change a current display brightness setting from a first value to a second value.

[0041] Embodiment 32 is a method according to embodiment 31, in which the user input that changes the current display brightness setting from a first value to a second value includes user contact with the display device that drags an element of a display brightness slider from a first position to a second position.

[0042] Embodiment 33 is a method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, including: the computing device receiving an indication that an amount of light sensed by a light sensor of the computing device has decreased; and, as a result of receiving the indication that the amount of light sensed by the light sensor has decreased, the computing device modifying a current display brightness setting from a first level to a second level.

[0043] Embodiment 34 is a method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, in which modifying the first frame to dim a peripheral portion of the first frame is performed by one or more processors of the computing device, and modifying the second frame to dim a peripheral portion of the second frame is performed by one or more processors of the computing device.

[0044] Embodiment 35 is a method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein presenting the first frame includes one or more processors of the computing device transmitting the first frame to a display driver integrated circuit of the display device for presentation, and presenting the second frame includes one or more processors of the computing device transmitting the second frame to a display driver integrated circuit of the display device for presentation.

[0045] Embodiment 36 is a computing device including a display device, one or more processors, and one or more computer-readable devices including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to perform the method described in any one of embodiments 18 to 35.

[0046] The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0047] [Figure 1] 1 shows a diagram of an exemplary display system of an electronic device. [Figure 2] 8A-8B show a diagram of a pixel circuit of a display device and a corresponding timing diagram. [Figure 3] 1 shows a block diagram of a system for varying the brightness of peripheral dimming of a display. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates exemplary axes for applying a luminance profile to a display device. [Figure 5] 1 illustrates an exemplary luminance profile for vignetting of a pixel of a display device. [Figure 6A] 1 shows an exemplary graph illustrating the effect of several different luminance profiles on the luminance of content presented in various regions of a display device. [Figure 6B] 1 shows an exemplary graph illustrating the effect of several different luminance profiles on the luminance of content presented in various regions of a display device. [Figure 6C] 1 shows an exemplary graph illustrating the effect of several different luminance profiles on the luminance of content presented in various regions of a display device. [Figure 6D] 1 shows an exemplary graph illustrating the effect of several different luminance profiles on the luminance of content presented in various regions of a display device. [Figure 6E] 1 shows an exemplary graph illustrating the effect of several different luminance profiles on the luminance of content presented in various regions of a display device. [Figure 6F] 1 shows an exemplary graph illustrating the effect of several different luminance profiles on the luminance of content presented in various regions of a display device. [Figure 7] 1 shows a flowchart of a process for operating a display device with adjustable ambient darkness. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a block diagram of a computing device that may be used either as a client or as a server or multiple servers to implement the systems and methods described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0048] Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

[0049] This document generally describes mechanisms for providing a display device with variable brightness dimming around the display. For example, as the brightness of the display increases, the amount of dimming applied to the display periphery increases. The luminance profile applied to images presented on the display can be dynamically adjusted based on the display's brightness setting, ambient lighting conditions, and power saving settings.

[0050] A computing device can apply a luminance profile to frames of image content presented by a display device. The characteristics of the luminance profile can be gradually changed over time (or different luminance profiles can be applied) to achieve a seamless user experience while reducing power consumption of the display device. The luminance profile can be adjusted across the entire display area based on brightness settings of one or more displays to enhance the user's viewing area while reducing power consumption at the periphery of the display device. The luminance profile can be applied to the horizontal, vertical, diagonal dimensions of the display, or any combination thereof.

[0051] The following figure descriptions provide additional details regarding mechanisms for variably dimming the display peripheral brightness: The descriptions of Figures 1 and 2A-B provide an overview of the operation of the display device and components therein, and Figures 3-7 explain how such components may operate to vary the peripheral dimming in the presence of strong ambient light.

[0052] 1 is a diagram of an exemplary display system 100 of a computing device 190. The device 190 includes a display panel 104 housed within a chassis 109. The area of ​​the device 190 between the edges of the panel 104 and the edges of the chassis is the bezel area 103.

[0053] The display panel 104 is an OLED display panel 104 that includes an array 112 of light-emitting pixels. Each light-emitting pixel includes an OLED. The OLED display is driven by a driver that includes a SCAN / EM driver 108 and a data driver 110. The SCAN / EM driver 108 may be an integrated, or stacked, row line driver. Generally, the data driver 110 provides data signals (e.g., voltage data (VDATA)) to the data lines (e.g., D1-D3), the SCAN / EM driver 108 provides a SCAN signal to one of the selected scan lines (e.g., SCAN1) to move the data signals from the data lines to the pixels of the selected scan line, and the SCAN / EM driver 108 provides an EMISSION signal to one of the selected emission lines (e.g., E1) to light up the OLEDs of the selected row according to the image data specified in the data signal. Although FIG. 1 shows a display system 100 with a SCAN / EM driver 108 on a single side of the display, the SCAN / EM driver 108 may be located on both the left and right sides of the display to improve drive performance (e.g., placing the SCAN driver on the left side of the display and the EM driver on the right side of the display to improve speed).

[0054] The pixel array 112 includes a plurality of light-emitting pixels, e.g., pixels P11-P34. A pixel is a small element of a display that can change color based on image data provided to the pixel. Each pixel includes an OLED and circuitry for addressing the OLED with a data value, storing the data value, and driving the OLED with an intensity based on the data value (e.g., the components shown in FIG. 2A). Each pixel in the pixel array 112 can be separately addressed to produce different intensities of the color produced by the pixel. Each pixel maintains a fairly stable brightness throughout the frame time to display light corresponding to the image data provided to it.

[0055] Luminance is the amount of light emitted from a surface area of ​​a light source, such as a pixel or display. The luminance of a display is the intensity of the light emitted from the surface of the display. Luminance is measured in candelas per square meter (cd / m), also known as "nits." 2 ) and can be measured in units such as

[0056] Frame time, or frame period, is the amount of time between the start of one frame and the start of the next. Frame time can be the reciprocal of the frame rate of the display system. For example, a frame rate of 60 frames per second (fps) corresponds to a frame time of 1 / 60th of a second, or 0.0167 seconds.

[0057] The pixel array 112 extends in a plane and includes rows and columns. Each row extends horizontally across the pixel array 112. For example, the first row 120 of the pixel array 112 includes pixels P11, P21, and P31. Each column extends vertically down the pixel array 112. For example, the first column 130 of the pixel array 112 includes pixels P11, P12, P13, and P14. Only a few pixels are shown in FIG. 1 for simplicity. In reality, there may be thousands or millions of pixels in the pixel array 112. Increasing the number of pixels within a display that remains the same size increases the image resolution.

[0058] The display system 100 includes a display driver integrated circuit (DDIC) 106 that receives display input data 102. The display input data 102 may include a color value for each pixel in a pixel array 112. The color value of a pixel corresponds to the color that the pixel emits. In some examples, the display input data 102 may include a brightness value for each pixel in the pixel array 112. The brightness value of a pixel corresponds to the brightness of the light emitted by the pixel.

[0059] In some examples, the display input data 102 includes pixel values ​​that incorporate both color and brightness data. The RGB values ​​of a typical digital image do not correspond directly to physical light intensities, but are instead compressed using a gamma correction function. This conversion makes better use of the limited number of bits in the encoded image by selecting a gamma value that matches the nonlinear perception of brightness. For example, the display input data 102 may include a gamma-corrected pixel value for each subpixel of each pixel in the array 112. Addressing a pixel using the gamma-corrected pixel value causes the pixel to emit light with the color and brightness specified by the gamma-corrected pixel value.

[0060] In some examples, the DDIC 106 receives display input data 102 from a system-on-chip (SoC) 105. The SoC 105 is a microchip that includes all the electronic circuits and parts required for a given system, such as a smartphone or wearable computer, on a single integrated circuit (IC). The SoC 105 is an integrated circuit that includes multiple components on a single chip. The SoC 105 can include, for example, a processor, memory 306, and input / output (I / O) ports. The SoC 105 can be implemented on a single substrate, such as silicon. The SoC 105 can process digital signals, analog signals, and mixed signals.

[0061] The DDIC 106 may be, for example, a semiconductor integrated circuit or a state machine. The DDIC 106 generates signals with appropriate voltages, currents, timing, and demultiplexing to cause the display panel 104 to display images according to the display input data 102. In some examples, the DDIC 106 may be a microcontroller and may incorporate RAM, flash memory, EEPROM, ROM, etc.

[0062] The DDIC 106 drives the pixel array 112 to emit light in accordance with the display input data 102. For example, a data signal generator 138 of the DDIC 106 generates image data signals 144 from the display input data 102 and provides the image data signals 144 to the data driver 110. The image data signals 144 may include a voltage for each sub-pixel of the pixel array 112 to drive the sub-pixel to emit light with the color and brightness specified by the display input data 102.

[0063] The DDIC 106 includes a timing controller 134, a clock signal generator 136, and a data signal generator 138. The DDIC 106 generates control signals 142. The control signals 142 may include, for example, signals that control a display frame start time and a display frame stop time for each frame presented by the display panel 104, where a frame represents a single image in a series of images presented by the display panel 104. In examples where each frame presented by the display panel includes multiple light emission cycles, the control signals 142, or other signals not shown in FIG. 1 , may control a display light emission start time and a display light emission stop time for each light emission cycle of the display panel 104.

[0064] In some examples, the SCAN / EM driver 108, the data driver 110, or both may be integrated with the DDIC 106. The SCAN / EM driver provides SCAN signals and EM signals to rows of the pixel array 112. For example, the SCAN / EM driver 108 provides scan signals via scan lines S1-S4 and EM signals via EM lines E1-E4 to the rows of pixels, with each row of pixels in the pixel array 112 being addressed by a scan line and a corresponding emission line. For example, the first row 120 of the pixel array 112 is addressed by the scan line SCAN1 and the emission line E1.

[0065] The data driver 110 provides signals to columns of the pixel array 112. For example, based on an image data signal 144 from the data signal generator 138, the data driver 110 outputs data values ​​via source amplifier output signal lines SAN (e.g., a set of source amplifier signal lines SA1, SA2, and SA3) to a set of multiplexers 114 in the panel 104. The set of multiplexers 114 in the panel 104 receives data values ​​from a corresponding set of source amplifier output signal lines SAN and routes the received data values ​​among more data lines. For example, FIG. 1 shows a single MUX 114 configured to receive a stream of data values ​​from the data driver 110 via source output signal line SA1 and distribute the stream of data values ​​one at a time among data signal lines D1-D3. In practice, there would be multiple MUXes, each supplied with a data value from the data driver 110 via a corresponding source control signal line. The operation of the multiplexers 114 is described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3A.

[0066] The data driver 110 supplies data voltages via data lines D1-D3. In some examples, each of the data lines D1-D3 represents multiple data lines. For example, pixel P11 may include three subpixels (e.g., a red subpixel P11R, a green subpixel P11G, and a blue subpixel P11B), and data line D1 may represent three corresponding data lines, each addressing a corresponding subpixel of pixel P11.

[0067] The control signals 142 may be used to drive the SCAN / EM driver 108 and the data driver 110. Thus, the DDIC 106 controls the timing of the scan, EM, and data signals.

[0068] The display system 100 includes a power supply 150. The power supply 150 provides a first supply voltage ELVDD and a second supply voltage ELVSS, both of which are provided to each pixel of the pixel array 112. In some examples, the power supply 150 may be integrated with the DDIC 106.

[0069] Each pixel in pixel array 112 is addressable by a horizontal scan line, a horizontal EM line, and a vertical data line. For example, pixel P11 is addressable by data line D1, scan line S1, and EM line E1. In another example, pixel P23 is addressable by data line D2, scan line S3, and EM line E3.

[0070] The scan lines are addressed sequentially for each frame. The scan direction determines the order in which the scan lines are addressed (e.g., the direction in which a row of pixels receives a data value and then lights up with an intensity based on the received data value). In display system 100, the scan direction is from the top of pixel array 112 to the bottom of pixel array 112. For example, scan line S1 is addressed first, followed by scan line S2, then S3, and so on. In some implementations, all rows of pixels are programmed with data values ​​using SCAN signals (one row at a time) before the display device activates all rows of pixels with an intensity based on the programmed data values. In some implementations, the display device can activate rows of pixels while other rows of pixels are still being programmed, resulting in a lag of several rows between the row currently receiving the SCAN signal and the row of pixels that is activated and begins to emit light.

[0071] Although FIG. 1 shows each row being addressed by a single scan line, each row may be addressed by multiple scan lines (e.g., nSCAN and pSCAN). While FIG. 1 shows exemplary components of an OLED display, the described techniques may be applied to other flat panel display technologies that include an array of pixels. The techniques can be applied to curved, flexible, foldable, and rollable displays. For example, the techniques can be applied to light-emitting diode displays (LEDs), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and plasma display panels (PDPs). The techniques can also be applied to projectors (e.g., digital light processing projectors) to reduce power consumption and reduce the amount of heat absorbed and dissipated by the projector.

[0072] 2A shows a diagram of a pixel circuit of a display device, the pixel circuit including an LED and corresponding drive circuitry for the pixel circuit. FIG. 2A may show a more detailed view of a single pixel from the array of pixels shown in FIG. 1. This disclosure may refer to the components shown in FIG. 2A as a "pixel circuit," but this disclosure may also refer to such components simply as a "pixel." Additionally, the pixel shown in FIG. 2A may represent a subpixel.

[0073] The pixel circuit may be an active matrix OLED (AMOLED) pixel circuit. The pixel circuit receives an emission signal (EM) on an emission line, a SCAN signal on a scan signal line, and a data voltage (VDATA) signal on a data line. The pixel circuit 200 receives a first supply voltage ELVDD on a first voltage supply line, a second supply voltage ELVSS on a second voltage supply line, and an initial reference voltage VINIT on an initial voltage supply line.

[0074] The pixel circuit includes an organic light-emitting diode (OLED). The OLED includes a layer of organic compounds that emits light in response to an electric current, IOLED. The organic layer is disposed between two electrodes, an anode and a cathode. The OLED is driven by a drive transistor T1, which receives a supply voltage ELVDD and acts as a current source that drives the OLED to emit light.

[0075] The pixel also includes a storage capacitor CST and transistors T2-T7. The operation of the pixel is defined by the states of the control signals SCAN, EM, and VDATA. The amount / level of the OLED current (IOLED) is set by the voltage present at the gate terminal of the drive transistor T1, referred to herein as the "G" node.

[0076] The drive transistor T1 has a threshold voltage VTH between the gate terminal of the drive transistor T1 and the source terminal of the drive transistor T1. The drive transistor T1 forms a conductive path from the source terminal to the gate terminal when the voltage between the gate terminal and the source terminal exceeds the threshold voltage VTH. The amount of current IOLED flowing through the conductive path through the drive transistor T1 corresponds to the amount by which the voltage between the gate terminal and the source terminal exceeds the threshold voltage VTH.

[0077] Figure 2B shows a timing diagram of the control signals provided to and received by the pixel shown in Figure 2A. These control signals transition repeatedly during operation of display system 100 during the initialization, programming, and emission stages.

[0078] At the end of the emission stage, the EM signal transitions to an OFF state (e.g., by changing from a low state to a high state). This transition turns off transistors T5 and T6, thereby cutting off the current provided to the OLED from ELVDD, and therefore stopping light emission by the OLED. Because the EM signal can be provided to an entire line of pixels, this transition can turn off all pixels in the pixel line.

[0079] During the initialization stage, the SCAN[n-1] signal is turned on (e.g., by changing from a high state to a low state), which turns on transistor T4 for a period of time and initializes the G node to the initialization voltage VINIT. Because the SCAN[n-1] signal may be provided to the entire pixel line, this initialization stage may erase the data values ​​previously stored in each pixel in the pixel line. The SCAN[n-1] signal may be the SCAN[n] signal provided to the previous row by the state machine of the SCAN / EM driver 108.

[0080] During the programming stage, the SCAN[n] signal is turned on (e.g., by going low), which turns on transistors T2, T3, and T7 for a period of time. This causes the voltage value on the voltage data VDATA line to pass through transistors T2, T1, and T3 to the G node, setting the G node to a value based on the VDATA line (e.g., the voltage at VDATA minus the effect of transistor threshold voltages). Because the SCAN signal can be provided to an entire pixel line, this programming stage can transfer data voltage values ​​from each data line of each pixel to each pixel's G node.

[0081] During the emission stage, the EM signal is turned on (e.g., by going low), which turns on transistors T5 and T6. Current flows from ELVDD through transistors T5, T1, and T6 to the anode of the OLED. Because the EM signal is provided to the entire pixel line, all pixels in the pixel line can be active.

[0082] The current level provided to each pixel's OLED is determined by the voltage present at the pixel's G node (e.g., the voltage level at the G node is programmed by the voltage data VDATA line). The intensity or brightness of the light emitted by the OLED is directly correlated to the amount of current IOLED applied to the OLED, with higher currents corresponding to greater intensity of light compared to lower currents. The storage capacitor CST maintains the voltage at the G node so that the OLED continues to emit light at approximately the same level for the duration of the emission stage.

[0083] The voltage at the G node may drop slightly during the emission stage, so that the current IOLED applied to the OLED and the intensity of the light emitted by the OLED may decrease or increase slightly during the emission stage depending on the type of pixel circuit design (e.g., with p-channel transistors in the pixel circuit, a lower voltage level at the G node causes a higher IOLED and a higher intensity of the OLED light).

[0084] 3 shows a block diagram of a system 300 for varying the brightness of peripheral dimming of a display. The system 300 includes the SoC 105 and the DDIC 106 of the display system 100. The SoC 105 includes a memory 306 and a processor 304.

[0085] The processor 304 may be, for example, a graphical processing unit (GPU). The processor 304 may include, for example, a bus interface, a power management unit, a video processing unit, a graphics memory controller, a display interface, or any combination thereof. The processor 304 may include a digital signal processor (DSP). The DSP may perform signal processing operations such as data acquisition and data processing.

[0086] When generating images for display on the display panel 104 of the device 190, the processor 304 may generate visual content data, such as frames of video. The visual content data may be data for a pre-rendered video sequence, e.g., a movie. The visual content data may be for a dynamically generated video sequence, e.g., for a video game, or for user navigation through screens and menus of various operating systems. In some examples, the visual content data may be compressed using any suitable method. In some examples, the visual content data may be uncompressed. The processor 304 may store the generated visual content data in the memory 306. The memory 306 may be any suitable type of memory. For example, the memory 306 may be a random access memory (RAM).

[0087] The SoC 105 stores a set of luminance profiles 308 in memory 306. The set of luminance profiles 308 may include multiple profiles for dimming the periphery of a displayed image. Each luminance profile may include a specified amount of dimming for each pixel of the pixel array 112. In some examples, the luminance profile 308 is specific to the device 190. For example, the luminance profile 308 may be calibrated to the device 190, e.g., during design and / or manufacturing. In some examples, the luminance profile 308 is common to multiple devices.

[0088] In some examples, the set of luminance profiles 308 may be stored by an external memory external to the SoC 105. The external memory may be, for example, a flash storage device. The SoC 105 may read the set of luminance profiles 308 from the external memory to the internal memory 306. The processor 304 may then read the luminance profiles from the memory 306 and combine the luminance profiles with image content (e.g., of a video, game, or user interface) when the content is sent to the DDIC 106.

[0089] In some examples, the brightness profile includes a mask of dimming values ​​to apply to the image data. The mask can be an image mask that specifies different levels of dimming in different portions of the mask. In some examples, a first image mask specifies a plurality of first dimming levels, each first dimming level associated with a respective portion of the first image mask. A second image mask specifies a plurality of second dimming levels, each second dimming level associated with a respective portion of the second image mask.

[0090] In some examples, the luminance profile includes an array of dimming values, each dimming value corresponding to a pixel in the array (e.g., such that the mask has the same dimensions as the image content presented by the display device). In some examples, the luminance profile includes dimming values ​​for only a peripheral portion of the pixel array 112. In some examples, the luminance profile includes dimming values ​​for all portions of the pixel array 112. In some examples, the luminance profile includes one or more functions to apply to the image data. For example, the luminance profile may include a function that depends on variables such as the display brightness setting 320. Thus, any change in the display brightness setting 320 may result in a change to the applied luminance profile or a change from one luminance profile to another. Each luminance profile may be associated with one or more display brightness settings or ranges of display brightness settings. Luminance profiles are described in more detail with respect to FIGS. 4, 5, and 6A-6F.

[0091] The SoC 105 may receive as input image data 310, a brightness setting 320, a power saving setting 314, or any combination thereof. The SoC 105 may optionally receive as input ambient brightness 330. The image data 310 may be, for example, image data for an image frame. The brightness setting 320 may be a display brightness setting, such as a setting specifying an arbitrary number or amount of nits used to calculate display brightness. The power saving setting 314 may indicate a power saving mode of the device 190, such as a normal mode or a low power mode. The ambient brightness 330 may be an indication of the brightness of an environment in which the device 190 is located. In some examples, the device 190 includes a light sensor configured to detect ambient brightness 330. The SoC 105 may receive an indication of the amount of light sensed by the light sensor of the device 190 and may use the indication of the amount of light sensed by the light sensor to determine the ambient brightness 330. In some examples, the SoC 105 modifies the display brightness setting 320 based on the amount of light sensed by the light sensor, for example, to increase the overall brightness of the display in a strong ambient light environment.

[0092] The SoC 105 may determine whether to apply a brightness profile to the image data 310 based on the brightness setting 320, the power saving setting 314, the ambient brightness 330, or any combination thereof. If the SoC 105 determines to apply a brightness profile to the image data 310, the SoC 105 may select a brightness profile based on any combination of one or more of the brightness setting 320, the power saving setting 314, and the ambient brightness 330.

[0093] In some examples, the display device has a "high brightness" setting. When the display device is not in the high brightness setting, the display device may be in a "normal brightness" setting. The high brightness setting can be a setting entered by device 190 when the ambient brightness exceeds a threshold ambient brightness and / or when the high brightness setting is selected by a user. The high brightness setting can be a setting at which the overall display brightness is equal to or greater than a threshold brightness. The threshold brightness can be, for example, a brightness of 600 nits, 700 nits, or 800 nits. In some examples, the high brightness setting is a setting at which the display brightness value (DBV) is equal to or greater than a threshold DBV. For example, the threshold DBV for a 12-bit display can be 1600, 1800, or 2000.

[0094] In some examples, SoC 105 determines to apply a brightness profile to image data 310 regardless of brightness setting 320. For example, SoC 105 may determine to select a brightness profile 305 from the set of brightness profiles 308 to apply to image data 310 when the device is in a high brightness setting and when the device is in a normal brightness setting. SoC 105 may select a different brightness profile for the high brightness setting than for the normal brightness setting.

[0095] In some examples, SoC105 determines to apply a brightness profile to image data 310 if device brightness setting 320 is a high brightness setting, and determines not to apply any brightness profile if device brightness setting 320 is a normal brightness setting.

[0096] In some examples, the SoC 105 applies the brightness profile to the image data 310 regardless of the power saving setting 314. For example, the SoC 105 may determine to select a brightness profile 305 from the set of brightness profiles 308 to apply to the image data 310 when the device is in a low power mode and when the device is in a normal power mode. The low power mode may be a power saving setting 314 entered by the device 190 when the battery is below a threshold power level and / or when the low power mode is selected by a user.

[0097] In some examples, the SoC 105 determines to apply a brightness profile to the image data 310 when the device's power saving settings 314 are in a low power mode, and determines not to apply any brightness profile when the device's power saving settings 314 are in a normal power mode.

[0098] In some examples, the SoC 105 determines to apply a brightness profile to the image data 310 if the ambient brightness 330 is greater than or equal to the threshold brightness, and determines not to apply any brightness profile if the ambient brightness 330 is less than the threshold brightness.

[0099] When SoC 105 determines to apply a luminance profile to image data, processor 304 selects luminance profile 305 from a collection of luminance profiles 308. Processor 304 may select luminance profile 305 based on brightness setting 320, power saving setting 314, or both. Processor 304 may store luminance profile 305 in alpha layer 312 of processor 304. Alpha layer 312 is an overlay layer of processor 304 of SoC 105 that may be used for image compensation.

[0100] The alpha layer 312 can be used for alpha blending, the process of combining one image with a background to create the appearance of partial or complete transparency. Alpha blending is an encoding format that can be used to render pixels in separate passes or layers and then combine the resulting images into a single final image, called a composite. Alpha blending can be used in computer graphics to place rasterized foreground elements over a background. To combine image pixels, an associated alpha value can be stored for each pixel in addition to its color. The value of the alpha channel affects the values ​​of the color channels. In a two-dimensional image, a color combination, which can be a combination of red, green, and blue (RGB), can be stored for each pixel. When alpha blending is used, each pixel has an additional numerical value stored in its alpha channel, for example, a value ranging from 0 to 1. The RGB channels of a pixel can be multiplied by the alpha value to obtain an encoded value.

[0101] The processor 304 applies the luminance profile 305 to the image data 310 to generate the modified image data 302. For example, the processor 304 may apply the luminance profile 305 to the image data 310 by multiplying the image data values ​​by corresponding values ​​of the luminance profile 305 in the alpha layer 312. In some examples, the processor 304 applies the luminance profile 305 to the image data 310 by dividing the image data values ​​by corresponding values ​​of the luminance profile 305.

[0102] The SoC 105 provides the display input data 102 to the DDIC 106. The display input data 102 may include modified image data 302 that is generated by applying a luminance profile 305 to image data 310. While Figure 3 shows the SoC 105 generating the modified image data 302 from the image data 310, other implementations are possible. For example, in some implementations, the SoC 105 provides the luminance profile 305 and the image data 310 to the DDIC 106, and the DDIC 106 uses the luminance profile 305 to modify the image data 310.

[0103] In some examples, the SoC 105 selects a new brightness profile in response to a change in the brightness setting 320. The new brightness profile is stored by the processor 304 or the DDIC 106 and applied to frames of image data until the next change in the brightness setting 320 occurs, at which point the SoC 105 again selects a new brightness profile.

[0104] 4 illustrates exemplary axes for applying a luminance profile to a display device, such as a display device of a computing device 190. As shown in FIG. 4, device 190 includes a display panel 104 and a chassis 109, with a bezel region 103 between the edges of display panel 104 and the edges of chassis 109.

[0105] The display panel 104 includes a central portion 410 and a peripheral portion 420. The central portion 410 and the peripheral portion 420 are defined by a boundary 430 that separates the central portion 410 and the peripheral portion 420. In some examples, the peripheral portion 420 of the display panel 104 surrounds and excludes the central portion 410. In some examples, the luminance profile includes adjusted luminance levels of only pixels in the peripheral portion 420, and does not include adjusted luminance levels of pixels in the central portion 410. The pixels in the central portion 410 may be referred to as central pixels. The pixels in the peripheral portion 420 may be referred to as peripheral pixels.

[0106] The boundary 430 may vary depending on the luminance profile. For example, a first luminance profile may include a boundary closer to the edge of the display panel 104, resulting in a narrower peripheral portion 420. A second luminance profile may include a boundary closer to the center of the display panel 104, resulting in a wider peripheral portion 420.

[0107] In some examples, the location of boundary 430 relative to the edge of display panel 104 may vary depending on the display brightness setting, the power saving setting, the ambient light conditions, or any combination thereof. For example, at a higher display brightness setting, boundary 430 may be located farther from the edge of display panel 104. At a lower brightness setting, boundary 430 may be located closer to the edge of display panel 104.

[0108] The display panel 104 has a horizontal axis 401 and a vertical axis 411. The horizontal axis 401 extends in the x-direction and divides the display panel 104 between an upper portion 402 and a lower portion 404. In some examples, the horizontal axis 401 divides the display panel 104 in half such that the upper portion 402 and the lower portion 404 have the same area, or approximately the same area.

[0109] A vertical axis 411 extends in the y-direction and divides the display panel between a left portion 412 and a right portion 414. In some examples, the vertical axis 411 divides the display panel 104 in half such that the left portion 412 and the right portion 414 have the same area or approximately the same area.

[0110] The display panel 104 has a first diagonal axis 421 and a second diagonal axis 431. Each of the diagonal axes 421, 431 divides the display panel 104 along a diagonal xy direction.

[0111] The dynamic luminance profile can be applied to the display panel 104 across any direction and can be symmetric across any axis. In some examples, the luminance profile is applied across the horizontal axis 401. For example, a pixel at a particular distance from the horizontal axis 401 in the lower portion 404 and a pixel at a particular distance from the horizontal axis 401 in the upper portion 402 can both have the same amount of darkness relative to a pixel in the horizontal center, e.g., a pixel along the horizontal axis 401.

[0112] In some examples, a brightness profile is applied across the vertical axis 411. For example, a pixel at a particular distance from the vertical axis 411 in the left portion 412 and a pixel at a particular distance from the vertical axis 411 in the right portion 414 may both have the same amount of darkness relative to a pixel in the vertical center, e.g., a pixel along the vertical axis 411.

[0113] In some examples, the intensity profile is applied across both the horizontal axis 401 and the vertical axis 411. In some examples, the intensity profile is applied across one or both of the diagonal axes 421, 431.

[0114] 5 shows example luminance profiles for vignetting of pixels of a display device. Figure 5 shows six example luminance profiles 510a, 510b, 510c, 510d, 510e, and 510f ("profiles 510"). The luminance profiles 510 represent example luminance profiles 308 that may be stored by the SoC 105 and selected for application to image data 310, as described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0115] The brightness profiles 510 are shown on an exemplary grid. Each grid segment represents a pixel or group of pixels, for example, in the pixel array 112 or the image data 310. Each profile 510 includes a different amount of vignetting. The amount of vignetting increases horizontally from left to right in FIG. 5, as represented by arrow 525. In FIG. 5, the display brightness settings 320 increase from left to right from DBV values ​​of 600 to 4095. The DBV values ​​of 600 to 4095 correspond to the DBV values ​​of an exemplary 12-bit display. The DBV can be set by a user or can be automatically adjusted based on, for example, stored preferences, brightness rules, and / or battery settings.

[0116] The overall display luminance 540 also increases from left to right, from 800 nits to 1400 nits. The overall display luminance 540 may be the brightness output by the display panel 104 when the respective profile is applied with the respective display brightness setting 320. In some examples, the overall display luminance 540 may be a measure of the display luminance of an undimened pixel near the center of the display. In one example, when the display brightness setting 320 is 4095 and profile 510f is applied, the display panel 104 may output light at an overall display luminance 540 of 1400 nits. The actual brightness of the light output by the display panel 104 depends on the color emitted by the pixel specified by the image data 310.

[0117] Grid segments of a profile shown with a darker shade represent pixels that have a greater amount of dimming relative to the central pixel of the profile that emits light of the same color. For example, peripheral pixels of profile 510f are shown with a darker shade compared to the peripheral pixels of profile 510b. Thus, the difference in luminance between the peripheral pixels and the central pixel when profile 510f is applied with a uniform color is greater than the difference in luminance between the peripheral pixels and the central pixel when profile 510b is applied with a uniform color. However, the actual luminance of the peripheral pixels when profile 510f is applied may be higher than the luminance of the peripheral pixels when profile 510b is applied due to the higher brightness setting 320.

[0118] Furthermore, the actual brightness of the peripheral pixels when profile 510f is applied may be higher than the actual brightness of the central pixel when profile 510f is applied, for example, if the emitted colors are different. For example, image data 310 may include a dark color, such as dark gray, for the central pixel and a light color, such as yellow, for the peripheral pixels. When profile 510f is applied to image data 310, the central pixel image data is not dimmed and the peripheral pixel image data is dimmed. Nevertheless, the dimmed image data of the yellow peripheral pixel may be brighter than the undimmed image data of the dark gray central pixel.

[0119] 5, profile 510a is applied to a display brightness setting 320 of 600 DBV, or a luminance value of 800 nits. Profile 510a does not include any vignetting. Therefore, when profile 510a is applied to image data 310, the luminance is unchanged, so modified image data 302 is the same as image data 310. For uniform colors, pixels in pixel array 112 will emit light at the same luminance when profile 510a is applied.

[0120] Profile 510b is applied to a display brightness setting 320 of 1800 DBV to achieve an overall brightness 540 of 1000 nits. Profile 510b includes adjusted brightness values ​​for the surrounding pixels. When profile 510b is applied to image data 310, the brightness of the surrounding pixels is changed, such that modified image data 302 includes lower brightness values ​​for the surrounding pixels compared to the brightness of the surrounding pixels in image data 310.

[0121] Profiles 510c-510f show increased vignetting. Profile 510c is applied to a display brightness setting 320 of 2000 dBV to achieve an overall luminance 540 of 1100 nits. Profile 510d is applied to a display brightness setting 320 of 3000 DBV to achieve an overall luminance 540 of 1200 nits. Profile 510e is applied to a display brightness setting 320 of 4000 DBV to achieve an overall luminance 540 of 1300 nits. Profile 510f is applied to a display brightness setting 320 of 4095 DBV to achieve an overall luminance 540 of 1400 nits.

[0122] In some cases, increasing the amount of vignetting may include increasing the difference between the vignetting at or near the boundary 430 and the vignetting at or near the edge of the array. For example, if the amount of vignetting is greater, the gradient of luminance may fall off more sharply across the periphery in a direction toward the edge of the array. If the amount of vignetting is less, the gradient of luminance may fall off more gradually across the periphery in a direction toward the edge of the array. Graphs of exemplary luminance profiles are described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 6A-6F.

[0123] In some cases, increasing the amount of vignetting can include increasing the size of the peripheral portion of the profile. For example, to increase the amount of vignetting, boundary 430 can be moved toward the center of the array and away from the edges of the array. In some cases, increasing the amount of vignetting can include both (a) increasing the difference between the extinction at or near boundary 430 and the extinction at or near the edges of the array, and (b) increasing the size of the peripheral portion.

[0124] 5 shows six example profiles 510, but there may be more or fewer profiles. In some examples, the SoC 105 may store a collection of luminance profiles 308, with each luminance profile assigned to a range of display brightness settings 530. For example, profile 510b may be designated for use when the brightness setting 320 is greater than or equal to 1800 and less than 2000. Profile 510c may be designated for use when the brightness setting 320 is greater than or equal to 2000 and less than 3000. Thus, if the SoC 105 receives as input a brightness setting 320 of 1900, the SoC 105 may select luminance profile 510b to apply to the image data.

[0125] The luminance profile applied to the image data may be varied over time to create a gradual change in vignetting. In an exemplary scenario, as a user carrying device 190 walks from a darker indoor location to a brighter indoor location, the ambient brightness increases. The light sensor of device 190 detects the increase in brightness, and in response, SoC 105 changes display brightness setting 320 to increase DBV. SoC 105 then selects a first luminance profile 305 from memory 306 based on the increased DBV and applies the first luminance profile 305 to image data 310 for an image frame or series of image frames. The user continues to move with device 190 toward a brighter indoor location, and the process repeats. SoC 105 selects a second luminance profile 305 and applies it to image data 310 for a subsequent image frame or series of image frames. The second luminance profile 305 has a greater amount of vignetting compared to the first luminance profile. Because the ambient darkness changes gradually, the user may not notice any change in the uniformity of the image on the display.

[0126] 6A-6F illustrate exemplary graphs 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, and 650 illustrating the effect of multiple different luminance profiles on the luminance of content presented in various regions of a display device. The graphs plot display luminance values ​​versus pixel count. The x-axis represents pixel counts measured between the edges of a pixel array, such as pixel array 112. For example, referring to FIG. 6A, edge 608a at the x-origin of graph 600 represents a first edge of the pixel array, and edge 608b represents a second edge of the pixel array. The first and second edges can be opposite edges of the pixel array. For example, the first and second edges can be the left and right edges, top and bottom edges, or diagonally opposite edges of the array. The y-axis represents display luminance. The profiles shown in the graphs represent uniform color luminance across the array.

[0127] Graphs 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, and 650 shown in FIGS. 6A-6F each include six luminance profiles. The six luminance profiles in each graph may be, for example, the six profiles 510a-510f shown in FIG. 5. For example, referring to FIG. 6A, graph 600 shows luminance profiles 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, and 606 ("profiles 601-606"). Luminance profile 601 may be a graph of the luminance values ​​of profile 510f, luminance profile 602 may be a graph of the luminance values ​​of profile 510e, luminance profile 603 may be a graph of the luminance values ​​of profile 510d, luminance profile 604 may be a graph of the luminance values ​​of profile 510c, luminance profile 605 may be a graph of the luminance values ​​of profile 510b, and luminance profile 606 may be a graph of the luminance values ​​of profile 510a.

[0128] Each luminance profile in graphs 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, and 650 may be designed for use with a different brightness setting to achieve a different display luminance. For example, referring to graph 600 in FIG. 6A , luminance profile 601 may be applied to image data to achieve a display luminance of 1400 nits. luminance profile 602 may be applied to image data to achieve a display luminance of 1300 nits. luminance profile 603 may be applied to image data to achieve a display luminance of 1200 nits. luminance profile 604 may be applied to image data to achieve a display luminance of 1000 nits. luminance profile 605 may be applied to image data to achieve a display luminance of 800 nits. luminance profile 606 may be applied to image data to achieve a display luminance of 600 nits or less.

[0129] Graph 600 shows boundaries 607a, 607b separating a central portion from a peripheral portion. Arrow 661 represents the pixel width of the central portion. Arrows 662a, 662b represent the width of the peripheral portion. As described with reference to Figures 4 and 5, boundaries 607a, 607b ("boundary 607") can be moved inward toward the center to increase the widths 662a, 662b of the peripheral portions and decrease the width 661 of the central portion. Boundary 607 can be moved outward toward edge 608 to decrease the widths 662a, 662b of the peripheral portions and increase the width 661 of the central portion.

[0130] Each of the intensity profiles 601-606 has a steady intensity across a central portion of the array, e.g., across width 661. The steady intensity is represented by a horizontal linear profile between boundary 607. Each of the intensity profiles 601-606 has an intensity that decreases between the peripheral boundary and the edge of the array. For example, each of the intensity profiles 601-606 has an intensity that decreases from boundary 607a to edge 608a and from boundary 607b to edge 608b. In the example graph 600, the intensity values ​​decrease parabolically or logarithmically between boundary 607 and edge 608. In some examples, the intensity values ​​may decrease linearly or according to a polynomial function between boundary 607 and edge 608.

[0131] FIG. 6B shows graph 610 with intensity profiles 611, 612, 613, 614, 615, and 616 ("profiles 611-616"). Profiles 611-616 are similar to profiles 601-606. The difference between profiles 611-616 and profiles 601-606 is the steepness of the intensity gradient at the periphery and the relative intensity at the edge of the array. The intensity gradient of all profiles at the periphery of graph 600 is equal to or greater than the intensity gradient of the corresponding profile in graph 610. For example, the intensity gradient of profile 601 at the periphery of graph 600 is steeper than the intensity gradient of profile 611 at the periphery of graph 610.

[0132] Furthermore, in graph 600, profile 606, which has the lowest central luminance, has the highest edge luminance, and profile 601, which has the highest central luminance, has the lowest edge luminance. Profiles 601 to 606 intersect with each other in the peripheral portion, for example, at point 663. On the other hand, in graph 610, profile 616, which has the lowest central luminance, also has the lowest edge luminance, and profile 611, which has the highest central luminance, also has the highest edge luminance. Profiles 611 to 616 do not intersect with each other in the peripheral portion.

[0133] FIG. 6C shows graph 620 having intensity profiles 621, 622, 623, 624, 625, and 626 ("profiles 621-626"). Intensity profiles 621-626 each have a steady intensity across a central portion of the array. Intensity profiles 621-626 each have an intensity that decreases between the peripheral boundary and the edge of the array. For example, intensity profiles 621-626 each have an intensity that decreases from boundary 627a to edge 628a and from boundary 627b to edge 628b. In the example of graph 620, the intensity values ​​decrease according to a Gaussian or normal function between boundary 607 and edge 608.

[0134] FIG. 6D shows graph 630 having profiles 631, 632, 633, 634, 635, and 636 ("profiles 631-636"). Profiles 631-636 are similar to profiles 621-626. Profiles 631-636 differ from profiles 621-626 in the steepness of their luminance gradients at the periphery and the relative luminance at the edge of the array. The luminance gradients of all profiles at the periphery of graph 630 are equal to or greater than the luminance gradients of the corresponding profiles in graph 620. For example, the luminance gradient of profile 631 at the periphery of graph 630 is steeper than the luminance gradient of profile 621 at the periphery of graph 620.

[0135] Furthermore, in graph 620, profile 626, which has the lowest center intensity, has the lowest edge intensity, and profile 621, which has the highest center intensity, has the highest edge intensity. Meanwhile, in graph 630, profiles 631-636 have the same or similar edge intensity. Profiles 631-636 converge at edges 628a, 628b.

[0136] FIG. 6E shows a graph 640 having intensity profiles 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, and 646 ("profiles 641-646"). Each of the intensity profiles 641-646 has a Gaussian or normal distribution. Each of the intensity profiles 641-646 has an intensity that decreases between the center of the array and the edge of the array. The intensity profiles 641-646 do not have a clear boundary between the central and peripheral portions. Instead, the intensity of the pixels decreases from a peak at the center of the pixel array to a bottom at the edges 648a, 648b of the array.

[0137] FIG. 6F shows graph 650 with profiles 651, 652, 653, 654, 655, and 656 ("profiles 651-656"). Profiles 651-656 are similar to profiles 641-646. The difference between profiles 651-656 and profiles 641-646 is the relative brightness at the edges of the array. For example, in graph 640, profile 646, which has the lowest center brightness, has the highest edge brightness, and profile 641, which has the highest center brightness, has the lowest edge brightness. Profiles 641-646 intersect with each other, for example, at point 683. In contrast, in graph 650, profiles 651-656 have the same or similar edge brightness. Profiles 651-656 converge at edges 648a and 648b. Profiles 651-656 do not intersect with each other at the periphery.

[0138] 7 shows a flowchart of a process 700 for operating a display device capable of adjusting ambient darkness. The process may be performed by a display device, or a computing device including a display device, to achieve the luminance output shown by FIG. 5, for example.

[0139] The computing system receives the display content. For example, the computing system 190 described with respect to Figures 1 and 2A-B may receive image data 310 that includes display content for presentation on the display panel 104 of the device 190.

[0140] In box 710, the computing system identifies a current display brightness setting of the computing system. The computing system identifies that the current display brightness setting of the computing system has a first value that represents a first display brightness level. For example, device 190 may identify that the current display brightness setting of computing device 190 has a first value that represents a first display brightness level.

[0141] In box 720, the computing system selects a first luminance profile from a set of luminance profiles, each configured to reduce the brightness of display content presented on the computing system's display in a different manner. The set of luminance profiles may be a set of luminance profiles 308 stored in memory 306 of SoC 105. The computing system selects the first luminance profile based on a current display brightness setting having a first value. The first luminance profile specifies a first brightness reduction amount for a peripheral portion of the display content and a first brightness reduction slope for a portion of the display content between the peripheral portion of the display content and the central portion of the display content.

[0142] In some examples, the computing system can apply a first brightness profile line-by-line to a first frame of image data as the image data is provided from the SoC to the DDIC of the computing system. In some examples, the first brightness profile includes an image mask that specifies different levels of dimming in different portions of the image mask. In some examples, the image mask specifies a gradient of different dimming levels that extends as the level of dimming increases away from the center of the image mask toward the peripheral edges of the image mask. In some examples, the brightness profile includes a function that specifies how different portions of the image data 310 are dimmed.

[0143] In box 730, the computing system applies the first luminance profile to the display content to modify the display content by reducing the brightness of the display content in a manner specified by the first luminance profile. Applying the first luminance profile to the display content modifies the display content by reducing the brightness of peripheral portions of the display content by a first brightness reduction amount, and reduces the brightness of portions of the display content between the peripheral portions of the display content and the central portion of the display content according to a first brightness reduction gradient. The peripheral portion of the display content is configured for presentation by a peripheral portion of the display device. For example, the peripheral portion of the display content can be configured for presentation by a peripheral portion 420 of the display panel 104. In some examples, pixels within the peripheral portion 420 are dimmed while preserving the image content of the image data 310.

[0144] In box 740, the computing system presents the display content on the display after the display content has been modified by applying the first luminance profile. The computing system presents the image data 310 after the image data 310 has been modified to dim the brightness of the display content specified by the selected luminance profile.

[0145] In some examples, the computing system receives user input interacting with the display device to change a current display brightness setting from a first value to a second value. In some examples, the display device can present a user interface including a display brightness slider. The user input can include user contact with the display device dragging an element of the display brightness slider from a first position to a second position. For example, the user contact can pull an element of the slider toward a position representing increased brightness.

[0146] For the preceding or subsequent image data, the computing system is configured to select a second luminance profile from the set of luminance profiles based on a current display brightness setting having a second value representing a second display brightness level, and apply the second luminance profile to the displayed content. The second display brightness level may be higher or lower than the first display brightness level. The second luminance profile may specify an amount of vignetting that is greater or less than the amount of vignetting specified by the first luminance profile.

[0147] 8 illustrates a block diagram of computing devices 800, 850 that may be used, either as a client or as a server or servers, to implement the systems and methods described herein. Computing device 800 is intended to represent various types of digital computers, such as laptops, desktops, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframes, and other suitable computers. Computing device 850 is intended to represent various types of mobile devices, such as personal digital assistants, mobile phones, smartphones, and other similar computing devices. The components, their connections and relationships, and their functions illustrated herein are intended for illustration only and are not intended to limit the implementations described and / or claimed herein.

[0148] Computing device 800 includes a processor 802, memory 804, a storage device 806, a high-speed controller 808 connecting to memory 804 and a high-speed expansion port 810, and a low-speed controller 812 connecting to a low-speed expansion port 814 and storage device 806. Each of the components 802, 804, 806, 808, 810, and 812 are interconnected using various buses and may be mounted on a common motherboard or otherwise mounted as desired. Processor 802 processes instructions for execution within computing device 800, including instructions stored in memory 804 or storage device 806, and can display graphical information for a GUI on an external input / output device, such as a display 816 connected to high-speed controller 808. In other implementations, multiple processors and / or multiple buses may be used as needed, along with multiple memories and memory types. Multiple computing devices 800 may also be connected (e.g., as a server bank, a group of blade servers, or a multiprocessor system) with each device providing a portion of the required operations.

[0149] The memory 804 stores information within the computing device 800. In one implementation, the memory 804 is a volatile memory unit(s). In another implementation, the memory 804 is a non-volatile memory unit(s). The memory 804 may also be another form of computer-readable medium, such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0150] The storage device 806 can provide mass storage for the computing device 800. In one embodiment, the storage device 806 can be or include a computer-readable medium such as a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or an array of devices including a tape device, flash memory or other similar solid-state memory device, or a storage area network or other configuration of devices. The computer program product can be tangibly embodied on an information carrier. The computer program product can also include instructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as those described above. The information carrier is a computer-readable or machine-readable medium, such as memory 804, the storage device 806, or memory on the processor 802.

[0151] High-speed controller 808 manages bandwidth-intensive operations for computing device 800, while low-speed controller 812 manages low-bandwidth-intensive operations. Such an allocation of functionality is merely exemplary. In one implementation, high-speed controller 808 is coupled to memory 804 (e.g., via a graphics processor or accelerator), display 816, and to high-speed expansion port 810, which may accept various expansion cards (not shown). In this implementation, low-speed controller 812 is coupled to storage device 806 and low-speed expansion port 814. The low-speed expansion port may include various communication ports (e.g., USB, Bluetooth, Ethernet, wireless Ethernet). The low-speed expansion port may be coupled to one or more input / output devices, such as a keyboard, pointing device, scanner, or network device such as a switch or router, for example, via a network adapter.

[0152] Computing device 800 may be implemented in many different forms, as shown. For example, it may be implemented as a standard server 820, or a group of such servers. It may also be implemented as part of a rack server system 824. Additionally, it may be implemented in a personal computer, such as a laptop computer 822. Alternatively, the components of computing device 800 may be combined with other components in a mobile device (not shown), such as device 850. Each such device may include one or more of computing devices 800, 850, or an entire system may consist of multiple computing devices 800, 850 in communication with each other.

[0153] Computing device 850 includes, among other components, a processor 852, memory 864, input / output devices such as a display 854, a communications interface 866, and a transceiver 868. Device 850 may also be provided with a storage device, such as a microdrive or other device, to provide additional storage. Each of components 850, 852, 864, 854, 866, and 868 are interconnected using various buses, and some of the components may be mounted on a common motherboard or in other manners as desired.

[0154] The processor 852 can execute instructions within the computing device 850, including instructions stored in the memory 864. The processor may be implemented as a chipset of chips including separate analog and digital processors. Furthermore, the processor may be implemented using any of several architectures. For example, the processor may be a CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) processor, a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) processor, or a MISC (Minimum Instruction Set Computer) processor. The processor may provide coordination for other components of the device 850, such as control of a user interface, applications run by the device 850, and wireless communication by the device 850.

[0155] Processor 852 may communicate with a user via control interface 858 and display interface 856 coupled to display 854. Display 854 may be, for example, a TFT (thin film transistor liquid crystal display) display or an OLED (organic light emitting diode) display, or other suitable display technology. Display interface 856 may include appropriate circuitry for driving display 854 to present graphical and other information to the user. Control interface 858 may receive and convert commands from the user for transmission to processor 852. Additionally, an external interface 862 may be provided in communication with processor 852 to enable short-range communication between device 850 and other devices. External interface 862 may, for example, be provided for wired communication in some embodiments or for wireless communication in other embodiments, and multiple interfaces may be used.

[0156] Memory 864 stores information within computing device 850. Memory 864 may be implemented as one or more computer-readable media, one or more volatile memory units, or one or more non-volatile memory units. Expansion memory 874 may also be provided and connected to device 850 via expansion interface 872, which may include, for example, a SIMM (single in-line memory module) card interface. Such expansion memory 874 may provide additional storage space for device 850 or may store applications or other information for device 850. Specifically, expansion memory 874 may include instructions for performing or supplementing the aforementioned processes and may also include secure information. Thus, for example, expansion memory 874 may be provided as a security module for device 850 and may be programmed with instructions that enable secure use of device 850. Furthermore, secure applications may be provided via SIMM cards along with additional information, such as placing identifying information on the SIMM card in an unhackable manner.

[0157] The memory may include, for example, flash memory and / or NVRAM memory, as described below. In one embodiment, a computer program product is tangibly embodied on an information carrier. The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed, perform one or more methods, such as those described above. The information carrier is a computer- or machine-readable medium, such as memory 864, expansion memory 874, or memory of processor 852, and may be received, for example, via transceiver 868 or external interface 862.

[0158] Device 850 may communicate wirelessly via communication interface 866, which may include digital signal processing circuitry if necessary. Communication interface 866 may provide for communication in various modes or protocols, such as GSM voice calls, SMS, EMS, or MMS messaging, CDMA, TDMA, PDC, WCDMA, CDMA2000, or GPRS, among others. Such communication may occur, for example, via radio frequency transceiver 868. Additionally, short-range communication may occur using Bluetooth, WiFi, or other such transceivers (not shown). Additionally, GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver module 870 may provide additional navigation- and location-related wireless data to device 850, which may be used as needed by applications executing on device 850.

[0159] Device 850 may also perform voice communications using an audio codec 860, which may receive voice information from a user and convert it into usable digital information. Audio codec 860 may also generate sounds that are audible to the user, such as through a speaker (e.g., in the handset of device 850). Such sounds may include sounds from voice telephone calls, recorded sounds (e.g., voice messages, music files, etc.), and sounds generated by applications running on device 850.

[0160] The computing device 850 may be implemented in many different forms, as shown in the figure, such as a mobile phone 880, or as part of a smartphone 882, personal digital assistant, tablet, or other similar mobile device.

[0161] Additionally, computing device 800 or 850 may include a Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash drive. The USB flash drive may store an operating system and other applications. The USB flash drive may include input / output components such as a wireless transmitter or a USB connector that can be inserted into a USB port of another computing device.

[0162] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein may be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuits, specially designed ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations may include implementation in one or more computer programs executable and / or interpretable by a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special purpose or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and transmit data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

[0163] These computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications, or code) include machine instructions for a programmable processor and may be implemented in a high-level procedural and / or object-oriented programming language, and / or assembly / machine language. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any computer program product, apparatus, and / or device (e.g., magnetic disk, optical disk, memory, programmable logic circuit (PLD)) used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor, including a machine-readable medium that receives machine instructions as a machine-readable signal. The term "machine-readable signal" refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor.

[0164] To provide interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented on a computer having a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user, and a keyboard and pointing device (e.g., a mouse or trackball) by which the user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback), and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, verbal, or tactile input.

[0165] The systems and techniques described herein can be implemented in a computing system or device that includes a back-end component (e.g., as a data server), a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or a front-end component (e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the systems and techniques described herein), or any combination of such back-end, middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communications network). Examples of communications networks include a local area network ("LAN"), a wide area network ("WAN"), a peer-to-peer network (with ad hoc or static members), a grid computing infrastructure, and the Internet.

[0166] A computing system may include clients and servers. Clients and servers are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. The relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

[0167] While several implementations have been described in detail above, other modifications are possible. Furthermore, other mechanisms may be used to implement the systems and methods described herein. Additionally, the logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desired results. Furthermore, other steps may be added to or eliminated from the described flows, and other components may be added to or removed from the described systems. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method for presenting display content on a display of a computing system, the method comprising: Identifying that a current display brightness setting of the computing system has a first value representing a first display brightness level; and selecting, based on the current display brightness setting having the first value, a first luminance profile from a set of luminance profiles each configured to reduce brightness of the displayed content in a different manner, the first luminance profile specifying a first brightness reduction amount for a peripheral portion of the displayed content and a first brightness reduction gradient for a portion of the displayed content between the peripheral portion of the displayed content and a central portion of the displayed content, the method further comprising: applying the first luminance profile to the display content to modify the display content by reducing the brightness of the peripheral portion of the display content by the first brightness reduction amount and reducing the brightness of the portion of the display content between the peripheral portion of the display content and the central portion of the display content according to the first brightness reduction gradient; presenting the display content on the display after the display content has been modified by applying the first luminance profile to the display content; The method, wherein the computing system is configured to select a second brightness profile from the set of brightness profiles based on the current display brightness setting having a second value representing a second display brightness level greater than the first display brightness level, and apply the second brightness profile to the display content before presenting the display content.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein reducing the brightness of the peripheral portion of the displayed content comprises reducing a brightness level of the pixels in each frame of a plurality of frames of the displayed content while maintaining image content represented by the pixels.

3. the second luminance profile specifies a second brightness reduction amount for the peripheral portion of the displayed content and a second brightness reduction gradient between the peripheral portion of the displayed content and the central portion of the displayed content; 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second amount of brightness reduction is greater than the first amount of brightness reduction.

4. the first luminance profile includes a first image mask specifying a plurality of first dim levels, each first dim level being associated with a respective portion of the first image mask; 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second luminance profile includes a second image mask specifying a plurality of second dim levels, each second dim level being associated with a respective portion of the second image mask.

5. the first luminance profile includes a first function that specifies how different portions of the displayed content are dimmed; The method of claim 3 , wherein the second luminance profile includes a second function that specifies how different portions of the displayed content are dimmed.

6. the first brightness reduction gradient extends away from the central portion of the displayed content toward the peripheral portion of the displayed content as a level of brightness reduction increases; 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second brightness reduction gradient extends away from the central portion of the displayed content towards the peripheral portion of the displayed content as the level of brightness reduction increases.

7. identifying that the current display brightness setting of the computing system has a third value representing a third display brightness level that is lower than the first display brightness level and lower than the second display brightness level; presenting the display content on the display without applying any brightness profile from the set of brightness profiles to the display content based on the current display setting having the third value that is lower than the first display brightness level and lower than the second display brightness level; 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising:

8. 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the peripheral portion of the displayed content surrounds and excludes the central portion of the displayed content.

9. the first luminance profile specifies a greater reduction in brightness for the peripheral portion of the displayed content than for the central portion of the displayed content; The method of claim 8 , wherein the second luminance profile specifies a greater reduction in brightness for the peripheral portion of the displayed content than for the central portion of the displayed content.

10. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first amount of brightness reduction specified by the first luminance profile is a greater absolute and relative amount of brightness reduction than the second amount of brightness reduction specified by the second luminance profile.

11. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: the computing system receiving a user input to interact with the display to change the current display brightness setting from the first value to the second value.

12. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user input that changes the current display brightness setting from the first value to the second value comprises user contact with the display that drags an element of a display brightness slider from a first position to a second position.

13. receiving, by the computing system, an indication that the amount of light sensed by a light sensor of the computing system has increased; modifying the current display brightness setting from the first level to the second level as a result of receiving the indication that the amount of light sensed by the light sensor has increased; 10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising:

14. 10. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more processors of the computing system perform the applying of the first luminance profile to the displayed content.

15. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein presenting the display content on the display includes the one or more processors of the computing system device transmitting the display content to a display driver integrated circuit of the display for presentation.

16. 1. A computing system comprising: The display and one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable devices comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform operations, the operations including: Identifying that a current display brightness setting of the computing system has a first value representing a first display brightness level; and selecting, based on the current display brightness setting having the first value, a first brightness profile from a set of brightness profiles each configured to reduce brightness of the displayed content in a different manner, the first brightness profile specifying a first brightness reduction amount for a peripheral portion of the displayed content and a first brightness reduction gradient for a portion of the displayed content between the peripheral portion of the displayed content and a central portion of the displayed content, the operations further comprising: applying the first luminance profile to the display content to modify the display content by reducing the brightness of the peripheral portion of the display content by the first brightness reduction amount and reducing the brightness of the portion of the display content between the peripheral portion of the display content and the central portion of the display content according to the first brightness reduction gradient; presenting the display content on the display after the display content has been modified by applying the first luminance profile to the display content; The computing system is configured to select a second brightness profile from the set of brightness profiles and apply the second brightness profile to the display content before presenting the display content based on the current display brightness setting having a second value representing a second display brightness level greater than the first display brightness level.

17. 17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein reducing the brightness of the peripheral portion of the displayed content comprises reducing a brightness level of the pixels in each frame of a plurality of frames of the displayed content while maintaining image content represented by the pixels.

18. the second luminance profile specifies a second brightness reduction amount for the peripheral portion of the displayed content and a second brightness reduction gradient for the portion of the displayed content between the peripheral portion of the displayed content and the central portion of the displayed content; 18. The computing system of claim 16 or 17, wherein the second amount of brightness reduction is greater than the first amount of brightness reduction.

19. the first luminance profile includes a first image mask specifying a plurality of first dim levels, each first dim level being associated with a respective portion of the first image mask; 20. The computing system of claim 18, wherein the second luminance profile includes a second image mask specifying a plurality of second dim levels, each second dim level being associated with a respective portion of the second image mask.

20. 1. A computing system comprising: a display configured to present display content; one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable devices, wherein the one or more computer-readable devices are a set of luminance profiles each configured to reduce the brightness of the displayed content in a different manner, at least one of the luminance profiles specifying a brightness reduction gradient between a central portion of the displayed content and a peripheral portion of the displayed content, the brightness reduction being greater at the peripheral portion of the displayed content than at the central portion of the displayed content; A computing system comprising instructions configured, when executed by the one or more processors, to select a selected luminance profile from the set of luminance profiles based on a current display brightness setting of the computing system, and apply the selected luminance profile to the display content before presenting the display content by the display.

Images