Ambient Light Sensor Modulating Display Brightness via Bus Controller
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing modular display and signaling devices connected to a bus and supply line face issues with overexposure due to fixed light output, especially in low ambient light conditions, and require different voltages to adjust brightness, leading to increased costs and reduced energy efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an ambient light sensor with a broad spectral sensitivity, connected to the bus and supply line, which adjusts the light output of display devices based on ambient brightness through a central bus controller, allowing for automatic and group-based changes in light patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If fixed high brightness is used in display devices, then visibility in poor light is improved, but overexposure and glare occur in low ambient light conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic brightness adjustment by introducing an ambient light sensor that continuously monitors lighting conditions and automatically modifies the display device's light output accordingly. This transforms the static fixed-brightness system into a dynamic adaptive system that responds to environmental changes, resolving the contradiction between maintaining visibility and avoiding overexposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback control through the ambient light sensor that provides real-time information about ambient lighting conditions to the control unit. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables the display device to automatically adjust its brightness level based on actual environmental conditions, eliminating both insufficient visibility and excessive glare.
2Illumination intensity
If different voltages are supplied to adjust light output, then variable brightness is achieved, but device complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves variable brightness by controlling the duty cycle of the existing supply voltage rather than introducing multiple voltage levels. The control unit modulates the power delivery to the light-emitting elements using pulse-width modulation or similar techniques, allowing brightness adjustment while maintaining a single standardized power supply interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit is designed to perform multiple functions: it processes ambient light sensor data, determines appropriate brightness levels, and controls the light output of display elements. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate voltage regulation circuits for each display device, reducing overall system complexity.
3Illumination intensity
If different power supply units are used to achieve variable brightness, then light output control is improved, but energy efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous ambient light monitoring and continuous adaptive brightness adjustment, ensuring that display devices operate at optimal brightness levels at all times. This prevents energy waste from both excessive brightness in dark environments and insufficient brightness in well-lit areas, maximizing energy efficiency through uninterrupted optimization.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution dynamically adjusts the brightness of display devices to match ambient conditions, reducing glare and energy consumption while maintaining ergonomic usability and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a light sensor element (30) arranged on a front side (5.1) of the insulating material housing (3.2) in a housing opening (3.3)
Data Source
Figure 1A~3B
Figure 4
AI summary
The sensor (1) has an electronic package (24) stored in an insulating housing (3.2) for bus communication with locked indicating and reporting apparatuses over a centrally bus controller. The electronic package and the centrally bus controller are programmed in such a manner that light power of optical indicator units of multiple indicating or reporting apparatuses is adjusted along same direction in dependence of an environment lightness of the centrally bus controller, where the indicating or reporting apparatuses are fixed on a bus and supply conduit.