Backlight Luminance Control via Zone Gain Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing liquid crystal display devices face challenges in effectively controlling backlight brightness across different zones, leading to inadequate contrast and layering due to uniform backlight brightness and insignificant differences in brightness levels.

Innovation Solution

The method involves determining backlight duty ratios and current values for each zone, calculating average values, and applying gains to adjust backlight current values, allowing for differential control of backlight zones to enhance contrast and layering by using preset gain curves and power adjustment coefficients.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If uniform backlight brightness is used across all zones, then device complexity is reduced, but contrast and layering are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebacklight control complexityVSAvoidbacklight brightness contrast
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The backlight is divided into multiple backlight zones (e.g., first backlight zone, second backlight zone) that can be independently controlled. Each zone has its own duty ratio and current value that can be adjusted separately to achieve different brightness levels, thereby improving contrast and layering without requiring complete redesign of the backlight control system

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different backlight zones are assigned different control parameters (duty ratios, current values) based on local requirements. The first backlight zone may have different brightness characteristics than the second backlight zone, allowing each area to be optimized for its specific display needs while maintaining overall system simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Illumination intensity

If differential control of backlight zones is implemented, then contrast and layering are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebacklight brightness contrastVSAvoidbacklight control complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts duty ratios and current values for different backlight zones based on real-time image content analysis. The controller modifies control parameters frame-by-frame or block-by-block to optimize brightness distribution, achieving high contrast without requiring complex hardware modifications

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes control parameters (duty ratio, current value) to achieve differential brightness control. By adjusting these electrical parameters rather than modifying physical structure, the system achieves improved contrast while keeping hardware complexity manageable

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Illumination intensity

If high backlight current values are used to improve brightness, then illumination intensity increases, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebacklight brightnessVSAvoidbacklight power consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of uniformly increasing backlight current for the entire display area, the system applies partial action by increasing current only in specific zones where higher brightness is needed. This selective approach achieves improved brightness where required while minimizing overall power consumption

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses periodic PWM modulation to control backlight emission. By switching the backlight on and off at high frequencies with adjusted duty cycles, the system achieves precise brightness control and average power reduction compared to continuous operation at high current

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP3300069B1Backlight luminance control method, apparatus, and display apparatus
Publication Date: 2023.09.06 HISENSE VISUAL TECH CO LTD
  • EP3300069B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3300069B1 patent drawingFigure 2(a)
  • EP3300069B1 patent drawingFigure 2(b)

AI summary

Some embodiments of the invention disclose a method and apparatus for controlling backlight brightness, and a display device, and the method for controlling backlight brightness includes: determining a backlight duty ratio of each backlight zone according to a backlight value of each backlight zone; determining a plurality of backlight areas in the current backlight module, and calculating statistically the average backlight value of each backlight area; searching for a gain corresponding to each backlight area according to the average backlight value of the backlight area, and a preset gain curve, and determining a backlight current value of the backlight area to which a gain is applied, according to the gain; and generating a driver signal according to the backlight current value of the backlight area to which the gain is applied, and the backlight duty ratio of each backlight zone in the backlight area to control backlight brightness of each backlight zone in the backlight area, so that there are different backlight current values of the different backlight areas, thus improving more effectively the contrast and the hierarchical sense of an image being displayed.