Display Brightness Dimming Through Frame Dropping and Luminance Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Display devices struggle to maintain high luminance levels in bright conditions while achieving low luminance levels in low-light conditions, leading to poor image quality and adverse effects on night vision, particularly in aviation settings.
Innovation Solution
A display system that extends brightness dimming range by selectively modifying image frames through frame dropping and luminance level adjustment, using time-based averaging to achieve desired luminance levels while maintaining minimum current requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If display devices operate at higher brightness levels to maintain image quality in bright conditions, then image quality is improved, but night vision is adversely affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by implementing frame dropping techniques where certain video frames are selectively displayed or dropped based on ambient light conditions. In low-light conditions, the system displays frames at reduced frequency or drops alternate frames, creating a temporal modulation effect that reduces perceived luminance while maintaining image continuity. This periodic display pattern allows the display to operate at higher backlight brightness (maintaining image quality) while effectively reducing the temporal average luminance to protect night vision.
2Use of energy by moving object
If display devices increase brightness per unit power to improve lighting efficiency, then energy efficiency is improved, but low-end brightness levels become unstable and unachievable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by implementing adaptive frame dropping ratios that dynamically adjust based on the desired luminance level and ambient light conditions. Rather than operating the display at a fixed low current level (which causes instability), the system dynamically modulates the display operation by varying the frame refresh rate and dropping ratio. This allows the display to maintain stable operation at higher current levels while achieving effective low luminance outputs through temporal averaging of displayed frames.
3Use of energy by stationary object
If display devices operate at minimum current levels to achieve low brightness, then power consumption is reduced, but image quality deteriorates and display stability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary control layer between the power supply and the display output. Instead of directly controlling the backlight or pixel current at low levels (which causes image quality degradation), the system uses frame dropping as an intermediary mechanism. The display operates at higher, stable current levels to maintain excellent image quality, while the frame dropping technique acts as a temporal mediator to reduce the effective perceived luminance. This intermediary approach decouples the relationship between power consumption and perceived brightness, allowing high image quality to be maintained while achieving low effective luminance levels.
Data Source
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AI summary
A display system (100) for extending a brightness dimming range of a display substrate (102) is disclosed. In embodiments, the display system includes a display device (101) including a display substrate (102) configured to display at least one image. In embodiments, the display system further includes a controller (104) communicatively coupled to the display substrate, the controller including one or more processors (106) configured to execute a set of program instructions stored in a memory (108). The one or more processors may be configured to acquire a video stream (202) including a plurality of image frames (204a-204n); selectively modify one or more characteristics of one or more image frames of the plurality of image frames to generate a modified video stream (208a;208b); and generate one or more control signals configured to cause the display device to display the modified video stream via the display substrate.