Display Refresh Rate Segmentation for Energy Conservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current display devices face challenges in conserving energy while maintaining a high refresh rate, particularly in portable computing devices, as they often refresh the entire screen at a constant rate regardless of content, leading to inefficient energy consumption and reduced battery life, especially during media playback and idle animations.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to concurrently refresh multiple areas of a display device at different refresh rates based on content, using a control circuit to generate and compare data frames, and adjust the refresh rate of specific areas to conserve energy, such as assigning lower refresh rates to static images and higher rates to dynamic content, while mitigating ripple effects through digital compensation and gamma interpolation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the entire display area is refreshed at a high refresh rate, then display smoothness and visual quality are improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display area is divided into multiple independent refreshable regions, each capable of being refreshed at different rates. The screen is segmented into first and second display areas, allowing independent control of refresh operations in each region based on local content requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Different refresh rates are applied to different regions of the display based on the dynamic characteristics of the content in each region. The first display area receives a first refresh rate while the second display area receives a second refresh rate, optimizing energy consumption according to local content needs rather than applying a uniform rate across the entire screen.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the refresh rate is dynamically adjusted based on content, then energy consumption is reduced, but display quality may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The refresh rate is made dynamic and adaptive rather than fixed. The system continuously monitors content characteristics in different display regions and adjusts the refresh rate in real-time based on whether the content is static or dynamic, ensuring optimal display quality while minimizing energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from content analysis to control refresh rate adjustments. By detecting whether content in each display area has changed between frames, the system determines the appropriate refresh rate to apply, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains display quality while optimizing energy usage.
3Use of energy by moving object
If different refresh rates are applied to different areas, then energy efficiency is improved, but ripple effects between areas may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system proactively prevents ripple effects by coordinating refresh operations between adjacent display areas. By timing and synchronizing refresh operations to prevent visual artifacts at boundaries between different refresh rate zones, the system eliminates potential instability before it manifests.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of content characteristics before initiating refresh operations. By pre-determining which areas require high refresh rates and which can use lower rates based on upcoming frame content, the system prepares refresh schedules that maintain display stability while optimizing energy efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
This application relates to methods and apparatus for refreshing a display device at various frequencies. Specifically, multiple areas of the display device can be refreshed concurrently at different frequencies. In this way, when static content is being displayed in certain areas of the display device, those certain areas can be refreshed at a lower rate than areas displaying dynamic content such as video or animation. By refreshing at lower rates, the energy consumed by the display device and subsystems associated with the display device can be reduced. Additionally, processes for reducing flicker when refreshing the display device at different refresh rates are disclosed herein.