Grayscale Field-Sequential Display Mode for Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Field-sequential displays, such as LCDs, require high power consumption to maintain image quality due to increased frame rate requirements for virtual multiple-color frame rates, leading to increased power usage and potential visual artifacts like flicker or jitter.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a grayscale mode in field-sequential displays, where multiple-color image data is converted to grayscale image data, allowing for a lower frame rate and reducing or disabling backlighting, thereby reducing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If field-sequential display drives at high frame rate (180Hz or more) to achieve virtual multiple-color frame rate, then image quality is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display system dynamically switches between color mode and grayscale mode based on operational requirements. In color mode, the display operates at high frame rates (180Hz or more) to maintain image quality. In grayscale mode, it operates at lower frame rates to reduce power consumption. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by allowing the system to optimize for either image quality or power savings depending on the situation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the field-sequential display by converting multiple-color image data to grayscale image data. This parameter change allows the display to operate at reduced frame rates while maintaining sufficient image quality for grayscale content, thereby reducing power consumption without completely sacrificing image quality.
2Measurement precision
If field-sequential display uses multiple-color frame sequence, then color image quality is improved, but frame rate requirement increases leading to visual artifacts
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically selects between color mode and grayscale mode based on the desired outcome. When color image quality is the priority, the system uses multiple-color frame sequence at high frame rates. When avoiding visual artifacts is more important, it switches to grayscale mode at lower frame rates, eliminating the trade-off by allowing selective optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
By converting color image data to grayscale, the patent changes the fundamental parameter of the displayed content. This conversion eliminates the need for high frame rates required for color field-sequential displays, thereby avoiding visual artifacts like flicker and jitter while maintaining sufficient image quality for applications where color is not critical.
3Illumination intensity
If backlighting is enabled to maintain image quality, then contrast is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display system dynamically controls backlighting based on the operational mode. In color mode, backlighting is enabled to maintain contrast and image quality. In grayscale mode, backlighting can be reduced or disabled entirely, as the grayscale image data maintains sufficient contrast without it. This dynamic control resolves the contradiction by providing contrast only when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the image data parameter from multiple-color to grayscale, which fundamentally alters the contrast requirements. Grayscale image data maintains adequate contrast through luminance variations alone, eliminating the need for high-intensity backlighting and thereby reducing power consumption while preserving sufficient contrast for the displayed content.
Data Source
AI summary
A field-sequential display is operated in one of a color mode or a grayscale mode. In the color mode, a video source provides image content in the form of multiple-color image data having a frame rate of X Hz and a display controller uses the multiple-color image data to drive the field-sequential display so as provide multiple-color image content at the field-sequential display. In the grayscale mode, the display controller generates grayscale image data from the multiple-color image data and the display controller then drives the field-sequential display with the grayscale image data at a lower frame rate of Y Hz. While in the grayscale mode, the display controller can take advantage of the enhanced contrast provided by the grayscale image content to reduce or disable backlighting at the field-sequential display. The reduced timing requirements afforded by the lower frame rate, as well as the reduction or elimination of backlighting, can reduce power consumption compared to the color mode.