Mitigating Display Tearing via Intra-Frame Pause Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Touch-sensitive electronic displays face challenges in accurately detecting user input while minimizing visual artifacts such as 'tearing' caused by intra-frame pauses, which occur when the display temporarily stops writing image data to check for touch inputs, leading to perceivable delays and brightness inconsistencies between image frames.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves varying the timing and location of intra-frame pauses across successive frames, dividing the pause into shorter segments, and redistributing emission duty ratios to reduce the visibility of these artifacts, thereby improving touch detection accuracy and minimizing visual distortions like tearing and band flickering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the electronic display increases the frequency of impedance checks to improve touch detection accuracy, then touch detection accuracy is improved, but visual artifacts such as tearing become more perceivable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the frame rendering process into multiple segments by introducing intra-frame pauses at specific intervals. Instead of checking for touch inputs continuously or at a single point, the display controller segments the frame buffer writing process and inserts touch detection checks between segments. This segmentation allows touch detection to occur frequently enough to improve accuracy while limiting the duration and frequency of interruptions to minimize visual artifacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts the timing and duration of intra-frame pauses based on the specific frame being rendered and the detected content characteristics. The system modifies the pause frequency and duration adaptively, making the touch detection process dynamic rather than static. This allows the system to optimize between touch detection accuracy and visual quality in real-time, reducing perceivable artifacts while maintaining high touch detection capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the electronic display pauses in the middle of writing an image frame to check for user touch, then touch detection capability is improved, but brightness inconsistencies and tearing occur between successive frames
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary compensation actions before the intra-frame pause causes visible artifacts. The display controller predicts the potential brightness inconsistency that would result from the pause and pre-applies compensation values to the affected portions of the frame buffer. This preliminary action ensures that when the pause occurs, the brightness inconsistency is already compensated for, maintaining visual stability while enabling touch detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the brightness parameters (grayscale values) of specific pixels or regions in the frame buffer to compensate for the expected brightness inconsistency caused by intra-frame pauses. By adjusting these parameters in advance or in real-time, the system maintains consistent perceived brightness across the display even when pauses occur during frame rendering, thus preserving brightness consistency while enabling touch detection.
3Measurement precision
If the electronic display alternates between writing image data and checking for user touch, then touch detection frequency is improved, but the writing speed of image data decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by performing touch detection checks at selected intervals rather than continuously throughout the entire frame rendering process. Instead of alternating between writing and checking at every possible moment, the system performs touch detection at strategically chosen points within the frame buffer writing process. This partial approach maintains adequate touch detection frequency while minimizing the total time spent away from image data writing, thus preserving overall writing speed.
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 approach enhances touch detection accuracy and reduces the perception of visual artifacts like tearing and band flickering, ensuring a smoother and more accurate user experience by distributing the impact of intra-frame pauses across the display, making them less noticeable to the human eye.
Implementation Method 1
the electronic display may detect occurrence and/or position of the user touch based at least in part on an impedance (e.g., capacitance) change in the electronic display caused by the user's touch
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments presented herein relate to reducing visual artifacts on an electronic display caused by an intra-frame pause. To do so, the intra-frame pause may be divided into smaller intra-frame pause segments. The intra-frame pause segments may be applied to the display during different image frames and/or at different locations on the electronic display. For example, each intra-frame pause segment may be applied to a different location on the electronic display. In some embodiments, multiple intra-frame pause segments may be applied during a single image frame. In some embodiments, the intra-frame pause segments may be applied to various image frames and at various location on the electronic display according to a pattern. To reduce band flickering that may be caused by the different locations of the intra-frame pause segments, an emission duty of one or more rows of pixels of the display may be adjusted.