Mobile Display Brightness Control via Specular Reflection Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ambient light sensors in mobile devices overcompensate display brightness due to their wide angular field-of-view, which detects specular reflections from angles that do not reach the user's eyes, leading to inefficient battery usage and degraded user experience.
Innovation Solution
The method employs a combination of forward and backward facing sensors to estimate the illumination at the user's eye by distinguishing between direct and specularly reflected light, allowing for accurate adjustment of display parameters like brightness and color.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a backward facing ambient light sensor with wide angular field-of-view is used, then the sensor can detect light from various ambient sources, but it incorrectly detects specular reflection components that do not reach the user's eyes, leading to overcompensation of display brightness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the ambient light into two distinct components: specular reflection component (detected by backward facing sensor) and non-specular component (detected by forward facing sensor). This segmentation allows the system to separately process and weight these components differently when calculating display brightness, preventing the specular component from causing overcompensation while still utilizing information from both sensor orientations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality characteristics to different sensor orientations by assigning different weighting factors to their readings. The backward facing sensor's specular reflection readings are given a lower weight or excluded, while the forward facing sensor's non-specular readings are given higher weight. This local quality differentiation ensures that only relevant illumination data influences display brightness adjustment.
2Reliability
If the ambient light sensor overcompensates display brightness, then the display remains visible in bright conditions, but battery consumption increases unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously monitors ambient light conditions using both forward and backward facing sensors, processes their readings with appropriate weighting, and dynamically adjusts display brightness accordingly. This closed-loop feedback prevents overcompensation by constantly comparing actual user-relevant illumination levels against current display settings, maintaining visibility while minimizing energy consumption.
3Quantity of substance
If the ambient light sensor detects light from directions opposite to the user's field-of-view, then the sensor captures more ambient light sources, but the displayed brightness does not accurately reflect what the user experiences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates the specular reflection component detected by the backward facing sensor, separating it from the non-specular ambient light component detected by the forward facing sensor. By taking out the irrelevant specular component and excluding or minimally weighting it in the brightness calculation, the system preserves only the user-relevant illumination information, ensuring display brightness accurately reflects the user's actual viewing experience.
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 improves display control by accurately accounting for light that reaches the user's eyes, reducing unnecessary brightness adjustments and enhancing the viewing experience while conserving battery life.
Implementation Method 1
A first light level is calculated from the first image. The first light level is indicative of a first fraction of incident ambient light which illuminates the reference plane by specular reflection of the incident ambient light at the display
Data Source
AI summary
A method is proposed for controlling a display parameter of a mobile device. The mobile device comprises a display and a first imaging unit. The method comprising the step of positioning and orienting the display with respect to a reference plane located at a reference position, such that the first imaging unit faces towards the reference plane. Then a first image is generated by means of the first imaging unit, wherein the first image depends on ambient light incident on the first imaging unit and emitted from at least one ambient light source. A first light level is calculated from the first image, wherein the first light level is indicative of a first fraction of the incident ambient light which illuminates the reference plane by means of specular reflection of the incident ambient light at the display. Finally, the display parameter is adjusted depending on the first light level.