Partial Display Brightness Control for Portable Terminals

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Solution Overview

Problem

Portable devices struggle to adapt to changing surrounding brightness levels, leading to difficulties in user interaction and increased power consumption due to inconsistent display brightness.

Innovation Solution

A portable device equipped with a sensor to detect surrounding brightness and a controller that adjusts the display brightness of a partial region corresponding to User Interaction (UI) elements, allowing users to control the display brightness through a UI element, thereby optimizing visibility and reducing power consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If the display brightness is uniformly adjusted based on surrounding brightness, then power consumption is reduced, but user interaction difficulty increases due to insufficient visibility of UI elements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoiduser interaction difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating brightness adjustment between different display regions. The UI element region maintains higher brightness than the general display region when surrounding brightness is low, ensuring UI visibility while reducing overall power consumption. This is achieved by separately controlling the backlight intensity for UI regions versus general display regions based on detected ambient light conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The display is segmented into multiple regions with different brightness control characteristics. Specifically, UI element regions are separated from general display regions, allowing independent brightness adjustment. This segmentation enables the system to optimize power consumption by dimming non-UI areas while maintaining visibility of interactive elements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If the display brightness is increased to ensure UI element visibility, then user interaction ease is improved, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser interaction easeVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements local quality by applying different brightness levels to different regions of the display. UI element regions receive enhanced brightness relative to general display regions, particularly in low ambient light conditions. This allows the system to improve UI visibility without proportionally increasing power consumption across the entire display.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The brightness adjustment is dynamic and adaptive based on detected ambient light conditions. The system automatically adjusts the brightness differential between UI regions and general display regions according to surrounding brightness levels, optimizing the balance between visibility and power consumption in real-time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Illumination intensity

If the entire display region is adjusted to high brightness, then visibility is improved, but power consumption increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovevisibilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by selectively enhancing brightness only in UI element regions rather than uniformly increasing brightness across the entire display. This localized approach improves visibility of interactive elements while minimizing the power consumption increase that would result from full-display brightness enhancement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies partial action by adjusting brightness only where necessary (UI regions) rather than applying excessive brightness adjustment across the entire display. This selective approach achieves the minimum necessary visibility improvement while constraining power consumption increases.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

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

The solution enables prompt user interaction and reduced power consumption by dynamically adjusting the display brightness based on the surrounding environment, enhancing user experience and energy efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

a sensor configured to sense a surrounding brightness of the portable device

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectIlluminance sensing: Photoelectric Effect

Data Source

PatentEP3285469B1Portable terminal capable of controlling brightness thereof, and brightness control method for same

Publication Date: 2023.03.01 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD

Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A
Figure 2B

AI summary

Disclosed are a portable terminal capable of controlling the brightness thereof, and a brightness control method for the same. The portable terminal comprises a display unit, a detection unit, and a control unit. The display unit provides a display region displayed at a first brightness. The detection unit detects the surrounding brightness of the portable terminal. The control unit controls, on the basis of the detected surrounding brightness, the display unit so that a partial region in the display region, corresponding to a user interface (UI) element, is displayed at a second brightness.