Pixel Group Weighting for Display Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Color displays with high switching speeds lead to significant power drain, particularly in mobile devices, where frequent charging of capacitive plates results in increased power consumption, and existing solutions like larger batteries increase device size and weight.
Innovation Solution
Reducing the refresh rate and subdividing the display into pixel groups to apply a weighting function to the input image, allowing for reduced switching and power consumption while maintaining color depth through halftoning techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the refresh rate and switching speed are increased to improve display performance, then the display quality and color depth are improved, but the power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The display is divided into multiple pixel groups, where each group shares common drive electronics. This segmentation allows the drive electronics to be updated less frequently than individual pixels, reducing the switching frequency and power consumption while maintaining display quality through coordinated updating of pixel groups
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic updating of pixel groups at different refresh rates. Common drive electronics are updated at lower frequencies while individual pixel groups are updated periodically, creating a multi-rate refresh scheme that reduces overall power consumption while maintaining perceived display quality through persistence of vision
2Speed
If the capacitive plates are charged more frequently to improve display responsiveness, then the display switching speed is improved, but the power drain increases
Solution Approach 1:
Adjacent pixels are merged into pixel groups that share common drive electronics and capacitive structures. This merging reduces the total number of independent switching operations required, as the common drive electronics can charge multiple capacitive plates simultaneously or in coordinated sequences, reducing power drain while maintaining switching speed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic refresh rates where different pixel groups are updated at different frequencies based on their content requirements. Motion-intensive regions are refreshed at higher rates to maintain perceived speed, while static regions use lower refresh rates to reduce power consumption, creating a dynamically adaptive switching scheme
3Duration of action of moving object
If a larger battery is provided to extend operation time, then the battery life is extended, but the device size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains continuous display operation at acceptable quality levels by implementing pixel group sharing and reduced refresh rates for static content. This continuity of useful action allows the display to function effectively at lower power levels, extending battery life without requiring larger battery capacity, thereby avoiding increased device weight
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided for reducing power consumption in a digital display including an array of pixels. The method includes reducing a switching frequency for driving the array of pixels and dividing the array of pixels into groups of a predefined size. A representative value of the input data for the group of pixels may be obtained using a weighting function and the group of pixels are driven to display the representative value.