Power Gating Internal Display Backlight During External Cloning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Data processing devices face power consumption issues when using an external display, as the internal display remains active even when only the external display is utilized, requiring users to disconnect and reconnect input devices.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that power gate the internal display's circuitry and processing pipeline while maintaining touch sensitivity, allowing the internal display to be turned off and its backlight disabled during external display cloning, thereby reducing power consumption.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Use of energy by moving object

If the internal display is turned off to save power when using external display, then power consumption is reduced, but touch sensitivity is lost requiring additional input devices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidtouch sensitivity

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The display system is segmented into two independent functional components: the backlight rendering pipeline (powered down) and the touchscreen sensing capability (maintained). This allows selective power management where only the necessary components are activated, resolving the contradiction between power saving and touch functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The touchscreen capability is extracted from the display rendering pipeline. By separating the touch sensing function from the visual display function, the patent enables the internal display to maintain touch sensitivity independently of the backlight power state, allowing power gating without loss of touch capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Adaptability or versatility

If both internal and external displays are activated, then display capability is enhanced, but power consumption increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay capabilityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the power state of the internal display based on usage conditions. When external display is detected, the system transitions to a power-saving mode where the internal display's backlight and rendering pipeline are powered down, while maintaining minimal functionality for touch sensing. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between display capability and power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS9256316B2Power gating a display of a data processing device during cloning thereof across an external display while retaining touch-sensibility thereof

Publication Date: 2016.02.09 NVIDIA CORP

AI summary

A method includes detecting, through a processor communicatively coupled to a memory, coupling of an external display to a data processing device including an internal display, and cloning, through the processor, display data of the internal display on the external display following the detection of the coupling. The method also includes triggering, through a driver component, the processor to turn off a backlight of the internal display of the data processing device, power gate circuitry associated with rendering the display data on the internal display and/or power gate a processing pipeline associated with the rendering of the display data following the cloning. Further, the method includes maintaining, through the driver component, a touchscreen capability of the internal display even when the backlight is turned off, the circuitry associated with the rendering of the display data is power gated and/or the processing pipeline associated therewith is power gated.