# US 2014/0192002 A1 · Backlight and ambient light sensor system

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- Number: US 2014/0192002 A1
- Document ID: US20140192002A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/203,216
- Filed: 2014-03-10
- Published: 2014-07-10
- Earliest claimed: 2007-01-05
- Assignees: Apple Inc.
- Applicants: Apple Inc.
- Inventors: Scott M. Herz; ROBERTO G. YEPEZ; SCOTT FORSTALL; PATRICK L. COFFMAN
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140192002A1

## CPC

- G06F 3/0416: {Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers}
- G09G 3/3406: {Control of illumination source (illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336)}
- H04M 1/22: Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
- G09G 2330/022: in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
- G09G 2360/144: the light being ambient light
- H04M 1/67: by electronic means
- H04M 2250/12: including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
- H04M 2250/22: including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00)
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)

## Abstract

Apparatuses and methods to operate a display device of an electronic device. In some embodiments, a method includes receiving a user setting or input of a display control parameter, and causing or altering, based on the user setting or input, an effect of an ambient light sensor value (ALS) on control of the display control parameter. The user input may be an unlock of a touch screen input capability of the display device, and a wake of the display device from inactivity dim. Also, according to embodiments of the inventions, a method of operating a display of an electronic device includes receiving a change to one of a display brightness output level and an ambient light sensor output level, and altering, according to the change, a display brightness or contrast output level. Other apparatuses and methods and data processing systems and machine readable media are also described.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of operating a device which includes a display having a touch screen input device, the method comprising:
operating the display, while the touch screen input device receives one or more inputs, at a brightness level controlled by an ambient light sensor (ALS) that takes measurements of ambient light around the device;
determining that the device has become inactive;
entering an inactivity dim state in response to determining that the device has become inactive, wherein during the inactivity dim state the display is operated at a dim brightness level and a plurality of different ambient light levels do not effect control of the brightness level of the display and the touch screen input device does not accept inputs until after a wake input which causes the device to exit the inactivity dim state;
receiving the wake input which is one or more touches on the touch screen input device, wherein the touch screen input device is a multi-touch input device;
adjusting the brightness level of the display in response to receiving the wake input which causes the device to exit the inactivity dim state, wherein the brightness level is adjusted with the ALS such that a plurality of different ambient light levels measured by the ALS do effect control of the brightness level after receiving the wake input.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein determining the device has become inactive is based on a first time period of inactivity and wherein the method further comprises:
determining, after the wake input, that the device has been inactive for a second time period and in response causing the device to enter a locked state, the second time period being after the first time period.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2 wherein the first time period and the second time period are determined by one or ore timers.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3 wherein the device enters the inactivity dim state again after the wake input and before entering the locked state at the end of the second time period.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2 wherein the ALS measurements produce ALS values that are weighted by a weight derived from a function that varies the weight based upon a user selected brightness level.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5 wherein the ALS values are averaged over time.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2 wherein the ALS produces a series of ALS values and the method further comprises:
comparing the ALS values to one or more thresholds.

### Claim 8

A machine readable non-transitory medium storing instructions which when executed cause a method of operating a device which includes a display having a touch screen input device, the method comprising:
operating the display, while the touch screen input device receives one or ore inputs, at a brightness level controlled by an ambient light sensor (ALS) that takes measurements of ambient light around the device;
determining that the device has become inactive;
entering an inactivity dim state in response to determining that the device has become inactive, wherein during inactivity dim state the display is operated at a dim brightness level and a plurality of different ambient light levels do not effect control of the brightness level of the display and the touch screen input device does not accept inputs until after a wake input which causes the device to exit the inactivity dim state;
receiving the wake input which is one or more touches on the touch screen input device, wherein the touch screen input device is a multi-touch input device;
adjusting the brightness level of the display in response to receiving the wake input which causes the device to exit the inactivity dim state, wherein the brightness level is adjusted with the ALS such that a plurality of different ambient light levels measured by the ALS do effect control of the brightness level after receiving the wake input.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The medium of claim 8 wherein determining the device has become inactive is based on a first time period of inactivity and wherein the method further comprises:
determining, after the wake input, that the device has been inactive for a second time period and in response causing the device to enter a locked state, the second time period being after the first time period.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The medium of claim 9 wherein the first time period and the second time period are determined by one or more timers.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The medium of claim 10 wherein the device enters the inactivity dim state again after the wake input and before entering the locked state at the end of the second time period.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The medium of claim 9 wherein the ALS measurements produce ALS values that are weighted by a weight derived from a function that varies the weight based upon a user selected brightness level.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The medium of claim 12 wherein the ALS values are averaged over time.

### Claim 14 (depends on 9)

The medium of claim 9 wherein the ALS produces a series of ALS values and the method further comprises:
comparing the ALS values to one or more thresholds.

### Claim 15

A device comprising:
a display;
an ambient light sensor (ALS);
a touch screen input device which is a multi-touch input device;
a memory;
a processing system coupled to the display and to the ALS and to the touch screen input device and to the memory, the memory storing instructions which configure the processing system to:
operate the display, while the touch screen input device receives one or more inputs, at a brightness level controlled by an ambient light sensor (ALS) that takes measurements of ambient light around the device;
determine that the device has become inactive;
enter an inactivity dim state in response to determining that the device has become inactive, wherein during the inactivity dim state the display is operated at a dim brightness level and a plurality of different ambient light levels do not effect control of the brightness level of the display and the touch screen input device does not accept inputs until after a wake input which causes the device to exit the inactivity dim state;
receive the wake input which is one or more touches on the touch screen input device, wherein the touch screen input device is a multi-touch input device;
adjust the brightness level of the display in response to receiving the wake input which causes the device to exit the inactivity dim state, wherein the brightness level is adjusted with the ALS such that a plurality of different ambient light levels measured by the ALS do effect control of the brightness level after receiving the wake input.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The device of claim 15 wherein determining the device has become inactive is based on a first time period of inactivity and wherein the processing system is further configured:
to determine, after the wake input, that the device has been inactive for a second time period and in response causing the device to enter a locked state, the second time period being after the first time period.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The device of claim 16 wherein the first time period and the second time period are determined by one or more timers.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The device of claim 17 wherein the device enters the inactivity dim state again after the wake input and before entering the locked state at the end of the second time period.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The device of claim 16 wherein the ALS measurements produce ALS values that are weighted by a weight derived from a function that varies the weight based upon a user selected brightness level.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The device of claim 19 wherein the ALS values are averaged over time.

### Claim 21 (depends on 16)

The device of claim 16 wherein the ALS produces a series of ALS values and the processing system is further configured to:
compare the ALS values to one or more thresholds.