Methods for color or luminance compensation based on view location in foldable displays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11817065-B2
Application number	US-202217735846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2022
Priority date	May 19, 2021
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods to control brightness or color in foldable displays. An electronic device may include a foldable electronic display and processing circuitry. The foldable electronic display may have a first part and a second part that are foldable at a folding angle with respect to one another. The processing circuitry may provide image data to the foldable electronic display that varies based at least in part on the folding angle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a foldable electronic display having a first part and a second part that are foldable at a folding angle with respect to one another; and
processing circuitry configured to provide image data to the foldable electronic display that varies based at least in part on the folding angle, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to adjust the image data to provide a folding line transition between the first part and the second part based at least in part on the folding angle to visually conceal the folding line transition.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the image data varies according to a global brightness based at least in part on the folding angle.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the global brightness of the first part differs from the global brightness of the second part according to the folding angle to reduce an appearance of brightness difference between the first part and the second part as viewed from an eye position substantially on-axis with the first part.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the global brightness of the first part is lower than the global brightness of the second part.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the image data varies according to a color compensation based at least in part on the folding angle.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the image data varies to provide white point uniformity of the first part and the second part as viewed from an estimated eye position based at least in part on the folding angle.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising an eye tracking system configured to identify an eye position, wherein the image data varies based at least in part on the folding angle and the eye position.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the eye tracking system comprises a video camera, a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor, a depth sensor, or an electrical potential sensor, or any combination thereof.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to use the eye position and the folding angle to:
determine a plurality of vectors between the eye position and a plurality of pixels of the foldable electronic display; and
vary the image data for the plurality of pixels based at least in part on the plurality of vectors.

10. A method comprising:
receiving image data for a plurality of pixels of a foldable electronic display that has a first part positioned at a folding angle with respect to a second part; and
adjusting the image data to provide a folding line transition between the first part and the second part based at least in part on the folding angle to reduce an appearance of image artifacts due to differences in a viewing angle between the first part and the second part and to visually conceal the folding line transition.

11. The method of claim 10 , comprising receiving an indication of an eye position with respect to the plurality of pixels, wherein the image data is adjusted based at least in part on the eye position and the folding angle.

12. The method of claim 11 , comprising determining the eye position using an eye tracking system.

13. The method of claim 11 , comprising estimating the eye position based at least in part on the folding angle.

14. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
receiving an indication of an eye region representing an area of possible viewer eye locations;
determining a plurality of vectors between the possible viewer eye locations and the plurality of pixels based at least in part on the folding angle; and
adjusting brightness or color of the image data based at least in part on the plurality of vectors.

15. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
detecting a change in the folding angle to a new folding angle; and
adjusting the image data based at least in part on the new folding angle.

16. An article of manufacture comprising one or more tangible, non-transitory, machine-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed, cause at least the following operations to be performed:
determining a folding angle of a first part of a foldable electronic display that is angled with respect to a second part of the foldable electronic display; and
using the folding angle to adjust image data for the foldable electronic display in accordance with the folding angle to provide a folding line transition between the first part and the second part based at least in part on the folding angle to visually conceal the folding line transition and to cause the foldable electronic display to display an image that appears to have a uniform white point or a uniform global brightness, or both, from the first part at a normal angle and the second part at an angle other than normal.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause at least the following operations to be performed:
determining an indication of an eye region representing an area of possible viewer eye locations;
determining a plurality of vectors between the possible viewer eye locations and a plurality of pixels of the foldable electronic display based at least in part on the folding angle; and
adjusting brightness or color of the image data based at least in part on the plurality of vectors to achieve the uniform white point or the uniform global brightness, or both.

18. A method comprising:
displaying an image that appears to have uniform white point or uniform global brightness over at least a first part and a second part of a foldable electronic display that are folded at a folding angle with respect to one another; and
in response to a change in the folding angle, adjusting pixels of the foldable electronic display to provide a folding line transition between at least the first part and the second part based at least in part on the folding angle to visually conceal the folding line transition and to cause the display to continue to display the image over at least the first part and the second part of the foldable electronic display while preserving the appearance of uniform white point or uniform global brightness despite the change in folding angle.

19. The method of claim 18 , comprising:
detecting a change in a viewer eye position; and
in response to the change in the viewer eye position, adjusting the pixels of the foldable electronic display to cause the foldable electronic display to continue to display the image over at least the first part and the second part of the foldable electronic display while preserving the appearance of uniform white point or uniform global brightness despite the change in viewer eye position.

20. An electronic device, comprising:
a foldable electronic display having a first part and a second part that are foldable at a folding angle with respect to one another; and
processing circuitry configured to:
determine a present folding angle of the first part and second part of the foldable electronic display; and
adjust image data differently on the first part and the second part of the foldable electronic display to provide a folding line transition between the first part and the second part based at least in part on the present folding angle to visually conceal the folding line transition and to provide the adjusted image data to the foldable electronic display.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• He Xingfeng
• Kim Byoungsuk
• Zhang Yifan
• Kim Hoon Sik
• Liu Yun
• Chen Hao
• Drzaic Paul S
• Farrokh Baroughi Mahdi

Classifications

• G09G5/10 Primary

  Intensity circuits · CPC title

• G06F1/1641

  the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components (G06F1/1647 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/013 Primary

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G09G2320/0626

  for control of overall brightness · CPC title

• G09G2380/02

  Flexible displays · CPC title