Display region refresh

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9607537-B2
Application number	US-97814110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2010
Priority date	Dec 23, 2010
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

In embodiments of display region refresh, a display panel has addressable display regions that display at different display refresh rates. Display data is buffered to update the addressable display regions, and subsequent display data is received to further update the addressable display regions. A display controller can determine display update deltas that indicate pending display updates based on a comparison of the display data to the subsequent display data. A first addressable display region can then be refreshed at display refresh rate based on a first display update delta that corresponds to the first addressable display region, and a second addressable display region can be refreshed at a different display refresh rate based on a second display update delta that corresponds to the second addressable display region.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a single electrowetted display panel located between a front surface and a back surface of the device, the single electrowetted display panel having multiple addressable display regions, the multiple addressable display regions configured to display at different display refresh rates simultaneously on the single electrowetted display panel;
a multi-mode panel located between the front surface and the back surface of the device, the multi-mode panel operable to switch on to prevent visibility through the front surface and the back surface of the device, the multi-mode panel further operable to switch off to permit transparency to view through the front surface, the electrowetted display panel, and the back surface of the device;
a buffer configured to buffer display data to update the addressable display regions, the buffer further configured to receive subsequent display data to further update the addressable display regions;
a memory and a processor to implement a display controller configured to:
determine display update deltas configured to indicate pending display updates based on a comparison of the display data to the subsequent display data;
refresh a first addressable display region displayed on the single electrowetted display panel comprising a static image at a minimum frames per second (FPS) display refresh rate of 1 Hz based on a first display update delta that corresponds to the first addressable display region; and
refresh at least a second addressable display region displayed on the single electrowetted display panel comprising a video display at a faster FPS display refresh rate based on a second display update delta that corresponds to the second addressable display region, the static image and the video displayed simultaneously on the single electrowetted display panel as the static image and the video are refreshed, respectively.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the addressable display regions comprise fixed zones of the electrowetted display panel, and wherein the display controller is further configured to refresh a first zone at the display refresh rate and refresh a second zone at the different display refresh rate.

3. A device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the addressable display regions comprise zones of the electrowetted display panel that are determined as a factor of a number of pixels of the display panel, and wherein the display controller is further configured to generate per-zone address signals to refresh the zones at the different display refresh rates.

4. A device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the display controller is configured to generate per-pixel address signals to refresh the individual pixels at the different display refresh rates.

5. A device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the display controller is further configured to refresh the second addressable display region at an FPS rate within a range of 24 to 60 Hz.

6. A device as recited in claim 1 , wherein the electrowetted display panel is configured to display the first addressable display region at the minimum FPS, and is further configured to display the second addressable display region at the faster FPS rate.

7. A display system, comprising:
a single display panel having multiple addressable display regions comprising zones of the display panel that are determined as a factor of the number of pixels of the display panel, the addressable display regions configured to display at different display refresh rates simultaneously on the single display panel, the addressable display regions further comprising one content type and at least one other content type to be displayed simultaneously on the single display panel;
a front display surface of the display system and a back display surface of the display system that are viewable from opposite sides of the single display panel of the display system and configured to display the multiple addressable display regions on both the front display surface and the back display surface, the single display panel located between the front display surface and the back display surface;
buffered display data to update the addressable display regions, and subsequent display data to further update the addressable display regions; and
display update deltas corresponding to each of the respective content types to be displayed simultaneously on the single display panel that indicate pending display updates based on a comparison of the display data to the subsequent display data, a first pending display update corresponding to a first addressable display region that refreshes at a frames per second (FPS) display refresh rate of 1 Hz, and a second pending display update corresponding to at least a second addressable display region that refreshes at a different display refresh rate.

8. A display system as recited in claim 7 , wherein the addressable display regions comprise fixed zones of the display panel, and wherein a first zone is refreshed at the display refresh rate and a second zone is refreshed at the different display refresh rate.

9. A display system as recited in claim 7 , wherein per-zone address signals are generated to refresh the zones at the different display refresh rates.

10. A display system as recited in claim 7 , wherein per-pixel address signals are generated to refresh individual pixels at the different display refresh rates.

11. A display system as recited in claim 7 , wherein the second addressable display region refreshes at a faster FPS rate than the first addressable display region.

12. A display system as recited in claim 7 , wherein the first addressable display region refreshes a static image display, and the second addressable display region refreshes at a faster FPS rate to refresh a video display.

13. A display system as recited in claim 7 , wherein the display panel is an electrowetted panel configured to display the first addressable display region at the FPS display refresh rate of 1 Hz, and is further configured to display the second addressable display region at a faster FPS rate.

14. A method, comprising:
displaying addressable display regions on a single display panel having multiple addressable display regions, the single display panel located between a front display surface of a transparent display and a back display surface of a transparent display, the multiple addressable display regions comprising individual pixels of a display panel displaying at different display refresh rates simultaneously on the single display panel, the addressable display regions further comprising one content type and at least one other content type to be displayed simultaneously on the single display panel, the display panel configured as part of the transparent display wherein the addressable display regions are viewable through the front and back display surfaces;
buffering display data to update the addressable display regions;
determining display update deltas corresponding to each of the respective content types to be displayed simultaneously on the single display panel that indicate pending display updates based on a comparison of the display data to subsequent display data that further updates the addressable display regions;
refreshing a first addressable display region at a frames per second (FPS) display refresh rate of 1 Hz based on a first display update delta that corresponds to the first addressable display region; and
refreshing at least a second addressable display region at a different display refresh rate based on a second display update delta that corresponds to the second addressable display region.

Assignees

• Fleck Rod G
• Knee Derek Leslie
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Fleck Rod G
• Knee Derek Leslie

Classifications

• G09G2330/021

  Power management, e.g. power saving · CPC title

• G09G3/20 Primary

  for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix {no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters} · CPC title

• G09G3/3433

  using light modulating elements actuated by an electric field and being other than liquid crystal devices and electrochromic devices (using liquid crystal devices G09G3/36; using electrochromic devices G09G3/38) · CPC title

• G09G2320/103

  Detection of image changes, e.g. determination of an index representative of the image change · CPC title

• G09G2340/0435

  Change or adaptation of the frame rate of the video stream · CPC title