Patent Description:
An ambient light sensor is provided on a typical mobile terminal (such as a smart phone or a tablet) to collect the light intensity in the environment. The display brightness and image capturing of the display screen can then be adjusted according to the light intensity. <CIT> discloses an ambient light detection method, a proximity detection method, a shooting method, and a terminal, so that all the display screens of the terminal can be used to display the interface presented to the user. <CIT> discloses an environment light intensity compensation method and device. The method and the device are applied to mobile terminals. The method comprises steps of determining a frame which is displayed in a preset region in a display screen currently, wherein the preset region is the region corresponding to the position where an environment light sensor on a mobile terminal is located; and according to display parameters of the frame which is displayed in the preset region in the display screen currently, compensating the environment light intensity acquired by the environment light sensor currently, wherein, the display parameters at least comprise frame color values, display time stamps and display brightness values.

The present invention provides a method of collecting ambient light and a terminal according to the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this invention, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

Explanation will now be made in detail to examples of the current invention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The examples of the current invention set forth in the following description do not represent all implementations consistent with the present invention. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with aspects related to the invention as recited in the appended claims.

Many mobile terminals adopt a full screen design. A full liquid crystal display (LCD) or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen is placed on the front panel of the mobile terminal to provide a screen ratio as high as possible. In a mobile terminal adopting a full screen design, a hole may be provided in the liquid crystal display screen, and an ambient light sensor is disposed in the hole.

In the above solution, the screen light emitted by the liquid crystal display around the hole in the display screen may affect the collection accuracy of the ambient light sensor.

In various embodiments of the present invention, by determining a target image frame adjacent to a collection time point and decreasing display brightness of pixel points in a second area of the target image frame to a target value, the display brightness of the pixel points in the second area can be decreased as much as possible, thereby reducing or eliminating the influence of the display light emitted by the pixel points in the second area on the ambient light sensor when collecting ambient light.

<FIG> is a block diagram of a mobile terminal <NUM> shown as an example of the present invention. The mobile terminal <NUM> includes a display screen <NUM> and an ambient light sensor <NUM> located in a first area <NUM> of the display screen <NUM> (or below the first area <NUM>).

The mobile terminal <NUM> may be or may not be a terminal with a full screen design. <FIG> illustrates the mobile terminal <NUM> by using a full screen design. The full screen refers to a design that all area (or most of the area) except a bezel <NUM> on a front panel is provided with the display screen <NUM>.

The first area <NUM> is formed on the display screen <NUM>. The first area <NUM> may be a hole area or a light transmitting area. When the first area <NUM> is a hole area, the ambient light sensor <NUM> is disposed in the first area <NUM> or below the first area <NUM>. When the first area <NUM> is a light transmitting area, the ambient light sensor <NUM> is disposed below the light transmitting area.

<FIG> is a flowchart of an ambient light collecting method according to some embodiments of the present application. The method may be applied to a terminal <NUM> provided with an ambient light sensor <NUM>. The ambient light sensor <NUM> is disposed in a first area <NUM> of a display screen <NUM> of the terminal <NUM>.

In step <NUM>, a target image frame adjacent to a collection time point is determined. The collection time point is a time point at which the ambient light sensor collects ambient light.

The display screen <NUM> displays an image frame at a certain frequency, such as displaying <NUM> frames per second. When the i-th frame image frame and the i+1th frame image frame are displayed, there is a display interval between the two frames, where i is a positive integer.

The collection time point is the time at which the ambient light sensor <NUM> collects ambient light. When the image frame is displayed on the display screen <NUM>, it will affect the ambient light sensor <NUM> to collect ambient light. As an example, the collection time point is provided in a display interval between two adjacent image frames (the i-th frame image frame and the i-th frame image frame).

The terminal <NUM> determines at least one image frame adjacent to the collection time point as the target image frame.

In step <NUM>, display brightness of pixel points in a second area of the target image frame is decreased to a target value. The first area <NUM> is a sub-area of the second area.

The second area is an area on the target image frame that covers (or partially covers) the first area <NUM>. That is, the first area <NUM> is a sub-area of the second area.

The terminal <NUM> decreases the display brightness of the pixel points in the second area of the target image frame to a target value. The target value is a preset value or a dynamically determined value.

In step <NUM>, the target image frame is displayed according to the target value, and the ambient light sensor <NUM> is controlled to collect ambient light at the collection time point.

The terminal <NUM> displays the target image frame at a certain frequency, and controls the ambient light sensor <NUM> to collect ambient light at the collection time point.

The order of the time of displaying the target image frame and the collection time point is not limited. The time of displaying the target image frame is located before the collection time point, or may be located before and after the collection time point.

As such, in the methods provided according to an example of the present invention, by determining a target image frame adjacent to a collection time point and decreasing display brightness of pixel points in a second area of the target image frame to a target value, the display brightness of the pixel points in the second area can be decreased as much as possible, thereby reducing or eliminating the influence of the display light emitted by the pixel points in the second area on the ambient light sensor when collecting ambient light.

Referring to <FIG>, according to a screen illumination brightness curve <NUM>, when an image frame is displayed, the screen illumination brightness is high; and in the middle of the display interval between two image frames, the screen illumination brightness is lowered. A collection time point <NUM> of the ambient light sensor <NUM> is provided in a display interval between two adjacent image frames (an image frame <NUM> and an image frame <NUM>).

The terminal <NUM> determines the image frame <NUM> and the image frame <NUM> as target image frames adjacent to the collection time point <NUM>. For pixel points in a second area <NUM> on the image frame <NUM> and the image frame <NUM>, the terminal <NUM> can decrease the display brightness of these pixel points to the target value. In this way, the illumination brightness of the pixel points in the second area <NUM> is lowered, and the screen illumination brightness at the collection time point <NUM> is lower than the screen illumination brightness in a display interval between other image frames (such as the screen illumination brightness between an image frame <NUM> and the image frame <NUM>).

According to an example of the present invention, as illustrated in <FIG>, the terminal <NUM> determines a target image frame adjacent to a collection time point in at least one of the following manners.

First, a previous frame adjacent to the collection time point is determined as the target image frame.

As shown in <FIG>, the previous frame (the image frame <NUM>) adjacent to the collection time point is determined as the target image frame.

Second, the previous frame and a subsequent frame adjacent to the collection time point are determined as target image frames.

Third, the first n frames adjacent to the collection time point are determined as target image frames.

N is an integer greater than <NUM>. For example, the first <NUM> frames adjacent to the collection time point are determined as target image frames, or the first <NUM> frames adjacent to the collection time point are determined as target image frames.

Fourth, the first n frames and the last m frames adjacent to the collection time point are determined as target image frames.

n and m are integers greater than <NUM>. For example, the preceding <NUM> frames and the subsequent <NUM> frames adjacent to the collection time point are determined as target image frames, or the preceding <NUM> frames and the subsequent frame adjacent to the collection time point are determined as target image frames.

When there are few target image frames, the amount of calculation required by the terminal can be reduced. When there are many target image frames, the influence of the screen illumination on the ambient light can be better reduced. The terminal can determine the target image frame in any one of the above four manners according to its own hardware performance or usage scenario.

According to an example of the current invention, as illustrated in <FIG>, the foregoing step <NUM> may be implemented in at least one of the following implementation manners:.

The first target value is a static value set when leaving the factory, or set by server update, or manually set by a user.

The second manner: dynamic adjustment based on the time period;
The terminal <NUM> acquires a time period corresponding to the current time; determines a second target value corresponding to the time period; and determines the display brightness of the pixel points in the second area of the target image frame as the second target value.

The terminal <NUM> can invoke a time interface in the operating system to acquire time in the operating system.

In an example, the terminal <NUM> stores a first corresponding relationship between the time period and the second target value. For example, a second target value of the daytime period is higher than a second target value of the nighttime period. The terminal <NUM> dynamically determines the second target value according to the time period in which the current time is located.

Table <NUM> schematically shows the first corresponding relationship.

The third manner: dynamical adjustment based on the display type;
The terminal determines a display type of the target image frame, which can include any one of a user interface, a video frame, or an electronic document; determines a third target value corresponding to the display type; and determines the display brightness of the pixel points in the second area of the target image frame as the third target value.

The terminal <NUM> can invoke a task stack in the operating system to determine a display type of the front-end user interface according to the task stack.

For example, because the user interface and the electronic document can be less sensitive to display brightness, the third target value can be as low as possible. As the video frame can be more sensitive to display brightness, the third target value can be slightly higher.

Table <NUM> schematically shows the second corresponding relationship.

The fourth manner: dynamical adjustment based on the hue type;.

The terminal <NUM> determines a hue type of the target image frame; determines a fourth target value corresponding to the hue type; and determines the display brightness of the pixel points in the second area of the target image frame as the fourth target value.

The terminal <NUM> calculates an overall average color value of the target image frame, and determine a hue type of the target image frame according to the overall average color value. For a dark hue type, a relatively lower fourth target value (dark) is determined. For a light hue type, a relatively higher fourth target value (bright) is determined.

As such, the methods according to the present invention provide a better balance between improving the ambient light collection accuracy and ensuring a better display effect by dynamically determining the target value.

According to an example of the present invention based on <FIG>, the shape and size of the second area described above are not limited. The second area may be a statically invariable area or a dynamically changed area.

In an example, when the second area is a statically invariable area, the terminal <NUM> determines the shape of a preset area as the shape of the second area. The preset area includes at least one of a rectangle, a square, a circle, or a hexagon.

Illustratively, when the second area is a dynamically changed area, the terminal <NUM> determines a shape of a display element that has an intersection with the first area of the target image frame. The display element can include at least one of a control element, a moving object, a character, or a pattern. The display element is determined as the shape of the second area. For example, if the image frame is a user interface, the position of the control element (such as a button) at the first area is determined as the second area. As another example, the image frame is a video frame, and a bird in the video frame is located in the first area <NUM>, then the bird-shaped area where the bird is located is determined as the second area. In this way, a better display effect can be retained.

<FIG> shows a block diagram of an ambient light collecting apparatus shown in example of the present invention. In a terminal <NUM> provided with an ambient light sensor <NUM>, the ambient light sensor <NUM> is disposed in a first area <NUM> in a display screen <NUM> of the terminal <NUM>. The apparatus includes:.

The various device components, portions, blocks, or portions may have modular configurations, or are composed of discrete components, but nonetheless can be referred to as "portions" in general. In other words, the "components," "portions," "blocks," "portions," or "portions" referred to herein may or may not be in modular forms.

In an example of the present invention, the decreasing module <NUM> is configured to acquire a preset first target value, and to determine the display brightness of the pixel points in the second area of the target image frame as the first target value.

In an example of the present invention, the decreasing module <NUM> is configured to acquire a time period corresponding to the current time, to determine a second target value corresponding to the time period, and to determine the display brightness of the pixel points in the second area of the target image frame as the second target value.

In an example of the present invention, the decreasing module <NUM> is configured to determine a display type of the target image frame, which can include at least one of a user interface, a video frame, or an electronic document; to determine a third target value corresponding to the display type; and to determine the display brightness of the pixel points in the second area of the target image frame as the third target value.

In an example of the present invention, the decreasing module <NUM> is configured to determine a hue type of the target image frame; to determine a fourth target value corresponding to the hue type; and to determine the display brightness of the pixel points in the second area of the target image frame as the fourth target value.

In an example of the present invention, the determination module <NUM> is configured to determine a previous frame adjacent to the collection time point as the target image frame; or the determination module <NUM> is configured to determine the previous frame and a subsequent frame adjacent to the collection time point as the target image frames; or the determination module <NUM> is configured to determine the preceding n frames adjacent to the collection time point as the target image frames, where n is an integer greater than <NUM>; or the determination module <NUM> is configured to determine the preceding n frames and the subsequent m frames adjacent to the collection time point as the target image frames, where n and m are integers greater than <NUM>.

In an example of the present invention, the collection time point is located in a display interval of two adjacent image frames.

In an example of the present invention, the determination module <NUM> is further configured to determine a shape of a preset area as the shape of the second area, where the preset area can include at least any one of a rectangle, a square, a circle or a hexagon.

In an example of the present invention, the determination module <NUM> is further configured to determine a shape of a display element of the target image frame that has an intersection with the first area, where the display element can include at least one of a control element, a moving object, a character, or a pattern; and to determine the display element as the shape of the second area.

<FIG> is a block diagram of an ambient light collecting apparatus <NUM> in accordance with an example of the present invention. For example, the apparatus <NUM> may be a mobile phone, a computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a messaging device, a gaming console, a tablet device, a medical device, a fitness equipment, a personal digital assistant, and the like.

The processing component <NUM> typically controls the overall operations of the apparatus <NUM>, such as the operations associated with display, telephone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations. The processing component <NUM> includes one or more processors <NUM> to execute instructions to perform all or part of the steps in the above described methods.

The memory <NUM> is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of the apparatus <NUM>. Examples of such data include instructions for any applications or methods operated on the apparatus <NUM>, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, videos, etc. The memory <NUM> may be implemented by using any type of volatile or non-volatile memory devices, or a combination thereof, such as a static random access memory (SRAM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a read-only memory (ROM), a magnetic memory, a flash memory, a magnetic or optical disk.

The multimedia component <NUM> includes a screen providing an output interface between the apparatus <NUM> and the user. According to an example of the present invention, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display or other types of displays can be adopted. The touch sensors may not only sense a boundary of a touch or swipe action, but also sense the duration and pressure associated with the touch or swipe action. The front camera and the rear camera may receive external multimedia data while the apparatus <NUM> is in an operation mode, such as a photographing mode or a video mode.

The audio component <NUM> is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, the audio component <NUM> includes a microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when the apparatus <NUM> is in an operation mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signal may be further stored in the memory <NUM> or transmitted via the communication component <NUM>. In some embodiments, the audio component <NUM> further includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

The buttons may include, but are not limited to, a home button, a volume button, a start button, and a lock button.

The sensor component <NUM> includes one or more sensors to provide status assessments of various aspects of the apparatus <NUM>. For instance, the sensor component <NUM> may detect an on/off status of the apparatus <NUM>, relative positioning of components, e.g., the display device and the mini keyboard of the apparatus <NUM>, and the sensor component <NUM> may also detect a position change of the apparatus <NUM> or a component of the apparatus <NUM>, presence or absence of user contact with the apparatus <NUM>, orientation or acceleration/deceleration of the apparatus <NUM>, and temperature change of the apparatus <NUM>. The sensor component <NUM> may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, used for imaging applications.

The communication component <NUM> is configured to facilitate communication, wired or wirelessly, between the apparatus <NUM> and other devices. The apparatus <NUM> can access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as Wi-Fi, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, or a combination thereof. According to an example of the present invention, the communication component <NUM> receives broadcast signals or broadcast associated information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. According to an example of the present invention, the communication component <NUM> further includes a near field communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communications.

According to an example of the present invention, the apparatus <NUM> may be implemented with one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, or other electronic components, for performing the above described methods.

According to an example of the present invention, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions is also provided, such as-the memory <NUM> including instructions, executable by the processor <NUM> in the apparatus <NUM>, for performing the above-described methods. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disc, an optical data storage device, and the like.

The present invention can have one or more of the following advantages.

By determining a target image frame adjacent to a collection time point and decreasing display brightness of pixel points in a second area of the target image frame to a target value, the display brightness of the pixel points in the second area can be decreased as much as possible, thereby reducing or eliminating the influence of the display light emitted by the pixel points in the second area on the ambient light sensor when collecting ambient light.

It is to be understood that the term "plurality" herein refers to two or more. "And/or" herein describes the correspondence of the corresponding objects, indicating three kinds of relationship. For example, A and/or B, can be expressed as: A exists alone, A and B exist concurrently, B exists alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the context object is an "OR" relationship.

Other implementation solutions of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the present invention. This invention is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present invention following the general principles thereof and including such departures from the present invention as come within known or customary practice in the art. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and concept of the present invention being indicated by the following claims.

In the description of the present invention, the terms "one embodiment," "implementation," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," and the like can indicate a specific feature described in connection with the embodiment or example, a structure, a material or feature included in at least one embodiment or example. In the present invention, the schematic representation of the above terms is not necessarily directed to the same embodiment or example.

In some embodiments, the control and/or interface software or app can be provided in a form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can be a ROM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, optical data storage equipment, a flash drive such as a USB drive or an SD card, and the like.

Implementations of the subject matter and the operations described in this invention can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed herein and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Implementations of the subject matter described in this invention can be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more portions of computer program instructions, encoded on one or more computer storage medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.

The operations described in this invention can be implemented as operations performed by a data processing apparatus on data stored on one or more computer-readable storage devices or received from other sources.

The devices in this invention can include special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).

The processes and logic flows described in this invention can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform actions by operating on input data and generating output.

Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombinations.

Moreover, although features can be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination can be directed to a subcombination or variations of a subcombination.

Claim 1:
A method of collecting ambient light, applied to a terminal (<NUM>) provided with an ambient light sensor (<NUM>) at a first area (<NUM>) in a display screen (<NUM>) of the terminal (<NUM>), the method comprising:
determining (<NUM>) a target image frame, wherein the target image frame is an image frame to be displayed, adjacent to a collection time point, wherein the collection time point is a time point provided in a display interval between two adjacent image frames, at which the ambient light sensor (<NUM>) collects ambient light, and the target image frame comprises the adjacent frame to be displayed before the collection time point;
decreasing (<NUM>) display brightness of pixel points in a second area of the target image frame to a target value, wherein the target value is determined according to at least one of the following steps:
acquiring the current time of the day from the operating system of the terminal and determining the target value based on a pre-stored correspondence relationship between time of the day and target values;
calculating an overall average color value of the target image frame as a hue type, and determining a relatively lower value as the target for a dark hue type or determining a relatively higher value as the target value for a light hue type;
invoking a task stack in the operating system to determine a display type of a front-end user interface according to the task stack, and determining the target value based on a pre-stored correspondence relationship between the display type and target values, wherein the display type comprises at least one of a user interface, a video frame, or an electronic document;
wherein the first area (<NUM>) is a sub-area of the second area; and
displaying (<NUM>) the target image frame according to the target value, and controlling the ambient light sensor (<NUM>) to collect the ambient light at the collection time point.