Automatic detection method for backlight control and portable electronic device using the same

• US 10,297,208 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2018
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Hsu, En-Feng, Hsieh, Meng-Huan
• Primary Examiner(s): Fang, Pakee
• Application Number:
  US16/126,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20190005895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 253 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence

Abstract

There is provided a portable electronic device including a backlight module, an ambient light sensor, a proximity sensor and a processing unit. The backlight module illuminates with backlight brightness. The ambient light sensor is configured to detect ambient light intensity. The proximity sensor is configured to detect an object. The processing unit is configured to activate the proximity sensor when the ambient light intensity detected by the ambient light sensor is lower than a predetermined value or decreases more than a predetermined range, and to maintain or reduce the backlight brightness according to a detection result of the proximity sensor. There is further provided an automatic detection method.

Claims

1. An automatic detection method, adapted to control backlight brightness of a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device comprising an ambient light sensor and a proximity sensor, the automatic detection method comprising:

activating the ambient light sensor to detect ambient light periodically with a fixed time period;

activating the proximity sensor to detect an object when intensity detected by the ambient light sensor decreases to be lower than a predetermined value to identify whether the decreasing of the intensity is caused by the object blocking the ambient light or by weakening of the ambient light;

maintaining the backlight brightness when the proximity sensor detects the object due to that the decreasing of the intensity is caused by the object blocking the ambient light; and

reducing the backlight brightness when the proximity sensor does not detect the object due to that the decreasing of the intensity is caused by the weakening of the ambient light;

wherein when an incoming call on the portable electronic device is detected, the method further comprises;

activating the ambient light sensor and the proximity sensor simultaneously;

setting the backlight brightness to zero when the proximity sensor detects the object; and

adjusting the backlight brightness according to the ambient light detected by the ambient light sensor when the proximity sensor does not detect the object; and

wherein when the incoming call is detected and the proximity sensor detects the object, the method further comprises;

detecting another incoming call when the proximity sensor detects that the object has left; and

setting the backlight brightness to zero continuously when the proximity sensor detects that the object has not left.

2. The automatic detection method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

increasing the backlight brightness when the intensity increases to be higher than the predetermined value.

3. The automatic detection method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a cell phone.

4. The automatic detection method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the activating the ambient light sensor, the proximity sensor is not activated yet.

5. An automatic detection method, adapted to control backlight brightness of a cell phone, the cell phone comprising an ambient light sensor and a proximity sensor, the automatic detection method comprising:

detecting an incoming phone call;

activating the ambient light sensor to detect an intensity value of ambient light and executing following steps when the incoming phone call is not detected;

activating the proximity sensor to detect an object when the intensity value decreases to be lower than a predetermined value to identify whether the decreasing of the intensity value is caused by the object blocking the ambient light or by weakening of the ambient light;

maintaining the backlight brightness when the proximity sensor detects the object due to that the decreasing of the intensity value is caused by the object blocking the ambient light; and

reducing the backlight brightness when the proximity sensor does not detect the object due to that the decreasing of the intensity value is caused by the weakening of the ambient light; and

activating the ambient light sensor and the proximity sensor simultaneously and executing following steps when the incoming phone call is detected;

setting the backlight brightness to zero when the proximity sensor detects the object; and

adjusting the backlight brightness according to the ambient light detected by the ambient light sensor when the proximity sensor does not detect the object;

wherein when the incoming phone call is detected and the proximity sensor detects the object, the method further comprises;

detecting another incoming phone call when the proximity sensor detects that the object has left; and

setting the backlight brightness to zero continuously when the proximity sensor detects that the object has not left.

6. The automatic detection method as claimed in claim 5, wherein when the incoming phone call is detected and the proximity sensor detects the object, the method further comprises:

detecting another incoming phone call when the proximity sensor detects that the object has left; and

setting the backlight brightness to zero continuously when the proximity sensor detects that the object has not left.

7. The automatic detection method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

deactivating a button function and a touch control function simultaneously when the proximity sensor detects the object.

8. The automatic detection method as claimed in claim 5, wherein in the activating the ambient light sensor, the proximity sensor is not activated yet.

9. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a backlight module configured to illuminate with backlight brightness;

an ambient light sensor configured to detect ambient light intensity;

a proximity sensor configured to detect an object; and

a processing unit configured to

activate the ambient light sensor to detect the ambient light intensity, without yet activating the proximity sensor,

activate the proximity sensor to detect the object when the ambient light intensity detected by the ambient light sensor decreases to be lower than a predetermined value to identify whether the decreasing of the ambient light intensity is caused by the object blocking ambient light or by weakening of the ambient light, and

maintain or reduce the backlight brightness according to a detection result of the proximity sensor, wherein when the proximity sensor detects the object, the processing unit is configured to identify that the decreasing of the ambient light intensity is caused by the object blocking the ambient light but not by the weakening of the ambient light and control the backlight module to maintain the backlight brightness;

wherein when an incoming call on the portable electronic device is detected, the processing unit further processing activating the ambient light sensor and the proximity sensor simultaneously, setting the backlight brightness to zero when the proximity sensor detects the object, and adjusting the backlight brightness according to the ambient light detected by the ambient light sensor when the proximity sensor does not detect the object; and

wherein when the incoming call is detected and the proximity sensor detects the object, the processing unit further processing detecting another incoming call when the proximity sensor detects that the object has left, and setting the backlight brightness to zero continuously when the proximity sensor detects that the object has not left.

10. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein

when the proximity sensor does not detect the object, the processing unit is configured to control the backlight module to reduce the backlight brightness.

11. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the portable electronic device is a cell phone.

12. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the processing unit is further configured to detect the incoming call and activate the ambient light sensor and the proximity sensor simultaneously when detecting the incoming phone call.

13. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 12, wherein

when the proximity sensor detects the object, the processing unit is configured to deactivate the backlight module;

and

when the proximity sensor does not detect the object, the processing unit is configured to adjust the backlight brightness according to the ambient light intensity detected by the ambient light sensor.

14. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the proximity sensor is a capacitive, an inductive, an electromagnetic, an optical, a microwave or an ultrasonic proximity sensor.

15. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the proximity sensor is an optical proximity sensor and the portable electronic device further comprises an active light source to illuminate the object.

16. The portable electronic device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the ambient light sensor has a first surface and the proximity sensor has a second surface, wherein the first surface and the second further are at a same plane.