Method for automatically adjusting the background brightness of cellular phone display

• US 20030022699A1
• Filed: 07/26/2001
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Inventors: Lin, Ching-Yuan
• Granted Patent: US 6,865,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• 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: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials

Abstract

A method is implemented in a cellular phone having a display, a CPU, a photosensitive element (e.g., photoresistor) on a surface, and a control circuit coupled to the photosensitive element. The method comprises the steps of switching the cellular phone to an automatic background brightness control mode; measuring a voltage between two terminals of the photosensitive element by the CPU; and adjusting a background brightness of the display with respect to the measured voltage. Accordingly, CPU may lower the background brightness of the display as the voltage decreases, while increasing the background brightness of the display as the voltage increases. This can reduce power consumption of cellular phone display in a strong light environment.

Claims

1. In a cellular phone having a display, a central processing unit (CPU), a photosensitive element on a surface, and a control circuit coupled to said photosensitive element, a method comprising the steps of:

(a) switching said cellular phone to an automatic background brightness control mode;

(b) measuring a voltage between two terminals of said photosensitive element by said CPU; and

(c) adjusting a background brightness of said display with respect to said measured voltage.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(d) determining whether a manual background brightness control mode is selected; and

(e) if result in step (d) is positive switching said cellular phone to said manual background brightness control mode for commanding said CPU to select and show said background brightness from a brightness menu shown on said display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said photosensitive element is a photoresistor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said voltage measured in step (b) is one of first stage when said voltage is lower than 1.5 volt, second stage when said voltage is in the range between 1.5 volt and 2 volt, third stage when said voltage is in the range between 2 volt and 2.5 volt, and fourth stage when said voltage is in the range between 2.5 volt and 3 volt, whereby said CPU is capable of switching said background of said display to one of off, low brightness, intermediate brightness, and high brightness states with respect to said corresponding voltage.