Portable Electronic Apparatus and Backlight Control Method Thereof

• US 20090262052A1
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Ming-Jer
• Granted Patent: US 8,982,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/84
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A portable electronic device and a backlight control method are both provided herein. The portable electronic device includes a display, a backlight module, an orientation sensor, and a light sensor. The backlight control method includes steps of providing the display with a backlight emitted from the backlight module; sensing a spatial position of the portable electronic device with the orientation sensor and generating a first signal in accordance with the spatial position; sensing the brightness of the ambient light outside the portable electronic device with the light sensor and generating a second signal in accordance with the brightness of the ambient light; and turning on or off the backlight module in accordance with the first signal and the second signal.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a backlight module for providing the display with a backlight;

an orientation sensor for sensing a spatial position of the portable electronic device and generating a first signal in accordance with the spatial position;

a light sensor for sensing the brightness of the ambient light outside the portable electronic device and generating a second signal in accordance with the brightness; and

a processing unit for turning on or off the backlight module in accordance with the first signal and the second signal.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first signal and the second signal correspond to at least one orientation value and a brightness value respectively, and the processing unit turns on or off the backlight module in accordance with the at least one orientation value and the brightness value.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein the processing unit is further used for determining whether the at least one orientation value falls within a first value range and the brightness value falls within a second value range, and then the processing unit turns on or off the backlight module if it is determined that the at least one orientation value falls within a first value range and the brightness value falls within a second value range

4. The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein the processing unit turns off the backlight module if a calling request is accepted, and if at least one orientation value falls within the first value range and the brightness value falls within the second value range.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 4, wherein after the backlight module is turned off, the orientation sensor generates another first signal and the processing unit turns on the backlight module in accordance with the another first signal.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein when a calling request is received, the processing unit has the calling request accepted in accordance with the first signal and the second signal.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises an analog-to-digital converter for converting the first signal and the second signal into two digital signals.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor is an acceleration sensor.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor is a gyro sensor.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is a microprocessor.

11. A backlight control method for a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device including a display, a backlight module, an orientation sensor, and a light sensor, the method comprising:

providing a backlight from the backlight module for the display;

generating a first signal with the orientation sensor in accordance with a spatial position of the portable electronic device;

generating a second signal with the light sensor in accordance with the brightness of the ambient light outside the portable electronic device; and

turning on or off the backlight module in accordance with the first signal and the second signal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether at least one orientation value corresponding to the first signal falls within a first value range;

determining whether a brightness value corresponding to the second signal falls within a second value range; and

turning on or off the backlight module if the at least one orientation value falls within the first value range and the brightness value falls within the second value range.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

turning off the backlight module if a calling request is accepted, and if the at least one orientation value falls within the first value range and the brightness value falls within the second value range.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating another first signal with the orientation sensor after the backlight module is turned off; and

turning on the backlight module in accordance with the another first signal.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

accepting a calling request in accordance with the first signal and the second signal when the calling request is received.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

converting the first signal and the second signal into two digital signals.