PORTABLE TERMINAL AND DISPLAY CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20100237785A1
• Filed: 10/14/2009
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Kwang-Joon
• Granted Patent: US 8,531,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/150
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0237 Sliding mechanism with one degree of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• 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

Disclosed are a portable terminal including, a terminal body having a display, a solar cell disposed on at least one region of the terminal body and configured to convert sunlight into electric energy for charging a battery, a sensing unit configured to detect a quantity of state relating to the electric energy generated from the solar cell, and a controller configured to control brightness of the display based upon the quantity of state detected by the sensing unit, and a method for controlling a display thereof.

Claims

1. A portable terminal comprising:

a terminal body comprising a display;

a battery configured to provide power for the portable terminal;

a solar cell disposed on at least one portion of the terminal body and configured to convert sunlight into electric energy for charging the battery;

a sensing unit configured to detect a quantity of electric energy generated by the solar cell; and

a controller configured to control brightness of the display based upon the quantity of electric energy detected by the sensing unit.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit is located between the solar cell and the battery.

3. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit comprises a current monitor configured to detect a current generated by the solar cell.

4. The terminal of claim 3, wherein the controller controls the display to have brightness proportional to the detected current such that the brightness of the display is in proportion to a peripheral illumination of the display.

5. The terminal of claim 3, wherein the current monitor measures a duration for which a second detected current is maintained when the current changes from a first detected current to the second detected current and the controller controls the display to have brightness corresponding to the second detected current when the duration exceeds a predetermined time.

6. The terminal of claim 3, further comprising a switching unit located between the current monitor and the battery and configured to dissipate a current generated by the solar cell to ground when the battery is completely charged.

7. The terminal of claim 6, wherein the switching unit connects the solar cell to the battery while the battery is not completely charged and connects the solar cell to ground when the battery is completely charged.

8. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the display to maintain brightness higher than a reference level when a peripheral illumination of the terminal body is lower than a predetermined level.

9. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the display comprises:

a display module configured to output visible information; and

a light emitting module configured to emit light to the display module in order to illuminate the display module,

wherein the controller is configured to control an amount of light emitted from the light emitting module according to the quantity of electric energy detected by the sensing unit.

10. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the display is located on a front surface of the terminal body and the solar cell is attached to a rear surface of the terminal body.

11. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the terminal body comprises a first body and a second body rotatably coupled to each other and the display and the solar cell are located respectively on one surface and another surface of the first body or the second body.

12. The terminal of claim 1, further comprising a battery cover detachably coupled to the terminal body and wherein the solar cell is attached to the battery cover.

13. The terminal of claim 12, further comprising a printed circuit board electrically connected to the battery and located inside the terminal body,

wherein the battery cover and the printed circuit board are each provided with connection terminals configured to electrically connect the solar cell to the printed circuit board.

14. A method for controlling a display of a portable terminal, the method comprising:

converting sunlight into electric energy to charge a battery;

detecting a quantity of electric energy charged in the battery; and

controlling brightness of the display based upon the detected quantity of electric energy.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the quantity of electric energy is a current transferred from a solar cell.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the display is controlled to have brightness proportional to the detected current.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising measuring a duration of a second detected current capacity being maintained when the current capacity is changed from a first detected current capacity into the second detected current capacity and wherein the display is controlled to have brightness corresponding to the second detected current capacity when the duration exceeds a predetermined time.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising dissipating a current generated from the solar cell to ground when the battery is completely charged.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the display is controlled to maintain a brightness higher than a reference level when a peripheral illumination is lower than a predetermined level.

20. A method for controlling a display of a portable terminal, the method comprising:

converting sunlight into electric energy in a solar cell in order to charge a battery;

detecting a current or a voltage generated by the solar cell; and

controlling a brightness of the display based upon the detected current or voltage such that the display has a brightness proportional to a peripheral illumination of the display.