ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

• US 20130279163A1
• Filed: 11/09/2011
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC CASIO Mobile Communications Limited (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Kimura, Yuuichirou
• Granted Patent: US 9,459,003 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 362/231
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/00 Structural combinations of lighting devices with other articles, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0068 Arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0073 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0095 Light guides as housings, housing portions, shelves, doors, tiles, windows, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 13/22 electroluminescent electroluminescent light sources per se H05B33/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0283 for providing a decorative aspect, e.g. customization of casings, exchangeable faceplate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials

Abstract

Electronic equipment according to the present invention includes: an illumination unit that is mounted so as to form the surface of a housing and is capable of transmitting a light from inside the housing to outside; and a light-emitting unit that emits a light to the illumination unit from inside the housing and is mounted inside the housing. Then, the light-emitting unit includes a plurality of RGB LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) that can emit red, green and blue lights, and the respective RGB LEDs are arranged so that part of a light emitted to the illumination unit by a predetermined one of the RGB LEDs and part of a light emitted to the illumination unit by another of the RGB LEDs overlap each other before entering the illumination unit.

Claims

1. Electronic equipment comprising:

an illumination unit that is mounted so as to form a surface of a housing and is capable of transmitting a light from inside the housing to outside; and

a light-emitting unit that emits a light to the illumination unit from inside the housing and is mounted inside the housing,

wherein the light-emitting unit includes a plurality of RGB LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) that can emit red, green and blue lights, and the respective RGB LEDs are arranged so that part of a light emitted to the illumination unit by a predetermined one of the RGB LEDs and part of a light emitted to the illumination unit by another of the RGB LEDs overlap each other before entering the illumination unit.

2. The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the respective RGB LEDs are arranged so that lights emitted to the illumination unit by the respective RGB LEDs overlaps each other by about one third to about one half.

3. The electronic equipment according to claim 2, wherein the respective RGB LEDs are arranged so that about one third of a light emitted to the illumination unit by a predetermined RGB LED, only on one side of which another of the RGB LEDs is located, of the RGB LEDs overlaps part of a light emitted to the illumination unit by the other RGB LED.

4. The electronic equipment according to claim 2, wherein the respective RGB LEDs are arranged so that about one half of a light emitted to the illumination unit by a predetermined RGB LED, on both sides of which others of the RGB LEDs are located, of the RGB LEDs overlaps part of respective lights emitted to the illumination unit by the other RGB LEDs that are located on both the sides of the predetermined RGB LED.

5. The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the respective RGB LEDs can be arranged in a state that LEDs emitting respective colors of lights are placed in any order.

6. The electronic equipment according to claim 1, wherein the respective RGB LEDs are arranged so that a close portion of the illumination unit to a predetermined member located inside the housing can be illuminated with lights emitted by the RGB LEDs from inside the housing.

7. A mobile phone comprising:

an illumination unit that is mounted so as to form a surface of a housing and is capable of transmitting a light from inside the housing to outside; and

a light-emitting unit that emits a light to the illumination unit from inside the housing and is mounted inside the housing,

wherein the light-emitting unit includes a plurality of RGB LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) that can emit red, green and blue lights, and the respective RGB LEDs are arranged so that part of a light emitted to the illumination unit by a predetermined one of the RGB LEDs and part of a light emitted to the illumination unit by another of the RGB LEDs overlap each other before entering the illumination unit.

8. The mobile phone according to claim 7, wherein the respective RGB LEDs are arranged so that lights emitted to the illumination unit by the respective RGB LEDs overlaps each other by about one third to about one half.