Pager with message display function

• US 5,933,089 A
• Filed: 12/16/1996
• Issued: 08/03/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Katada, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON JR, WILLIAM HALL
• Application Number:
  US08/767,186
• Time in Patent Office: 960 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 340/311.1, 340/825.69, 455/38.4, 455/526, 455/517, 455/31.1, 455/140, 370/310, 370/313, 349/62, 349/33, 349/61, 349/65, 349/68, 345/102, 345/87
• US Class Current: 340/7.55
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13318 Circuits comprising a photodetector
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

A pager having a notifier to notify the receipt of a call signal for itself, an LCD to display certain display messages, a light sensor to detect the light quantity of the light irradiated to the surface of the LCD, a control section to generate the contrast adjustment signal corresponding to the received light quantity of the LCD detected by the light sensor, a reference voltage generation section to generate the reference voltage according to the contrast adjustment signal generated by the control section, and an LCD driver to adjust the light intensity of the display message on the LCD according to the reference voltage supplied from the reference voltage generation section.

Claims

1. A pager having a notifier means to notify the receipt of a call signal, a display means for displaying a received message received together with said call signal, and an illumination means for illuminating said display means, the pager comprising:

a first light detection means for detecting an ambient light quantity at the surface of said display means;

a second light detection means for detecting an illuminating light quantity at said display means when said illumination means illuminates said display means;

a control means for generating a contrast adjustment signal corresponding to the detected ambient light quantity at said display means when said illuminating means is off and corresponding to both the detected ambient and illuminating light quantities at said display means when said illuminating means illuminates said display means;

a reference voltage generation means for generating a reference voltage corresponding to the contrast adjustment signal generated by said control means; and

a contrast adjustment means for adjusting the light intensity of the display message on said display means according to the reference voltage supplied from said reference voltage generation means.

2. The pager as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said first and second light detection means detects the ambient and illuminating light quantities, respectively, at said display means as analog light quantity data,

said contrast adjustment signal generated by said control means can be continuous values corresponding to the light quantity data detected by said first or second light detection means,

said reference voltage generation means continuously changes said reference voltage according to said contrast adjustment signal, and

said contrast adjustment means continuously adjusts the light intensity of the display message according to changes in said reference voltage.

3. The pager as set forth in claim 1, wherein said control means generates said contrast adjustment signal when either of the detected ambient or illuminating light quantities at said display means is found to be equal to or more than a predetermined threshold as a result of detection by said first and second light detection means, respectively, and generates said contrast adjustment signal to provide instruction to stop the output of said reference voltage to said reference voltage generation means when the detected ambient light quantity at said display means is found to be below the predetermined threshold as a result of detection by said first light detection means.

4. The pager as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first and second light detection means detects the ambient and illuminating light quantities at said display means as analog light quantity data,

said control means generates said contrast adjustment signal when either of the detected ambient or illuminating light quantities at said display means is found to be equal to or more than a predetermined threshold as a result of detection by said first and second light detection means, respectively, and generates said contrast adjustment signal to provide instruction to stop the output of said reference voltage to said reference voltage generation means when the detected ambient light quantity at said display means is found to be below the predetermined threshold as a result of detection by said first light detection means and said contrast adjustment signal generated by said control means can be continuous values corresponding to the light quantity data detected by said first light detection means,

said reference voltage generation means continuously changes said reference voltage according to said contrast adjustment signal, and

said contrast adjustment means continuously adjusts the light intensity of the display message according to changes in said reference voltage.

5. The pager as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said control means

generates said contrast adjustment signal corresponding to the detection result of said first light detection means when said display means is not illuminated by said illumination means and generates said contrast adjustment signal corresponding to the detection result of said second light detection means when said display means is illuminated by said illumination means and

generates said contrast adjustment signal to provide instruction to stop the output of said reference voltage to said reference voltage generation means when the detected ambient light quantity at said display means is found to be below a predetermined threshold as a result of detection by said first light detection means while said display means is not illuminated by said illumination means.

6. The pager as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said control means

generates said contrast adjustment signal corresponding to the detection result of said first light detection means when said display means is not illuminated by said illumination means and generates said contrast adjustment signal corresponding to the detection result of said second light detection means when said display means is illuminated by said illumination means and

displays said display message on said display means and provides illumination instruction to said illumination means if, when it receives the instruction to display said display message on said display means, said display means is not illuminated by said illumination means and the detected ambient light quantity of said display means is found to be below a predetermined threshold as a result of detection by said first light detection means.

7. The pager as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said control means

generates said contrast adjustment signal corresponding to the detection result of said first light detection means when said display means is not illuminated by said illumination means and generates said contrast adjustment signal corresponding to the detection result of said second light detection means when said display means is illuminated by said illumination means,

generates said contrast adjustment signal to provide instruction to stop the output of said reference voltage to said reference voltage generation means when the detected ambient light quantity at said display means is found to be below a predetermined threshold as a result of detection by said first light detection means while said display means is not illuminated by said illumination means, and

displays said display message on said display means and provides illumination instruction to said illumination means if, when it receives the instruction to display said display message on said display means, said display means is not illuminated by said illumination means and the detected ambient light quantity of said display means is found to be below the predetermined threshold as a result of detection by said first light detection means.