Display control device and storage medium therefor

• US 6,219,021 B1
• Filed: 07/29/1998
• Issued: 04/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Izumi, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US09/124,086
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 345/102, 345/127, 345/112, 345/211, 345/87, 345/55, 345/12, 345/20, 345/342
• US Class Current: 345/102
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/062 Adjustment of illumination source parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• 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

A display control device includes a display panel for displaying data containing textual and/or drawing data, a display buffer for storing data to be displayed on the display panel, a display control section for controlling display of the display panel, a backlight for illuminating the display panel, an illumination instruction section for outputting a backlight illumination instruction, and an illumination control section for controlling the illumination of the backlight according to the backlight illumination instruction from the illumination instruction section. The display control section changes a display configuration of the data to be displayed on the display panel when the illumination instruction section outputs the backlight illumination instruction.

Claims

1. A display control device comprising:

a display panel for displaying data containing textual and/or drawing data;

a display buffer for storing data to be displayed on the display panel;

a display control section for controlling display of the display panel;

a backlight for illuminating the display panel;

an illumination instruction section for outputting a backlight illumination instruction; and

an illumination control section for controlling the illumination of the backlight according to the backlight illumination instruction from the illumination instruction section,

wherein the display control section changes a display configuration of the data to be displayed on the display panel when the illumination instruction section outputs the backlight illumination instruction,

further comprising an illumination time period setting table storing a backlight illumination time period per one character and a calculation section for calculating an illumination time period corresponding to the number of characters of the data to be displayed on the display panel by reference to the illumination time period setting table, wherein when the illumination instruction section outputs the backlight illumination instruction, the illumination control section controls the illumination of the backlight according to the illumination time period calculated by the calculation section.

2. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein when the illumination instruction section outputs the backlight illumination instruction, the display control section changes a display size of the data stored in the display buffer for displaying the data on the display panel.

3. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the display buffer pre-stores a plurality of display sizes for the data to be displayed on the display panel, the display sizes being able to be selected.

4. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein when the illumination instruction section outputs the backlight illumination instruction, the display control section controls the display panel to display the data stored in the display buffer in reverse video.

5. The display control device according to claim 1 further comprising a count section for counting the number of characters of the data to be displayed on the display, wherein when the illumination instruction section outputs the backlight illumination instruction, the illumination control section changes a time period of illumination of the backlight according to the number of characters counted by the count section.

6. The display control device according to claim 1 further comprising an illumination time period setting table storing a plurality of backlight illumination time periods in correspondence with the number of characters of the data to be displayed on the display panel, wherein when the illumination instruction section outputs the backlight illumination instruction, the illumination control section controls the illumination of the backlight according to the illumination time period read from the illumination time period setting table.

7. The display control device according to claim 1 further comprising an illumination time period setting table storing a backlight illumination time period for every application, wherein when the illumination instruction section outputs the backlight illumination instruction, the illumination control section controls the illumination of the backlight according to the illumination time period for an application in use read from the illumination time period setting table.

8. The display control device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination control section comprises a notice section for informing that the backlight is going to be off a predetermined time before the backlight goes off.

9. A storage medium containing thereon a computer program for controlling a portable, battery driven display control device including a display panel for displaying data containing at least one of textual and drawing data, a display buffer for storing the data to be displayed on the display panel, a backlight for illuminating the display panel and an illumination instruction section for outputting a backlight illumination instruction,

the computer program performing the functions of:

causing a computer operation to control illumination of the backlight according to the backlight illumination instruction from the illumination instruction section;

causing a computer operation to control display of the display panel; and

causing a computer operation to change a display configuration of the data from a first configuration to a second configuration to be displayed on the display panel when the illumination instruction section outputs the backlight illumination instruction, wherein said second configuration enables a reduction in time needed to view said data as compared to said first configuration in order to reduce illumination time and corresponding battery consumption; and

providing an illumination time period setting table storing a backlight illumination time period per one character and calculating an illumination time period corresponding to the number of characters of the data to be displayed on the display panel by reference to the illumination time period setting table, wherein when the illumination instruction section outputs the backlight illumination instruction, the illumination of the backlight is controlled according to the calculated illumination time period.

10. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the computer program further performs the functions of:

causing a computer operation to count the number of characters of the data stored in the display buffer to be displayed on the display panel; and

causing a computer operation to change a time period of illumination of the backlight according to the counted number of characters.