Display and keypad backlight management for portable electronic devices

• US 7,117,019 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Abbasi, Aamir A
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THUAN T
• Application Number:
  US09/822,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20020142808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,013 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/414.1, 455/67.11, 455/67.13, 455/90.1, 455/90.2, 455/95, 455/575.1, 455/574, 455/550.1, 455/287, 455/414.4, 345/156, 345/102, 345/63, 345/207, 345/8, 345/104, 345/84, 345/87
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0267 by controlling user interface components
• 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

This invention is a portable electronic device (100) including a display (212), an input device (210), a lighting circuit (204), a light sensor (206) and a control circuit (208). The lighting circuit (204) includes a light source (214) to illuminate the display (212) and the input device (210). The light sensor (206) determines the ambient lighting conditions about the display (212) and/or the input device (210) and generates an ambient lighting signal based on the ambient lighting conditions. The control circuit (208) is coupled to the lighting circuit (204) and the light sensor (206) and has a delayed operation mode in which a first activation of the input device (210) illuminates the display (212) without performing any other operation of the device (100) and a second activation of the input device performs an operation of the device other than illuminating the display. The control circuit (208) of the portable electronic device (100) may receive a reverse bias signal generated by the lighting circuit (204) when incident with ambient lighting about the user interface (202) to supplement or eliminate the light sensor (206).

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a user interface;

a light sensor configured to determine ambient lighting conditions about the user interface and generate an ambient lighting signal based on the ambient lighting conditions;

a lighting circuit including a light source to illuminate the user interface; and

a control circuit coupled to the lighting circuit, the control circuit having a delayed operation mode wherein;

a first activation of the user interface clears or ignores a user entry so that it is not acknowledged by the user interface, illuminates the user interface, and activates a timer, the lighting circuit illuminating the user interface for variable time periods depending on the ambient lighting signal; and

a second activation of the user interface performs an operation of the device, acknowledged by the user interface, in response to determining that the timer is still activated.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the delayed operation mode is effective when the control circuit determines that the ambient lighting signal is below a minimum illumination level.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the lighting circuit illuminates the user interface for a particular duration when the ambient lighting signal is at a low level and the lighting circuit illuminates the user interface for a shorter duration when the ambient lighting signal is greater than the low level.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control circuit receives a reverse bias signal generated by the lighting circuit when incident with ambient lighting about the user interface and activating the lighting circuit to illuminate the user interface based on the ambient lighting.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 4, wherein the delayed operation mode is effective when the control circuit determines that the ambient lighting is below a minimum illumination level.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 4, wherein the lighting circuit illuminates the user interface for a particular duration when the ambient lighting is at a low level and the lighting circuit illuminates the user interface for a shorter duration when the ambient lighting is greater than the low level.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 4, wherein:

the lighting circuit illuminates the user interface for a minimum duration when the ambient lighting is at or above a maximum threshold level;

the lighting circuit illuminates the user interface for a maximum duration when the ambient lighting is below a minimum threshold level; and

the lighting circuit illuminates the user interface for an intermediate duration when the ambient lighting is below the maximum threshold level and at or above the minimum threshold level.

8. A method of illuminating a user interface of a portable electronic device, the method comprising the steps of:

determining ambient lighting conditions about the user interface;

generating an ambient lighting signal based on the ambient lighting conditions; and

detecting a first activation of the user interface;

clearing or ignoring a user entry so that it is not acknowledged by the user interface, illuminating the user interface for variable time periods depending on the ambient lighting signal, and activating a timer in response to detecting the first activation;

detecting a second activation of the user interface;

determining whether the time is still activated in response to detecting the second activation of the user interface; and

performing an operation of the device, acknowledged by the user interface, in response to determining that the timer is still activated.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the stop of detecting a first activation includes the step of detecting a first activation of the input device;

the step of illuminating includes the step of illuminating the display in response to detecting the first activation without performing any other operation of the device;

the step of detecting a second activation includes the step of detecting a second activation of the input device; and

the step of performing includes the step of performing an operation of the device other than illuminating the display.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising, before the step of detecting the first activation, the step of determining that the ambient lighting conditions are below a minimum illumination level.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of illuminating includes the steps of illuminating the user interface for a particular duration when the ambient lighting conditions are at a low level and illuminating the user interface for a shorter duration when the ambient lighting conditions are greater than the low level.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of illuminating includes the steps of:

illuminating the user interface for a minimum duration when the ambient lighting conditions are at or above a maximum threshold level;

illuminating the user interface for a maximum duration when the ambient lighting conditions are below a minimum threshold level; and

illuminating the user interface for an intermediate duration when the ambient lighting conditions are below the maximum threshold level and at or above the minimum threshold level.