Portable electronic device and light flickering method for light emitting element thereof

• US 8,237,734 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Ming-Jer
• Primary Examiner(s): Owens, Douglas W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Thai
• Application Number:
  US12/426,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20090261739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 315149-158, 315/291, 315/307, 315/312, 345/36, 345/102, 345/589
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/325 Pulse-width modulation [PWM]
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources

Abstract

A portable electronic device and a light flickering method for light emitting elements thereof are both disclosed herein. The portable electronic device includes at least one light emitting element. The light flickering method comprises the following steps: setting personalized light flickering data with a user interface; storing the personalized light flickering data; generating a control signal in accordance with the personalized light flickering data; and generating a driving signal in accordance with the control signal and driving the light emitting elements with the driving signal.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a display;

at least one light emitting element;

a user interface for setting a personalized light flickering data, which includes a plurality of predetermined luminance values and a plurality of timing values, which correspond to the predetermined luminance values respectively, wherein the user interface includes a user operation interface displayed on the display and a touch panel adapted to input personalized light flickering data into the user operation interface;

a storage unit for storing the personalized light flickering data set with the user interface;

a first processing unit for generating a control signal in accordance with the personalized light flickering data stored in the storage unit; and

a driving signal generator for generating at least one driving signal in accordance with the control signal to drive the at least one light emitting element.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a second processing unit for transmitting the personalized light flickering data to the storage unit.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a light sensor for detecting ambient light outside the electronic device and outputting a light sensing signal in accordance with an intensity of the detected ambient light, wherein the first processing unit adjusts the control signal in accordance with the light sensing signal.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first processing unit is further configured for calculating an average luminance value in accordance with two of the predetermined luminance values.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one driving signal is a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 5, wherein the duty ratio of the pulse width modulation signal is adjusted in accordance with the control signal.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the driving signal generator comprises at least one pulse width modulation signal generator for generating the pulse width modulation signal.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising another light emitting element, wherein the first processing unit is further configured for executing a signal generating program to generate another driving signal for driving the another light emitting element.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a case surface, which has at least one pattern, wherein the pattern is lit up and flickers by the light emitting element.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 9, further comprising a switching element disposed below the pattern.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the light emitting element is a light emitting diode.

12. A light flickering method for a light emitting element disposed on a portable electronic device having a display and a user interface, the method comprising:

setting a personalized light flickering data with the user interface, wherein the personalized light flickering data includes a plurality of predetermined luminance values and a plurality of timing values, which correspond to the predetermined luminance values respectively, and wherein the user interface includes a user operation interface displayed on the display and a touch panel adapted to input personalized light flickering data into the user operation interface;

storing the personalized light flickering data set with the user interface;

generating at least one control signal in accordance with the stored personalized light flickering data; and

generating a driving signal by a driving signal generator in accordance with a control signal and driving the light emitting element with the driving signal.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting the personalized light flickering data to a storage unit with a processing unit.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting ambient light outside the electronic device and outputting a light sensing signal in accordance with an intensity of the detected ambient light; and

adjusting the control signal in accordance with the light sensing signal.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

calculating an average luminance value in accordance with two of the predetermined luminance values.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the driving signal is a pulse width modulation signal and the method further comprises:

adjusting the duty ratio of the pulse width modulation signal by the control signal.