Portable electronic device and illumination controlling method thereof

• US 8,344,995 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2009
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jeon, Byeong-Hui, Kim, Hong-Ju, Lee, Sang-Wook
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tryder, Gregory J
• Application Number:
  US12/649,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20110037576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,099 Days
• Field of Search: 345 87- 90, 345/102, 345156-159, 345173-176, 345/659, 345/690, 345/104, 713300-324, 715/690, 715784-787, 178 1801- 2004, 362 971- 973, 349/65, 349 69- 70
• US Class Current: 345/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0606 Manual adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/062 Adjustment of illumination source parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/342 using several illumination sources separately controlled corresponding to different display panel areas, e.g. along one dimension such as lines
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A portable display device includes a display formed with electronic paper, an illuminating unit, and a controller. The electronic paper displays data in response to applied electrical current, and maintains displaying of the data in an absence of the applied electrical current. The illuminating unit selectively illuminates each particular region of a plurality of regions of the display and includes a plurality of light sources which are individually associated with one or more of the plurality of regions of the display. The controller activates the illuminating unit, selectively activating a first group of the plurality of light sources to illuminate a particular region of the display responsive to user contact, and the first group includes at least one of the plurality of light sources.

Claims

1. A portable display device, comprising:

a display formed with electronic paper, the electronic paper being configured to display data in response to applied electrical current, and to maintain displaying of the data in an absence of the applied electrical current;

an illuminating unit configured to selectively illuminate each particular region of a plurality of regions of the display, the illuminating unit comprising a plurality of light sources which are individually associated with one or more of the plurality of regions of the display;

a controller configured to activate the illuminating unit, selectively activating a first group of the plurality of light sources to illuminate a particular region of the display responsive to user contact, wherein the first group comprises at least one of the plurality of light sources; and

an illumination sensor configured to detect luminance of ambient light,

wherein;

the controller is further configured to operate in a nighttime mode in which the illuminating unit is activated, or to operate in a daytime mode in which the illuminating unit is not activated;

the illuminating unit is activated based upon the detected luminance such that the nighttime mode is automatically activated when a level of the detected luminance is less than a preset value; and

in the daytime mode, the displayed data that is associated with the particular region of the display is distinguished from the displayed data of other regions of the display based upon a different size or color of text of the displayed data.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a touch sensor positioned proximate to the display and configured to detect the user contact relative to each of the plurality of regions of the display, wherein the particular region of the display that is illuminated corresponds to a location, relative to a particular region of the plurality of regions of the display, the user contact is detected via the touch sensor.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the touch sensor is layered onto the display in a form of a film.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to:

successively activate one or more adjacent light sources of the plurality of light sources in a direction responsive to the user contact including contact relative to the touch sensor that occurs over a distance.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light sources are disposed adjacent to an edge of the display.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

activate the illuminating unit to activate the first group of at least one light source at a first luminance level; and

activate the illuminating unit to activate a second group of the plurality of light sources at a second luminance level which is less than the first luminance level, wherein the second group comprises light sources which are not included in the first group.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light sources are positioned relative to the display in such a manner that a substantially constant distance is maintained between adjacent ones of the plurality of light sources.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the display comprises opposing first and second edges, and opposing third and fourth edges; and

some of the plurality of light sources are located relative to the first and second edges, and remaining light sources of the plurality of light sources are located relative to the third and fourth edges.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a motion sensor configured to detect relative motion of the device, wherein the controller is further configured to, responsive to an input from the motion sensor, selectively illuminate another region of the plurality of regions of the display responsive to detecting a tilt of the device relative to an initial position, wherein the another region varies in a manner that corresponds to a degree of an angle of the tilt.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an image sensor configured to obtain input representative of a user'"'"'s iris or face, and wherein the controller is further configured to, responsive the input obtained by the image sensor, selectively illuminate another region of the plurality of regions of the display responsive to detecting a change of the user'"'"'s iris or face by the image sensor.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to automatically select another region of the plurality of regions of the display when a preset time period lapses after illuminating the particular region.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to activate the illuminating unit to:

illuminate a preset region of the plurality of regions of the display when the displayed data represents another page of data;

selectively illuminate an upper end region of the display when the another page of data is a next page; and

selectively illuminate a lower end region of the display when the another page of data is a previous page.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to operate in:

a continuous illumination mode for continuously illuminating the particular region of the display;

or

an instantaneous illumination mode for illuminating the particular region of the display until another region of the display is to be illuminated responsive to further user contact associated with a different region of the display.

14. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a haptic device configured to generate vibration, and wherein the controller is further configured to activate the haptic device when no input signal is recognized for a first preset time while the illuminating unit is in an activated state.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to deactivate the illuminating unit when no input signal is recognized for a second preset time after the haptic device is activated.

16. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configured to store a last illuminated region of the display before the illuminated unit becomes inactive.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to illuminate the last illuminated region stored in the memory when the illuminated unit becomes reactivated.

18. The device of claim 16, further comprising:

a haptic device configured to generate vibration;

a touch sensor positioned proximate to the display and configured to detect the user contact relative to each of the plurality of regions of the display, wherein;

the particular region of the display that is illuminated corresponds to a location, relative to a particular region of the plurality of regions of the display, the user contact is detected via the touch sensor; and

the controller is further configured to activate the haptic device upon receiving the user contact at the last illuminated region stored in the memory when the illumination unit is reactivated.