Portable electronic apparatus and backlight control method thereof

• US 8,982,034 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2009
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Ming-Jer
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nadkarni, Sarvesh J
• Application Number:
  US12/426,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20090262052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,157 Days
• Field of Search: 345/84, 345/102
• US Class Current: 345/102
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• 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 portable electronic device and a backlight control method are both provided herein. The portable electronic device includes a display, a backlight module, an orientation sensor, and a light sensor. The backlight control method includes steps of providing the display with a backlight emitted from the backlight module; sensing a spatial position of the portable electronic device with the orientation sensor and generating a first signal in accordance with the spatial position; sensing the brightness of the ambient light outside the portable electronic device with the light sensor and generating a second signal in accordance with the brightness of the ambient light; and turning on or off the backlight module in accordance with the first signal and the second signal.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device with a speaker hole defined thereon, comprising:

a display;

a backlight module for providing the display with a backlight;

an orientation sensor for sensing a spatial position of the portable electronic device and generating a first signal in accordance with the spatial position, wherein the first signal corresponds to at least one first orientation value;

a light sensor, disposed on the same side with and around the speaker hole, for sensing a brightness of an ambient light outside the portable electronic device and generating a second signal in accordance with the brightness, wherein the second signal corresponds to a brightness value; and

a processing unit for turning on or off the backlight module in accordance with the at least one first orientation value and the brightness value,

wherein after a calling request is received, the processing unit enables the orientation sensor and the light sensor to generate the first signal and the second signal, and if the at least one first orientation value falls within a first value range and the brightness value falls within a second value range, the processing unit has the calling request automatically accepted for a communication and turns off the backlight module, and

wherein after the calling request is automatically accepted and the backlight module is turned off and before the communication is ended, the orientation sensor generates another first signal, which corresponds to at least one second orientation value, and the processing unit turns on the backlight module if the at least one first orientation value falls within the second value range.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further used for determining whether the at least one first orientation value falls within a first value range and the brightness value falls within a second value range.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises an analog-to-digital converter for converting the first signal and the second signal into two digital signals.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor is an acceleration sensor.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the orientation sensor is a gyro sensor.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is a microprocessor.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein after the communication is ended, the orientation sensor stops generating the first signal and the light sensor stops generating the second signal.

8. A control method for a portable electronic device, the portable electronic device including a display, a backlight module, an orientation sensor, and a light sensor, the method comprising:

providing a backlight from the backlight module for the display;

enabling the orientation sensor and the light sensor after a calling request is received;

generating a first signal with the orientation sensor in accordance with a spatial position of the portable electronic device, wherein the first signal corresponds to at least one first orientation value;

generating a second signal with the light sensor in accordance with the brightness of an ambient light outside the portable electronic device, wherein the second signal corresponds to a brightness value;

automatically accepting a calling request for a communication and turning off the backlight module if the at least one first orientation value falls within a first value range and the brightness value falls within a second value range after the calling request is received; and

after the calling request is automatically accepted and the backlight module is turned off and before the communication is ended, generating another first signal, which corresponds to at least one second orientation value, and turning on the backlight module if the at least one first orientation value falls within the second value range.

9. The control method of claim 8, further comprising:

converting the first signal and the second signal into two digital signals.

10. The control method of claim 8, further comprising:

after the communication is ended, stopping generating the first signal with the orientation sensor and stopping generating the second signal with the light sensor.