Control head with electroluminescent panel in land mobile radio

• US 9,262,958 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E F Johnson Company (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Original Assignee: E F Johnson Company (JVC Kenwood Corporation)
• Inventors: Frandsen, Troy, Dunnigan, William Earl, Reavill, Dulie
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): EUSTAQUIO, CAL J
• Application Number:
  US12/614,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20100141565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,293 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/003 the elements being electronics drivers or controllers for operating the light source, e.g. for a LED array
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 23/04 the elements being switches safety devices F21V25/00
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/00 Planar light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/20 Electroluminescent [EL] light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/60 Memory management
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/08 Details of timing specific for flat panels, other than clock recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/30 using electroluminescent panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3258 with pixel circuitry controlling the voltage across the light-emitting element
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/83 characterised by legends, e.g. Braille, liquid crystal displays, light emitting or optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/401 for selecting or indicating operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/12 Light sources with substantially two-dimensional radiating surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/10 Controlling the intensity of the light

Abstract

An exemplary land mobile radio control head and method are provided. In one embodiment, the control head has the capability to utilize halo light of the control head to implement a multi-function indicator that communicates a state of the land mobile radio. In another embodiment, the control head has the capability to provide buffer images constructed from data received from the land mobile radio into a video stream for rendering on an electroluminescent display. In another embodiment, the control head provides the capability for a user to modify a configuration stored on the land mobile radio that defines one of several display modes to be utilized in generating data for use in forming images to be rendered on an electroluminescent display.

Claims

1. A control head for use with a land mobile radio, the control head comprising:

a plurality of user interface input/output components,

one or more first light pipes each having a first LED operable to illuminate a respective one of the one or more first light pipes to provide a halo light for at least one of said user interface input/output components;

a second light pipe having a plurality of indicator LEDs each operable to illuminate the second light pipe to provide an indicator halo light for at least another one of said user interface input/output components; and

a control system configured to determine a state of the land mobile radio, to control activation of the first LEDs, and to control individual activation of the indicator LEDs,

wherein the control system is operable, in response to determining the state of the land mobile radio, to control activation of each of the indicator LEDs to indicate the state of the land mobile radio via the indicator halo light,

wherein the control system is operable to monitor the state of the land mobile radio and, in response to detecting a change in the state of the land mobile radio, to control activation of each of the indicator LEDs to indicate the change in the state of the land mobile radio via the indicator halo light,

wherein the control system is operable to activate a first one of the plurality of indicator LEDs to illuminate the second light pipe and the indicator halo light a first hue to indicate the land mobile radio is in an idle state,

wherein the control system is operable to activate a second one of the plurality of indicator LEDs to illuminate the second light pipe and the indicator halo light a second hue to indicate the land mobile radio is in a transmit state, and

wherein the control system is operable to activate a third one of the plurality of indicator LEDs to illuminate the second light pipe and the indicator halo light a third hue to indicate the land mobile radio is in a receive state.

2. The control head of claim 1, wherein the another one of said user interface input/output components comprises a user actuable button.

3. The control head of claim 1, wherein at least one of the user interface input/output components comprises an electroluminescent display.

7. The control head of claim 1, wherein the control system is further operable to generate display data on one of the user interface input/output components in accordance with a user-selected display mode.

8. The control head of claim 7, wherein the user-selected display mode is selected from various display modes defined by a configuration.

11. The control head of claim 1, wherein the control system comprises a master controller and a control head slave controller.

4. A method of operation for a control head for use with a land mobile radio, the control head having a plurality of user interface input/output components, one or more first light pipes each having a first LED, a second light pipe having a plurality of indicator LEDs, and a control system, the method comprising:

activating, via the control system, one or more of the first LEDs to illuminate one or more of the first light pipes to provide a halo light for one or more of the user interface input/output components;

determining, via the control system, a state of the land mobile radio;

activating, via the control system, one of the plurality of indicator LEDs to illuminate the second light pipe to provide an indicator halo light for at least another one of the user interface input/output components to indicate the state of the land mobile radio via the indicator halo light;

monitoring, via the control system, the state of the land mobile radio; and

in response to detecting a change in the state of the land mobile radio, controlling, via the control system, activation of each of the plurality of indicator LEDs to indicate the change in the state of the land mobile radio via the indicator halo light,

wherein indicating the state of the land mobile radio via the indicator halo light comprises;

activating, via the control system, a first one of the plurality of indicator LEDs to illuminate the second light pipe and the indicator halo light a first hue when the land mobile radio is in an idle state,

activating, via the control system, a second one of the plurality of indicator LEDs to illuminate the second light pipe and the indicator halo light a second hue when the land mobile radio is in a transmit state, and

activating, via the control system, a third one of the plurality of indicator LEDs to illuminate the second light pipe and the indicator halo light a third hue when the land mobile radio is in a receive state.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the another one of said user interface input/output components comprises a user actuable button.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein at least one of said user interface input/output components comprises an electroluminescent display.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising generating, via the control system, display data on one of the user interface input/output components in accordance with a user-selected display mode.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user-selected display mode is selected from various display modes defined by a configuration.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein the control system comprises a master controller and a control head slave controller.