Brightness adjustable electrical apparatus

• US 8,139,023 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2009
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Zhen, Yong-Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDI, NABIL Z
• Application Number:
  US12/367,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20100117946A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,135 Days
• Field of Search: 345/82, 345/39, 345/83, 345/108, 345/81, 345/76, 345/690, 345/12, 345/207, 345/102, 345/173, 345/175, 345/104, 345/649
• US Class Current: 345/102
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336

Abstract

A brightness adjustable electrical apparatus is disclosed. The electrical apparatus comprises a lighting module, a control unit and at least one light emitting diode (LED). The control unit is electrically connected to the lighting module for lighting control. The LED is electrically connected to the control unit, wherein the LED has an indicating mode to indicate the working state of the electrical apparatus and a detecting mode to detect the surrounding light intensity.

Claims

1. A brightness adjustable electrical apparatus, comprising:

a lighting module;

a control unit electrically connected to the lighting module for controlling the brightness thereof;

at least one light emitting diode electrically connected to the control unit, wherein the light emitting diode has an indicating mode and a detecting mode;

wherein when the light emitting diode is in the indicating mode, the light emitting diode indicates the working state of the electrical apparatus;

wherein when the light emitting diode is in the detecting mode, the light emitting diode detects the surrounding light intensity and transmit a detecting signal to the control unit, and the control unit adjusts the brightness of the lighting module according to the detecting signal, and the time period of the detecting mode is from 10 micro seconds to 30 micro seconds.

2. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the time period of the indicating mode is from 3 minutes to 7 minutes.

3. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detecting signal is an analog signal, and the control unit includes an analog-to-digital converter to convert the detecting signal to a digital detecting signal.

4. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a switch device electrically connected between a power source and the light emitting diode, and when the light emitting diode is in the detecting mode, the control unit controls the switch device to close the electrical route between the power source and the light emitting diode.

5. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is a micro control unit (MCU).

6. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical apparatus is a display apparatus.

7. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical apparatus is a liquid crystal display apparatus, and the lighting module is a backlight module.

8. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the lighting module to increase the brightness thereof when the light emitting diode detects the surrounding light intensity is increased, and the control unit controls the lighting module to reduce the brightness thereof when the light emitting diode detects that the surrounding light intensity is reduced.

9. A brightness adjustable electrical apparatus, comprising:

a display module;

a control unit electrically connected to the display module to control the display brightness thereof;

at least one light emitting diode electrically connected to the control unit, wherein the light emitting diode has an indicating mode and a detecting mode;

wherein when the light emitting diode is in the indicating mode, the light emitting diode indicates the working state of the electrical apparatus;

wherein when the light emitting diode is in the detecting mode, the light emitting diode detects the surrounding light intensity and transmit a detecting signal to the control unit, and the control unit adjusts the display brightness of the display module according to the detecting signal, and the time period of the detecting mode is from 10 micro seconds to 30 micro seconds.

10. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the display module is a display panel.

11. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the time period of the indicating mode is from 3 minutes to 7 minutes.

12. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the detecting signal is an analog signal, and the control unit includes an analog-to-digital converter to convert the detecting signal to a digital detecting signal.

13. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit includes a switch device electrically connected between a power source and the light emitting diode, and when the light emitting diode is in the detecting mode, the control unit controls the switch device to close the electrical route between the power source and the light emitting diode.

14. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit is a micro control unit.

15. The electrical apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit controls the lighting module to increase the brightness thereof when the light emitting diode detects that the surrounding light intensity is increased, and the control unit controls the lighting module to reduce the brightness thereof when the light emitting diode detects that the surrounding light intensity is reduced.

16. A liquid crystal display apparatus, comprising:

a liquid crystal display panel;

a backlight module disposed opposite to the liquid crystal display panel;

a control unit electrically connected to the backlight module for controlling the brightness thereof;

at least one light emitting diode electrically connected to the control unit, wherein the light emitting diode has an indicating mode and a detecting mode;

wherein when the light emitting diode is in the indicating mode, the light emitting diode is configured to indicate the working state of the liquid crystal display apparatus;

wherein when the light emitting diode is in the detecting mode, the light emitting diode is configured to detect the surrounding light intensity and transmit a detecting signal to the control unit, and the control unit adjusts the brightness of the backlight module according to the detecting signal, and the time period of the detecting mode is from 10 micro seconds to 30 micro seconds.

17. A display apparatus, comprising:

a display panel;

a control unit electrically connected to the display panel for controlling the display brightness thereof;

at least one light emitting diode electrically connected to the control unit, wherein the light emitting diode has an indicating mode and a detecting mode;

wherein when the light emitting diode is in the indicating mode, the light emitting diode is configured to indicate the working state of the display apparatus;

wherein when the light emitting diode is in the detecting mode, the light emitting diode is configured to detect the surrounding light intensity and transmit a detecting signal to the control unit, and the control unit adjusts the brightness of the display panel according to the detecting signal, and the time period of the detecting mode is from 10 micro seconds to 30 micro seconds.