JP2006235464A - Method for illuminating liquid crystal screen, and cellular phone - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for illuminating a liquid crystal screen and a cellular phone capable of displaying required information with full brightness and reducing power consumption of the backlight of the liquid crystal screen. <P>SOLUTION: A first high luminance backlight 5a with large power consumption for illuminating the whole surface of the liquid crystal screen 4 and a second low luminance backlight 5b to illuminating a part of the liquid crystal screen 4 with small power consumption are mounted as backlight of the liquid crystal screen 4 and a range to be illuminated is switched by the backlight, according to use, namely, information to be displayed on the liquid crystal screen 4 and a function to be performed. Thus, power consumed for illuminating unnecessary parts is reduced, and the power consumption of the back light is reduced, while being sufficient brightness. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal screen illumination method and a mobile phone including a liquid crystal screen illuminated by the method.

  In recent mobile phones, in addition to the communication function and the mail transmission / reception function, various functions such as a photography function, a WEB content browsing function, a game function, a TV phone function, and a TV broadcast reception function are added. In order to display WEB content, game screens, and the like in gorgeous colors, the backlight level is increased to display the liquid crystal screen brightly.

  On the other hand, mobile phones are required to be smaller and lighter, and a large battery cannot be mounted. Therefore, when power consumption increases, there is a problem that usable time is shortened. Therefore, in order to reduce the power consumption of the mobile phone, a method is used such as lowering the backlight irradiation level when there is no key operation for a certain period of time.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-85682 discloses a display unit, an illumination unit that emits light emitted to the display unit, an illumination control unit that controls the amount of light emitted from the illumination unit, and an illumination unit. A display control unit that changes the number of gradations of the display unit according to the amount of light, and an appropriate number of gradations (number of display colors) is selected according to the brightness of the display unit, or there is no user input Discloses a technique for reducing power consumption by lowering the number of gray levels of a display unit when a predetermined time has elapsed.

JP 2004-85682 A (page 5-9, FIG. 1)

  However, when there is no key operation for a certain period of time, the method of lowering the illumination level of the backlight cannot reduce the power consumption while the key is being operated, and the power consumption is reduced as in Patent Document 1 above. Therefore, if the number of gradations (number of display colors) is lowered, there is a problem that pictures, WEB contents, game screens, etc. cannot be displayed in gorgeous colors.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its main purpose is to display necessary information with sufficient brightness and to reduce the power consumption of the backlight of the liquid crystal screen. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for illuminating a liquid crystal screen and a mobile phone including a liquid crystal screen illuminated by the method.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for illuminating a liquid crystal screen in a mobile phone, wherein a plurality of backlights having different illumination areas are provided as backlights of the liquid crystal screen, and are displayed on the liquid crystal screen. One of the plurality of backlights is turned on according to information to be performed or a function to be executed.

  Further, the present invention is a method for illuminating a liquid crystal screen in a mobile phone, wherein a first backlight and a second backlight having different illumination areas are provided as backlights of the liquid crystal screen, and the liquid crystal screen is provided on the liquid crystal screen. Either the first backlight or the second backlight is turned on according to displayed information or a function to be executed.

  The present invention is also a method for illuminating a liquid crystal screen in a mobile phone, wherein a first backlight for illuminating the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen and a part of the liquid crystal screen are illuminated as a backlight of the liquid crystal screen. A second backlight, and when the information is displayed on the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen, the first backlight is turned on, and when the information is displayed on the part of the liquid crystal screen, the second backlight is turned on. The second backlight is turned on.

  In the present invention, the information displayed on the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen includes Web content, a finder image of the camera function, an image shot by the camera function, or a game screen. It is preferable that the information displayed on the section includes any one of a telephone number input when making a call, information input when creating an e-mail, and information on a cursor position when reading the e-mail.

  According to the present invention, in a mobile phone including at least a liquid crystal screen, the backlight of the liquid crystal screen is configured by a plurality of backlights having different illumination areas.

  Further, the present invention provides a mobile phone having at least a liquid crystal screen, wherein the backlight of the liquid crystal screen illuminates a first backlight for illuminating the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen and a part of the liquid crystal screen. And the second backlight.

  In the present invention, a reflection plate that reflects the illumination light of the backlight to the liquid crystal screen is provided, and the reflection plate includes a mechanism that reflects the illumination light from the first backlight to the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen; And a mechanism that reflects illumination light from the second backlight to a part of the liquid crystal screen.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that a part of the liquid crystal screen is an area where input information is displayed or an area specified by a cursor.

  In the present invention, a control unit that controls lighting of the backlight is provided, and the control unit controls the first backlight or the first backlight according to information displayed on the liquid crystal screen or a function to be executed. One of the two backlights can be turned on.

  Thus, according to the structure of this invention, according to the information displayed on a liquid crystal screen, or the function to perform, the 1st backlight for illuminating the whole surface of a liquid crystal screen or a part of liquid crystal screen is illuminated. Since the control to turn on one of the second backlights is performed, it is possible to suppress useless power consumption for illuminating an unnecessary portion, thereby making necessary information sufficiently bright And the power consumption of the backlight can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the liquid crystal screen illumination method and mobile phone of the present invention, necessary information can be displayed with sufficient brightness, and the power consumption of the backlight can be reduced.

  The reason for this is that, as a backlight for illuminating the liquid crystal screen, a first backlight with high power consumption for illuminating the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen and a low power consumption for illuminating a part of the liquid crystal screen. Since a plurality of backlights such as the second backlight are provided, and control is performed to turn on either the first backlight or the second backlight according to information displayed on the liquid crystal screen or a function to be executed. This is because it is possible to illuminate only the necessary part, and it is possible to suppress unnecessary power consumption for illuminating the unnecessary part.

  Therefore, if the contents can be read with only a part of the LCD screen, such as inputting a telephone number when making a call, inputting characters when creating an e-mail, reading an e-mail, etc., the second illumination area is narrow. Power consumption can be reduced by switching to the backlight, and when using as a finder for browsing web content or camera functions, it is convenient to switch to a high-brightness backlight with a wide illumination area. And you can enjoy the vividness of the LCD.

  As shown in the prior art, it is important to reduce the power consumption of the backlight that illuminates the liquid crystal screen in order to extend the battery life of the mobile phone, so that there is no key operation for a certain period of time. A method of lowering the illumination level of the backlight is used, but this method cannot reduce power consumption during key operation. Patent Document 1 discloses a method of adjusting the number of gradations. However, if the number of gradations is lowered, photographs, WEB contents, game screens, and the like cannot be displayed in gorgeous colors.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen is illuminated as a backlight of the liquid crystal screen so that power consumption can be reduced even when keys are operated and necessary information can be displayed with sufficient brightness. A high-brightness first backlight with high power consumption and a low-brightness second backlight with low power consumption for illuminating a part of the liquid crystal screen are mounted, The range illuminated by the backlight is switched according to the displayed information and the function to be executed. Thereby, the power consumed for illuminating unnecessary portions can be reduced, and the power consumption of the backlight can be reduced while the brightness is sufficient.

  In order to describe the above-described embodiment of the present invention in more detail, a liquid crystal screen illumination method and a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile phone according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a structure of a display unit of the mobile phone. 3 to 5 are diagrams showing a specific structure of the display unit, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the mobile phone of this embodiment. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing the illumination state of the liquid crystal screen.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment includes a display unit 3 that displays a telephone number, e-mail, WEB content, photo image, and the like, and a plurality of numeric keys, direction keys, special function keys, and the like. A key operation unit 6 in which keys are arranged, a wireless communication unit 7 and an antenna 7a for performing telephone communication, mail transmission / reception, Internet connection, and the like, and a microphone 8 and a speaker for inputting / outputting voice and outputting ringtones 9, means 10 for realizing various functions such as a camera function and a game function, and a control unit 2 for controlling them.

  The display unit 3 includes a liquid crystal screen 4 in which liquid crystal elements are arranged in a matrix, a first backlight 5 a with high power consumption for illuminating the entire liquid crystal screen 4, and a part of the liquid crystal screen 4. And at least a second backlight 5b with low power consumption. The structure of the display unit 3 is schematically shown in FIG. 2, and a reflector 11 having a function of reflecting backlight illumination light in the direction of the liquid crystal screen 4 at a position facing the liquid crystal screen 4. And a first backlight 5a and a second backlight 5b each including a light-emitting element such as one or a plurality of LEDs are arranged around the reflector 11.

  2 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the display unit 3 for easy understanding. In the actual mobile phone 1, the liquid crystal screen 4 and the reflector 1 are arranged close to each other. In FIG. 2, the first backlight 5a is provided on the short side of the reflecting plate 11 and the second backlight 5b is provided on the long side of the reflecting plate 11, but this arrangement may be reversed. However, the first backlight 5a and the second backlight 5b may be arranged on opposite sides. In addition, the shape and number of the first backlight 5a and the second backlight 5b are arbitrary, and the first backlight 5a is changed to two, or the second backlight 5b is changed to one. Is possible.

  Various structures are conceivable as the display unit 3, and examples thereof are shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 are diagrams schematically showing a specific structure of the display unit 3 having the arrangement shown in FIG. 2, wherein (a) is a top view, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′, c) is a sectional view taken along line BB ′.

  First, a first specific example will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3A, the first backlight 5 a having a length substantially equal to the short side is disposed on the side surface on the short side of the reflecting plate 11, and on the side surface on the long side of the reflecting plate 11. The second backlight 5b having a length substantially equal to a part of the liquid crystal screen 4 (a specific region) is disposed to face the liquid crystal screen 4. In addition, a concave / convex pattern (referred to as a first concave / convex pattern) in which concave portions and convex portions are repeatedly arranged in the horizontal direction (first direction) in the drawing is formed on the entire surface of the reflecting plate 11. Furthermore, a concave / convex pattern (referred to as a second concave / convex pattern) in which concave and convex portions are repeatedly arranged in the vertical direction (second direction) in the figure is formed at a position corresponding to a specific region. Has been.

  And as shown in FIG.3 (b), when light is irradiated toward the 1st direction from the 1st backlight 5a, illumination light will propagate the inside of the reflecting plate 11, and the 1st uneven | corrugated pattern Each of the projections is reflected by the liquid crystal screen 4. As a result, the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen 4 is illuminated by the first backlight 5a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3C, when light is irradiated from the second backlight 5b in the second direction, the illumination light propagates inside the reflector 11 and the second uneven pattern. Each of the projections is reflected by the liquid crystal screen 4. Thereby, a part (specific area) of the liquid crystal screen 4 is illuminated by the second backlight 5a.

  Accordingly, the first backlight 5a is used when it is necessary to illuminate the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen 4, such as when browsing the WEB content or as a camera function finder, when displaying a photo image, or when playing a game. The second backlight 5b is lit when it is sufficient to illuminate only a part of the liquid crystal screen 4 such as inputting a telephone number when making a call, inputting characters when creating an e-mail, reading an e-mail, etc. The necessary part is illuminated with sufficient brightness by switching between the first backlight 5a and the second backlight 5b according to the information displayed on the liquid crystal screen 4 and the function to be executed. In addition, the power consumption of the backlight can be reduced.

  Here, in FIG. 3, different uneven patterns (first uneven pattern and second uneven pattern) in which concave and convex portions are repeatedly arranged in different directions (first direction and second direction) on the reflector 11. However, when it is desired to simplify the structure of the reflecting plate 11, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, fine irregularities are formed on a portion (shaded portion in the drawing) corresponding to a specific region below the reflecting plate 11. 4 may be formed, and the light radiated from the second backlight 5b may be diffusely reflected by the irregular reflection unit 12 as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a diffusion part 13 for diffusing light is formed in a part (shaded part in the figure) corresponding to a specific region on the upper part of the reflection plate 11, as shown in FIG. In addition, the light emitted from the second backlight 5 b may be diffused by the diffusion unit 13.

  Next, the operation of the mobile phone 1 including the display unit 3 having the above structure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S101, the key operation unit 6 is operated to provide functions provided in the mobile phone 1 (for example, telephone calls, transmission / reception of e-mails, connection to the Internet, taking pictures using digital camera functions, games, The function to be executed is selected from the reception of TV broadcasts).

  Next, in step S102, the control unit 2 recognizes the selected function, and it is necessary to illuminate the entire liquid crystal screen 4 in order to execute the function, or a part of the liquid crystal screen 4 (a specific region). To determine if only the light should be illuminated. Specifically, of the above functions, when making a call by entering a phone number, only the area for entering the phone number needs to be brightly lit. When creating an email, enter letters and numbers. Only the area needs to be illuminated brightly. When the received e-mail is read, only the area designated by the cursor needs to be illuminated brightly, so that it is determined that only a specific area needs to be illuminated. On the other hand, when browsing WEB content, using it as a camera function finder, displaying a photograph taken, or playing a game, it is necessary to display information on the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen 4. It is determined that all 4 need to be illuminated.

  If it is determined that the entire liquid crystal screen 4 needs to be illuminated, in step S103, the control unit 2 turns on the first backlight 5a and brightens the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen 4 as shown in FIG. indicate. On the other hand, if it is determined that only a specific area needs to be illuminated, in step S104, the control unit 2 turns on the second backlight 5b and, as shown in FIG. Display only (area) brightly.

  In FIG. 8, the lower area of the liquid crystal screen 4 is illuminated. However, the illuminated area may be an area where input information (such as a phone number or e-mail characters) is displayed or an area designated by a cursor. What is necessary is just to change suitably according to the specification of the mobile telephone 1, such as illuminating the area | region of the upper side of the liquid crystal screen 4, or illuminating the center part. Moreover, the area to be illuminated may be a part of the liquid crystal screen 4, and a spot-like narrow area may be illuminated, or a plurality of areas such as an upper side and a lower side may be illuminated. In that case, the irregularities, the irregular reflection part 12 and the diffusion part 13 may be provided in the part corresponding to the area to be illuminated. Further, when illuminating according to the position of the cursor, the second backlight 5b is arranged side by side in the long side direction, the position of the cursor is recognized by the control unit 2, and the corresponding second backlight 5b is turned on. Light up.

  Thereafter, in step S105, it is selected whether another function is to be executed. If another function is to be executed, the process returns to step S101 and the same processing is repeated.

  Thus, in this embodiment, as the backlight for illuminating the liquid crystal screen 4 of the mobile phone 1, the first backlight 5 a with high power consumption for illuminating the entire liquid crystal screen 4 and the liquid crystal screen 4. Two types of the second backlight 5b with low power consumption for illuminating a part (specific area) of the first backlight are provided, and the first backlight is selected according to information displayed on the liquid crystal screen 4 and functions to be executed. Since the control to switch between the 5a and the second backlight 5b is performed, the power consumption can be suppressed because the unnecessary portion is illuminated.

  In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the mobile phone is provided with two types of backlights, the first backlight and the second backlight, is described, but the present invention is not limited to the description of the above embodiment. It suffices to have a plurality of backlights having different illumination areas, and three or more types of backlights may be provided.

  The lighting method of the present invention is not limited to a mobile phone having a liquid crystal screen, but can be applied to any portable device driven by a battery such as a portable terminal such as a PDA, a game machine, or a notebook personal computer. The present invention can be similarly applied to a device driven by a commercial power source such as a liquid crystal television.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile telephone which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows typically the structure of the display part of the mobile telephone which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is the upper side figure and side sectional view which show the example of the specific structure of the display part of the mobile telephone which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is the upper side figure and side sectional view which show the example of the specific structure of the display part of the mobile telephone which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is the upper side figure and side sectional view which show the example of the specific structure of the display part of the mobile telephone which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows operation | movement of the mobile telephone based on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen (when the whole is illuminated) displayed on the display part of the mobile telephone which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen (when only a specific area | region is illuminated) displayed on the display part of the mobile telephone which concerns on one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cellular phone 2 Control part 3 Display part 4 Liquid crystal screen 5a 1st backlight 5b 2nd backlight 6 Key operation part 7 Radio | wireless part 8 Microphone 9 Speaker 10 Internal storage device 11 Reflector 12 Diffuse reflection part 13 Diffusion part

Claims (9)

A method of illuminating a liquid crystal screen in a mobile phone,
As the backlight of the liquid crystal screen, a plurality of backlights having different illumination areas are provided,
An illumination method of a liquid crystal screen, wherein one of the plurality of backlights is turned on according to information displayed on the liquid crystal screen or a function to be executed. A method of illuminating a liquid crystal screen in a mobile phone,
As the backlight of the liquid crystal screen, a first backlight and a second backlight that are different from each other in an illumination area are provided,
An illumination method for a liquid crystal screen, wherein either the first backlight or the second backlight is turned on according to information displayed on the liquid crystal screen or a function to be executed. A method of illuminating a liquid crystal screen in a mobile phone,
As the backlight of the liquid crystal screen, a first backlight that illuminates the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen, and a second backlight that illuminates a part of the liquid crystal screen,
When information is displayed on the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen, the first backlight is turned on, and when information is displayed on the part of the liquid crystal screen, the second backlight is turned on. A method for illuminating a liquid crystal screen. Information displayed on the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen includes any of Web content, a finder image of the camera function, an image shot by the camera function, or a game screen,
Information displayed on a part of the liquid crystal screen includes any one of a telephone number input when making a call, information input when creating an e-mail, and information on a cursor position when reading the e-mail. The method for illuminating a liquid crystal screen according to claim 3. In a mobile phone having at least a liquid crystal screen,
The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the backlight of the liquid crystal screen is composed of a plurality of backlights having different illumination areas. In a mobile phone having at least a liquid crystal screen,
The backlight of the liquid crystal screen is composed of a first backlight for illuminating the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen and a second backlight for illuminating a part of the liquid crystal screen. Mobile phone. A reflector that reflects the illumination light of the backlight to the liquid crystal screen;
A mechanism for reflecting illumination light from the first backlight to the entire surface of the liquid crystal screen; and a mechanism for reflecting illumination light from the second backlight to a part of the liquid crystal screen. The mobile phone according to claim 6, further comprising:   The mobile phone according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a part of the liquid crystal screen is an area where input information is displayed or an area specified by a cursor. Comprising control means for controlling lighting of the backlight;
9. The control means, wherein either the first backlight or the second backlight is turned on according to information displayed on the liquid crystal screen or a function to be executed. The mobile phone according to any one of the above.

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