JPH0435256A - Radio telephone set - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily confirm an input means and a display means visually even at a dark place by detecting the lightness around the input means or display means and lighting a light means intermittently when the detected light level is a predetermined level or below. CONSTITUTION:A key top section 21 of a key pad 2 is lighted from the rear side by back light LED 23c, 23c and a back light LED is similarly provided to a display section 3. At application of power, a photodetector provided in a light receiving section 4 checks the lightness around the key pad 2 and the display section 3 and when it is discriminated that the lightness is a lightness unable to be visually confirmed, the back light LED 23c or the like is lighted intermittently in a preset timing. Thus, the input means 2 and the display means 3 are easily visually confirmed even at a dark place.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a radio telephone device, and more particularly to a radio telephone device whose input section or display section is illuminated.

(Prior Art) Radio telephone devices, such as so-called car telephone devices and mobile telephone devices, are becoming widely popular because telephones can be used without being restricted by location.

Such portable radio telephone devices are not necessarily used in sufficiently bright locations. Therefore, some devices have a built-in lighting device that illuminates the keypad and display so as not to interfere with operation in the dark.

For example, a light emitting element such as an LED is arranged on the back of a keypad made of a material that allows light to pass through, and the keypad is illuminated from the back by the light emitting element. Further, in the display section, a light emitting element is similarly provided on the back surface of the liquid crystal display device.

Such a light emitting element provided on the back surface of a mechanical component such as a keypad or a liquid crystal display device is called a backlight.

By the way, since power is supplied from a battery in a wireless telephone device, in order to avoid wasting power, the backlight is controlled to be turned on only when necessary.

An example of backlight control will be described below using the flowchart shown in FIG.

This device controls the backlight in two modes called day mode and night mode.

First, when the device is powered on, the mode is automatically set to night mode (step 101).

Next, the standby mode enters the state, where it is first checked to see if the mode has been switched (Step 102), and if it is determined that the mode has been switched, the mode is switched (Step 103). ). Note that mode switching is performed by a predetermined operation of the keeper/rad.

After this, the backlight is turned off (step 104),
It is checked whether the current mode is day mode or night mode. Then, if it is determined that it is in daytime mode,
Furthermore, it is checked whether the power has been turned off (step 1).
06), if it has not been turned off, the standby mode will re-enter the state (
Step 102).

If it is determined that the mode is night mode, the state of the keypad is checked (step 107), and if a key is pressed here, the backlight is turned on (step 108). On the other hand, if the key is not pressed, the presence or absence of a communication channel connection is checked (step 109).
, if there is a connection to the communication channel, the backlight is turned on (step 108).

After the bank light is turned on (step 108), a timer for controlling the lighting time of the backlight is cleared (step 110).

Next, a timer count is performed (step 111).
After that, the presence or absence of a key press is checked again (step 11).
2). If a key is pressed, predetermined key manual processing is performed (step 113) and the timer is cleared (step 110). If no key is pressed, the presence or absence of a connection channel is checked (step 114);
If there is a connected channel, the timer is cleared (step 110). Note that if there is no key press and no communication channel connection, the value of the timer is checked (step 115).
, if the value of the timer has reached a predetermined set value, the standby state is entered (step 102). If the timer value has not reached the set value, the timer is counted again (step 111).

In this way, by setting the mode according to the brightness, the backlight will be turned off in bright places, and will be turned on for a predetermined period of time in dark places when any key is pressed or when a call channel is connected. They tried to save power by turning on the lights a lot.

However, in the night mode of the wireless telephone device mentioned above, the backlight is turned off, so you can check whether it is the keypad or the display.Moreover, the first key operation is ignored as a trigger for turning on the backlight, so it is smooth. I can't perform any operations.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) In the past, as a measure to reduce power consumption, the backlight was turned off even in the dark and the bank light was turned on using the first key operation as a trigger. There was a problem in that smooth operation could not be performed because the display could not be checked and the first key operation was wasted.

The present invention was made to solve these problems, and provides a wireless telephone device that can be operated smoothly even in a dark place.

"Structure of the Invention" (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides an input means including at least one key for inputting information, a display means for displaying a predetermined display, and a combination of the input means or the display means. A lighting means for illuminating, a brightness detection means for detecting the brightness around the input means or the display means, and a brightness level detected by the brightness detection means at a predetermined level or higher. A lighting control means is provided that turns off all of the lighting means for a certain period of time, and turns on at least a part of the lighting means intermittently while the temperature is below a predetermined level.

A second invention is the above invention, further comprising an input detection means for detecting that an input operation has been performed by the input means, and wherein the brightness level detected by the brightness detection means is set to a predetermined level. When an input is detected by the input detection means while the input voltage is below the level of the illumination means, at least a part of the illumination means is turned on continuously.

Furthermore, a third invention is the first invention, further comprising an incoming call detection means for detecting an incoming call via the wireless line, and a brightness level determined by the brightness detection means to be 1B. When an incoming call is detected by the incoming call detection means while the level is below a predetermined level, at least a part of the illumination means is turned on continuously.

(Function) In the present invention, the brightness around the input means or the display means is detected by the brightness detection means, and when the detected brightness level is below a predetermined level, the illumination means is turned on. It is lit intermittently.

Therefore, the input means and display means can be easily seen even in a dark place, and operations can be performed smoothly.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a mobile phone device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, this mobile phone device 1 includes a key pad 2 for inputting dial information, making and receiving calls, a display section 3 for displaying input dial information, etc., and a keypad 2 for displaying A light-receiving part 4 is provided between the part 3 and detects whether the brightness is bright enough for visual recognition, a battery storage part 5 in which a battery is stored, a telescoping antenna 6, and a receiver 7. , and a transmitter 8.

Next, the structure of the keypad 2 will be explained in detail using FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the keypad 2. FIG.

As shown in the figure, the keypad 2 includes a key top section 21, a contact section 22, and a light source section 23.

The key top portion 21 includes a key top 21a and a disc spring 21b.
It is composed of.

The contact portion 22 includes transparent electrodes 22a and 22b formed on one side, a transparent electrode 22C122d, and a translucent spacer 22e interposed between these.

The light source section 23 includes a substrate 23a and a bank light L [E D (1, light Emi
ttingDiode; light emitting diode) 23c, 2
B (and a reinforcing plate 23d made of a translucent material.

In this way, the back of the key top portion 2 is illuminated by the hack light LEDs 23c, 23c, and is configured to be visible even in a dark place. .

Further, the display section 3 is also provided with a hack light LED.

Next, the circuit configuration of this mobile phone device will be explained using the block diagram shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile phone device 100 includes a transmitting/receiving section 300 that exchanges signals with a base station (the path shown) via an antenna 200, and a control section 400 that controls the entire device. , an audio circuit unit 500 that processes transmitted and received audio, and a power supply unit 600 that supplies power to each part of this device.

The transmitting/receiving section 300 includes a receiver 310, a transmitter 320, an antenna duplexer 330, and a synthesizer 340.

The receiver 310 includes an antenna 200 and an antenna duplexer 33
0 demodulates the received signal from the base station input via 0. The transmitter 320 modulates the transmitted voice and control signal into a transmitted signal. The antenna duplexer 330 is the antenna 20
The received signal inputted through the transmitter 320 is sent out to the receiver 310, and the transmitted signal inputted from the transmitter 320 is sent out to the antenna 200.

Synthesizer 340 is a local oscillator for channel selection and selects the frequency to be demodulated by receiver 310 and transmitter 320.
Specify the frequency to be modulated with.

The control circuit section 400 includes a control circuit 410, a display section 420,
It is composed of a keypad 430, a backlight LED 440, and a light receiving sensor 450.

A control circuit 410 controls the entire device.

For example, it exchanges control signals with a base station related to a call, controls the manual input of information from the keypad 430, and controls the display on the display unit 420.

The display section 420 performs various displays under the control of the control circuit 410.

The keypad 430 has numeric keys "*" from "0" to "9",
"#", rsNDJ, rFUNcJ, rPOWERJ,
It consists of function keys such as rRcLJ and rENDJ, and the control circuit 410 recognizes that a key has been pressed.

The backlight LED 440 illuminates the display section 420 and the keypad 430 under the control of the control circuit 410.

The light receiving sensor 450 includes a phototransistor 452 and a load resistor 454. The light receiving sensor 450 is
It is provided in the light receiving section 4 and detects the brightness around the keypad 2 and display section 3, converts it into a voltage, and sends it to the control circuit 410.

The audio circuit section 500 includes a receiver 510, a transmitter 520, and an audio circuit 530.

The audio circuit 530 amplifies the received voice demodulated by the receiver 310 and outputs it from the receiver 510. In addition, the transmitter 52
0 is amplified and sent to the transmitter 320.

The power supply section 600 includes a battery 610 and a power supply circuit 620.

The power supply circuit 620 supplies the voltage supplied from the battery 610 to each part of this device at a predetermined voltage.

Next, the operation of the backlight will be explained in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

When the power is turned on to the device, the standby state is first entered. At this time, the light receiving sensor checks the brightness around the keypad and display section (step 401).

This is done by comparing the brightness level converted into voltage by the light receiving sensor with a predetermined minimum visible brightness level. As a result, if it is determined that the brightness is such that the keypad and display section can be visually recognized (the voltage detected by the light receiving sensor is higher), the backlight LED is turned off (step 402), and then It is checked whether the power is turned off (step 403). As a result, if the power is not turned off, the standby state is set again (step 401).

However, if it is determined that the brightness is too bright to be visible (the voltage detected by the light receiving sensor is lower),
Hack light LED is set in advance, for example, lights up for 1 second 2
It lights up intermittently, such as when it goes out for seconds.

After this, it is checked whether the key is pressed or not and the state of the key bat (step 404). If it is detected that a key has been pressed, a predetermined key manual process is performed (step 406) and the backlight LED is turned on (step 407).

On the other hand, if no key press is detected, it is checked whether there is a connection to the call channel (step 408).
. For example, it is checked whether a calling operation has been performed or whether there is an incoming call from the base station. Then, if there is a connection to the call channel, the backlight LED will be turned on (
Step 407) If the communication channel is not connected, it is checked whether the power is turned off (Step 4
03) Backlight LED is turned on (step 40)
7) The subsequent processing is similar to the conventional example shown in FIG.

That is, first, the value of the timer that measures the lighting time of the backlight LED is cleared (step 409).

A timer count is then performed (step 410).
After that, check whether a key is pressed (step 411),
If a key is pressed, predetermined key manual processing is performed (step 412), and the timer is cleared (step 409). If no key is pressed, the presence or absence of a connection channel is checked (step 413), and if there is a connection channel, the timer is cleared (step 409).

If neither a key is pressed nor a communication channel is connected, the value of the timer is checked (step 414), and if the predetermined value has been reached, the standby state is entered (step 40).
1).

If the timer value has not reached the predetermined value, the timer counts again (step 41 [)). Therefore, the light receiving sensor detects the brightness of the surrounding area, and it is determined that the brightness is insufficient. case, backlight LED
It is lit intermittently. This allows you to see the layout of the keypad and the display on the display even in a dark place, allowing smooth operation from the first key press.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the entire surface of the keypad and display section is illuminated, but when the keypad is lit intermittently, only some keys on the keypad, for example, the 5NDJ key, may be illuminated. The timing is also not particularly limited to this embodiment.

Although the illumination control means can be entirely realized using a software method as in the embodiments described above, it is also possible to realize a part or all of it using a hardware method.

Furthermore, although an example in which a phototransistor is used as a light receiving sensor has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and any element other than a phototransistor that can detect the intensity of a photodiode may be used. You can. Furthermore, instead of providing the light receiving section on the surface of the device, it may be formed integrally with the keypad or the like.

In addition to the LEDs used in this example, elements used in the back panel include E L (Electroluminium
It goes without saying that other light-emitting elements such as nescence) panels may be used, and the light-emitting element may be one that illuminates the surface instead of a backlight.

Furthermore, it can be applied to all kinds of wireless telephones in addition to the mobile telephones of the embodiments, and in telephone devices such as car telephone devices that are mounted on a handset or a cradle, it is possible to detect attachment/detachment operations between the handset and the cradle. The illumination means may also be controlled.

[Effects of the Invention] In the present invention, the brightness around the input means or the display means is detected, and when the detected brightness level is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the lighting means Since it is lit intermittently, the input means and display means can be easily seen even in a dark place, and operations can be performed smoothly.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a portable radio telephone device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of a key bat.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the portable radio telephone device of this embodiment, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the control operation of this hack light LED, and FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the conventional backlight. be. 1. Portable wireless telephone device, 2. Keypad, 3. Display section, 4.
・Light receiving part, 5...Battery storage part, 6...Ashitena, 7.
Receiver, 8・Transmitter, 100・Mobile radio telephone device, 30
0... Transmission/reception unit, 400... Control unit, 500... Audio circuit unit, 600... Power supply unit, 610... Battery, 410...
...Control circuit, 420 Mountain display section, 430...Keypad, 44o...Backlight LED. 0... Light receiving sensor, 2... Phototransistor.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) An input means including at least one key for inputting information, a display means for displaying a predetermined display, an illumination means for illuminating the input means or the display means, and an area around the input means or the display means. a brightness detection means for detecting brightness; and a brightness detection means for turning off all of the illumination means while the brightness level detected by the brightness detection means is equal to or higher than a predetermined level. and lighting control means for causing at least a portion of the lighting means to be lit intermittently while the temperature is below a predetermined level. (2) comprising an input detection means for detecting that an input operation has been performed by the input means, and the input while the brightness level detected by the brightness detection means is below a predetermined level; 2. The wireless telephone device according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the illumination means is continuously lit when an input is detected by the detection means. (3) comprising an incoming call detection means for detecting an incoming call via a wireless line, and while the brightness level detected by the brightness detection means is below a predetermined level; 2. The radio telephone device according to claim 1, wherein when an incoming call is detected by the incoming call detection means, at least a part of the illumination means is continuously turned on.