JPH05334571A - Electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain higher visibility, to effectively call attention of a user at the time of generating an error, etc., and to display visual interest by the light emitting operation of an illumination means. CONSTITUTION:In an electronic equipment provided with the lighting means 5A and 5G which can operate to emit plural colors in accordance with a display part 3 and an operation switch 2, a light emission driving means 6 driving light-emission by selecting a light emitting color in the lighting means and a control means 1 supplying the selection control signal of the light emitting color and controlling the operation of the electronic equipment in accordance with the operation by the operation switch and a faulty detection means 7 detecting the faulty of the operation are provided. The lighting means are lighted by successively switching the plural light emitting colors in each prescribed timing when the fault detection means detects the fault of the operation or the operation switch 2 executes the prescribed operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an audio device,
The present invention relates to an electronic device such as a video device, and particularly to an illuminating means provided for a display section and operation keys thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In AV equipment such as cassette tape players and optical disk players, for example, a liquid crystal display section and various operation keys for the user to operate the apparatus are provided on the front surface of the housing. In order to improve the visibility of the key, there is a backlight provided with a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode. Especially, it is often used in car stereo devices and the like, which often have low visibility at night.

In addition, the color of emitted light (wavelength) for back lighting
There is also an electronic device in which two different light emitting diodes are arranged at the same place and one of them is driven so that the user can select a desired color as the back lighting.

[0004]

By the way, in an electronic device, it is preferable to be able to clearly indicate the situation to the user when a malfunction occurs or when a certain operation function is executed. For example, when the cassette ejecting operation is not performed smoothly in the cassette tape player and the cassette is not ejected, or when the CD is loaded face down in the CD player or when the recording surface of the CD becomes unplayable. Etc., it is necessary to inform the user of the malfunction status. Furthermore, when the user performs an erroneous operation, it is necessary to clearly indicate this as well.

Conventionally, the warning display in these cases is as follows.
For example, it was executed by blinking characters displayed on the liquid crystal display, but this has the problem of poor visibility.
It cannot be said that the user is satisfactorily notified of the occurrence of a defective operation. In particular, in devices such as car stereos where the user rarely sees the display unit, the user often does not hesitate to display warnings.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of such problems, the present invention has an object of providing a highly visible status display by using back lighting, and further utilizing this. It is intended to improve operability and enhance visual enjoyment.

That is, of the display unit and / or the operation switch,
In an electronic device in which lighting means is provided corresponding to all or part, all or part of the lighting means is configured to be capable of emitting light of a plurality of colors, and the emission colors of the lighting means are changed. A light emission drive means for selecting and driving to emit light; a control means for supplying a light emission color selection control signal to the light emission drive means and for controlling the operation of the electronic device in response to an operation by an operation switch; A failure detection unit for detecting a predetermined operation failure of the device operation is provided. Then, the control means causes the light emission drive means to sequentially switch among a plurality of emission colors to turn on the light emission when the operation detection switch detects a malfunction or when a predetermined operation is performed by the operation switch. The control signal for selecting the emission color is supplied to the.

Alternatively, with respect to the illuminating means capable of emitting light of a plurality of colors with respect to various operation keys and the display section, the illuminating colors of the respective illuminating means are selected so as to be the same or different colors, and each illuminating means is selected. A light emission drive unit capable of individually driving to emit light, and a control for supplying a light emission color selection control signal to each light emission unit to the light emission drive unit and controlling the operation of the electronic device according to an operation by an operation switch. Means and a failure detection means for detecting a predetermined operation failure of the operation of the electronic device, and the control means is required according to the operation failure detected by the failure detection means or the operation function executed in the electronic device. For the illumination means, the emission color selection control signal is supplied to the emission drive means so that a plurality of emission colors are sequentially switched at predetermined timings to be turned on. That.

The control timing of the luminescent color switching by the control means, that is, the setting control of the color switching cycle and the lighting time ratio of each color is performed by setting the pulse duty and / or the pulse cycle of the luminescent color selection control signal. Executed.

[0010]

High visibility can be obtained by alternately switching a plurality of colors to emit light. If lighting means is provided corresponding to each operation key on the display unit, the switching lighting operation is performed by selecting the lighting means for switching light emission or controlling the switching timing of the light emission color. Various specific meanings can be added to and the user can be informed of various operation situations and operation error situations.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a main part of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is mounted in an AV device such as a tape player or a CD player. Reference numeral 1 denotes a control unit configured by a microcomputer that controls various operations of the device, and supplies a control signal to each unit based on a user operation and an internal program. It should be noted that, for example, the illustration of the reproduction device section of the audio signal from a CD, a tape, etc., the reproduction mechanic mechanism, etc. and the description of their operation control are omitted because they are not directly related to the present invention.

Reference numeral 2 denotes various operation keys provided on the housing of the electronic device for user's operation, and 3 denotes a liquid crystal display unit also provided on the housing for performing various display operations. Shows. The control unit 1 causes the operation of each unit based on the operation information from the operation keys 2, and
The display data is supplied to the CD driver 4 to cause the liquid crystal display section 3 to execute predetermined display of operation contents, playing time, song number, and the like. Behind the operation keys 2 and the liquid crystal display unit 3,
That is, the light emitting diode 5 is provided as an illumination means on the inside of the device.
G and 5A are arranged. The light emitting diode 5G outputs green light and the light emitting diode 5A outputs orange light. When there are a plurality of operation keys 2, the light emitting diode 5 is provided for each operation key.
G, 5A may be provided, or the light emitting diodes 5G, 5A may be shared by a plurality of operation keys. The light emitting diodes 5G and 5A are respectively connected to the color switching circuit 6, and the color switching circuit 6 drives either the light emitting diode 5G or the light emitting diode 5A to emit light based on the color selection control signal Sc supplied from the control unit 1. It is done like this.

Reference numeral 7 denotes a ejecting mechanism or a tape running mechanism in a tape player, or a mechanical operation detecting circuit for monitoring a mechanical operation such as a CD loading / unloading operation in a CD player or a data reading operation by an optical head. When a defect, a tape running defect, a scratch or stain on the recording medium, or a reproduction failure due to a defective loading or the like occur, these can be detected and the error information can be supplied to the control unit 1. There is.

Light emitting diode 5 in color switching circuit 6
The selective driving operation of A and 5G will be described with reference to FIG. When a "L" level signal is supplied from the control unit 1 as the color selection control signal Sc as shown in FIG. 2A, the transistor Q ₂ is turned off, and the base voltage is supplied to the transistor Q ₁ . Therefore, the transistor Q ₁ is turned on, a current flows through the light emitting diode 5G, and green light is emitted as illumination light. On the other hand, when the "H" level signal is supplied as the color selection control signal Sc as shown in FIG. 2B, the transistor Q ₂ is turned on, and therefore the base voltage is not supplied to the transistor Q ₁ . Therefore, a current flows through the light emitting diode 5A to emit orange light as illumination light.

Now, assume that error detection information such as an ejection failure is input from the mechanical operation detection circuit 7 to the control unit 1.
Alternatively, it is assumed that the user operates the operation key 2 incorrectly and the control unit 1 detects this. Then, the control unit 1 outputs a signal for repeating "H" and "L" at a predetermined cycle as the color selection control signal Sc as shown in FIG. This allows
The light emitting diode 5G and the light emitting diode 5A are driven alternately, that is, the operation keys 2 and the liquid crystal display unit 3 on the device housing are repeatedly illuminated in green and orange. The lighting of such a color change of the back lighting is very visible to the user, and the user can easily notice the alternate lighting state even if he / she does not always look at the operation keys 2 and the liquid crystal display unit 3, for example. As a result, the user can quickly recognize the occurrence of a malfunction and can take a corresponding process.

In this case, the specific operation error content may be simultaneously displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 3 by characters or the like. In addition, such blinking of a plurality of colors may be performed not only when an error occurs but also when a certain specific operation is performed, thereby producing a visually interesting electronic device. For example, it can be considered that the user blinks for a certain period of time when the user operates a key.

By the way, the timing of the alternate lighting can be variously controlled by setting the pulse cycle and pulse duty of the color selection control signal Sc. For example, by setting the pulse duty as shown in FIG. 2D, the lighting time of green and orange can be made non-uniform, and FIG.
By changing the cycle as shown in (e), it is possible to control the color switching timing to be advanced or delayed. For example, when an urgent error occurs, a high-frequency pulse is generated as shown in FIG. 2C to cause intense alternating lighting, and the user's attention is called for, while a low-frequency pulse is generated gently as shown in FIG. 2D. It is also possible to obtain a visual effect by a color changing operation. Further, as shown in FIG. 2 (f), the pulse period and the duty are changed in a complex manner,
It is also possible to control the timing of color change.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.
In this embodiment, the color selection control signal Sc for causing the light emitting diode 5A to emit light from the control unit 1 is sent to the color switching circuit 6.
_A and a color selection control signal Sc _G for causing the light emitting diode 5G to emit light are independently supplied, and the color selection control signal Sc _A is turned on / off of the transistor Q ₂ .
The color selection control signal Sc _G is controlled to turn off and the transistor Q
_It controls ON / OFF of ₁ .

In this case, only two units of light emitting diodes are provided for one illuminating means, and the illumination color is green.
It is possible to change to three colors of orange and a composite color of green and orange. In other words, in order to obtain the green illumination, see FIG.
As described above, the color selection control signal Sc _G is "H" and the color selection control signal Sc _A is "L". When obtaining orange illumination, the color selection control signal Sc _{G is set} to “L” and the color selection control signal Sc _{A is set} to “H” as shown in FIG. 4B. Further, when obtaining a composite color, as shown in FIG. 4C, the color selection control signal Sc _G ,
Let Sc _A be “H”.

In the same manner as in the above embodiment, when the green and orange lights are repeatedly lit when an operation error occurs, the control unit 1 causes the color selection control signals Sc having opposite phases to each other as shown in FIG. 4 (d). _It is sufficient to output _G and Sc _A. Further, when the three colors are sequentially turned on alternately, as shown in FIG. 4E, for example, the color selection control signals Sc _G and Sc having pulse duties of ⅔ and being deviated from each other by ⅓ cycle, for example. Output _A. In this case, the light emission color as the illumination sequentially changes as shown by A (orange) → GA (composite color) → G (green) → A ...

Also, in the case of alternately lighting such three colors, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4 (f) and 4 (g), various settings of the pulse period and the pulse duty can be performed to change the color at a desired timing. Will be realized. In order to alternately change three or more colors, each illuminating means may be provided with three or more light emitting diodes each having a different luminescent color.

FIG. 5 shows still another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment, light emitting diodes 5G as illumination means independently of each operation key 2 ₍₁₎ ~2 _(n) and the liquid crystal display unit _{3, 5A (5G 1 ~5G (} n + 1), 5A
_{1 to} 5 A _{(n + 1)} ), and further, each lighting means (5
G ₁ , 5A ₁ ) (5G ₂ , 5A ₂ ) ... (5G
Color switching circuits 6 _{(1) to} 6 _{(n + 1)} are provided exclusively for _{(n + 1 )} and 5A _{(n + 1)} ). Color switching circuit 6
_{The configuration of (1) to} 6 _{(n + 1)} may be the same as that of the color switching circuit 6 of FIG.

For each color switching circuit 6 _{(1) to} 6 _{(n + 1)} , the control section 1 independently controls the color selection control signals Sc ₁ to Sc ₁ .
Since Sc _{(n + 1)} is supplied, the control unit 1 causes the operation keys 2 ₍₁₎ to 2 _(n) and the liquid crystal display unit 3 to perform alternate lighting of colors only in desired portions. You can As a result, a great variety of display modes can be set.

For example, when an operation error is detected by the mechanical operation detection circuit 7, not only all the lights are alternately turned on as in the embodiment of FIG. 1, but only the relevant parts are turned on alternately. You can also For example, when the ejection is defective, only the ejection operation key is alternately turned on in two colors. Furthermore, the pulse duty and cycle of the color selection control signals Sc _{1 to} Sc _{(n + 1)} are set separately, and for example, when the entire illumination is turned on alternately in the case of an ejection failure, only the eject operation key is operated at high speed. It is also possible to alternately light two colors.

Further, in addition to the error display, the operation key to be operated next by the user can be used as a guide display of the operation procedure by changing the emission color of other operation keys, or after the operation of the key operated by the user. It is also possible to alternately light up for a certain period of time, and it is also possible to obtain a visual effect by changing each part in an illumination manner.

The configuration and the alternate lighting operation according to the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but various modifications can be considered, and the embodiments may be combined. Also, the adopted electronic device is not limited to the AV device.

[0027]

As described above, in the electronic apparatus of the present invention, the illumination means provided for the operation keys and the display section are
Depending on the occurrence of malfunction or the function of the operation being performed, the configuration is such that multiple colors with high visibility are alternately lit, so that the user's attention is drawn in the event of an error or incorrect operation, and prompt and appropriate There is an effect that it is possible to prompt processing, and there is also an advantage that it is possible to produce visual fun and display operation guidance by alternately lighting the lights depending on the operation function. ..

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of essential parts showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a color selection control signal according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an essential part showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of color selection control signals in the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an essential part showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 control unit 2, 2 _{(1) to} 2 _(n) operation keys 3 liquid crystal display unit 4 LCD driver 5G, 5G _{1 to} 5G _{(n + 1)} , 5A, 5A _{1 to} 5A _{(n + 1)}
Light emitting diode 6,6 _{(1) to} 6 _{(n + 1)} color switching circuit 7 Mechanical operation detection circuit

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In an electronic device in which lighting means is provided corresponding to all or part of a display section and / or operation switch, all or part of the lighting means is capable of emitting light of a plurality of colors. The illuminating driving means is configured to be capable of selecting the luminescent color of the illuminating means to drive the luminescent color, and a luminescent color selection control signal is supplied to the luminescent driving means, and is operated by the operation switch. A control unit that controls the operation of the electronic device according to the above, and a failure detection unit that detects a predetermined operation failure of the operation of the electronic device are provided, and the control unit is provided when the operation failure is detected by the failure detection unit or A light emission color selection control signal for sequentially switching a plurality of light emission colors to the light emission drive means at predetermined timing when the operation switch performs a predetermined operation. Electronic apparatus, characterized in that it has to be supplied. 2. In an electronic device in which lighting means is provided corresponding to all or part of a display section and / or operation switch, all or part of the lighting means is capable of emitting light of a plurality of colors. And a light emission driving means that is configured to be capable of driving the light emission by selectively selecting the light emission colors of the respective illumination means to be the same or different colors, and the light emission driving means in each of the illumination means. A control unit that supplies a selection control signal for the emission color and that controls the operation of the electronic device in response to an operation by the operation switch; and a defect detection unit that detects a predetermined malfunction of the operation of the electronic device. Means for the light emission drive means according to a malfunction detected by the malfunction detection means or a motion function executed in the electronic device. Electronic apparatus, characterized in that the emission color number is then supplied to the light emitting color of the selected control signal to be turned on sequentially switched at predetermined timing. 3. The control means is configured to control various settings of light emission color switching timing by pulse duty and / or pulse period of a light emission color selection control signal. Item 2. The electronic device according to item 2.