JPH06140981A - Radio selective calling receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To avoid lighting of a lighting element when not required in a pager having a liquid crystal display device with a lighting fixture. CONSTITUTION:A message received by a receiver 32 and decoded by a decoder 34 is stored in a volatile storage means of a microcomputer 35. When an operation switch 14 is operated, the microcomputer 35 displays a storage message onto a liquid crystal display device 21. A lighting control circuit 27 discriminates whether or not a time of detecting the operation of the operation switch 14 is within a time of a lighting element lighting allowable time zone set in advance based on time information sent by a clock section 24. So long as it is the time within the time zone, the lighting control circuit 27 drives the lighting element 22.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a radio paging receiver having a liquid crystal display device for visually displaying message information received and decoded via a predetermined radio frequency and an illumination element capable of illuminating the liquid crystal display device. In particular, it relates to an improvement for preventing lighting elements from being uselessly turned on.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Liquid crystal display devices have been used in various fields as an information display device for visually displaying various characters such as numbers, English characters, and more recently Chinese characters, and visually displaying pictures and other two-dimensional pattern information. Since it is preferred and particularly low in power consumption, it is widely used as an information (message) display means in a radio paging receiver internationally called a "pager". But there are drawbacks,
One of them is that it does not emit light by itself and displays information by changing the optical refractive index of each pixel according to the two-dimensional pattern to be displayed, so it may not be visible in a dark place. Therefore, a radio paging receiver (hereinafter, simply referred to as a pager) using this type of liquid crystal display device is provided with an illuminating device for the liquid crystal display device, which is commonly called a backlight.

However, in the above-mentioned pager, while this is a portable and battery-operated device, the receiver part for receiving a predetermined radio frequency must be intermittently supplied with battery power. Reducing power consumption is one important issue. Therefore, it is usual that the illuminating device added to the liquid crystal display device is not driven except when necessary.

Therefore, conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 3-29328, the ambient illuminance outside the pager is detected, and when it is below a predetermined brightness (illuminance). Only allows the lighting device to be driven, otherwise, the operation switch is manually operated by the user, and even if a driving command is given to the lighting device, this is invalidated or the driving circuit is not powered. Therefore, there is a device having a lighting control circuit that prevents the lighting device from being driven. In such a pager, naturally, in addition to an illuminating element for illuminating the liquid crystal display device, a light receiving element for detecting ambient illuminance is also required. Conventionally, a geometrical arrangement structure for this is shown in FIG. It was supposed to be shown.

The pager shown in FIG. 3 is a conventional example which the applicant of the present invention handles, and is not disclosed in the above publication, but in principle the structure is also the same as that disclosed in the publication. Is. The overall structure is shown in FIG. 3 (A) and the cross-sectional structure of the main part is shown in FIG. 3 (B).
Since it is a portable electronic device driven by a battery (not shown) built in the housing 11, it also has a clip 12 and a strap holder 13 to which a portable strap (not shown) can be attached for the convenience of carrying. A liquid crystal display device 20 for displaying a message is provided at a part of the housing 11 at a position where the user can easily see it (the top plate surface in this case), and a position where the user can easily operate (in this case,
An operation switch 14 for instructing various functions is provided on one side surface).

As is well known, a pager system has a predetermined protocol (communication protocol), for example, POCSAG.
It is built according to a coding protocol. The details are omitted because they are not directly related to the present invention, but in this protocol, in addition to the address data for calling the individual pager 30 by placing it on a radio frequency of a predetermined frequency from the transmitting station side, the message is substantially Message data of unlimited length can also be sent. In other words, each pager 30 has a cap code (ID number, call number, etc.) preset in itself.
Recently, multiple cap codes are often given to one pager to support various services.
When receiving and decoding the address data that matches with, the following message data, if any, can be received and decoded, and the decoded message can be displayed on the liquid crystal display device 20.

However, particularly in recent products, the message is not displayed on the liquid crystal display device 20 immediately after it is decoded, but it is once stored in the volatile storage means provided in the container, and the user then When the operation switch 14 is operated, for example, by pressing the operation switch 14 at an arbitrary time point, the memory message is read from the memory means and displayed on the liquid crystal display device 20. Then, even if this operation is performed in a dark place, a device for illuminating the liquid crystal display device 20 is provided so that the user can surely see the information (message) displayed on the liquid crystal display device 20, and further. In order to prevent the battery power from being wasted by driving the lighting device even when it is bright, when the operation switch 14 is operated, the ambient illuminance is below a predetermined brightness (that is, below a predetermined threshold). It is detected whether or not, a window 38 for illuminance detection is provided in a part of the housing 11 so as to drive this illuminating device only when it is below a predetermined threshold value. The light receiving element 39 is configured to catch the light input through the light receiving element 38.

Looking at this structural portion in more detail with reference to FIG. 3B, the liquid crystal display device 20 has an opening or display window 47 having a predetermined area and a predetermined shape, and this display window 47 is generally made of a transparent acrylic plate. Etc. window members are fitted. Below the display window 47, there is provided a liquid crystal display 21 as a two-dimensional visual information display unit, which is usually sold as a liquid crystal panel or the like, which is composed of a liquid crystal display element group. The upper surface side of the liquid crystal display 21 in the figure naturally becomes the information display surface, the light guide means 44 is located in close proximity to the back side opposite to this, and the reflection plate 45 is further provided under the light guide means 44. Is provided. The most common light guide means 44 is a diffuser plate 44 for diffusing light incident on a part of its side edge portion as evenly as possible. In the following, for simplification, the light guide means is the diffusion plate 44, including the embodiments of the present invention described later.

A small incandescent bulb 46, for example, faces as an illuminating element 46 at one side edge of the diffuser plate 44, and the light emitted by the small incandescent bulb 46 is diffused.
It is directed toward the liquid crystal display 21 while passing through and diffusing and preventing radiation or leakage in an unnecessary direction toward the inside of the housing by the reflection plate 45, and the information display surface of the liquid crystal display 21 is placed on the back surface thereof. Illuminate from the side. Although it is possible to employ a light emitting diode or the like as the lighting element 46, it is generally difficult to directly drive the battery voltage used in this type of pager and a separate DC-DC converter for boosting is required. Incandescent bulbs tend to be preferred.

However, the room portion in the housing 11 which houses the liquid crystal display 21 and the above-mentioned elements 44 to 46 is
A non-translucent partition plate 40 separates the room in which the light receiving element 39 for ambient environment illuminance detection is housed. In other words, the light receiving element 39, which can be composed of a semiconductor photoelectric conversion element or the like, is housed in the housing 11 and housed in a dedicated room for the light receiving element 39, and the light incident surface thereof is arranged under the illuminance detection window 38. A window member such as an acrylic plate is usually fitted in the illuminance detection window 38.

In the pager disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-29328 mentioned above, the illuminating element and the light receiving element are separated by the partition plate. However, the light emitted from the illuminating element is of course received by the light receiving element. This is because the light receiving element cannot detect the ambient illuminance accurately when it is incident on. In addition, this publication discloses a software device that does not detect the light leaking from the illumination element to the light receiving element despite the partition plate.

[0012]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above,
In this type of pager, it is necessary to consider the convenience of carrying, and for that purpose, it is basically desirable to reduce the size and weight. However, as described above, as a result of considering the saving of the battery as the main power source, the illumination device of the liquid crystal display device is not always placed in the operable state, but the ambient light is detected by the light receiving element 39, and the predetermined illuminance is detected. In the conventional pager which is constructed so as not to operate when the above (more than a predetermined threshold value), the light receiving element and the lighting element have to be housed in each individual room, which complicates the internal structure of the housing. In addition to the above, a planar space for arranging the light receiving element 39 and the illuminance detection window 38 is indispensable, which has been a constraint for downsizing (and eventually weight reduction) of the housing. In particular, the light receiving element has to detect the illuminance in the vicinity of the information display surface of the liquid crystal display device 20, so that the arrangement position thereof is also limited. There is a risk that the pager will judge that the pager is dark even though it is covered with light and does not require lighting, and the lighting device is permitted to operate.

The present invention is basically based on this point of view, and the ambient illuminance is not detected by the light receiving element. Therefore, the layout space and circuit configuration required for the light receiving element, the isolated room configuration inside the housing, etc. are not required, and the pager is not required. While promoting miniaturization, weight reduction, and simplification of the structure itself, we propose a configuration that can give a reasonable time constraint to the drive of the lighting device in order to suppress unnecessary consumption of battery power. To do.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention stores a pager having a liquid crystal display device with a lighting device as described above, that is, a message received and decoded at a predetermined frequency. Storage means, operation switch operated when reading a message stored in the storage means, control circuit for reading out the stored message from the storage means when the operation switch is operated, and the control circuit The pager having an illuminating element capable of illuminating the liquid crystal display device for visually displaying the message read by means of the above is further provided with a clock unit having a clocking function and an illumination control circuit. Then, when the lighting control circuit detects that the operation switch for reading the message is operated, the detection time is preset based on the time information obtained from the clock unit within the lighting element lighting allowable time zone. It is configured to turn on the illumination element and illuminate the liquid crystal display device only when it is determined that the time is within the time zone.

In addition to satisfying the above basic structure, the present invention further comprises a non-volatile storage means, and time zone information for specifying a lighting element lighting allowable time zone is written in the non-volatile storage means. A pager is also proposed, or instead of this, a volatile storage means and a setting switch are further included, and the time zone information for specifying the lighting element lighting allowable time zone is stored in the storage means by operating the setting switch in a predetermined manner. I also propose a pager that is written in.

The above-mentioned lighting element lighting allowable time zone can be specified by the time zone information defined by the start time and end time of the time zone, or from the start time and start time of the time zone. It can also be specified by time zone information defined by the elapsed time of.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
The clock unit has a backup power supply, and when the volatile storage means stores the time information that specifies the lighting element lighting allowable time zone as described above, this volatile storage means also backs up. It is backed up by the power supply.

In recent pagers, a microcomputer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a microcomputer) is used as a control circuit for realizing the various functions of the pager, including the storage of the above-mentioned message and the display by the liquid crystal display device. In many cases, therefore, the pager configured according to the present invention can use the microcomputer as the control circuit described above, and also can use the microcomputer for the illumination control circuit. Of course, generally, the microcomputer for the control circuit and the microcomputer for the lighting control circuit can be configured by substantially the same microcomputer.

Further, since the pager of the present invention has the clock section, the control circuit is in the standby state waiting for the reception of the address data matching the cap code of the control circuit before receiving the message. It is also possible to propose a configuration in which the current time information emitted by is displayed on the liquid crystal display device, and when the received and demodulated message is stored in the storage area, the current time information is stored together and when the message is read out. It is also possible to propose a pager in which the time stored with the message is also displayed on the liquid crystal display device. The latter is a pager with a so-called time stamp function.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 shows an example of a circuit block inside a pager 10 provided by the present invention, and FIG. This pager 10 is shown as an improvement on the pager 30 already shown and described in FIG. 3 and the same reference numerals have been given to each component, but FIG. 2 and FIG. As is clear from the above, the design tendency of the housing 11 is similar, the clip 12 for improving portability, the strap holder 13, the operation switch 14 for the user to perform various operations, and the reception message as the information display section. The arrangement position and the like of the liquid crystal display device 20 for displaying are also similar to each other. Therefore, the pager 10 in the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 is better understood as to how it is downsized as compared with the conventional pager 30.

For the sake of convenience, starting from the description with reference to FIG. 2, the liquid crystal display device 20 is provided at a position which is a part of the housing 11 and is easy for the user to see, for example, the top plate surface shown in the drawing.
May have a structure similar to the cross-sectional structure described above with reference to FIG. 3B, and has an opening or a display window 47 having a predetermined area, and this window is made of, for example, a transparent acrylic material. The window member is fitted. Below the display window 47 (inside the housing)
3B, a liquid crystal display 21 (not shown in FIG. 2), which is a type of flat panel display, which is commercially available as a liquid crystal panel or the like, is provided as in FIG. The liquid crystal display 21 is a passive type that does not display the display pattern by its own light emission, and by changing its optical refractive index on a pixel-by-pixel basis, characters such as numbers, letters, kanji, and other two-dimensional images such as pictures Display pattern information. In the case of the character display type, it is generally called an m-row / n-digit type display or the like. This means that n characters can be displayed side by side in a row and can be displayed in the vertical direction for m rows at a time. On the other hand, there is a so-called graphic display type, in which x pieces in the X direction, X
Arbitrary two-dimensional picture information can be visually expressed by simultaneously using all y pixels in the Y direction orthogonal to the direction and changing each optical refractive index according to a predetermined two-dimensional pattern. Normally, most of the character display types are used for pagers, but as a recent trend, instead of the type that can display only one line at a time, there is a trend to adopt a character display type liquid crystal display device that can display multiple lines at once. is there. However, the illustrated pager 10 uses the existing one-row, n-digit display type, although not limited thereto.

The liquid crystal display 21 as described above is a non-emissive type or a passive display type, but conversely, unlike other emissive or active display type display devices such as a plasma display,
It is a light transmission type device (including a semi-transmission type device having some light transmission attenuation) capable of transmitting the light incident on the back surface to the information display surface. Therefore, conventionally, as described above, the illuminating device having the so-called backlight structure has been adopted, and such an illuminating device can also be adopted in the device structure of the present invention.

Although not shown, the means for actually emitting light in the illuminating device is not a so-called point light source means such as a small incandescent lamp or a light emitting diode, but a surface emitting diode or a so-called EL (electro). . If the surface light source means such as a luminescence element,
The reflection plate 45 shown in (B) is not required to be provided on the back surface even if it is desirable to provide it on the side surface of the diffusion plate 44, and the surface light emitting elements can be arranged at this back surface position. Further, if the in-plane light emission intensity distribution of the surface light emitting element is tolerably uniform, the diffusion plate 44 may be unnecessary.

As described above, also in the pager 10 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal display device 20 can adopt the same structure as the conventional example or any suitable structure according to the existing technology, but Looking at the external appearance, there is no illuminance detection window 38 required in the conventional pager shown in FIG. 3, and naturally, the partition structure inside the housing 11 and the light receiving element 39 shown in FIG. 3B are also included. There is no. As a result, the lateral dimension of the housing is greatly reduced and the overall volume is considerably reduced. This is because, in the present invention, unlike the above-described conventional example, whether or not to permit lighting of the illumination element is not determined by detecting the ambient illuminance by the light receiving element.

This will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 from a circuit point of view. A part not directly related to the present invention will be briefly described, but the receiver 32 via the antenna 31
The signal that is received, demodulated, and converted into a digital code sequence by the waveform shaping circuit or the digital detector 33 is first input to the decoder 34, which is assigned to the pager 10 in the digital code sequence. It is determined whether there is address data matching a single cap code or any one of a plurality of cap codes. The operating power supply for these circuits is a primary or secondary battery 37 that is replaceably housed in the housing 11, but the cap codes described above are programmable non-volatile storage means (PROM), preferably electrically erased (rewritable). ) Stored in a possible PROM (EEPROM) 36, the buffer of the decoder 34 initially when the pager 10 is powered on.
It has been transferred to memory.

When the above-mentioned matching is achieved by the decoder 34, the notification means 23 is collectively shown. However, a light emission notification means such as a light emitting diode or a small incandescent bulb, an audible sound notification means such as a speaker, and a motor are also provided. Vibration notification means used,
Among a plurality of types of informing means, an informing means 23 of a type provided for each pager or in accordance with designated information pre-written in the EEPROM 36 is used by the microcomputer 35 as a control circuit via the drive circuit 43. It is powered by battery power and informs the user that there is a call.

Further, if there is message data sent subsequently to the address data, this is also decoded by the decoder 34 and stored in the volatile memory (RAM) attached to the microcomputer 35. The stored message data can be read while being converted into a corresponding character display on the liquid crystal display 21 of the liquid crystal display device 20 by the user pressing the operation switch 14, for example. That is, when the operation switch 14 is pressed,
The microcomputer 35 detects this and reads the message data from the volatile storage area, and normally corresponds to each code of each data through the same drive circuit 41 as that provided in this type of liquid crystal display device. The message is converted into a character display and this message is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. In addition, the microcomputer 35 used as a control circuit in the future will have a larger capacity,
If the speed is increased, the decoder 34 can also be configured by the microcomputer 35.

Although such a configuration and operation are the same as those in the existing pager, in the present pager 10, the time when the operation switch 14 is operated for reading the message as described above is set to the lighting element 22. The liquid crystal display device 20 in which the message is displayed is selectively illuminated only when the time is within the lighting element lighting allowable time zone that is allowed to be driven. That is, the pager 10 has the clock unit 24 for keeping the current time and the lighting control circuit 27, and the lighting control circuit 27 operates the operation switch for reading the message.
When 14 is operated, it is detected that the operation has been performed, and the time information at that time is fetched from the clock unit 24. For the sake of convenience, the acquired time information will be referred to as “detection time”.

The lighting control circuit 27 is given a lighting element lighting allowable time zone from a predetermined start time in advance with a predetermined time width. For example, since the time zone information such as every day from 6 pm to 5 am on the next day is given, the lighting control circuit 27 determines whether the detection time is within the time zone. To judge.

As a result, if the detected time is within the lighting element lighting allowable time zone, the lighting control circuit 27 instructs the lighting element drive circuit 42 in the lighting device to turn on the lighting element 22. The liquid crystal display device 20 is illuminated. On the contrary, when the detection time is a time that does not fall within the above time zone, the illumination control circuit 27 does not command the drive circuit 42 and the illumination element 22
To stop lighting.

The above operation can be rephrased as follows. That is, even if the microcomputer 35, which is the main control circuit in the pager 10, is basically configured to issue a drive command to the lighting element drive circuit 42 when the operation switch 14 is operated to read a message. When the lighting control circuit 27 determines that the above detection time of the operation switch 14 is not within the predetermined lighting element lighting allowable time zone, the lighting control circuit 27 invalidates or shuts off the drive command signal issued from the microcomputer 35. To do. However, although the lighting control circuit 27 is not limited and may be an individual circuit in principle, it is actually configured by the microcomputer 35 as shown by being surrounded by a virtual line frame in FIG. Since it is possible (that is, the control circuit and lighting control circuit that control the various basic pager operations described above can both be configured by the same microcomputer 35), in that case, the above-mentioned difference in expression is simply the same. Represents the operation purpose of.

The illumination control circuit 27 also detects whether or not the operation switch 14 has been operated, whether the signal line portion or the circuit terminal or the circuit node in which the electric quantity (for example, voltage) changes in accordance with the operation of the switch 14. It is possible to detect the operation of the operation switch 14 substantially directly by capturing the change in the amount of electricity, or to detect that the control circuit or the microcomputer 35 has performed a predetermined operation associated with the operation of the operation switch 14. It is also possible to indirectly detect that the operation switch 14 has been operated. In the latter case, for example, the microcomputer 35
Detects the operation when reading a message from the storage means and the change in the amount of electricity in the circuit signal line portion accompanying it, or the read message is sent to the drive circuit 41 of the liquid crystal display device 20 or is displayed. There is a case where a state at the time of being operated or a change in an electric quantity of a predetermined circuit portion due to the state is detected. Thus, for example, even if the lighting control circuit 27 is configured to detect when a message is displayed, it is at least equivalent to detecting that the operation switch 14 has been operated. The operation detection of the operation switch 14 in the present invention is a broad term including the case of such indirect detection.

In any case, as described above, under the command of the lighting control circuit 27, the lighting element 22 is placed in a lightable state together with a message display only when it is within the predetermined lighting permitted time zone. , Operation switch at other times
Even if 14 is operated, it does not light up, so as in the previous example, if you specify a dark time zone that requires lighting as the lighting element lighting allowable time zone, you can drive the lighting element 22 only when necessary. , At other times, it can serve the intended purpose of saving battery power without driving.

Here, a method for specifying the permissible lighting element lighting time zone will be described. First, by specifying the start time and end time of the time zone, the time zone is set to a predetermined time width. There is a method of specifying the start time and another method of specifying the start time of the time zone and the elapsed time from that time. Either method can be adopted in the present invention. The illumination element lighting allowable time zone information determined and specified in this way is stored in a PROM external to the microcomputer 35, preferably in a nonvolatile storage means such as an electrically rewritable EEPROM 39, or in the microcomputer. It can be stored in advance in the ROM attached to the 35, or it can be set by the user.

When the pager 10 is specified by the provider or seller, that is, when the lighting element lighting allowable time zone information is stored in the non-volatile storage means, the situation of the area where each pager is sold is determined. The specific lighting element lighting allowable time zone may be determined in consideration. In such a case, a non-volatile storage means (not shown) provided in the clock unit 24, or a non-volatile storage means attached to the microcomputer 35 or external to the microcomputer 35 (eg, EEPROM 39) is used. It is preferable that the lighting control circuit 27, which can be configured by the microcomputer 35, to provide the calendar with the calendar information, uses the lighting element lighting allowable time zone specified for each day based on the calendar information as the determination reference. Because, in general, the lighting element lighting allowable time zone is specified as a time zone in which the liquid crystal display device 20 needs to be illuminated, and the dark period from the sunset of the day to the sunrise of the next day is specified, but the sunset time and the sunrise time are seasonal. Since it fluctuates with changes, the lighting element lighting allowable time zone for each day is changed to correspond to this.

However, when such calendar information is used, not only data for several years but data for more than ten years can be stored, for example, by dividing one year into a certain period and common lighting within that period. Even if an attempt is made to reduce the capacity to be stored, such as by using the element lighting allowable time zone, the storage capacity still requires a considerable amount. This is too expensive and complicated for this kind of pager, and if it is not suitable, it is better to let the user set it up arbitrarily, which is rather convenient considering the usability of individual users. There are good cases, and you can easily deal with daylight saving time in the United States, for example.

In the illustrated embodiment, such a setting by the user is assumed, and for that purpose, a time setting switch 25 is provided as shown in FIG. The time setting switch 25 as a physical structure switch is provided at an appropriate position of the pager housing 11 as shown in FIG. 2, but in this embodiment so as not to be touched accidentally. It is a small push button switch with its head facing the bottom of a small hole formed in the front wall of the housing 11. In this embodiment, the time setting switch 25 is also used as an initial setting of the clock unit 24, that is, as a current time setting switch immediately after the battery power of the pager 10 is turned on.

The method adopted in this embodiment for the initial setting and the setting of the lighting element lighting allowable time zone will be described below. First, the pager 10 is charged with the battery 37 as the main power source, and the operation switch 14 is slid in a predetermined direction (for example, upward in FIG. 2) in a predetermined direction different from the direction necessary for reading a message. When operated and turned on (ie, the operation switch 14 also serves as a power switch in this embodiment:
In addition, the microcomputer 35 can be used for the purpose of selecting only a desired notifying means from among a plurality of notifying means groups 23 provided depending on the direction of movement).
It is detected that the time has not been set in, and the normal time display such as “00:00” or “−−: −−” is displayed on the liquid crystal display 21 of the liquid crystal display device 20. A drive command for different display is sent to the drive circuit 41 of the liquid crystal display device.

When the user looks at such a display and decides to initialize the clock section 24, as shown by an arrow f1 in FIG. While pressing the setting switch 25, simultaneously press the operation switch 14 as indicated by the arrow f2. As a result, the initial setting mode is set, and the microcomputer 35 drives the liquid crystal display device via the drive circuit 41.
The time display portion "00" or "-" of the above display displayed on 20 is blinked. In this state, each time the time setting switch 25 is pressed as indicated by the arrow f1, the microcomputer 35 blinks the time display portion while incrementing it by "1". Of course, when the time is displayed in the 24-hour system, the number "24" is returned to the number "01", and when the time is displayed in the morning and afternoon systems, the liquid crystal display device 20 is used.
Next to the time display part in, there are also provided AM and PM displays, for example, general "PM" and "AM" displays.
It starts from "1", moves to "PM01" after "AM12", and returns to "AM01" after "PM12".

This blinking display is changed to a lighting display by pressing the operation switch 14 as shown by the arrow f2, whereby the microcomputer temporarily stores the time portion of the current time and then displays the minute display portion. Blink. In the state where the minute display portion is blinking, the minute display is blinked while incrementing by "01" each time the time setting switch 25 is pressed, as in the above. While listening to the time signal on the phone, for example, the user confirms the blinking display there,
To start the clock section 24 from there, press the operation switch 14 in the same manner as above. As a result, the microcomputer 35 detects that the initialization has been completed and starts the clock unit 24 from there.

When the initial setting is completed in this manner, the microcomputer 35 (the lighting control circuit 27 if the lighting control circuit 27 is considered to be an individual circuit in principle) then determines the start time of the lighting element lighting allowable time zone. After entering the setting mode, the time display portion of the time display displayed on the liquid crystal display device 20 is made to be the same as the initial state at the time of the initial setting, and thereafter, the same time setting operation is performed by the user and the start time The time portion is set deterministically, and the minute setting is performed according to the same minute setting operation as above. The set start time information is
Is stored in the volatile storage means attached to the.

Next, the microcomputer 35 enters the end time setting mode of the lighting element lighting allowable time zone. Even in this mode, the method of operation by the user and the method of determining the hour and minute information by the microcomputer 35 may be the same, and when the setting of the minute information of the end time is completed, the microcomputer 35 stores the memory attached to itself. The information is stored in the means, and the liquid crystal display device 20 is caused to display the current time when the clock unit 24 starts to tick. However, when the pager 10 is in the standby state, that is,
Even if only a small amount of battery 37 is supplied while intermittently supplying operating power to the receiver 32 and waiting for reception of address data matching one cap code or any one of a plurality of cap codes provided to the receiver 32. In order to save the cost, it is not necessary to display the current time on the liquid crystal display device 20.

When the lighting element lighting allowable time zone is specified by its start time and the elapsed time from that time, the setting method may be the same as that described above. That is, the start time setting may be exactly the same as the above, and after confirming the start time setting, the microcomputer 35 enters the elapsed time setting mode, while the user does not set the time display setting and the minute display setting thereafter. Recognizing that it is the time setting (of course, it is described in the instruction manual as such), and the time setting and minute setting similar to the above may be performed. Of course, when setting the above-mentioned start time, end time, or elapsed time, it is possible to display on the liquid crystal display device 20 a display indicating what is currently set. However, the above time adjustment method itself is
It is a method well known to the general public for video cassette decks, etc., which have become widespread in recent years, and conversely, various other time setting methods adopted in such electronic devices can be arbitrarily applied to the pager of the present invention. It doesn't matter.

Therefore, in the pager of this embodiment, the time setting switch 25 and the operation switch 14 constitute an initial setting switch and a lighting element lighting permissible time zone information setting switch, but naturally other switch groups are provided. Alternatively, in some cases, the above-mentioned time information can be set only by the operation switch 14. For example, if you continue to press the operation switch 14 for a predetermined time or more, you will enter the initial setting mode, and in that state, press the operation switch 14 twice in succession, or even if you press it once and then release it immediately While the time display changes and blinks each time, take software measures such as pressing the button and not releasing it, and confirming the display before pressing when the predetermined time of several seconds elapses instead of the lighting state. You can Furthermore, regarding the hour display and the minute display, for example, the time setting switch 25
The control mode of the microcomputer 35 may be constructed so that the display is fast-forwarded when is pressed for a predetermined time such as several seconds or more.

However, in any case, when the lighting element lighting allowable time zone information is specified by the user's setting, when the main battery 37 is removed for replacement, the information set by the angle of bend is used. It disappears from the storage means. For example, when the operation switch 14 also serving as a power switch is attached to the power-off position, the storage means and the clock unit 24 can be configured to be continuously supplied with power from the battery 37 even in the off position. However, this cannot be dealt with when the main battery 37 is replaced, and the user must be prompted to reset each time the battery is replaced. Since this is extremely inconvenient, in the pager 10 of the present embodiment, a good backup power supply 26 such as a small lithium button battery which is easily available is provided in addition to the main battery 37, and even when the battery power supply 37 is cut off. At least the clock unit 24 and the storage means for storing each time information or time zone information are continuously supplied with power. Of course, it is more desirable to back up the storage means storing the message by using the backup power supply 26.

However, the backup power source is not limited to the small battery. For example, the time required to replace the main battery 37 can be known empirically, so if it is designed so that the clock unit 24 and the storage means can be backed up for a predetermined time with a slight allowance, it will be somewhat The backup power supply 26 can also be configured by a large-capacity electric field capacitor or the like.

Regarding the turning-off of the lighting element 26 which is driven by the driving circuit 42 and turned on, the method adopted in various existing pagers may be arbitrarily selected as necessary. Generally, the most common method is to turn off the light when the reading of the message is completed. In other words, many modern pagers can store a plurality of messages, and each time the user operates the switch means 14, a plurality of messages are stored in a predetermined order, for example, from the newest message to the oldest. It is configured so that the messages can be sequentially displayed on the liquid crystal display 21. That is, when the user first presses the switch means 14 to display the first message on the liquid crystal display 21, the user finishes reading this message and voluntarily presses the switch means 14 again. Is displayed, and the same applies to the third and subsequent ones. However, after reading all the messages, nothing is displayed even if the operation switch is pressed, or the end display is displayed for a certain period of time. So there are no more messages to read like this,
Or, when the end display is displayed and the operation of the operation switch is matched, the lighting element is detected when this is satisfied.
22 can be assembled so that it goes out.

On the other hand, it is also possible to control the extinction of the lighting element by a timer. That is, the operation switch 14 is pressed,
Each time the lighting element is allowed to be turned on under the control of the present invention and turned on, the control circuit or the microcomputer 35 starts the timer to start the measurement of the predetermined time, and when the operation switch 14 is operated in the middle of the measurement. The timer is reset on the assumption that the user has performed the next message read operation, and the timer is configured to measure the predetermined time again from that point, while when the predetermined time has elapsed and the timer has timed out. The illumination element drive circuit 42 is configured to turn off the illumination element 22 by sending a command to stop its operation (which may be a cutoff of the supplied power source).

Further, even in the existing pager, when no message is stored in the storage means, no operation is performed even if the message reading switch 14 is operated, and the illumination element is not driven. Since some have a circuit configuration, the illumination control circuit 27 of the present invention may have a similar configuration in this respect.

Further, it is particularly effective for a pager capable of storing a plurality of messages, but since the pager 10 of the present invention has the clock section 24, the microcomputer 35 or the main control circuit 35 receives the received and demodulated messages. When storing in the storage means, the current time information issued by the clock unit 24 is also stored together, and when the message is read out and displayed on the liquid crystal display device in accordance with the operation of the operation switch 14, it is stored together with this message. It is convenient to configure so that the time information that was being displayed is also displayed. Knowing when the message arrives leads to improvement of serviceability to the user.

As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described.
Any modification is free as long as it conforms to the structure of the present invention.

[0052]

According to the present invention, in a pager requiring a liquid crystal display device with an illuminating device, it is not necessary to drive the illuminating device when it is bright and illumination is unnecessary, without detecting the ambient illuminance by the light receiving element. Can suggest a configuration,
Since the light receiving element and the arrangement space required for it can be omitted, the housing structure as a pager can be further downsized and simplified. This is a highly desirable advance which, among other things, leads to improved portability as one of the essential conditions required for this kind of pager.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an internal circuit in a pager configured according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram related to the external appearance of a pager configured according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of an appearance of a conventional pager and a structural portion relating to a liquid crystal display device and a light receiving element used for the pager.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Pager (radio call receiver) 11 Housing 14 Operation switch 20 Liquid crystal display 21 Liquid crystal display 22 Lighting element 24 Clock section 25 Time setting switch 26 Backup power supply 27 Lighting control circuit 32 Receiver 34 Decoder 35 Micro computer 36 EEPROM 37 Battery Power supply

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A storage means for storing a message received and decoded at a predetermined radio frequency; an operation switch operated when reading the message stored in the storage means; and the operation switch is operated. Then, a control circuit for reading out the message from the storage means; a liquid crystal display device for visually displaying the message read out by the control circuit; an illumination element capable of illuminating the liquid crystal display device; and a clock unit having a timekeeping function. It is possible to detect that the operation switch has been operated, and it is determined that the detection time is within a preset lighting element lighting allowable time zone based on the time information obtained from the clock section. And a lighting control circuit for turning on the lighting element only when 2. The radio paging receiver according to claim 1, wherein the detection in the lighting control circuit is performed by directly detecting the operation of the operation switch. Receiving machine. 3. The radio paging receiver according to claim 1, wherein the detection in the lighting control circuit is indirectly performed by detecting an operation of the control circuit associated with the operation of the operation switch. A radio paging receiver characterized by: 4. The radio paging receiver according to claim 1, further comprising a non-volatile storage means; the time zone information for specifying the lighting element lighting allowable time zone is the non-volatile storage. A radio call receiver characterized by being written in the means. 5. The radio paging receiver according to claim 1, further comprising: a volatile storage means and a setting switch; and the time zone information for specifying the lighting element lighting allowable time zone. A radio paging receiver characterized by being written in the storage means by operating the setting switch in a predetermined manner. 6. The radio paging receiver according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the lighting element lighting allowable time period is a time period defining a start time and an end time of the time period. A radio paging receiver characterized by being specified by band information. 7. The radio call receiver according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the lighting element lighting allowable time zone is a start time of the time zone and an elapsed time from the start time. Radio call receiver characterized by being specified by time zone information that defines 8. The method according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7.
The radio paging receiver according to claim 1; wherein the clock unit has a backup power supply. 9. The radio paging receiver according to claim 5, wherein the clock unit and the volatile storage means have a backup power supply. 10. Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
8. The radio paging receiver according to 8 or 9, wherein the control circuit is composed of a microcomputer. 11. Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
The radio paging receiver according to any one of claims 8, 9 and 10, wherein the lighting control circuit is composed of a microcomputer. 12. The radio paging receiver according to claim 11, wherein the lighting control circuit and the control circuit are configured by the same microcomputer. 13. The method according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
8. The radio paging receiver according to 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12, wherein the control circuit is in a standby state waiting for reception of address data matching its own cap code before receiving the message. Displaying the current time information issued by the clock section on the liquid crystal display device. 14. Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
The radio paging receiver according to 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13; the control circuit, when storing the received and demodulated message in the storage means, present time of day issued by the clock unit. Information is also stored together, and when the message is read out and displayed on the liquid crystal display device according to the operation of the operation switch, the stored time information is also displayed together with the message. Radio call receiver.