U.S. patent application number 14/079525 was filed with the patent office on 2014-05-08 for multi colours device illumination.
This patent application is currently assigned to Core Wireless Licensing, S.a.r.l.. The applicant listed for this patent is Core Wireless Licensing, S.a.r.l.. Invention is credited to Gary WINGETT.
Application Number | 20140126201 14/079525 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32843332 |
Filed Date | 2014-05-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140126201 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
WINGETT; Gary |
May 8, 2014 |
MULTI COLOURS DEVICE ILLUMINATION
Abstract
A portable device having within it a multicolour illumination
arrangement comprising: a surface; a plurality of light sources, at
least one of the plurality of light sources being capable of
generating two or more emission colours; and drive means for
causing the emission colour of the at least one light source to
vary; whereby the illumination arrangement can produce a varying
illumination through at least part of the surface.
Inventors: |
WINGETT; Gary; (Southampton,
GB) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Core Wireless Licensing, S.a.r.l. |
Luxembourg |
|
LU |
|
|
Assignee: |
Core Wireless Licensing,
S.a.r.l.
Luxembourg
LU
|
Family ID: |
32843332 |
Appl. No.: |
14/079525 |
Filed: |
November 13, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13441975 |
Apr 9, 2012 |
8608345 |
|
|
14079525 |
|
|
|
|
11631205 |
Sep 4, 2008 |
8167458 |
|
|
PCT/IB2005/002085 |
Jun 28, 2005 |
|
|
|
13441975 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
362/232 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01H 2219/039 20130101;
H01H 2219/056 20130101; H04M 2250/12 20130101; H01H 19/025
20130101; H01H 2219/038 20130101; H04M 1/22 20130101; H01H
2219/0026 20130101; Y10S 362/80 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
362/232 |
International
Class: |
F21V 9/10 20060101
F21V009/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 30, 2004 |
GB |
0414670.0 |
Claims
1. A portable device including a multicolor illumination
arrangement comprising: a rotatable control member; a plurality of
light sources arranged around the rotatable control member, each
light source capable of generating multiple emission colors; and a
driver for causing the emission color of the light sources to vary
based on position of the rotatable control member for aiding a user
in determining current orientation of the rotatable control
member.
2. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the rotatable control
member is a rotator wheel.
3. The portable device of claim 2, wherein the rotatable control
member includes a marker indicating the current position of the
rotatable control member.
4. The portable device of claim 3, wherein when the marker is
placed on one light source selected from of the plurality of light
sources, the one light source emits a green color.
5. The portable device of claim 1, wherein the rotatable control
member includes a marker indicating current position of the
rotatable control member.
6. A method for producing varying illumination of a portable
device, the device comprising a rotatable control member and a
plurality of light sources arranged around the rotatable control
member, the plurality of light sources each capable of generating
multiple emission colors, the method comprising driving the
plurality of light sources, such that each light source emits a
different color in response to the position of the rotatable
control member, for aiding a user in determining the current
orientation of the rotatable control member.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the step of indicating
the current position of the rotatable control member using a
marker.
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of placing the
marker on one light source selected from the plurality of light
sources.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising causing the one light
source to emit a green color based on the step of placing the
marker on the one light source.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This patent application is a continuation application of
U.S. Patent No. 8,608,345 issued on Dec. 17, 2013 (U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/441,975 filed on Apr. 9, 2012), which is a
continuation application of U.S. Pat. No. 8,167,458 issued on May
1, 2012 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/631,205 filed on Sep.
4, 2008) which is the National Stage of International Application
No. PCT/IB2005/002085, filed Jun. 28, 2005. The subject matter of
the previously filed application is hereby incorporated by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to the illumination of
devices, and in particular but not exclusively to the illumination
of portable devices such as mobile communications handsets and
personal digital assistants.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The field of portable devices is a competitive one and it is
generally desirable for manufacturers to produce designs that are
both aesthetically appealing and user-friendly. Mobile
communications handsets are known which include multicolour
displays, illumination effects within the casing of the handset, or
multicolour plastic casings. In order to make a portable device
distinctive it would be desirable to produce such a device having
an illumination arrangement significantly different from previously
known devices, and preferably having an illumination arrangement
capable of improving the user-friendliness of the device.
STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention there
is provided a portable device having within it a multicolour
illumination arrangement comprising: a casing; a plurality of light
sources, at least one of the plurality of light sources being
capable of generating two or more emission colours; and drive means
for causing the emission colour of the at least one light source to
vary; whereby the illumination arrangement can produce a varying
illumination through at least part of the casing the illumination
produced by the multicolour illumination arrangement could vary in
response to operation of a user input mechanism; and wherein the
illumination arrangement comprises a diffuser arranged for blending
light generated by the plurality of light sources.
[0005] According to a second aspect of the present invention there
is provided a method for producing a varying illumination through
at least part of a surface of a portable device, the device
comprising a plurality of light sources, at least one of the
plurality of light sources being capable of generating two or more
emission colours, the method comprising driving the at least one
light source such that its emission colour varies.
[0006] The user input mechanism could suitably be a control member
rotatable about its axis, such that rotation of the control member
by a user constitutes operation of the user input mechanism. The
illumination produced by the multicolour illumination arrangement
could vary in dependence upon the speed of rotation of the control
member and/or could be dependent upon the orientation of the
control member.
[0007] The multicolour illumination arrangement is preferably
located around the control member.
[0008] Alternatively, the user input mechanism could be a keypad,
and the multicolour illumination arrangement could be located
beneath the keypad.
[0009] The device could conveniently be arranged to receive
communications, and further arranged to vary the illumination
produced by the multicolour illumination arrangement on receipt by
the device of a communication. The communications receivable by the
device could include at least one of: telephone calls; SMS
messages; video messages; photo messages; audio messages; and
emails. The illumination produced by the multicolour illumination
arrangement could be dependent upon the source of a received
communication.
[0010] The device could further have a calendar application for
identifying a current date or time, and the device could be capable
of being arranged such that the illumination produced by the
multicolour illumination arrangement varies in dependence upon the
current date or time.
[0011] The device could further comprise one or more sensors for
sensing ambient conditions, and the device could be capable of
being arranged such that the illumination produced by the
multicolour illumination arrangement varies in dependence upon the
sensed ambient conditions. The ambient conditions could include one
or more of temperature and light intensity.
[0012] The illumination produced by the multicolour illumination
arrangement may be dependent upon a current operational mode of the
device.
[0013] The device could have a memory for storing one or more
predefined illumination patterns, whereby a user can select a
predefined pattern to be activated by the device.
[0014] The device could suitably be a radio telephone.
[0015] The surface of the illumination arrangement could be an
operating fascia and/or a front fascia of the device.
[0016] The varying illumination is preferably a graduated
multicolour illumination.
[0017] The at least one of the plurality of light sources is
preferably a multicolour light emitting diode.
[0018] According to a third aspect of the invention there is
provided an illumination arrangement comprising: a plurality of
light sources, at least one of the plurality of light sources being
capable of generating two or more emission colours; a sensor
responsive to one or more external stimuli for generating a signal;
drive means for causing the emission colour of the at least one
light source to vary in response to the signal; a user input
mechanism capable of varying the illumination produced by the
illumination arrangement; and further comprising a diffuser
arranged for blending light generated by the plurality of light
sources.
[0019] The external stimuli could be ambient temperature, ambient
light or electromagnetic waves, and the electromagnetic waves could
have interacted with a user input key.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The present invention will now be described by way of
example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0021] FIG. 1 shows an illumination arrangement;
[0022] FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B show a rotator control member in
conjunction with an illumination arrangement; and
[0023] FIG. 3 shows an illuminated keypad.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary illumination arrangement
comprising light sources la and lb which could, for example, be
light emitting diodes. As indicated in FIG. 1, light source 1a is
arranged to emit blue light, while light source 1b is arranged to
emit red light. If the light sources are sufficiently large and
well separated for a viewer to be able to resolve the separate
light sources at the distance from which he is viewing the
illumination arrangement, then, in the absence of any components
modifying the light emitted by light sources 1a and 1b, the viewer
would observe distinct sources of red and blue light.
[0025] A diffusion layer 2 is positioned in the viewing direction
of the light sources 1a and 1b in the example shown in FIG. 1. This
layer could suitably be formed of translucent plastic or of any
other material that would act to diffuse light emitted by the light
sources 1a and 1b. The diffuser 2 acts to blend the light emitted
by the two light sources in such a way that a viewer could observe
a colour consisting of a combination of red and blue light: a ray
of blue light 6 emitted from light source 1a would be caused to
combine with a ray of red light 7 emitted from light source 1b in
the diffusion layer 2, and a resulting magenta colour would be
incident on the viewer's eye. However, light rays entering the
viewer's eye from parts of the diffusion layer located closer to
either of the light sources would contain a stronger component of
one or other of the emission colours of light sources 1a and 1b.
For example, light exiting the diffusion layer 2 from the region 3
would consist mainly of blue light because more blue light than red
light is incident on this region of the diffusion layer. Light
emitted from the region 5 would contain roughly equal proportions
of red and blue light, assuming that the intensities of the light
emitted by sources la and lb are roughly the same.
[0026] The diffusion layer in this embodiment therefore gives rise
to an illumination whose colour varies continuously from a colour
close to blue near the region 3 and a colour close to red near the
region 4. It can be seen that a range of colours consisting of
varying quantities of red and blue light is produced, thus giving
the effect of an illumination of many colours from only two
different light sources.
[0027] In an alternative embodiment, the diffusion layer 2 could be
replaced by a diffuser placed between the two light sources 1a and
1b in such a way that light emitted from light source 1a in the
direction of light source 1b would be diffused, and light emitted
from 1b in the direction of 1a would be blended with the blue light
from 1a, and combined light would be emitted in the viewing
direction (as well as other directions).
[0028] The arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1 could be located
within a portable device, and the diffusion layer could suitably be
an outer surface of that device. In this way, the surface of the
device would be illuminated. Alternatively, a further layer, which
would preferably be light transmissive could be positioned in the
viewing direction of the arrangement to enclose the illumination
arrangement shown in FIG. 1.
[0029] In the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, at least one of the
light sources la and lb is a multicolour light source, that is, it
is capable of generating two or more emission colours. Multicolour
light sources such as LEDs are known to those skilled in the art of
device illumination. Three-colour LEDs are well known, and these
typically comprise three separate diodes, each of which can emit
one of the colours red, green and blue. By mixing the light emitted
from the three diodes within a single component, any colour in the
visible spectrum could theoretically be achieved. However, known
LEDs are only capable of emitting a limited number of colours
within the spectrum. Seven-colour LEDs are also known, and these
are capable of generating a larger number of emission colours. Such
LEDs could suitably be applied to the present invention in order to
produce a large number of overall emission colours and effects.
[0030] By driving one or more of the multicolour LEDs in an
illumination arrangement such as that illustrated in FIG. 1, a
varying illumination can be produced. Attractive illumination
effects for a portable device are therefore possible with the use
of illumination arrangements according to embodiments of the
present invention.
[0031] FIGS. 2A and 2B show a section of a portable device having a
rotatable control member 9 which functions as a user input
mechanism. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the control member is a
rotator wheel. Instead of being round, as indicated in FIG. 2, the
wheel could have other shapes, for example, it could be hexagonal
or octagonal.
[0032] Light sources 1c, 1d and 1e are arranged around the rotator
wheel 9. These light sources are each capable of generating
multiple emission colours. In the arrangement shown in FIGS. 2A and
2B, when the rotator wheel 9 is rotated by a user the emission
colours of the light sources change. In FIG. 2A, the marker 10
shown on the rotator wheel 9 is vertically up. In this particular
example, with the rotator in this position light source 1c is
emitting green light, 1d is emitting blue light and 1e is emitting
red light. In FIG. 2B, the rotator 9 has been rotated clockwise and
the emission colours of each of the light sources has changed
accordingly. Light source 1c is now emitting purple light, 1d is
emitting yellow light and 1e is emitting white light. This is
visually attractive to a user and can also be useful in assisting
the user with the operation of the device. For example, the device
could be arranged so that the light source 1e always emits white
light when the rotator wheel is in the position indicated in FIG.
2B, that is, with the marker 10 at about 30.degree. clockwise from
vertically up. The user could then make use of the illumination
from light sources 1c, 1d and 1e in determining the current
orientation of the rotator wheel 9. This could be particularly
useful when the device is being used in a dark room.
[0033] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which a diffusion layer 2 is
arranged in the region of a keypad 11 of a mobile communications
device. The shading in regions in 12 and 14 of the keypad indicates
an emission colour generated by light sources located beneath the
diffusion layer 2 in approximately the positions indicated by
reference numerals 12 and 14. In the remainder of the keypad, a
different emission colour can be seen and this is due to a series
of light sources located beneath the diffusion layer 2 in the
unshaded area designated as 13. In the regions of the keypad
between the light sources of the first type in the positions 12 and
14 and the light sources of the second type located in the unshaded
region, the emission from the keypad area is due to a combination
of light from sources of the first and second types. One or more of
the light sources are arranged so that their emission colours vary
with time, and therefore the overall illumination varies. In other
words, the illumination appears different one moment from how it
appeared at an earlier moment.
[0034] The arrangement shown in FIG. 3 gives rise to a graduated
illumination effect. That is, there is a transition in emission
colour across the keypad, from the emission colour of one light
source to the emission colour of another, nearby light source. The
transition could be continuous.
[0035] Embodiments such as that described in relation to FIG. 3
could be adapted so that the pattern exhibited by the illumination
varies with time. Referring again to FIG. 3, the driving
arrangement causing the various light sources to emit light could
be adapted to change the illumination from that illustrated in FIG.
3 at one moment in time (which could, for example, be blue light in
regions 12 and 14 and white light in region 13) to a different
pattern at a later moment in time, such as with blue light in the
top left and bottom right corners and white light in the region
spanning the bottom left corner to the top right corner. The
driving arrangement could suitably be set up to cause the
illumination to cycle between a series of patterns.
[0036] It will be understood that the emission of light sources in
embodiments of the present invention could be arranged to vary in
dependence on a wide range of criteria. Some of the possibilities
will be discussed below.
[0037] A portable device containing an illumination arrangement
generally as described above could also have a calendar function
which keeps tracks of the current time and date. The calendar
function could also store details such as appointments input by a
user. The light sources of the illumination arrangement could be
arranged such that the illumination varies in dependence on the
current date or the time, which could be an absolute time or could
be relative to some arbitrary zero. The illumination arrangement
could also vary in dependence on a particular appointment becoming
due, so as to alert a user to the appointment.
[0038] The illumination arrangement could be adapted to vary on
receipt of a communication at the device, and the illumination
could also vary according to the type of communication received or
the person from whom the communication is received.
[0039] The illumination arrangement could also be adapted to vary
according to ambient conditions. If suitable sensors were arranged
in the portable device to detect ambient conditions, the
illumination could vary according to the ambient temperature or the
brightness of a room. For example, it may be desirable for a mobile
telephone to be illuminated brightly in a dark room. Suitably,
illumination settings could be adjustable by a user. Similarly, the
illumination could vary in response to the detection of ambient
sounds, so that it could, for example, change in response to music
being played near the device.
[0040] An operational mode of the portable device could also
determine the emission from the illumination arrangement. For
example, if a mobile telephone were switched to "off" the light
sources could be switched off, or if the telephone was in
"discreet" mode, the illumination could be correspondingly dim or
could have a particular setting to indicate "discreet" mode.
[0041] In one embodiment, a series of predefined settings could be
selectable by a user, so that a user could choose an illumination
to suit his current mood or environment.
[0042] It will be evident that any combinations of the features
described above could be implemented. Specific features have been
described herein in order to illustrate rather than to limit the
present invention.
[0043] The applicant hereby discloses in isolation each individual
feature described herein and any combination of two or more such
features, to the extent that such features or combinations are
capable of being carried out based on the present specification as
a whole in the light of the common general knowledge of a person
skilled in the art, irrespective of whether such features or
combinations of features solve any problems disclosed herein, and
without limitation to the scope of the claims. The applicant
indicates that aspects of the present invention may consist of any
such individual feature or combination of features. In view of the
foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the
art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the
invention.
* * * * *