Illumination – Light fiber – rod – or pipe – Illuminating or display apparatus
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-07
2001-11-13
Cariaso, Alan (Department: 2875)
Illumination
Light fiber, rod, or pipe
Illuminating or display apparatus
C362S231000, C362S035000, C349S065000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315440
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an illuminator used in a portable electronic apparatus or the like such as a portable telephone, a pocket bell or the like, and particularly relates to an illuminator in which a liquid crystal display for displaying characters, symbols, etc. is illuminated by use of light-emitting element bodies in each of which a plurality of light-emitting elements different in wave length are formed integrally.
Besides background-art portable telephones in which a display portion includes a ringer device for sending out a ringing sound from a sounding body such as a speaker, an piezoelectric buzzer or the like so as to give information, JP-A-5-136728 discloses a portable telephone in which light sources having at least two kinds of light source colors for illuminating a display are changed over sequentially in a cyclic manner so as to give information. Moreover, JP-A-6-204910 discloses means for informing a user only of a change of the color of emitted light so as to give information about the operating conditions of the apparatus.
JP-A-9-203899 discloses an LCD display or the like as a structure for illuminating such a display, the LCD display being incorporated with a light guide plate provided with a curved surface for guiding light from LED elements.
In the structure described above, the display can be illuminated, but there is disclosed no means for illuminating characters or symbols displayed on the display or the vicinities of the characters or symbols uniformly. Accordingly, such a structure could inform the user only of the fact that the light source color had been changed over, or the user could recognize only the fact that the light source color had been changed over. Therefore, there was a problem that the displayed characters, symbols, etc. could not be read clearly.
Particularly in a display of a portable telephone which has a function of displaying a phone number of a caller, etc. when there is a call, characters cannot be read correctly if illumination light has light and shade in a displayed area. Accordingly, there was a case where the color shading of the illumination light obstructs user's reading of characters, symbols, figures, etc. displayed to be essentially given to and read by a user. Further, there was a case where the portable telephone was degraded if there was a color shading in the display portion also serving as the exterior of the portable telephone.
Although such a color shading can be avoided if light-emitting elements are disposed continuously as measures against the color shading, use of numerous light-emitting elements increases the cost. In addition, for example, the portable telephone is manufactured to have the width of from about 30 to about 50 mm so as to be gripped and operated by one hand, and the display portion is also formed to have the same width as described above.
However, a warp is generated in the case where the light-emitting elements are formed into a single light-emitting element body in order to illuminate the display portion having this width. Parts are generally mounted on a printed board by reflowing through front-mount technique. However, if there is a warp in the parts, a failure in soldering is incurred so that the parts cannot be mounted normally.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Taking the foregoing problems into consideration, it is an object of the present invention to provide an illuminator in which, though a liquid crystal display is illuminated with a plurality of colors by light-emitting element bodies each constituted by a plurality of light-emitting elements, characters, symbols, etc. can be displayed so that a user can read the displayed characters, symbols, figures, etc. reliably and clearly and in which the size thereof is prevented from increasing, and to provide a portable information apparatus having such an illuminator.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the invention, there is provided an illuminator comprising: a printed board; a plurality of light-emitting groups, each of the light-emitting groups being mounted on the printed board and constituted by a plurality of light-emitting elements which are different in wave length of the light and disposed at predetermined intervals; light guide means using the light-emitting element groups as light sources and guiding lights from the light-emitting element groups onto a predetermined surface; and a substantially rectangular liquid crystal display for displaying characters, symbols, figures, etc. while being illuminated by the light guide means; the light-emitting element groups being disposed at intervals along one side of the rectangular liquid crystal display.
Thus, according to the invention, a combined point where light emitted from one light-emitting element and light emitted from another light-emitting element are combined can be made shortest from the light-emitting elements.
Further, according to the invention, there is provided an illuminator comprising: a printed board; light-emitting element bodies being mounted on the printed board and constituted by a plurality of light-emitting elements which are different in wave length and provided integrally with each other; light guide means using the light-emitting element bodies as light sources and guiding lights from the light-emitting element bodies onto a predetermined surface; and a substantially rectangular liquid crystal display for displaying characters, symbols, figures, etc. while being illuminated by the light guide means; the light-emitting element bodies being disposed at intervals along one side of the rectangular liquid crystal display.
Thus, according to the invention, a combined point where light emitted from one light-emitting element and light emitted from another light-emitting element are combined can be set to be closest from the light-emitting elements. Further, the number of parts can be reduced.
Preferably, at least three light-emitting element bodies are disposed at intervals along one side of the rectangular liquid crystal display.
Thus, color shading and unevenness in brightness can be eliminated all over the display area, so that characters, symbols, figures, etc. displayed on the display can be read clearly.
Further, preferably, the light-emitting elements can emit light concurrently.
Thus, illumination can be made with the larger number of kinds of light colors than the number of kinds of the light-emitting elements.
Furthermore, currents flowing into the light emitting elements are controlled to thereby change the intensity of illumination light.
Thus, a combined point of lights is fixed so that the display area can be illuminated uniformly with innumerable kinds of light without causing any color shading or unevenness in brightness.
Moreover, a portable information apparatus of the present invention is configured to have an illuminator as mentioned above.
Thus, the display area can be illuminated uniformly without increasing current consumption in the portable information apparatus and without causing any color shading or unevenness in brightness.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5375043 (1994-12-01), Tokunaga
patent: 5453855 (1995-09-01), Nakamura et al.
patent: 5921652 (1999-07-01), Parker et al.
patent: 5975711 (1999-11-01), Parker et al.
patent: 6129444 (2000-10-01), Tognoni
patent: 5-136728 (1993-06-01), None
patent: 6-204910 (1994-07-01), None
patent: 9-203899 (1997-08-01), None
Cariaso Alan
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Pearne & Gordon LLP
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