JPH04306023A - Selective calling receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the visual performance of a displayed content by providing a display control means so as to light a display means for an information display period. CONSTITUTION:Time information of a clock circuit 14 is displayed on an LCD 9 by a display drive circuit 8. When an input is given to a radio circuit 2, a reception signal and an ID code of an IDROM 5 are compared, and when a call is confirmed, a control circuit 40 is used to write a message to an M-RAM 10 and the code is decoded and displayed on the LCD 9 via a display drive circuit 8. When the user depresses a switch 11, an optical sensor 12 discriminates the lightness state and a lamp 13 is used to light the display panel. Thus, the display content is clearly confirmed even at a dark place.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a selective call receiver having a clock function.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the following selective call receivers are known. FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram showing its configuration.

In the figure, a selective call signal sent from a base station (not shown) is received by a radio circuit 2 via an antenna 1, demodulated by a demodulation circuit 3, and introduced into a control circuit 4. In this control circuit 4, the individual number code (ID code) included in the reception selection call signal is compared with the ID code of the own machine prestored in the individual number code memory (ID-ROM) 5. . If both codes match, it is determined that a call has occurred to your own machine, and
From the control circuit 4 to the speaker 7 via the speaker drive circuit 6
A sound signal is supplied to the As a result, a sound is generated from the speaker 7, thereby notifying the holder that a call has occurred.

[0004] Furthermore, if the reception selection call signal includes a message code, the control circuit 4 first performs error correction and decoding of this message code. The decoded message code is then supplied to a display drive circuit 8, which displays a message corresponding to the message code on a display (LCD) 9 made of, for example, a liquid crystal. Further, the received message code is sent from the control circuit 4 to the message memory (M-R
AM) 10 and stored. The message code stored in the message memory 10 is read out from the message memory 10 and redisplayed on the display 9 when the holder performs a predetermined display operation using the switch 11 while waiting for a call. .

Recently, a new type of selective call receiver equipped with a clock function has been considered. This type of selective call receiver is equipped with, for example, a clock integrated circuit, and displays time information measured by the clock integrated circuit on a message display 9 while waiting for a call. . Therefore, by carrying this type of selective call receiver, the owner can use the selective call receiver as a clock, which is very convenient.

[0006]

However, this type of conventional selective call receiver has the following problems that should be improved. In other words, if you try to check the time in a dark place such as a movie theater or a place with no lighting at night, you may not be able to recognize the time because it is difficult to see the display, or even if you are able to recognize it, you may misread it. There was a problem that it was easy to cause.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a selective call receiver that can be configured to be compact, without the need to provide a new switch, to improve visibility by making it possible to clearly confirm the displayed contents of the display means even in a dark place. The goal is to provide the following.

In addition to the above objects, another object of the present invention is to provide a selective call receiver that is capable of lighting up only when the surroundings are dark, thereby reducing power consumption and extending battery life. The goal is to provide the following.

Another object of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned objects, is to display time information only when the surroundings are dark, so that when the surroundings are bright, immediate reception messages are displayed in response to the operation of a switch. It is an object of the present invention to provide a selective call receiver capable of displaying information.

0010

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention newly includes illumination means for illuminating the display means and display control means, and by this display control means,
When the switch is operated while waiting for a call, the time information output from the clock means is displayed on the display means, and after the display of this time information is finished, the received message information is read from the storage means and displayed on the display means. and the display means is illuminated by the illumination means during the display period of the time information and received message information.

[0011] In order to achieve the other objects mentioned above, another aspect of the present invention provides new lighting means for illuminating the display means, illuminance detection means for detecting ambient illuminance, and display control means. The display control means causes the display means to display the time information output from the clock means when the switch is operated while waiting for a call, and also displays the received message information from the storage means after the display of the time information is finished. is read out and displayed on the display means, and the brightness is determined from the detection result of the illuminance detection means, and only when it is determined that it is dark, the display means is turned on the illumination means during the display period of the time information and the received message information. It is designed to provide illumination.

[0012] In order to achieve the above-mentioned other object, another present invention newly provides an illumination means for illuminating the display means, an illuminance detection means for detecting the surrounding illuminance, and a display control means. The display control means determines brightness or darkness based on the detection result of the illuminance detection means when the switch is operated while waiting for a call, and when it is determined that the illuminance is bright, reads the received message information from the storage means. When the time information is determined to be dark, the time information outputted from the clock means is displayed on the display means, and after the display of this time information is finished, the received message information is read from the storage means and displayed on the display means. and the display means is illuminated by the illumination means during the display period of the time information and received message information.

[0013]

[Function] As a result, according to the present invention, the display is illuminated by the illumination means when the surroundings are dark, so the user can see the display even in a place without night lighting or in a dark place such as a movie theater. It becomes possible to clearly visually recognize the time information displayed on the means. In addition, by operating a single switch, the illuminated time information and received messages are displayed, so there is no need to install additional switches such as lighting switches. A call receiver may be provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the illuminance detection means is provided so that the illumination is turned on only when the surroundings are dark, so that the illumination is turned on only when the surroundings are dark. Compared to the case where lighting is always performed regardless of the brightness or darkness of the surroundings, the power consumed for lighting can be reduced, and the battery life can thereby be extended.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, when the switch is operated, if the surroundings are bright, the time information is not displayed and the message information is displayed immediately, so the user does not have to check the time. This makes it possible to quickly check message information. Generally, the time information is displayed on the display means during the call standby period, so the user can check the time information without pressing a switch in a bright place. That is, when the surroundings are bright, it is virtually unnecessary to display time information in response to switch operations. Therefore, as mentioned above, when the switch is operated in bright surroundings, the received message information is displayed immediately without displaying the time information, so that the received message information can be checked immediately. Therefore, it is very useful.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a selective call receiver according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 6 are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations will be omitted. The selective call receiver of this embodiment includes an optical sensor 12,
A lamp 1 provided close to a liquid crystal display (LCD) 9
3, and a clock circuit 14 for performing a clock operation and outputting time information. The optical sensor 12 is composed of, for example, a photodiode, detects ambient illuminance, and outputs a detection signal to a control circuit 40, which will be described later. The lamp 13 is turned on to illuminate the LCD 9 when a drive signal is supplied from a control circuit 40 to be described later.

By the way, the control circuit 40 is equipped with, for example, a microcomputer as a main control section, and in addition to normal control means such as a reception control means and a call notification control means, it also has a brightness determination means 41 and a display control means 42. It has The brightness/darkness determination means 41 determines the brightness/darkness of the surroundings by comparing the level of the detection signal output from the optical sensor 12 with a preset threshold. The display control means 42 controls the display of the received message information and time information on the LCD 9 according to a predetermined procedure in accordance with the operation of the switch 11 and the determination result of the brightness determination means 41.

Next, the operation of the selective calling receiver configured as described above will be explained according to the control procedure of the control circuit 40. While waiting for a call, the control circuit 40 performs the standby control shown in FIG. That is, first, in step 2a, the current time information output from the clock circuit 14 is taken in, and display data of this time information is output to the display drive circuit 8. Therefore, the current time is displayed on the LCD 9. Therefore, the user can check the current time by looking at the LCD 9 if necessary. Note that it is convenient to display the year, month, day, and day of the week in addition to hours, minutes, and seconds as this time. Next, in step 2b, a determination is made whether an invocation has occurred. This determination is made by comparing the individual number code (ID code) included in the selective call signal received from a base station (not shown) with the own ID code stored in the ID-ROM 5, and determining whether or not the two codes match. This is done by determining whether Subsequently, in step 2c, it is determined whether the switch 11 has been pressed down.

In this state, it is assumed that, for example, a call to the own machine occurs. Then, the control circuit 40 shifts to the call notification control shown in FIG. That is, first step 3
At step a, the message code included in the received selective call signal is detected, and if there is a message code, the received message code is written into a predetermined free area of the M-RAM 10. Next, in step 3b, the received message code is decoded, and display data corresponding to the decoded message is output to the display drive circuit 8. For this reason, LCD9
The above received message is displayed. Further, the control circuit 40 creates a sound signal in step 3c and supplies this signal to the speaker 7 via the drive circuit 6. For this reason,
A sound is generated from the speaker 7. Therefore, the user is informed of the occurrence of a call by this ringing sound, and also
You can check the message from the caller by looking at .

In this state, the control circuit 40 first repeatedly monitors in steps 3d and 3e whether or not the switch 11 has been pressed and whether a certain period of time t1 has elapsed since the generation of the sound started. ing. Then, when the user confirms the sound and presses the switch 11, or when the switch 11 is not pressed for a certain period of time t1, the control circuit 40 moves to step 3f and stops outputting the sound signal. to stop the sound. Next, the control circuit 40 repeatedly monitors whether the switch 11 has been pressed in steps 3g and 3h, and whether a certain period of time t2 has elapsed since the message display started. After confirming the displayed message, the user then switches 1
1 or when a certain period of time t2 elapses even if the switch 11 is not pressed, the control circuit 40 moves to step 3i and stops displaying the received message, and then waits for a call as shown in FIG. Return to control. Therefore, after the display of the received message is stopped, the LCD 9 returns to displaying the current time.

Now, suppose that the user presses the switch 11 to reconfirm message information that has already been received. Then, the control circuit 40 shifts to the display control shown in FIG. 4. That is, first, in step 4a, the optical sensor 1
The second detection signal is taken in, and based on its level, it is determined whether the surroundings are in a dark state or a bright state. If the light is determined to be bright by this determination, it is determined that there is no need for illumination, and the process proceeds to step 4c, and then directly proceeds to step 4c and step 4d. In steps 4c and 4d, it is repeatedly monitored whether the switch 11 has been opened and whether a certain period of time t3 has elapsed since the switch 11 was pressed down. In this state, when the user releases the push operation on the switch 11 or when a certain period of time t3 elapses,
The control circuit 40 finishes displaying the time and proceeds to display control of the received message.

That is, in step 4e, the M-RAM 10
The received message information is read from an arbitrary address, this information is decoded, and display data corresponding to the decoded message is supplied to the display drive circuit 8. For this reason, LCD9
The above received message will be displayed. Further, in this state, the control circuit 40 repeatedly monitors whether the switch 11 is pressed in steps 4f and 4g and whether a certain period of time t2 has elapsed since the start of displaying the message. Then, when the user presses the switch 11, the control circuit 40 moves to step 4h, where M-
It is determined whether all the received messages stored in the RAM 10 have been displayed. If there is undisplayed received message information, the received message information is read from the next address in the M-RAM 10 in step 4i, and the received message information is read from the next address in the M-RAM 10. The information is decoded and display data corresponding to the decoded message is supplied to the display drive circuit 8. Therefore, the next received message is displayed on the LCD 9. Thereafter, similarly, each time the switch 11 is pressed once, each received message information stored in the M-RAM 10 is sequentially read out and displayed on the LCD 9. When all of the received message information stored in the M-RAM 10 has been displayed, the control circuit 40 returns to the call standby control shown in FIG. Therefore, the display on the LCD 9 returns to the current time. Also, when the display time of the received message has passed the predetermined time t2, the control circuit 40 ends the display control of the received message and returns to the call standby control. Thus, M-RAM10
The received message stored in is displayed.

Now, suppose that the user presses the switch 11 in a dark place such as an unlit place or a movie theater at night. Then, the control circuit 40 detects that the surroundings are dark in step 4a of FIG. 4, moves to step 4b, and outputs a drive signal to the lamp 13, thereby lighting the lamp 13. At this time, the current time is being displayed on the LCD 9. Therefore, the current time displayed on the LCD 9 is illuminated by the lamp 13 and is clearly displayed even in the dark. Therefore, the user can clearly check the current time even in a dark place.

When the user who has confirmed the current time stops pressing the switch 11 and releases the switch 11, the control circuit 40 detects this in step 4c and proceeds to step 4e, and from then on M- Executes display control of received messages stored in RAM 10. Incidentally, even if the predetermined time t3 has elapsed while the switch 11 is being pressed, the display control of the received message is performed. Display control of received messages is as described above. However, in this case, since the lamp 13 is lit, the received message displayed on the LCD 9 is illuminated by the lamp 13 and is clearly displayed even in the dark. Therefore, the user can clearly check the received message even in the dark. When the display control of the received message is completed, the control circuit 40 finally turns on the lamp 13 in step 4j.
is turned off and then returns to call standby control.

As described above, in this embodiment, if the switch 11 is pressed in a dark environment, the current time is displayed with the light on for the period that the switch 11 is kept pressed or for a certain period of time t3, and the current time is displayed. After the time display ends, the received message is displayed. Therefore, you can clearly check the current time even in a dark place. In addition, by using only one existing switch 11 without installing a new switch such as a lighting switch, it is possible to display the illuminated time and received messages, making it possible to display a small and inexpensive selective call system. A receiver can be provided. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the light sensor 12 is provided so that the lamp 13 is turned on only when the surroundings are dark.
1 is operated, the power consumption for lighting can be reduced compared to the case where lighting is always performed regardless of the surrounding brightness and darkness, and thereby the battery life can be extended.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the above embodiment, when the switch 11 is pressed, whether the surroundings are bright or dark,
Although the current time is displayed for a certain period of time t3 and then the received message is displayed, if the surroundings are bright, the display of the current time may be omitted and the display immediately shifts to the received message. .

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the control procedure and control contents of the control circuit in this case. In the figure, when the surroundings are determined to be dark in step 4a, the control circuit 4
0' turns on the lamp 13 in step 4b, and then controls the display of the current time in steps 4c and 4d. After the display of the current time is finished, the display control of the received message is executed from step 4e onwards. On the other hand, if the surroundings are determined to be bright, the control circuit 4
0' directly moves from step 4a to step 4e, thereby controlling the display of the received message. Therefore, when the surroundings are bright, the current time is not displayed and the message is displayed immediately, allowing the user to immediately check the received message. Also, if this is done, the current time cannot be confirmed when the switch 11 is pressed, but this does not pose any problem. That is, the current time is always displayed on the LCD 9 during a period other than the period during which the message is displayed during the call waiting period. Therefore, in a bright place, the user can check the current time at any time without pressing the switch 11.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the current time is displayed while the switch 11 is kept being pressed, with the maximum value set to a certain time t3. Start, switch 11-2
It may be configured such that the display of the current time ends and the display of the received message is started with the second press operation. Also in this case, the timer measures the display time of the current time,
When this display time has elapsed for a certain period of time, switch 1
It may also be possible to automatically shift to display control of the received message even without the second pressing operation in step 1.

In addition, the configurations of the illuminance detection means, illumination means, and switches, as well as the control procedure and control contents of the display control means, can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0030]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, when a switch is operated while waiting for a call, the time information outputted from the clock means is displayed on the display means, and the time information is displayed on the display means. After the display ends, the received message information is read from the storage means and displayed on the display means, and the display means is illuminated by the illumination means during the display period of the time information and the received message information. However, it is possible to provide a selective call receiver which can clearly confirm the display contents of the display means and improve visibility, and which can be configured compactly without the need to provide a new switch for this purpose.

According to another aspect of the present invention, when the switch is operated while waiting for a call, the time information output from the clock means is displayed on the display means, and after the display of this time information is finished, the storage means reads the received message information from the display means and displays it on the display means, and determines brightness or darkness from the detection result of the illuminance detection means, and only when it is determined that it is dark, the display means displays the time information and the received message information during the display period. To provide a selective call receiver capable of reducing power consumption and extending battery life by illuminating the receiver by the above-mentioned illumination means so that the illumination is performed only when the surroundings are dark. Can be done.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, when a switch is operated while waiting for a call, brightness or darkness is determined based on the detection result of the illuminance detection means, and if it is determined that the illuminance is bright, the received message is stored from the storage means. The information is read out and displayed on the display means, and when it is determined that it is dark, the time information output from the clock means is displayed on the display means, and after the display of this time information is finished, the received message information is read from the storage means. The time information is read out and displayed on the display means, and the display means is illuminated by the illumination means during the display period of the time information and received message information, so that the time information is displayed only when the surroundings are dark. Thus, it is possible to provide a selective call receiver that can display immediately received message information in accordance with the operation of a switch when the surroundings are bright.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a selective call receiver in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a call standby control procedure and control contents by the control circuit of the selective call receiver shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a call notification control procedure and control contents by the control circuit of the selective call receiver shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a display control procedure and control contents by the control circuit of the selective call receiver shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a display control procedure and control contents by a control circuit of a selective call receiver in another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional selective call receiver.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Antenna, 2...Radio circuit, 3...Demodulation circuit, 5...Individual number code memory (ID-ROM), 6...Drive circuit, 7...
Speaker, 8...Display drive circuit, 9...Liquid crystal display (LCD)
), 10...Message memory (M-RAM), 11...Switch, 12...Photo sensor, 13...Lamp, 14...Clock circuit, 40...Control circuit, 41...Brightness/darkness determination means, 42...Display control means.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A storage means for storing a received message, a timekeeping means for performing a timekeeping operation and outputting time information, and a display means used for displaying at least the above-mentioned received message information and time information. a selective call receiver comprising: one switch; lighting means for illuminating the display means; and time information output from the clock means when the switch is operated while waiting for a call. is displayed on the display means, and after the display of this time information is finished, the received message information is read from the storage means and displayed on the display means, and during the display period of the time information and the received message information, the display means and display control means for illuminating the display with the illumination means. 2. A storage means for storing received messages, a timekeeping means for performing a timekeeping operation and outputting time information, and a display means used for displaying at least the received message information and time information. a selective call receiver comprising: one switch; illumination means for illuminating the display means; illuminance detection means for detecting ambient illuminance; and the switch is operated while waiting for a call. In this case, the time information outputted from the clock means is displayed on the display means, and after the display of the time information is finished, the received message information is read from the storage means and displayed on the display means, and the illuminance detection is performed. It is characterized by comprising a display control means that determines brightness or darkness from the detection result of the means and causes the illumination means to illuminate the display means during the display period of the time information and the received message information only when it is determined that it is dark. and selective call receiver. 3. Storage means for storing received messages, timekeeping means for performing timekeeping operations and outputting time information, and display means used for displaying at least the received message information and time information. a selective call receiver comprising: one switch; illumination means for illuminating the display means; illuminance detection means for detecting ambient illuminance; and the switch is operated while waiting for a call. If the illuminance is determined to be bright, the received message information is read from the storage means and displayed on the display means, and if it is determined to be dark, the received message information is read out from the storage means and displayed on the display means. The time information outputted from the clock means is displayed on the display means, and after the display of this time information is finished, the received message information is read out from the storage means and displayed on the display means, and the time information and the received message information are displayed on the display means. 1. A selective call receiver comprising display control means for illuminating said display means by said illumination means during a display period. 4. The display control means causes the display means to display the time information outputted from the time measurement means on the display means until the operation of the switch is completed or a certain period of time has elapsed when it is determined that it is dark. 4. The selective call receiver according to claim 3, wherein the received message information is read out from the storage means and displayed on the display means after the display of the received message information is completed. 5. The display control means causes the display means to display the time information outputted from the time measurement means until the switch is operated again when it is determined that it is dark, and after the display of this time information is finished displaying the time information from the storage means. 4. The selective call receiver according to claim 3, wherein the received message information is read out and displayed on a display means.