FR3068500B1 - PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a portable electronic device (10) comprising: - a front face (11) having two distinct zones: a display zone (12) integrating a viewing screen (13) and a gripping zone (14a) integrating at least one switch (15a); - A rear face (16) having a gripping area complementary with said gripping area (14a) of said front face (11); an electronic card (18) integrated between said front (11) and rear (16) faces, comprising means for modifying a display of said display screen (13) according to a position of said at least one switch (15a) ; and said device comprises at least one light source (20) disposed only on said gripping zone of said rear face (16), said electronic card (18) being configured to modify the display of said light source (20) in function said display of said display screen (13).

Description

PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Technical area

The present invention relates to the field of portable electronic devices, that is to say electronic devices integrating their own source of energy. The invention finds a particularly advantageous application for video game consoles or for learning stations for computer programming.

Prior art

Video game consoles or computer programming learning stations conventionally incorporate a display screen and a gripping area arranged close to the display screen so as to hold the device.

For example, the Gamebuino® product of the present applicant comprises two plastic plates forming a front face and a rear face of a portable video game console. The two plastic plates are bolted together and an electronic card is fixed between these two plates. A display screen and push buttons are arranged on the plastic plate forming the front face. These components are connected to the electronic card. The rear panel has no electronic components and allows a user to support the console without touching the electronic card. More specifically, to hold the console, the user positions his thumbs on a grip area on the front panel, separate from a display area integrating the display screen. With their thumbs, users can use the buttons in the grip area to control a video game. The user's other fingers are arranged on the rear face at the level of a gripping zone opposite the gripping zone of the front face.

The technical problem of the invention is to improve the user experience by increasing the information transmitted to the user by a portable electronic device.

Among the other existing systems, there is the joystick of the Playstation 4® console which incorporates two handles and a light source arranged between the two handles so as to project a light in front of the user according to the actions of the video game. For example, when the player is chased by the police, the light source projects a blinking blue signal referring to a police light. However, the projection of light information in front of the player is not desirable by a portable video game console which aims to limit the impact of the player on his environment.

Another system, developed by Alcatel®, is to use the back of a cell phone to display information about the state of the phone using an array of light emitting diodes. The light-emitting diodes are located on the entire back of the mobile phone and create a visual atmosphere, for example when listening to music through the phone’s speakers. This system also relates to the use of light emitting diodes in a private setting and the light emitted by these light emitting diodes is not desirable in a mobility setting.

The objective technical problem of the invention is therefore to improve the user experience by increasing the information transmitted to the user by a portable electronic device while limiting the impact on the user's environment.

Expose the invention

The present invention proposes to respond to this technical problem by means of a portable electronic device incorporating a light source arranged to specifically illuminate the palm of the user's hands and / or fingers when he is wearing the device. This light source is interfaced with the information transmitted to the user so as to improve the user experience. To this end, the invention relates to a portable electronic device comprising: - a front face having two distinct zones: a display zone integrating a display screen and a gripping zone integrating at least one switch; - a rear face, opposite the front face, having a gripping zone complementary to said gripping zone of said front face, said two gripping zones being configured to enable a user to carry said portable electronic device; and - an electronic card, integrated between said front and rear faces, comprising means for modifying a display of said display screen as a function of a position of said at least one switch. The invention is characterized in that said device comprises at least one light source disposed only on said gripping area of said rear face, said electronic card being configured to modify the display of said light source as a function of said display of said display screen . The invention thus makes it possible to project the light source onto the palm of the user's hands and / or fingers so as to limit the environmental light pollution.

An alternative solution would be to position the light source on the front of the portable electronic device. However, the size of the portable electronic device essentially depends on the size and the number of elements arranged on the front face. Thus, the positioning of the light source on the front face conventionally requires an increase in the size of the device or a reduction in the size of the screen or the number of switches. At a minimum, the positioning of the light source on the front face increases the complexity of the design and mounting of the portable electronic device.

In addition, projecting a light source onto the palm of the user's hand provides diffuse light that is less intrusive to the user experience than direct light from the front.

According to one embodiment, said at least one light source corresponds to a light-emitting diode whose light intensity is between 1000 millicandela and 5000 millicandela.

This embodiment effectively transmits the light source to the palm of the user's hands and / or fingers.

According to one embodiment, said front and rear faces are made of materials whose transmittance is greater than 0.5 in the wavelength of said at least one light source.

Transmittance characterizes the attenuation of a light flux passing through a material. To measure this transmittance, the ratio between the light intensity transmitted by the material and the light intensity incident on the material must be measured. To obtain this desired transmittance, it is possible to use materials with very low light absorbance, for example translucent plastic materials. It is also possible to arrange a layer of wood on a translucent support provided that the layer of wood has a small thickness, for example less than 2 mm.

This embodiment allows the light emitted by the light source to pass through the front and rear faces and to appear on the front face at the level of the grip area of the front face.

According to one embodiment, said two gripping zones are cut into two parts arranged on either side of said display zone, said device comprising at least one light source disposed in each part of said gripping zone on said face back.

This embodiment allows the hands of the user to be placed on either side of the screen. Thus, the portable electronic device can emit light on either side of the screen by means of the light scattered on the palm of the user's hands and / or fingers.

According to one embodiment, each part includes at least two light sources. This embodiment makes it possible to create light effects by switching on the light sources independently of one another. For example, a part can integrate four light-emitting diodes so as to form a rotating light wave by successively lighting the diodes of the part.

According to one embodiment, said at least one light source corresponds to a three-color light-emitting diode. This embodiment makes it possible to modulate the color of each light source according to the desired effect.

According to one embodiment, said electronic card incorporates a microcontroller comprising means for managing the display of said display screen and the ignition of said at least one light source. This embodiment allows the same electronic component to synchronize the ignition of the light source with the events displayed by the display screen.

According to one embodiment, said electronic card integrates a programming interface for said microcontroller.

According to one embodiment, said portable electronic device corresponds to a video game console.

According to one embodiment, said portable electronic device corresponds to a computer programming learning station.

Brief description of the figures

The manner of carrying out the invention as well as the advantages which ensue therefrom will emerge clearly from the embodiment which follows, given by way of indication but not limitation, in support of the appended figures in which figures 1 to 4 represent: - figure 1: a schematic front perspective view of a portable electronic device according to a first embodiment of the invention; - Figure 2: a schematic perspective view from the back of the portable electronic device of Figure 1; - Figure 3: a schematic perspective front view of a portable electronic device according to a second embodiment of the invention; and - Figure 4: a schematic perspective view from the back of the portable electronic device of Figure 3.

Detailed description of the invention

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a portable electronic device 10a in the form of a rectangular parallelepipedic housing. The housing has a front face 11 and a rear face 16 connected by vertical and horizontal uprights. The front face 11 is provided with a display area 12, arranged in an upper part of the front face 11, which integrates a screen 13. For example, the screen 13 can be a screen with color pixels coded on 16 bit. As a variant, the screen 13 can be a touch screen or, more simply, a black and white screen.

The lower part of the front face 11 has a gripping zone 14a integrating switches 15a-15b. The switches can be a push button or a more complicated switch such as joystick switches, rotary switches or touch switches. In the example of FIG. 1, the grip zone 14a integrates a joystick switch 15a and four push buttons 15b.

These switches 15a-15b and the screen 13 are connected to an electronic card integrated in the housing. The electronic card makes it possible to implement an operating system with an interface displayed on the screen 13 and controlled by the switches 15a-15b. In addition, the box integrates the power supply of the electronic card.

On the rear face 16 of the housing, there is also a gripping area 14b, that is to say an area in which the user positions his fingers to hold the housing. This gripping zone 14b of the rear face 16 corresponds substantially to the position of the gripping zone 14a of the front face 11. The invention proposes positioning at least one light source 20 on this gripping zone 14b of the rear face 16 so that the light emitted for the light source 20 is scattered on the palm of the user's hands and / or fingers when the user is wearing the device 10a. In the example of FIG. 2, the grip zone 14b integrates two light sources 20 arranged side by side across the width of the housing.

These light sources 20 can take any known form. Preferably, the light sources 20 correspond to light-emitting diodes with a light intensity of between 1000 millicandela and 5000 millicandela.

The light sources 20 extend only over a gripping region 14b of the rear face 16, that is to say that the light sources 20 do not extend over the entire rear face 16.

In addition to projecting a light onto the palm of the user's hands and / or fingers, the device 10a can also be configured so that the light passes through, at least in part, the housing forming the device 10a. To do this, the front 11 and rear 16 faces are preferably made of materials whose transmittance is greater than 0.5 in the wavelength of said at least one light source 20. Likewise, the electronic card is preferably made by a material whose transmittance is greater than 0.05 in the wavelength of said at least one light source 20.

In the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the front 11 and rear 16 faces are physically produced by the housing. As a variant, the device can be produced without a housing with the electronic card as sole support. Similarly, the desired transmittance of the housing can be obtained by performing a perforation in the rear face 16 of the housing.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a portable electronic device 10b according to a second embodiment of the invention in which the device 10b is produced by two plates forming the front 11 and rear faces 16. The plates are bolted together so as to maintain a electronic card 18. The display screen 13 and pushbuttons 15b are arranged on the plastic plate forming the front face 11.

In this embodiment, the gripping zones 14a-14b are separated into two parts 21a-21b. More specifically, to hold the console, the user positions his thumbs on the two parts 21a-21b of the grip zone 14a of the front face 11. With his thumbs, the user can use the buttons 15b present in the zone of grip 14a for controlling a video game. The other fingers of the user are arranged on the rear face 16 at a grip zone 14b opposite the grip zone 14a of the front face 11. The grip zone 14b of the rear face 16 also has two separate parts 21a-21b.

On each of these two parts 21a-21b of the grip zone 14b of the rear face 16, the device 10b integrates a light source 20. In the same way as for the first embodiment, the light sources 20 make it possible to diffuse a light on the palm of the user's hands and / or fingers. The invention thus improves the user experience by displaying luminous information on the palm of the hands and / or fingers of the user when he is holding the device lOa-lOb of the invention. In the case of a video game, when a user shoots a ball in one direction of the screen 13, a flash can be emitted on the palm of the hand of the user at the level of which the ball leaves screen 13. The possibilities for using this light information are numerous for video games or learning to program.

When the electronic card incorporates a microcontroller, the management of the screen 13 and the ignition of the light source 20 are preferably carried out at the level of the microcontroller. For example, using a microcontroller compatible with the Arduino® development tools it is possible to use the output pins to wire light-emitting diodes and to control the activation of these pins according to the actions performed on the microcontroller. Preferably, the electronic card incorporates a programming interface to allow the user to manually configure the times for which the light source 20 should turn on so as to facilitate computer learning.

Claims (9)

1. Portable electronic device (10a-10b) comprising: - a front face (11) having two distinct zones: a display zone (12) integrating a display screen (13) and a gripping zone (14a) integrating the minus a switch (15a-15b); - a rear face (16), opposite the front face (11), having a gripping zone (14b) complementary with said gripping zone (14a) of said front face (11), said two gripping zones (14a- 14b) being configured to allow a user to carry said portable electronic device (10a-10b); and - an electronic card (18), integrated between said front (11) and rear (16) faces, comprising means for modifying a display of said display screen (13) as a function of a position of said at least one switch (15a -15b); characterized in that said device comprises at least one light source (20) disposed only on said grip zone (14b) of said rear face (16), said electronic card (18) being configured to modify the display of said light source (20) according to said display of said display screen (13); said at least one light source (20) corresponding to a light emitting diode whose light intensity is between 1000 millicandela and 5000 millicandela. 2. Portable electronic device according to claim 1, in which said front (11) and rear (16) faces are made from materials whose transmittance is greater than 0.5 in the wavelength of said at least one light source ( 20). 3. portable electronic device according to one of claims 1 to 2, wherein said two gripping areas (14a-14b) are cut into two parts (21a-21b) arranged on either side of said display area (12), said device comprising at least one light source (20) disposed in each part (22a-22b) of said gripping area (14b) of said rear face (16). 4. The portable electronic device of claim 3, wherein each part (21a-21b) incorporates at least two light sources (20). 5. Portable electronic device according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said at least one light source (20) corresponds to a three-color light emitting diode. 6. Portable electronic device according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said electronic card (18) incorporates a microcontroller comprising means for managing the display of said display screen (13) and the ignition of said au minus a light source (20). 7. Portable electronic device according to claim 6, wherein said electronic card (18) integrates a programming interface of said microcontroller. 8. Portable electronic device according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said portable electronic device (10a-10b) corresponds to a video game console. 9 portable electronic device according to claim 9, wherein said portable electronic device (10a-10b) corresponds to a computer programming learning station.