Electronic device and control method thereof

• US 10,359,861 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Motonari
• Primary Examiner(s): Osorio, Ricardo
• Application Number:
  US15/603,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20170351347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1658 related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1669 Detachable keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1635 Stackable modules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A plurality of modules are connected to the front side and back side of an electronic device via corresponding attachment/detachment units. The electronic device includes an orientation detection unit that detects the orientation of the electronic device. Based on a selection of a module to be removed and a touch operation on a touch panel of the electronic device, the selected module is determined to be either on the front side or the back side of the electronic device. When the electronic device is in an orientation suitable for removal of the selected module, the module is disconnected from the electronic device by a corresponding attachment/detachment unit.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

an attachment/detachment unit configured to connect a module to the electronic device in a removable manner;

an orientation detection unit configured to detect an orientation of the electronic device; and

a control unit configured to perform control such that a module to be removed from the electronic device is disconnected by the attachment/detachment unit when the module to be removed is in an orientation suited for removal from the electronic device based on a result of detection by the orientation detection unit.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic device includes a plurality of attachment/detachment units, and

wherein the control unit disconnects the module to be removed from the electronic device by a corresponding attachment/detachment unit from among the plurality of the attachment/detachment units based on a result of detection by the orientation detection unit.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

a removal guidance is displayed on a display when it is detected that the module to be removed is in the orientation suited for removal from the electronic device.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein

the display includes an operation unit arranged on a side surface of the display, and when the electronic device is in an orientation suitable for removal of the display, the display is disconnected by an attachment/detachment unit corresponding to the display based on an operation on the operation unit.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein

the display includes a member operable in a direction vertical to a direction in which the display is removed, and the operation on the operation unit is an operation in the direction vertical to the direction in which the display is removed.

6. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein

the display includes a touch panel connected to the electronic device and removable by the attachment/detachment unit.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic device includes a front side and a back side, and the module connects to either the front side or the back side.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the module is connected to the electronic device by sliding the module onto the electronic device either from a right side or a left side of the electronic device.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the attachment/detachment unit includes a permanent magnet and a permanent electromagnet, which reverses a polarity based on a direction of excitation current, which are arranged in parallel, and connects and disconnects a corresponding module by controlling the excitation current of the permanent electromagnet.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the orientation detection unit includes an acceleration sensor, and the orientation of the electronic device is detected based on an output of the acceleration sensor.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a camera, wherein

the orientation detection unit detects the orientation of the electronic device based on an image captured by the camera.

12. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the module is a camera.

13. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit provides guidance indicating a procedure for removal operation until the module to be removed is removed.

14. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising an audio output unit, wherein

when the module to be removed is a module attached on a back side of the electronic device, the control unit outputs an audio guidance, from the audio output unit, indicating a procedure for a removal operation.

15. A control method of an electronic device including an attachment/detachment unit configured to connect a module to the electronic device in a removable manner, the method comprising:

an orientation detection step of detecting an orientation of the electronic device; and

a control step of performing control such that a module to be removed from the electronic device is disconnected by the attachment/detachment unit when the module to be removed is in an orientation suited for removal from the electronic device based on a result of detection by the orientation detection unit.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that cause a computer to execute a control method of an electronic device including an attachment/detachment unit configured to connect a module to the electronic device in a removable manner, the method comprising:

an orientation detection step of detecting an orientation of the electronic device; and

a control step of performing control such that a module to be removed from the electronic device is disconnected by the attachment/detachment unit when the module to be removed is in an orientation suited for removal from the electronic device based on a result of detection by the orientation detection unit.