PORTABLE ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, OPERATION DETECTING METHOD FOR THE PORTABLE ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, AND CONTROL METHOD FOR THE PORTABLE ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20100289737A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Ohta, Tomokazu, IIO, Taro
• Application Number:
  US12/438,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20100289737A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus includes; plural sensor elements L1 to L4 and R1 to R4 that are annularly arranged and contact with which is detected; and a control unit 110 that monitors outputs of the plural sensor elements and executes control based on a change in the sensor elements, contact with which is detected. The control unit 110 detects one turn of touch operation when contact is detected in one sensor element L1 in the plural sensor elements L1 to L4 and R1 to R4 and, with the position of the one sensor element L1 set as an origin, contact is continuously detected up to the sensor element L1 in the position of the origin from the origin in a predetermined turning direction or up to the sensor element R4 in a position a predetermined number of sensor elements before the origin in the predetermined turning direction.

Claims

1. A portable electronic apparatus comprising:

plural sensor elements that are annularly arranged and contact with which is detected; and

a control unit that monitors outputs of the plural sensor elements and executes control based on a change in the sensor elements, contact with which is detected, characterized in that

the control unit detects one turn of touch operation when contact is detected in one sensor element in the plural sensor elements and, with a position of the one sensor element set as an origin, contact is detected in plural sensor elements in a predetermined turning direction from the origin, and contact is continuously detected up to a sensor element in a position a predetermined number of sensor elements before the origin.

2. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit detects a next turn of touch operation when, after the one turn of touch operation is detected, contact is continuously detected in the predetermined turning direction through the origin in order up to the plural sensor elements to the position the predetermined number of sensor elements before the origin through the origin.

3. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the control unit sets the origin in detecting a next turn of touch operation in a position of the one sensor element.

4. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit can sense, for each of the plural sensor elements, a single element detection state in which contact is detected only in a single sensor element and a plural element detection state in which contact is detected in all plural sensor elements adjacent to one another and sets, when a plural element contact state by the one sensor element and another sensor element adjacent to the one sensor element in the predetermined turning direction is sensed, a position of the one sensor element as the origin.

5. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the control unit senses a detection state of plural elements including the sensor element in the position the predetermined number of sensor elements before the origin and a sensor element adjacent to the sensor element and further in a front in the turning direction and detects the one turn of touch operation.

6. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the position the predetermined number of sensor elements before the origin is a position one sensor element before the origin in the turning direction.

10. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit detects the one turn of touch operation within a predetermined time after contact as the origin is detected.

11. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit, display contents on which are changed by the control unit according to detection results of the plural sensor elements, characterized in that

the control unit detects touch operation of the one sensor element on condition that display by the display unit is performed.

7. A portable electronic apparatus comprising:

plural sensor elements that are annularly arranged and contact with which is detected; and

a control unit that monitors outputs of the plural sensor elements and executes control based on a change in the sensor elements, contact with which is detected, characterized in that

the control unit detects one turn of touch operation when contact is detected in one sensor element in the plural sensor elements and, with a position of the one sensor element set as an origin, contact is continuously detected up to the sensor element in the position of the origin from the origin in a predetermined turning direction.

8. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the control unit detects a next turn of touch operation when, after the one turn of touch operation is detected, contact is further continuously detected in plural sensor elements in order up to the position of the origin through the origin in the predetermined turning direction.

9. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the control unit can sense, for each of the plural sensor elements, a single element detection state in which contact is detected only in a single sensor element and a plural element detection state in which contact is detected in all plural sensor elements adjacent to one another and sets, when a plural element contact state by the one sensor element and another sensor element adjacent to the one sensor element in the predetermined turning direction is sensed, a position of the one sensor element as the origin.

12. An operation detecting method for a portable electronic apparatus characterized by comprising:

monitoring outputs of plural sensor elements that are annularly arranged in a portable electronic apparatus and contact with which is detected; and

detecting one turn of touch operation when contact is detected in one sensor element in the plural sensor elements and, with a position of the one sensor element set as an origin, contact is continuously detected in plural sensor elements up to a position a predetermined number of sensor elements before the origin in a predetermined turning direction up to the origin or from the origin.

13. A portable electronic apparatus comprising:

plural sensor elements that are annularly arranged and contact with which is detected; and

a control unit that monitors outputs of the plural sensor elements and executes control based on a change in the sensor elements, contact with which is detected, characterized in that

the control unit detects a predetermined turn including a forward and reverse turn in which a first direction turn and a second direction turn are continuous, the plural sensor elements continuously detecting contact in order in the first turning direction in the first direction turn and continuously detecting contact in order in the second direction opposite to the first turning direction in the second direction turn, and makes predetermined control executable.

14. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the control unit detects the predetermined turn within a predetermined time after contact is detected in one sensor element in the plural sensor elements and executes the predetermined control.

15. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the control unit sets an origin in detecting one turn in the first direction turn and an origin in detecting one turn in the second direction turn the same and detects the forward and reverse turn.

16. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the control unit can further continuously detect, as the predetermined turn, after detecting a forward and reverse turn continuous from one turn in the first direction turn to one turn in the second direction turn, one turn in the first direction turn from the origin.

17. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the control unit can further continuously detect, as the predetermined turn, after detecting a forward and reverse turn continuous from one turn in the first direction turn to one turn in the second direction turn, one turn in the second direction turn from the origin.

18. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the control unit sets an origin in detecting one turn in the second direction turn in a position changed from the first direction turn to the second direction turn.

19. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that the control unit sets, in further continuously detecting the first direction turn as the predetermined turn after detecting a forward and reverse turn continuous from one turn in the first direction turn to one turn in the second direction turn, an origin of the detection in a position changed from the second direction turn to the first direction turn.

20. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that the control unit can detect, in further continuously detecting the second direction turn as the predetermined turn after detecting a forward and reverse turn continuous from one turn in the first direction turn to one turn in the second direction turn, one turn in the second direction turn from the origin.

21. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the control unit determines the first turning direction or the second turning direction on the basis of a temporal change in outputs of the plural sensor elements and determines the first direction turn and the second direction turn in which contact in the first turning direction or the second turning direction is continuous.

22. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a display unit;

an operation unit; and

a storing unit, characterized in that

the control unit causes, according to predetermined operation by the operation unit, the display unit to display a screen for setting a turning direction and the number of times of turn in the plural sensor elements and causes, when conditions are set by the operation unit or the plural sensor elements on the screen, the storing unit to store the conditions as conditions for executing the predetermined control.

23. A control method for a portable electronic apparatus characterized by comprising:

monitoring outputs of plural sensor elements that are annularly arranged in a portable electronic apparatus and contact with which is detected; and

detecting a predetermined turn including a forward and reverse turn in which a first direction turn and a second direction turn are continuous, the plural sensor elements continuously detecting contact in order in the first turning direction in the first direction turn and continuously detecting contact in order in the second direction opposite to the first turning direction in the second direction turn, and executing predetermined control.