MOBILE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20160050539A1
• Filed: 10/26/2015
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: TANABE, Shigeki, MORITA, Hideki, MASUIKE, Isao
• Granted Patent: US 9,510,153 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile phone (mobile electronic device) includes an acceleration sensor that detects an acceleration, a communication module that performs communication, and a controller. When the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached a first step count during an ON-state of the communication function of the communication module, the mobile phone shifts from a stop state to a walking state. The controller maintains the ON-state of the communication function of the communication module when the mobile phone shifts from the stop state to the walking state. The controller turns OFF the communication function of the communication module when the number of steps based on the acceleration has reached a second step count larger than the first step count.

Claims

1. A mobile electronic device comprising:

an acceleration sensor configured to detect an acceleration;

a communication module configured to perform communication; and

a controller

configured to maintain the ON-state of the communication function of the communication module when the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached a first step count to cause the mobile electronic device to shift from a stop state to a walking state during an ON-state of a communication function of the communication module, and

configured to turn OFF the communication function of the communication module when the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached a second step count larger than the first step count during the ON-state of the communication function of the communication module.

2. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the communication module includes an access point communication module configured to perform communication via an access point,

the mobile electronic device further comprises a base station communication module configured to perform communication via a base station, and

when the communication function of the access point communication module is turned OFF, the controller switches from communication using the access point communication module to communication using the base station communication module.

3. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the communication module includes a narrow-range wireless communication module configured to perform communication,

the mobile electronic device further comprises a wide-range wireless communication module configured to perform communication,

a range over which the narrow-range communication module can transmit/receive radio waves is narrower than a range over which the wide-range communication module can transmit/receive radio waves, and

when the communication function of the narrow-range communication module is turned OFF, the controller switches from communication using the narrow-range communication module to communication using the wide-range communication module.

4. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a storage configured to store a total number of steps, wherein

when the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached the first step count to cause the mobile electronic device to shift from the stop state to the walking state, the controller adds the number of steps to the total number of steps, and

when the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has not reached the first step count, the controller does not add the number of steps to the total number of steps.

5. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising an altitude sensor configured to detect an altitude, wherein

in a case where an altitude value detected by the altitude sensor has changed by a predetermined value or more, when the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has reached a third step count smaller than the second step count, the controller turns OFF the communication function of the communication module.

7. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein,

the communication module includes one or more antennas.

8. The mobile electronic device according to claim 1, wherein,

the controller includes one or more processors.

6. A mobile electronic device comprising:

an acceleration sensor configured to detect an acceleration;

a direction sensor configured to detect a direction;

a communication module configured to perform communication; and

a controller configured to associate the number of steps based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor with the direction detected by the direction sensor for each direction, wherein

when the number of steps associated with a given direction among the number of steps associated with each direction has reached a predetermined number of steps during an ON-state of a communication function of the communication module, the controller turns OFF the communication function of the communication module.