Portable electronic apparatus

• US 8,334,838 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Sadahiro, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sharifi-Tafreshi, Koosha
• Application Number:
  US12/438,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20100265172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,967 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/173, 345/174, 345/175, 345/184, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.05, 178/18.06, 178/18.07
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus 100 includes a sensor unit 120 detecting an operation with movement, and a control unit 110 controlling a selection operation of selecting one choice from a plurality of choices based on a moving operation detected by a sensor element. The sensor unit 120 is configured by being divided into sensor element groups G1 and G2, and the control unit 110 causes the selection operations to differ from each other in the sensor element groups G1 and G2 when directions of the operations with movement are the same.

Claims

1. A portable electronic apparatus comprising

a display unit displaying a plurality of choices;

an operation detecting unit detecting a moving operation; and

a selection operation control unit controlling a selection operation by moving a position of an operation target region in the plurality of choices in a certain direction based on a direction of the moving operation detected by the operation detecting unit, wherein the selection operation selects one choice from the plurality of choices,

characterized in that

the operation detecting unit is configured with a plurality of detection regions placed in a circular form, and

when either an operation with clockwise or counterclockwise movement is detected in the plurality of detection regions, the selection operation control unit controlling the moving direction of the position of the operation target region wherein;

(a) the moving direction of the position of the operation target region caused by the detection of the moving operation in a detection region and the moving direction of the position of the operation target region caused by the detection of the moving operation in another detection region is different when a speed of the moving operation is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed; and

(b) the moving direction of the position of the operation target region caused by the detection of the moving operation in a detection region and the moving direction of the position of the operation target region caused by the detection of the moving operation in another detection region is the same when the speed of the moving operation is higher than the predetermined speed.

2. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the operation detecting unit is configured in a circular form and divided into two regions, and the display unit is provided in a central region of the operation detecting unit.

3. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the display unit is configured to display the plurality of choices, and highlight one choice selected by the selection operation control unit out of the plurality of choices which are displayed.

4. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the operation detecting unit placed in the circular form is divided into two regions that are a left region and a right region bilaterally symmetrically with respect to an orientation of display displayed on the display unit.

5. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the operation detecting unit placed in the circular form is divided into two regions that are an upper region and a lower region vertically symmetrically with respect to an orientation of display displayed on the display unit.

6. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the operation detecting unit detects an operation with clockwise movement in the left region, and an operation with counterclockwise movement in the right region as a first operation, and detects an operation with counterclockwise movement in the left region, and an operation with clockwise movement in the right region as a second operation.

7. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the operation detecting unit detects an operation with clockwise movement in the upper region, and an operation with counterclockwise movement in the lower region as a third operation, and detects an operation with counterclockwise movement in the upper region, and an operation with clockwise movement in the lower region as a fourth operation.

8. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the display unit displays choices which are continuously selected by the selection operation control unit as the plurality of choices by arranging the choices in sequence from a bottom to a top with respect to an orientation of the display based on continuous operation of the first operation, and displays choices which are continuously selected by the selection operation control unit as the plurality of choices by arranging the choices in sequence from the top to the bottom with respect to the orientation of the display based on continuous operation of the second operation.

9. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the display unit displays choices which are continuously selected by the selection operation control unit as the plurality of choices by arranging the choices in sequence from a left to a right with respect to an orientation of the display based on continuous operation of the third operation, and displays choices which are continuously selected by the selection operation control unit as the plurality of choices by arranging the choices in sequence from the right to the left with respect to the orientation of the display based on continuous operation of the fourth operation.

10. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that fixing means for fixing one choice selected by the selection operation control unit out of the plurality of choices is provided.