Mobile terminal apparatus

• US 9,389,716 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2012
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tokutake, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, David
• Application Number:
  US13/555,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076688A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178 1801- 2001
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A terminal apparatus that includes a touch panel; a proximity detection unit configured to detect an approach and contact of an external object to the touch panel based on a changed in capacitance value and to detect a location on a surface of the touch panel where the capacitance value changed; and an operation control unit configured to control the proximity detection unit to stop the detection of a location contacted by the external object on the touch panel surface when the approach of the external object is detected by the proximity detection unit.

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus comprising:

a touch panel that is integrated with a display;

a proximity detector configured to detect an approach and contact of an external object to the touch panel based on a changed in capacitance value and to detect a location on a surface of the touch panel where the capacitance value changed; and

an operation controller configured to stop the detection of a location contacted by the external object on the touch panel surface when the approach of the external object is detected by the proximity detector,

wherein the operation controller measures a size of an area where the capacitance value has changed and detects a capacitance detection level in the area, and controls the proximity detector to stop the detection of a location contacted by the external object on the touch panel surface when the measured size of the area is equal to or greater than a predetermined size and the capacitance detection level is greater than a first predetermined threshold and less than a second predetermined threshold,

wherein the terminal apparatus further comprises a non-contact communicator configured to perform an electronic payment transaction with an external non-contact communication reader/writer,

wherein the proximity detector starts detecting the approach and contact of the external object to the touch panel when an electronic payment application is started on the terminal apparatus in which the electronic payment transaction is performed, and while performing the electronic payment transaction with the external non-contact communication reader/writer, the operational controller is configured to control display of a message on a portion of the display that is determined to be unobstructed by the external object.

2. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the proximity detector starts detecting the approach and contact of the external object to the touch panel when a predetermined application other than the electronic payment application is started on the terminal apparatus.

3. The terminal apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the operation controller is configured to control the proximity detector to resume detection of a location contacted by the external object on the touch panel surface when the external object is detected to move away from the touch panel and while the predetermined application is still running on the terminal apparatus.

4. The terminal apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a camera configured to take images, wherein the predetermined application is a camera application.

5. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation controller is configured to stop a display function of the display when the approach of the external object is detected by the proximity detector.

6. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a scan rate of the touch panel is decreased from a first scan rate to a second scan rate, that is less than the first scan rate and is greater than zero, when the approach of the external object is detected by the proximity detector.

7. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the terminal apparatus includes a phone call application, and the operation controller stops the detection of a location contacted on the touch panel surface when the approach of the external object is detected by the proximity detector during a phone call, and the operation controller is configured to resume detection of a location contacted on the touch panel surface when the external object is detected to move away from the touch panel or when the phone call is completed, and

the terminal apparatus further comprises a posture detector configured to detect a position of the terminal apparatus within real space, and the proximity detector starts detecting the approach and contact of the external object to the touch panel when the posture detector detects that the terminal apparatus is in a generally vertical or upright position with respect to a ground level, and the posture detector starts detecting the position of the terminal apparatus when the phone call is received at the terminal apparatus.

8. A method, implemented on a terminal apparatus having a touch panel that is integrated with a display, comprising:

detecting, by a proximity detector, an approach and contact of an external object to the touch panel based on a changed in capacitance value;

detecting a location on a surface of the touch panel where the capacitance value changed; and

stopping the detection of a location contacted by the external object on the touch panel surface when the approach of the external object is detected,

the method further including measuring a size of an area where the capacitance value has changed and detecting a capacitance detection level in the area, and the stopping includes stopping the detection of a location contacted by the external object on the touch panel surface when the measured size of the area is equal to or greater than a predetermined size and the capacitance detection level is greater than a first predetermined threshold and less than a second predetermined threshold,

wherein the terminal apparatus further comprises a non-contact communicator configured to perform an electronic payment transaction with an external non-contact communication reader/writer, and the method includes detecting the approach and contact of the external object to the touch panel when an electronic payment application is started on the terminal apparatus in which the electronic payment transaction is performed, and while performing the electronic payment transaction with the external non-contact communication reader/writer, the method includes controlling display of a message on a portion of the display that is determined to be unobstructed by the external object.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with computer executable instructions, which when executed by a terminal apparatus having a touch panel that is integrated with a display, cause the terminal apparatus to perform a method comprising:

detecting an approach and contact of an external object to the touch panel based on a changed in capacitance value;

detecting a location on a surface of the touch panel where the capacitance value changed; and

stopping the detection of a location contacted by the external object on the touch panel surface when the approach of the external object is detected,

the method further including measuring a size of an area where the capacitance value has changed and detecting a capacitance detection level in the area, and the stopping includes stopping the detection of a location contacted by the external object on the touch panel surface when the measured size of the area is equal to or greater than a predetermined size and the capacitance detection level is greater than a first predetermined threshold and less than a second predetermined threshold,

wherein the terminal apparatus further comprises a non-contact communicator configured to perform an electronic payment transaction with an external non-contact communication reader/writer, and the method includes detection the approach and contact of the external object to the touch panel when an electronic payment application is started on the terminal apparatus in which the electronic payment transaction is performed, and while performing the electronic payment transaction with the external non-contact communication reader/writer, the method includes controlling display of a message on a portion of the display that is determined to be unobstructed by the external object.