Terminal apparatus and method of controlling the same

• US 9,666,139 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FCNT LLC
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Tanada, Tosaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahi, Towfiq
• Application Number:
  US14/285,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20140362008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174
• 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 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0247 Flicker reduction other than flicker reduction circuits used for single beam cathode-ray tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/062 Adjustment of illumination source parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/14 Detecting light within display terminals, e.g. using a single or a plurality of photosensors
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A terminal apparatus includes a light modulation unit to perform an automatic light modulation of a touch panel, an illuminance sensor, a proximity sensor, an illuminance determination unit to determine whether or not an illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor varies, and an operation determination unit to determine whether or not an operation of the touch panel occurs near the illuminance sensor, wherein the light modulation unit suspends the automatic light modulation when the operation of the touch panel occurs before a first time elapses after the detected illuminance decreases, and the light modulation unit suspends the automatic light modulation when the operation determination unit determines that the operation of the touch panel does not occur before the first time elapses after that the detected illuminance decreases and then the proximity sensor detects an object before a second time elapses.

Claims

1. A terminal apparatus, comprising:

a touch panel;

an illuminance sensor provided adjacent to the touch panel;

a proximity sensor provided adjacent to the illuminance sensor, the proximity sensor detecting a presence of an object approaching the terminal apparatus;

a processor; and

memory storing instructions for causing the processor to execute;

performing an automatic light modulation of the touch panel;

determining whether or not an illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor varies by a predetermined amount; and

determining whether or not an operation of the touch panel occurs in a predetermined area in a vicinity of the illuminance sensor,

wherein after the processor determines that the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor decreases by the predetermined amount, the processor suspends the automatic light modulation of the touch panel when the processor determines that the operation of the touch panel occurs before a first time elapses and when the processor determines that the operation of the touch panel does not occur before the first time elapses and the proximity sensor detects a presence of an object approaching to the terminal apparatus before a second time elapses after the first time elapses,

the processor restarts the suspended automatic light modulation of the touch panel when the proximity sensor does not detect the presence of the object, and

the processor suspends the proximity sensor when the proximity sensor does not detect the presence of the object before the second time elapses.

2. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor continues the suspension of the automatic light modulation of the touch panel when the processor determines that the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor does not vary by the predetermined amount after the processor suspends the automatic light modulation of the touch panel.

3. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor starts the automatic light modulation of the touch panel when the processor determines that the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor increases by the predetermined amount after the processor suspends the automatic light modulation of the touch panel.

10. The terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object detected by the proximity sensor does not come into contact with the terminal apparatus.

4. A method of controlling a terminal apparatus to perform an automatic light modulation of a touch panel of the terminal apparatus, the method comprising:

determining by a processor whether or not an illuminance detected by an illuminance sensor provided adjacent to the touch panel varies by a predetermined amount;

determining by the processor whether or not an operation of the touch panel occurs in a predetermined area in a vicinity of the illuminance sensor;

suspending by the processor the automatic light modulation of the touch panel,

wherein after the processor determines that the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor decreases by the predetermined amount, the processor suspends the automatic light modulation of the touch panel when the processor determines that the operation of the touch panel occurs before a first time elapses and when the processor determines that the operation of the touch panel does not occur before the first time elapses and a proximity sensor provided adjacent to the illuminance sensor detects a presence of an object approaching the terminal apparatus before a second time elapses after the first time elapses,

the processor restarts the suspended automatic light modulation of the touch panel when the proximity sensor does not detect the presence of the object, and

the processor suspends the proximity sensor when the proximity sensor does not detect the presence of the object before the second time elapses.

5. The method of controlling the terminal apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

continuing by the processor the suspension of the automatic light modulation of the touch panel when the processor determines that the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor does not vary by the predetermined amount after the automatic light modulation of the touch panel is suspended.

6. The method of controlling terminal apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

starting by the processor the automatic light modulation of the touch panel when the processor determines that the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor increases by the predetermined amount after the automatic light modulation of the touch panel is suspended.

11. The method of controlling the terminal apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the object detected by the proximity sensor does not come into contact with the terminal apparatus.

7. A non-transitory recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute a process comprising:

determining whether or not an illuminance detected by an illuminance sensor provided adjacent to the touch panel varies by a predetermined amount;

determining whether or not an operation of the touch panel occurs in a predetermined area in a vicinity of the illuminance sensor;

suspending the automatic light modulation of the touch panel,

wherein after the process determines that the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor decreases by the predetermined amount, the process suspends the automatic light modulation of the touch panel when the process determines that the operation of the touch panel occurs before a first time elapses and when the process determines that the operation of the touch panel does not occur before the first time elapses and a proximity sensor provided adjacent to the illuminance sensor detects a presence of an object approaching the computer before a second time elapses after the first time elapses,

the process restarts the suspended automatic light modulation of the touch panel when the proximity sensor does not detect the presence of the object, and

the process suspends the proximity sensor when the proximity sensor does not detect the presence of the object before the second time elapses.

8. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 7, further comprising:

continuing the suspension of the automatic light modulation of the touch panel when the process determines that the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor does not vary by the predetermined amount after the automatic light modulation of the touch panel is suspended.

9. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 7, further comprising:

starting the automatic light modulation of the touch panel when the process determines that the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor increases by the predetermined amount after the automatic light modulation of the touch panel is suspended.

12. The non-transitory recording medium according to claim 7, wherein the object detected by the proximity sensor does not come into contact with the terminal apparatus.