Portable Electronic Apparatus and Input Operation Determining Method

• US 20100033423A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Iio, Taro
• Application Number:
  US12/438,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20100033423A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/66 with means for preventing unauthorised or fraudulent calling verifying user identity or authority in secret or secure digital communications H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus 100 includes a plurality of sensor elements continuously and adjacently arranged, and a control unit 110 monitoring an operation state of a plurality of sensors. The control unit 110 is capable of detecting a single element detection state detecting an operation state in one sensor element out of a plurality of sensor elements, and an adjacent elements detection state detecting an operation state of two adjacent sensor elements out of the plurality of sensor elements, and determines an operation state by combination of the single element detection state and the adjacent elements detection state.

Claims

1. A portable electronic apparatus comprising a plurality of sensor elements continuously and adjacently arranged, and a control unit monitoring operation states of the plurality of sensor elements,

characterized in that

the control unit is capable of detecting a single element detection state detecting an operation state in one sensor element out of the plurality of sensor elements, and an adjacent elements detection state detecting an operation state in two adjacent sensor elements out of the plurality of sensor elements, and determines an operation state by combination of the single element detection state and the adjacent elements detection state.

2. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

when the control unit detects that a detection state transfers from the adjacent elements detection state by both a first sensor element and a second sensor element adjacent to the first sensor element to the single element detection state by only the first sensor element, the control unit determines that an operation with movement in a direction to the first sensor element from the second sensor element occurs.

3. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

when the control unit detects that a detection state transfers from the single element detection state by only a first sensor element to the adjacent elements detection state by both the first sensor element and a second sensor element adjacent to the first sensor element, the control unit determines that an operation with movement in a direction to the second sensor element from the first sensor element occurs.

4. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

when the control unit detects that a detection state transfers from the single element detection state by only a first sensor element to the adjacent elements detection state by both the first sensor element and a second sensor element adjacent to the first sensor element, and further detects the single element detection state by only the second sensor element, the control unit determines that an operation with movement in a direction to the second sensor element from the first sensor element occurs.

5. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

when the control unit detects that a detection state transfers from the adjacent elements detection state by both a first sensor element and a second sensor element adjacent to the first sensor element to the single element detection state by only the second sensor element, and further detects the adjacent elements detection state by both the second sensor element and a third sensor element adjacent to the second sensor element, the control unit determines that an operation with movement in a direction to the third sensor element from the first sensor element through the second sensor element occurs.

6. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

when the number of state transfers of the single element detection state and adjacent elements detection state is one or two in the same direction which is an arranging direction of the sensor elements, and the number of transfers from a first detection state is two or three, the control unit determines that an operation with movement occurs to the sensor elements in the same direction which is the arranging direction of the sensor elements.

7. The portable electronic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that

the sensor elements are arranged continuously and adjacently in a circular form.

8. An input operation determining method comprising:

the step of monitoring an input operation state of a plurality of sensor elements continuously and adjacently arranged, and detecting a single element detection state detecting an operation state in one sensor element out of the plurality of sensor elements, and an adjacent elements detection state detecting an operation state in two adjacent sensor elements out of the plurality of sensor elements; and

the step of determining an operation state by combination of the single element detection state and the adjacent elements detection state.

9. A portable electronic apparatus, comprising a plurality of sensor elements continuously arranged, and a control unit monitoring an operation state of the plurality of sensor elements,

characterized in that

the control unit is capable of detecting a single element detection state detecting an operation state in one sensor element out of the plurality of sensor elements, and a plurality of elements detection state detecting an operation state in a plurality of sensor elements out of the plurality of sensor elements, and determines an operation state by combination of the single element detection state and the plurality of elements detection state.