JP2011232806A - Portable information terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable information terminal capable of appropriately changing an operation mode of a terminal body in response to, for example, a usage state of an input pen or a dominant hand of a user.SOLUTION: The portable information terminal includes a terminal body (100) and an input pen (200) for inputting information to the terminal body. The input pen includes detecting means (210 and 220) that detect an operation state of the input pen, and the terminal body includes selecting means (151) that selects the operation mode of the terminal body in response to the operation state detected by the detecting means.

Description

  The present invention relates to the technical field of portable information terminals.

  As this type of portable information terminal, one that inputs information to a terminal body by a pen-type input device (hereinafter referred to as “input pen” as appropriate) such as a stylus pen is known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). reference).

  For example, Patent Document 1 recognizes character recognition by detecting a character input operation detected by an acceleration sensor or a piezoelectric vibration gyro provided on an input pen as image data and comparing the image data with reference character data. Techniques to do are disclosed. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for performing display control of a terminal body in accordance with the inclination of the terminal body detected by an acceleration sensor provided in the terminal body and the usage state of the terminal body.

JP-A-10-78841 JP-A-9-81305

  In the portable information terminal as described above, the terminal main body is maintained in the standby state even when no information is input in order to always allow the input of information with the input pen (that is, the power supply of the terminal main body is maintained in the on state). Therefore, there is a technical problem that wasteful power consumption occurs and the life of the battery as a power source may be shortened. On the other hand, when the user does not input information with the input pen, the user can reduce the generation of wasteful power consumption by manually turning off the terminal body, but in this case, the user takes time and effort. There is a technical problem that may disturb the user's thinking.

  Furthermore, when the user interface of the terminal body is intended for right-handed users, there is a technical problem that convenience is low for left-handed users.

  The present invention has been made in view of, for example, the above-described problems. For example, a portable information terminal capable of appropriately changing the operation mode of the terminal body in accordance with the use status of the input pen, the user's dominant hand, and the like. It is an issue to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, the portable information terminal of the present invention is a portable information terminal including a terminal main body and an input pen for inputting information to the terminal main body, and the input pen is an operation of the input pen. Detection means for detecting a state is provided, and the terminal body includes selection means for selecting an operation mode of the terminal body in accordance with an operation state detected by the detection means.

  According to the portable information terminal of the present invention, for example, a terminal body having a display unit for displaying in a display area and a position detection unit such as a digitizer capable of detecting the position of an input pen such as a stylus pen in the display area. Information can be input with an input pen.

  In the present invention, in particular, the operating state of the input pen (for example, the posture or acceleration of the input pen) is detected by a detection unit configured by, for example, a posture sensor or an acceleration sensor provided in the input pen. Further, the operation mode of the terminal body is selected by the selection unit according to the operation state of the input pen detected by the detection unit. The operation mode selected by the selection means includes, for example, a normal power mode in which the power supply unit of the terminal body is normally turned on, a low power mode in which at least a part of the power supply unit of the terminal body is turned off, A right-handed mode in which the operation screen and the operation unit are for right-handed use, a left-handed mode in which the operation screen and operation unit of the terminal body are for left-handed use, and the like are set.

  For example, the selection unit determines whether or not the input pen is in use based on the operation state detected by the detection unit, and determines that the input pen is not in use when the input pen is not in use. A low power mode in which at least a part of the unit is in an off state is selected. Therefore, even when the input pen is not in use, generation of useless power consumption due to the power supply unit being maintained in the normal on state can be reduced. Therefore, for example, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the life of the battery constituting the power supply unit due to generation of useless power consumption.

  Alternatively, for example, the selection unit determines the dominant hand of the user who is using the input pen based on the operation state detected by the detection unit, and the right-handed mode is selected as the operation mode according to the determined dominant hand. Or select left-handed mode. Therefore, according to the user's dominant hand, the operation screen of the terminal body and the operation function of the operation unit can be switched between a right-handed one and a left-handed one. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be improved, which is very convenient in practice.

  Thus, since the operation mode of the terminal body is selected by the selection unit in accordance with the operation state of the input pen detected by the detection unit, for example, depending on the usage status of the input pen by the user, the user's dominant hand, etc. Thus, the operation mode of the terminal body can be changed appropriately. As a result, for example, it is possible to reduce the generation of wasteful power consumption or improve the convenience of the user.

  As described above, according to the portable information terminal of the present invention, the operation mode of the terminal body can be appropriately changed according to, for example, the usage status of the input pen or the user's dominant hand.

  In one aspect of the portable information terminal of the present invention, the terminal main body includes a power supply unit, and the selection unit determines whether the input pen is in use based on an operation state detected by the detection unit. Low power with which at least a part of the power supply unit is turned off as the operation mode when the first determination unit determines that the input pen is not in use. The terminal body controls the power supply unit so that at least a part of the power supply unit is turned off when the low power mode is selected as the operation mode by the selection unit. Power supply control means is further provided.

  According to this aspect, even when the input pen is not in use, generation of useless power consumption due to the power supply unit being maintained in the normal on state can be reduced. Therefore, for example, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the life of the battery constituting the power supply unit due to generation of useless power consumption.

  In another aspect of the portable information terminal of the present invention, the terminal body includes a display unit that displays an operation screen, and the selection unit uses the input pen based on the operating state detected by the detection unit. A second determination unit that determines a user's dominant hand, and selects a right-handed mode or a left-handed mode as the operation mode according to the dominant hand determined by the second determination unit; When the right-handed mode is selected by the selection means, the display unit displays a right-handed operation screen, and when the left-handed mode is selected by the selection means, Display control means is further provided for controlling the display unit so that the display unit displays a left-handed operation screen.

  According to this aspect, the operation screen of the terminal body can be switched between the right-handed operation screen and the left-handed operation screen in accordance with the user's dominant hand. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be improved, which is very convenient in practice.

  In another aspect of the portable information terminal of the present invention, the terminal body includes an operation unit, and the selection unit uses the input pen based on the operation state detected by the detection unit. A second determining means for determining a dominant hand, and selects a right-handed mode or a left-handed mode as the operation mode according to the dominant hand determined by the second determining means, and the terminal body is configured to select the selecting means. When the right-handed mode is selected, the right-handed operation function is assigned to the operation unit, and when the left-handed mode is selected by the selection unit, the left-handed operation is performed on the operation unit. An assigning means for assigning functions is further provided.

  According to this aspect, the operation function assigned to the operation unit of the terminal main body can be switched between the right-handed operation function and the left-handed operation function according to the user's dominant hand. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be improved, which is very convenient in practice.

  In another aspect of the portable information terminal of the present invention, the detection means includes at least one of an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the input pen and a posture sensor that detects the posture of the input pen.

  According to this aspect, the operation state of the input pen can be reliably detected based on at least one of the acceleration of the input pen detected by the acceleration sensor and the posture of the input pen detected by the posture sensor.

  The effect | action and other gain of this invention are clarified from the form for implementing invention demonstrated below.

It is a perspective view showing the whole personal digital assistant composition concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the portable information terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the change of the operation mode of the terminal main body in the portable information terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
The portable information terminal according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following, the configuration and operation of the portable information terminal according to the present embodiment will be described as appropriate using directions, but unless otherwise specified, this direction is a user who uses the portable information terminal according to the present embodiment. This is the direction when viewed from the viewpoint.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the portable information terminal according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, a portable information terminal 1 according to the present embodiment is a portable information terminal (PDA: Personal Digital Terminal) capable of inputting information to the apparatus main body 100 with a pen 200 as an example of an “input pen” according to the present invention. Assistant). The mobile information terminal 1 may be a mobile phone, a mobile music playback device, a mobile video playback device, a mobile navigation device, or the like.

  In FIG. 1, the portable information terminal 1 includes a device main body 100 having a display unit 110 and a housing 120, and a pen 200.

  The display unit 110 is configured by a display device such as an electrophoretic display device, and displays various data such as text data such as characters and sentences and image data such as graphics in the display area 100A of the apparatus main body 100. The display unit 110 may be configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. Further, the display unit 110 displays an operation screen that can be operated with the pen 200 for inputting information to the terminal body 100. As will be described in detail later, the display unit 110 displays a right-handed operation screen or a left-handed operation screen as an operation screen under the control of a UI (User Interface) control unit 154 (see FIG. 2). To do.

  Although not shown in FIG. 1, a digitizer main body that detects the position and locus of the pen 200 is provided so as to overlap the display unit 110. When the digitizer main body detects the position and locus of the pen 200 on the display unit 110, information can be input from the pen 200 to the apparatus main body 100.

  The housing 120 is a housing that houses various hardware for operating the portable information terminal 1, such as a power supply unit 140, a control unit 150, and a receiving unit 160, which will be described later with reference to FIG. The housing 120 is provided so as to hold the display unit 110 from the outer edge side.

  The casing 120 is provided with an operation unit 130 (that is, operation units 130a and 130b). The operation unit 130 is an operation button having an operation function of inputting instructions such as turning on / off the power of the portable information terminal 1 and page turning by the user. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the operation units 130 a and 130 b are provided on the opposite sides of the display unit 110. That is, the operation unit 130 a is provided on the left side of the display unit 110, and the operation unit 130 b is provided on the right side of the display unit 110. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which two operation units 130 are provided, three or more operation units 130 may be provided. Also, as will be described in detail later, the operation unit 130 is assigned a right-handed operation function or a left-handed operation function by the UI control unit 154 (see FIG. 2).

  The pen 200 is a bar-like or pen-like input device that inputs information to a digitizer body provided so as to overlap the display unit 110. The pen 200 is provided separately from the apparatus main body 100. The portable information terminal 1 identifies information input by the pen 200 using the digitizer body, and displays the identified information on the display unit 110 or stores it in an external storage device provided in the terminal body 100.

  The pen 200 is provided with an attitude sensor 210 and an acceleration sensor 220. The posture sensor 210 and the acceleration sensor 220 are examples of the “detecting unit” according to the present invention. The posture of the pen 200 detected by the posture sensor 210 and the acceleration of the pen 200 detected by the acceleration sensor are examples of the “operation state of the input pen” according to the present invention.

  The posture sensor 210 includes a gyro sensor, and is configured to be able to detect the posture of the pen 200 such as the tilt of the pen 200, for example.

  The acceleration sensor 220 is configured to detect the acceleration of the pen 200.

  Next, the configuration of the portable information terminal according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the portable information terminal according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 2, the portable information terminal 1 includes an apparatus main body 100 and a pen 200. The apparatus main body 100 includes a display unit 110, an operation unit 130, a power supply unit 140, a control unit 150, and a reception unit 160. The pen 200 includes an attitude sensor 210, an acceleration sensor 220, and a transmission unit 230.

  The transmission unit 230 transmits information indicating the posture of the pen 200 detected by the posture sensor 210 and the acceleration of the pen 200 detected by the acceleration sensor 220 to the reception unit 160 of the apparatus main body 100 as pen operation information.

  The receiving unit 160 receives the pen operation information transmitted from the transmitting unit 230.

  The power supply unit 140 includes a rechargeable secondary battery such as a nickel-cadmium battery or a lithium ion battery, for example, and supplies power to each component constituting the apparatus main body 100 such as the display unit 110 and the digitizer main body. Supply.

  The control unit 150 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM). For example, the display unit 110, the operation unit 130, the power supply unit 140, the reception unit 160, the digitizer body, and an external storage Each component constituting the apparatus main body 100 such as an apparatus is controlled.

  The control unit 150 includes an operation mode selection unit 151, a UI control unit 154, and a power supply control unit 155.

  The operation mode selection unit 151 selects an operation mode of the apparatus main body 110 based on the pen operation information received by the reception unit 160. The operation mode selected by the operation mode selection unit 151 includes, for example, a normal power mode in which the power supply unit 140 is in a normal on state, a low power mode in which at least a part of the power supply unit 140 is in an off state, and the display unit 110 The right-handed mode in which the displayed operation screen and the operation function assigned to the operation unit 130 are for right-handed use, and the operation screen displayed on the display unit 110 and the operation function assigned to the operation unit 130 are for left-handed use The left-handed mode is set.

  The operation mode selection unit 151 includes a use state determination unit 152 that is an example of the “first determination unit” according to the present invention and a dominant hand determination unit 153 that is an example of the “second determination unit” according to the present invention. .

  The usage state determination unit 152 determines whether or not the pen 200 is in use based on the pen operation information received by the reception unit 160. Specifically, the usage state determination unit 152 determines that the acceleration of the pen 200 is not continuously generated for a certain period based on the pen motion information (that is, the acceleration of the pen 200 is zero for a certain period). In the case), it is determined that the pen 200 is not in use (that is, the pen 200 is not used), and in other cases (that is, when the acceleration of the pen 200 is generated within a certain period), It is determined that the pen 200 is in use. In addition, as a case where the pen 200 is not used, for example, a case where the user places the pen 200 away from the hand and places it on the desk or the terminal body 100 is assumed. It is considered that acceleration does not occur continuously for a certain period.

  The operation mode selection unit 151 selects the low power mode when the use state determination unit 152 determines that the pen 200 is not used, and determines that the pen 200 is in use by the use state determination unit 152. In this case, the normal power mode is selected.

  The dominant hand determination unit 153 determines the dominant hand of the user who is using the pen 200 based on the pen operation information received by the reception unit 160. Specifically, the dominant hand determination unit 153 determines that the user's dominant hand is the right hand when the posture of the pen 200 is changed within the first predetermined range based on the pen motion information (that is, use If the posture of the pen 200 changes within the second predetermined range, the user's dominant hand is a left hand (that is, the user is a left hand). judge. Note that the first predetermined range is set in advance as a range that the posture of the pen 200 can take when the user uses the pen 200 with the right hand by experiment, experience, simulation, or the like. Further, the second predetermined range is set in advance as a range in which the posture of the pen 200 can be taken when the user uses the pen 200 with the left hand by experiment, experience, simulation, or the like.

  The operation mode selection unit 151 selects the right-handed mode when the handedness determination unit 153 determines that the user is right-handed, and the operation mode selection unit 151 selects the right-handed mode when the user is determined to be left-handed Select left-handed mode.

  The UI control unit 154 controls the user interface of the apparatus main body 100. Specifically, the UI control unit 154 displays a right-handed operation screen or a left-handed operation screen on the display unit 110, or assigns a right-handed operation function or a left-handed operation function to the operation unit 130. Or The right-handed operation screen is a predetermined operation screen that is easy to operate for a right-handed user, and the left-handed operation screen is predetermined to be easy for a left-handed user to operate. The operation screen. Further, the right-handed operation function is a predetermined operation function so that a right-handed user can easily operate the operation unit 130, and the left-handed operation function is a left-handed user who operates the operation unit 130. This is a predetermined operation function so as to be easy to operate. The UI control unit 154 controls the display unit 110 to display a right-handed operation screen when the operation mode selection unit 151 selects the right-handed mode, and controls the operation unit 130 to be right-handed. Assign the operation function. In addition, when the left-handed mode is selected by the operation mode selection unit 151, the UI control unit 154 controls the display unit 110 to display a left-handed operation screen and the left-handed mode on the operation unit 130. Assign operation functions.

  The power supply control unit 155 controls the power supply unit 140. Specifically, when the low power mode is selected by the operation mode selection unit 151, the power supply control unit 155 controls the power supply unit 140 so that at least a part of the power supply unit 140 is turned off. In addition, when the normal power mode is selected by the operation mode selection unit 151, the power supply control unit 155 controls the power supply unit 140 so that the power supply unit 140 is in a normal on state.

  Next, the change of the operation mode of the terminal body in the portable information terminal according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the change of the operation mode of the terminal body in the portable information terminal according to the present embodiment.

  Here, a case where the above-described normal power mode, low power mode, right-handed mode, and left-handed mode are set as the operation modes selected by the operation mode selection unit 151 is taken as an example. Note that the operation mode selected by the operation mode selection unit 151 is not limited to the normal power mode, the low power mode, the right-handed mode, and the left-handed mode, which are exemplified here, and other operation modes may be set.

  In FIG. 3, first, the acceleration of the pen 200 is detected by the acceleration sensor 210 (step S10).

  Next, the posture of the pen 200 is detected by the posture sensor 220 (step S20). The process according to step S20 may be performed in parallel with or in parallel with the process according to step S10.

  Next, pen movement information indicating the posture of the pen 200 detected by the posture sensor 210 and the acceleration of the pen 200 detected by the acceleration sensor 220 is transmitted to the reception unit 160 by the transmission unit 260 (step S30).

  Next, the pen operation information transmitted by the transmission unit 260 is received by the reception unit 160 (step S40).

  Next, based on the pen operation information, the use state determination unit 152 determines whether or not the pen 200 is in use (step S50).

  When it is determined that the pen 200 is not in use (that is, unused) (step S50: No), the operation mode control unit 151 selects the low power mode as the operation mode of the terminal body 10 ( Step S90). When the low power mode is selected by the operation mode control unit 151, the power supply control unit 155 controls the power supply unit 140 so that at least a part of the power supply unit 140 is turned off (step S120). Therefore, even when the pen 200 is not in use, generation of useless power consumption due to the power supply unit 140 being maintained in a normal on state can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the life of the battery constituting the power supply unit 140 due to the generation of wasteful power consumption.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the pen 200 is in use (step S50: Yes), the operation mode control unit 151 selects the normal power mode as the operation mode of the terminal body 10. When the normal power mode is selected by the operation mode control unit 151, the power supply control unit 155 controls the power supply unit 140 so that the power supply unit 140 is normally turned on.

  Further, in this case (step S50: Yes), the dominant hand of the user using the pen 200 is determined by the dominant hand determination unit 153 based on the pen operation information (step S60).

  When it is determined that the user's dominant hand is a right hand (that is, the user is a right hand) (step S60: Yes), the operation mode control unit 151 sets the right hand as the operation mode of the terminal body 10. A mode is selected (step S70). When the right-handed mode is selected by the operation mode control unit 151, the UI control unit 154 controls the display unit 110 so as to display a right-handed operation screen and the right-handed operation on the operation unit 130. A function is assigned (step S100).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the user's dominant hand is the left hand (that is, the user is a left hand) (step S60: No), the operation mode control unit 151 sets the left handed operation mode as the operation mode of the terminal body 10. A mode is selected (step S80). When the left-handed mode is selected by the operation mode control unit 151, the UI control unit 154 controls the display unit 110 to display a left-handed operation screen and assigns a left-handed operation function to the operation unit 130. (Step S110).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the operation screen displayed on the display unit 110 is switched between the right-handed operation screen and the left-handed operation screen in accordance with the user's dominant hand, and the operation unit 130 is also switched. The assigned operation function can be switched between a right-handed operation function and a left-handed operation function. Therefore, the convenience of the user can be improved, which is very convenient in practice.

  As described above, according to the portable information terminal 1 according to the present embodiment, the operation mode of the terminal body 100 can be appropriately changed according to the usage state of the pen 200 and the user's dominant hand.

  For example, the pen operation information received by the receiving unit 160 is stored in an external storage device included in the terminal main body 100, and the user's characteristics (that is, the pen 200 is used based on the stored pen operation information). A usage pattern or 使用) may be estimated, and an operation mode may be selected according to the estimated user characteristics. In this case, user convenience can be further improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Apparatus main body, 110 ... Display part, 120 ... Housing | casing, 130, 130a, 130b ... Operation part, 140 ... Power supply part, 150 ... Control part, 151 ... Operation mode selection part, 152 ... Usage determination part, 153 ... Handedness determination unit, 154 ... UI control unit, 155 ... power supply control unit, 160 ... receiving unit, 200 ... pen, 210 ... posture sensor, 220 ... acceleration sensor, 230 ... transmission unit,

Claims (5)

A portable information terminal including a terminal body and an input pen for inputting information to the terminal body,
The input pen includes detection means for detecting an operation state of the input pen,
The portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the terminal body includes a selection unit that selects an operation mode of the terminal body according to an operation state detected by the detection unit. The terminal body includes a power supply unit,
The selection means includes first determination means for determining whether or not the input pen is in use based on the operation state detected by the detection means, and the input pen is determined by the first determination means. If it is determined that it is not in use, the low power mode in which at least a part of the power supply unit is turned off is selected as the operation mode,
The terminal body includes power control means for controlling the power supply unit so that at least a part of the power supply unit is turned off when the low power mode is selected as the operation mode by the selection means. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising: The terminal body includes a display unit that displays an operation screen.
The selection means has second determination means for determining the dominant hand of the user who is using the input pen based on the operating state detected by the detection means, and the dominant hand determined by the second determination means Depending on the, as the operation mode, select a right-handed mode or a left-handed mode,
When the right-handed mode is selected by the selection means, the terminal body displays the right-handed operation screen on the display unit, and the left-handed mode is selected by the selection means. 3. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising display control means for controlling the display unit so that the display unit displays a left-handed operation screen. The terminal body includes an operation unit,
The selection unit includes a second determination unit that determines a handedness of a user who is using the input pen based on the operation state detected by the detection unit, and is determined by the second determination unit. Depending on the dominant hand, select the right-handed mode or the left-handed mode as the operation mode,
When the right-handed mode is selected by the selection means, the terminal body assigns a right-handed operation function to the operation unit, and when the left-handed mode is selected by the selection means, The portable information terminal according to claim 1, further comprising an assigning unit that assigns a left-handed operation function to the operation unit.   The said detection means has at least 1 of the acceleration sensor which detects the acceleration of the said input pen, and the attitude | position sensor which detects the attitude | position of the said input pen, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Mobile information terminal.

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