JP2014139519A - Proximity determining device, control method for the same, and electric device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a proximity determining device capable of reducing current consumption with a simple configuration in which size and cost are reduced.SOLUTION: A proximity determining device includes proximity detection means for detecting proximity of an object, driving means for driving the proximity detection means so that it may relate to a detection range of the proximity detection means, and control means for changing drive of the driving means so that the detection range of the proximity detection means may be narrower when the proximity detection means detects the object.

Description

  The present invention relates to a proximity determination device using a proximity sensor, a control method thereof, and an electronic apparatus including the proximity determination device.

  In recent years, wireless communication terminals typified by smartphones that have rapidly spread have been equipped with a proximity sensor that detects a nearby object. This proximity sensor prevents “erroneous touch” in which a touch panel reacts to cause a malfunction when a wireless communication terminal is put on an ear during a call, regardless of a user's intention. Further, when the proximity sensor detects an object, it is determined that the telephone is in a call state, and the backlight of the LCD display and the touch panel are turned off, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption.

  However, since the proximity sensor always monitors an adjacent object, LED light is always emitted, and there is a problem that most of the total current consumption of the wireless communication terminal is consumed by the proximity sensor.

  In order to deal with the problem of current consumption in the proximity sensor, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a proximity sensor (proximity sensor with illuminance detection function) configured to include an illuminance sensor. In the proximity sensor with illuminance detection function, when the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor exceeds the first illuminance threshold, it is determined that the vicinity of the proximity sensor is bright, and it is detected that the object is not in proximity. In this case, since it is not necessary to emit LED light from the proximity sensor, current consumption due to the emission of LED light is reduced by controlling the emission of LED light to stop.

JP 2010-199706 A

  The following analysis is given from the perspective of the present invention.

  However, the proximity sensor with an illuminance detection function described in Patent Document 1 described above requires a new illuminance sensor, which increases costs. In addition, since a space for providing an illuminance sensor is newly required, there is a problem that it is difficult to mount it on a portable device or the like that is strongly demanded to be reduced in size and weight.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a proximity determination device that can contribute to reduction of current consumption with a simple configuration that can be reduced in size and cost.

  The proximity determination device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes proximity detection means for detecting proximity of an object, drive means for driving the proximity detection means so as to relate to a detection range of the proximity detection means, and the proximity detection Control means for changing the drive of the drive means so that the detection range of the proximity detection means becomes narrow when the means detects an object.

  An electronic apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes the proximity determination device according to the first viewpoint.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a proximity determination device control method comprising: proximity detection means for detecting proximity of an object; drive means for driving the proximity detection means so as to relate to a detection range of the proximity detection means; A proximity determination apparatus control method comprising: That is, the control method of the proximity determination device includes a first setting step of setting a first driving condition related to the first detection range in the driving unit. Further, the control method of the proximity determination device includes a first detection step of driving the proximity detection unit by the drive unit under the first driving condition and detecting the proximity of the object by the proximity detection unit. . In the control method of the proximity determination device, when the object is detected in the first detection step, a second driving condition related to a second detection range that is narrower than the first detection range is set as the second drive condition. A second setting step for setting the driving means; Furthermore, the control method of the proximity determination device includes a second detection step of driving the proximity detection unit by the drive unit under the second driving condition and detecting the proximity of the object by the proximity detection unit. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a proximity determination device control program comprising: proximity detection means for detecting proximity of an object; drive means for driving the proximity detection means so as to relate to a detection range of the proximity detection means; Is a control program for a proximity determination apparatus, which causes a computer to execute the following processing. That is, the control program of the proximity determination device causes the drive unit to execute a process of setting the first drive condition related to the first detection range. In addition, the control program of the proximity determination device causes the driving unit to execute processing for driving the proximity detecting unit under the first driving condition. Further, the control program of the proximity determination device may include a second program related to a second detection range that is narrower than the first detection range when the object is detected by the proximity detection unit under the first driving condition. The process for setting the drive condition in the drive means is executed. Further, the control program of the proximity determination device executes a process of driving the proximity detecting unit by the driving unit under the second driving condition.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a proximity determination device that can contribute to reduction of current consumption with a simple configuration that can be reduced in size and cost.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the proximity determination apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the proximity determination apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the proximity determination apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the light emitting element drive part of the proximity determination apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the proximity determination apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the electronic device which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

  First, an outline of an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the reference numerals of the drawings added in the description of the outline of the embodiment are merely examples for helping understanding, and are not intended to be limited to the illustrated modes.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the proximity determination device 1 according to an embodiment includes a proximity detection unit 2 that detects the proximity of an object 5 and a drive that drives the proximity detection unit 2 so as to relate to the detection range of the proximity detection unit 2. When the means 3 and the proximity detection means 2 detect the object 5, the drive means 3 is configured so that the detection range of the proximity detection means 2 becomes narrow (for example, from the detection range d1 in FIG. 1 to the detection range d2). And control means 4 for changing the drive.

  With the above configuration, when the proximity of the object 5 is detected by the proximity detection unit 2 in a state of a wide detection range (for example, the detection range d1 in FIG. 1), the object 5 is closer to the detection limit of the detection range d1. Since the possibility is high, the detection range is set to be narrow (for example, the detection range d2 in FIG. 1). As described above, when the object 5 is detected, the current consumption of the proximity detection unit 2 can be reduced by setting the detection range to be narrow.

  In the proximity determination device 1 described above, when the proximity detection unit 2 no longer detects the object 5 in a state where the detection range of the proximity detection unit 2 is narrowed (for example, the detection range d2 in FIG. 1), You may make it change the drive of the drive means 3 so that it may return to the detection range (for example, detection range d1 of FIG. 1) before narrowing the detection range of the proximity detection means 2. FIG.

  In the proximity determination apparatus 1 described above, the proximity detector 2 includes a light emitting element 15 that projects light onto the object 5 and a light receiving sensor 16 that receives the light reflected by the object 5, as shown in FIG. You may make it.

  In the proximity determination device 1, the driving unit 3 may control the light emission amount of the light projected by the light emitting element 15 of the proximity detection unit 2 so as to relate to the detection range of the proximity detection unit 2.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 6, you may make it provide the electronic device 101 provided with the proximity determination apparatus (11 of FIG. 2).

  As shown in either FIG. 1 or FIG. 3, the control method of the proximity determination device in one embodiment is related to the proximity detection unit 2 that detects the proximity of the object 5 and the detection range of the proximity detection unit 2. A control method of the proximity determination device 1 including a drive unit 3 for driving the proximity detection unit 2 and includes the following steps. That is, the control method of the proximity determination device 1 includes a first setting step (S30) for setting the first driving condition related to the first detection range in the driving unit 3. In addition, the control method of the proximity determination device 1 is a first detection step (S31) in which the proximity detection unit 2 is driven by the drive unit 3 under the first driving condition, and the proximity of the object 5 is detected by the proximity detection unit 2. )including. In addition, when the object 5 is detected in the first detection step (Yes in S32), the control method of the proximity determination device 1 is the first related to the second detection range that is narrower than the first detection range. A second setting step (S34) for setting the second driving condition in the driving means 3; Further, in the control method of the proximity determination device 1, the proximity detection unit 2 is driven by the drive unit 3 under the second driving condition, and the proximity detection unit 2 detects the proximity of the object 5 (S35). )including.

  In the control method of the proximity determination apparatus, the second setting step is performed when an object (5 in FIG. 1) is detected continuously for a predetermined period of time in the first detection step as shown in FIG. In the case of Yes in S33, the second drive condition related to the second detection range (for example, the detection range d2 in FIG. 1) narrower than the first detection range (for example, the detection range d1 in FIG. 1) is set. The driving means (3 in FIG. 1) may be set (S34).

  In the control method of the proximity determination device, as shown in FIG. 3, when the object (5 in FIG. 1) is not detected in the second detection step (No in S36), the first setting step (S30) may be executed.

  In the control method of the proximity determination apparatus, the driving unit 3 includes the first to Nth detection ranges related to the first to Nth detection ranges of the proximity detection unit 2 as illustrated in any of FIGS. 1 and 5. The driving conditions are set (where N is an integer equal to or greater than 3), and the first to Nth detection ranges are set so that the detection range is sequentially narrowed. Here, when the object 5 is detected in the (M-1) th detection step (for example, in the case of Yes in S36), an Mth setting step (S38 etc.) for setting the Mth driving condition in the driving means 3; The M-th detection step (S39 to S40, etc.) in which the proximity detection means 2 is driven by the drive means 3 under the Mth drive condition and the proximity detection means 2 detects the proximity of the object 5; It may be further included to repeat for N (FIG. 5 shows an example of N = 3).

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

[First Embodiment]
(Configuration of the first embodiment)
The first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the proximity determination device 11 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the proximity determination device 11 detects the object 5 and outputs either detection or non-detection as a detection result.

  The proximity determination device 11 includes a proximity sensor 12 including a light emitting element 15 and a light receiving sensor 16, a light emitting element driving unit 13, and a proximity sensor control unit 14. Here, when comparing each component in FIG. 2 with each component in FIG. 1 referred to in the outline description of the embodiment, the proximity sensor 12, the light emitting element driving unit 13, and the proximity sensor control unit 14 in FIG. This corresponds to the proximity detection means 2, the drive means 3, and the control means 4 in FIG.

  The light emitting element 15 of FIG. 2 is comprised by infrared LED (Light Emitting Diode), and light-emits the projection light 21 which is infrared light. As shown in FIG. 2, when there is the object 5 facing the proximity sensor 12, the light receiving sensor 16 receives the reflected light 22 reflected by the object 5. The light receiving sensor 16 is a sensor having sensitivity in the infrared wavelength region. The light receiving sensor 16 outputs a “detection” signal indicating that an object to be detected (object 5 or the like) has been detected when the output voltage of the light receiving sensor 16 exceeds a predetermined threshold value. A “non-detection” signal indicating that no object is detected is output.

  The light emitting element driving unit 13 varies the light emission current value, the light emission time (the pulse width of the current within one period), and the light emission period of the light emitting element 15 composed of an infrared LED, thereby projecting light 21 output from the light emitting element 15. The amount of light is controlled. Here, any one of the light emission current value, the light emission time, and the light emission period can be made variable, and a variable parameter can be selected as appropriate according to the required light amount range of the projection light 21. That's fine.

  The proximity sensor control unit 14 has a CPU (not shown) and operates by executing a control program. The proximity sensor control unit 14 outputs the detection result (detection / non-detection) output from the light receiving sensor 16 to the outside, and changes the setting of the light emission amount of the light emitting element driving unit 13 based on the detection result.

  In the first embodiment, the light emission amount of the light emitting element driving unit 13 is configured to be set in two stages. In the case where the amount of emitted light is large, the object 5 can be detected in a wide detection range d1 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the amount of emitted light is small, the object 5 can be detected in a detection range d2 (d2 <d1) narrower than the detection range d1.

  Hereinafter, in the present specification, when the detection range is set (that is, when the amount of emitted light is large), the detection object (object 5 or the like) is detected as “detection state”, and the detection object is The case where it is not detected is referred to as “non-detection state”. Further, when the detection range is set to d2 (that is, when the amount of emitted light is small), the case where the detection target (object 5 or the like) is detected is “proximity state”, and the case where the detection target is not detected is “ It will be called “non-proximity state”.

  When the detection range is set to d1, the object to be detected (object 5 or the like) can be detected in a wide range, but in order to increase the amount of light emitted from the projection light 21, the current flowing through the light emitting element 15 is increased. Is required and current consumption increases. On the other hand, when the detection range is set to d2, the detection range of the object to be detected is narrowed. However, the amount of light emitted from the projection light 21 is reduced, and the current flowing through the light emitting element 15 can be suppressed. The The proximity determination device 11 of the first embodiment suppresses the current consumption while maintaining the detection performance of the proximity sensor 12 by properly using the detection range d1 mode and the detection range d2 mode. Details will be described in the operation of the first embodiment below.

(Operation of the first embodiment)
Next, the operation of the proximity determination device 11 according to the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Also refer to FIG. 2 as necessary. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the proximity determination device 11.

  In FIG. 3, the proximity sensor control unit 14 sets the driving condition of the detection range d1 for the light emitting element driving unit 13 (S30). Thereby, the proximity determination apparatus 11 becomes the mode of the detection range d1. Subsequently, detection of an object is started by the proximity sensor 12 (S31).

  The proximity sensor control unit 14 periodically reads the measurement result of the light receiving sensor 16 and acquires information on whether or not the object 5 has been detected (S32). In the case of No in step S32, it is determined as a non-detection state, the mode is not changed (that is, the mode of the detection range d1 is kept), and step S32 is repeated. On the other hand, if Yes in step S32, the detection state is determined and the process proceeds to step S33.

  In step S33, it is determined whether or not the detection state is continued for a predetermined period (S33). Step S33 is to eliminate the influence of chattering when shifting from the non-detection state to the detection state, and to wait for the object 5 to come closer than the detection limit (distance d1) of the detection range d1. Is provided. When it is determined No in step S33, the process returns to step S32.

  Then, when it determines with Yes by step S33, the proximity sensor control part 14 sets the drive condition of detection range d2 (d2 <d1) with respect to the light emitting element drive part 13 (S34). As a result, the proximity determination device 11 enters the mode of the detection range d2. Subsequently, object detection is started by the proximity sensor 12 (S35).

  The proximity sensor control unit 14 periodically reads the measurement result of the light receiving sensor 16 and acquires information on whether or not the object 5 has been detected (S36). In the case of Yes in step S36, it is determined as the proximity state, and the mode is not changed (that is, the mode of the detection range d2 is kept), and step S36 is repeated. On the other hand, in the case of No in step S36, it is determined as a non-proximity state and the process returns to step S30.

  Next, the effect of suppressing the power consumption of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the light emitting element driving unit 13 of the proximity determination device 11 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 shows the current that flows through the light emitting element 15 until the object 5 approaches the proximity determination device 11 and then the object 5 leaves the proximity determination device 11. FIG. 4A shows the case of the proximity determination device 11 of the first embodiment, and FIG. 4B shows a case where a general proximity determination device emits constant light.

  In the case of FIG. 4B, there is a problem that the amount of light emission corresponding to the detection range d1 is always output and the current consumption is large.

  Next, operations at times t1 to t5 in FIG. 4A will be described with reference to FIG. 3 as appropriate. FIG. 3 shows t1 to t5 at locations corresponding to times t1 to t5 in FIG.

  First, in the initial state, the object 5 is in a state of being separated by the detection range d1 or more, and the proximity sensor control unit 14 sets the light emitting element driving unit 13 as the driving condition of the detection range d1. That is, the proximity determination device 11 is in a non-detection state in the detection range d1 mode. As described above, the mode of the detection range d1 is set so that the light emitting element driving unit 13 has a large amount of emitted light.

  Subsequently, when the object 5 approaches the proximity determination device 11 and the light receiving sensor 16 detects the object 5 at time t1 in FIG. 4A, the state shifts from the non-detection state to the detection state. Time t1 is the timing at which the non-detection state shifts to the detection state at S32 in FIG.

  Subsequently, at time t2 in FIG. 4A, the proximity sensor control unit 14 changes the light emitting element driving unit 13 to the driving condition of the detection range d2. That is, from time t2, the proximity determination device 11 is in the proximity state in the mode of the detection range d2. Time t2 in FIG. 3 is the timing immediately after executing Step S34 after the result of Yes in Step S33.

  As shown in FIG. 4 (A), in the mode of the detection range d2, the light emitting element driving unit 13 compares the light emission current value and the light emission time (current pulse width within one period) in the mode of the detection range d1. It is controlled to be smaller.

  After the proximity state continues, when the object 5 leaves the proximity determination device 11 and the light receiving sensor 16 no longer detects the object 5 at time t3 in FIG. 4A (that is, outputs non-detection), the proximity state To the non-proximity state. Time t3 is the timing when the proximity state is changed to the non-proximity state in S36 of FIG.

  Subsequently, at time t4 in FIG. 4A, the proximity sensor control unit 14 returns the light emitting element driving unit 13 to the driving condition of the detection range d1. That is, the proximity determination device 11 is in the detection range d1 mode from time t4. Time t4 is the timing immediately after the execution of step S30 (No in S36 and S30 after returning to the top of the flowchart) in FIG.

  Subsequently, also at time t5 in FIG. 4A, the light receiving sensor 16 does not detect the object 5 and shifts from the non-proximity state to the non-detection state. Time t5 is the timing when the non-detection state is obtained in S32 of FIG. 3 (that is, the timing when No is obtained in S32).

  The operation until the object 5 approaches the proximity determination device 11 and then the object 5 moves away from the proximity determination device 11 has been described. As shown in FIG. 4, the period up to time t2 is the mode of the detection range d1, the period of time t2 to t4 is the mode of the detection range d2, and the mode from the time t4 is the mode of the detection range d1.

  As described above, assuming that the object 5 approaches the proximity determination device 11 and then moves away from the proximity determination device 11, when the proximity determination device 11 detects the object 5 in the mode of the detection range d1, Actually, there is a high possibility that the detection range d1 is closer than the detection limit (that is, the distance d1). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the object 5 can often be detected even when the detection range is shifted to the detection range d2 mode, and the light emitting element 15 is shifted to the detection range d2 mode. It is possible to reduce the current flowing through the. Therefore, current consumption can be reduced as compared with the case where constant light emission is performed in FIG. When the object 5 is not detected in the detection range d2 mode, the mode may be returned to the detection range d1 mode.

  As described above, according to the proximity determination device 11 according to the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  According to the proximity determination device 11 of the first embodiment, when an object is detected in the detection range d1 mode, the current consumption is reduced by shifting to the detection range d2 (d2 <d1) mode in which the detection range is narrow. can do.

  In the proximity sensor with illuminance detection function described in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to newly provide an illuminance sensor, there is a problem that the cost is increased. However, in the proximity determination device 11 of the first embodiment, Since it is not necessary to add a new sensor, a simple configuration that can be reduced in size and cost can be achieved.

  Moreover, although this embodiment demonstrated the system which projects light on the object 5 as a proximity sensor, and receives reflected light, it is not limited to the system. In general, when a mode with a narrow detection range is provided, the disclosure of the present embodiment can be applied to any type of proximity sensor as long as power consumption can be reduced in that mode. it can.

  For example, it is possible to reduce power consumption by using a method of projecting ultrasonic waves instead of infrared light and reducing the ultrasonic output in a narrow detection range mode.

  Alternatively, it is possible to reduce power consumption by using a capacitive sensor as the proximity sensor and reducing the detection current in the narrow detection range mode.

[Second Embodiment]
The second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, the difference from the first embodiment is that the detection range of the proximity sensor is subdivided. In the following, the description will be focused on the changed points, and redundant description will be omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the proximity determination apparatus according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, in the second embodiment, the detection range of the proximity sensor is subdivided into three stages of detection ranges d1, d2, and d3. Here, d3 <d2 <d1. 5 is compared with FIG. 3 (first embodiment), S30 to S35 in FIG. 5 are the same as those in FIG. S36 to S39 in FIG. 5 show the operation for shifting from the mode of the detection range d2 to the mode of the detection range d3. The processing content is from the mode of the detection range d1 to the mode of the detection range d2 in S32 to S35 of FIG. Since this is the same as the operation for shifting to the mode, the description is omitted.

  Step S40 in FIG. 5 is the same as step S36 in FIG. 3, and in the mode of the detection range d3, the proximity sensor control unit 14 periodically reads the measurement result of the light receiving sensor 16 to determine whether or not the object 5 is detected. Is acquired (S40). If Yes in step S40, the mode is not changed (that is, the mode of the detection range d3 remains), and step S40 is repeated. On the other hand, if No in step S40, the process returns to step S30.

  As described above, according to the proximity determination device of the second embodiment, the detection range is subdivided compared to the proximity determination device 11 of the first embodiment. By subdividing in this way, it is possible to obtain an effect that power consumption can be further reduced by optimizing the detection range of each mode.

  In the second embodiment, a three-step detection range mode is provided, but it may be further subdivided. Referring to FIG. 5, the process of FIG. 5 includes a first setting step (S30), a first detection step (S31 to S33), a second setting step (S34), and a second detection step (S35 to S37). ), A third setting step (S38), and a third detection step (S39 to S40). This may be generalized so that the Mth setting step and the Mth detection step are repeated for M = 1 to N. Here, N is the total number of detection ranges (FIG. 5 corresponds to N = 3). The Mth setting step is performed when an object is detected in the M-1th detection step.

[Third Embodiment]
The third embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The third embodiment is a portable terminal (electronic device) 101 on which the proximity determination device 11 disclosed in the first embodiment is mounted. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the mobile terminal 101 is, for example, a touch panel type smartphone, and includes functions such as a call, electronic mail, and data communication.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the portable terminal 101 includes a CPU 31, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 32, a working memory 33, a display control unit 34, a display unit 35, a transmission / reception unit 36, and a proximity determination device 11, which are a bus 37. It is connected to the.

  In FIG. 6, the CPU 31 controls each unit in the mobile terminal 101 via the bus 37. The ROM 32 stores fixed data used by various programs executed by the CPU 31. The work memory 33 is constituted by a RAM (Random Access Memory), and stores data temporarily required for various programs executed by the CPU 31. The display control unit 34 is a control circuit that controls display on the display unit 35. The display unit 35 is disposed on the front surface of the mobile terminal 101 and is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL. The transmission / reception unit 36 is a circuit that transmits and receives data wirelessly.

  When the proximity determination device 11 is mounted on the mobile terminal 101, the control program of FIG. 3 may be executed by the CPU 31 of the mobile terminal 101 main body instead of the proximity sensor control unit 14.

  When the mobile terminal 101 activates an application using the proximity sensor, for example, a call function, the proximity determination device 11 may start the operation illustrated in FIG. 3 in conjunction with the activation of the application.

  The proximity determination device 11 periodically notifies the application side of detection / non-detection information of an object to be detected (such as the object 5). Upon receiving the detection information, the application side controls the touch panel and the backlight of the display unit 35 to turn off, thereby suppressing wasteful power consumption and preventing erroneous touch on the touch panel.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the proximity determination device 11 detects the object 5, the proximity determination device 11 shifts to the mode of the detection range d <b> 2 that narrows the detection range, so that power consumption by the proximity sensor 12 is also reduced. Can do.

  Further, in the case of assuming an operation in which a mobile terminal 101 such as a smartphone is brought close to the cheek during a call to start a call and is released from the cheek after the call is finished, according to the study by the present inventor, the detection range d1 is 3 to 5 cm, The result shows that the detection range d2 is preferably about 1 cm. That is, in the non-detection state, the proximity of the object 5 up to a range of 3 to 5 cm is monitored, and after the object 5 is detected, there is a high possibility that the object 5 will approach within about 1 cm. Here, human cheeks, ears, and the like are detected as objects to be detected during a call. However, the numerical values of the detection ranges d1 and d2 are merely examples, and can be appropriately adjusted according to the state of the object to be detected.

  As described above, according to the mobile terminal (electronic device) 101 according to the third embodiment, when the detection information is acquired from the proximity sensor 12 by mounting the proximity determination device 11 according to the first embodiment. Can control wasteful power consumption by controlling the backlight of the touch panel and the display unit 35 to be turned off, prevent erroneous touch on the touch panel, and the proximity determination device 11 detects an object to be detected. In this case, since the mode is shifted to the detection range d2 mode in which the detection range is narrowed, the power consumption by the proximity sensor 12 can be reduced.

  By reducing the power consumption, the effect that the battery life of the portable terminal 101 can be extended is obtained. For example, the current consumption of the entire mobile terminal 101 during a call is about 200 mA. However, when constant light emission is performed as shown in FIG. 4B, only the current consumption of the light emitting element 15 is about 100 mA, which is about half the current consumption. There is a problem that the current is consumed only by the proximity sensor, which affects the battery life. On the other hand, since the mobile terminal 101 according to the third embodiment can set the mode of the detection range d2 for a considerable period during a call, the influence on the battery life can be reduced.

  The proximity determination device mounted on the portable terminal (electronic device) 101 may be configured to subdivide the detection range as disclosed in the second embodiment, and in that case, the above effect can be obtained. is there.

  In addition, the proximity determination devices disclosed in the first and second embodiments can be applied not only to mobile terminals but also to electronic devices in general.

  In addition, each process (S30-S36 of FIG. 3, etc .; S30-S40 of FIG. 5 etc.) which the proximity sensor control part 14 in each embodiment or CPU31 of the portable terminal 101 performs is stored as a control program, and a proximity sensor It is called and executed by the CPU provided in the control unit 14 or the CPU 31 of the portable terminal 101. The program can be downloaded via a network or updated using a storage medium storing the program.

  The present invention can be applied to all electronic devices including a proximity sensor that detects the proximity of an object. In particular, it is effective when applied to portable electronic devices where there is a strong demand for low power consumption.

  Note that, within the scope of the entire disclosure (including claims and drawings) of the present invention, the embodiments can be changed and adjusted based on the basic technical concept. Various combinations or selections of various disclosed elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the scope of the claims of the present invention. . That is, the present invention naturally includes various variations and modifications that could be made by those skilled in the art according to the entire disclosure including the claims and the drawings, and the technical idea. In particular, with respect to the numerical ranges described in this document, any numerical value or small range included in the range should be construed as being specifically described even if there is no specific description.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 11: Proximity determination apparatus 2: Proximity detection means 3: Driving means 4: Control means 5: Object 12: Proximity sensor 13: Light emitting element drive part 14: Proximity sensor control part 15: Light emitting element 16: Light receiving sensor 21: Projection Light 22: Reflected light 31: CPU
32: ROM
33: Work memory 34: Display control unit 35: Display unit 36: Transmission / reception unit 37: Bus 101: Portable terminal (electronic device)
d1, d2, d3: detection range

Claims (10)

Proximity detection means for detecting proximity of an object;
Driving means for driving the proximity detection means so as to relate to the detection range of the proximity detection means;
Control means for changing the driving of the driving means so that the detection range of the proximity detecting means becomes narrow when the proximity detecting means detects an object;
Proximity determination device including The control means includes
If the proximity detection unit stops detecting an object with the detection range of the proximity detection unit narrowed, the drive unit is driven to return to the detection range before the detection range of the proximity detection unit is narrowed. The proximity determination device according to claim 1, wherein the proximity determination device is changed. The proximity detection means includes
A light emitting element that projects light onto the object;
A light receiving sensor that receives the light reflected by the object;
The proximity determination device according to claim 1, comprising: The driving means includes
The proximity determination device according to claim 3, wherein a light emission amount of light projected by the light emitting element of the proximity detection unit is controlled so as to relate to a detection range of the proximity detection unit.   An electronic apparatus comprising the proximity determination device according to claim 1. A proximity detection apparatus comprising: proximity detection means for detecting proximity of an object; and drive means for driving the proximity detection means so as to relate to a detection range of the proximity detection means,
A first setting step for setting, in the driving means, a first driving condition related to a first detection range;
A first detecting step of driving the proximity detecting means by the driving means under the first driving condition and detecting the proximity of the object by the proximity detecting means;
A second setting step of setting, in the driving means, a second driving condition related to a second detection range narrower than the first detection range when the object is detected in the first detection step; ,
A second detecting step of driving the proximity detecting means by the driving means under the second driving condition and detecting the proximity of the object by the proximity detecting means;
A control method for a proximity determination device, comprising:   In the second setting step, a second drive related to a second detection range that is narrower than the first detection range when the object is detected for a predetermined period in the first detection step. The method according to claim 6, wherein a condition is set in the driving unit.   The method of controlling a proximity determination apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the first setting step is executed when the object is not detected in the second detection step. The drive means sets first to Nth drive conditions related to the first to Nth detection ranges of the proximity detection means (where N is an integer of 3 or more);
The first to Nth detection ranges are sequentially set so that the detection range becomes narrower,
When the object is detected in the (M-1) th detection step, the Mth setting step for setting the Mth driving condition in the driving means, and the proximity means by the driving means in the Mth driving condition. 8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising repeating the M-th detection step of driving and detecting the proximity of the object by the proximity detection unit for M = 3 to N. 8. Control method of the proximity determination apparatus. A proximity determination device control program comprising: proximity detection means for detecting proximity of an object; and drive means for driving the proximity detection means so as to relate to a detection range of the proximity detection means,
A process of setting a first drive condition related to a first detection range in the drive means;
A process of driving the proximity detecting means by the driving means under the first driving condition;
When the object is detected by the proximity detection unit under the first driving condition, a process of setting a second driving condition related to a second detection range narrower than the first detection range in the driving unit. When,
A process of driving the proximity detecting means by the driving means under the second driving condition;
A control program for causing a computer to execute.

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