JP2015122582A - Portable electronic device and waterproofness determination method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To determine if the waterproofness is secured.SOLUTION: A portable electronic device 1 according to one embodiment includes: a housing 20 having an opening part; a sealing member 21 which seals the opening part; an atmospheric pressure sensor 18 provided in the housing 20; and a controller which determines whether or not the opening part is sealed by the sealing member 21 on the basis of a detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 which is measured when a predetermined operation is conducted.

Description

  The present application relates to a portable electronic device and a waterproof property determination method thereof.

  Some portable electronic devices such as cellular phones have waterproofness. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a portable electronic device that secures waterproofness by attaching a cap to a housing in which an opening is formed.

JP 2013-150355 A

  In a portable electronic device that secures waterproofness by attaching a detachable member such as a cap, sufficient waterproofness may not be ensured when the member is not properly attached. If a user uses a portable electronic device without noticing such a state, there is a possibility that the portable electronic device may be hindered by water intrusion.

  From the above, there is a need for a portable electronic device and a waterproof determination method for determining whether waterproofness is ensured.

  A portable electronic device according to one aspect includes a housing having an opening, a sealing member that seals the opening, an atmospheric pressure sensor provided in the housing, and a predetermined operation. And a controller for determining whether or not the opening is sealed by the sealing member based on a detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor.

  A waterproof determination method according to one aspect is a waterproof determination method for a portable electronic device that includes a housing having an opening and a sealing member that seals the opening, and detects a predetermined operation. And determining whether or not the opening is sealed by the sealing member based on the presence or absence of a change in atmospheric pressure in the housing when the predetermined operation is performed.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the smartphone according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the smartphone. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a cross section of a smartphone. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the smartphone. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of fluctuations in atmospheric pressure inside the housing. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for determining whether waterproofness is ensured. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a modification of the processing procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a specific example of the processing procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a specific example of the processing procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modification of the processing procedure shown in FIG.

  Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Below, a smart phone is demonstrated as an example of a portable electronic device provided with waterproofness.

(Embodiment)
The overall configuration of the smartphone 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the smartphone 1. FIG. 2 is a front view of the smartphone 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an AA cross section of the smartphone 1 illustrated in FIG. 2. In FIG. 3, illustration of a substrate, a circuit, wiring, and the like inside the smartphone 1 is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the smartphone 1 has a housing (housing) 20. The housing 20 includes a front face 1A, a back face 1B, and side faces 1C1 to 1C4. The front face 1 </ b> A is the front of the housing 20. The back face 1 </ b> B is the back surface of the housing 20. The side faces 1C1 to 1C4 are side surfaces that connect the front face 1A and the back face 1B. Hereinafter, the side faces 1C1 to 1C4 may be collectively referred to as the side face 1C without specifying which face.

  The smartphone 1 includes a touch screen display 2, buttons 3A to 3C, an illuminance sensor 4, a proximity sensor 5, a receiver 7, a microphone 8, and a camera 12 on the front face 1A. The smartphone 1 has buttons 3D to 3F on the side face 1C. Hereinafter, the buttons 3A to 3F may be collectively referred to as the button 3 without specifying which button.

  The touch screen display 2 includes a display 2A and a touch screen 2B. In the example of FIG. 1, the display 2A and the touch screen 2B are substantially rectangular, but the shapes of the display 2A and the touch screen 2B are not limited to this. Each of the display 2A and the touch screen 2B can take any shape such as a square or a circle. In the example of FIG. 1, the display 2 </ b> A and the touch screen 2 </ b> B are overlapped, but the arrangement of the display 2 </ b> A and the touch screen 2 </ b> B is not limited to this. For example, the display 2A and the touch screen 2B may be arranged side by side or may be arranged apart from each other. In the example of FIG. 1, the long side of the display 2A is along the long side of the touch screen 2B, and the short side of the display 2A is along the short side of the touch screen 2B, but the display 2A and the touch screen 2B are overlapped. Is not limited to this. When the display 2A and the touch screen 2B are arranged so as to overlap each other, for example, one or more sides of the display 2A may not be along any side of the touch screen 2B.

  The display 2A includes a liquid crystal display (LCD: Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL display (OELD: Organic Electro-Luminescence Display), or an inorganic EL display (IELD: Inorganic Electro-Luminescence Display). The display 2A displays characters, images, symbols, graphics, and the like.

  The touch screen 2B detects contact of a finger, a pen, a stylus pen, or the like with respect to the touch screen 2B. The touch screen 2B can detect a position where a plurality of fingers, a pen, a stylus pen, or the like is in contact with the touch screen 2B. In the following description, a finger, pen, stylus pen, or the like that contacts the touch screen 2B may be referred to as a “contact object” or “contact object”.

  The detection method of the touch screen 2B may be any method such as a capacitance method, a resistive film method, a surface acoustic wave method (or an ultrasonic method), an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, and a load detection method. In the following description, in order to simplify the description, it is assumed that the user uses the finger to touch the touch screen 2B in order to operate the smartphone 1.

  The smartphone 1 is based on at least one of the contact detected by the touch screen 2B, the position at which the contact is detected, the change in the position at which the contact is detected, the interval at which the contact is detected, and the number of times the contact is detected. Determine the type of gesture. The gesture is an operation performed on the touch screen 2B. The gestures discriminated by the smartphone 1 include, but are not limited to, touch, long touch, release, swipe, tap, double tap, long tap, drag, flick, pinch in, and pinch out.

  “Touch” is a gesture in which a finger touches the touch screen 2B. The smartphone 1 determines a gesture in which a finger contacts the touch screen 2B as a touch. “Long touch” is a gesture in which a finger touches the touch screen 2B for a longer period of time. The smartphone 1 determines a gesture in which a finger contacts the touch screen 2B for longer than a certain time as a long touch.

  “Release” is a gesture in which a finger leaves the touch screen 2B. The smartphone 1 determines that a gesture in which a finger leaves the touch screen 2B is a release. “Swipe” is a gesture in which a finger moves while touching the touch screen 2B. The smartphone 1 determines a gesture that moves while the finger is in contact with the touch screen 2B as a swipe.

  A “tap” is a gesture for releasing following a touch. The smartphone 1 determines a gesture for releasing following a touch as a tap. The “double tap” is a gesture in which a gesture for releasing following a touch is continued twice. The smartphone 1 determines a gesture in which a gesture for releasing following a touch is continued twice as a double tap.

  “Long tap” is a gesture for releasing following a long touch. The smartphone 1 determines a gesture for releasing following a long touch as a long tap. “Drag” is a gesture for performing a swipe starting from an area where a movable object is displayed. The smartphone 1 determines, as a drag, a gesture for performing a swipe starting from an area where a movable object is displayed.

  “Flick” is a gesture in which a finger leaves the touch screen 2B while moving after touching the touch screen 2B. In other words, “flick” is a gesture in which a release is performed while a finger moves following a touch. The smartphone 1 determines, as a flick, a gesture in which the finger leaves the touch screen 2B while moving after touching the touch screen 2B. The flick is often performed while the finger moves in one direction. Flick is "upper flick" where the finger moves upward on the screen, "lower flick" where the finger moves downward on the screen, "right flick" where the finger moves rightward on the screen, finger is left on the screen Including “left flick” moving in the direction. The movement of a finger in a flick is often quicker than the movement of a finger in a swipe.

  “Pinch-in” is a gesture of swiping in a direction in which a plurality of fingers approach each other. The smartphone 1 determines, as a pinch-in, a gesture in which the distance between the position of a finger detected by the touch screen 2B and the position of another finger is shortened. “Pinch out” is a gesture of swiping a plurality of fingers away from each other. The smartphone 1 determines, as a pinch-out, a gesture that increases the distance between the position of one finger and the position of another finger detected by the touch screen 2B.

  In the following description, a gesture performed with one finger may be referred to as a “single touch gesture”, and a gesture performed with two or more fingers may be referred to as a “multi-touch gesture”. Multi-touch gestures include, for example, pinch-in and pinch-out. Taps, flicks, swipes, and the like are single-touch gestures when performed with one finger, and multi-touch gestures when performed with two or more fingers.

  The smartphone 1 operates according to these gestures that are determined via the touch screen 2B. Therefore, an operability that is intuitive and easy to use for the user is realized. The operation performed by the smartphone 1 according to the determined gesture may differ depending on the screen displayed on the display 2A. In the following description, in order to simplify the description, “the touch screen 2B detects contact, and the smartphone 1 determines that the gesture type is X based on the detected contact”. May be described as “detect” or “the controller detects X”.

  The smartphone 1 has a sealing member 21 on the side face 1C. The sealing member 21 is detachably provided on the housing 20. The sealing member 21 has an elastic member 21p. When the sealing member 21 is properly attached to the housing 20, the elastic member 21p is pressed against the wall surface of the opening of the housing 20 to seal the opening. It is configured to stop. The elastic member 21p is formed from, for example, a resin having plasticity such as rubber.

  The portions other than the opening of the housing 20 are configured so that water does not enter the interior by integral molding or adhesion using an adhesive, double-sided tape, or the like. However, for example, the connector 14 is provided in the opening of the housing 20, and water may enter the inside from here. By appropriately attaching the sealing member 21 to the opening, water intrusion from the opening is prevented, and the waterproofness of the smartphone 1 is ensured.

  When the waterproof property of the smartphone 1 is ensured, the inside of the housing 20 is almost airtight. In this case, when the housing 20 pressed by the user's operation or the like is deformed, the air inside the housing 20 cannot escape to the outside, so that the air pressure inside the housing 20 varies. On the other hand, when the waterproof property of the smartphone 1 is not ensured because the sealing member 21 is not properly attached, the inside of the housing 20 is not airtight. In this case, even if the housing 20 is deformed, the air inside the housing 20 escapes to the outside, so that the air pressure inside the housing 20 hardly fluctuates.

  Here, the case where the inside of the housing 20 is almost airtight has been described as an example, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the smartphone 1 may be sealed by covering the opening of the housing 20 with a functional material having waterproofness and moisture permeability. Also in this case, the air pressure inside the housing 20 changes compared to the case where the opening is opened. For example, since the gas is less likely to escape as compared to when the opening is opened, a phenomenon occurs in the housing 20 such as the atmospheric pressure temporarily higher than when the opening is opened.

  The smartphone 1 determines whether or not the waterproof property of the smartphone 1 is ensured based on such a difference in pressure variation. That the waterproof property of the smartphone 1 is ensured in other words means that the sealing member 21 is appropriately attached to the housing 20.

  Specifically, the smartphone 1 has an atmospheric pressure sensor 18 inside the housing 20. Then, the smartphone 1 determines whether or not there is a change in atmospheric pressure inside the housing 20 when a predetermined operation is performed on the smartphone 1 based on the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18. The predetermined operation is an operation that causes some deformation in the housing 20. When the atmospheric pressure varies (or is larger than the threshold value), it is determined that the waterproof property of the smartphone 1 is ensured. When there is no change in the atmospheric pressure (or smaller than the threshold value), it is determined that the waterproof property of the smartphone 1 is not secured.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 is mounted on the inner wall of the housing 20, but the mounting position of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 may be anywhere inside the housing 20. For example, the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 may be mounted on a substrate provided inside the housing 20.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the smartphone 1. The smartphone 1 includes a touch screen display 2, a button 3, an illuminance sensor 4, a proximity sensor 5, a communication unit 6, a receiver 7, a microphone 8, a storage 9, a controller 10, a speaker 11, and a camera. 12, 13, connector 14, acceleration sensor 15, orientation sensor 16, gyroscope 17, atmospheric pressure sensor 18, and humidity sensor 19.

  As described above, the touch screen display 2 includes the display 2A and the touch screen 2B. The display 2A displays characters, images, symbols, graphics, or the like. The touch screen 2B detects contact. The controller 10 detects a gesture for the smartphone 1. Specifically, the controller 10 detects an operation (gesture) on the touch screen 2B (touch screen display 2) by cooperating with the touch screen 2B.

  The button 3 is operated by the user. The button 3 includes buttons 3A to 3F. The controller 10 detects an operation on the button 3 by cooperating with the button 3. The operation on the button 3 includes, for example, click, double click, triple click, push, and multi-push, but is not limited thereto.

  The buttons 3A to 3C are, for example, a home button, a back button, or a menu button. The button 3D is, for example, a power on / off button (power button) of the smartphone 1. The button 3D may also serve as a sleep / sleep release button. The buttons 3E and 3F are volume buttons, for example.

  The illuminance sensor 4 detects the illuminance of the ambient light of the smartphone 1. Illuminance indicates light intensity, brightness, or luminance. The illuminance sensor 4 is used for adjusting the luminance of the display 2A, for example. The proximity sensor 5 detects the presence of a nearby object without contact. The proximity sensor 5 detects the presence of an object based on a change in a magnetic field or a change in a feedback time of an ultrasonic reflected wave. The proximity sensor 5 detects that the touch screen display 2 is brought close to the face, for example. The illuminance sensor 4 and the proximity sensor 5 may be configured as one sensor. The illuminance sensor 4 may be used as a proximity sensor.

  The communication unit 6 communicates wirelessly. The communication method supported by the communication unit 6 is a wireless communication standard. Examples of wireless communication standards include cellular phone communication standards such as 2G, 3G, and 4G. As a cellular phone communication standard, for example, LTE (Long Term Evolution), W-CDMA (Wideband Code Multiple Access), CDMA2000, PDC (Personal Digital Cellular, GSM (registered trademark) mmloS) (Personal Handy-phone System). As wireless communication standards, for example, there are WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), IEEE802.11, Bluetooth (registered trademark), IrDA (Infrared Data Association), NFC (NearCo), etc. The communication unit 6 may support one or more of the communication standards described above. The communication unit 6 may support wired communication. Wired communication includes, for example, Ethernet (registered trademark), fiber channel, and the like.

  The receiver 7 and the speaker 11 are sound output units. The receiver 7 and the speaker 11 output the sound signal transmitted from the controller 10 as sound. The receiver 7 is used, for example, to output the other party's voice during a call. The speaker 11 is used for outputting a ring tone and music, for example. One of the receiver 7 and the speaker 11 may also function as the other. The microphone 8 is a sound input unit. The microphone 8 converts the user's voice or the like into a sound signal and transmits the sound signal to the controller 10.

  The storage 9 stores programs and data. The storage 9 is also used as a work area for temporarily storing the processing result of the controller 10. The storage 9 may include any non-transitory storage medium such as a semiconductor storage medium and a magnetic storage medium. The storage 9 may include a plurality of types of storage media. The storage 9 may include a combination of a portable storage medium such as a memory card, an optical disk, or a magneto-optical disk and a storage medium reader. The storage 9 may include a storage device used as a temporary storage area such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

  The programs stored in the storage 9 include an application executed in the foreground or background and a control program for realizing the basic functions of the smartphone 1. For example, the application displays a screen on the display 2A, and causes the controller 10 to execute processing according to a gesture detected via the touch screen 2B. The control program is, for example, an OS. The application and the control program may be installed in the storage 9 via communication by the communication unit 6 or a non-transitory storage medium.

  The storage 9 stores, for example, a control program 9A, a mail application 9B, a browser application 9C, and setting data 9Z. The mail application 9B provides an electronic mail function for creating, transmitting, receiving, and displaying an electronic mail. The browser application 9C provides a WEB browsing function for displaying a WEB page. The setting data 9Z includes information related to various settings related to the operation of the smartphone 1.

  The control program 9A provides functions related to various controls for operating the smartphone 1. The control program 9A realizes a call by controlling the communication unit 6, the receiver 7, the microphone 8, and the like, for example. Functions provided by the control program 9 </ b> A include a function of determining whether the waterproofness of the housing 20 is ensured using the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18.

  The controller 10 controls various operations of the smartphone 1 to realize various functions.

  Specifically, the controller 10 executes instructions included in the program stored in the storage 9 while referring to the data stored in the storage 9 as necessary. And the controller 10 controls a function part according to data and a command, and implement | achieves various functions by it. The functional unit includes, for example, the display 2A, the communication unit 6, the receiver 7, and the speaker 11, but is not limited thereto. The controller 10 may change the control according to the detection result of the detection unit. The detection unit includes, for example, the touch screen 2B, the button 3, the illuminance sensor 4, the proximity sensor 5, the microphone 8, the camera 12, the camera 13, the acceleration sensor 15, the azimuth sensor 16, and the gyroscope 17, but is not limited thereto. .

  The controller 10 includes a main processor 10a and a coprocessor 10b. The main processor 10a and the coprocessor 10b are arithmetic processing devices. The arithmetic processing unit includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an SoC (System-on-a-chip), an MCU (Micro Control Unit), and an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), but is not limited thereto.

  For example, the main processor 10a executes various kinds of control such as determining whether the waterproofness of the housing 20 is secured by using the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 by executing the control program 9A.

  The coprocessor 10b is inferior to the main processor 10a in arithmetic processing performance, but operates with less power consumption than the main processor 10a. Therefore, the coprocessor 10b is allowed to operate normally even when the main processor 10a is stopped or the processing speed is reduced to reduce power consumption. Thus, the coprocessor 10b is used for acquisition and analysis of detection values of various sensors, execution of processing according to analysis results, and the like because of the characteristics suitable for continuous operation.

  The camera 12 is an in-camera that captures an object facing the front face 1A. The camera 13 is an out camera that captures an object facing the back face 1B.

  The connector 14 is a terminal to which another device is connected. The connector 14 may be a general-purpose terminal such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), Light Peak (Thunderbolt (registered trademark)), and an earphone microphone connector. . The connector 14 may be a dedicated terminal such as a dock connector. Devices connected to the connector 14 include, but are not limited to, external storage, speakers, and communication devices, for example.

  The acceleration sensor 15 detects the direction and magnitude of acceleration acting on the smartphone 1. The direction sensor 16 detects the direction of geomagnetism. The gyroscope 17 detects the angle and angular velocity of the smartphone 1. The detection results of the acceleration sensor 15, the azimuth sensor 16, and the gyroscope 17 are used in combination in order to detect changes in the position and orientation of the smartphone 1.

  The atmospheric pressure sensor 18 detects the atmospheric pressure inside the housing 20. The humidity sensor 19 detects the humidity outside the housing 20.

  In FIG. 4, some or all of the programs and data stored in the storage 9 may be downloaded from another device through communication by the communication unit 6. 4 may be stored in a non-transitory storage medium that can be read by a reading device included in the storage 9. 4 may be stored in a non-transitory storage medium that can be read by a reading device connected to the connector 14. Non-transitory storage media include, for example, optical disks such as CD (registered trademark), DVD (registered trademark), and Blu-ray (registered trademark), magneto-optical disks, magnetic storage media, memory cards, and solid-state storage media Including, but not limited to.

  The configuration of the smartphone 1 illustrated in FIG. 4 is an example, and may be appropriately changed within a range not impairing the gist of the present invention. For example, the number and type of buttons 3 are not limited to the example of FIG. The smartphone 1 may include buttons such as a numeric keypad layout or a QWERTY layout as buttons for operations related to the screen instead of the buttons 3A to 3C. The smartphone 1 may include only one button or may not include a button for operations related to the screen. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the smartphone 1 includes two cameras, but the smartphone 1 may include only one camera or may not include a camera. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the smartphone 1 includes three types of sensors in order to detect the position and orientation, but the smartphone 1 may not include some of these sensors. Alternatively, the smartphone 1 may include another type of sensor for detecting at least one of a position and a posture.

  With reference to FIG. 5, the fluctuation of the atmospheric pressure inside the housing 20 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in the atmospheric pressure inside the housing 20 when a predetermined operation is performed on the smartphone 1 that is waterproof.

  T1 in FIG. 5 indicates a point in time when a predetermined operation is started. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the housing 20 is compressed and deformed by a predetermined operation started at T <b> 1, and the atmospheric pressure inside the housing 20 is increased.

  T2 in FIG. 5 indicates a point in time when the predetermined operation is finished. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the reaction of the deformation of the housing 20 occurs due to the completion of the predetermined operation at T2, and the pressure inside the housing 20 is lower than before T1 from T2 to T3. Thereafter, the housing 20 returns to its original shape, and at the time point T4, the air pressure inside the housing 20 returns to the air pressure at the time point T1.

  The capacity of the housing 20 is relatively small, and furthermore, since electronic parts, batteries, and the like are mounted in the housing 20 at a high density, even if the housing 20 is slightly deformed due to operation, a relatively large pressure is applied. Fluctuations are detected. For example, the pressure variation in the range of 5 to 20 hPa is detected by the operation of tapping the touch screen display 2.

  The smartphone 1 may detect any part of the change in atmospheric pressure shown in FIG. 5 in order to determine whether the waterproofness of the housing 20 is ensured. For example, the smartphone 1 acquires the detection values of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 at a plurality of time points between T1 and T4, and whether or not there is a change in the atmospheric pressure inside the housing 20 based on the acquired pattern of changes in the detection values. It may be determined. For example, the smartphone 1 acquires the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 at any time point between T1 and T4, and when the acquired detection value is larger or smaller than the threshold value, the fluctuation of the atmospheric pressure inside the housing 20 It may be determined whether or not there has been. The threshold value may be determined according to the atmospheric pressure outside the housing 20 or according to the atmospheric pressure inside the housing 20 at normal times.

  The smartphone 1 may always acquire the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 using the coprocessor 10b in order to determine whether the waterproofness of the housing 20 is ensured. Here, “always” means that processing is executed every few milliseconds to several hundred milliseconds, including the period when the main processor 10a pauses most operations to reduce power consumption, such as in the locked state. Means that By constantly acquiring the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 using the coprocessor 10b, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the detection failure of fluctuations in the internal pressure of the housing 20 without substantially increasing the power consumption.

  With reference to FIG. 6, the process sequence which determines whether the waterproofness of the housing 20 is ensured is demonstrated. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for determining whether or not the waterproofness of the housing 20 is ensured. The processing procedure illustrated in FIG. 6 is realized, for example, when the controller 10 executes the control program 9A. The processing procedure shown in FIG. 6 is repeatedly executed.

  The controller 10 of the smartphone 1 determines whether a predetermined operation has been detected as step S110. The predetermined operation is an operation in which the housing 20 is deformed as it is executed. Examples of the predetermined operation include, but are not limited to, an operation on the touch screen 2B and an operation on the button 3. When the predetermined operation is not detected (No at Step S110), the controller 10 performs the determination at Step S110 again.

  When the predetermined operation is detected (step S110, Yes), the controller 10 proceeds to step S120. The controller 10 determines whether the fluctuation | variation of the atmospheric | air pressure inside the housing 20 was detected based on the detected value of the atmospheric | air pressure sensor 18 as step S120. When the fluctuation | variation of the atmospheric | air pressure inside the housing 20 is detected (step S120, Yes), the controller 10 determines with the waterproofness of the housing 20 being ensured as step S130, ie, it is normal. When the fluctuation | variation of the atmospheric | air pressure inside the housing 20 is not detected (step S120, No), the controller 10 determines with the waterproofness of the housing 20 not being ensured as step S140, ie, it is abnormal.

  The controller 10 may perform other processing based on the determination result of step S130 or step S140. For example, when the controller 10 determines in step S140 that the waterproofness of the housing 20 is not secured, the controller 10 warns the user or seals the sound by lighting, lighting of the lamp, warning display on the display 2A, or the like. The confirmation of the mounting state of the stop member 21 may be prompted.

  Specific examples and modifications of the processing procedure shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The processing procedure shown in FIG. 6 may be performed by either the main processor 10a or the coprocessor 10b, or may be performed by both. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure when processing is performed in a shared manner.

  The coprocessor 10b acquires the atmospheric pressure value that is the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 as step S210, and records the atmospheric pressure value for a predetermined period as step S220. The predetermined period is, for example, a period having a length from T1 to T4 shown in FIG. Then, the coprocessor 10b determines whether to end the operation as step S230. If the operation is not terminated (No at Step S230), the coprocessor 10b returns to Step S210. When the operation is to be ended (step S230, Yes), the coprocessor 10b ends the process.

  On the other hand, the main processor 10a performs the same processing procedure as that shown in FIG. 6 except that the coprocessor 10b acquires the atmospheric pressure value recorded in step S220 as step S118 between step S110 and step S120. Execute.

  As described above, by constantly acquiring the atmospheric pressure value using the coprocessor 10b, it is possible to prevent the acquisition of the atmospheric pressure value and increase the accuracy of waterproof determination without increasing the power consumption.

  The predetermined operation is preferably an operation that is normally performed when the user uses the smartphone 1. By determining the presence or absence of fluctuations in atmospheric pressure using a normal operation as a trigger, the waterproofness determination can be performed without the user performing a specific operation.

  For example, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8, an operation of pressing the button 3 may be processed as a predetermined operation in step S112. The button 3 that detects pressing in step S112 may be any. The button 3 that detects pressing in step S112 may be the power button 3D. Although the power button 3D is pressed less frequently, it is surely pressed in an important scene such as when the power is turned on or when returning from the locked state. Is preferred. Moreover, the sealing member 21 may be provided in order to seal a charging terminal. In this case, it is possible to detect a state in which the sealing member 21 is not properly attached after charging by turning on the power after completion of charging by determining whether or not the atmospheric pressure varies when the power button 3D is pressed.

  Or you may process a lock release operation as predetermined | prescribed operation as step S114 like the flowchart shown in FIG. The unlocking operation is an operation for returning the smartphone 1 from a locked state where power consumption is reduced by stopping the touch screen display 2 to a normal state. The unlocking operation is not frequently executed, but is surely executed for returning from the locked state, and is therefore suitable as a trigger for determining the presence or absence of a change in atmospheric pressure.

  The unlocking operation often includes an operation of returning the touch screen display 2 and an operation of performing tap or swipe on the returned touch screen display 2. Among these operations, the operation of returning the touch screen display 2 includes, for example, an operation of pressing the button 3 and an operation of tapping the touch screen display 2 or the like a plurality of times. The tap performed to return the touch screen display 2 is detected by using, for example, the acceleration sensor 15 because the touch screen display 2 is stopped. Even in the locked state, the detection value of the acceleration sensor 15 is always acquired by the coprocessor 10b, so that a tap on the touch screen display 2 or the like can be detected with almost no increase in power consumption.

  When the processing procedure shown in FIG. 9 is adopted, the smartphone 1 stops the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 in the locked state, and detects the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 when detecting an operation of returning the touch screen display 2 among the unlocking operations. May be activated. With this configuration, when the operation of performing tap or swipe on the returned touch screen display 2 among the unlocking operations is performed while reducing power consumption, the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 is detected. Can be obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the humidity is higher than the threshold value, the processing procedure shown in FIG. 6 may be executed. Whether the humidity is higher than the threshold value can be determined based on the detection value of the humidity sensor 19. By comprising in this way, the waterproof determination of the housing 20 can be performed in the scene where water wet easily occurs in a bathroom, riverside, seaside, or the like. Furthermore, in other scenes, it is not necessary to determine the fluctuation of the atmospheric pressure, so that the power consumption can be reduced by stopping the atmospheric pressure sensor 18. In addition, the smartphone 1 is more likely to get wet due to rain or the like when outdoors than when indoors. For this reason, the smart phone 1 may determine whether it is outdoors using the illuminance sensor 4 or other sensors such as an ultraviolet sensor, and may execute the processing procedure illustrated in FIG. 6 when it is outdoors.

  Embodiment which this application discloses can be changed in the range which does not deviate from the summary and range of invention. Furthermore, the embodiment disclosed in the present application and its modifications can be combined as appropriate. For example, the above embodiment may be modified as follows.

  For example, each program shown in FIG. 4 may be divided into a plurality of modules, or may be combined with other programs.

  In said embodiment, although the smart phone was demonstrated as an example of a portable electronic device, the apparatus which concerns on an attached claim is not limited to a smart phone. The device according to the appended claims may be a portable electronic device other than a smartphone. Examples of portable electronic devices include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, portable personal computers, digital cameras, media players, electronic book readers, navigators, and game machines.

  The atmospheric pressure sensor 18 may be provided in the vicinity of a location where the housing 20 is deformed by a predetermined operation. Since the variation in atmospheric pressure is more prominent as the housing 20 is deformed, the variation in atmospheric pressure can be detected with higher accuracy by providing the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 near the portion where the housing 20 is deformed. The detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 may be corrected according to the distance between the position where the predetermined operation is detected and the atmospheric pressure sensor 18. Specifically, when the position where the predetermined operation is detected is far from the atmospheric pressure sensor 18, the atmospheric pressure is set to a value equivalent to the detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor 18 when the predetermined operation is detected in the vicinity. The detection value of the sensor 18 may be corrected more largely.

  The characterizing embodiments have been described in order to fully and clearly disclose the technology according to the appended claims. However, the appended claims should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, but all modifications and alternatives that can be created by those skilled in the art within the scope of the basic matters shown in this specification. Should be configured to embody such a configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Smart phone 2 Touch screen display 2A Display 2B Touch screen 3 Button 4 Illuminance sensor 5 Proximity sensor 6 Communication unit 7 Receiver 8 Microphone 9 Storage 9A Control program 9B Mail application 9C Browser application 9Z Setting data 10 Controller 10a Main processor 10b Coprocessor 11 Speaker 12, 13 Camera 14 Connector 15 Acceleration sensor 16 Direction sensor 17 Gyroscope 18 Air pressure sensor 19 Humidity sensor 20 Housing 21 Sealing member 21p Elastic member

Claims (7)

A housing having an opening;
A sealing member for sealing the opening;
A pressure sensor provided inside the housing;
A portable electronic device comprising: a controller that determines whether the opening is sealed by the sealing member based on a detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor when a predetermined operation is performed.   The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operation is an operation of pressing a power button.   The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operation is a lock release operation.   The controller includes a first processor and a second processor that consumes less power than the first processor, and constantly acquires a detection value of the barometric sensor using the second processor. 4. The portable electronic device according to any one of items 1 to 3. The predetermined operation includes a first operation and a second operation performed following the first operation,
The controller activates the atmospheric pressure sensor when the first operation is performed, and the opening is sealed based on a detection value of the atmospheric pressure sensor when the second operation is performed. The portable electronic device of any one of Claim 1 to 3 which determines whether it is sealed with the member. A humidity sensor,
The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the controller performs the determination when the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is higher than a threshold value. A waterproof determination method for a portable electronic device comprising a housing having an opening and a sealing member for sealing the opening,
Detecting a predetermined operation;
Determining whether or not the opening is sealed by the sealing member based on the presence or absence of a change in atmospheric pressure in the housing when the predetermined operation is performed. .

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