JP4907264B2 - Portable electronic device and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable electronic device including a detection unit that detects contact and a control method thereof.

  Conventionally, various interfaces and configurations have been developed as an operation input unit of a portable electronic device. For example, a rotary dial type input device is provided in a portable electronic device, and a cursor displayed on the display unit is displayed on the rotary dial type input device. There is a technique of moving according to the amount of rotation (for example, Patent Document 1). However, since these conventional technologies use a “rotary dial” that involves physical and mechanical rotation, malfunctions and breakdowns are likely to occur due to mechanical wear, etc., and maintenance of the operation input unit is required. There is a disadvantage that the service life is short.

In order to eliminate such inconveniences, techniques using a sensor element as an operation input unit that does not involve physical or mechanical rotation have been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3). In this proposed technology, a plurality of sensor elements are arranged in an annular shape, and contact detection from each sensor element is monitored. When continuous contact detection is detected, according to the movement of the contact detection location, It is determined that an instruction to move the display position has occurred.
JP 2003-280792 A JP 2005-522797 JP2004-311196

  12 and 13 show conventional sensor elements and control examples thereof. When the sensor element provided in an annular shape as shown in FIGS. 12 (a) and 13 (a) is traced clockwise with a finger as indicated by an arrow AR in FIG. 12 (a), for example, When the item LS1-8 on the display part (b) is scrolled downward and traced counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow AR in FIG. 13 (a), the item is scrolled upward as shown in FIG. 13 (b). The “movement rule” is defined in advance. Therefore, in the conventional sensor element control, the user is restricted to using an application whose “movement rule” is defined in advance, which is inconvenient for improving the operability of the user.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a portable electronic device that improves user operability and a control method thereof.

A portable electronic device according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided.
A first detection unit and a second detection unit for detecting contact;
When the first application function is executed, the first information indicated by the signal from the first detection unit and the second information indicated by the signal from the second detection unit are continuous information. When the second application function is being executed, the second process is performed to process the first information and the second information as information independent of each other. A processing unit;
It is characterized by comprising.

A portable electronic device according to a second aspect of the present invention provides:
Each of the first and second detection units has a continuous sensor element,
A determination unit for determining which of the first process and the second process is performed by the processing unit;
When the determination unit determines that the first processing is to be performed , the contact of the first detection unit with the last sensor element and the contact of the second detection unit with the sensor element in the front row are continuous. And a continuous detection unit for detecting whether or not the image is detected.

A portable electronic device according to a third aspect of the present invention provides:
The portable electronic device has an authentication function, and when the authentication function is used, the first process is performed by the processing unit, assuming that the first application function is being executed. .

A portable electronic device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention provides:
When power supply to the RFID chip is set to be stopped or stopped, it is assumed that the first application function is being executed, the first process is performed by the processing unit, and an item is selected. The second process is performed by the processing unit assuming that the second application function is executed. A portable electronic device according to claim 5 of the present invention is
It further includes a display unit that displays a plurality of items,
The processing unit performs the second process, assuming that the second application function is being executed when a plurality of items are displayed on the display unit, and the first detection unit or the When the second detection unit detects that the contact has moved, an item selected from the plurality of items is moved in the direction in which the contact has moved.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a portable electronic device.
A first detection step and a second detection step for detecting the first contact;
When the first application function is being executed, the first information indicated by the signal relating to the first contact and the second information indicated by the signal relating to the second contact are processed as continuous information. And when the second application function is executed, a processing step of performing a second process of processing the first information and the second information as information independent of each other is provided. It is characterized by that.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a portable electronic device.
Each of the first and second detection steps is performed using a continuous sensor element;
A determination step of determining which of the first processing and the second processing is performed by the processing step;
When the determination step determines that the first processing is performed, the sensor element in the front row used in the second detection step and the contact with the last sensor element used in the first detection step And a detection step of performing continuous detection for detecting whether or not the contact is continuous.

A method for controlling a portable electronic device according to claim 8 of the present invention includes:
The portable electronic device has an authentication function, and when the authentication function is used, the first process is performed according to the processing step, assuming that the first application function is executed. .

A method for controlling a portable electronic device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention includes:
When setting to supply or stop power to the RFID chip, assuming that the first application function is being executed, the first processing is performed by the processing step, and when the item is selected, the second The second process is performed by the processing step assuming that the application function is executed. According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a portable electronic device.
Further comprising a display step for displaying a plurality of items,
In the processing step, when a plurality of items are displayed on the display unit, the second application function is executed and the second processing is performed, and the first detection unit or the When the second detection unit detects that the contact has moved, an item selected from the plurality of items is moved in the direction in which the contact has moved.

  According to the present invention, the first and second information can be processed not only as continuous information but also as independent information. Therefore, the user can define a “movement rule” defined in advance as in the past. In addition to applications that are restricted to the above, applications that are not restricted by the “movement rules” can also be used. As a result, it is possible to provide a portable electronic device that can improve user operability and a control method thereof.

Embodiments of a portable electronic device and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the mobile phone terminal of this embodiment. The cellular phone terminal 100 shown in the figure includes a control unit 110, a sensor unit 120, a display unit 130, a storage unit (flash memory or the like) 140, an information processing unit 150, a telephone function unit 160, a key operation unit KEY, a speaker SP, and an illustration. A communication unit COM that communicates by connecting to a CDMA communication network that is not connected. Further, the sensor unit 120 uses a sensor element group including a plurality of sensor elements (for example, a contact sensor whose detection unit is provided on the outer surface of the device housing and detects contact / proximity of an object such as a finger) Corresponding to n, that is, the first sensor element group G1, the second sensor element group G2, and the nth sensor element group G3. The storage unit 140 includes a storage area 142 and an external data storage area 144. Yes. The control unit 110 and the information processing unit 150 are preferably configured by a calculation unit such as a CPU and a software module. A serial interface unit S1, an RFID module RFID connected to the control unit 110 through the serial interface unit S1, an infrared communication unit, a camera 220, a light 230, a microphone MIC, a radio module RM, a power supply PS, a power supply controller PSCOM, etc. Is connected to the control unit 110, but is omitted here for the sake of brevity.

  The function of each block in the block diagram of FIG. 1 will be briefly described. The control unit 110 detects contact of an object such as a user's finger by the sensor unit 120, stores the detected information in the storage area 142 of the storage unit 140, and controls processing of the information stored by the information processing function unit 150. . Then, information corresponding to the processing result is displayed on the display unit 130. Further, the control unit 110 controls the telephone function unit 160 for the normal call function, the key operation unit KEY, and the speaker SP. The display unit 130 includes a sub display unit ELD and a main display unit (not shown) (a display unit provided at a position where the mobile phone terminal 100 is hidden in the closed state and exposed in the open state).

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mobile phone terminal 100 of the present embodiment in which the sensor element is mounted on the housing. FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the appearance of the mobile phone terminal 100. The mobile phone terminal 100 includes a touch sensor unit 210 (generally covers the sensor unit 130, that is, the sensor elements G1, G2,...), A camera 220, and a light 230. In addition to the closed state as shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone terminal 100 can form an open state by rotating and sliding the hinge portion, and the touch sensor unit 210 can be operated even in the closed state. Is provided. FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the mobile phone terminal 100 according to the present embodiment, in which the arrangement of only the periphery of the sensor element and the sub display unit ELD is displayed for explaining the operation of the touch sensor according to the present embodiment. As illustrated, the sensor elements R1 to R4 and L1 to L4 are arranged side by side along the periphery of the sub display unit ELD. The sensor elements R1 to R4 and L1 to L4 constitute a first sensor element group and a second sensor element group, respectively. The first sensor element group and the second sensor element group are arranged with the separation portions SP1 and SP2 therebetween. In this embodiment, an organic EL display is used for the sub display unit ELD, but a liquid crystal display or the like can also be used, for example.

  In the mobile phone terminal 100 of FIG. 2, the sub display unit ELD displays information according to the use of the mobile phone terminal 100. For example, when the mobile phone terminal 100 is used as a music player, the sub-display unit ELD displays a song that can be played. A combination of a song name and an artist name becomes one item, that is, a “selection candidate item”. The user operates the touch sensor unit 210 as an operation input unit to change the capacitances of the sensor elements R1 to R4 and L1 to L4, and moves items and operation target areas displayed on the sub display unit ELD. Select the song. At this time, if the sensor elements are arranged around the sub display unit ELD as shown in FIG. 2, it is not necessary to occupy a large mounting portion in the external housing of the small portable electronic device, and the user can perform the sub display. The sensor element can be operated while viewing the display of the part ELD.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration around the display unit mounted on the mobile phone terminal 100 of the present embodiment. For ease of understanding, the members are shown separately in the order of construction. As shown in the figure, a donut-shaped panel PNL is arranged along the periphery of the display unit ELD made of organic EL elements. The panel PNL is preferably thin enough so as not to affect the sensitivity of the sensor element provided in the lower part. Under the panel PNL, eight capacitive elements L1-L4 and R1-R4 that can detect the contact of a human finger are arranged in a substantially ring shape. The left four sensor elements L1-L4 constitute a first sensor element group, and the right four sensor elements R1-R4 constitute a second sensor element group. A clearance (gap) is provided between adjacent sensor elements in each sensor element group so that adjacent sensor elements do not interfere with the contact detection function. Note that this clearance is not necessary when using a sensor element that does not interfere. Between the sensor element L4 located at one end of the first sensor element group and the sensor element R1 located at one end of the second sensor element group, a clearance larger than the clearance (for example, a length of twice or more). ) Is provided. Similarly to the separation portion SP1, a separation portion SP2 is provided between the sensor element L1 located at the other end of the first sensor element group and the sensor element R4 located at the other end of the second sensor element group. Such separation portions SP1 and SP2 can prevent the first sensor element group and the second sensor element group from interfering with each other when functioning separately.

  The tact switches SW1 and SW2 are disposed below the sensor element so that the centers of the tact switches are located in the clearance between the sensors L2 and L3 and the clearance between the R2 and R3. . By depressing the tact switch, the item displayed on the display unit is selected. When the selection is performed, for example, a backlight (not shown) installed behind the sub display unit ELD or the sensor element is turned on, and the selection is performed by the user, that is, the tact switch is depressed. It shows that. Further, when an event that should be notified to the user, such as a voice call or an incoming mail, occurs, the sub-display portion ELD is turned on.

  FIG. 4 is a detailed functional block diagram of the above-described embodiment. As shown in the figure, the various types of software shown in FIG. 4 operate by being executed by the control unit 110 after providing a work area on the storage unit 140 based on a program stored in the storage unit 140. Various functions of the mobile phone terminal are divided into software blocks and hardware blocks. The software block includes a base application BA having a flag storage unit FLG, a sub display unit display application AP1, a lock security application AP2, other applications AP3, and a radio application AP4. The software block further includes an infrared communication application APIR and an RFID application APRF. When these various applications (application software) control various hardware of the hardware block, the infrared communication driver IRD, RFID driver RFD, audio driver AUD, radio driver RD, and protocol PR are used as drivers. For example, the audio driver AUD, the radio driver RD, and the protocol PR control the microphone MIC1, the speaker SP, the communication unit COM, and the radio module RM, respectively. The software block also includes a key scan port driver KSP that monitors and detects the operation state of the hardware, and includes touch sensor driver-related detection, key detection, and open / close detection that detects opening / closing of mobile phone terminals such as a folding type and a sliding type. And earphone attachment / detachment detection.

  The hardware block includes a key operation unit KEY including various buttons including a dial key, an open / close detection device OCD that detects opening / closing based on an operation state of the hinge unit, a microphone MIC attached to the device body, an earphone EAP, a speaker SP, a communication A unit COM, a radio module RM, a serial interface unit SI, and a switching control unit SWCON. The switching control unit SWCON drives the infrared communication unit IR, the RFID module (radio identification tag) RFID, the touch sensor module TSM (the sensor unit 120 and the sensor unit 120 such as an oscillation circuit) according to an instruction from the corresponding block of the software block. The hardware to be selected (IR, RFID, TSM) is switched so that the serial interface unit SI picks up the signal. The power supply PS supplies power to the selection target hardware (IR, RFID, TSM) via the power supply controller PSCON. In the mobile phone terminal 100 that is small and has a small mounting area on the outer surface of the housing, the key operation unit KEY is preferably adjacent to the touch sensor module TSM.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a more detailed configuration of the touch sensor function of the mobile phone terminal 100 of the present embodiment. The mobile phone terminal 100 shown in the figure includes a touch sensor base driver block TDB, a touch sensor base application block TSBA, a device layer DL, an interrupt handler IH, a queue QUE, an OS timer CLK, and various applications AP1 to AP3. Here, the touch sensor base application block TSBA includes a base application BA and a touch sensor driver upper application program interface API, and the touch sensor driver block TDB includes a touch sensor driver TSD and a result notification unit NTF. The device layer DL includes a switching control unit SWCON, a switching unit SW, a serial interface unit SI, an infrared communication unit IR, an RFID, and a touch sensor module TSM. The interrupt handler IH includes a serial interrupt monitoring unit SIMON and a confirmation unit CNF. With

  Next, the function of each block will be described with reference to the drawings. In the touch sensor base application block TSBA, whether or not to activate the touch sensor is exchanged between the base application BA and the touch sensor driver upper application program interface API. The base application BA is an application that is a base of the sub display unit display application AP1 that is an application for the sub display unit, the lock security application AP2 that is an application that locks the mobile phone terminal 100 for security protection, and other applications AP3. Yes, when activation of the touch sensor is requested from the respective applications to the base application BA, activation of the touch sensor is requested to the application program interface API higher than the touch sensor driver. The sub-display unit is a sub-display unit ELD shown in each drawing, and refers to a display unit surrounded by sensor elements in the mobile phone terminal 100 in this embodiment.

  In response to the activation request, the touch sensor upper application program interface API confirms whether or not the touch sensor can be activated in a block (not shown) that manages the activation of the application in the base application BA. That is, input processing by the key operation unit KEY, lighting of the sub display unit ELD indicating that application selection is being performed, turning off the sub display unit ELD, or FM radio and other applications attached to the mobile phone terminal, etc. The presence / absence of a flag indicating the activation of an application that has been previously set as being incapable of activation is confirmed. As a result, when it is determined that the touch sensor can be activated, the touch sensor upper application program interface API requests the touch sensor driver TSD to activate the touch sensor module. That is, power supply from the power source PS to the touch sensor module TSM through the power controller PSCOM is actually started. On the other hand, when it is determined that the touch sensor cannot be activated, the touch sensor upper application program interface API does not request the touch sensor driver TSD to activate the touch sensor module, and the detection by the touch sensor module TSM, that is, Disable the sensing result of the touch sensor described. This prevents the touch sensor from malfunctioning, and sets the output data after the sensing result of the touch sensor is valid as the starting point for the next contact movement direction. Can be processed.

  When the activation is requested, the touch sensor driver TSD requests the serial interface unit SI in the device layer DL to control to open a port with the touch sensor driver TSD in the serial interface unit SI.

  Thereafter, the touch sensor driver TSD outputs a signal having information on the sensing result of the touch sensor (hereinafter referred to as a contact signal) to the serial interface unit SI at a cycle of 20 ms by the internal clock of the touch sensor module TSM. To control.

  The contact signal is output as an 8-bit signal corresponding to each of the eight sensor elements R1 to R4 and L1 to L4 already described. That is, when each sensor element detects a contact, a signal corresponding to the sensor element that has detected the contact has a “flag: 1” indicating contact detection, and a contact signal is formed by these bit strings. The That is, the contact signal includes information indicating “which sensor element” is “either contact / non-contact”.

  The serial interrupt monitoring unit SIMON in the interrupt handler IH takes out the contact signal output to the serial interface unit SI. Here, the confirmation unit CNF confirms the True / False of the extracted contact signal in accordance with the condition set in advance in the serial interface unit SI, and puts only True signal data into the queue QUE (signal True). The type of / False will be described later.) The serial interrupt monitoring unit SIMON also monitors other interrupt events of the serial interface unit SI during activation of the touch sensor, such as occurrence of pressing of the tact switch.

  When the detected contact is the first contact, the monitoring unit SIMON puts a signal indicating “press” into the queue QUE (queuing) before the contact signal. Thereafter, the contact signal is updated at a cycle of 45 ms by the OS timer CLK of the operation system, and if no contact is detected a predetermined number of times, a signal indicating “release” is put in the queue QUE. This makes it possible to monitor the movement of contact detection between sensor elements from the start of contact to release. The “first contact” refers to an event in which a signal having “flag: 1” is generated when there is no data in the queue QUE or when the latest input data is “release”. Through these processes, the touch sensor driver TSD can know the detection state of the sensor element in the section from “press” to “release”.

  At the same time, when the contact signal output from the touch sensor is a signal that satisfies the condition of “False”, the monitoring unit SIMON generates a pseudo-signal indicating “release” and puts it in the queue QUE. Here, the conditions for False (false) are “when a key press occurs while the touch sensor is activated”, “when contact is detected with two discontinuous sensor elements”, and “when the touch sensor is activated, an interrupt occurs. When it occurs (for example, when the lighting / extinguishing state of the sub display unit ELD is changed by notification of incoming mail or the like) "or" when contact across a plurality of sensor elements is detected "is set. This prevents the touch sensor from malfunctioning, and sets the output data after the sensing result of the touch sensor is valid as the starting point for the next contact movement direction. Can be processed.

  In addition, for example, when a key press occurs while the touch sensor is activated, the monitoring unit SIMON makes contact with a flag set on a bit corresponding to an element that detects contact, as in the case of detecting a single element. Put the signal in the queue QUE.

  The touch sensor driver TSD reads a contact signal from the queue QUE at a period of 45 ms, and determines an element that has detected contact based on the read contact signal. The touch sensor driver TSD considers the change in contact determined by the contact signal sequentially read from the queue QUE and the positional relationship with the detected element, and “contact start element”, “contact moving direction (right / Counterclockwise) "and" number of elements moved from press to release (ie, movement distance) ". The touch sensor driver TSD writes the determined result in the result notification unit NTF and notifies the base application BA to update the result.

  The determination of the moving direction and the moving distance of contact is performed by a combination of detection of adjacent sensor elements and detection of each sensor element, and various methods (determination rules) can be applied to this. For example, when a contact transitions from one sensor element (for example, R2) to an adjacent sensor element (in this example, R2 and R3), one element (for one item in the sub display unit) in that direction Judged to be moving.

  As already described, when the update of the result is notified to the base application BA by the touch sensor driver TSD, the base application BA confirms the result notification unit NTF, and the content of the information notified to the result notification unit NTF is Further, it is a higher-level application that requires a touch sensor result (display unit display application AP1 for displaying a menu screen in the sub display unit, and authentication is performed by, for example, a touch operation to the touch sensor (authentication function) lock control To the lock security application AP2 or the like.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of data processing for contact detection by each sensor element in the mobile phone terminal of this embodiment. For simplicity of explanation, only the sensor elements R1 to R4 are shown, but the same applies to the sensor elements L1 to L4.

  Each of the sensor elements R1 to R4 is set with a reference value of capacitance, and the preprocessing unit 300 (R1 preprocessing unit 300a, R2 preprocessing unit 300b, R3 preprocessing unit 300c, When a change in capacitance due to finger contact or the like is detected in the R4 preprocessing unit 300d), the A / D converter 310 (the R1 A / D converter 310a, the R2 A / D converter 310b, R3) A / D converter 310c and R4 A / D converter 310d) are converted to digital signals indicating contact detection. The digitized signals are transmitted to the control unit 320 and the information held by the signals is stored in the storage unit 330 as a set of signals collected as a sensor element group. Thereafter, this signal is sent to the serial interface unit and the interrupt handler. After the signal is converted into a signal readable by the touch sensor driver by the interrupt handler, the converted signal is queued. Note that the control unit 320 detects a direction when contact is detected by two or more adjacent sensor elements based on information stored in the storage unit 330.

  Hereinafter, the response of the sub display unit to the operation of the sensor element will be described with reference to FIGS. 7-10, (a) is the schematic which showed only the sensor element arrange | positioned along with the sub display part mounted in the mobile telephone terminal, and its periphery, in order to simplify description, (B) is a figure which shows the sensor element detected with time transition, In FIG.7, 8, (c) is a figure which shows the position change of the operation target area | region of the sub display part ELD according to the detected sensor element. In (a) of these drawings, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 (b) are added to the sensor elements, the sensor element group, and the separation portion. In the display of the sub display unit ELD in (c), TI indicates the title of the item list displayed by the sub display unit, and LS1 to LS4 indicate items that are selection candidate items (for example, several scrollable lines). Also, in the sub-display part of (c), the item in the state to be operated is placed on the item so that it can be identified as the current operation target region, or the item itself is highlighted. Highlight with In these figures, the items displayed as the operation target area are hatched and highlighted. For convenience of explanation, “moving target” will be described using only the operation target region, but the sub-display unit operates on the same principle when moving (scrolling) the item itself.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the response of the sub display unit when the user traces on the sensor element. In FIG. 6A, when the sensor elements are continuously traced from the top to the bottom indicated by the arrow AR1, for example, using a contact means such as a finger, the control unit makes contact with the time transition shown in FIG. Detect. In this case, the sensor elements R1, R2, R3, and R4 are in this order. Since the detected continuous contact from R1 to R4 detects the contact with two or more of the adjacent sensor elements, the direction is detected, and depending on the number of times the adjacent sensor elements are transitioned and the direction thereof, The operation target area moves on the list displayed on the sub display unit ELD. Although the operation target area is represented by hatching, an area with a narrow hatching pitch is an initial position, and an area with a wide hatching pitch is a position after movement. In this case, if the initial position of the operation target area is the item LS1 as shown in (c), the operation target area moves from the top to the bottom by three items to the item LS4. As described above, according to this configuration, the “operation target area moves downward” on the display unit, like the user ’s “downward finger pointing operation”, the user can operate with his / her finger. You will feel as if you are moving the area freely. That is, the operation feeling as intended by the user can be obtained.

  Similarly, if the sensor elements are traced in the direction indicated by the arrow AR2 in FIG. 6A, the sensor elements L4, L3, L2, and L1 are in this order among the sensor elements as shown in FIG. In this case, since the contact is detected by the transition of three sensor elements adjacent from top to bottom as in the case of the arrow AR1, the operation target area is 3 from the item LS1 to the item LS4 from top to bottom as shown in (c). Move one minute.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a case where the sensor element is traced in the opposite direction to FIG. 7, that is, from the bottom to the top. When traced in the direction of the arrow AR1 as shown in FIG. 4A, the sensor elements R4, R3, R2, and R1 among the sensor elements detect contact in this order as shown in FIG. Similarly, in the direction of the arrow AR2, L1, L2, L3, and L4 among the sensor elements detect contact in this order as shown in (b). In these cases, if the initial position of the operation target area is item LS4 in (c), both of the operation target areas move from bottom to top up to item LS1.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a case where the sensor element is traced clockwise. As shown in FIG. 6A, when traced in the direction of the arrow AR1, the sensor elements L1, L2, L3, L4, R1, R2, R3, and R4 contact in this order as shown in FIG. Is detected and determined as clockwise.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a case where the sensor element is traced counterclockwise. As shown in FIG. 6A, when the trace is made in the direction of the arrow AR2, the sensor elements R4, R3, R2, R1, L4, L3, L2, and L1 contact in this order as shown in FIG. Is detected and determined to be counterclockwise.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the operation of this embodiment. This routine will be described with reference to FIG. 4. When the application is activated (step S1), the base application BA determines which one of the half-round detection mode and the one-round detection mode is used. In this embodiment, in the case of an app that performs list display, an app that adjusts volume, an app that selects items in the vertical direction, or an app that moves in the vertical direction, the half-round detection mode is used, In the case of an application that detects rotation, the round detection mode is used.

  When it is determined that the half-circle detection mode is to be used, the sensor detection activation of the touch sensor module TSM is performed (step S3), and the base application BA determines whether the operation is an ascending operation or a descending operation (step S4). As shown in FIG. 7, when the right half or the left half sensor element group is continuously touched from the top to the bottom, the sub display unit display application AP1 determines that the sensor is in the downward direction and lowers the cursor (step S5). This routine is terminated. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, when the right half or the left half sensor element group is continuously touched from the bottom to the top, the sub display unit display application AP1 determines that the direction is upward and raises the cursor. (Step S6), this routine is finished.

  If it is determined in step S2 that the rotation detection mode is set, the sensor detection activation of the touch sensor module TSM is performed (step S7), and the base application BA is determined to be clockwise or counterclockwise (step S8). As shown in FIG. 9, when the sensor element group is continuously contacted clockwise, the lock security application AP2 determines that it is clockwise when locking, for example, stops power to the RFID chip, and uses RFID Locking is performed by disabling signal transmission and reception (step S9), and this routine is terminated. On the other hand, when the sensor element group is continuously contacted counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 10, the lock security application AP2 determines that it is counterclockwise when releasing the lock. Then, the lock is released by operating the signal transmission / reception via RFID (step S10), and this routine is terminated. Through steps S7 to S10, continuous detection of the entire sensor element group has an authentication function.

  According to the present embodiment, the sensor detection method can be switched between the half-round detection mode and the single-round detection mode for each application, so that the user operability can be improved. As an example of switching between the one-round detection mode and the half-circle detection mode in the same application, switching between the one-round detection mode at the time of activation and the half-circle detection mode in the address book list display can be mentioned.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and many changes and modifications can be made. For example, in the embodiments, description has been made using a capacitive sensor as a touch sensor, but the touch sensor is not limited to this system. For example, there are touch sensors such as a thin film resistance method that detects contact by measuring current fluctuation by detecting contact between a plurality of thin film electrodes, but the present invention is realized even if such a touch sensor is used. Is possible. Further, for example, in the embodiment, the sensor element layout provided in an annular shape has been described. However, when there are three or more sensor groups, when each sensor element group is arranged in a line, a switch is provided between the sensor groups. In this case, the present invention can also be applied to a case where sensor element groups arranged in a U-shape are arranged to face each other with the display unit interposed therebetween. Moreover, although the sensor element group was demonstrated in the Example of arrangement | positioning on either side, you may comprise in upper and lower 2 groups. Furthermore, in the embodiments, the description has been made with reference to a mobile phone terminal, but a mobile wireless terminal other than a telephone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), a portable game machine, a portable audio player, a portable video player, a portable electronic dictionary, a portable electronic The present invention can be widely applied to portable electronic devices such as a book viewer.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline | summary of the mobile telephone terminal of a present Example. It is a perspective view of the mobile telephone terminal of a present Example. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the display part periphery mounted in the mobile telephone terminal of a present Example. It is a detailed functional block diagram of a present Example. It is a block diagram which shows the more detailed structure of the touch sensor function of the mobile telephone terminal of a present Example. It is a schematic block diagram of the data processing of the contact detection by each sensor element in the mobile phone terminal of the present embodiment. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the sensor element of a present Example. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the sensor element of a present Example. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the sensor element of a present Example. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the sensor element of a present Example. It is a flowchart of operation | movement of a present Example. It is a figure explaining the conventional sensor element and its control example. It is a figure explaining the conventional sensor element and its control example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Mobile phone terminal 110,320 Control part 120 Sensor part 122,123,124,125,126 Sensor element group 130 Display part 140,330 Storage part 142 Storage area 144 External data storage area 150 Information processing function part 160 Telephone function part 170 Input unit key panel 180 Loudspeaker 210 Touch sensor 220 Camera 230 Light 300 Preprocessing system 310 A / D converter AP1, AP2, AP3, AP4 Application APRF RFID application API Application program interface APIR Infrared communication application AR, AR1, AR2 Arrow AUD Audio driver BA Base application BP1, BP2, BP3 Reference point CLK OS timer CNF Confirmation unit COM Communication unit CP1, CP2, CP3 Current position DL Device layer EAP Earphone ELD Sub display unit FLG Flag storage unit G1, G2, G3 Sensor element group IH Interrupt handler IR Infrared communication unit IRD Infrared communication driver KEY Key operation unit KSP Key scan port driver L1, L2, L3, L4, R1, R2, R3, R4 Sensor elements LS1 to LS8 List item M1, M2, M3 Sensor element MIC Microphone OCD Open / close detection device (magnetic)
PNL panel PP1, PP2, PP3 Previous position PR Protocol PS Power supply PSCON Power supply controller QUE Queue RD Radio driver RFD RFID driver RFID RFID module RM Radio module SI Serial interface unit SIMON Serial interrupt monitoring unit SP Speaker SP1, SP2 Spacing unit SW switching unit SW1, SW2, SW3, SW4 tact switch SWCON switching control unit TI title TSB touch sensor driver block TSM touch sensor module TSBA touch sensor base application block

Claims (10)

A first detection unit and a second detection unit for detecting contact;
When the first application function is executed, the first information indicated by the signal from the first detection unit and the second information indicated by the signal from the second detection unit are continuous information. When the second application function is being executed, the second process is performed to process the first information and the second information as information independent of each other. A processing unit;
A portable electronic device characterized by comprising: Each of the first and second detection units has a continuous sensor element,
A determination unit for determining which of the first process and the second process is performed by the processing unit;
When the determination unit determines that the first processing is to be performed, the contact of the first detection unit with the last sensor element and the contact of the second detection unit with the sensor element in the front row are continuous. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a continuous detection unit configured to detect whether or not the device is in operation. The portable electronic device has an authentication function, and when the authentication function is used, the first process is performed by the processing unit, assuming that the first application function is being executed. The portable electronic device according to claim 1 or 2. When power supply to the RFID chip is set to be stopped or stopped, it is assumed that the first application function is being executed, the first process is performed by the processing unit, and an item is selected. 4. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the second process is performed by the processing unit assuming that the second application function is executed. 5. It further includes a display unit that displays a plurality of items,
The processing unit performs the second process, assuming that the second application function is being executed when a plurality of items are displayed on the display unit, and the first detection unit or the 5. When the second detection unit detects that the contact has moved, the item selected from the plurality of items is moved in the direction in which the contact has moved. Item 1. A portable electronic device according to item 1. A first detection step and a second detection step for detecting the first contact;
When the first application function is being executed, the first information indicated by the signal relating to the first contact and the second information indicated by the signal relating to the second contact are processed as continuous information. And when the second application function is executed, a processing step of performing a second process of processing the first information and the second information as information independent of each other is provided. A method for controlling a portable electronic device. Each of the first and second detection steps is performed using a continuous sensor element;
A determination step of determining which of the first processing and the second processing is performed by the processing step;
When the determination step determines that the first processing is performed, the sensor element in the front row used in the second detection step and the contact with the last sensor element used in the first detection step 7. The method of controlling a portable electronic device according to claim 6, further comprising a detection step of performing continuous detection for detecting whether or not the contact is continuous. The portable electronic device has an authentication function, and when the authentication function is used, the first process is performed according to the processing step, assuming that the first application function is executed. The method for controlling a portable electronic device according to claim 6 or 7. When setting to supply or stop power to the RFID chip, assuming that the first application function is being executed, the first processing is performed by the processing step, and when the item is selected, the second The method for controlling a portable electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the second process is performed by the processing step assuming that the application function is executed. Further comprising a display step for displaying a plurality of items,
In the processing step, when a plurality of items are displayed on the display unit, the second application function is executed and the second processing is performed, and the first detection unit or the 10. When the second detection unit detects that the contact has moved, the item selected from the plurality of items is moved in the direction in which the contact has moved. 2. A method for controlling a portable electronic device according to item 1.

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