JP5952097B2 - Portable terminal device, control method and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone or a PHS and a control method thereof.

  With the development of information technology, smartphones are rapidly spreading recently. A smart font is a device in which PDA and personal computer functions are added to a telephone. Many smartphones are equipped with a touch panel display that combines an input device and a display screen to reduce the number of physical keys to achieve both portability and a large screen.

  In a smartphone equipped with a touch panel display, the user's face may malfunction due to touching the touch panel display during a call. Therefore, most smartphones are equipped with proximity sensors, and control is performed to lock the touch panel when an object (assuming the user's face) approaches during a call. The proximity sensor is a sensor that can detect the proximity of an object in a non-contact manner, and is provided in the vicinity of a voice output unit (earpiece) of a smartphone.

  In addition, since the user does not see (cannot see) the display when the user puts his / her smartphone on his / her ear, the display is normally automatically turned off in order to save power.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, it is not sufficient to detect whether the user's ear is applied to the audio output unit during a call using a proximity sensor. In such a situation, a technique for further adding proximity sensors to the left and right of the operation key is disclosed so that the operation key can be appropriately locked.

JP 2012-49688 A

  However, when trying to detect a face using a proximity sensor, there is a problem that not only the face but also the hand reacts. Therefore, for example, when the user makes an investigation or tries to operate the push dial during a call, the operating hand may be erroneously recognized as a face. Further, even in a narrow space where there is an object near the proximity sensor, it may be erroneously recognized that the proximity sensor is applied to the ear. In this case, since the touch panel is locked and the display is turned off, even if the user wants to operate the smartphone or view the display, it cannot be performed.

  Moreover, according to the technique of patent document 1, the touch panel can be locked not only in the case where the terminal is put on the ear but also in other situations. However, the control using the left and right proximity sensors added in Patent Document 1 is not during a call, but in a situation where the user is in a pocket or bag, that is, in a situation where no operation is performed. Further, Patent Document 1 attempts to lock in more situations, and cannot solve the above-mentioned “unintentional lock or extinction”.

  The control as in the technique of Patent Document 1 may cause inconvenience when the user operates the smartphone with the ear removed from the voice output unit during a call. That is, not only when the proximity sensor for the ear provided in the vicinity of the audio output unit detects proximity, but also when the proximity sensor added to the left and right detects proximity, the touch panel is locked or the display is turned off. As a result, when the user tries to operate the smartphone while listening to the voice output unit during a call, the possibility of being unable to operate increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a mobile terminal device capable of preventing a touch panel from being erroneously recognized as being applied to an ear and preventing the display from being turned off and a control method thereof. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of a mobile terminal device according to the present invention mainly includes a wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with a base station, a touch panel display including a touch panel and a display, and a touch panel display. A housing, an audio output unit provided above the touch panel display, a first proximity sensor provided above the touch panel display, a second proximity sensor provided below the touch panel display, a first proximity sensor and And a controller that locks the touch panel when the second proximity sensor detects proximity.

  The first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor are of an infrared type, and the light emitting direction of the light emitting element of the first proximity sensor is obliquely upward with respect to the front surface of the housing, and the light emitting direction of the light emitting element of the second proximity sensor is the housing. It is good that it is directed diagonally downward with respect to the front.

  A third proximity sensor that is provided above the touch panel display and in which the light emission direction of the light emitting element is obliquely upward with respect to the front surface of the housing, and is provided below the touch panel display, and the light emission direction of the light emitting element is on the front surface of the housing. A first proximity sensor, a second proximity sensor, a third proximity sensor, and a fourth proximity sensor, which are respectively provided on the upper left side, the lower left side, Provided at the upper right side and the lower right side, the control unit may lock the touch panel when the first proximity sensor, the second proximity sensor, the third proximity sensor, and the fourth proximity sensor detect proximity during a call.

  A representative configuration of a control method for a mobile terminal device according to the present invention is a control method for a mobile terminal device that includes a touch panel display including a touch panel and a display at the center of the casing. A first proximity sensor is disposed in the vicinity, and a second proximity sensor is disposed at a position below the touch panel display and close to the user's mouth when the user hits the sound output unit. When the proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor detect proximity, the touch panel is locked.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can provide the portable terminal device which can prevent that the touch panel is locked and the display is turned off by mistakenly recognizing that it is applied to the ear, and a control method thereof.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the portable terminal device concerning this embodiment. It is a front view of the portable terminal device of FIG. It is a figure explaining the light emission direction of the light emitting element of the 1st, 2nd proximity sensor of FIG. It is a usage condition figure of the portable terminal device of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the control method of the portable terminal device of FIG. It is a figure which shows the application example of the portable terminal device of FIG.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiment are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not illustrated. To do.

  In the drawing, the upper side of the mobile terminal device is indicated by an arrow Up and the right side of the mobile terminal device is indicated by an arrow Rh.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a mobile terminal device 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of the mobile terminal device 100. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the mobile terminal device 100 includes a touch panel display 104 including a touch panel and a display at the center (front surface) of the housing 102. Such a display includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro Luminescence), or the like. The mobile terminal device 100 is a mobile phone, a PHS (smart phone), or the like.

  The mobile terminal device 100 includes a first proximity sensor 106 above the touch panel display 104. In addition, the mobile terminal device 100 includes a second proximity sensor 108 below the touch panel display 104. The first proximity sensor 106 is disposed in the vicinity of the audio output unit 114 as an earpiece. The audio output unit 114 includes audio output means such as a speaker. In addition to the audio output unit 114, the mobile terminal device 100 includes an audio input unit 116 that includes audio recognition means such as a microphone (see FIG. 1). Here, both the first proximity sensor 106 and the second proximity sensor 108 are arranged in the center portion of the casing 102 in the width (left-right) direction.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the mobile terminal device 100 includes a first proximity sensor 106, a second proximity sensor 108, a voice output unit 114, a control unit 118 that controls the voice input unit 116, and a program executed by the control unit 118. And a memory 120 for storing various data. The control unit 118 includes a central processing unit (so-called CPU). The memory 120 includes a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, and the like.

  In addition, the mobile terminal device 100 establishes wireless communication with the base station 124 through a predetermined wireless communication method such as LTE, CDMA, WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), and performs voice communication (call) with a communication partner or a Web server. A wireless communication unit 122 that performs data communication with the wireless communication unit.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the light emission direction of the light emitting elements of the first and second proximity sensors 106 and 108. FIG. 3A is a front view for explaining the light emitting direction of each light emitting element, and FIG. 3B is a side view for explaining the light emitting direction of each light emitting element. In the drawing, the light emitting direction of the light emitting element of the first proximity sensor 106 is indicated by an arrow 106a, and the light emitting direction of the light emitting element of the second proximity sensor 108 is indicated by an arrow 108a.

  In the present embodiment, the first proximity sensor 106 and the second proximity sensor 108 are infrared proximity sensors each including a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The first proximity sensor 106 and the second proximity sensor 108 are not necessarily limited to the infrared type, and may be an electromagnetic type, an ultrasonic type, an induction type, a capacitance type, or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the light emitting direction of the light emitting element of the first proximity sensor 106 is directed obliquely upward with respect to the front surface of the housing 102. The light emitting direction of the light emitting element of the second proximity sensor 108 is directed obliquely downward with respect to the front surface of the housing 102. In this way, by directing the light emitting direction of the light emitting element to the outside with respect to the housing 102, it becomes difficult for the first and second proximity sensors 106 and 108 to detect the proximity of the user's hand that performs an operation input to the touch panel display 104.

  This is because the user normally holds the left or right side when holding the mobile terminal device 100. That is, normally, the upper side or the lower side of the housing 102 is not gripped. As described above, in the mobile terminal device 100, the first proximity sensor 106 and the second proximity sensor 108 are both disposed in the center portion of the casing 102 in the width (left-right) direction. As a result, it is further difficult to detect the proximity of the user's hand inputting an operation to the touch panel display 104.

  FIG. 4 is a usage diagram of the mobile terminal device 100. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, when the user's ear is applied to the audio output unit 114 during a call, the first proximity sensor 106 in the vicinity thereof receives infrared light emitted from the light emitting element at the user's ear. Reflected and received by the light receiving element, proximity detection is performed.

  In the present embodiment, the second proximity sensor 108 is disposed at a position close to the user's mouth (jaw) when the user puts his ear on the audio output unit 114. In the case of a smartphone, since the upper and lower lengths of the housing 102 are generally 100 mm to 140 mm, the second proximity sensor 108 is provided below the touch panel display 104 and can be arranged at that position. Therefore, when the user's ear is applied to the voice output unit 114 during a call, the second proximity sensor 108 reflects the infrared light emitted from the light emitting element at the user's mouth and is received by the light receiving element to detect proximity. .

  Thus, according to the mobile terminal device 100, it is difficult to detect the proximity of the user's hand that performs an operation input to the touch panel display 104, and when the user's ear is applied to the audio output unit 114 during a call, the first and second A configuration in which the proximity sensors 106 and 108 can reliably detect the proximity is realized. Note that such a configuration cannot be realized when proximity sensors are arranged on the left and right of the touch panel display 104. As described above, since the user grips the left or right side surface of the mobile terminal device 100, when proximity sensors are arranged on the left and right, there is an increased possibility that the user's hand will be excessively detected. . Further, when proximity sensors are arranged on the left and right, when the user puts his ear on the audio output unit 114, the proximity sensor may be located outside the face line, and the proximity sensor may not be able to detect proximity.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining a control method of the mobile terminal device 100. As described above, according to the mobile terminal device 100, when the user's ear is applied to the audio output unit 114 during a call, both the first and second proximity sensors 106 and 108 reliably detect the proximity. can do. Therefore, here, only when the first and second proximity sensors 106 and 108 detect proximity, the touch panel is locked and the display is automatically turned off.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, when a call is started (YES in step S300), the control unit 118 turns on the power of the first proximity sensor 106 and the second proximity sensor 108 (step S302). When the first proximity sensor 106 detects proximity (YES in step S304) and the second proximity sensor 108 detects proximity (YES in step S306), the control unit 118 locks the touch panel of the touch panel display 104 and automatically turns off the display. (Step S308). Power saving can be achieved by turning off the display.

  On the other hand, when either the first proximity sensor 106 or the second proximity sensor 108 does not detect proximity (NO in Step S304 and Step S306), the control unit 118 does not lock the touch panel or turn off the display. Such processing (step S304 to step S308) is continuously performed during a call (step S310 NO), and when the call is ended (step S310 YES), the control unit 118 turns off the power of the first proximity sensor 106 and the second proximity sensor 108. (Step S312).

  According to the above-described configuration, the first and second proximity sensors are not used instead of locking the touch panel and automatically turning off the display depending on only a single proximity sensor provided in the vicinity of the audio output unit as in the prior art. Only when proximity detection is performed by 106 and 108, the touch panel is locked and the display is automatically turned off. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the touch panel from being erroneously recognized as being applied to the ear due to the influence of a nearby hand or object, a narrow space, etc., and the display from being automatically turned off. As a result, it is possible to avoid the touch panel being locked and the display to be turned off, which are not desired by the user, and to improve usability.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an application example (mobile terminal device 200) of the mobile terminal device 100. As shown in FIG. 6, in the mobile terminal device 200 as an application example, a first proximity sensor 206, a second proximity sensor 208, A third proximity sensor 210 and a fourth proximity sensor 212 are provided.

  The first proximity sensor 206 and the third proximity sensor 210 are provided above the touch panel display 104, and the light emitting direction of the light emitting element is directed obliquely upward with respect to the front surface of the housing 102. The second proximity sensor 208 and the fourth proximity sensor 212 are provided below the touch panel display 104, and the light emitting direction of the light emitting elements is directed obliquely downward with respect to the front surface of the housing 102.

  And in the portable terminal device 200, the control part 118 is a touch panel only when the 1st proximity sensor 206, the 2nd proximity sensor 208, the 3rd proximity sensor 210, and the 4th proximity sensor 212 detected the proximity during the call. The touch panel of the display 104 is locked, and the display is automatically turned off. Further, for example, the operation may be performed only when proximity is detected by a combination (a total of three) of any one of the upper two proximity sensors 206 and 210 and the lower proximity sensors 208 and 212. According to such an application example, it is possible to more reliably avoid touch panel lock and display turn-off which are not desired by the user.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this example. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  The present invention can be used for a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone and a PHS and a control method thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100, 200 ... Portable terminal device, 102 ... Housing | casing, 104 ... Touch panel display, 106, 206 ... 1st proximity sensor, 108, 208 ... 2nd proximity sensor, 114 ... Audio | voice output part, 116 ... Audio | voice input part, 118 ... Control unit 120 ... Memory 122 ... Wireless communication unit 124 ... Base station 210 ... Third proximity sensor 212 ... Fourth proximity sensor

Claims (4)

A wireless communication unit that performs wireless communication with the base station;
A touch panel display including a touch panel and a display;
A housing mainly including the touch panel display;
An audio output unit provided above the touch panel display;
A first proximity sensor provided above the touch panel display;
A second proximity sensor provided below the touch panel display;
A controller that locks the touch panel when the first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor detect proximity during a call;
I have a,
The first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor are infrared type,
The light emitting direction of the light emitting element of the first proximity sensor is obliquely upward from the front of the housing, and the light emitting direction of the light emitting element of the second proximity sensor is obliquely downward from the front of the housing. A portable terminal device. A third proximity sensor which is provided above the touch panel display and in which the light emitting direction of the light emitting element is directed obliquely upward with respect to the front surface of the housing;
A fourth proximity sensor provided below the touch panel display, wherein the light emitting direction of the light emitting element is directed obliquely downward with respect to the front of the housing;
The first proximity sensor, the second proximity sensor, the third proximity sensor, and the fourth proximity sensor are respectively provided at the upper left side, the lower left side, the upper right side, and the lower right side of the front of the housing,
The control unit locks the touch panel when the first proximity sensor, the second proximity sensor, the third proximity sensor, and the fourth proximity sensor detect proximity during a call. Item 2. The mobile terminal device according to Item 1 . A touch panel display in the center of the front of the housing,
An audio output unit provided above the touch panel display;
An infrared-type first proximity sensor located in the vicinity of the audio output unit; and an infrared-type second proximity sensor located below the touch panel display;
The light emitting direction of the light emitting element of the first proximity sensor is obliquely upward from the front of the housing, and the light emitting direction of the light emitting element of the second proximity sensor is obliquely downward from the front of the housing,
In the control method of the mobile terminal device,
When the first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor detect proximity during a call, the touch panel is locked. A touch panel display located in the center of the front of the housing;
An audio output unit provided above the touch panel display;
An infrared type first proximity sensor and a second proximity sensor;
When the first proximity sensor and the second proximity sensor detect proximity during a call, in the method of manufacturing a mobile terminal device that locks the touch panel,
The first proximity sensor is disposed in the vicinity of the audio output unit so that the light emitting direction of the light emitting element of the first proximity sensor is directed obliquely upward from the front of the housing,
The portable terminal device, wherein the second proximity sensor is disposed at a position below the touch panel display so that the light emitting direction of the light emitting element of the second proximity sensor is directed obliquely downward from the front of the housing. Manufacturing method.

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