WO2015002300A1

WO2015002300A1 - Portable terminal and control method

Info

Publication number: WO2015002300A1
Application number: PCT/JP2014/067926
Authority: WO
Inventors: 陽平田中
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2013-07-04
Filing date: 2014-07-04
Publication date: 2015-01-08

Abstract

Provided is a portable terminal such that false detection of contact other than contact by hand can be prevented. A smartphone (1) is equipped with a contact sensor (31) that is provided on the case of the smartphone (1) and a state detection unit (33) that detects whether or not the surrounding state of the smartphone or the state of the smartphone itself matches a prescribed state. When contact with the contact sensor (31) is detected and the state detection unit (33) has detected the prescribed state while a display unit (34) is in a dormant state, the smartphone switches the dormant state of the display unit (34) to a display state.

Description

Mobile terminal and control method

The present invention relates to a portable terminal that is held and used by a user.

In recent years, mobile terminals have been equipped with various sensors. As a result, the functionality of mobile terminals has increased and the convenience of mobile terminals has improved.

In Patent Document 1, a control unit determines the number of fingers touching each touch sensor based on an ON signal supplied for each sensor region, and a portable terminal that executes different processes according to the determined number of fingers. It is disclosed.

Japanese Published Patent Publication “Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-119959 (Publication Date: June 16, 2011)”

However, since the conventional techniques as described above are all based on the premise that the user is holding the portable device correctly, it is not assumed that the user is correctly detecting the holding of the portable device. Therefore, the portable terminal described in Patent Literature 1 has a problem that a contact associated with gripping is erroneously detected as gripping and a function associated with the gripping is activated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to eliminate wasteful power consumption due to false detection that the contact detected by the contact sensor is not a grip by the user. It is to realize a portable terminal capable of performing the same and a control method thereof.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a mobile terminal according to an aspect of the present invention is a mobile terminal including a sleep state in which display of a display unit is paused in a power-on state and a display state in which display is performed. A state detection unit for detecting whether the display unit, a contact sensor provided in a casing of the mobile terminal, a state around the mobile terminal or a state of the mobile terminal itself is a predetermined state, Display operation control means, wherein the display operation control means detects contact with the contact sensor during the resting state of the display unit and the state detection unit detects the predetermined state. The sleep state of the display unit is switched to the display state.

A mobile terminal control method according to an aspect of the present invention is a mobile terminal control method including a pause state in which display on a display unit is paused in a power-on state and a display state in which display is performed. When the display unit is in a dormant state, a contact sensor provided on the casing of the portable terminal detects a contact, and the surrounding state of the portable terminal or the state of the portable terminal itself is in a predetermined state. In the state detection step in which the state detection unit detects whether or not there is a contact, and in the contact detection step, contact with the contact sensor is detected, and in the state detection step, the state detection unit detects the predetermined state. When it detects, the state switching step which switches the dormant state of the said display part to a display state is included.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the portable terminal according to the present invention eliminates the false detection that the contact detected by the contact sensor is not a contact (gripping, etc.) by the user, thereby wasting power due to the erroneous detection. The effect that it can prevent consumption of is produced.

It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structural example of the smart phone which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the example of the state sensor contained in the state detection part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the external appearance of the smart phone of FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing (a) a power-on state of the smartphone of FIG. 3 and a display on a display unit in a sleep state, (b) a state held by a user, and (c) a state put in a pocket. . It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which the smart phone which concerns on Embodiment 1 performs. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the specific process in the state determination step of the process shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the electric power supply method to a state detection part. It is explanatory drawing which shows another example of the electric power supply method to a state detection part. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process which the smart phone which concerns on Embodiment 2 performs. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of processing performed by the smartphone according to the third embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process which the smart phone which concerns on Embodiment 4 performs. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structural example of the smart phone which concerns on Embodiment 5. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an outline of a flow of processing performed by the smartphone according to the fifth embodiment.

Embodiment 1
A mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Here, although the example which applied the portable terminal of this invention to the smart phone 1 (mobile terminal) is demonstrated, the smart phone 1 demonstrated below is only one aspect | mode. The present invention is applicable to a portable terminal device having a display screen, and in particular, a portable electronic device such as a smartphone 1, a PHS (Personal Handy phone System), a cellular phone, a portable personal computer, a handy terminal, and the like. The present invention can be suitably applied to equipment. Other embodiments will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS.

(Configuration of smartphone 1)
First, a schematic configuration of the smartphone 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a main configuration of the smartphone 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a state sensor included in the state detection unit 33 of FIG. is there.

As shown in FIG. 1, the smartphone 1 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 20, a contact sensor 31, a power supply 32, a state detection unit 33, and a display unit 34. In addition, although the smart phone 1 is provided with apparatuses required in order to function as the smart phone 1, such as a communication apparatus, a microphone, and a speaker, since these are not directly related to the feature points of the present invention, they are not illustrated here.

The control unit 10 controls each function of the smartphone 1 in an integrated manner. The control unit 10 includes a contact determination unit 11, a power supply control unit 12 (power supply control unit), a state determination unit 13, and a display unit control unit 14 (display operation control unit).

The storage unit 20 is executed by the control unit 10 of the smartphone 1 (1) a control program, (2) an OS program, (3) an application program for the control unit 10 to execute various functions of the smartphone 1, and (4) Non-temporarily storing various data read when executing the application program. The storage unit 20 stores a state determination reference 21 that is read when the state determination unit 13 of the control unit 10 executes the determination process.

The contact sensor 31 is a sensor that is provided at a position where the user's hand comes into contact with the casing when the casing of the smartphone 1 is gripped by the user, and detects the user's contact. As the contact sensor 31, a capacitance sensor, a pressure sensor, or the like can be used. An example of the position and number of the contact sensor 31 will be described later with reference to FIG.

The state detection unit 33 includes a sensor (state sensor) that detects the surrounding state of the smartphone 1 or the state of the smartphone 1 itself. The state detection signal detected by the state detection unit 33 is output to the state determination unit 13. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the state detection unit 33 includes an inclination sensor 333 that detects the posture of the smartphone 1 itself, an acceleration sensor 334 that detects acceleration, a temperature sensor 335 that detects temperature, and an object that is close to the smartphone 1. A proximity sensor 331 for detecting the mobile terminal is used, and at least one of these sensors is used as a state sensor for detecting the state of the mobile terminal. A general mobile phone or smartphone 1 is often equipped with a state sensor included in the state detection unit 33 shown in FIG. 2 as a standard, together with an illuminance sensor 332, and the smartphone 1 has a special device as a state sensor. There is no need to provide it separately. However, the state detection unit 33 of the present invention is not limited to the state sensor shown in FIG. 3, but is a sound sensor (not shown) that detects sound and a sensor (not shown) that detects the remaining battery level. For example, any configuration that can detect the surrounding state of the smartphone 1 or the state of the main body of the smartphone 1 may be used. Processing for determining contact (gripping) by the user from the state of the smartphone 1 detected by each state sensor will be described in detail later together with the state determination reference 21.

The display unit 34 is a display for displaying images and the like. For example, a thin flat panel display such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a PDP (Plasma Display: Plasma Display Panel), or an organic EL (Organic LED). (Flat Panel Display) is preferable.

The contact determination unit 11 acquires a detection signal from the contact sensor 31 and determines that contact with the contact sensor 31 is detected. The contact determination unit 11 outputs information indicating that contact with the contact sensor 31 has been detected to the power supply control unit 12 and the display unit control unit 14.

The power supply unit 12 controls power supply from the power supply 32 to the state detection unit 33. When the power supply control unit 12 receives information indicating that a contact has been detected from the contact determination unit 11, the power supply control unit 12 starts supplying power from the power supply 32 to the state detection unit 33.

The state determination unit 13 is a state (predetermined state) in which the smartphone 1 is in contact (gripped) with the state detected by the state detection unit 33 based on the state determination reference 21 stored in the storage unit 20. It is determined whether or not there is. State determination reference 21 used when determining gripping of the user from the state detected by each state sensor (proximity sensor 331, illuminance sensor 332, tilt sensor 333, acceleration sensor 334, and temperature sensor 335) included in the state detection unit 33. Will be described in detail later. The state determination unit 13 outputs information indicating the determination result to the display unit control unit 14.

Based on the information indicating that contact from the contact determination unit 11 has been detected and the determination result from the state determination unit 13, the display unit control unit 14 is contacted (gripped) by the user. If it is determined that there is, the display unit 34 is switched between the sleep state and the display state. Here, the sleep state of the display unit 34 is a dormant state in which the display of the display unit 34 is suspended while the main power of the smartphone 1 is turned on (power on).

(External configuration example of smartphone 1 and arrangement of contact sensor 31)
Next, the position and number of the contact sensors 31 included in the smartphone 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of the smartphone 1 of FIG. In addition, in FIG. 3, when the display part 34 of the smart phone 1 is seen in the front, the left and right side surfaces are shown.

As shown in FIG. 3, the smartphone 1 according to the present embodiment has a display unit 34 composed of a thin liquid crystal display or the like on at least one surface of the housing. The smartphone 1 shown in FIG. 3 includes one display unit 34, but the number of display units 34 is not particularly limited. In addition, the display screen of the display unit 34 may be configured by superimposing a touch panel. In this case, the display unit 34 in the display state also has a function as an operation input unit that can perform an operation input by a user operation. Note that the operation input by the user is not limited to the touch by the display unit 34 touching the display screen, and other methods may be used. For example, the smartphone 1 may be provided with a voice analysis function and perform voice operation input.

A contact sensor 31 is provided at a position where the user's hand holding the housing of the smartphone 1 contacts the smartphone 1. For example, in FIG. 3, the structure provided with each one contact sensor 31 in the surface which mutually adjoins the surface containing the display part 34 of the smart phone 1 is shown. When the contact sensor 31 is provided at such a position, the palm of the user holding the smartphone 1 and the finger come into contact with the contact sensor 31 (see FIG. 4B). Note that the contact sensor 31 may be provided anywhere as long as the user's hand holding the housing of the smartphone 1 is in contact. For example, the contact sensor 31 may be provided on the entire side surface of the smartphone 1. Moreover, in FIG. 3, although the smart phone 1 provided with the two contact sensors 31 was illustrated, the number of the contact sensors 31 can be changed according to the position to install, and one may be sufficient and it may be two or more. May be.

(Outline of operation of smartphone 1)
Here, operation | movement of the smart phone 1 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated easily using FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing (a) the sleep state of the display unit, (b) the state gripped by the user, and (c) the state put in the pocket P of the smartphone 1 of FIG. .

4A, the display unit 34 of the smartphone 1 is in a sleep state. In the smartphone 1 in the state of FIG. 4A, if the contact to the contact sensor 31 is detected and the contact is a hand contact accompanying the user holding the smartphone 1, ( As shown in b), display on the display unit 34 is started. The display unit 34 that has been switched from the sleep state to the display state starts display of, for example, date and time. As described above, the smartphone 1 can switch the display unit 34 from the sleep state to the display state in response to detection of gripping by the user, and can smoothly start the next operation according to the operation from the user. It becomes a state.

On the other hand, in the smartphone 1 in the state of FIG. 4A, when contact with the contact sensor 31 is detected and the contact is not gripped by the user, as shown in FIG. The display of the display unit 34 is not started and the sleep state is continued. For example, as shown in FIG. 4C, when the smartphone 1 is put in the user's pocket P, the user's body or a conductive object touches the contact sensor 31, or pressure is applied in the pocket P. If added, the contact sensor 31 may malfunction. As described above, when the smartphone 1 in the pocket P erroneously detects the gripping of the user, display or operation unintended by the user is started and wasteful power is consumed.

Therefore, the detection of the state of the smartphone 1 by the state detection unit 33 is determined based on the state determination criterion 21 stored in the storage unit 20 to determine whether or not the contact with the contact sensor 31 is a user's grip. For example, as shown in FIG. 4C, when the state in which the smartphone 1 is stored in the pocket P is detected, the sleep state of the display unit 34 is maintained. In other words, the smartphone 1 does not carelessly switch the display unit 34 from the sleep state to the display state unless the contact detected by the contact sensor 31 is determined to be gripping by the user. By preventing unnecessary screen display, not only the backlight provided on the display unit 34 of the smartphone 1 but also the touch panel, CPU, communication device, etc. are activated and operated when the user does not intend. , Can prevent wasteful power consumption.

(Flow of processing performed by the smartphone 1)
Next, a process in which the smartphone 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention determines gripping by the user and switches the display unit 34 from the sleep state to the display state will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing performed by the smartphone 1 according to the first embodiment.

In step S1 of FIG. 5 (hereinafter, steps are omitted and simply referred to as S1), the main power supply of the smartphone 1 is on. In S2, the display on the display unit 34 is in a sleep state.

In S3 (contact detection step), when contact is detected by the contact sensor 31 (Yes in S3), information indicating that contact has been detected is sent from the contact determination unit 11 to the power supply control unit 12, and in S4 The power supply control unit 12 starts supplying power to the state detection unit 33. On the other hand, if no contact is detected by the contact sensor 31 in S3 (No in S3), the sleep state of the display unit 34 is maintained in S7.

In S5 (state detection step), the state detection unit 33 detects the state of the smartphone 1. The state determination unit 13 is a state in which the state detected by the state detection unit 33 based on the state determination reference 21 stored in the storage unit 20 is gripped by the user when the smartphone 1 is used (hereinafter, referred to as “state determination unit 13”). , Expressed as true grip (or true contact)).

When it is determined that the contact with the contact sensor 31 is gripping by the user based on the detection of the contact by the contact sensor 31 and the determination result of the state determination unit 13 (Yes in S5), S6 ( In the state switching step), the display control unit 14 stops the sleep state of the display unit 34 and switches to a display state (such as a clock display). On the other hand, when it is determined that the contact to the contact sensor 31 is not a contact by the user's hand (by the user) (No in S5), the sleep state of the display unit 34 is maintained in S7.

Next, a specific example of the state determination step S5 performed by the state detection unit 33 and the state determination unit 13 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a specific processing flow in the state determination step S5 of the processing shown in FIG. The processes in S1 to S4, S6, and S7 in FIG. 6 are the same as those in FIG. 5. These processes are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

Therefore, in the following, how the smartphone 1 determines contact by the user's hand from the states detected by the state sensors shown in S51 to S55 of FIG. 6 will be described. In the present embodiment, an example is described in which the determination as to whether or not the contact by the user's hand is a true grip is performed using all the determination results of the state sensors of the state detection unit 33 shown in S51 to S55. To do.

(Step S51: Detection of state by proximity sensor 331)
The proximity sensor 331 is a sensor that detects whether or not an object exists near the smartphone 1. For example, the proximity sensor 331 may be a distance measuring sensor that measures a distance to a surrounding object, and the detection is performed instantaneously after receiving power supply. The proximity sensor 331 is desirably provided at a position different from the contact sensor 31 so that the proximity sensor 331 does not detect the user's hand in contact with the contact sensor 31.

When contact is detected by the contact sensor 31 in S3 of FIG. 6, if an object is present within a predetermined distance from the smartphone 1 in S51, the smartphone 1 is generally stored in a bag, a pocket P, or the like. It is estimated that the contact sensor 31 has detected contact with a surrounding object. Therefore, as an example of the state determination criterion 21, when an object is detected within approximately 10 cm from the proximity sensor 331 (No in S51), it is determined that the contact detected by the contact sensor 31 is not a contact by the user's hand. To do. On the other hand, if an object is not detected within approximately 10 cm from the proximity sensor 331 (Yes in S51), it is determined that the contact detected by the contact sensor 31 is a contact by the user's hand. In addition, the distance used for determination is not limited to 10 cm, What is necessary is just to set an appropriate distance arbitrarily.

(Step S52: Detection of state by illuminance sensor 332)
The illuminance sensor 332 is a sensor that detects the brightness around the smartphone 1. The illuminance sensor 332 is desirably provided at a position that is not covered by the hand of the user who is in contact with the contact sensor 31.

In S3 of FIG. 6, when contact is detected by the contact sensor 31, if the surroundings of the smartphone 1 are dark, the smartphone 1 is generally stored in a bag, a pocket P, etc. It is estimated that contact with surrounding objects has been detected. That is, the ambient brightness is measured by the illuminance sensor 332, and if the brightness is equal to or higher than the predetermined brightness, the contact detected by the contact sensor 31 is determined to be a contact by the user's hand. Illuminance used for the determination can be about 200 lux, for example, but is not limited thereto, and appropriate illuminance may be set arbitrarily. Further, the detection result of the illuminance sensor 332 may be used in combination with the state detected by another state sensor. For example, when used in combination with the proximity sensor 331, the contact detected by the contact sensor 31 is determined as follows. When an object is detected within approximately 10 cm from the proximity sensor 331 and the ambient brightness is 200 lux or less, it is determined that the contact detected by the contact sensor 31 is not a contact by the user's hand. On the other hand, when an object is not detected within about 10 cm from the proximity sensor 331 and the surrounding brightness is brighter than 200 lux, it is determined that the contact detected by the contact sensor 31 is a contact by the user's hand. To do.

(Step S53: Detection of state by tilt sensor 333)
The inclination sensor 333 is a sensor that detects the inclination of the posture of the smartphone 1. The tilt sensor 333 is a sensor called a Gyro sensor or an angular velocity sensor, and the detection is performed instantaneously after receiving power supply. When the contact sensor 31 is an electrostatic sensor, the smartphone 1 placed on the table is in direct contact with the contact sensor 31 if the top plate of the table is made of conductive metal. Even if there is no contact, there is a possibility of false detection of contact. When the contact sensor 31 is a pressure-sensitive sensor, it may be erroneously detected as a grip by the user that pressure is applied to the contact sensor 31 of the smartphone 1 in a state where it is put in a bag or pocket P. . If the posture when the smartphone 1 is placed on a horizontal plane is expressed as “about 0 ° (or 180 °) with respect to the horizontal axis”, the posture of the smartphone 1 placed in the pocket P is about the horizontal axis. It can be expressed as 80 ° to 110 °. Therefore, if the posture of the smartphone 1 is detected, it is possible to determine whether the contact is made by the user's hand using one of the following (A) and (B).

(A) Based on the posture when the smartphone 1 is gripped by the user, a determination criterion for detecting gripping is used. For example, when the posture of the smartphone 1 is detected with an inclination in the range of about 25 ° to 75 ° with respect to the horizontal axis (Yes in S53), the contact detected by the contact sensor 31 is contact by the user's hand. It is determined that

(B) When the posture of the smartphone 1 is detected with an inclination in the range of approximately 0 ° (180 °) to 20 ° (160 °) or 80 ° to 110 ° with respect to the horizontal axis (No in S53), It is determined that the contact detected by the contact sensor 31 is not contact by the user's hand.

(Step S54: Detection of state by acceleration sensor 334)
The acceleration sensor 334 is a sensor that detects whether the main body of the smartphone 1 continues to move for a predetermined time or is close to a stationary state.

For example, when the user is holding the smartphone 1 and walking without looking at the display unit 34, the movement of the smartphone 1 continues for a predetermined time (for example, 1 to 2 seconds). Therefore, even if the contact by the user's hand is detected by the contact sensor 31, if the smartphone 1 continues to move for a predetermined time, the user does not use the display unit 34, so the user maintains the sleep state of the display unit 34. Is estimated to be good.

Therefore, in S54 of FIG. 6, when the acceleration sensor 334 detects that the smartphone 1 is close to a stationary state at a predetermined time (Yes in S54), the user uses the smartphone 1 for the contact detected by the contact sensor 31. Therefore, it is determined that there is a high possibility of the gripping performed for the purpose. On the other hand, when the acceleration sensor 334 detects that the main body of the smartphone 1 is moving at a predetermined time (No in S54), the contact detected by the contact sensor 31 is a grip that the user performs in order to use the smartphone 1. Judge that there is no. It is preferable that the acceleration sensor 334 detect the acceleration after a predetermined time (for example, 1 to 2 seconds) has elapsed since the contact sensor 31 detected the contact. This is because when the user takes out the smartphone 1 from the bag in order to use the smartphone 1, the movement of the smartphone 1 can be detected immediately after being gripped. Therefore, the detection by the acceleration sensor 334 is performed after a predetermined time has elapsed since the detection of the contact, so that it is only necessary to prevent the user from detecting a movement that occurs in order to use the smartphone 1 and making an erroneous determination. .

(Step S55: Detection of state by temperature sensor 335)
The temperature sensor 335 is a sensor that is provided at a predetermined position of the smartphone 1 and detects a temperature at the position or a temperature change. The temperature detection by the temperature sensor 335 can be executed almost instantaneously after receiving power supply, but when detecting a temperature change, the temperature changed by measurement for a predetermined time, for example, 1 second is detected. If the position touched by the user's hand and the position where the temperature sensor 335 measures the temperature are separated, it becomes difficult to detect a temperature change in a short time. Therefore, the temperature sensor 335 is provided so as to measure the temperature of the contact sensor 31 itself, the temperature in the vicinity of the contact sensor 31, or the temperature at the position where the user's hand holding the housing of the smartphone 1 contacts. Is desirable.

For example, when the user's hand touches the smartphone 1, the user's body temperature is transmitted to the smartphone 1 through the user's hand, and a temperature change occurs in the vicinity thereof. Using this, if the temperature of the smartphone 1 rises and the temperature rise is within a range assumed to be detected when the user grips the smartphone 1 (Yes in S55), contact The contact detected by the sensor 31 is determined to be contact by the user's hand. Note that either one of (A) temperature detection or (B) temperature change occurring within a predetermined time may be used in accordance with the position at which the temperature sensor 335 detects the temperature.

When the determinations of S51 to S55 in FIG. 6 are performed and all the determination results of S51 to S55 are YES, the contact with the contact sensor 31 is in a state (predetermined state) held by the user in order to use the smartphone 1. It is determined to show. The smartphone 1 that is determined to be truly held switches the display unit 34 from the sleep state to the display state. Thereby, it is possible to prevent wasteful power consumption due to the display unit 34 being activated and operated when the user does not intend. Thus, by performing determination based on the states detected by the plurality of state sensors, it is possible to detect with high accuracy whether or not the contact with the contact sensor 31 is a true grip.

Note that the order of processing by the state sensors in S51 to S55 shown in FIG. 6 is not limited to this. For example, detection by the state sensors in S51 to S55 may be performed in parallel at the same time, and the order of determination may be arbitrarily changed. However, in order to realize the user-friendly smartphone 1, it is desirable that the time from when the contact sensor 31 detects contact until the display of the display unit 34 is switched is shorter. For that purpose, it is preferable to first perform detection and determination of a state in which the state of the smartphone 1 in which erroneous detection is more likely to occur can be effectively determined, and further, the time required to determine after detecting the state It is more preferable to make a short determination first.

For example, it is assumed that at least one of S51 to S55 is executed as a state sensor, and when the state detected by the state sensor indicates a touch by the user's hand (Yes in S51 to S55 executed), in S6 The sleep state of the display unit 34 may be switched to the display state. On the other hand, if the state detected by the state sensor in S51 to S55 does not indicate contact by the user's hand (No in S51 to S55), the process proceeds to the next step while maintaining the sleep state of the display unit 34. Thus, detection by the state sensor may be performed. For example, if Yes in S51, the process proceeds to S6 at that time to switch the display state to the sleep state of the display unit 34. If No (S51 in this case) at this time, the sleep state of the display unit 34 is changed. While maintaining, in the next step (in this case, S52), detection by the state sensor is performed. As a result, the accuracy of determining true grip is lower than when all cases from S51 to S55 are set to Yes, but it is possible to determine gripping without causing the user who grips the smartphone 1 to wait. it can.

The state determination reference 21 used for the determination in each step shown in S51 to S55 described above may be based on each state detected by each state sensor of the state detection unit 33, or may be detected from a plurality of state sensors. The determination criteria may be obtained by combining the results in various ways. For example, by using the illuminance sensor 332 and the proximity sensor 331 at the same time and determining gripping by the user from a combination of these detection results, a highly reliable determination can be made quickly.

(Example of combination of state sensors of the state detection unit 33)
Based on the fact that at least one of the state sensors included in the state detection unit 33 has detected that the predetermined condition as described above is satisfied, the smartphone 1 has detected that the contact with the contact sensor 31 is true by the user. Can also be determined. A specific embodiment using a combination of state sensors that can appropriately determine gripping by the user will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Power supply method to the state detection unit 33)
Before describing a specific embodiment using a combination of state sensors, here, power supply to the state detection unit 33 by the power supply control unit 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method of supplying power to the state detection unit 33. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of a method for supplying power to the state detection unit 33.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the main power supply of the smartphone 1 is on, and the display on the display unit 34 is in a paused state until an operation by the user is performed. The contact sensor 31 is always powered on, and the contact sensor 31 can detect contact. On the other hand, the state detection unit 33 does not detect the state until power supply is received.

As shown in FIG. 7, when the contact sensor 31 detects contact, the power supply unit 12 receives information indicating that the contact sensor 31 has detected contact from the contact determination unit 11, and sends the information from the power supply 32 to the state detection unit 33. Start the power supply. At this time, the power supply unit 12 starts power supply from the power supply 32 to all the state sensors of the state detection unit 33. Each state sensor of the state detection unit 33 that has detected the state of the smartphone 1 automatically stops detecting the state and returns to the power-off state again. According to this power supply method, the state detection unit 33 can be activated only when it is necessary to detect the state in order to determine that the smartphone 1 has been gripped.

However, as will be described later, when it is not necessary to use all the state sensors of the state detection unit 33 or when the order of the state sensors to be used is determined in advance, it is once applied to all the state sensors of the state detection unit 33. Yes it is necessary to supply power. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the power supply unit 12 starts supplying power only from the power supply 32 to the state sensor (for example, the proximity sensor 331) used first among the state sensors included in the state detection unit 33. Also good. That is, if the state determination unit 13 determines based on the state detected by the state sensor that has been turned on and it is determined that the user is not gripping, the state determination unit 13 determines that the power control unit 12 It may be instructed not to supply power to one or more state sensors. According to this configuration, only the state sensor that needs to be detected in order to determine that the smartphone 1 has been gripped is activated when necessary, so that the power consumption by the state detection unit 33 can be further suppressed. it can.

7 and 8, the power supply control unit 12 starts supplying power to the state detection unit 33 after the contact sensor 31 detects contact. Thereby, it is possible to make the state detection part 33 function as needed. Therefore, power consumption by the state detection unit 33 can be suppressed.

[Embodiment 2]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows.

In the present embodiment, an example in which a user's grip is determined based on a state detected by the proximity sensor 331 and the acceleration sensor 334 of the state detection unit 33 will be described below with reference to a flowchart illustrated in FIG. For convenience of explanation, steps indicating the same determination as that described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

The state detection unit 33 of the smartphone 1 according to the present embodiment includes a proximity sensor 331 provided as a state sensor at a position different from the acceleration sensor 334 and the contact sensor 31. When the contact sensor 31 detects contact in S3, the smartphone 1 of the present embodiment detects that there is no object around the smartphone 1 in S51 of FIG. 9 (Yes), and in S54, If the acceleration sensor 334 detects that the smartphone 1 is substantially stationary for a certain period of time (Yes), it is determined that the user is truly gripped. As shown in FIG. 9, the brightness detected by the illuminance sensor 332 may be supplementarily used as S52.

[Embodiment 3]
The following will describe still another embodiment of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, an example in which a user's grip is determined based on the state detected by the inclination sensor 333 and the temperature sensor 335 of the state detection unit 33 will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. For convenience of explanation, steps indicating the same determination as that described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

The state detection unit 33 of the smartphone 1 according to the present embodiment includes an inclination sensor 333 and a temperature sensor 335 as state sensors. When the contact sensor detects the smartphone 1 of the present embodiment in S3, the inclination sensor 333 in S53 of FIG. 10 indicates that the attitude of the smartphone 1 does not match the attitude when the smartphone 1 is placed on a horizontal plane. Is detected (Yes) and the temperature sensor 335 detects (Yes) a temperature within a range that is assumed to be detected when the user grips the smartphone 1, the contact to the contact sensor 31 is detected by the user. Detects true grip by.

[Embodiment 4]
The following will describe still another embodiment of the present invention.

In the present embodiment, an example in which the user's grip is determined based on the state detected by the temperature sensor 335 of the state detection unit 33 will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. For convenience of explanation, steps indicating the same determination as that described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

The state detection unit 33 of the smartphone 1 according to the present embodiment includes a temperature sensor 335 as a state sensor. When the contact sensor detects the smartphone 1 according to the present embodiment in SS3, the temperature sensor 335 detects a temperature within a range assumed to be detected when the user grips the smartphone 1 in S55 of FIG. If (Yes), the contact to the contact sensor 31 is detected as a true grip by the user.

[Embodiment 5]
The following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. 12 and FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 12, the smartphone 2 according to the present embodiment has a configuration further including a timeout determination unit 15, an operation input unit 35, and a timer 36 with respect to the configuration of the smartphone 1 described in the first embodiment. It has become.

In the smartphone 2 according to the present embodiment, if the state determination unit 13 determines that it is not gripped by the user based on the state detected by the state sensor of the state detection unit 33, the state determination unit 13 is the power supply control unit 12. Instructs not to power the subsequent state sensor or sensors (see FIG. 8). According to this configuration, the power supply of the state sensor of the state detection unit 33 is sequentially controlled as necessary. Thereby, power consumption by the standby state detection unit 33 can be suppressed.

The time-out determination unit 15 times out when the user does not perform an operation input within a predetermined time after the display unit control unit 14 switches the sleep state of the display unit 34 to the display state (No in S10 in FIG. 13). The determination unit 15 instructs the display unit control unit 14 to put the display unit 34 in a sleep state. According to this configuration, even when it is determined that the user is a true grip performed in order to use the smartphone 2 and the determination is incorrect, an operation input by the user is performed within a predetermined time. If not, the display on the display unit 34 can be switched to the sleep state again.

[Example of software implementation]
The control block (especially the power supply control unit 12 and the state determination unit 13) of the smartphone 1 may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or a CPU (Central Processing Unit) It may be realized by software using

In the latter case, the smartphone 1 includes a CPU that executes instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function, a ROM (Read Memory) or a memory in which the program and various data are recorded so as to be readable by a computer (or CPU). A device (these are referred to as “recording media”), a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program, and the like are provided. And the objective of this invention is achieved when a computer (or CPU) reads the said program from the said recording medium and runs it. As the recording medium, a “non-temporary tangible medium” such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. The program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) that can transmit the program. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The data stored in the storage unit 20 is nonvolatile storage such as ROM (read memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (registered trademark) (Electrically EPROM), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc. Stored in the device. The smartphone 1 may include a temporary storage unit (not shown). The temporary storage unit is a so-called working memory that temporarily stores data used for calculation, calculation results, and the like in the course of various processes executed by the smartphone 1, and is composed of a volatile storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). Is done. Which data is stored in which storage device is determined as appropriate based on the purpose of use, convenience, cost, or physical restrictions of the smartphone 1.

[Summary]
A mobile terminal (smart phone 1) according to aspect 1 of the present invention is a mobile terminal that includes a pause state in which display of the display unit 34 is paused in a power-on state and a display state in which display is performed. A contact sensor 31 provided in the casing of the portable terminal, a state detection unit 33 for detecting whether the surrounding state of the portable terminal or the state of the portable terminal itself is a predetermined state, and a display operation Control means (display unit control unit 14), wherein the display operation control unit detects contact with the contact sensor while the display unit is in a resting state, and the state detection unit detects the predetermined value. When the state is detected, the sleep state of the display unit is switched to the display state.

According to the above configuration, when the display operation control unit detects the contact with the contact sensor during the pause state of the display unit and the state detection unit detects a predetermined state, the display operation control unit Switch the hibernation state to the display state. In this way, it is determined using the detection signal of the state detection unit as well as the detection signal of the contact sensor that the user is truly in contact with the casing of the mobile terminal, so the false detection of the contact sensor It is possible to eliminate the switching of the display unit from the hibernation state to the display state that is not intended by the user. Thereby, since the pause state of the display unit is canceled and the display unit becomes a display state due to erroneous detection of the contact sensor, it is possible to avoid the situation where the pause state of the display unit is not a true contact by the user. Inadvertent switching to the display state of the display unit can be prevented, and wasteful power consumption can be prevented.

The mobile terminal according to aspect 2 of the present invention further includes power supply control means (power supply control unit 12) that starts supplying power to the state detection unit after the contact sensor detects contact in aspect 1 above. Also good.

According to the above configuration, after the contact sensor detects contact, power supply to the state detection unit is started. Thereby, it is possible to make a state detection part function as needed. Therefore, power consumption by the state detection unit can be suppressed.

In the mobile terminal according to aspect 3 of the present invention, in the

above aspect

1 or 2, the state detection unit may contact the contact sensor when at least one of the following conditions (1) to (5) is satisfied. You may comprise so that it may detect that it is a contact by a user.
(1) The acceleration sensor 334 included in the state detection unit detects that the terminal is not stationary.
(2) The proximity sensor 331 included in the state detection unit detects that there is no object around the terminal.
(3) The angular velocity sensor (tilt sensor 333) included in the state detection unit detects that the attitude of the terminal itself does not match the attitude when the terminal is placed on a horizontal plane.
(4) The temperature sensor 335 included in the state detection unit detects a temperature within a range assumed to be detected when the user holds the terminal.
(5) The illuminance sensor 332 included in the state detection unit detects that the illuminance around the terminal is higher than a predetermined value.

According to the above configuration, the state detection unit detects that the contact with the contact sensor is a contact by the user when at least one of the conditions (1) to (5) is satisfied, It is possible to detect the true contact by the user using the state sensor already provided in the terminal.

As described above, since the acceleration sensor, proximity sensor, angular velocity sensor, temperature sensor, and illuminance sensor are sensors that are generally installed in mobile terminals such as mobile phones, without adding new parts and functions, It can be detected that the contact detected by the contact sensor is a contact by the user. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a special device as the state detection unit, so that a portable terminal that can detect a true contact by the user can be manufactured at low cost.

A portable terminal according to aspect 4 of the present invention is the portable terminal according to any one of the aspects 1 to 3, wherein the state detection unit satisfies the above conditions (1) and (2) or the above (3). When the condition (4) is satisfied, or when the condition (4) is satisfied, it may be configured to detect that the contact with the contact sensor is a user's contact.

According to the above configuration, when contact with the contact sensor is detected and the conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied, that is, the mobile terminal is not stationary, and the mobile terminal is a surrounding object. If the mobile terminal is not in proximity, the portable terminal switches the pause state of the display unit to the display state. Alternatively, when contact with the contact sensor is detected and the above conditions (3) and (4) are satisfied, that is, when the mobile terminal does not match the posture when placed on a horizontal plane, and the mobile terminal When detecting a temperature within a range that is assumed to be detected when the user grips the terminal, the portable terminal switches the sleep state of the display unit to the display state. Alternatively, when contact with the contact sensor is detected and the condition (4) is satisfied, that is, the temperature of the object in contact with the contact sensor is within a predetermined range that the human body temperature can take, for example. When it is temperature, the portable terminal switches the sleep state of the display unit to the display state. As a result, in various cases, after detecting that the mobile terminal is truly touched by the user's hand, the display unit is switched from the sleep state to the display state. Consumption can be prevented.

A mobile terminal control method according to aspect 5 of the present invention is a mobile terminal control method including a pause state in which display on a display unit is paused in a power-on state and a display state in which display is performed. Is in a resting state, a contact detection step (S3) in which the contact sensor provided on the casing of the mobile terminal detects contact, and the surrounding state of the mobile terminal or the state of the mobile terminal itself is a predetermined state. In the state detection step (S5, S51 to S55) in which the state detection unit detects whether or not the contact is detected, contact with the contact sensor is detected in the contact detection step, and the state is detected in the state detection step. When the detection unit detects the predetermined state, a state switching step (S6) for switching the pause state of the display unit to the display state is included.

According to this method, the same effects as those in the portable terminal according to the first aspect of the present invention are obtained.

Note that the mobile terminal according to the present invention can also be expressed as follows. That is, a portable terminal according to another aspect (aspect 6) of the present invention is a portable terminal that switches between a paused state in which display of the display unit 34 is paused and a display state in which display is performed while the power is on. A contact sensor 31 provided at a position where the user's hand holding the housing touches, a state detection unit 33 for detecting that the contact to the contact sensor is a contact by the user's hand, and the display unit Display that switches the pause state of the display unit to a display state when contact with the contact sensor is detected during the pause state and the state detection unit detects that the contact is a contact by a user's hand Operation control means (display unit control unit 14).

According to said structure, a display operation control part detects that the contact to the said contact sensor is detected during the dormant state of a display part, and the said state detection part is that the said contact is a contact by a user's hand. If detected, the pause state of the display unit is switched to the display state. In this way, it is determined using the detection signal of the state detection unit as well as the detection signal of the contact sensor that the user is truly gripping the casing of the mobile terminal, so the false detection of the contact sensor It is possible to eliminate the switching of the display unit from the hibernation state to the display state that is not intended by the user. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the display unit is deactivated due to erroneous detection of the contact sensor and the display unit is in the display state. Therefore, when the display unit is not truly gripped by the user's hand In addition, careless switching to the display state of the display unit can be prevented, and wasteful power consumption can be prevented.

A mobile terminal control method according to an aspect 7 of the present invention is a mobile terminal control method for switching between a sleep state in which display of a display unit is paused and a display state in which display is performed while the power is on. A contact sensor provided at a position where the user's hand holding the casing of the mobile terminal comes into contact during a resting state detects a contact, and the contact to the contact sensor is detected by the user. In the state detection step (S5, S51 to S55) in which the state detection unit detects that the contact is made by hand, and in the contact detection step, contact with the contact sensor is detected, and in the state detection step, A state switching step (S6) for switching the pause state of the display unit to a display state when the state detection unit detects that the contact is a contact by a user's hand. There.

According to this method, the same effects as in the portable terminal according to the sixth aspect of the present invention can be obtained.

The mobile terminal 1 according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer, and in this case, the mobile terminal 1 is realized by a computer by causing the computer to operate as each unit included in the mobile terminal 1. A control program for a portable terminal and a computer-readable recording medium that records the control program also fall within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a new technical feature can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

The present invention can be used for portable electronic devices such as smartphones, PHS (Personal Handy Phone System), mobile phones, portable personal computers, handy terminals, and the like.

1, 2 Smartphone (portable terminal), 12 Power control unit (power control unit), 14 Display unit control unit (display operation control unit), 31 Contact sensor, 33 State detection unit, 34 Display unit, 331 Proximity sensor, 332 Illuminance Sensor, 333 tilt sensor (angular velocity sensor), 334 acceleration sensor 335 temperature sensor, S3 contact detection step, S5 state detection step, S6 state switching step

Claims

A portable terminal having a pause state in which display on the display unit is paused in a power-on state and a display state in which display is performed,
The display section;
A contact sensor provided in the casing of the mobile terminal;
A state detector that detects whether the surrounding state of the mobile terminal or the state of the mobile terminal itself is a predetermined state;
Display operation control means,
The display operation control means displays the resting state of the display unit when contact with the contact sensor is detected during the resting state of the display unit and the state detecting unit detects the predetermined state. A portable terminal characterized by switching to a state.
After the contact sensor detects contact, further comprising power supply control means for starting power supply to the state detection unit,
The mobile terminal according to claim 1.
The said state detection part detects that the contact to the said contact sensor is a contact by a user, when at least one condition of following (1) to (5) is satisfy | filled. 2. The mobile terminal according to 2.
(1) The acceleration sensor included in the state detection unit detects that the terminal is not in a stationary state.
(2) The proximity sensor included in the state detection unit detects that there is no object around the terminal.
(3) The angular velocity sensor included in the state detection unit detects that the attitude of the own terminal does not match the attitude when the own terminal is placed on a horizontal plane.
(4) The temperature sensor included in the state detection unit detects a temperature within a range that is assumed to be detected when the user holds the terminal.
(5) The illuminance sensor included in the state detection unit detects that the illuminance around the terminal is higher than a predetermined value.
The state detection unit
When the above conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied, when the above conditions (3) and (4) are satisfied, or when the above condition (4) is satisfied,
Detecting that the contact to the contact sensor is a contact by a user;
The mobile terminal according to claim 3.
A control method for a mobile terminal having a sleep state in which display on a display unit is suspended in a power-on state and a display state in which display is performed
A contact detection step in which a contact sensor provided in a housing of the mobile terminal detects contact while the display unit is in a dormant state;
A state detection step in which the state detection unit detects whether the surrounding state of the mobile terminal or the state of the mobile terminal itself is a predetermined state;
In the contact detection step, when the contact to the contact sensor is detected, and the state detection unit detects the predetermined state in the state detection step, the state in which the display unit is switched from the sleep state to the display state. And a switching step. A method for controlling a portable terminal.