JP6141761B2 - Portable electronic devices - Google Patents

Description

  The present application relates to portable electronic devices.

  There is known an electronic device that includes a touch screen on a main surface and executes various functions in accordance with operations detected via the touch screen (for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2008/086302

  The operation performed via the touch screen may be restricted such that the user must perform the operation while looking at the touch screen or touch the touch screen with a bare hand, and there is room for improvement in operability. From the above, there is a need for portable electronic devices that can improve operability.

  A portable electronic device according to one aspect includes a main body, a device, a rotor that is rotatable with respect to the main body, and a control unit that performs control based on a rotation operation of the rotor. The control unit selects a function based on the rotation operation of the rotor in the first mode, and controls the direction in which the device works based on the rotation operation of the rotor in the second mode.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a portable electronic device. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the portable electronic device. FIG. 3 is a side view of the portable electronic device viewed from the direction of arrow B. FIG. 4 is a side view of the portable electronic device viewed from the direction of arrow C. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the portable electronic device. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the portable electronic device. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the rotation of the bezel portion. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the main body viewed from the back side. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a mounting example of the portable electronic device. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of mounting the portable electronic device. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the main body portion is removed from the pedestal portion. FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the portable electronic device. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the portable electronic device. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of assignment of functions to the convex portions of the bezel portion. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the portable electronic device when the camera function is used. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the portable electronic device when the transmission / PTT function is used. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the mobile electronic device during a call due to an incoming call. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the portable electronic device. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating another modification of the portable electronic device.

  Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, a mobile communication device will be described as an example of the mobile electronic device. Examples of portable communication devices include, but are not limited to, smartphones, feature phones, other mobile phones, handsets, and the like.

  The overall configuration of the portable electronic device 1A according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a front view of the portable electronic device 1A. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the portable electronic device 1A. 3 is a side view of the portable electronic device 1A viewed from the direction of the arrow B shown in FIG. 4 is a side view of the portable electronic device 1A viewed from the direction of the arrow C shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the portable electronic device 1A. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the portable electronic device 1A. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the rotation of the bezel portion. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the main body viewed from the back side.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the portable electronic device 1 </ b> A includes a substantially disc-shaped main body 20, a bezel 30, and a pedestal 40 that is detachably attached to the back surface 22 of the main body 20. The bezel portion 30 is provided so as to surround the entire circumference of the side surface 23 of the main body 20.

  The main body 20 has a touch screen display 2 on a main surface (front surface) 21. The touch screen display 2 has a circular shape along the periphery of the main surface 21. The touch screen display 2 has a function of displaying a screen including various types of information such as characters, graphics, and images. Further, the touch screen display 2 has a function of detecting contact of various objects such as a finger, a stylus, and a pen. The mobile electronic device 1 </ b> A determines the user's operation regarding the screen displayed on the touch screen display 2 based on the contact detected by the touch screen display 2.

  The portable electronic device 1 </ b> A includes various devices in addition to the touch screen display 2. Here, the “device” refers to a component having some function with respect to the portable electronic device 1A or the outside of the portable electronic device 1A. “Working” includes, but is not limited to, detecting, outputting, changing, and the like. The devices included in the mobile electronic device 1A include devices that mainly work in a specific direction. The devices included in the portable electronic device 1A include devices whose main working direction is controlled.

  Devices included in the portable electronic device 1A include, for example, the button 3, the camera 5, the microphone 6, the speaker 7, the speaker 8, and the like, but are not limited thereto.

  The button 3 is provided in the recessed part 32c, as shown in FIG. In a normal state, a part of the button 3 protrudes in the outer circumferential direction from the recess 32c, and when the button 3 is pressed by the user, a part of the button 3 is retracted inside the recess 32c according to the pressing pressure. As described above, the button 3 is configured such that the user can obtain a pressing feeling, that is, a so-called click feeling when pressed. When the button 3 is pressed, a signal corresponding to the pressing is generated, and the portable electronic device 1A detects the pressing of the button 3 based on the generated signal. The portable electronic device 1A distinguishes between a short press in which the button 3 is pressed for a shorter time than a predetermined time and a long press in which the button 3 is pressed for a longer time than the predetermined time.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the camera 5 is provided on the convex portion 31a. The periphery of the camera 5 of the convex portion 31a has a concave shape. Furthermore, in the recessed part 32c on the opposite side of the protruding part 31a, a part of the button 3 protrudes in the outer peripheral direction. Thus, the convex part 31a and the recessed part 32c which oppose on both sides of the main-body part 20 have a shape different from another convex part and a recessed part. For this reason, the user can know the position of the convex part 31a and the recessed part 32c by a tactile sensation of the hand without looking with the eyes.

  The camera 5 electronically acquires an image within the shooting range. That is, the camera 5 mainly works in a specific direction. The acquired image is recorded in the portable electronic device 1A as a still image or a moving image. The portable electronic device 1A may transmit the acquired image to another device by communication.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the microphones 6 are provided in the vicinity of the main body 20 of the convex portions 31 a to 31 e. Similarly, the speakers 7 are provided in the vicinity of the main body 20 of the convex portions 31a to 31e. The microphone 6 electronically acquires external sounds such as a user's voice. The speaker 7 converts an electronic signal into a physical sound. Since the microphones 6 and the speakers 7 are provided in a distributed manner, the microphones 6 and the speakers 7 work not in a specific direction but in all directions of 360 °.

  However, the portable electronic device 1A can control the microphone 6 and the speaker 7 to limit the direction in which these mainly work. That is, the mobile electronic device 1A can control the microphone 6 so as to mainly acquire sound in a specific direction. Furthermore, the mobile electronic device 1A can control the speaker 7 so as to output sound mainly in a specific direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the speaker 8 is provided inside the back surface 22 of the main body 20. When the removal button 33 provided on the bezel portion 30 is pressed, the main body portion 20 becomes removable from the pedestal portion 40. The rear surface 22 of the removed main body 20 is exposed to the outside. The speaker 8 converts an electronic signal into a physical sound by vibrating the back surface 22 exposed to the outside.

  The user can hear the vibration generated by the speaker 8 as a sound through the vibration of the air by bringing the back surface 22 close to the ear.

  The bezel portion 30 has a ring shape in which a part of the outer periphery is periodically scraped. In this embodiment, five locations on the outer periphery of the ring are scraped off at substantially equal intervals. As a result, the bezel portion 30 is formed with convex portions 31a to 31e and concave portions 32a to 32e.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the bezel portion 30 is configured to rotate in the clockwise direction CW and the counterclockwise direction AC along the side surface of the main body portion 20. That is, the bezel portion 30 is a rotor that can rotate with respect to the main body portion 20.

  When the bezel portion 30 rotates, a line passing through the central portion of the convex portion 31a and the center of the main body portion 20 is inclined at an angle R1 with respect to the direction D1 that is the upward direction of the screen displayed on the touch screen display 2. Is configured to apply a first torque. The angle R1 is an angle between adjacent convex portions. For this reason, the user can stop the rotation in a state where any central portion of the convex portions 31a to 31e is on the direction D1, based on the change in torque felt when the bezel portion 30 is rotated. it can.

  Further, during rotation, the bezel portion 30 applies a second torque each time the line passing through the center portion of the convex portion 31a and the center of the main body portion 20 is inclined at an angle R2 smaller than the angle R1 with respect to the direction D1. Configured as follows. The second torque is a torque smaller than the first torque. For this reason, the user confirms that the bezel part 30 is rotating with respect to the main body part 20 based on the change in torque that is felt without seeing the eyes when the bezel part 30 is rotated. can do.

  The portable electronic device 1 </ b> A detects the rotation of the bezel part 30 by a sensor or the like provided in the main body part 20 or the bezel part 30, and performs an operation corresponding to the rotation according to the situation. That is, the rotation of the bezel portion 30 is accepted by the portable electronic device 1A as one operation. Further, the connection of electrical signals between the device of the bezel portion 30 and the main body portion 20 may use well-known short-range wireless communication, short-range optical communication, or the like. Alternatively, when the bezel portion 30 is rotated, a metal terminal or the like may be provided at a position where the bezel portion 30 and the main body portion 20 are in contact with each other.

  The user can perform fine operations using the touch screen display 2, for example. However, the operation using the touch screen display 2 needs to be performed while looking at the screen with the eyes, the touch screen display 2 must be touched with bare hands, and small parts on the screen must be distinguished and selected. There may be restrictions.

  On the other hand, in the operation using the bezel portion 30, the user desires the bezel portion 30 without visually checking even when wearing gloves, based on the arrangement of the button 3 and the camera 5 and the change in torque. It can be rotated in the direction. Furthermore, since the recessed portions 32a to 32e are formed in the bezel portion 30, the user can easily rotate the bezel portion 30 by placing a finger on the recessed portions 32a to 32e. As described above, by enabling the operation using the bezel portion 30, the portable electronic device 1 </ b> A can improve the operability.

  The pedestal portion 40 has leg portions 41. The leg 41 is provided with a hole through which a belt-like member such as a shoulder strap of a rucksack or a wristband is passed. By passing a belt-shaped member through this hole, the user can use the portable electronic device 1A as a so-called wearable device by wearing it on the body.

  A usage pattern of the mobile electronic device 1A will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a mounting example of the portable electronic device 1A. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of mounting the portable electronic device 1A. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the main body 20 is removed from the pedestal 40 and used.

  FIG. 9 shows an example in which the portable electronic device 1A is attached to the arm by fixing the pedestal portion 40 to the wristband. FIG. 10 shows an example in which the portable electronic device 1A is mounted near the shoulder by fixing the pedestal 40 to the shoulder strap of the rucksack. By attaching the portable electronic device 1A to the body in this way, the portable electronic device 1A can be used without being held in the hand, and the usage forms of the portable electronic device 1A are diversified. For example, the user can record the surrounding situation as a moving image with the camera 5 while enjoying sports.

  FIG. 11 shows an example in which the main body portion 20 is removed from the pedestal portion 40 and the back surface 22 is applied to the ear. In this way, by placing the back surface 22 on the ear, the user can hear the vibration generated by the speaker 8 as a sound through the vibration of the air.

  Thus, the portable electronic device 1A can be used in various forms. The portable electronic device 1A may have any or all of waterproofing, dustproofing, and impact resistance. By providing these, the scene which can utilize 1 A of portable electronic devices further increases.

  A functional configuration of the mobile electronic device 1A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the mobile electronic device 1A. As shown in FIG. 12, the portable electronic device 1A includes a touch screen display 2, a button 3, a communication unit 4, a camera 5, a microphone 6, a speaker 7, a speaker 8, a storage unit 9, and a control. Part 10.

  The touch screen display 2 includes a display 2a and a touch screen 2b superimposed on the display 2a. The display 2a includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display (Organic Electro-Luminescence Display), or an inorganic EL display (Inorganic Electro-Luminescence Display). The display 2a displays characters, figures, images, and the like.

  The touch screen 2b detects contact of a finger, a pen, a stylus pen, or the like with respect to the touch screen 2b. The detection method of the touch screen 2b may be any method such as a capacitance method, a resistive film method, a surface acoustic wave method (or an ultrasonic method), an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, and a load detection method.

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

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

  The program stored in the storage unit 9 includes an application executed in the foreground or the background and a control program for realizing the basic functions of the portable electronic device 1A. For example, the application causes the display 2a to display a screen and causes the control unit 10 to execute processing according to a gesture detected via the touch screen 2b. The control program is, for example, an OS. The application and the control program may be installed in the storage unit 9 via communication by the communication unit 4 or a non-transitory storage medium.

  The storage unit 9 stores, for example, a control program 9a and setting data 9b. The control program 9a provides functions related to various controls for operating the mobile electronic device 1A. The control program 9a realizes a call by controlling the communication unit 4, the microphone 6, the speaker 7, and the like, for example. The functions provided by the control program 9a include a function of controlling the operation of the portable electronic device 1A according to the rotation of the bezel portion 30. The setting data 9b holds various setting values related to the operation of the mobile electronic device 1A.

  The control unit 10 includes an arithmetic processing device. The arithmetic processing unit includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an SoC (System-on-a-chip), an MCU (Micro Control Unit), and an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), but is not limited thereto.

  The control unit 10 implements various functions by comprehensively controlling the operation of the mobile electronic device 1A. Specifically, the control unit 10 executes instructions included in the program stored in the storage unit 9 while referring to the data stored in the storage unit 9 as necessary. And the control part 10 controls various devices according to data and a command, and implement | achieves various functions by it.

  The basic operation of the mobile electronic device 1A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the portable electronic device 1A. The operation shown in FIG. 13 is realized by the control unit 10 executing the control program 9a. The operation shown in FIG. 13 is repeatedly executed.

  In step S101, the control unit 10 of the portable electronic device 1A selects a function to be executed from the functions of the portable electronic device 1A according to the accepted operation or the event that has occurred. Here, the accepted operation is, for example, an operation for rotating the bezel portion 30 or an operation performed by bringing a finger into contact with the touch screen display 2. The generated event is, for example, an incoming call or mail, arrival of a scheduled time, or the like.

  Subsequently, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the selection is confirmed as step S102. For example, when the function selected in step S <b> 101 is a function corresponding to the rotation of the bezel unit 30, the control unit 10 determines that the selection is confirmed when the short press of the button 3 is detected. For example, if the function selected in step S101 corresponds to an incoming call, the control unit 10 determines that the selection has been confirmed when an off-hook operation for responding to the incoming call is detected.

  If the selection has not been confirmed, the control unit 10 returns to step S101. When the selection is confirmed, the control unit 10 proceeds to step S103.

  In step S103, the control unit 10 controls the device corresponding to the function according to the received operation or the generated event so that the selected function is exhibited. That is, the control unit 10 performs control while maintaining the selected function. The operation or event in step S103 is an operation or event that has been accepted after step S102.

  Subsequently, in step S104, the control unit 10 determines whether to end the selected function. For example, the control unit 10 determines to end the selected function when an operation for ending the function is detected or when an end event occurs. If the selected function is not terminated, the control unit 10 returns to step S103. When ending the selected function, the control unit 10 ends the control of the device corresponding to the selected function.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the basic operation of the mobile electronic device 1A is roughly divided into an operation in the first mode and an operation in the second mode. In the first mode, the mobile electronic device 1A selects a function to be executed in accordance with an accepted operation or an event that has occurred. In the second mode, the mobile electronic device 1A controls various devices so that the selected function is exhibited. For this reason, for example, even when the operation of rotating the bezel portion 30 is performed in the same manner, the operation of the mobile electronic device 1A may be different between the first mode and the second mode.

  An example of selecting a function by rotating the bezel portion 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of assignment of functions to the convex portions 31 a to 31 e of the bezel portion 30. As illustrated in FIG. 14, any of the functions of the portable electronic device 1 </ b> A is assigned to the convex portions 31 a to 31 e of the bezel portion 30. The assignment may be changed by the user.

  In the example shown in FIG. 14, a camera function is assigned to the convex portion 31a. The camera function is a function for taking a still image or a moving image by the camera 5. A GPS / map function is assigned to the convex portion 31b. The GPS / map function is a function of acquiring a current position by position acquisition means such as a GPS receiver and displaying a map around the current position on the touch screen display 2. A health care function is assigned to the convex portion 31c. The health care function is a function for displaying information on the user's body such as the number of steps and the moving distance on the touch screen display 2. A weather function is assigned to the convex portion 31d. The weather function is a function for displaying information on weather such as weather forecast on the touch screen display 2. An outgoing / PTT function is assigned to the convex portion 31e. The transmission / PTT function is a function for performing voice transmission by telephone or push-to-talk.

  When the mobile electronic device 1 </ b> A detects a short press of the button 3 in the first mode, the mobile electronic device 1 </ b> A determines that the selection of the function corresponding to the one at the predetermined position among the convex portions 31 a to 31 e has been confirmed. The predetermined position is, for example, a position in the D1 direction, which is the upper direction of the screen displayed on the touch screen display 2 when viewed from the center of the mobile electronic device 1A. The predetermined position may be a position corresponding to some mark provided on the main body unit 20. The predetermined position is preferably a position that the user can grasp from the sense of touch of the hand, the mounting direction of the portable electronic device 1A, and the like without looking at the portable electronic device 1A.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, a convex portion 31 a is present in the direction D <b> 1 as viewed from the center of the mobile electronic device 1 </ b> A. Therefore, when the button 3 is pressed for a short time in this state, the mobile electronic device 1A in the first mode determines that the selection of the camera function corresponding to the convex portion 31a has been confirmed.

  A specific example of the operation of the mobile electronic device 1A will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the mobile electronic device 1A when the camera function is used. In the example shown in FIG. 15, steps S11 to S13 are operations in the first mode, and steps S14 to S18 are operations in the second mode.

  In step S11, in order to execute the camera function, the user rotates the bezel portion 30 until the convex portion 31a comes to a predetermined position. With the detection of the rotation of the bezel unit 30, the portable electronic device 1A turns on the touch screen display 2 that has been turned off to reduce power consumption and displays the home screen in step S12.

  Icons corresponding to functions of the mobile electronic device 1A are displayed on the home screen. The user can also confirm the selection of the function corresponding to the icon by selecting the position of the touch screen display 2 corresponding to the displayed icon with a finger or the like. In order to support selection of a function by rotating the bezel portion 30, the portable electronic device 1 </ b> A has an icon or a function corresponding to a convex portion at a predetermined position and a function corresponding to the right and left convex portions. The name may be displayed on the home screen.

  If it is detected in step S13 that the user presses the button 3 for a short time when the convex portion 31a is at a predetermined position, the portable electronic device 1A determines that the selection of the camera function corresponding to the convex portion 31a has been confirmed.

  In step S14, the portable electronic device 1A starts control of the camera 5, which is a device corresponding to the camera function, in order to exhibit the selected camera function. Specifically, the mobile electronic device 1A starts acquiring a moving image acquired by the camera 5, and displays a shooting screen including a preview area for displaying the moving image on the touch screen display 2.

  At this time, even if the user rotates the bezel portion 30 provided with the camera 5 in order to change the shooting direction of the camera 5, the camera function is maintained, and the function corresponding to the other convex portion is selected. Absent. In the second mode, the direction in which the camera 5, which is a device provided in the bezel part 30, mainly changes according to the rotation of the bezel part 30. The direction in which the camera 5 mainly works is the shooting direction.

  When taking a still image from the state in step S14, the user presses the button 3 for a short time as in step S15. When the mobile electronic device 1 </ b> A detects a short press of the button 3, it acquires a still image from the camera 5 and stores it in the storage unit 9.

  When shooting a moving image from the state of step S14, the user presses and holds down button 3 as in step S16. When detecting that the button 3 has been pressed for a long time, the portable electronic device 1A switches from a camera mode for shooting a still image to a video mode for shooting a moving image. When a short press of the button 3 is detected in step S17 in the video mode, the mobile electronic device 1A starts an operation of acquiring a moving image from the camera 5 and storing it in the storage unit 9. Thereafter, when the short press of the button 3 is detected again, the mobile electronic device 1A stops recording the moving image. When a long press is detected in the video mode, the portable electronic device 1A switches from the video mode to the camera mode.

  As in step S18, when the user rotates the bezel portion 30 while pressing the button 3 in the camera mode or the video mode, the portable electronic device 1A determines that an operation for ending the selected function has been detected. Then, the portable electronic device 1A ends the camera function. Specifically, the mobile electronic device 1 </ b> A ends the control of the camera 5 and displays the home screen on the touch screen display 2.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the portable electronic device 1A when the transmission / PTT function is used. In the example shown in FIG. 16, steps S21 to S23 are operations in the first mode, and steps S24 to S27 are operations in the second mode. Step S28 includes an operation in the first mode and an operation in the second mode.

  In step S21, in order to execute the transmission / PTT function, the user rotates the bezel portion 30 until the convex portion 31e comes to a predetermined position. With the detection of the rotation of the bezel portion 30, the portable electronic device 1A turns on the touch screen display 2 that has been turned off to reduce power consumption and displays the home screen in step S22.

  If it is detected in step S23 that the user presses the button 3 for a short time when the convex portion 31e is at a predetermined position, the portable electronic device 1A determines that the selection of the transmission function corresponding to the convex portion 31e has been confirmed.

  In step S <b> 24, the mobile electronic device 1 </ b> A reads out the contact information registered in the contact list stored in the storage unit 9 and displays it on the touch screen display 2. The mobile electronic device 1A selects one of the displayed contacts as a transmission destination, and displays it in a mode different from other contacts.

  At this time, even if the user rotates the bezel portion 30, the transmission function is maintained, and the functions corresponding to the other convex portions are not selected. When the portable electronic device 1 </ b> A detects the rotation of the bezel portion 30 in the state of step S <b> 24, the contact displayed on the touch screen display 2 is scrolled according to the direction and amount of rotation, and the contact selected as the call destination Switch. In this manner, the user can select a desired contact address by rotating the bezel portion 30 in the second mode.

  If it is detected in step S25 that the user has pressed the button 3 for a short time, the portable electronic device 1A performs a call operation for the selected contact. For example, the mobile electronic device 1A instructs the communication unit 4 to make a call using a telephone number corresponding to the contact as a call destination, and activates the microphone 6 and the speaker 7 for a call.

  After determining that the selection of the transmission function is confirmed in step S23, the portable electronic device 1A also enables transmission to a preselected contact. The contact information selected in advance may be associated with the convex portions 31a to 31e, or an arbitrary number may be selected without being associated with the convex portions 31a to 31e.

  When it is detected that the bezel portion 30 is rotated while the button 3 is being pressed in the state of step S23 or step S24, the portable electronic device 1A sets one of the pre-selected contacts as a transmission destination in step S26. select. When the pre-selected contact is associated with the convex portions 31a to 31e, the mobile electronic device 1A selects the contact corresponding to the convex portion at a predetermined position as the transmission destination. When the pre-selected contact is not associated with the convex portions 31a to 31e, the mobile electronic device 1A determines the contact selected as the call destination according to the direction and amount of rotation. Switch in the middle.

  In step S27, when it is detected that the user has finished pressing the button 3, the portable electronic device 1A performs a calling operation for the selected contact.

  When performing transmission by push-to-talk, the user presses the button 3 in the state of step S22 and maintains that state. When it is detected that the button is pressed by the user when the convex portion 31e is at a predetermined position, the portable electronic device 1A determines that selection of the PTT function corresponding to the convex portion 31e has been confirmed.

  If it is determined that the selection of the PTT function is confirmed, the portable electronic device 1A enables transmission by push-to-talk. For example, the mobile electronic device 1A instructs the communication unit 4 to perform push-to-talk transmission, and activates the microphone 6 to acquire the user's voice.

  The portable electronic device 1 </ b> A accepts an operation due to the rotation of the bezel portion 30 during a call by outgoing or incoming call. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the mobile electronic device 1A during a call due to an incoming call. In the example shown in FIG. 17, steps S31 to S32 are operations in the first mode, and steps S33 to S38 are operations in the second mode. The portable electronic device 1A performs the same operations as steps S33 to S38 during a call by outgoing call.

  In step S31, an incoming call event has occurred in portable electronic device 1A. When an incoming event occurs, the mobile electronic device 1A outputs a ring tone from the speaker 7 to notify the user of the incoming call. At this time, the ring tone is output from the speaker 7 in all directions.

  In step S32, the user rotates the bezel portion 30 in order to respond to an incoming call. When rotating the bezel part 30 for such an off-hook operation, it is not necessary to rotate the bezel part 30 until any convex part is in a predetermined position, and the bezel part 30 is rotated by a predetermined angle. Just do it. Thereby, the user can easily execute the off-hook operation, and the possibility that the user cannot respond to the incoming call due to the delay in the operation is reduced. The off-hook operation may be an operation on the button 3 or an operation on the touch screen display 2.

  When the rotation of the bezel portion 30 is detected during notification of an incoming call, the mobile electronic device 1A determines that the selection of the incoming call function has been confirmed, and performs an incoming call operation. For example, the mobile electronic device 1A instructs the communication unit 4 to transmit a response to accept an incoming call, and activates the microphone 6 and the speaker 7 for a call.

  When the incoming call operation is started, the voice of the other party of the call is output from the speaker 7 in all directions. The user can set the voice of the other party of the call to be output only within the specified range by rotating the bezel portion 30. Specifically, the user turns the bezel portion 30 until the button 3 reaches the start position Rs of the range as in step S33. Subsequently, as shown in step S34, the user rotates the bezel portion 30 while pressing the button 3 until the button 3 reaches the end position Re of the range.

  Thereafter, in step S35, when the user lifts his / her finger from the button 3, the portable electronic device 1A controls the speaker 7 so that the sound output range is set to a range between the start position Rs and the end position Re. limit. Thus, the mobile electronic device 1A controls the direction in which the device mainly works in accordance with the rotation of the bezel portion 30 in the second mode. The position of the bezel portion 30 serving as a reference for specifying the range may be a position other than the button 3. For example, the position of the bezel portion 30 serving as a reference for designating the range may be a position facing the button 3, that is, a position where the camera 5 is provided. Similarly, the portable electronic device 1A may limit the range in which the microphone 6 acquires sound.

  When the reverse operation is detected, the mobile electronic device 1A controls the speaker 7 to output sound in all directions again. Specifically, as shown in step S36, the user rotates the bezel while pressing the button 3 until the button 3 reaches the start position Rs from the end position Re of the range. Subsequently, the user releases his / her finger from the button 3 as in step S37. As described above, when the portable electronic device 1A detects the reverse operation when the direction in which the device mainly works is limited, the limitation is canceled.

  When the portable electronic device 1A detects that the button 3 is pressed for a short time during the incoming call operation as in step S38, the incoming call operation is terminated.

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

  For example, each program shown in FIG. 12 may be divided into a plurality of modules, or may be combined with other programs.

  In the above embodiment, the camera 5 has been described as an example of a device that works mainly in a specific direction. However, a device that mainly works in a specific direction is not limited to this. For example, the portable electronic device 1B shown in FIG. 18 has the same configuration as the portable electronic device 1A except that the device 51 is provided instead of the camera 5. The device 51 is provided in the bezel portion 30. The device 51 mainly works with respect to a specific direction, and the direction changes according to the rotation of the bezel part 30.

  Examples of the device 51 include, but are not limited to, a camera, an illumination sensor, a human sensor, a microphone, a speaker, and a light. The device 51 only needs to work mainly in a specific direction. The direction in which the device 51 mainly works extends in a direction that is not parallel to the rotation axis of the bezel portion 30. For example, the direction in which the device 51 mainly works intersects with the rotation axis of the bezel portion 30 at an angle larger than 0 °. For example, the direction in which the device 51 mainly works is orthogonal to the rotation axis of the bezel portion 30.

  In the above-described embodiment, the speaker 7 has been described as an example of a device that is controlled to work mainly in a specific direction (mainly can work in a specific direction). However, the device controlled to work mainly in a specific direction is not limited to this. For example, the portable electronic device 1C illustrated in FIG. 19 has the same configuration as the portable electronic device 1A except that the device 52 is provided instead of the microphone 6 and the speaker 7. The device 52 may be provided in the bezel part 30 or may be provided in the main body part 20. The direction in which the device 52 mainly works is controlled by the portable electronic device 1 </ b> C according to the rotation of the bezel portion 30.

  Examples of the device 52 include, but are not limited to, a camera, an illuminance sensor, a human sensor, a microphone, a speaker, and a light. The device 52 may be any device that can control the working direction. Controlling the direction in which device 52 operates includes changing the direction in which device 52 operates and changing the range in which device 52 operates.

  In the above embodiment, the portable communication device has been described as an example of the portable electronic device, but the device according to the appended claims is not limited to the portable communication device. Examples of the portable electronic device include, but are not limited to, a tablet, a portable personal computer, a digital camera, a media player, an electronic book reader, a navigator, and a game machine.

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

1A to 1C Portable electronic device 2 Touch screen display 2a Display 2b Touch screen 3 Button 4 Communication unit 5 Camera 6 Microphone 7 Speaker 8 Speaker 9 Storage unit 9a Control program 9b Setting data 10 Control unit 20 Main unit 21 Main surface 22 Rear surface 23 Side surface 30 Bezel part 31a-31e Convex part 32a-32e Concave part 33 Removal button 40 Base part 41 Leg part 51, 52 Device

Claims (6)

The body,
A device that works to the outside of its own device by detecting sound or light or outputting sound or light ;
A rotor rotatable relative to the body;
A control unit that performs control based on a rotation operation of the rotor,
The controller is
Selecting a function based on the rotating operation of the rotor in the first mode;
A portable electronic device that controls a direction in which the device works with respect to the outside of the own device based on a rotation operation of the rotor in a second mode. 2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein in the second mode, the control unit changes a direction in which the device operates with respect to the outside of the own device based on a rotation operation of the rotor. The device is a device for detecting sound;
The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein in the second mode, the control unit changes a sound detection range of a device that detects the sound based on a rotation operation of the rotor. The device is a device that outputs sound,
The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes a sound output range of a device that outputs the sound based on a rotation operation of the rotor in the second mode. The device is a device that outputs light;
The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes a light output range of the device that outputs the light based on a rotation operation of the rotor in the second mode. The rotor includes, on a side surface, a plurality of convex function assigning units for selecting a plurality of the functions,
The rotor is provided with one function determination unit protruding from a side surface of the rotor for determining the selection of the function,
The plurality of function assigning units are
In the side surface, arranged at equal intervals along the rotation direction of the rotor,
By rotating the rotor, it can pass through a predetermined position,
2. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein when one function allocating unit is located at the predetermined position, a function allocated to the function allocating unit is selected, and selection of the function is confirmed by an operation on the function deciding unit. Electronics.

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