U.S. patent number RE46,036 [Application Number 14/697,609] was granted by the patent office on 2016-06-21 for method for integrating a mobile communication device and a portable electronic device and portable computer module thereof.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Wistron Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is Wistron Corporation. Invention is credited to Pei-Chen Chin, Ming-Hua Hung, Tsung-Hsien Tsai, Wen-Chin Wu.
United States Patent |
RE46,036 |
Wu , et al. |
June 21, 2016 |
Method for integrating a mobile communication device and a portable
electronic device and portable computer module thereof
Abstract
A method for integrating a mobile communication device and a
portable electronic device is disclosed. A protection cover and an
electronic-device body of the portable electronic device are
pivotally connected for containing the mobile communication device.
The mobile communication device is removably and rotatably
connected to the electronic-device body. The method includes
detecting whether the mobile communication device is coupled to the
electronic-device body by the mobile communication device,
detecting whether the protection cover is open by the mobile
communication device when the mobile communication device detects
electrical connection of the mobile communication device to the
electronic-device body, detecting whether the mobile communication
device is rotated to a position parallel to a horizontal surface to
generate a detection result by the mobile communication device when
the protection cover is open, and switching the mobile
communication device to a touch mode or an image capturing mode
according to the detection result.
Inventors: |
Wu; Wen-Chin (New Taipei,
TW), Tsai; Tsung-Hsien (New Taipei, TW),
Hung; Ming-Hua (New Taipei, TW), Chin; Pei-Chen
(New Taipei, TW) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Wistron Corporation |
New Taipei |
N/A |
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
Wistron Corporation (Hsichih,
New Taipei, TW)
|
Family
ID: |
48548113 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/697,609 |
Filed: |
April 27, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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Reissue of: |
13462834 |
May 3, 2012 |
8583174 |
Nov 12, 2013 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Dec 7, 2011 [TW] |
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100144990 A |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F
1/1677 (20130101); G06F 1/1654 (20130101); G06F
1/1632 (20130101); H04M 1/72409 (20210101); G06F
1/1626 (20130101); G06F 1/1694 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04M
1/00 (20060101); H04M 1/725 (20060101); G06F
1/16 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Nguyen; Minh Dieu
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hsu; Winston Margo; Scott
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for integrating a mobile communication device and a
portable electronic device, the portable electronic device
comprising an electronic-device body and a protection cover, the
protection cover being pivotally connected to the electronic-device
body for containing the mobile communication device cooperatively
with the electronic-device body, the mobile communication device
removably and rotatably connected to a side of the
electronic-device body, the method comprising: detecting whether
the mobile communication device is electrically connected to the
electronic-device body .[.by the mobile communication device.].;
detecting whether the protection cover is open by the mobile
communication device when the mobile communication device detects
electrical connection .[.of the mobile communication device.]. to
the electronic-device body; .Iadd.and when the protection cover is
open, .Iaddend.detecting whether the mobile communication device is
rotated .Iadd.relative to the portable electronic device
.Iaddend.to a .Iadd.first .Iaddend.position .[.parallel to a
horizontal surface to generate a detection result by the mobile
communication device when the mobile communication device detects
that the protection cover is open; and switching the mobile
communication device to a touch mode or an image capturing mode
according to the detection result.]. .Iadd.switching the mobile
communication device to a first operation mode or a second position
switching the mobile communication device to a second operation
mode.Iaddend..
2. The method of claim 1, wherein .[.switching the mobile
communication device to the touch mode or the image capturing mode
according to the detection result.]. .Iadd.the first operation mode
is a touch mode, and detecting whether the mobile communication
device is rotated relative to the portable electronic device to the
first position switching the mobile communication device to the
first operation mode or the second position switching the mobile
communication device to the second operation mode
.Iaddend.comprises: switching the mobile communication device to
the touch mode when the mobile communication device detects
rotation of the mobile communication device to the .Iadd.first
.Iaddend.position parallel to .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.horizontal
surface.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein .[.switching the mobile
communication device to the touch mode or the image capturing mode
according to the detection result.]. .Iadd.the second operation
mode is an image capturing mode, and detecting whether the mobile
communication device is rotated relative to the portable electronic
device to the first position switching the mobile communication
device to the first operation mode or the second position switching
the mobile communication device to the second operation mode
.Iaddend.comprises: switching the mobile communication device to
the image capturing mode when the mobile communication device
detects rotation of the mobile communication device to .[.a.].
.Iadd.the second .Iaddend.position unparallel to .[.the.]. .Iadd.a
.Iaddend.horizontal surface.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: displaying an
operation image corresponding to the mobile communication device by
the electronic-device body when the mobile communication device
detects the electrical connection .[.of the mobile communication
device.]. to the electronic-device body and detects that the
protection cover is close for covering the mobile communication
device in the containing space.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising: switching the mobile
communication device to a power saving mode when the mobile
communication device detects that the protection cover is close for
covering the mobile communication device in the containing
space.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device
has a display screen and the method further comprises: activating
the display screen by the mobile communication device when the
mobile communication device detects that the protection cover is
open.
7. A portable computer module comprising: a portable electronic
device comprising: an electronic-device body having a containing
space; and a protection cover pivotally connected to a first side
of the containing space for covering the containing space; and a
mobile communication device selectively contained in the containing
space, the mobile communication device comprising: a
communication-device body removably and pivotally connected to a
second side of the containing space for detecting whether the
communication-device body is electrically connected to the
electronic-device body; a sensing unit electrically connected to
and disposed on the communication-device body for detecting whether
the protection cover is open when the communication-device body is
electrically connected to the electronic-device body; and an
accelerometer electrically connected to and disposed on the
communication-device body for detecting whether the
communication-device body is rotated .Iadd.relative to the portable
electronic device .Iaddend.to a .Iadd.first .Iaddend.position
.[.parallel to a horizontal surface relative to the
electronic-device body to generate a detection result.].
.Iadd.switching the mobile communication device to a first
operation mode or a second position switching the mobile
communication device to a second operation mode .Iaddend.when the
sensing unit detects that the protection cover is open; wherein the
mobile communication device switches to a touch mode or an image
capturing mode according to the detection result.
8. The portable computer module of claim 7, wherein .Iadd.the first
operation mode is a touch mode, and .Iaddend.the
communication-device body switches to the touch mode when the
accelerometer detects that the communication-device body is
parallel to .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.horizontal surface.
9. The portable computer module of claim 8, wherein the protection
cover supports the electronic-device body to stand obliquely at a
side of the communication-device body when the communication-device
body is parallel to the horizontal surface.
10. The portable computer module of claim 7, wherein .Iadd.the
second operation mode is an image capturing mode, and .Iaddend.the
communication-device body switches to the image capturing mode when
the accelerometer detects that the communication-device body is
unparallel to .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.horizontal surface.
11. The portable computer module of claim 7, wherein when the
communication-device body detects that the communication-device
body is electrically connected to the electronic-device body and
the sensing unit detects that the protection cover is close for
covering the communication-device body in the containing space, the
electronic-device body displays an operation image corresponding to
the communication-device body.
12. The portable computer module of claim 8, wherein when the
communication-device body detects that the communication-device
body is electrically connected to the electronic-device body and
the sensing unit detects that the protection cover is close for
covering the communication-device body in the containing space, the
electronic-device body displays an operation image corresponding to
the communication-device body.
13. The portable computer module of claim 10, wherein when the
communication-device body detects that the communication-device
body is electrically connected to the electronic-device body and
the sensing unit detects that the protection cover is close for
covering the communication-device body in the containing space, the
electronic-device body displays an operation image corresponding to
the communication-device body.
14. The portable computer module of claim 7, wherein when the
sensing unit detects that the protection cover is close for
covering the communication-device body in the containing space, the
communication-device body switches to a power saving mode.
15. The portable computer module of claim 7, wherein the
communication-device body has a display screen, and the
communication-device body activates the display screen when the
sensing unit detects that the protection cover is open.
16. The portable computer module of claim 7, wherein the portable
electronic device further comprises: a rotating shaft pivotally
connected to the second side of the containing space; and a
connection terminal disposed on the rotating shaft and electrically
connected to the electronic-device body for electrically connecting
to the communication-device body, so as to make the
communication-device body electrically connected to the
electronic-device body and rotatable relative to the
electronic-device body via the rotating shaft.
17. The portable computer module of claim 8, wherein the portable
electronic device further comprises: a rotating shaft pivotally
connected to the second side of the containing space; and a
connection terminal disposed on the rotating shaft and electrically
connected to the electronic-device body for electrically connecting
to the communication-device body, so as to make the
communication-device body electrically connected to the
electronic-device body and rotatable relative to the
electronic-device body via the rotating shaft.
18. The portable computer module of claim 10, wherein the portable
electronic device further comprises: a rotating shaft pivotally
connected to the second side of the containing space; and a
connection terminal disposed on the rotating shaft and electrically
connected to the electronic-device body for electrically connecting
to the communication-device body, so as to make the
communication-device body electrically connected to the
electronic-device body and rotatable relative to the
electronic-device body via the rotating shaft.
19. The portable computer module of claim 7, wherein the portable
electronic device is a tablet computer, and the mobile
communication device is a smart phone.
20. The portable computer module of claim 7, wherein the portable
electronic device is a portable docket station, and the mobile
communication device is a smart phone.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for integrating a mobile
communication device and a portable electronic device and a
portable computer module thereof, and more specifically, to a
method of detecting rotation of a mobile communication device to
switch the mobile communication device to a touch mode or an image
capturing mode and a portable computer module thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With development of technology, a mobile communication device (e.g.
a smart phone) has more and more powerful functions. However,
limitation of a small screen of the mobile communication device may
cause a user much inconvenience in operating the mobile
communication device. Thus, the design in which a mobile
communication device is integrated into a portable electronic
device with a larger display screen has been developed.
In general, a common integration design is to dispose a connection
socket for installation of a mobile communication device on a
portable computer device (e.g. a tablet computer). Accordingly,
when the mobile communication device is installed on the connection
socket to be electrically connected to the portable computer
device, the portable computer device displays an operation image of
the mobile communication device. In such a manner, a user may not
only utilize a large display screen of the portable computer device
to replace a small screen of the mobile communication device for
performing related operations of the mobile communication device
more conveniently, but may also utilize the mobile communication
device to make the portable computer device have a mobile internet
function.
Another common integration design is to utilize a portable docket
station without a processing function. The portable docket station
may include conventional peripheral components (not including a CPU
(Central Processing Unit)), such as a display screen and a
keyboard. When the mobile communication device is installed on the
portable docket station, the mobile communication device can
provide a processing function to form a portable computer device
cooperatively with the portable docket station. Thus, the user can
utilize a large display screen of the portable docket station to
replace a small screen of the mobile communication device for
performing related operations of the mobile communication device
more conveniently.
However, as mentioned above, the major drawback of the aforesaid
integration designs is that functions (e.g. a touch function) of
the mobile communication device can not be performed synchronously
when the mobile communication device is integrated into the
portable computer device or the portable docket station, so as to
reduce the performance of the mobile communication device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An objective of the present invention is to provide a method of
detecting rotation of a mobile communication device to switch the
mobile communication device to a touch mode or an image capturing
mode and a portable computer module thereof for solving the
aforesaid problem.
The present invention provides a method for integrating a mobile
communication device and a portable electronic device. The portable
electronic device includes an electronic-device body and a
protection cover. The protection cover is pivotally connected to
the electronic-device body for containing the mobile communication
device cooperatively with the electronic-device body. The mobile
communication device is removably and rotatably connected to a side
of the electronic-device body. The method includes detecting
whether the mobile communication device is electrically connected
to the electronic-device body by the mobile communication device,
detecting whether the protection cover is open by the mobile
communication device when the mobile communication device detects
electrical connection of the mobile communication device to the
electronic-device body, detecting whether the mobile communication
device is rotated to a position parallel to a horizontal surface to
generate a detection result by the mobile communication device when
the mobile communication device detects that the protection cover
is open, and switching the mobile communication device to a touch
mode or an image capturing mode according to the detection
result.
According to the claimed invention, switching the mobile
communication device to the touch mode or the image capturing mode
according to the detection result includes switching the mobile
communication device to the touch mode when the mobile
communication device detects rotation of the mobile communication
device to the position parallel to the horizontal surface.
According to the claimed invention, switching the mobile
communication device to the touch mode or the image capturing mode
according to the detection result includes switching the mobile
communication device to the image capturing mode when the mobile
communication device detects rotation of the mobile communication
device to the position unparallel to the horizontal surface.
According to the claimed invention, the method further includes
displaying an operation image corresponding to the mobile
communication device by the electronic-device body when the mobile
communication device detects the electrical connection of the
mobile communication device to the electronic-device body and
detects that the protection cover is close for covering the mobile
communication device in the containing space.
According to the claimed invention, the method further includes
switching the mobile communication device to a power saving mode
when the mobile communication device detects that the protection
cover is close for covering the mobile communication device in the
containing space.
According to the claimed invention, the mobile communication device
has a display screen and the method further includes activating the
display screen by the mobile communication device when the mobile
communication device detects that the protection cover is open.
The present invention further provides a portable computer module.
The portable computer module includes a portable electronic device
and a mobile communication device. The portable electronic device
includes an electronic-device body and a protection cover. The
electronic-device body has a containing space. The protection cover
is pivotally connected to a first side of the containing space for
covering the containing space. The mobile communication device is
selectively contained in the containing space. The mobile
communication device includes a communication-device body, a
sensing unit, and an accelerometer. The communication-device body
is removably and pivotally connected to a second side of the
containing space for detecting whether the communication-device
body is electrically connected to the electronic-device body. The
sensing unit is electrically connected to and disposed on the
communication-device body for detecting whether the protection
cover is open when the communication-device body is electrically
connected to the electronic-device body. The accelerometer is
electrically connected to and disposed on the communication-device
body for detecting whether the communication-device body is rotated
to a position parallel to a horizontal surface relative to the
electronic-device body to generate a detection result when the
sensing unit detects that the protection cover is open. The mobile
communication device switches to a touch mode or an image capturing
mode according to the detection result.
According to the claimed invention, the communication-device body
switches to the touch mode when the accelerometer detects that the
communication-device body is parallel to the horizontal
surface.
According to the claimed invention, the protection cover supports
the electronic-device body to stand obliquely at a side of the
communication-device body when the communication-device body is
parallel to the horizontal surface.
According to the claimed invention, the communication-device body
switches to the image capturing mode when the accelerometer detects
that the communication-device body is unparallel to the horizontal
surface.
According to the claimed invention, when the communication-device
body detects that the communication-device body is electrically
connected to the electronic-device body and the sensing unit
detects that the protection cover is close for covering the
communication-device body in the containing space, the
electronic-device body displays an operation image corresponding to
the communication-device body.
According to the claimed invention, when the sensing unit detects
that the protection cover is close for covering the
communication-device body in the containing space, the
communication-device body switches to a power saving mode.
According to the claimed invention, the communication-device body
has a display screen, and the communication-device body activates
the display screen when the sensing unit detects that the
protection cover is open.
According to the claimed invention, the portable electronic device
further includes a rotating shaft and a connection terminal. The
rotating shaft is pivotally connected to the second side of the
containing space. The connection terminal is disposed on the
rotating shaft and electrically connected to the electronic-device
body for electrically connecting to the communication-device body,
so as to make the communication-device body electrically connected
to the electronic-device body and rotatable relative to the
electronic-device body via the rotating shaft.
According to the claimed invention, the portable electronic device
is a tablet computer, and the mobile communication device is a
smart phone.
According to the claimed invention, the portable electronic device
is a portable docket station, and the mobile communication device
is a smart phone.
In summary, the present invention utilizes the design in which the
mobile communication device is pivotally connected to the portable
electronic device and the design in which the mobile communication
device detects whether to electrically connected to the portable
electronic device, whether the protection cover is open, and
whether the mobile communication device is parallel to the
horizontal surface, to control the mobile communication device to
enter the touch mode or the image capturing mode.
In such a manner, the mobile communication device provided by the
present invention can be utilized as an input device when being
parallel to the horizontal surface, so that the user can perform
the related input operations of the portable electronic device or
the mobile communication device (e.g. performing a paperwork
processing operation or a cursor controlling operation) via the
touch function of the mobile communication device. On the other
hand, the mobile communication device can be utilized as an image
capturing device when being unparallel to the horizontal surface,
so that the user can simultaneously utilize the image capturing
function of the mobile communication device and the functions of
the portable electronic device (e.g. a keyboard simulation
function) to perform the video operation of the portable computer
module (e.g. holding a video conference).
Thus, the portable computer module provided by the present
invention can efficiently solve the problem that the functions
(e.g. a touch function or an image capturing function) of the
mobile communication device can not be performed synchronously when
the mobile communication device is integrated into the portable
electronic device, so as to greatly improve the overall performance
and operational convenience of the portable computer module.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt
become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading
the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that
is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded diagram of a portable computer module
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an assembly diagram of the portable computer module in
FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a mobile communication
device in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of integrating a portable
electronic device and the mobile communication device according to
the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram of a protection cover in FIG. 2 supporting an
electronic-device body on a holding surface.
FIG. 6 is a diagram of the communication-device body in FIG. 5
rotating to a position unparallel to a horizontal surface.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, FIG. 1 is an exploded diagram of
a portable computer module 10 according to an embodiment of the
present invention. FIG. 2 is an assembly diagram of the portable
computer module 10 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the
portable computer module 10 includes a portable electronic device
12 and a mobile communication device 14. In this embodiment, the
portable electronic device 12 can be a tablet computer, and the
mobile communication device 14 can be a smart phone. The portable
electronic device 12 includes an electronic-device body 16 and a
protection cover 18. The electronic-device body 16 can be a device
with a processing function, including conventional components
applied to a portable computer device, such as a central processing
unit and a touch display panel. The electronic-device body 16 has a
containing space 17. The protection cover 18 is pivotally connected
to a first side S.sub.1 of the containing space 17 to cover the
containing space 17 for providing fixing, protecting, and dustproof
functions when the mobile communication device 14 is disposed in
the containing space 17.
As for the fixing design in which the protection cover 18 is
utilized to cover the containing space 17, it utilizes a common
engaging design. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 (but not limited
thereto), the protection cover 18 can have a hook 19, and the
electronic-device body 16 can have a corresponding engaging
structure 21. Accordingly, when the protection cover 18 rotates
relative to the electronic-device body 16 to cover the containing
space 17, the protection cover 18 can be fixed onto the
electronic-device body 16 by engagement of the hook 19 and the
engaging structure 21.
Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a functional block diagram of the
mobile communication device 14 in FIG. 2. The mobile communication
device 14 is selectively contained in the containing space 17. To
more specific, the mobile communication device 14 can be contained
in the containing space 17 so that the portable computer module 10
can be utilized as a conventional portable computer. On the other
hand, the mobile communication device 14 can be rotated off the
containing space 17 to be selectively utilized as an input device
of the portable electronic device 12 when the mobile communication
device 14 is parallel to a horizontal surface, or to be utilized as
an image capturing device of the portable electronic device 12 when
the mobile communication device 14 is unparallel to the horizontal
surface. Accordingly, a user can perform input operations (e.g. a
paperwork processing operation or a cursor controlling operation)
of the portable electronic device 12 via the touch function
provided by the mobile communication device 14, or can
simultaneously utilize the image capturing function of the mobile
communication device 14 and the functions of the portable
electronic device 12 (e.g. a keyboard simulation function) to
perform video operations of the portable computer module 10 (e.g.
holding a video conference).
The mobile communication device 14 includes a communication-device
body 20, a sensing unit 22, and an accelerometer 24. The
communication-device body 20 can be removably and pivotally
connected to a second side S.sub.2 of the containing space 17 and
has a display screen 23. The communication-device body 20 is used
for detecting whether to be electrically connected to the
electronic-device body 16. The sensing unit 22 is electrically
connected to and disposed on the communication-device body 20. The
sensing unit 22 can be a light sensor or a hall sensor for
detecting whether the protection cover 18 is open when the mobile
communication-device body 20 is electrically connected to the
electronic-device body 16. The accelerometer 24 is electrically
connected to and disposed on the communication-device body 20. When
the sensing unit 22 detects that the protection cover 18 is open,
the accelerometer 24 is used for detecting whether the
communication-device body 20 is rotated relative to the
electronic-device body 16 to a position parallel to the horizontal
surface (substantially parallel to the ground surface) to generate
a detection result. Accordingly, the communication-device body 20
can switch to a touch mode or an image capturing mode according to
the aforesaid detection result. The accelerometer 24 can be a
conventional sensing device having a tilt sensing function, such as
a gravity sensor, a gyroscope, or the combination.
As mentioned above, the communication-device body 20 can be
removably and pivotally connected to the second side S.sub.2 of the
containing space 17. More detailed description for the pivotal
connection design of the electronic-device body 16 and the
communication-device body 20 is provided as follows. As shown in
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the portable electronic
device 12 can further include a rotating shaft 26 and a connecting
terminal 28. The rotating shall 26 is pivotally connected to the
second side S.sub.2 of the containing space 17. In this embodiment,
the rotating shaft 26 can be a conventional pivot structure, such
as a hinge. Accordingly, when the communication-device body 20 is
rotated relative to the electronic-device body 16 via the rotating
shaft 26, the rotating shaft 26 can utilize torsion provided by
itself to position an angle of the communication-device body 20
relative to the electronic-device body 16, so that the portable
computer module 10 can have a stepless angle adjusting function.
The connecting terminal 28 is disposed on the rotating shaft 26 and
electrically connected to the electronic-device body 16. The
connecting terminal 28 can be a conventional connecting device,
such as a pogo pin, for electrically connecting to the
communication-device body 20. In such a manner, the
communication-device body 20 can be electrically connected to the
electronic-device body 16 via the connecting terminal 28 and
rotatable relative to the electronic-device body 16 via the
rotating shaft 26 (as shown in FIG. 2).
Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a flowchart of a method of
integrating the portable electronic device 12 and the mobile
communication device 14 according to an embodiment of the present
invention. The method includes the following steps.
Step 400: Start;
Step 402: The communication-device body 20 detects whether to be
electrically connected to the electronic-device body 16; if so, go
to Step 404; if not, go to Step 400;
Step 404: The sensing unit 22 detects whether the protection cover
18 is open; if so, go to Step 406; if not, go to Step 400;
Step 406: The accelerometer 24 detects whether the
communication-device body 20 is rotated relative to the
electronic-device body 16 to a position parallel to the horizontal
surface; if so, go to Step 408; if not, go to Step 410;
Step 408: The communication-device body 20 switches to the touch
mode;
Step 410: The communication-device body 20 switches to the image
capturing mode.
The aforesaid steps are described in details as follows. At first,
when a user contains the mobile communication device 14 in the
containing space 17 and closes the protection cover 18 to utilize
the portable electronic module 10 as a conventional portable
computer, the communication-device body 20 can detect whether to be
electrically connected to the electronic-device body 16 via the
connecting terminal (Step 402). Whether the communication-device
body 20 is electrically connected to the electronic-device body 16
can be determined by detecting whether pins of the connecting
terminal 28 are electrically connected to the electronic-device
body 16. If the communication-device body 20 detects no electrical
connection to the electronic-device body 16, the portable computer
module 10 performs Step 400 and keeps monitoring the electrical
connection condition between the communication-device body 20 and
the electronic-device body 16.
On the other hand, if the communication-device body 20 detects its
electrical connection to the electronic-device body 16, the sensing
unit 22 detects whether the protection cover 18 is open (Step 404),
to determine whether the user opens the protection cover 18 to
operate the mobile communication device 14. As mentioned above, the
sensing unit 22 can be a light sensor or a hall sensor. That is to
say, the sensing unit 22 can detect whether the protection cover 18
is open in a light sensing manner or a magnetic induction manner.
For example, if the sensing unit 22 is a light sensor, the sensing
unit 22 can determine that the protection cover 18 is in a close
state for containing the mobile communication device 14 in the
containing space 17 when the intensity of light sensed by the
sensing unit 22 is less than a specific value. On the contrary, the
sensing unit 22 can determine that the protection cover 18 is in an
open state when the intensity of light sensed by the sensing unit
22 is greater than the specific value. As for the related
descriptions for the light sensor and the hall sensor, they are
commonly seen in the prior art and therefore omitted herein.
Via the said sensing design, if the sensing unit 22 detects that
protection cover 18 is close, the portable computer module 10
performs Step 400 and keeps utilizing the sensing unit 22 to detect
whether the protection cover 18 is in the close state. To be noted,
in this embodiment, when the communication-device body 20 detects
its electrical connection to the electronic-device body 16 and the
sensing unit 22 detects that the protection cover 18 is close for
containing the communication-device body 20 in the containing space
17, the user can operate the electronic-device body 16 to display
an operation image corresponding to the communication-device body
20 via a large display screen of the electronic-device body 16
instead of the display screen 23 of the communication-device body
20, so that the user can operate the mobile communication device 14
more conveniently. Furthermore, the communication-device body 20
can further switch to a power-saving mode (e.g. turning off the
touch function of the communication-device body 20 or turning off
the display screen 23) for achieving the power-saving purpose when
the sensing unit 22 detects that the protection cover 18 is
close.
On the other hand, if the sensing unit 22 detects that the
protection cover 18 is open, it represents that the user has
already opened the protection cover 18. At this time, the
accelerometer 24 detects whether the communication-device body 20
is rotated relative to the electronic-device body 16 to the
position parallel to the horizontal surface (Step 406). To be
noted, if the communication-device body 20 is in the power-saving
mode, the communication-device body 20 can activate the display
screen 23 after detecting that the protection cover 18 is open, so
that the user can operate the mobile communication device 14
conveniently.
When the user rotates the communication-device body 20 to be
parallel to the horizontal surface, the accelerometer 24 can
accordingly generate a corresponding detection result, and then the
communication-device body 20 enters the touch mode (Step 408)
according to the detection result. Accordingly, the
communication-device body 20 can be utilized as an input device of
the portable electronic device 12 for the user to perform a
paperwork inputting operation or a cursor controlling operation.
For improving convenience of the portable computer module 10 in
use, when the communication-device body 20 is parallel to the
horizontal surface, the protection cover 18 can be further used for
supporting the electronic-device body 16 on a holding surface 25 so
that the electronic-device body 16 can stand obliquely at a side of
the communication-device body 20 (as shown in FIG. 5). Thus, the
user can feel like operating a desktop computer or a notebook, so
that the user can operate the portable electronic device 12 (e.g.
performing a paperwork inputting operation or a cursor controlling
operation) more conveniently via the touch function provided by the
mobile communication device 14.
On the other hand, please refer to FIG. 6, which is a diagram of
the communication-device body 20 in FIG. 5 rotating to a position
unparallel to the horizontal surface. When the user rotates the
communication-device body 20 to be unparallel to the horizontal
surface, the accelerometer 24 can generate a corresponding
detection result, and then the communication-device body 20 enters
the image capturing mode (Step 410) according to the detection
result. Accordingly, the communication-device body 20 can be
utilized as an image capturing device of the portable electronic
device 12. That is, the user can simultaneously utilize the image
capturing function of the mobile communication device 14 and the
functions of the portable electronic device 12 (e.g. a keyboard
simulation function) to perform the video operation of the portable
computer module 10 (e.g. holding a video conference).
To be noted, the portable electronic device 12 is not limited to a
portable computer device with a processing function (e.g. a tablet
computer) mentioned in the aforesaid embodiment. That is, the
portable electronic device 12 can also be a portable docket station
without a processing function, meaning that the electronic-device
body 16 can only include conventional peripheral components (not
including a central processing unit) applied to a portable
computer, such as a touch screen.
In this embodiment, when the mobile communication device 14 is
installed on the portable electronic device 12 (i.e. the portable
docket station), the communication-device body can provide a
processing function to form a portable computer device
cooperatively with the portable electronic device 12. In such a
manner, when the communication-device body 20 is parallel to the
horizontal surface, the communication-device body 20 enters the
touch mode accordingly to be utilized as an input device and then
controls the electronic-device body 16 to display an operation
image corresponding to the communication-device body 20 via a large
display screen of the electronic-device body 16 instead of the
display screen 23 of the communication-device body 20, so that the
user can operate the mobile communication device 14 more
conveniently.
On the other hand, when the communication-device body 20 is
unparallel to the horizontal surface, the communication-device body
20 enters the image capturing mode accordingly to be utilized as an
image capturing device. In such a manner, the user can
simultaneously utilize the image capturing function of the mobile
communication device 14 and the functions of the portable
electronic device 12 (e.g. a keyboard simulation function) to
perform the video operations of the portable computer module 10
(e.g. holding a video conference). As for the related description,
it can be reasoned according to the aforesaid embodiment and
therefore omitted herein.
Compared with the prior art, the present invention utilizes the
design in which the mobile communication device is pivotally
connected to the portable electronic device and the design in which
the mobile communication device detects whether to electrically
connected to the portable electronic device, whether the protection
cover is open, and whether the mobile communication device is
parallel to the horizontal surface, to control the mobile
communication device to enter the touch mode or the image capturing
mode.
In such a manner, the mobile communication device provided by the
present invention can be utilized as an input device when being
parallel to the horizontal surface, so that the user can perform
the related input operations of the portable electronic device or
the mobile communication device (e.g. performing a paperwork
processing operation or a cursor controlling operation) via the
touch function of the mobile communication device. On the other
hand, the mobile communication device can be utilized as an image
capturing device when being unparallel to the horizontal surface,
so that the user can simultaneously utilize the image capturing
function of the mobile communication device and the functions of
the portable electronic device (e.g. a keyboard simulation
function) to perform the video operations of the portable computer
module (e.g. holding a video conference).
Thus, the portable computer module provided by the present
invention can efficiently solve the problem that the functions
(e.g. a touch function or an image capturing function) of the
mobile communication device can not be performed synchronously when
the mobile communication device is integrated into the portable
electronic device, so as to greatly improve the overall performance
and operational convenience of the portable computer module.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous
modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made
while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the
above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes
and bounds of the appended claims.
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