JP5217268B2 - Portable electronic devices - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone, a PDA, a notebook computer, a compact camera, a digital camera, and a game machine, and more particularly to a portable electronic device equipped with a projector module.

Projectors are rapidly spreading as a tool for meetings and home theaters using personal computers. Recently, small projectors that are convenient to carry along with notebook computers have been developed, and it has become possible to effectively carry out presentations and meetings on the go.
Under such circumstances, there is a movement to incorporate a projector into a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone.
In mobile phones, camera modules are already installed, and the fact that a projector module is installed means that both modules live together. The synergistic effects of this cohabitation are notable.
For example, Patent Documents 1 to 5 disclose technologies for correcting a projector image based on image information captured from a camera module. The value is increased by mutually utilizing the functions of the projector module and the camera module.

Patent Document 6 discloses a technique for suppressing unnecessary power consumption of a projection light source of a projector. The projector unit includes a distance measuring unit that measures the distance to the screen, and controls the amount of projection light according to the distance measurement result by the distance measuring unit. Thereby, when the projection distance is short, the projection light quantity can be reduced to perform projection, and the power consumption of the portable terminal can be suppressed. That is, when the projection distance is short, the amount of projection light is saved to reduce power consumption.
Patent Document 7 discloses a technique for simplifying operations related to projection in an electronic apparatus including a projector device. In a projector-equipped mobile phone, when 2 seconds elapses with the relative angle θ between the operation unit and the display unit set to a predetermined projection angle (80 degrees), information is automatically projected by the projector module and projected. When the non-posture state has elapsed for 0.5 seconds or longer, the projection of information by the projector module is automatically terminated.

JP 2006-91111 A JP 2006-93822 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-91110 JP 2006-91109 A JP 2006-93821 A JP 2005-292428 A JP 2006-78752 A

When a mobile phone is equipped with a projector, it can be used as a hand-held projection in addition to a stationary projection. In any case, due to its light weight, it may be projected in a slightly inadvertent direction, causing problems such as waste of power consumption during that time and inconvenience to others.
Furthermore, since the mobile phone has a problem of heat generation in addition to the limited battery capacity, it is necessary to minimize the amount of output light.
Therefore, when used at a projection distance that greatly exceeds the recommended projection distance, the output light quantity must be increased in order to properly recognize the output image, but this is difficult due to the capacity problem. In other words, projection at a projection distance that is too long consumes power meaninglessly.
In the invention described in Patent Document 6, the amount of projection light is controlled. However, since the control is simply to increase the projection light as the projection distance is longer, when the projection distance exceeds the practical distance, meaningless power is used. It is inevitable that consumption will be made.
In the invention described in Patent Document 7, the projection posture and the projection ON / OFF are simply associated with each other, and measures are taken for light amount suppression from the viewpoint of unnecessary projection while maintaining the projection posture (angle). It is not done.

  The present invention can prevent meaningless projections such as unintentional projection outside the projection object and projection onto a projection object that may occur due to the simplicity of the portable device, thereby reducing unnecessary power consumption and heat generation. The main object of the present invention is to provide a portable electronic device that can prevent the increase in usage efficiency, suppress the deterioration due to heat generation, and prevent annoyance to others due to the projection light coming off the projection object.

To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a projector module for projecting an image on a projection object, and a distance measurement means for measuring a distance between the projection object and a device. In the portable electronic device provided, when the distance measured by the distance measuring means is larger than a predetermined distance, the light output control means for turning off or reducing the light output from the projector module , Acceleration detecting means for detecting acceleration, the acceleration detecting means detects a displacement in the optical axis direction of the projector module and a displacement in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the projector module, and the distance measuring means The displacement in the optical axis direction of the projector module and the optical axis of the projector module detected by the acceleration detecting means When the direction of displacement exceeds a predetermined value corresponding to each, and measuring the distance between the projection target object and equipment.
Here, in particular, the distance measurement by the distance measurement means is performed only when the projection position from the projector module is greatly changed, and an object is to prevent unnecessary operation of the distance measurement means and realize energy saving.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the portable electronic device according to the first aspect, an imaging unit and a light emitting unit are used as the distance measuring unit, and light emitted from the light emitting unit is applied to the projection target, The imaging means receives reflected light from the projection object, and distance information is obtained by the imaging means detecting a relative angle of the reflected light with respect to the imaging means.
Here, in particular, in a mobile phone or the like that is generally provided with an imaging means represented by a camera module, distance measurement can be performed without newly providing a single distance measurement means, and The object is to provide a low-cost portable electronic device with a simple configuration.

In the invention of claim 3, wherein, in the portable electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the projector module is characterized in that also serves as the light emitting means.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the portable electronic device according to the first aspect, an imaging unit is used as the distance measuring unit, and the imaging unit performs automatic focus adjustment by operating one or more optical elements. A focus adjustment mechanism is provided, and distance information is obtained by detecting a relative position of the optical element when a focus is determined by the automatic focus adjustment mechanism.
Here, in particular, in a mobile phone or the like that is generally provided with an imaging means represented by a camera module, distance measurement can be performed without newly providing a single distance measurement means, and The object is to simplify the operation of the projector module.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the portable electronic device according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, a camera module is provided, and the camera module is shared as the imaging means.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the portable electronic device according to the first aspect has an information display, and when the light output from the projector module is turned off or falls, the projector module temporarily Information indicating that the optical output is OFF or decreased is displayed on the information display.
In particular, the purpose is to improve usability by notifying the user of the state of the projector module and that it is not an abnormal operation.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the portable electronic device according to the first aspect, when the light output from the projector module is turned off or is reduced, the light output of the projector module is determined by a predetermined input from the user. And a light output recovery means for recovering the light.
Here, in particular, it is intended to improve the usability by making it possible to easily perform the recovery operation of the projector module with the intention of the user.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the portable electronic device according to the seventh aspect , the measuring operation of the distance measuring means is stopped until a predetermined input from the user is made.
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, in the portable electronic device according to the seventh or eighth aspect , when a predetermined input from the user is made, the distance is measured by the distance measuring means, and the measured distance is predetermined. The light output is recovered by the light output recovery means only when the distance is smaller than the distance.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the portable electronic device according to any one of the seventh to ninth aspects, an information display is provided, and which key is pressed to restore the light output of the projector module. The purpose information is displayed on the information display .

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent unintentional projection outside the projection target, invalid projection to the projection target that is too far away, etc., thus preventing unnecessary power consumption and heat generation, and further projection. It is possible to prevent inconvenience to others due to light.
In addition, unnecessary distance measurement operation can be prevented to realize energy saving, and the life of the distance measurement means can be extended.
In addition, while preventing unnecessary distance measurement operation, it is possible to cover distance measurement with respect to a change in projection distance due to movement of the projection target, and to improve the accuracy of distance measurement timing.
In addition, a low-cost portable electronic device can be obtained with a simple configuration, and convenience for the user can be improved.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a mobile phone as a portable electronic device according to the present embodiment. The present invention is not limited to a mobile phone, and may be, for example, a notebook computer, a PDA, a game machine, a compact camera, a digital camera, a general small projector, or the like.
In FIG. 1, a spread type with a hinge is shown as an example of a mobile phone. Of course, the mobile phone is not limited to this type.
The mobile phone 1 includes a projector module 2, a distance measuring means 3, a built-in type acceleration detecting means 4, a main information display display 5, a sub information display display 6, and the like. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 7 denotes a hinge, and 8 denotes various keys.
The projector module 2 is configured to be ultra-small for mounting on the mobile phone 1. Therefore, a laser diode, LED, or the like is used in order to cope with downsizing of the light source. Examples of the light valve include a transmissive liquid crystal, a reflective liquid crystal represented by LCOS, and a MEMS mirror element represented by DMD (manufactured by Texas Instruments).

The purpose of the distance measuring means 3 is to measure the distance between the projection target by the projector module 2 and the mobile phone body. Therefore, it is desirable that the distance measuring means 3 and the projector module 2 are provided in the vicinity of each other, and the directions thereof are substantially in the same direction.
In the present embodiment, the projector module 2 and the distance measuring means 3 are arranged side by side on the back surface (surface opposite to the spread surface) of the mobile phone 1.
The distance measuring means 3 includes an imaging means, in other words, a camera module as a part thereof. The camera module is generally mounted in the mobile phone 1, and particularly in a high-function mobile phone provided with the projector module 2 as in the present invention, it is natural that the camera module is also provided. .
Therefore, if the camera module is shared as the light receiving means of the distance measuring means 3, it is possible to simultaneously realize a simple appearance and cost reduction of the mobile phone 1 as compared with the case where a light receiving means is newly provided.

There are the following methods for distance detection using an imaging means.
One is a triangulation system (see FIG. 4). In principle, the light emitting means 9 and the light receiving means 10 are set apart from each other, and the light emitted from the light emitting means 9 is reflected by the measured object (projected object 11) and the angle at which the light receiving means 10 receives the reflected light. The distance is obtained by detection by the light receiving means itself.
The imaging means has only the function of the light receiving means 10. The function of the light emitting means 9 is from another unit. The light emitting means 9 dedicated to light emission may be newly provided, or the projector module 2 may be provided with a light emitting function. The layout becomes simpler when incorporated in the projector module 2.
In general, in the triangulation method, an infrared LED is often used as the light emitting means 9, but in this embodiment, since an imaging means, that is, a camera module is used as the light receiving means 10, it is difficult to detect infrared light. It is.
This is because the CCD sensor used in a general camera module is provided with an infrared cut filter. This is because if the infrared light is not cut, the CCD sensor is detected as noise.

Since infrared light cannot be viewed with the naked eye, there is a merit that distance detection can be performed without affecting the image output from the projector module 2.
As the configuration of the camera module 10 using infrared light, the configurations shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 can be considered. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 12 denotes a lens system, 13 denotes a CCD sensor, 14 denotes an infrared cut filter, and 15 denotes an infrared cut filter driving mechanism.
In FIG. 5, the infrared cut filter 14 is removed from the optical path of the imaging means 10 only when distance detection is performed. In this case, a drive mechanism 15 for moving the infrared cut filter 14 is required.
The camera module 10 shown in FIG. 6 separates infrared light by the dichroic prism 16 so that the infrared light does not enter the CCD sensor 13, and the separated infrared light is detected by another sensor 17. is there. In this case, it is necessary to newly provide a sensor 17 in addition to the CCD sensor 13.

Infrared light detection for distance detection needs to be separated from noise light, so the infrared light from the light emitting means is modulated by pulse driving etc., and the imaging means side also synchronizes with it and sends the signal Need to extract.
The distance detection is performed based on information indicating which address of the CCD sensor 13 or other sensor 17 has detected the light from the light emitting means.
On the other hand, in order not to complicate the imaging means 10, it is desirable to use visible light as the light emitting means without using infrared light. In this case, it is visually recognized by the naked eye, but can be somewhat suppressed by lowering the light emission duty. A dedicated light-emitting means may be provided, but using the light from the projector module 2 itself has a simple configuration.
When the light from the projector module 2 itself is used as the light emitting means, as shown in FIG. 7, a specific pattern 18 is projected from the projector module 2 when the distance is detected, and the projection timing is also controlled to a predetermined value.
The imaging means 10 side also recognizes the specific pattern 18 projected in synchronization therewith. The distance detection is performed based on the information on which address of the CCD sensor, for example, the pattern of the image sensor 10 has been detected. In FIG. 7, the projection image is omitted as a blank, but is actually displayed together with the pattern 18.
As the distance measuring means 3, a distance measuring unit using a general infrared triangulation system, a phase difference detection system, an ultrasonic system, etc. can be used without using the above imaging means (camera module). It may be. When used in a mobile phone, the layout is somewhat complicated, but when installed in a notebook computer, PDA, game machine, etc. that are not originally equipped with an image pickup means, such a single unit distance measurement means is more costly. This is advantageous and desirable.

The acceleration detecting means 4 is typically composed of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor. If all six-degree-of-freedom behaviors are detected, a three-direction acceleration sensor and a three-rotation axis gyro sensor are required. However, when the position of the image of the projector module 2 is detected, the rotation axis around the optical axis of the projector module 2 is unnecessary.
Since each sensor senses acceleration, two times of integration is required to convert it into a displacement amount. Accordingly, the acceleration detecting means 4 can monitor the displacement of the mobile phone 1.
The information display is normally provided as a function of the mobile phone 1. In the case of the spread type, the main display (main information display display 5) is in the opened inner portion, and the mobile phone 1 is in the outer portion. Generally, a sub-display (sub-information display display 6) capable of displaying a minimum amount of information even when is closed is provided.
Of course, information on the projector module 2 is also displayed on these displays. That is, in the present embodiment, the display that the mobile phone 1 originally has is shared as an information display.

Based on FIG. 2, a control system of the mobile phone 1 will be described.
Based on the detection information by the acceleration detecting means 4, the fluctuation amount is calculated by the spatial position fluctuation amount calculating means 20, and the calculation result is compared by the spatial position fluctuation amount comparing means 21.
When the fluctuation amount is larger than a predetermined value, a light emission command is issued to the distance measuring light emitting means 9 forming a part of the distance measuring means 3. When the distance measuring light emitting means 9 emits light, the light receiving information by the CCD sensor 13 is processed by the CCD sensor information processing means 22 of the distance measuring means 3, and the distance is calculated by the distance information calculating means 23.
The calculation result is compared by the distance information comparison unit 24, and if it is larger than the predetermined distance, the light output of the projector module 2 is turned off or lowered by the light output OFF or reduction unit 26 of the light output control unit 25. Is done.
When the distance is smaller than the predetermined distance, the variation amount by the acceleration detecting means 4 is reset.
In the present embodiment, the comparison by the distance information comparison unit 24 is performed in consideration of information such as ambient brightness, the color of the projection object 11, and the remaining battery level.

The light emission operation of the distance measuring light emitting means 9 is intermittently performed by a predetermined (desired) time interval by the counting means 28 independently of the light emission operation based on the detection result of the fluctuation amount by the acceleration detecting means 4.
When the light output of the projector module 2 is turned off or lowered, the state is notified to the user via the information display 5 or 6.
The light output is recovered by the user inputting a predetermined key or a key displayed on the information display.
When a predetermined input from the user is made, the distance is measured by the distance measuring means 3, and only when the measured distance is smaller than the predetermined distance, the light output recovery means 27 recovers the light output. The
The distance measuring light emitting means 9 may be provided separately from the projector module 2 as described above, or may be the projector module 2 itself.
In FIG. 2, the distance measuring means 3 includes an imaging means (camera module) 10, a distance measuring light emitting means 9, and a counting means 28.

Next, the operation of the mobile phone 1 will be described.
As described above, the basic operation is to turn off the light output of the projector module 2 or to reduce the light output when the distance measured by the distance measuring unit 3 is larger than a predetermined distance.
In the cellular phone, the power capacity of the built-in battery is limited, and due to the nature of being a handy device, it is necessary to suppress the amount of heat generation from the viewpoint of preventing burns. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent unnecessary projection output and to suppress the light output itself from the projector module 2.
Normally, the recommended projection distance is specified and set to a light output that does not interfere with projection at that distance, or conversely, the output light intensity limit is calculated from the internal battery capacity and heat generation problem, and then the recommended projection distance is specified from there. In either case, the output light quantity is limited.
Therefore, in the projector module 2 mounted on the mobile phone 1, projection at a distance of several meters like a general projector is difficult to consider, and for example, it is likely to be limited to specifications within 1 m. Therefore, when projection is performed at a distance of 3 m, the brightness of the projected image is simply 1/9. The distance of 3 m is a distance that can be normally projected by a general projector.

Therefore, at a projection distance far away from the recommended projection distance specification, it becomes difficult to recognize the projected image, and as a result, useless light is emitted. Since it is not preferable to emit useless light from the viewpoint of power consumption heat generation, in this embodiment, the light output is turned off or the light output is reduced.
As an example of a specific value of a predetermined distance serving as a threshold for turning off the light output or reducing the light output, a value that is 1.5 to 2 times the recommended projection distance as shown in FIG. Should be set.
The predetermined distance may be determined using parameters such as ambient brightness, the color of the projection object, and the remaining battery level. Of course, the brighter the surroundings, the more difficult it becomes to recognize the projected image even if the projection distance is reduced, and the closer the projection object 11 is to the perfect white, the more difficult the bright projected image can be recognized, and the remaining battery power is low. This is because it becomes necessary to save the output when the number is reduced.

By the way, since the mobile phone 1 can be easily carried and carried, there are various cases in which the projector module 2 mounted on the mobile phone 1 is used. It is done.
The case of hand-holding is a case of projecting in an unintended direction with a little carelessness. For example, if the screen (projected object 11) is turned to a direction with a slight momentum, there is a possibility that it may enter another person's eyes or a driver's eyes.
Even in such a case, it can be prevented by the above-described operation, and at the same time, power consumption and heat generation can be taken.

Next, the timing for performing distance measurement by the distance measuring means 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
Since the distance to the projection object 11 can be monitored in a timely manner by always performing the distance measurement, it is possible to always detect the behavior of the mobile phone 1 and the movement of the projection object 11 to realize a seamless distance measurement.
Although this method may be used, it is necessary to always perform reference light transmission, autofocus operation, and the like for distance measurement, which is disadvantageous in terms of power consumption and device life.
By intermittently measuring the distance every desired time, it is possible to improve the power consumption and the life of the device. However, since the measurement is not timely, there may be a time zone in which unnecessary output from the projector module 2 occurs. An example is the case where it is performed once every 5 seconds.
The distance measurement needs to be performed at least immediately before the light output from the projector module 2 is about to be turned on. At this time, if the distance measurement result is larger than the predetermined distance, it goes without saying that the light output from the projector module 2 is not turned ON from the beginning.
Thereafter, there is no need to measure the distance unless there is a large behavior of the mobile phone 1 or movement of the projection target. However, in consideration of the fact that the image is projected from the mobile phone 1 in hand, it seems that the behavior of the mobile phone 1 is always possible.

The acceleration detecting means 4 is provided for detecting the behavior. The distance measurement is performed when the acceleration information detected by the acceleration detecting means 4 satisfies a predetermined condition.
An example of the predetermined condition is shown in FIG. The acceleration detection means 4 is composed of an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor as described above. The number of sensors is 3 when the acceleration sensor is 3 and the gyro sensor is 3 and all the behaviors of 6 degrees of freedom are covered, but the gyro sensor related to the rotation axis around the optical axis of the projector module 2 is excluded. Also good.
In any case, if the spatial position of the image emitted from the projector module 2 is defined as the position of the image separated from the projector module 2 by a certain distance a, the variation in the spatial position of the image is calculated from information from each sensor. Can be obtained.
The constant distance a is preferably a value in the vicinity of the recommended projection distance that is the specification of the projector module 2. In other words, the increase in the spatial position fluctuation amount means that the image output from the projector module 2 has moved greatly.

Therefore, the predetermined condition is a condition in which this spatial position fluctuation amount becomes larger than a predetermined value.
Examples of the predetermined value of the spatial position fluctuation amount are, for example, half or more of the diagonal length m of the image size at a position a certain distance a away from the projector module 2, If the displacement is in the direction of the optical axis (that is, the displacement in the direction of the projection distance), this is not the case.
In other words, when a spherical surface having a radius a centered on the projector module 2 is used as a reference, the spatial positional fluctuation amount is determined by the positional fluctuation amount component in the spherical surface and the direction perpendicular to the spherical surface (centering on the projector module 2). The position variation amount component in the radial direction) is set, and a predetermined value is set for each component.
Since the displacement amount calculated from information from the acceleration sensor and the gyro sensor is an integral value, the displacement amount accumulates with time. When the accumulated value exceeds a predetermined value, distance measurement by the distance measuring means 3 is performed. Then, after the distance measurement is performed, the accumulated value is reset and accumulation is newly started.

As described above, the acceleration detection by the acceleration detection unit 4 can cover the necessity of distance measurement due to the large behavior of the mobile phone 1, but it cannot cover the movement of the projection object 11.
In order to completely cover the movement of the projection object 11, there is a means of constantly monitoring information from the imaging means 3, but this does not greatly differ from the constant distance measurement. The merit used doesn't live.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the distance measurement is performed by intermittently performing the measurement every desired time regardless of the information from the acceleration detection means 4. It is considered that the movement of the projection object 11 is less likely to occur due to carelessness compared to the mobile phone body, and therefore it can be handled by the above method.

Next, a flow after the light output of the projector module 2 is turned off or reduced will be described in detail with reference to information on the distance measured by the distance measuring unit 3 based on FIGS. 10 and 11.
It is considered that the operation of the present invention in which the light output of the projector module 2 is turned off or reduced by the information of the distance measured by the distance measuring unit 3 is not intended by the user in most cases.
It is thought that there are many cases where the light output is extinguished by moving the mobile phone 1 with a little carelessness. In such a case, it is desirable that it can be easily recovered. Moreover, it is in a state (screen) before the light output is reduced. If you can't do that, it's the same as a reset during the game.
Therefore, when the light output from the projector module 2 is turned off or falls, it is necessary to clearly notify the user that it is not an abnormal operation but the output is temporarily lowered and is recoverable. .

From the above, information indicating that the light output from the projector module 2 is temporarily OFF or reduced is displayed on the information display 5 or 6 as shown in FIG.
It is desirable that the recovery is performed by input according to the user's intention. For example, when the light output from the projector module 2 is temporarily OFF or decreased, the distance measuring means 3 automatically operates and the projection object 11 is automatically positioned just because it is in an appropriate position. If it recovers, for example, there may be a case where the user suddenly emits light when looking into the projector module 2, and there is a dangerous case.
Accordingly, when the light output from the projector module 2 is temporarily turned off or reduced, the operations of the distance measuring means 3 and the acceleration detecting means 4 are not required, so these means are also turned off from the viewpoint of power saving. (See FIG. 10).
When the user deliberately presses a key for restoring the output of the projector module 2, the distance measuring means 3 is first activated. If the measured distance is smaller than a predetermined distance, the light output is restored, and at the same time the acceleration is detected. The operation of the means 4 is also restored.
Since the information display 5 or 6 also displays information on which key (here, a menu switch is shown) to recover, the recovery operation by the user is extremely easy.

When the recognition about the recovery of light output permeates the user, the operation by the key input may be troublesome. In such a case, when the predetermined time has elapsed since the light output from the projector module 2 is turned off or decreased, the distance is automatically measured by the distance measuring means 3, and the measured distance is measured. The light output may be recovered by the light output recovery means 27 only when is less than a predetermined distance.
Further, recovery by key input or automatic recovery may be selected.

A second embodiment will be described based on FIG. In addition, the same part as the said embodiment is shown with the same code | symbol, and unless it was especially required, the description on the structure and function which were already demonstrated is abbreviate | omitted, and only a principal part is demonstrated (it is the same in the following other embodiment).
If the camera module includes a distance measuring function, it is not necessary to provide a new distance measuring means (light emitting means + light receiving means), and a simpler appearance and further cost reduction of the cellular phone 1 can be realized at the same time.
The present embodiment is characterized in that a camera module having a distance measuring function is used as the distance measuring means.
As a distance detection method, there is a contrast detection method in addition to those described in the above embodiment. In this case, the image pickup means needs to have an automatic focus adjustment mechanism.

In focus adjustment using the contrast detection method, the focus position is automatically detected by monitoring the sharpness parameters using the sharpest image data captured at the focal point. This method is typical.
The state of the image pickup means when the focus is determined, that is, the positional information of the optical element including the lens of the image pickup means has a one-to-one relationship with the distance information to the subject by the image pickup means. In this case, since all the distance detection functions are included in the imaging means, the light emitting means necessary for the triangulation method is not required, and the configuration and operation of the projector module and the like are facilitated.

In the present embodiment, the camera module 10 </ b> A includes a contrast detection unit 30 as an automatic focus adjustment mechanism, and a calculation by the distance information calculation unit 23 is performed based on a detection amount by the contrast detection unit 30.
The distance measurement by the contrast detection unit 30 is intermittently performed by a predetermined (desired) time interval by the counting unit 28 independently of the distance measurement result by the acceleration detection unit 4.
The distance measuring unit 3A according to the present embodiment includes a camera module 10A and a counting unit 28.

A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
The mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment does not have the acceleration detection means 4 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 14, the distance measuring unit 3 </ b> B includes a camera module 10 </ b> A provided with a contrast detecting unit 30.
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, distance measurement is always performed. This is to cover that the unexpected displacement of the mobile phone 1 due to the absence of the acceleration detection means 4 cannot be detected.
Thereby, since the distance to the projection object 11 can be monitored in a timely manner, it is possible to always detect the behavior of the mobile phone 1 and the movement of the projection object 11 to realize a seamless distance measurement.
When the light output of the projector module 2 is turned off, the distance measuring means 3B is also turned off as shown in FIG.

The fourth embodiment will be described based on FIGS. 17 and 18.
The cellular phone 1 in this embodiment does not have the acceleration detecting means 4 and the distance measuring means 3A is the same as that shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 18, the distance measurement by the distance measurement unit 3 </ b> A is intermittently performed at predetermined (desired) time intervals by the count unit 28.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the configuration of the distance measuring unit and the timing of the distance measurement are illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to these combinations, and various other combinations can be employed.
In addition, although a mobile phone is exemplified as the portable electronic device, the present invention can be similarly applied to a portable electronic device such as a PDA, a notebook computer, a compact camera, a digital camera, and a game machine.

It is a figure which shows the mobile telephone which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a rear view. It is a control block diagram. It is a timing chart at the time of a projector module operation | movement. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the principle of a triangulation system. It is a figure which shows the structure of the camera module using infrared light, (a) is a figure which shows the state at the time of normal camera use, (b) is a figure which shows the state at the time of distance detection. It is a figure which shows the structure of the other example of the camera module using infrared light. It is a figure which shows the detection system at the time of using a projector module as a light emission means. It is a figure which shows the threshold value of the distance between a projector module and a to-be-projected body. It is a figure which shows the reference | standard of the displacement amount of the mobile telephone for performing distance measurement. It is a flowchart which shows the control operation after optical output OFF. It is a figure which shows the content of the display display of light output OFF. It is a control block diagram in a 2nd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the mobile telephone which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, (c) is a rear view. It is a control block diagram in a 3rd embodiment. 10 is a timing chart when the projector module operates in the third embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control operation after optical output OFF. It is a control block diagram in a 4th embodiment. It is a timing chart at the time of the projector module operation | movement in 4th Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cellular phone as portable electronic device 2 Projector module 3 Distance measuring means 4 Acceleration detecting means 5 Main information display display as information display display 6 Sub information display display as information display display 9 Light emitting means 10 Imaging means (camera module)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Projection object 25 Light output control means 27 Light output recovery means 30 Contrast detection means as an automatic focus adjustment mechanism

Claims (10)

In a portable electronic device comprising: a projector module for projecting an image on a projection object; and a distance measurement means for measuring a distance between the projection object and the device.
A light output control means for turning off or reducing the light output from the projector module when the distance measured by the distance measuring means is larger than a predetermined distance;
Acceleration detecting means for detecting the acceleration of the device;
Have
The acceleration detecting means detects a displacement in the optical axis direction of the projector module and a displacement in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the projector module;
The distance measuring means detects when the displacement in the optical axis direction of the projector module and the displacement in the direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the projector module exceed predetermined values detected by the acceleration detecting means. And measuring a distance between the projection object and the device. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein
An imaging unit and a light emitting unit are used as the distance measuring unit, the emitted light from the light emitting unit is applied to the projection object, the imaging unit receives reflected light from the projection object, and the reflected light A portable electronic apparatus characterized in that distance information is obtained by detecting a relative angle with respect to the imaging means . The portable electronic device according to claim 2 , wherein
A portable electronic device, wherein the projector module also serves as the light emitting means . The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein
An imaging unit is used as the distance measuring unit, and the imaging unit includes an automatic focus adjustment mechanism that performs focus adjustment by operating one or more optical elements, and the focus is determined by the automatic focus adjustment mechanism. A portable electronic device characterized in that distance information is obtained by detecting a relative position of the optical element . In the portable electronic device as described in any one of Claims 2-4 ,
A portable electronic device comprising a camera module and sharing the camera module as the imaging means . The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein
An information display is provided, and when the light output from the projector module is turned off or lowered, information indicating that the light output from the projector module is temporarily turned off or lowered is displayed on the information display display. A portable electronic device characterized by being displayed . The portable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein
A portable type comprising light output recovery means for recovering the light output of the projector module by a predetermined input from a user when the light output from the projector module is turned off or is lowered. Electronics. The portable electronic device according to claim 7 , wherein
The portable electronic device is characterized in that the measuring operation of the distance measuring means is stopped until a predetermined input from a user is made . The portable electronic device according to claim 7 or 8 ,
When a predetermined input from the user is made, the distance is measured by the distance measuring unit, and only when the measured distance is smaller than the predetermined distance, the light output is recovered by the light output recovery unit. a portable electronic device, characterized in that that. In the portable electronic device as described in any one of Claims 7-9 ,
A portable electronic device having an information display and displaying information on the information display to indicate which key should be pressed to recover the light output of the projector module .

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