PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND DISPLAY SCREEN SWITCHING METHOD
Provided is a portable electronic device having a plurality of cases whose shapes can be changed from a first shape to second shape or vice versa via at least one intermediate shape. The portable electronic device includes: display unit ( 2 ); shape detection unit ( 3 ) that outputs a signal indicating one shape from among the first shape, the second shape, and the intermediate shape into which the plurality of cases has been changed; and control unit ( 1 ) that recognizes the shape of the plurality of cases based on the signal from shape detection unit ( 3 ) and that causes display unit ( 2 ) to display an image with a screen configuration corresponding to the recognized shape. When a change is made from the first or second shape to the intermediate shape, control unit ( 1 ) determines whether to enable implementation of a processing operation to cause display unit ( 2 ) to display an image with a screen configuration corresponding to the intermediate shape depending on whether time that elapsed in a state of maintaining the intermediate shape, from the time at which a change in the shape occurred, has reached a threshold value.
1 . A portable electronic device having a plurality of cases that can be changed from a first shape to a second shape or vice versa via at least one intermediate shape, comprising:
a display unit;
a shape detection unit that outputs a signal indicating one shape from among the first shape, the second shape, and the intermediate shape into which the plurality of cases has been changed; and
a control unit that recognizes the shape of the plurality of cases based on the signal from the shape detection unit and that causes the display unit to display an image with a screen configuration corresponding to the recognized shape,
wherein when a change is made from the first or second shape to the intermediate shape, the control unit determines whether to enable implementation of a processing operation to cause the display unit to display an image with a screen configuration corresponding to the intermediate shape depending on whether time that elapsed in a state of maintaining the intermediate shape, from the time at which a change in the shape of the case occurred, has reached a threshold value.
2 . The portable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein when it is determined that the elapsed time has reached the threshold value, the control unit causes the display unit to display the image with the screen configuration corresponding to the intermediate shape.
3 . The portable electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein when a change is made from the intermediate shape to the first or second shape before the elapsed time reaches the threshold value, the control unit inhibits implementation of a processing operation to cause the display unit to display the image with the screen configuration corresponding to the intermediate shape.
4 . The portable electronic device according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit compares a shape changed from the intermediate shape with a shape before the change to the intermediate shape and, when these shapes are different from each other, the control unit generates drawing data in which an image displayed with a screen configuration corresponding to the shape before the change to the intermediate shape is rotated by 180 degrees, and causes the display unit to display an image based on the drawing data.
5 . The portable electronic device according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit compares a shape changed from the intermediate shape with a shape before the change to the intermediate shape and, when these shapes are similar to each other, the control unit causes the display unit to display an image displayed with a screen configuration corresponding to the shape before the change to the intermediate shape again.
6 . A display screen switching method implemented in a portable electronic device having a plurality of cases that can be changed from a first shape to a second shape or vice versa via at least one intermediate shape, the display screen switching method comprising:
determining one shape from among the first shape, the second shape, and the intermediate shape into which the plurality of cases has been changed, and causing a display unit to display an image with a screen configuration corresponding to the determined shape; and,
when a change is made from the first or second shape to the intermediate shape, determining whether to enable implementation of a processing operation to cause the display unit to display an image with a screen configuration corresponding to the intermediate shape depending on whether time that elapsed in a state of maintaining the intermediate shape, from the time at which a change in the shape occurred, has reached a threshold value.