The present invention relates to a communication terminal, a method for operating the communication terminal, and a computer program for implementing the method.
Communication terminals are appreciated when relatively small and easy to use. Many times they are used without looking at them and operated swiftly. If the body of the communication apparatus is more or less symmetrical in one or more directions, the orientation of the communication terminal can be hard to determine by the user without looking at the communication terminal, and especially when swiftly handled. The user may during such operation get the communication terminal in a wrong orientation for use. Therefore, there is a need to improve swift operation of communication terminals such that the user is able to handle the communication terminal without needing to look at the communication terminal.
An object of the invention is to at least alleviate the above stated problem. The present invention is based on the understanding that
According to a first aspect, there is provided a communication terminal comprising a first audio input/output element arranged in vicinity of a first end of a body of the communication terminal; a second audio input/output element arranged in vicinity of a second end of the body of the communication terminal; an accelerometer arranged to determine force applied on a mass in the communication terminal, wherein the first and second audio input/output elements are each arranged for selectable performance as microphone or speaker such that depending on the determined force on the mass, one of the first and second audio input/output elements is assigned for speaker operation, and the other for microphone operation.
The communication terminal may further comprise a processor arranged to process an output signal from the accelerometer to assign operation for the first and second audio input/output elements.
The communication terminal may be a mobile phone, a headset, or a handset.
The accelerometer may be a microelectromechanical system accelerometer.
According to a second aspect, there is provided a method for operating a communication terminal comprising a first audio input/output element arranged in vicinity of a first end of a body of the communication terminal and a second audio input/output element arranged in vicinity of a second end of the body of the communication terminal. The method comprises determining orientation of the communication terminal; assigning one of the first and second audio input/output elements for speaker operation, and the other for microphone operation based on the determined orientation.
The determining of the orientation may comprise determining a force on a mass in the communication terminal, wherein the determination of the force is performed by an accelerometer.
The method may comprise determining if a component of the force along a line between the first and second audio input/output elements is directed towards the first or second audio input/output element, wherein the one of the first and second audio input/output elements towards which the component of the force is directed is assigned to be operated as microphone.
According to a third aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium comprising program code comprising instructions which when executed by a processor, in a communication terminal comprising a first audio input/output element arranged in vicinity of a first end of a body of the communication terminal and a second audio input/output element arranged in vicinity of a second end of the body of the communication terminal, is arranged to cause the processor to perform determination of orientation of the communication terminal; assignment of one of the first and second audio input/output elements for speaker operation, and the other for microphone operation based on the determined orientation.
The instructions may be arranged such that determining of the orientation comprise determining a force on a mass in the communication terminal, the determination of the force is performed by an accelerometer, the assignment of operations comprises determining if a component of the force along a line between the first and second audio input/output elements is directed towards the first or second audio input/output element, and the one of the first and second audio input/output elements towards which the component of the force is directed is assigned to be operated as microphone.
According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a computer program arranged to, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to the second aspect.
The communication terminal 100 can for example be a mobile telephone, a handset, or a headset. The communication terminal 100 can be arranged for wireless communication. The communication terminal 100 can further comprise means for communication such as antenna, receiver, transmitter, and signal processing means. The communication terminal 100 can also comprise further user interface elements such as display, one or more keys, vibrator, and further input means such as scroll wheels, joystick, etc. These are not illustrated not to obscure the particular elements involved in the inventive concept.
The accelerometer 106 can for example be a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometer, which is both a small and low-cost element and robust in operation. The accelerometer 106 can be arranged to operate in one, two, or three dimensions. If only the component of the force on the mass along the dot-dashed line is used for determining orientation and thus assignment of operation of the audio input/output elements 102, 104, only a one-dimension accelerometer is needed wherein the accelerometer 106 is arranged to determining the force on the mass 105 along this line. For the other approaches, i.e. other static or dynamic models for determining the way the communication terminal 100 is used, two or three dimension accelerometers can be used. The accelerometer 106 can also be used for other input operations of the communication apparatus 100.
The methods according to the present invention is suitable for implementation with aid of processing means, such as computers and/or processors, especially for the case where a dynamic process is observed. Therefore, there is provided computer programs, comprising instructions arranged to cause the processing means, processor, or computer to perform the steps of any of the methods according to any of the embodiments described with reference to