Physical key operation method and handheld electronic device

Abstract

The invention relates to a handheld electronic device and a physical key operation method. The physical key operation method is suitable for a handheld electronic device comprising physical keys. The method comprises the following steps. When the application program is executed, the physical key is switched from an initial control mode to an application program control mode. When the physical key is operated in the application program control mode, a pressing event of the physical key is intercepted. And mapping the intercepted pressing event into a touch operation event. And controlling the application program according to the touch operation event. Therefore, the convenience and the control flexibility of controlling the application program can be greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a handheld electronic device and a physical key operation method. Background Art

[0002] With the advancement of technology, powerful performance and rich applications have made handheld electronic devices an indispensable item in modern people's daily life. For example, playing games with handheld electronic devices has become a very popular pastime. As the performance of handheld electronic devices continues to improve, the gameplay and types of games are also becoming more and more diverse. As a result, there are more and more virtual buttons that players need to control on the game user interface. However, when holding a handheld electronic device, most general game players only use two fingers to click on multiple virtual buttons on the game user interface, but this game control method greatly limits the game player's operational flexibility. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiment of the present case provides a physical key operation method, which is applicable to a handheld electronic device including a physical key, and the method comprises the following steps. When an application is executed, the physical key is switched from an initial control mode to an application control mode. When the physical key is operated in the application control mode, a press event of the physical key is intercepted. The intercepted press event is mapped to a touch operation event. The application is controlled according to the touch operation event.

[0004] The present embodiment provides a handheld electronic device, which includes a physical key, a storage device, and a processor. The storage device records a plurality of modules, and the processor couples the physical key and the storage device, and executes the modules to perform the following steps. When an application is executed, the physical key is switched from an initial control mode to an application control mode. When the physical key is operated in the application control mode, a pressing event of the physical key is intercepted. The intercepted pressing event is mapped to a touch operation event. The application is controlled according to the touch operation event.

[0005] Based on the above, in an embodiment of the present invention, when the handheld electronic device executes a specific application, the operation mode of the physical key can be switched from the initial control mode to an application control mode. When the physical key is operated in the application control mode, the pressing event of the physical key can be intercepted, and the pressing event can be mapped to a touch operation event for controlling the application. Therefore, when the user presses the physical key operating in the application control mode, the original function originally corresponding to the physical key is disabled, but the touch operation event can be triggered to control the application. Therefore, the convenience and flexibility of controlling the application can be greatly improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a handheld electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0007] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a physical button of an embodiment of the present case;

[0008] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a physical key operation method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0009] Figure 4 This is an operation diagram of a physical key operation method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0010] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a physical key operation method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0011] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a physical key operation method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] Figure 7 This is an operation diagram of a physical key operation method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 8 This is an operation diagram of a physical key operation method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Fig. 9 It is a situational schematic diagram of a physical key operation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Description of Reference Numerals

[0016] 100: handheld electronic device;

[0017] 110: touch screen;

[0018] 120, B1, B2, B3: physical buttons;

[0019] 130: storage device;

[0020] 140: processor;

[0021] A1: Application;

[0022] A2 operation mapping auxiliary module;

[0023] A3: Input Manager;

[0024] A4: Volume Manager;

[0025] 41~49,71~75,81~84,82a,82b,83a,83b: operation;

[0026] F1: finger;

[0027] V1, V2: virtual buttons;

[0028] S310~S340, S510~S570, S602~S620: steps. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 1 The handheld electronic device 100 of this embodiment is a handheld electronic device capable of executing application programs, such as a smart phone or a tablet computer, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The handheld electronic device 100 includes a touch screen 110, a physical button 120, a storage device 130, and a processor 140. The processor 140 is coupled to the touch screen 110, the physical button 120, and the storage device 130. Its functions are described as follows.

[0031] The touch screen 110 is a display device integrated with a touch function. The display may be, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), a field emission display (FED), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) or other types of displays, which are not limited in the present case.

[0032] The physical button 120 can be disposed on the side of the handheld electronic device 100 or on the back of the display surface. The present invention does not limit the location of the physical button 120. Generally speaking, taking the handheld electronic device 100 as a smartphone, the physical button 120 can be a volume adjustment button, a power button, a lock button, etc. located on the side of the smartphone. For example, please refer to Figure 2 The handheld electronic device 100 may include a physical button B1, a physical button B2, and a physical button B3 disposed on the side of the body. The physical button B1 and the physical button B2 may be, for example, a volume increase button and a volume decrease button, respectively. The physical button B3 may be, for example, a lock button.

[0033] The storage device 130 is used to store data such as files, images, instructions, program codes, software modules, etc. It can be, for example, any type of fixed or removable random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk or other similar devices, integrated circuits or combinations thereof.

[0034] The processor 140 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), or other programmable general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessor (Microprocessor), a digital signal processor (Digital Signal Processor, DSP), a programmable controller, an application specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuits, ASIC), a programmable logic device (Programmable Logic Device, PLD), a graphics processing unit (Graphics Processing Unit, GPU) or other similar devices or a combination of these devices. The processor 140 can execute program codes, software modules, instructions, etc. recorded in the storage device 130 to implement the physical key operation method of the embodiment of the present case. The above-mentioned software module can be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, codes, program codes, programs, applications, software suites, threads, programs, functions, etc.

[0035] Generally speaking, the physical button 120 is used to trigger one or more preset original functions. Figure 2 For example, the physical button B1 and the physical button B2 can trigger the volume adjustment function, and the physical button B3 can trigger the lock function or the power-on function. It is worth noting that in an embodiment of the present invention, when the handheld electronic device 100 executes a specific application, the physical button 120 of the handheld electronic device 100 can be switched from the initial control mode to the application control mode, and the pressing event received in response to the user pressing the physical button 120 is mapped to a touch operation event. Therefore, when the user controls the application through the handheld electronic device 100, the application can respond to the touch operation event mapped by the pressing event and perform the corresponding operation according to the touch operation event. Therefore, the physical button 120 can be switched from triggering the original function to controlling the application, thereby increasing the functionality of the physical button 120 and improving the convenience of application operation.

[0036] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of a physical key operation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 as well as Figure 3 The method of this embodiment is applicable to the handheld electronic device 100 in the above embodiment. The following describes the detailed steps of the physical key operation method of this embodiment in conjunction with the various components in the handheld electronic device 100.

[0037] In step S310, when an application is executed, the processor 140 switches the physical button 120 from the initial control mode to the application program control mode. In different embodiments, the above-mentioned application may include a game application, a multimedia player application, a video application or other types of applications, which are not limited in this case. When the physical button 120 is operated in the initial control mode, the physical button 120 can trigger the original function, which is the default button function. When the physical button 120 is operated in the application program control mode, the physical button 120 can trigger the application program control function.

[0038] Furthermore, in some embodiments, when the physical button 120 operates in the initial control mode, the processor 140 may execute an original function according to the pressing event of the physical button 120. The original function is a preset button function of the physical button 120. In one embodiment, the original function may include a volume adjustment function, and correspondingly, the physical button 120 may include a volume adjustment key. When the processor 140 executes an application, the physical button 120 may switch from triggering a preset button function to triggering an application-controlled function.

[0039] In step S320, when the physical key 120 operates in the application control mode, the processor 140 intercepts the pressing event of the physical key 120. Specifically, when a pressing operation of pressing the physical key 120 is detected, the processor 140 may receive a pressing event of the physical key 120. In the embodiment of the present invention, when the physical key 120 operates in the application control mode, the processor 140 may intercept the pressing event of the physical key 120 to disable the preset key function corresponding to the physical key 120.

[0040] In step S330, the processor 140 maps the intercepted press event to a touch operation event. In detail, according to the operation mapping table predefined and recorded in the storage device 130, the processor 140 can map the intercepted press event to a touch operation event. The touch operation event may include touch position and touch gesture, etc. For example, the touch operation event may be a click operation at the screen position (X, Y). Alternatively, the touch operation event may be a sliding operation from the screen position (X1, Y1) to the screen position (X2, Y2). Alternatively, the touch operation event mapped by the press event may also include a drag operation or a multi-touch operation, etc.

[0041] In addition, in some embodiments, the intercepted pressing event can also be mapped to a plurality of touch operation events with a sequence. The mapping relationship between the pressing event and the touch operation can be set by the user and recorded in the operation mapping table in the storage device 130. In some embodiments, the handheld electronic device 100 can obtain the touch operation event mapped by the pressing event through the operation recording function (also known as the macro recording function or macro recording function). In this way, different operation requirements of different users can be met.

[0042] In step S340, the processor 140 controls the application program according to the touch operation event. Specifically, after mapping the intercepted press event to the touch operation event, the processor 140 can control the application program to perform the corresponding program operation according to the touch operation event and the program operation interface configuration of the application program. For example, the processor 140 can generate a game control instruction according to the touch operation event and the virtual button configuration of the game interface, so that the game program performs the corresponding game operation according to the game control instruction.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 4 In some embodiments, the processor 140 may execute the application manager A0, the application program A1, the operation mapping auxiliary modules A2 and A3 to implement Figure 3 The application manager A0 , the application program A1 , the operation mapping auxiliary module A2 and the input manager A3 may be software modules stored in the storage device 120 .

[0044] The input manager A3 can provide an input management service (IMS), which can be used to manage system input, such as touch screen input, keystroke, sensor input, etc. The input manager can obtain input events from input devices (such as physical buttons 120, touch screen 110 or other input devices) and distribute the input events to control targets.

[0045] In operation 41, the user sends an instruction to open application A1. In operation 42_1, application manager A0 starts application A1. In operation 42_2, application manager A0 sends a startup notification to operation mapping auxiliary module A2. In operation 43, operation mapping auxiliary module A2 controls input manager A3 to switch from original mode to application program control mode. In operation 44, when operating in application program control mode, input manager A3 intercepts the pressing event of physical key 120 and dispatches the pressing event of physical key 120 to operation mapping auxiliary module A2. In operation 45, operation mapping auxiliary module A2 maps the pressing event of physical key 120 to a touch operation event and transmits the touch operation event to input manager A3. Afterwards, application A1 can perform corresponding operations according to the touch operation event. In operation 46, the user sends an instruction to exit application A1. In operation 47_1, application manager A0 exits the application. In operation 47_2, application manager A0 sends an exit notification to operation mapping auxiliary module A2. In operation 48 , the mapping auxiliary module A2 controls the input manager A3 to switch to the original mode in response to the exit notification. In operation 49 , the input manager A3 stops intercepting the pressing events of the physical key 120 .

[0046] Figure 5 This is a flow chart of a physical key operation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 as well as Figure 5 The method of this embodiment is applicable to the handheld electronic device 100 in the above embodiment. The following describes the detailed steps of the physical key operation method of this embodiment in conjunction with the various components in the handheld electronic device 100.

[0047] In step S510, the processor 140 records an application list including at least one selected application. The setting of the selected application can be determined by the user. When executing the selected application in the application list, the physical button 120 can switch between the initial control mode and the application control mode.

[0048] In step S520, when the application is executed, the processor 140 switches the physical button 120 from the initial control mode to the application control mode. In some embodiments, step S520 can be implemented as steps S521 to S522.

[0049] In step S521, the processor 140 detects an application program executed in the foreground. When the application program is executed in the foreground, the processor 140 determines whether the application program executed in the foreground is included in the application program list.

[0050] If the judgment in step S521 is no, in step S530, when the application executed in the foreground is not included in the application list, the processor 140 maintains the physical key 120 in the initial control mode. Then, in step S540, when the physical key is operated in the initial control mode, the processor 140 executes the original function according to the pressing event of the physical key 120.

[0051] If the determination in step S521 is yes, in step S550 , when the application is included in the application list, the processor 140 switches the physical key 120 from the initial control mode to the application control mode. When the physical key 120 is operated in the application control mode, the processor 140 intercepts the pressing event of the physical key 120 .

[0052] In step S560, the processor 140 maps the intercepted pressing event into a touch operation event. In some embodiments, step S560 can be implemented as steps S561 to S563.

[0053] In step S561, the processor 140 determines whether the application is the first selected application or the second selected application in the application list. In step S562, when the application is the first selected application, the processor 140 maps the intercepted press event to the first touch operation event in the touch operation event according to the first operation mapping table of the first selected application. The first operation mapping table associated with the first selected application records the first touch operation event corresponding to each of the at least one physical button 120.

[0054] In step S563, when the application is the second selected application, the processor 140 maps the intercepted pressing event to a second touch operation event in the touch operation event according to the second operation mapping table of the second selected application. The second operation mapping table associated with the second selected application records the second touch operation event corresponding to each of at least one physical button 120. The first touch operation event and the second touch operation event corresponding to the physical button 120 may be the same or different.

[0055] That is, for different applications, the processor 140 can map the pressing event of the same physical button 120 to different touch operation events. For example, when the game program is executed in the foreground, the pressing event of the physical button 120 can correspond to the touch operation event for controlling the game (e.g., the touch operation event corresponding to the first touch position). When the multimedia player application is executed in the foreground, the pressing event of the physical button 120 can correspond to the touch operation event for controlling the multimedia player (e.g., the touch operation event corresponding to the second touch position).

[0056] In step S570 , the processor 140 controls the application program executed in the foreground according to the touch operation event.

[0057] Figure 6 This is a flow chart of a physical key operation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 as well as Figure 6 The method of this embodiment is applicable to the handheld electronic device 100 in the above embodiment.

[0058] In this embodiment, the handheld electronic device 100 may include a physical button 120 and another physical button. In some embodiments, the physical button 120 is one of a volume increase button and a volume decrease button, and the other physical button is the other of the volume increase button and the volume decrease button. The physical button 120 and the other physical button may have the original function of adjusting the volume. Figure 2 The physical button B1 and the physical button B2 are used as an example for explanation. The physical button B1 is a volume increase button, and the physical button B2 is a volume decrease button.

[0059] In step S602, when the application is executed, the processor 140 switches the physical key B1 from the initial control mode to the application control mode. In step S604, when the physical key B1 is operated in the application control mode, the processor 140 intercepts the pressing event of the physical key B1. In step S606, the processor 140 maps the intercepted pressing event to a touch operation event. The implementation details of steps S602 to S606 can refer to the description of the above embodiment.

[0060] In step S608, when the physical key B1 is operated in the application control mode, the processor 140 determines whether another pressing event of another physical key B2 is received. If the judgment in step S608 is no, in step S610, the processor 140 maintains the physical key B1 in the application control mode. In step S612, the processor 140 controls the application according to the touch operation event mapped to the pressing event of the physical key B1.

[0061] If the judgment in step S608 is yes, in step S614, when receiving another pressing event of another physical key B2, the processor 140 switches the physical key B1 from the application program control mode back to the initial control mode. In step S616, the processor 140 executes the original function according to the pressing event of the physical key B1 or another pressing event of another physical key B2. In other words, when the physical key B1 is operated in the application program control mode, the processor 140 can switch the physical key B1 back to trigger the original function in response to another physical key B2 being pressed.

[0062] In some embodiments, after the physical button B1 continues to operate in the initial control mode for a preset period of time in response to another physical button B2 being pressed, the processor 140 switches the physical button B1 from the initial control mode to the application control mode. The preset period of time can be set according to actual needs, and this case is not limited to this. The preset period of time is, for example, 5 seconds, but is not limited to this.

[0063] In this embodiment, in step S618, the processor 140 starts a preset timer and determines whether the preset timer has expired, that is, whether the preset timer has counted to a preset time length (e.g., n seconds). If the judgment in step S618 is yes, in step S620, the processor 140 switches the physical button B1 from the initial control mode to the application control mode, and then executes step S604.

[0064] In some embodiments, after the physical button B1 switches back to the initial control mode from the application control mode in response to another physical button B2 being pressed, the processor 140 restarts the preset timer each time it receives a press event of the physical button B1 or the physical button B2. After a period of time when no press event of the physical button B1 or the physical button B2 is received, the preset timer may continue to count until it expires, and the processor 140 may switch the physical button B1 from the initial control mode to the application control mode.

[0065] In order to explain the present invention more clearly, the following description is made by taking pressing the volume down key B2 and the volume up key B1 during the game as an example. Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the exemplary implementation, when a game application is executed, the triggering function of the volume up key B1 can be switched between the original function and the application controlled function.

[0066] Please refer to Figure 7 In this embodiment, when the processor 140 executes a game application, the volume increase key B1 can be switched from the initial control mode (i.e., volume adjustment mode) to the application control mode (i.e., game control mode). When the volume increase key B1 is operated in the application control mode and the volume reduction key B2 is pressed by the user, in operation 71, the input manager A3 receives a pressing event of the volume reduction key B2. In operation 72, in response to the pressing event of the volume reduction key B2, the input manager A3 switches from the application control mode to the initial control mode. In operation 73, the input manager A3 dispatches the pressing event of the volume reduction key B2 to the volume manager A4, so that the volume manager A4 lowers the volume. In operation 74, when the volume adjustment is completed, the volume manager A4 can notify the input manager A3. In operation 75, the input manager A3 can switch from the initial control mode to the application control mode in response to the notification of the volume manager A4.

[0067] That is, when the user is playing a game with the handheld electronic device 100, the user can directly press the volume down key B2 to reduce the volume. Alternatively, when the user is playing a game with the handheld electronic device 100, the user can first press the volume down key B2 to switch the volume up key B1 to the initial control mode, and then press the volume up key B1 to increase the volume.

[0068] On the other hand, please refer to Figure 8 In this embodiment, when the processor 140 executes a game application, the volume up key B1 can be switched from the initial control mode to the application control mode. When the volume up key B1 is operated in the application control mode and the volume up key B1 is pressed by the user, in operation 81, the input manager A3 receives a pressing event of the volume up key B1. As described above, the volume up key B1 can switch modes in response to the volume down key B2 being pressed, or it can remain in the application control mode without receiving a pressing event of the volume down key B2. Therefore, in operation 82, the input manager A3 determines whether it is currently operating in the volume adjustment mode (i.e., the initial control mode).

[0069] In operation 82a, when the input manager A3 determines that the current operation is in the volume adjustment mode, the input manager A3 dispatches the pressing event of the volume increase key B1 to the volume manager A4, so that the volume manager A4 increases the volume. Then, in operation 83a, when the volume adjustment is completed, the volume manager A4 may notify the input manager A3. In operation 84, the input manager A3 may react to the notification of the volume manager A4 and exit the volume adjustment mode from the initial control mode and switch to the application control mode.

[0070] In operation 82b, when the input manager A3 determines that the volume adjustment mode is not currently being operated, the input manager A3 intercepts the pressing event of the volume increase key B1 and dispatches the pressing event of the volume increase key B1 to the operation mapping auxiliary module A2, so that the operation mapping auxiliary module A2 maps the pressing event of the volume increase key B1 to a touch operation event. In operation 83b, the operation mapping auxiliary module A2 transmits the touch operation event to the input manager A3. Afterwards, the game application can perform corresponding operations according to the touch operation event dispatched by the input manager A3.

[0071] Please refer to Fig. 9When the handheld electronic device 100 executes a game application, the volume increase key B1 of the handheld electronic device 100 can switch from the volume adjustment mode (i.e., the initial control mode) to the game control mode (i.e., the application control mode). Therefore, when the user uses the handheld electronic device 100 to play a game, the user's finger F1 can issue a game control instruction to the game application by pressing the volume increase key B1. For example, the pressing event of the user pressing the volume increase key B1 can be mapped to a touch operation event of clicking the virtual key V1. Based on this, when the game player holds the handheld electronic device 100 to play a game, in addition to the thumb located on the touch screen 110 being able to click the virtual key V2, the finger F1 (such as the index finger) supporting the handheld electronic device 100 can also perform game operations by pressing the volume increase key B1.

[0072] In summary, in the present embodiment, when executing an application, the physical button of the handheld electronic device can be switched between the initial control mode and the application program control mode. Therefore, the user can press the physical button to control the application to perform the corresponding operation, which can increase the functionality of the physical button and improve the convenience of operation. In the game scenario, since the game player using the handheld electronic device can play the game through more fingers, the flexibility and fun of the game control are greatly improved.

[0073] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A physical key operation method, applicable to a handheld electronic device including physical keys, characterized in that: The method comprises: When the application is executed, the physical button is switched from the initial control mode to the application program control mode; When the physical key is operated in the application control mode, intercepting a pressing event of the physical key; Mapping the intercepted pressing event into a touch operation event; and The application is controlled according to the touch operation event.

2. The physical key operation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When the physical key is operated in the initial control mode, an original function is executed according to the pressing event of the physical key.

3. The physical key operation method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The original function includes a volume adjustment function, and the physical button includes a volume adjustment button.

4. The physical key operation method according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the application is executed, the step of switching the physical key from the initial control mode to the application control mode includes: detecting the application executing in the foreground; When the application is executed in the foreground, determining whether the application is included in an application list; and When the application is included in the application list, the physical button is switched from the initial control mode to the application control mode.

5. The physical key operation method according to claim 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the application is not included in the application list, the physical button is maintained in the initial control mode.

6. The physical key operation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of mapping the intercepted pressing event to the touch operation event comprises: When the application is a first selected application, mapping the intercepted press event to a first touch operation event among the touch operation events according to a first operation mapping table of the first selected application; and When the application is a second selected application, the intercepted press event is mapped to a second touch operation event in the touch operation events according to a second operation mapping table of the second selected application.

7. The physical key operation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The handheld electronic device further includes another physical button, and the method further includes: When the physical button is operated in the application control mode, determining whether another pressing event of the other physical button is received; and When receiving the another pressing event of the another physical key, the physical key is switched from the application control mode back to the initial control mode.

8. The physical key operation method according to claim 7, characterized in that: After receiving the another pressing event of the another physical key and switching the physical key from the application control mode back to the initial control mode, the method further includes: An original function is executed according to the pressing event of the physical key or the another pressing event of the another physical key.

9. The physical key operation method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The physical button is one of a volume increase button and a volume decrease button, the other physical button is the other of the volume increase button and the volume decrease button, and the original function is a volume adjustment function.

10. The physical key operation method according to claim 7, characterized in that: After receiving the another pressing event of the another physical key and switching the physical key from the application control mode back to the initial control mode, the method further includes: After continuously operating in the initial control mode for a preset period of time, the physical button is switched from the initial control mode to the application control mode.

11. A handheld electronic device, characterized in that: include: Physical buttons; A storage device for recording a plurality of modules; A processor is coupled to the physical key and the storage device, executes the module and is configured to: When the application is executed, the physical button is switched from the initial control mode to the application program control mode; When the physical key is operated in the application control mode, intercepting a pressing event of the physical key; Mapping the intercepted pressing event into a touch operation event; as well as The application is controlled according to the touch operation event.

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