Electronic apparatus, setting changing method therefor, and program

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus, a setting changing method therefor, and a program that can easily adjust setting desired by a user.SOLUTION: An electronic apparatus includes: a distance measurement sensor that can measure a distance between a target object and an own apparatus; determination means that determines change target setting corresponding to display contents displayed on a display unit from a plurality of settings that can be changed regarding operation of the own apparatus; and setting control means that changes setting contents of change target setting determined by the determination means according to the distance between the target object and the own apparatus measured by the distance sensor or an amount of change in the distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, a method for changing settings of an electronic device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, some electronic devices equipped with a display unit are capable of adjusting the brightness of the display on the display unit and the size of the characters displayed in response to user operations on operation keys, a touch panel, etc. However, many users find it troublesome to perform these operations every time they make such adjustments.

[0003] In response to this, a technology has been proposed in which an electronic device is equipped with a distance measuring sensor that can measure the distance between the user of the electronic device and the device itself, and the brightness and character size of the display on the display unit are automatically adjusted according to the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-098991 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-258603 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, depending on the content displayed on the display unit, the user may not want to adjust the brightness or character size, and therefore, if the brightness or character size is adjusted uniformly according to the distance measured by the distance sensor, unintended adjustments may be made, which may be bothersome. Furthermore, depending on the content displayed on the display unit, the user may wish to adjust settings other than brightness and character size, but in this case, operation of operation keys, a touch panel, etc. is still required to adjust the settings. As described above, the conventional technology has a problem in that it is not possible for the user to easily adjust the settings that he or she desires.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device, a setting change method for an electronic device, and a program that allow a user to easily adjust settings as desired. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the electronic device according to the present invention comprises: a distance measuring sensor capable of measuring the distance between a target object and the device itself; a determination means for determining, from among a plurality of changeable settings relating to the operation of the device itself, a setting to be changed that corresponds to the display content displayed on the display unit; a setting control means for changing the setting content of the setting to be changed determined by the determination means in accordance with the distance between the target object and the device itself measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a setting change method for an electronic device according to the present invention includes: 1. A method for changing settings of an electronic device equipped with a distance measuring sensor capable of measuring a distance between a target object and the electronic device, the method comprising: determining a setting to be changed that corresponds to the display content displayed on the display unit from among a plurality of changeable settings related to the operation of the electronic device; changing the determined setting content of the setting to be changed in accordance with the distance between the target object and the electronic device measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance; It is characterized by:

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the program according to the present invention comprises: A computer provided in an electronic device having a distance measuring sensor capable of measuring the distance between a target object and the device itself, a determination means for determining a setting to be changed corresponding to the display content displayed on the display unit from among a plurality of changeable settings related to the operation of the electronic device; a setting control means for changing the setting content of the setting to be changed determined by the determination means in accordance with the distance between the target object and the electronic device measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance; The present invention is characterized in that it functions as a [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the user can easily adjust the settings he or she desires. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of an electronic device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the function of a distance measurement sensor. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the electronic device. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of operation setting data. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a priority setting table. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for selecting a setting to be changed. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating gesture setting operations when the setting to be changed is "character size." [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating gesture setting operations when the setting to be changed is "screen brightness." [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating gesture setting operations when the setting to be changed is "volume adjustment." [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating gesture setting operations when the setting to be changed is "line spacing adjustment." [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating gesture setting operations when the setting to be changed is "audio playback speed." [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating gesture setting operations when the setting to be changed is "number of repetitions." [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating gesture setting operations when the setting to be changed is "icon size." [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure by a CPU in a setting change process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] <Electronic device configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the external configuration of electronic device 100. As shown in FIG. The electronic device 100 of this embodiment is an electronic dictionary that can display information related to the contents of various dictionaries (hereinafter referred to as "dictionary content") and various learning contents such as vocabulary learning and English conversation (hereinafter referred to as "learning content") in response to user operations.

[0014] Electronic device 100 includes body case 101, cover case 102, and hinge 103 connecting body case 101 and cover case 102. Cover case 102 is rotatable relative to body case 101 around hinge 103. Body case 101, cover case 102, and hinge 103 form a foldable case that can be opened and closed by rotating cover case 102. Figure 1 shows electronic device 100 with this foldable case opened.

[0015] On the surface of main body case 101 facing lid case 102, there are provided key input unit 14 having a plurality of operation keys (hardware keys), voice input unit 17 (voice input means) having a microphone, voice output unit 18 (voice output means) having a speaker, etc. Key input unit 14 has operation keys such as home key 14a, content specification key 14b, character input keys 14c, and function keys 14d. When the user presses any of the operation keys, a process corresponding to the pressed operation key is executed.

[0016] More specifically, the home key 14a is an operation key for displaying a predetermined home screen (not shown) on the display unit 15.

[0017] The content specification keys 14b are operation keys for specifying content such as a dictionary displayed on each operation key and displaying the details of that content on the display unit 15. For example, by pressing the "English-Japanese 1 / English-Japanese 2" operation key, the content of the pre-set English-Japanese dictionary 1 or English-Japanese dictionary 2, or a menu screen for displaying that content, is displayed on the display unit 15.

[0018] The character input keys 14c are operation keys for inputting characters. The character input keys 14c are used, for example, when inputting a character string representing a desired entry word (such as a word or phrase) in dictionary content in order to display the entry word. FIG. 1 illustrates a state in which, after the content designation key 14b is used to display "English-Japanese Dictionary 1," the character "something" is input using the character input keys 14c, and the translation of the entry word "something" is displayed on the display unit 15. The character input keys 14c also include a delete key 14c1 for deleting input characters, and a shift key 14c2 for shifting the function of the operation keys.

[0019] The function keys 14d are operation keys for executing various functions. The function keys 14d include a direction key 141 for specifying a direction, a decision key 142 for performing a decision operation, a back key 143 for undoing a previous operation, a playback key 144 for playing back audio of the dictionary content, a gesture setting key 145 for performing a gesture setting operation using the distance measuring sensor 16 (described later), a jump key 146 for jumping to a specified position in the content (transitioning the display), a history key 147 for calling up past display history, and page forward keys 148 and 149 for transitioning to the previous or next page in the dictionary content. Each operation key of the function keys 14d may be configured to execute a different function when pressed immediately after pressing the shift key 14c2 of the character input keys 14c.

[0020] The voice input unit 17 has a microphone that detects input voice. The electronic device 100 is equipped with a "listening and comparison function" that records the voice spoken by the user and allows the user to compare the voice with a voice spoken by a pre-registered native speaker. The voice input unit 17 detects the user's voice using this listening and comparison function, converts it into voice data, and outputs it.

[0021] Audio output unit 18 has a speaker that outputs audio. Audio output unit 18 outputs the pronunciation of the headword when playback key 144 is pressed, when the above-mentioned listening and comparison function is executed, and in the listening mode of the study content.

[0022] A display unit 15 is provided on the surface of the cover case 102 that faces the main body case 101. Display unit 15 has a liquid crystal display 151 (see FIG. 3) capable of displaying color or monochrome images, and a transparent touch panel 152 (see FIG. 3) provided overlaid on the display screen of liquid crystal display 151. When a user touches the display screen with a pen, a finger, or the like, the touched position is detected by touch panel 152, and processing according to the detected position is executed. Display unit 15 may also display software buttons that can be operated using touch panel 152. It is also possible to omit touch panel 152 and configure the device to accept user operations only through key input unit 14. Furthermore, instead of liquid crystal display 151, other display devices such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display may be used.

[0023] Furthermore, on the surface of the cover case 102 facing the main body case 101, a distance measurement sensor 16 is provided in the bezel portion above the display unit 15 (opposite the hinge portion 103 side of the display unit 15).

[0024] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the function of the distance measurement sensor 16. As shown in FIG. The distance measurement sensor 16 measures the distance (distances D1 to D3 in the example shown in FIG. 2 ) between a target object such as a user's hand H and a portion of the electronic device 100 (the device itself) where the distance measurement sensor 16 is provided, and outputs data related to the measurement result. The target object is not limited to the hand H, but in this embodiment, a case where the target object is the hand H will be described as an example. The distance measurement sensor 16 includes, for example, a light-emitting unit that emits a pulsed infrared laser and a light-receiving unit that detects the infrared laser reflected by the surface of the hand H, and measures the distance to the hand H based on the time between when the light-emitting unit emits the infrared laser and when the light-receiving unit detects the infrared laser. The distance measurement sensor 16 can measure a distance of approximately 50 cm from the electronic device 100 with a resolution of several mm to 1 cm. Furthermore, by repeatedly performing light emission by the light-emitting unit and detection by the light-receiving unit at high speed, the distance can be measured at a frequency of approximately 50 Hz. This allows the distance measurement sensor 16 to measure the position of the hand H in real time. Therefore, the change in the distance between the hand H and the electronic device 100 (amount of change ΔD) can also be measured. The configuration of the distance measuring sensor 16 is not limited to the one described above, and any configuration may be used as long as it is capable of measuring the distance to a target object such as the hand H.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the electronic device 100. As shown in FIG. The electronic device 100 includes a CPU 11 (Central Processing Unit), a RAM 12 (Random Access Memory), a storage unit 13, a key input unit 14, a display unit 15 having a liquid crystal display 151 and a touch panel 152, a distance measurement sensor 16, an audio input unit 17, an audio output unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a bus 20. The components of the electronic device 100 are connected to each other via the bus 20.

[0026] The CPU 11 is a processor (processing unit) that controls the operation of the electronic device 100 by reading and executing a program 131 stored in the storage unit 13 and performing various arithmetic processing. The electronic device 100 may have multiple processors (e.g., multiple CPUs), and the multiple processes performed by the CPU 11 of the present embodiment may be executed by the multiple processors. In this case, the processing unit is configured by the multiple processors. In this case, the multiple processors may be involved in a common process, or the multiple processors may independently execute different processes in parallel. The CPU 11 functions as a "determination means," a "setting control means," a "priority setting change means," and a "display control means" by executing various processes in accordance with the program 131.

[0027] The RAM 12 provides a working memory space for the CPU 11 and stores temporary data.

[0028] The storage unit 13 is a non-transitory recording medium readable by the CPU 11 as a computer, and stores the program 131 and various data. The storage unit 13 includes a non-volatile memory such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The program 131 is stored in the storage unit 13 in the form of a computer-readable program code.

[0029] The data stored in the storage unit 13 includes content data 132, operation setting data 133, a priority setting table 134, and the like. Of these, the content data 132 includes data related to dictionary content such as a Japanese dictionary, an English-Japanese dictionary, and a Japanese-English dictionary, as well as various learning content, etc. Headwords of various dictionaries and explanatory information such as their corresponding translations, meanings, examples, and explanations are stored in this content data 132, and are referenced in response to user operations and displayed on the display unit 15.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the operation setting data 133. As shown in FIG. The operation setting data 133 stores setting contents (setting values) of a plurality of settings related to the operation of the electronic device 100. The setting contents of each setting can be changed by a gesture setting operation using the distance measuring sensor 16, which will be described later. Note that the settings included in the operation setting data 133 shown in FIG. 4 are merely examples, and are not limited to these.

[0031] The operation setting data 133 includes settings relating to display on the display unit 15, such as "character size," "screen brightness," "line spacing adjustment," "icon size," "scroll amount," and "wallpaper type." "Character size" is a setting (display size setting) related to the size of characters (font size) displayed on the display unit 15 when dictionary content is displayed, etc. The larger the setting value of "character size," the larger the displayed characters will be. "Screen brightness" is a setting (brightness setting) related to the brightness (luminance) of the display on the display unit 15. The higher the set value of "screen brightness", the higher the brightness of the display. The brightness of the display on the display unit 15 is changed by increasing or decreasing the magnitude of the drive current supplied to the light source (such as an LED) that constitutes the backlight of the liquid crystal display 151. "Line spacing adjustment" is a setting (line spacing setting) related to the size of the space between lines of characters (the space between adjacent character strings) displayed on the display unit 15 when displaying dictionary content, etc. The larger the setting value of "line spacing adjustment," the larger the line spacing becomes. "Icon size" is a setting related to the size of the icons (images) or the spacing between icons displayed on various menu screens (see FIG. 13) or a home screen (not shown). The larger the "icon size" setting, the larger the icons or the spacing between icons. The "scrolling amount" is a setting related to the amount of scrolling (amount of movement of the display) in response to one press of the direction key 141 when scrolling the display in response to an operation on the direction key 141. The larger the set value of the "scrolling amount", the larger the amount of scrolling in response to one press of the direction key 141. "Wallpaper type" is a setting that specifies the type of image (wallpaper) to be displayed in the background of the main display object such as an icon on the menu screen, home screen, or the like.

[0032] The operation setting data 133 also includes settings relating to audio, such as "volume adjustment," "audio playback speed," "number of repetitions," and "microphone sensitivity." "Volume adjustment" is a setting (volume setting) related to the volume of the audio output by audio output unit 18, such as the audio played in response to pressing play key 144 or the audio played in listening mode for study content. The higher the setting value for "volume adjustment," the louder the volume of the audio output. "Audio playback speed" is a setting (playback speed setting) related to the playback speed of audio by the audio output unit 18. The larger the setting value of "audio playback speed", the faster the playback speed becomes. The "number of repetitions" is a setting (repetition setting) relating to the number of times the audio output unit 18 will repeat playing back the audio in response to a single playback instruction, such as pressing the playback key 144. The larger the set value of the "number of repetitions," the greater the number of times the audio will repeat playing back in response to a single playback instruction. "Microphone sensitivity" is a setting related to the sensitivity of the microphone of the audio input unit 17 to detect audio. The larger the set value of "microphone sensitivity", the higher the sensitivity of the microphone of the audio input unit 17 to detect audio.

[0033] The operation setting data 133 also includes other settings such as "number of dictionaries to be searched," "line thickness," "line color," "eraser size," and "auto power-off time." The "number of dictionaries to be searched" is a setting related to the number of dictionaries to be searched in the multiple dictionary search function. Here, the multiple dictionary search function is a function that searches for a single headword in multiple dictionaries at once in response to the input of that headword. The number of dictionaries set in the "number of dictionaries to be searched" is the number of dictionaries to be searched in the multiple dictionary search function. If the number of dictionaries to be searched is too large, the search results will include a large number of the specified headword (as many as the number of dictionaries that include that headword), which can be cumbersome as it requires scrolling the screen to check the headwords before and after the headword. Also, if the number of dictionaries to be searched is too small, the desired dictionary may not be searched, which can be inconvenient. Therefore, by adjusting the "number of dictionaries to be searched," the user can search the number of dictionaries desired. "Line thickness" is a setting related to the thickness of lines drawn in handwriting mode. Handwriting mode is a mode that accepts input of handwritten characters, figures, etc. via touch panel 152, and allows users to input and search for headwords using handwritten characters, or to create handwritten notes and register them in memory unit 13. The larger the "line thickness" setting value, the thicker the lines drawn in handwriting mode. "Line color" is a setting related to the color of the lines drawn in the handwriting mode. In the handwriting mode, lines are drawn in the color set in "Line color." "Eraser size" is a setting related to the size (thickness) of the eraser icon when erasing lines drawn by moving the eraser icon on the screen in handwriting mode. The larger the "Eraser size" setting, the larger the eraser icon becomes, and a wider area is erased at once. "Automatic power-off time" is a setting related to the waiting time from the last operation on the electronic device 100 until the automatic power-off function (or sleep function) is executed.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the priority setting table 134. As shown in FIG. In the priority setting table 134, four of the 15 settings shown in the operation setting data 133 of FIG. 3 are stored as priority settings S1 to S4, associated with each display content displayed on the display unit 15. Here, the priority settings S1 to S4 are settings that are given priority as settings to be changed in a gesture setting operation, which will be described later. In addition, a priority order is set for the four priority settings S1 to S4, with "priority setting S1" having the highest priority, followed by "priority setting S2," "priority setting S3," and "priority setting S4." Note that the number of priority settings associated with each display content is not limited to four, and may be three or less, or five or more.

[0035] The priority setting table 134 includes "Main text data display screen," "Audio playback (listening)," "Home / menu screen," "Search result list," "Compare listening function in use," and "Handwritten input in use" as types of display content on the display unit 15. Note that priority settings S1 to S4 may be further associated with display content other than these.

[0036] As shown in Figure 1, the "main text data display screen" displays dictionary content headwords and their corresponding translations, meanings, examples, explanations, and other explanatory information. The "main text data display screen" also includes a display primarily of characters and sentences from various learning content. The "main text data display screen" is primarily associated with settings related to the display of characters as priority settings. Specifically, the following settings are associated with the screen in descending order of priority: "character size," "screen brightness," "volume adjustment," and "line spacing adjustment."

[0037] "Audio playback (listening)" is the state in which listening (audio output) is taking place in various learning content, etc. "Audio playback (listening)" is associated with settings primarily related to audio as priority settings. Specifically, "volume adjustment," "audio playback speed," "text size," and "number of repetitions" are associated with priority settings in descending order of priority.

[0038] The "Home / Menu Screen" is a home screen or menu screen that displays menus and icons for selecting functions and dictionary content to be used. An example of a menu screen is shown in FIG. 13. Settings related mainly to display are associated with the "Home / Menu Screen" as priority settings. Specifically, the following are associated as priority settings in descending order of priority: "Screen Brightness," "Icon Size," "Auto Power Off Time," and "Wallpaper Type."

[0039] The "search result list" is a state in which search results for headwords, etc. in dictionary content are displayed in a list. The state in which search results from the above-mentioned multiple dictionary search function are displayed also corresponds to the "search result list." Display settings and the number of dictionaries to be searched are associated with the "search result list" as priority settings. Specifically, "character size," "screen brightness," "scroll amount," and "number of dictionaries to be searched" are associated as priority settings in descending order of priority.

[0040] "Compare listening function in use" is a state in which the above-mentioned comparison function is being executed. "Compare listening function in use" is associated with settings related mainly to audio as priority settings. Specifically, "volume adjustment," "audio playback speed," "microphone sensitivity," and "screen brightness" are associated with the settings in descending order of priority.

[0041] "Inputting handwriting" is a state in which handwritten characters, figures, etc. can be input using the handwriting mode described above. "Inputting handwriting" is associated with settings related to the handwriting mode as priority settings. Specifically, "line thickness," "line color," "eraser size," and "screen brightness" are associated with the settings in descending order of priority.

[0042] In this way, the combinations of priority settings S1 to S4 differ for each type of display content on the display unit 15. However, it is sufficient that the combination of priority settings S1 to S4 associated with a certain display content differs from the combination of priority settings S1 to S4 associated with any other display content, and the priority settings S1 to S4 associated with some display content may be common. Also, a case where the combination of priority settings S1 to S4 is the same between a certain display content and another display content, but only the priority order is different, is also included in the case where the associated priority settings are different from each other.

[0043] The four priority settings S1 to S4 associated with each display content are merely examples, and are not limited to those shown in FIG. Furthermore, the priority settings S1 to S4 associated with each display content may be changeable in response to a user operation. Here, changing the priority settings S1 to S4 includes switching between priority settings and changing the order of priority. Furthermore, the number of priority settings may be changeable in response to a user operation. In other words, the number of priority settings associated with each display content may be increased or decreased.

[0044] Returning to FIG. 3, the key input unit 14 includes the various operation keys shown in FIG. 1, and outputs operation information to the CPU 11 in response to an input operation of pressing an operation key.

[0045] The display unit 15 performs display on the liquid crystal display 151 in accordance with the control signal and image data transmitted from the CPU 11. The display unit 15 also detects a touch operation on the touch panel 152, and outputs operation information indicating the position where the touch operation was detected to the CPU 11.

[0046] The distance measurement sensor 16 starts measuring the distance to the hand H (target object) in accordance with a control signal transmitted from the CPU 11, and outputs data related to the measurement result to the CPU 11. In detail, when the hand H is within the distance measurement range (in this embodiment, within the irradiation range of the infrared laser and within a distance of 50 cm from the installation position of the distance measurement sensor 16 in the electronic device 100), the distance measurement sensor 16 outputs data representing the distance measurement value, and when the hand H is not within the measurement target range, it outputs data indicating that the distance cannot be measured.

[0047] The audio input unit 17 starts detecting audio using a microphone in accordance with a control signal sent from the CPU 11, converts the detected audio into audio data, and outputs it to the CPU 11.

[0048] In accordance with the audio data and control signals transmitted from the CPU 11, the audio output unit 18 converts the audio data into audio and outputs the audio.

[0049] The communication unit 19 is configured by a network card, a communication module, or the like, and transmits and receives data to and from external devices in accordance with a predetermined communication standard.

[0050] <Electronic device operation> Next, the operation of the electronic device 100 will be described, focusing on the gesture setting operation using the distance measurement sensor 16.

[0051] In the electronic device 100 of this embodiment, a gesture setting operation is started in response to pressing of the gesture setting key 145. In the gesture setting operation, the user holds the hand H in a position facing the distance measurement sensor 16 of the electronic device 100 (hereinafter referred to as "in front of the distance measurement sensor 16") as shown in Fig. 2, and by moving the position of the hand H closer to or farther away from the distance measurement sensor 16, the user can change any of the setting contents of the multiple settings in the operation setting data 133 in response to a change in the position of the hand H (the position after the change, or the amount of change in the position). The object held in front of the distance measurement sensor 16 is not limited to the hand H, and may be another part of the user's body, a light shield held by the user, or the like.

[0052] When the gesture setting key 145 is pressed, the distance measuring sensor 16 starts measuring the distance between the electronic device 100 and the hand H. Specifically, after the measurement starts, when the user holds the hand H in front of the distance measuring sensor 16, the distance between the hand H and the electronic device 100 measured at that time is recorded as the initial distance. Thereafter, the distance between the hand H and the electronic device 100 is measured in real time. Furthermore, when the user's hand H performs a predetermined end gesture, the measurement by the distance measuring sensor 16 ends, and the last measured distance between the hand H and the electronic device 100 is recorded as the final distance. Then, the change content of the change target setting is changed according to the change amount ΔD of the distance from the initial distance to the final distance. For example, in FIG. 2, if the initial distance in the gesture setting operation is distance D2 and the final distance is distance D1, the change amount ΔD = D1 - D2. In FIG. 2, D2 > D1, so the change amount ΔD in this case is a negative value. Determining whether or not an end gesture has been made with the user's hand H corresponds to "determining whether or not the movement of the reference object satisfies a predetermined end condition." In this embodiment, if the amount of change in distance ΔD is equal to or greater than a threshold Dth, the change content of the setting to be changed is changed in accordance with the amount of change ΔD, and if the amount of change in distance ΔD is less than the threshold Dth, the setting content is maintained without being changed. However, the threshold Dth may not be set and the setting content may simply be changed in accordance with the amount of change in distance ΔD. The changed settings are reflected in the operation setting data 133.

[0053] The above-mentioned termination gesture may be, for example, a gesture of keeping the hand H still for a predetermined reference period or longer. Here, the gesture of keeping the hand H still may be, for example, a gesture of keeping the hand H still so that the amount of change in the distance between the hand H and the electronic device 100 during the reference period is equal to or less than a predetermined upper limit. Alternatively, the end gesture may be a gesture of moving the hand H out of the range of distance measurement by the distance measuring sensor 16. Alternatively, when a hand H is held in front of the distance measurement sensor 16 and a predetermined operation key is pressed with the opposite hand, it may be determined that an end gesture has been made.

[0054] It should be noted that the change content of the change target setting may be changed in accordance with the final distance itself, instead of the amount of change ΔD in distance from the initial distance to the final distance. Furthermore, the distance measurement range may be limited to a certain value or less (for example, 20 cm or less) so that the distance to an unintended target object other than the hand H (for example, the user's body or face) is not measured. In addition, momentary changes in the distance measurement value may be ignored so that movements of the hand H that are not intended to change the settings, such as movements of the hand H crossing in front of the distance sensor 16, are less likely to be reflected in the setting changes.

[0055] The setting to be changed, the setting content of which is changed by the gesture setting operation, is indicated by a setting icon 31 (indicator) (see FIG. 1) on the display screen of the display unit 15. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the setting to be changed is "character size." Therefore, when the gesture setting operation is performed in the state shown in FIG. 1, the setting content (setting value) of "character size" is changed according to the measurement result of the amount of change in distance ΔD. Note that the indicator representing the setting to be changed is not limited to the setting icon 31 to be changed, and may be any indicator that allows the user to recognize the setting to be changed.

[0056] The setting to be changed can be selected by repeatedly pressing the gesture setting key 145. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a method for selecting a setting to be changed. As shown in Fig. 6, each time the gesture setting key 145 is pressed in the state shown in Fig. 1, the displayed change target setting icon 31 (and the change target setting) changes in a cyclical manner in the order of "character size," "screen brightness," "volume adjustment," and "line spacing adjustment." This allows the change target setting to be selected.

[0057] Specifically, when the gesture setting key 145 is pressed only once from the state shown in FIG. 1, the change target setting icon 31 is not changed, and the gesture setting operation is started with the "character size" of the priority setting S1 represented by the change target setting icon 31 at that time as the change target setting. Furthermore, if the gesture setting key 145 is pressed twice consecutively from the state shown in FIG. 1, the change target setting icon 31 switches to the priority setting S2, "Screen Brightness," and the gesture setting operation is started with "Screen Brightness" as the change target setting. Furthermore, if the gesture setting key 145 is pressed three times in succession from the state shown in FIG. 1, the change target setting icon 31 switches to the priority setting S3, "Volume adjustment," and the gesture setting operation is started with "Volume adjustment" as the change target setting. Furthermore, if the gesture setting key 145 is pressed four times consecutively from the state shown in FIG. 1, the change target setting icon 31 switches to the priority setting S4, "Line spacing adjustment," and the gesture setting operation is started with "Line spacing adjustment" as the change target setting. When the gesture setting key 145 is pressed five or more times in succession, the settings to be changed are cycled through in the order shown in FIG.

[0058] The contents of the four change target setting icons 31 that are cyclically displayed in response to pressing of the gesture setting key 145 correspond to the priority settings S1 to S4 set in the priority setting table 134 of Fig. 5. Therefore, the change target setting icons 31 that are cyclically displayed are determined based on the priority setting table 134 of Fig. 5 in accordance with the display content that is displayed on the display unit 15 at that time. In other words, the change target setting is determined from four predetermined priority settings S1 to S4 that are associated with the display content that is displayed on the display unit 15.

[0059] 1, when the display content is "Main text data display screen," as described above, the change target setting icons 31 for "Character size," "Screen brightness," "Volume adjustment," and "Line spacing adjustment" corresponding to "Main text data display screen" are displayed in a cyclical manner based on the priority setting table 134. Also, when the display content is "Audio playback (listening)," the change target setting icons 31 for "Volume adjustment," "Audio playback speed," "Character size," and "Number of repetitions" corresponding to "Audio playback (listening)" are displayed in a cyclical manner based on the priority setting table 134. The same applies to other display contents.

[0060] An operation of pressing the gesture setting key 145 two or more times in succession corresponds to a user operation of changing the setting to be changed. If the user operation of changing the setting to be changed is not performed, that is, if the gesture setting key 145 is pressed only once, the gesture setting operation is started with the priority setting S1 ("character size" in FIGS. 1 and 6) having the highest priority among the four priority settings S1 to S4 as the setting to be changed.

[0061] It is also possible to select settings other than the priority settings S1 to S4 as settings to be changed by the gesture setting operation. For example, by pressing and holding the gesture setting key 145, all settings of the operation setting data 133 shown in Fig. 4 are displayed, and one setting selected from the displayed settings may be set as the target setting.

[0062] Hereinafter, the gesture setting operation will be specifically described with reference to a display example on the display unit 15.

[0063] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a gesture setting operation when the setting to be changed is "character size." 7, dictionary content (such as the entry word "something" and its translation) is displayed on display unit 15. Therefore, the type of display content on display unit 15 is a "main text data display screen," and the priority settings S1 to S4 associated in priority setting table 134 are "character size," "screen brightness," "volume adjustment," and "line spacing adjustment." In the state of FIG. 7, the change target setting icon 31 for "character size," which is priority setting S1, is displayed, and the setting to be changed is "character size."

[0064] In this state, the gesture setting operation is started, and when the hand H held in front of the distance measurement sensor 16 is moved closer to or farther away from the distance measurement sensor 16, the display screen of the display unit 15 changes in real time as shown in screens 15a to 15c in accordance with the movement of the hand H. That is, the smaller the measured value of the distance between the hand H and the electronic device 100 (hereinafter referred to as the "measured distance"), the larger the characters displayed, as shown on screen 15a, and the larger the measured distance, the smaller the characters displayed, as shown on screen 15c. When the measured distance is approximately midway between screens 15a and 15c, the size of the characters displayed will be approximately intermediate, as shown on screen 15b.

[0065] In this way, by moving the hand H in a direction that shortens the measurement distance, the setting value of "character size" can be increased, and by moving the hand H in a direction that lengthens the measurement distance, the setting value of "character size" can be decreased. The size of the characters displayed on the display unit 15 at each point during the gesture setting operation corresponds to the setting value of "character size" that would be set if the gesture setting operation had ended at that point. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the setting value of "character size" can be changed in 100 steps from "1" to "100," which is significantly more than the number of changeable steps of setting values ​​in ordinary electronic dictionaries (approximately 3 to 5). This allows the user to perceive the character size as if it were adjustable in a continuous manner (i.e., as a continuous value, in an analog manner).

[0066] By performing the above-described end gesture when the characters displayed on display unit 15 have reached the desired size, the setting content of "character size" is determined to the setting value corresponding to the size displayed at that time, and is reflected in operation setting data 133. By performing this series of gesture setting operations, the setting content of "character size" can be changed so that the characters displayed on display unit 15 are enlarged or reduced.

[0067] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a gesture setting operation when the setting to be changed is "screen brightness." By starting the gesture setting operation with the change target setting icon 31 switched to "Screen Brightness" and moving the hand H closer to or farther away from the distance measurement sensor 16, the display screen of the display unit 15 changes in real time, as shown in screens 15d and 15e. That is, by moving the hand H in a direction that decreases the measured distance, the "Screen Brightness" setting value is increased, and the display brightness can be increased, as shown in screen 15d. By moving the hand H in a direction that increases the measured distance, the "Screen Brightness" setting value is decreased, and the display brightness can be decreased, as shown in screen 15e. As shown in FIG. 4, the "Screen Brightness" setting value can also be changed in 100 steps from "1" to "100." With such a large number of settable steps, the user perceives the screen brightness as if it were continuously adjustable.

[0068] By performing an end gesture when the display on display unit 15 has reached the desired brightness, the setting content of "display brightness" is determined to be the setting value corresponding to the brightness at that time, and is reflected in operation setting data 133. By performing this series of gesture setting operations, the setting content of "display brightness" can be changed so that the brightness of the display on display unit 15 increases or decreases.

[0069] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a gesture setting operation when the setting to be changed is "volume adjustment." When the setting icon 31 to be changed is switched to "Volume Adjustment," a volume bar 32 indicating the approximate setting value of "Volume Adjustment" is displayed at the bottom of the display unit 15. Starting the gesture setting operation in this state and moving the hand H closer to or farther away from the distance measurement sensor 16 causes the display screen of the display unit 15 to change in real time, as shown in screens 15f and 15g. That is, by moving the hand H in a direction that decreases the measured distance, the indicator of the volume bar 32 shifts toward the higher volume side (the width of the dark-colored range in the indicator expands to the right), and the setting value of "Volume Adjustment" increases accordingly, increasing the volume. Moving the hand H in a direction that increases the measured distance also shifts the indicator of the volume bar 32 toward the lower volume side (the width of the dark-colored range in the indicator contracts to the left), and the setting value of "Volume Adjustment" decreases accordingly, decreasing the volume. In this case, a predetermined sound may be continuously played during the gesture setting operation so that the change in volume can be seen. As shown in Figure 4, the setting value for "Volume Adjustment" can also be changed in 100 steps from "1" to "100." With such a large number of possible setting steps, the user perceives the volume as if it were continuously adjustable.

[0070] By performing an end gesture when the desired volume has been reached, the setting content of "volume adjustment" is determined to be the setting value corresponding to the volume at that time, and is reflected in the operation setting data 133. By performing this series of gesture setting operations, the setting content of "volume adjustment" can be changed so that the volume of the sound output by the sound output unit 18 increases or decreases.

[0071] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a gesture setting operation when the setting to be changed is "line spacing adjustment." By starting the gesture setting operation with the change target setting icon 31 switched to "Line Spacing Adjustment" and moving the hand H closer to or farther away from the distance measurement sensor 16, the display screen of the display unit 15 changes in real time, as shown in screens 15h to 15j. That is, by moving the hand H in a direction that decreases the measured distance, the "Line Spacing Adjustment" setting value can be increased, resulting in a larger line spacing, as shown in screen 15h. Moving the hand H in a direction that increases the measured distance can decrease the "Line Spacing Adjustment" setting value, resulting in a smaller line spacing, as shown in screen 15j. When the measured distance is approximately halfway between screens 15h and 15j, the line spacing becomes approximately medium, as shown in screen 15i. As shown in FIG. 4, the "Line Spacing Adjustment" setting value can be changed in 20 steps from "1" to "20," which is significantly more than the number of steps available in a typical electronic dictionary (which is typically only a few steps). Therefore, the user perceives the line spacing adjustment as if it were continuously adjustable.

[0072] By performing an end gesture when the line spacing has reached the desired size, the setting content of "line spacing adjustment" is determined to be the size displayed at that time, and is reflected in the operation setting data 133. By performing this series of gesture setting operations, the setting content of "line spacing adjustment" can be changed so that the line spacing of characters displayed on the display unit 15 increases or decreases.

[0073] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a gesture setting operation when the setting to be changed is "audio playback speed." 11, a screen for listening to a conversation in the learning content "English Conversation 1" is displayed on display unit 15. Therefore, the type of display content on display unit 15 is "Audio Playback (Listening)," and the priority settings S1 to S4 associated in priority setting table 134 are "Volume Adjustment," "Audio Playback Speed," "Character Size," and "Number of Repetitions," as shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 11 shows a state in which gesture setting key 145 is pressed twice consecutively on this listening screen, and setting icon 31 to be changed to priority setting S2, "Audio Playback Speed." Therefore, the setting to be changed is "Audio Playback Speed."

[0074] When the change target setting icon 31 is switched to "audio playback speed," a playback speed bar 33 indicating the approximate setting value of the "audio playback speed" and a speech bubble 34 whose width in the horizontal direction changes depending on the setting value of the "audio playback speed" are displayed at the bottom of the display unit 15. In this state, by starting the gesture setting operation and moving the hand H closer to or farther away from the distance measurement sensor 16, the display screen of the display unit 15 changes in real time as shown in screens 15k and 15l. That is, by moving the hand H in a direction that reduces the measured distance, the indicator of the playback speed bar 33 shifts toward the faster playback speed side as shown in screen 15k, and accordingly, the setting value of the "audio playback speed" increases, and the playback speed increases. Conversely, by moving the hand H in a direction that increases the measured distance, the indicator of the playback speed bar 33 shifts toward the slower playback speed side as shown in screen 15l, and accordingly, the setting value of the "audio playback speed" decreases, and the playback speed decreases. Furthermore, the larger the set value of "audio playback speed" (the faster the playback speed), the narrower the width of the speech bubble 34 in the horizontal direction, and the smaller the set value of "audio playback speed" (the slower the playback speed), the wider the width in the horizontal direction. This also allows the user to intuitively and visually grasp the playback speed. In this case, a predetermined audio may be continuously played during the gesture setting operation so that the change in playback speed can be seen. As shown in FIG. 4, the set value of "audio playback speed" can also be changed in 100 steps from "1" to "100". With such a large number of settable steps, the user perceives it as if the playback speed can be adjusted in a continuous manner.

[0075] By performing an end gesture when the desired playback speed has been reached, the setting content of the "audio playback speed" is determined to be the setting value corresponding to the playback speed at that time, and is reflected in the operation setting data 133. By performing this series of gesture setting operations, the setting content of the "audio playback speed" can be changed so that the playback speed of the audio by the audio output unit 18 increases or decreases.

[0076] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a gesture setting operation when the setting to be changed is "number of repetitions." When the change target setting icon 31 is switched to "Number of repetitions," a number setting display bar 35 indicating the approximate setting value of the "number of repetitions" for playing audio and a number setting display icon 36 indicating the currently set number of repetitions are displayed at the bottom of the display unit 15. In this state, by starting the gesture setting operation and moving the hand H closer to or farther away from the distance measurement sensor 16, the display screen of the display unit 15 changes in real time to screens 15m and 15n. That is, by moving the hand H in a direction that decreases the measured distance, the indicator of the number setting display bar 35 shifts toward a larger number of repetitions, as in screen 15m. Accordingly, the set value of the "number of repetitions" increases, which is reflected in the number setting display icon 36. Similarly, by moving the hand H in a direction that increases the measured distance, the indicator of the number setting display bar 35 shifts toward a smaller number of repetitions, as in screen 15l. Accordingly, the set value of the "number of repetitions" decreases, which is reflected in the number setting display icon 36.

[0077] By performing an end gesture when the desired playback speed has been reached, the setting content of the "repeat count" is determined to the setting value at that time, and is reflected in the operation setting data 133. By performing this series of gesture setting operations, the setting content of the "repeat count" can be changed so that the number of times the audio is repeated by the audio output unit 18 increases or decreases.

[0078] In addition, screens 15k and 15l in Figure 11 and screens 15m and 15n in Figure 12 may further display software buttons for performing various operations related to audio playback (e.g., a play button, a fast-forward button, a rewind button, and a repeat on / off switch button, etc.), and icons indicating the status of settings related to audio playback (icons indicating volume, playback speed, number of repetitions, etc.). Also, on the screens 15a to 15j in FIGS. 7 to 10, similar software buttons relating to audio playback and icons indicating the status may be displayed.

[0079] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a gesture setting operation when the setting to be changed is "icon size." In FIG. 13, a menu screen for selecting dictionary content to be used is displayed on the display unit 15. A plurality of icons 37 corresponding to a plurality of dictionary contents are arranged on this menu screen, and selecting one of the icons 37 displays the dictionary content corresponding to the selected icon 37. Therefore, the type of display content on the display unit 15 in FIG. 13 is a "home / menu screen," and the priority settings S1 to S4 associated with the priority settings table 134 are "screen brightness," "icon size," "auto power-off time," and "wallpaper type," as shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 13 shows a state in which the gesture setting key 145 is pressed twice consecutively on this menu screen, switching the setting icon 31 to be changed to the priority setting S2, "icon size." Therefore, the setting to be changed is "icon size."

[0080] When the gesture setting operation is started with the setting icon 31 to be changed switched to "icon size," and the hand H is moved closer to or farther away from the distance measurement sensor 16, the display screen of the display unit 15 changes in real time as shown in screens 15o and 15p. That is, by moving the hand H in a direction that reduces the measured distance, the interval between the icons 37 (the interval in the horizontal direction in the example of FIG. 13) is reduced, and many (here, 10) icons 37 can be displayed at once as shown in screen 15o. Also, by moving the hand H in a direction that increases the measured distance, the interval between the icons 37 is increased, and the display area allocated to one icon 37 is expanded as shown in screen 15p, thereby increasing the amount of information. The setting value of "icon size" on screen 15o is, for example, "small," and the setting value of "icon size" on screen 15p is, for example, "medium." In this specification, changing the area of ​​each icon 37 by enlarging or reducing the spacing between icons 37, as in screens 15o and 15p in Figure 13, is considered to be included in enlarging or reducing the size of the icon 37 (image). Instead of (or in addition to) increasing or decreasing the spacing between the icons 37, the size of the icons 37 themselves may be increased or decreased in accordance with the measured distance.

[0081] By performing an end gesture when the icon 37 has reached the desired size, the setting content of "icon size" is determined to the setting value at that time and is reflected in the operation setting data 133. By performing this series of gesture setting operations, the setting content of "icon size" can be changed so that the spacing between the icons 37 on the display unit 15 increases or decreases.

[0082] The gesture setting operation for changing other settings as the target setting can also be the same as any of the operations shown in FIGS. For example, when the target settings are settings that increase or decrease the set amount, such as "scrolling amount," "microphone sensitivity," "number of dictionaries to search," "line thickness," "eraser size," and "auto power-off time," a bar indicating the increase or decrease in the set amount may be displayed, like the volume bar 32 in Fig. 9, and the indicator of the bar may be shifted left or right according to the movement of the hand H. Furthermore, for "scrolling amount," "line thickness," and "eraser size," whose set amount is visible, a display may be provided so that the change in the set amount according to the movement of the hand H can be visible. Furthermore, when the "wallpaper type" or "line color" is set as a setting to be changed, the wallpaper or line color to be selected may be displayed so as to change according to the movement of the hand H.

[0083] <Settings change process> Next, a setting change process executed by the CPU 11 to change the settings by the gesture setting operation will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the setting change process by the CPU 11. The setting change process is started, for example, when the electronic device 100 is powered on.

[0084] When the setting change process is started, the CPU 11 determines whether or not an operation to change the display content of the display unit 15 has been performed on the key input unit 14 or the touch panel 152 (step S101). If it is determined that an operation to change the display content of the display unit 15 has been performed ("YES" in step S101), the CPU 11 switches the display by sending a control signal to the liquid crystal display 151 so that the display on the liquid crystal display 151 changes to the display content according to the operation (step S102). The CPU 11 also refers to the priority setting table 134 to acquire priority settings S1 to S4 corresponding to the changed display content (step S103).

[0085] When step S103 is completed, or when it is determined in step S101 that no operation to change the display content of the display unit 15 has been performed ("NO" in step S101), the CPU 11 determines whether or not an operation has been performed on the gesture setting key 145 (step S104). When it is determined that an operation has been performed on the gesture setting key 145 ("YES" in step S104), the CPU 11 switches the content of the setting icon 31 to be changed according to the number of times the gesture setting key 145 has been operated (number of times it has been pressed), and determines one of the priority settings S1 to S4 acquired in step S103 as the setting to be changed (step S105). In addition, the CPU 11 transmits a control signal to the distance measurement sensor 16 to cause the distance measurement sensor 16 to start measuring the distance between the device and a target object such as the user's hand H (step S106). Thereafter, the CPU 11 continuously acquires data related to the distance measurement results from the distance measurement sensor 16.

[0086] CPU 11 determines whether the distance between the target object and the device has changed by more than threshold Dth (step S107). Specifically, CPU 11 determines that the distance has changed by more than threshold Dth when the amount of change ΔD, which is the difference between the initial distance and the most recently measured distance, is more than threshold Dth. If it is determined that the distance between the target object and the device has changed by more than threshold Dth ("YES" in step S107), CPU 11 changes the setting content (setting value) of the setting to be changed in accordance with the amount of change ΔD in distance, and reflects this in the display on display unit 15 (step S108).

[0087] When step S108 is completed, or when it is determined in step S107 that the distance between the target object and the device has not changed by more than the threshold Dth ("NO" in step S107), CPU 11 determines whether or not an end gesture has been detected with the user's hand H (step S109). Here, CPU 11 determines whether or not an end gesture (for example, a gesture that keeps the hand H still for a predetermined reference period or more, or a gesture that moves the hand H outside the distance measurement range of the distance measurement sensor 16) has been detected, based on the measurement data transmitted from distance measurement sensor 16. When it is determined that an end gesture has not been detected ("NO" in step S109), CPU 11 returns the process to step S107.

[0088] If it is determined that an end gesture has been detected ("YES" in step S109), or if it is determined in step S104 that no operation has been performed on the gesture setting key 145 ("NO" in step S104), the CPU 11 determines whether or not an operation to turn off the power of the electronic device 100 has been performed (step S110). If it is determined that no operation to turn off the power has been performed ("NO" in step S110), the CPU 11 returns the process to step S101, and if it is determined that an operation to turn off the power has been performed ("YES" in step S110), the setting change process ends.

[0089] <Effects> As described above, the electronic device 100 of this embodiment includes a distance measurement sensor 16 capable of measuring the distance between the user's hand H (target object) and the device itself, and a CPU 11. The CPU 11 determines a setting to be changed that corresponds to the display content displayed on the display unit 15 from among a plurality of changeable settings related to the operation of the device itself (determination means), and changes the setting content of the determined setting to be changed in accordance with the distance between the hand H and the device itself measured by the distance measurement sensor 16, or the amount of change in that distance (setting control means). This allows the user to easily change the setting content of the setting to be changed by intuitively holding his / her hand H in front of the distance measurement sensor 16 and moving it closer to or further away from the distance measurement sensor 16. Furthermore, the amount of change in the setting value can be specified by the distance by which the hand H is moved. Therefore, in conventional technology where settings were changed using an operation key, it was necessary to repeatedly press the operation key until the desired setting value was reached. In contrast, the configuration of this embodiment eliminates the need to repeatedly press the operation key, allowing for easy setting changes even when a significant change in setting value is required. Furthermore, in conventional technology, the number of levels at which the setting value can be changed had to be limited to a certain number or less to avoid excessive pressing of the operation key (for example, the number of levels at which the character size could be changed was at most five). However, the configuration of this embodiment eliminates this restriction, allowing the number of levels at which the setting value can be changed to be increased to the extent that the user perceives it as being continuously adjustable. Therefore, settings can be adjusted virtually continuously. Furthermore, since the setting corresponding to the display content displayed on the display unit 15 is selected as the setting to be changed, the user can adjust the setting as desired according to the display content.

[0090] Furthermore, the CPU 11 (determination means) determines the setting to be changed from among the plurality of settings, priority settings S1 to S4 that are predetermined in association with the display content. This allows a setting that matches the display content (for example, a setting that the user often desires to change in the display content) to be prioritized as the setting to be changed.

[0091] Furthermore, priorities are assigned to the priority settings S1 to S4, and when a user operation is performed to select one of the priority settings S1 to S4, the CPU 11 (determination means) determines the priority setting selected by the user operation as the setting to be changed, and when no user operation is performed, the CPU 11 determines the priority setting S1, which has the highest priority among the priority settings S1 to S4, as the setting to be changed. By setting the setting that users most often want to change in a certain display content as the priority setting S1 with the highest priority corresponding to that display content, it is possible to minimize the user operation required to change the desired setting. Furthermore, even when the user selects the setting to be changed, it is possible to make it easier for the user to select the desired setting by narrowing down the options in advance to the priority settings S1 to S4 according to the display content.

[0092] Furthermore, the combination of priority settings S1 to S4 associated with a certain display content is different from the combination of priority settings S1 to S4 associated with any other display content. In this way, by varying the priority settings S1 to S4 depending on the display content, it is possible to enable the user to easily select a desired setting for each display content.

[0093] Furthermore, the CPU 11 (priority setting changing means) changes the priority settings S1 to S4 corresponding to the display contents in response to a user operation, thereby allowing the user to customize the priority settings S1 to S4 corresponding to the display contents.

[0094] The change target setting is a setting in which predetermined parameters relating to the setting contents can be changed in multiple stages, and thus the parameters of the change target setting can be changed by intuitive operations.

[0095] Furthermore, the CPU 11 (display control means) displays a change target setting icon 31 (sign) representing the change target setting on the display unit 15. This makes it easier to recognize the change target setting whose content is changed by the gesture setting.

[0096] Furthermore, the CPU 11 (setting control means) determines whether an end gesture has been made with the hand H (whether the movement of the reference object satisfies a predetermined end condition) based on the measurement result by the distance measurement sensor 16, and determines the change content of the setting to be changed if it is determined that an end gesture has been made with the hand H. This allows the gesture setting operation to be ended and the change content of the setting to be changed to be confirmed by an intuitive operation of making the end gesture.

[0097] The multiple settings also include "character size" and "icon size" settings (display size settings) related to the size of at least one of the characters and images displayed on the display unit 15, and when the setting to be changed is "character size," the CPU 11 (setting control means) changes the setting of "character size" so that the characters displayed on the display unit 15 are enlarged or reduced in accordance with the distance measured by the distance measurement sensor 16 or the amount of change in that distance. When the setting to be changed is "icon size," the CPU 11 (setting control means) changes the setting of "icon size" so that the icons 37 displayed on the display unit 15 are enlarged or reduced in accordance with the distance measured by the distance measurement sensor 16 or the amount of change in that distance. This allows the size settings of the characters and icons 37 to be easily changed by the intuitive action of moving the hand H in front of the distance measurement sensor 16.

[0098] Furthermore, the multiple settings include a "screen brightness" setting (brightness setting) related to the brightness of the display on the display unit 15, and when the setting to be changed is "screen brightness," the CPU 11 (setting control means) changes the setting of "screen brightness" so that the brightness of the display on the display unit 15 increases or decreases according to the distance measured by the distance measurement sensor 16 or the amount of change in that distance. This allows the display brightness setting to be easily changed by the intuitive action of moving the hand H in front of the distance measurement sensor 16.

[0099] Furthermore, the multiple settings include a "line spacing adjustment" setting (line spacing setting) related to the size of the space between lines of characters displayed on the display unit 15, and when the setting to be changed is "line spacing adjustment," the CPU 11 (setting control means) changes the setting content of the "line spacing adjustment" so that the space between lines of characters displayed on the display unit 15 increases or decreases depending on the distance measured by the distance measurement sensor 16 or the amount of change in that distance. This allows the setting of the size of the space between lines to be easily changed by the intuitive action of moving the hand H in front of the distance measurement sensor 16.

[0100] Furthermore, the electronic device 100 includes an audio output unit 18 that outputs audio, and the multiple settings include settings related to the operation of the audio output unit 18. This allows the settings related to the operation of the audio output unit 18 to be easily changed.

[0101] Furthermore, the multiple settings include a "volume adjustment" setting (volume setting) related to the volume of the sound output by the sound output unit 18, and when the setting to be changed is "volume adjustment," the CPU 11 (setting control means) changes the setting content of "volume adjustment" so that the volume of the sound output by the sound output unit 18 increases or decreases according to the distance measured by the distance measurement sensor 16 or the amount of change in the distance. This allows the volume setting to be easily changed by an intuitive action of moving the hand H in front of the distance measurement sensor 16.

[0102] Furthermore, the multiple settings include a setting for "audio playback speed" (playback speed setting) relating to the playback speed of audio by the audio output unit 18, and when the setting to be changed is "audio playback speed," the CPU 11 (setting control means) changes the setting content of "audio playback speed" so that the playback speed of audio by the audio output unit 18 increases or decreases according to the distance measured by the distance measurement sensor 16 or the amount of change in the distance. This allows the setting of the audio playback speed to be easily changed by an intuitive action of moving the hand H in front of the distance measurement sensor 16.

[0103] Furthermore, the multiple settings include a "repeat count" setting (repeat setting) relating to the number of times audio is repeated by the audio output unit 18, and when the setting to be changed is the "repeat count," the CPU 11 (setting control means) changes the setting of the "repeat count" so that the number of times audio is repeated by the audio output unit 18 increases or decreases according to the distance measured by the distance measurement sensor 16 or the amount of change in the distance. This makes it possible to easily change the setting of the number of times audio is repeated by intuitively moving the hand H in front of the distance measurement sensor 16.

[0104] Furthermore, the setting change method for electronic device 100 according to this embodiment is a setting change method for electronic device 100 equipped with distance measurement sensor 16 capable of measuring the distance between the user's hand H (target object) and the device itself, executed by CPU 11 as a computer, in which a setting to be changed corresponding to the display content displayed on display unit 15 is determined from a plurality of changeable settings related to the operation of electronic device 100, and the setting content of the determined setting to be changed is changed in accordance with the distance between hand H and electronic device 100 measured by distance measurement sensor 16 or the amount of change in the distance. This allows the user to easily change the desired setting by an intuitive action of holding hand H in front of distance measurement sensor 16 and moving hand H closer to or farther away from distance measurement sensor 16.

[0105] Furthermore, the program 131 according to this embodiment causes the CPU 11, which is a computer provided in the electronic device 100 equipped with the distance measurement sensor 16 capable of measuring the distance between the user's hand H (target object) and the device itself, to function as a determination means for determining a setting to be changed that corresponds to the display content displayed on the display unit 15 from among a plurality of changeable settings related to the operation of the electronic device 100, and a setting control means for changing the setting content to be changed determined by the determination means in accordance with the distance between the hand H and the electronic device 100 measured by the distance measurement sensor 16 or the amount of change in the distance. This allows the user to easily change the desired setting by intuitively holding the hand H in front of the distance measurement sensor 16 and moving it closer to or farther away from the distance measurement sensor 16.

[0106] <Other> The description in the above embodiment is merely an example of the electronic device, the setting change method for the electronic device, and the program according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, although an electronic dictionary is used as an example of an electronic device in the above embodiment, the electronic device is not limited to this. The electronic device may be any device that displays information on a display unit in response to user operations, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PDA (personal digital assistant), a PC (personal computer), an e-book reader, or a portable game console.

[0107] In the above embodiment, the operation of changing the setting content of the setting to be changed by changing the position of the hand H held over the distance measurement sensor 16 has been described, but it may also be possible to change the setting content by other methods. For example, by pressing the shift key 14c2 in Fig. 1 and then pressing the delete key 14c1 immediately, a setting change function associated with the delete key 14c1 may be called up, and the setting may be changed using the operation keys or the touch panel 152.

[0108] Although the embodiment in which priority settings S1 to S4 are associated with each display content has been exemplified, the present invention is not limited to this, and the association of priority settings may be omitted and priority settings may not be used. In this case, for example, a priority order may be determined for all settings for each display content, and the setting to be changed may be switched in accordance with this priority order each time the gesture setting key 145 is pressed.

[0109] In addition, instead of the gesture setting key 145, a software key (for example, a change target setting icon 31) displayed on the display screen of the display unit 15 may be touched to switch the setting to be changed or to receive an instruction to start the gesture setting operation.

[0110] Furthermore, the method for switching the setting to be changed is not limited to pressing the gesture setting key 145 (or the above software key). For example, the setting to be changed may be selected by touching one of a plurality of settings (for example, priority settings S1 to S4) displayed on the display unit 15. Furthermore, the setting to be changed may be switched (selected) by using a physical slide switch or rotary switch.

[0111] In the above description, an example has been disclosed in which an SSD or HDD is used as the computer-readable medium for the program according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this example. Other computer-readable media may be used, such as flash memory or CD-ROM. Furthermore, a carrier wave may also be used as a medium for providing data for the program according to the present invention via a communication line.

[0112] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the detailed configuration and detailed operation of each component of the electronic device 100 in the above embodiment can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0113] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. The inventions described in the claims originally attached to this application are as follows. The claim numbers described in the appendix are the same as those of the claims originally attached to this application. [Note] <Claim 1> a distance measuring sensor capable of measuring the distance between a target object and the device itself; a determination means for determining, from among a plurality of changeable settings relating to the operation of the device itself, a setting to be changed that corresponds to the display content displayed on the display unit; a setting control means for changing the setting content of the setting to be changed determined by the determination means in accordance with the distance between the target object and the device itself measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance; An electronic device comprising: <Claim 2> the determining means determines the setting to be changed from among the plurality of settings, a certain number of priority settings that are predetermined in association with the display content; 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: <Claim 3> a priority order is defined for the certain number of preference settings; The determining means When a user operation is performed to select one priority setting from the certain number of priority settings, the priority setting selected by the user operation is determined to be the setting to be changed; If the user operation has not been performed, the priority setting having the highest priority among the certain number of priority settings is determined as the setting to be changed. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2. <Claim 4> 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the combination of the certain number of priority settings associated with a certain of the display contents is different from the combination of the certain number of priority settings associated with any of the other of the display contents. <Claim 5> a priority setting change means for changing the number of priority settings corresponding to the display contents in response to a user operation; 3. The electronic device according to claim 2. <Claim 6> 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the setting to be changed is a setting in which a predetermined parameter related to the setting content can be changed in a plurality of stages. <Claim 7> 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a display control unit that causes the display unit to display a sign indicating the setting to be changed. <Claim 8> The setting control means determining whether the movement of the target object satisfies a predetermined termination condition based on the measurement result by the distance measuring sensor; determining a change content of the change target setting when it is determined that the movement of the target object satisfies the termination condition; 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: <Claim 9> the plurality of settings include a display size setting related to the size of at least one of characters and images displayed on the display unit, When the setting to be changed is the display size setting, the setting control means changes the setting content of the display size setting so that at least one of the characters and the image displayed on the display unit is enlarged or reduced in accordance with the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor or an amount of change in the distance. 9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a semiconductor device. <Claim 10> the plurality of settings include a luminance setting related to the luminance of the display on the display unit, When the setting to be changed is the luminance setting, the setting control means changes the setting content of the luminance setting so that the luminance of the display on the display unit increases or decreases depending on the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance. 9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a semiconductor device. <Claim 11> the plurality of settings include a line spacing setting relating to the size of the line spacing between characters displayed on the display unit; When the setting to be changed is the line spacing setting, the setting control means changes the setting content of the line spacing setting so that the line spacing between characters displayed on the display unit increases or decreases depending on the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance. 9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a semiconductor device. <Claim 12> audio output means for outputting audio; the plurality of settings include settings related to the operation of the audio output means, 9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a semiconductor device. <Claim 13> the plurality of settings include a volume setting related to the volume of the sound output by the sound output means, When the setting to be changed is the volume setting, the setting control means changes the setting content of the volume setting so that the volume of the sound output by the sound output means increases or decreases in accordance with the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance. 13. The electronic device according to claim 12. <Claim 14> the plurality of settings include a playback speed setting relating to a playback speed of the audio by the audio output means, When the setting to be changed is the playback speed setting, the setting control means changes the content of the playback speed setting so that the playback speed of the audio by the audio output means increases or decreases according to the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor or a change in the distance. 13. The electronic device according to claim 12. <Claim 15> the plurality of settings include a repetition setting relating to the number of times the audio is to be reproduced by the audio output means; When the setting to be changed is the repeat setting, the setting control means changes the setting content of the repeat setting so that the number of times the audio is repeated by the audio output means increases or decreases depending on the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance. 13. The electronic device according to claim 12. <Claim 16> 1. A method for changing settings of an electronic device equipped with a distance measuring sensor capable of measuring a distance between a target object and the electronic device, the method comprising: determining a setting to be changed that corresponds to the display content displayed on the display unit from among a plurality of changeable settings related to the operation of the electronic device; changing the determined setting content of the setting to be changed in accordance with the distance between the target object and the electronic device measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance; A method for changing settings of an electronic device. <Claim 17> A computer provided in an electronic device having a distance measuring sensor capable of measuring the distance between a target object and the device itself, a determination means for determining a setting to be changed corresponding to the display content displayed on the display unit from among a plurality of changeable settings related to the operation of the electronic device; a setting control means for changing the setting content of the setting to be changed determined by the determination means in accordance with the distance between the target object and the electronic device measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance; A program characterized by functioning as [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 11 CPU (determination means, setting control means, priority setting change means, display control means) 12 RAM 13 Storage section 131 Programs 132 Content Data 133 Operational setting data 134 Preference Table 14 Key input section 14a Home key 14b Content specification key 14c Character input keys 14d Function Keys 145 Gesture setting key 15 Display 15a~15p screen 151 LCD display 152 Touch Panel 16 Distance measurement sensor 17 Voice input unit (voice input means) 18 Audio output unit (audio output means) 19 Communications Department 20 Bus 31 Change target setting icon (sign) 32 Volume Bar 33 Playback speed bar 34 Speech bubbles 35 Number of times setting display bar 36 Number of times setting display icon 37 Icons 100 Electronic equipment 101 Main unit case 102 Lid case 103 Hinge part H Hand (target object) S1~S4 priority setting

Claims

1. A distance measuring sensor capable of measuring the distance between a target object and the own device, Determining means for determining a setting to be changed from among a plurality of changeable settings related to the operation of the own device, Setting control means for changing the setting content of the setting to be changed determined by the determining means according to the distance between the target object measured by the distance measuring sensor and the own device, or the amount of change in the distance, Comprising, The plurality of settings include a line spacing setting related to the size of the line spacing of characters displayed on a display unit, and a setting related to the operation of a predetermined voice output means. An electronic device characterized by this.

2. The determining means determines a setting to be changed from among the plurality of settings based on the number of operations of a predetermined operation. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The setting to be changed is a setting in which a predetermined parameter related to the setting content can be changed in multiple stages. The electronic device according to claim 1 is characterized by this.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized by comprising display control means for causing the display unit to display a mark representing the setting to be changed.

5. The setting control means Based on the measurement result by the distance measuring sensor, determines whether or not the movement of the target object satisfies a predetermined end condition, When it is determined that the movement of the target object satisfies the end condition, determines the change content of the setting to be changed. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized by this.

6. The plurality of settings include a display size setting related to the size of at least one of characters and images displayed on the display unit. When the setting to be changed is the display size setting, the setting control means changes the setting content of the display size setting so that at least one of the characters and images displayed on the display unit is enlarged or reduced according to the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by this.

7. The plurality of settings include a brightness setting related to the brightness of the display on the display unit. When the setting to be changed is the brightness setting, the setting control means changes the setting content of the brightness setting so that the brightness of the display on the display unit increases or decreases according to the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by this. Claim 8. When the setting control means determines that the setting to be changed is the line spacing setting, the setting content of the line spacing setting is changed so that the line spacing of the characters displayed on the display unit increases or decreases according to the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that.

9. The setting related to the operation of the voice output means includes a volume setting related to the volume of the voice output by the voice output means. When the setting control means determines that the setting to be changed is the volume setting, the setting content of the volume setting is changed so that the volume of the voice output by the voice output means increases or decreases according to the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that.

10. The setting related to the operation of the voice output means includes a playback speed setting related to the playback speed of the voice by the voice output means. When the setting control means determines that the setting to be changed is the playback speed setting, the setting content of the playback speed setting is changed so that the playback speed of the voice by the voice output means increases or decreases according to the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that.

11. The setting related to the operation of the voice output means includes a repeat setting related to the number of repetitions of the voice playback by the voice output means. When the setting control means determines that the setting to be changed is the repeat setting, the setting content of the repeat setting is changed so that the number of repetitions of the voice playback by the voice output means increases or decreases according to the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor or the amount of change in the distance. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that.

12. A method for changing settings of an electronic device equipped with a distance measuring sensor capable of measuring the distance between a target object and the own device, which is executed by a computer, comprising: Determining a setting to be changed from a plurality of changeable settings related to the operation of the electronic device; Changing the setting content of the determined setting to be changed according to the distance between the target object measured by the distance measuring sensor and the electronic device or the amount of change in the distance; The plurality of settings include a line spacing setting related to the size of the line spacing of characters displayed on a display unit and a setting related to the operation of a predetermined voice output means. A method for changing settings of an electronic device, characterized in that.

13. A computer provided in an electronic device having a distance measuring sensor capable of measuring the distance between a target object and the own device, determining means for determining a setting to be changed from among a plurality of changeable settings related to the operation of the electronic device, setting control means for changing the setting content of the setting to be changed determined by the determining means according to the distance between the target object measured by the distance measuring sensor and the electronic device, or the amount of change in the distance, functioning as, wherein the plurality of settings include a line spacing setting related to the size of the line spacing of characters displayed on a display unit and a setting related to the operation of a predetermined voice output means, A program characterized by the above.

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