Method and apparatus for exchanging control functions of volume control units, and terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9577594-B2
Application number	US-201414490936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2014
Priority date	Nov 21, 2013
Publication date	Feb 21, 2017
Grant date	Feb 21, 2017

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for exchanging control functions of volume control units, and a terminal, which relate to the field of communications technologies and can make it more convenient for a user to adjust volume. The method includes: obtaining current placement status information of the terminal, where the placement status information is used to indicate a current placement status of the terminal, and at least two volume control units are disposed in the terminal; and exchanging volume control functions of the at least two volume control units when the current placement status of the terminal deviates from a normal placement status of the terminal, where the at least two volume control units include a volume control unit whose volume control function is to control volume to increase and a volume control unit whose volume control function is to control volume to decrease.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for exchanging control functions of volume control units, wherein the method comprises:
obtaining current placement status information of a terminal, wherein the placement status information is used to indicate a current placement status of the terminal, and at least two volume control units are disposed in the terminal;
determining, according to the placement status information, whether the current placement status of the terminal deviates from a normal placement status of the terminal; and
exchanging volume control functions of the at least two volume control units when the current placement status of the terminal deviates from the normal placement status of the terminal, wherein the at least two volume control units comprise a volume control unit whose volume control function is to control volume to increase and a volume control unit whose volume control function is to control volume to decrease;
wherein when a screen of the terminal tilts relative to a horizontal plane and a degree of inclination of the terminal is less than 45 degrees, a placement status of the terminal is the normal placement status of the terminal;
wherein the placement status information comprises a deviation angle of the terminal, wherein the deviation angle is an included angle between a line of gravity and a median line of the terminal; and
wherein determining, according to the placement status information, whether the current placement status of the terminal deviates from the normal placement status of the terminal comprises:
when the deviation angle of the terminal is greater than or equal to 45 degrees, determining that the current placement status of the terminal deviates from the normal placement status of the terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the exchanging volume control functions of the at least two volume control units when the current placement status of the terminal deviates from a normal placement status of the terminal, wherein the at least two volume control units comprise a volume control unit whose volume control function is to control volume to increase and a volume control unit whose volume control function is to control volume to decrease comprises:
exchanging the volume control functions of the at least two volume control units when the current placement status of the terminal deviates from the normal placement status of the terminal, wherein the at least two volume control units comprise a first volume control subunit whose volume control function is to control volume to increase and a second volume control subunit whose volume control function is to control volume to decrease.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the exchanging volume control functions of the at least two volume control units when the current placement status of the terminal deviates from a normal placement status of the terminal, wherein the at least two volume control units comprise a volume control unit whose volume control function is to control volume to increase and a volume control unit whose volume control function is to control volume to decrease comprises:
exchanging the volume control functions of the at least two volume control units when the current placement status of the terminal deviates from the normal placement status of the terminal, wherein the at least two volume control units comprise a first volume control subunit whose volume control function is to control volume to increase, a second volume control subunit whose volume control function is to control volume to decrease, and a third volume control subunit whose volume control function is to control volume to mute.

4. An apparatus for exchanging control functions of volume control units, wherein the apparatus comprises:
an obtaining unit, configured to obtain current placement status information of a terminal, wherein the placement status information is used to indicate a current placement status of the terminal, and at least two volume control units are disposed in the terminal;
a determining unit, configured to determine, according to the placement status information obtained by the obtaining unit, whether the current placement status of the terminal deviates from a normal placement status of the terminal; and
an exchanging unit, configured to exchange volume control functions of the at least two volume control units when the current placement status of the terminal deviates from the normal placement status of the terminal, wherein the at least two volume control units comprise a volume control unit whose volume control function is to control volume to increase and a volume control unit whose volume control function is to control volume to decrease;
wherein when a screen of the terminal tilts relative to a horizontal plane and a degree of inclination of the terminal is less than 45 degrees, a placement status of the terminal is the normal placement status of the terminal;
wherein the placement status information comprises a deviation angle of the terminal, wherein the deviation angle is an included angle between a line of gravity and a median line of the terminal; and
wherein the determining unit is configured to:
determine that the current placement status of the terminal deviates from the normal placement status of the terminal when the deviation angle of the terminal is greater than or equal to 45 degrees.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the exchanging unit is configured to:
exchange the volume control functions of the at least two volume control units when the current placement status of the terminal deviates from the normal placement status of the terminal, wherein the at least two volume control units comprise a first volume control subunit whose volume control function is to control volume to increase and a second volume control subunit whose volume control function is to control volume to decrease.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the exchanging unit is configured to:
exchange the volume control functions of the at least two volume control units when the current placement status of the terminal deviates from the normal placement status of the terminal, wherein the at least two volume control units comprise a first volume control subunit whose volume control function is to control volume to increase, a second volume control subunit whose volume control function is to control volume to decrease, and a third volume control subunit whose volume control function is to control volume to mute.

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Li Xinxin
• Miao Dan

Classifications

• H03G3/02 Primary

  Manually-operated control {(H03G3/001 and H03G3/002 take precedence)} · CPC title

• G06F1/1694

  the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer · CPC title

• G06F2200/1614

  Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode · CPC title

• G06F3/165 Primary

  Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path · CPC title