Mobile terminal device and safety management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9980093-B1
Application number	US-201715845483-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 18, 2017
Priority date	Jan 11, 2017
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A mobile terminal device includes a display unit, an operation unit, a position detection unit, a communication unit, and a controller. The operation unit is operated by a user. The position detection unit detects a position of the mobile terminal device. The communication unit makes communication with another mobile terminal device. The controller decides whether the another mobile terminal device is approaching the mobile terminal device on a basis of a position of the another mobile terminal device received by the communication unit, and the position of the mobile terminal device detected by the position detection unit, and darkens a part or whole of a screen of the display unit, upon deciding that the another mobile terminal device is approaching.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable mobile terminal device comprising:
a display unit;
an operation unit to be operated by a user;
a position detection unit that detects a position of the mobile terminal device;
a communication unit that makes communication with another mobile terminal device; and
a controller that decides whether the another mobile terminal device is approaching the mobile terminal device on a basis of a position of the another mobile terminal device received by the communication unit, and the position of the mobile terminal device detected by the position detection unit, and darkens a part or whole of a screen of the display unit, upon deciding that the another mobile terminal device is approaching.

2. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller calculates a separation distance between the another mobile terminal device and the mobile terminal device, on a basis of the position of the another mobile terminal device and the position of the mobile terminal device, and expands, when darkening a part of the screen, a size of the darkened part in the screen of the display unit as the separation distance becomes shorter.

3. The mobile terminal device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the communication unit receives a signal transmitted from the another mobile terminal device, and
the controller corrects the separation distance according to a reception output of the communication unit receiving the transmitted signal.

4. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller decides an approaching direction of the another mobile terminal device toward the mobile terminal device, on a basis of the position of the another mobile terminal device and the position of the mobile terminal device, and darkens the screen of the display unit from a portion corresponding to the approaching direction.

5. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller decides whether the mobile terminal device is moving, on a basis of a change of the position of the mobile terminal device detected by the position detection unit, darkens a part or whole of the screen of the display unit when the mobile terminal device is moving, and maintains the screen of the display unit as it is, when the mobile terminal device is not moving.

6. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller restricts the operation unit from being operated by the user, upon deciding that the another mobile terminal device is approaching.

7. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, upon deciding that a plurality of other mobile terminal devices are approaching the mobile terminal device, on a basis of a position of each of the plurality of other mobile terminal devices and the position of the mobile terminal device, the controller darkens a part or whole of the screen of the display unit, according to a decision regarding one of the other mobile terminal devices that has approached first.

8. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller decides, after deciding that the another mobile terminal device is approaching and darkening the screen of the display unit, whether the another mobile terminal device has stopped on a basis of a change of the position of the another mobile terminal device, and restores an original luminance of the part or whole of the screen of the display unit, upon deciding that the another mobile terminal device has stopped.

9. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller transmits the position of the mobile terminal device detected by the position detection unit to the another mobile terminal device, through the communication unit.

10. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1 , further comprising an acceleration sensor,
wherein the another mobile terminal device also includes the acceleration sensor, and
the controller further calculates a closing rate between the another mobile terminal device and the mobile terminal device, on a basis of an acceleration of the another mobile terminal device received through the communication unit and an acceleration of the mobile terminal device detected by the acceleration sensor, and expands a size of the darkened part in the display unit, at a rate corresponding to the calculated closing rate.

11. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1 , further comprising a vibrator,
wherein the controller activates the vibrator while darkening the screen of the display unit.

12. A safety management system comprising:
a plurality of portable mobile terminal devices; and
a management apparatus that makes communication with each of the plurality of mobile terminal devices,
wherein the management apparatus acquires, from each of the mobile terminal devices, a position of the corresponding mobile terminal device, and transmits the position to each of the mobile terminal devices, and
the mobile terminal devices each include:
a display unit,
an operation unit to be operated by a user,
a position detection unit that detects an own position of the mobile terminal device,
a communication unit that makes communication with another mobile terminal device, and
a controller that decides whether the another mobile terminal device is approaching the mobile terminal device on a basis of a position of the another mobile terminal device received by the communication unit, and the position of the mobile terminal device detected by the position detection unit, and darkens a part or whole of a screen of the display unit, upon deciding that the another mobile terminal device is approaching.

Assignees

• Kyocera Document Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Akimoto Tadaaki

Classifications

• H04W4/023 Primary

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• G09G5/12

  Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players · CPC title

• G09G2370/16

  Use of wireless transmission of display information · CPC title

• G09G2354/00

  Aspects of interface with display user · CPC title

• G09G2320/0626

  for control of overall brightness · CPC title