JP2003198685A - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable terminal which can efficiently display a plurality of collapsible screens. <P>SOLUTION: The portable terminal of the present invention is provided with a first case on which operation keys are arranged, a second case on which a first display is arranged, a third case on which a second display is arranged, a first hinge portion which collapsibly combines the first and the second cases so that the operation keys may face the first display, and a second hinge portion which collapsibly combines the second and the third cases so that the first display may not face the second display, with a rotation axis almost orthogonal to a rotation axis of the first hinge portion provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a mobile terminal,
In particular, the present invention relates to a device having a plurality of display units.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, mobile communication terminals such as mobile phones and PHS, and mobile terminals such as PDAs are foldable, and liquid crystal or the like is provided on the front and back of one case, respectively. There is also a display device provided with operation keys on the other housing.

In the folding type portable terminal provided with these two conventional display units, the user can see only one display unit in the folded state, and the portable terminal is turned upside down in the opened state. Only by this, the user can see both display parts.

Further, as another conventional mobile terminal,
For example, there is a device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-237933, which is not a so-called foldable mobile phone, but three display units are folded and stored in the front surface of the housing, and then stored. In the state, only one display section is visible, and when the display section is unfolded, one display section is face down and the other two display sections are visible. It is disclosed.

Further, as another conventional portable terminal,
There is one described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-292207, which is a so-called foldable mobile phone, and the panel portion is rotatable in coaxial with the rotation axis of the hinge portion of the folding mechanism. When the mobile terminal is closed, the display unit cannot be visually recognized, and when the mobile terminal is open, the panel unit is rotated to the casing on the transmitter side, or the panel unit is opened. Can be rotated to the casing on the receiver side.

Here, when the panel unit is rotated to the transmitter side casing, the display unit provided in the receiver side casing and the touch liquid crystal panel provided on the back surface of the panel unit are visually recognized. When the panel unit is rotated to the casing on the earpiece side, the transparent liquid crystal panel provided on the surface of the panel unit and the display unit provided on the casing on the earpiece unit side through the transparent liquid crystal panel. Can be visually recognized by overlapping.

As another conventional mobile terminal,
There is one such as that described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-175355. This is for storing the display units so that the display units face each other when the display unit is stored. It is disclosed that the part is not visible.

[0008]

However, the conventional portable terminal as described above is a so-called folding type portable terminal in which two display units provided on the front and back of the display unit side body are turned upside down. Nothing was visible without it.

Further, even in the opened state, there is no portable terminal having a structure in which the two display portions can be displayed side by side or can be displayed before and after the housing. In particular, if the images can be displayed before and after the housing, the same display screen can be seen even though two users are facing each other.

That is, none of the conventionally proposed portable terminals can efficiently display a plurality of folded screens.

[0011]

In order to solve the above problems, a portable terminal according to the present invention comprises a first housing in which operation keys are arranged, a second housing in which a first display portion is arranged, A third housing in which the two display parts are arranged, a first hinge part that foldably connects the first housing and the second housing so that the operation keys face the first display part, and the second housing And a third housing, which is foldably connected so that the first display portion and the second display portion do not face each other, and has a second hinge portion having a rotation axis substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis of the first hinge portion. It is characterized by having.

With this configuration, a plurality of folded screens can be displayed efficiently.

Further, the portable terminal of the present invention is further characterized in that the display orientation of the second display section is switched according to the rotating state of the first hinge section.

With this configuration, the second display portion can be visually recognized even when the first hinge is folded, and the casing is provided when the first hinge is opened and the second hinge is closed. Two users face each other and can visually recognize the first display part and the second display part in front of and behind the body, and when the first hinge and the second hinge are both opened, the first display part and the second display part are opened. The display and the display are arranged side by side so that they can be visually recognized.

Further, when the first hinge and the second hinge are both closed, it is usual to use the first hinge portion side up, so that the characters displayed on the second display portion are used. And graphics are displayed with the first hinge side facing up,
When the first hinge part is opened by about 90 degrees, it is usual to use the first hinge part side down,
The characters and figures displayed on the display unit are switched so that the first hinge unit side is displayed as the lower side.

Further, the portable terminal of the present invention comprises a first casing in which operation keys are arranged, a second casing in which a first display portion is arranged,
A third casing in which the second display unit is arranged, a first hinge unit that foldably connects the first casing and the second casing so that the operation keys face the first display unit, and a second casing. A second hinge part that foldably connects the body and the third housing so that the first display part and the second display part do not face each other and that has a rotation axis that is substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis of the first hinge part; And the second
The first display unit and the second display unit are selected according to the rotating state of the hinge unit.
The display content of the display unit is switched.

Further, the portable terminal of the present invention further displays the same content on the first display section and the second display section when the second hinge section is in a closed state, and the second display section displays the same content. The display contents of the second display section are switched when the hinge section is in the open state.

With this configuration, the second display portion can be visually recognized even when the first hinge is folded, and when the first hinge is open and the second hinge is closed, the casing is When two users face the first display part and the second display part in front of and behind the body so that the same display contents can be visually recognized, respectively, and when the first hinge and the second hinge are both opened, By arranging the first display unit and the second display unit side by side, different display contents can be visually recognized at the same time.

Further, the portable terminal of the present invention further displays the same initial screen on the first display portion and the second display portion when the rotation state of the second hinge portion is closed, Two
It is characterized in that only the display content of the second display section is switched to the mode selection screen when the hinge section is in the open state.

Here, the initial screen means an initial screen when the power is turned on, a standby screen in a mobile phone or the like. What is the other mode selection screen?
It means a screen for selecting any one mode for setting and checking various modes of the mobile terminal.
This is a screen that prompts the user to select mail, memo pad, function settings, etc.

With this configuration, when the second hinge portion is opened, the initial screen required to be operated first and the mode selection screen are simultaneously confirmed on the two display portions arranged side by side. can do.

Further, in the portable terminal of the present invention, when the rotation state of the second hinge section is closed, the first display section is hierarchically lower than the content displayed on the second display section. It is characterized by displaying a hierarchy screen.

With this structure, when the second hinge portion is opened, the upper first layer is displayed on the left first display portion and the lower second layer portion is displayed on the right second display portion. Since it is possible to confirm the hierarchical display for two stages at a time, the usability is greatly improved.

Further, the portable terminal of the present invention comprises a first housing in which operation keys are arranged, a second housing in which a first display portion is arranged,
A third casing in which the second display unit is arranged, a first hinge unit that foldably connects the first casing and the second casing so that the operation keys face the first display unit, and a second casing. A second hinge part that foldably connects the body and the third housing so that the first display part and the second display part do not face each other and that has a rotation axis that is substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis of the first hinge part; And the second
The operation key serves as an input unit corresponding to the first display section when the hinge section is in the closed state, and the operation key is the second display section when the second hinge section is in the opened state. It is characterized by switching to an input means corresponding to.

With this configuration, in the portable terminal of the present invention, when the second hinge portion is closed, only the first display portion can be visually recognized from the front, so that the operation key is displayed on the first display portion. It is desirable to make it correspond. Also, the second
When the hinge portion is open, the first display portion and the second display portion can be seen side by side from the front side, and in this case, the operation key corresponds to the second display portion. preferable. This is because the first display section is visually recognized on the left side and the second display section is visually recognized on the right side. When the second display section is a lower layer screen, it is much better to make the operation keys correspond to this second display section. It is easy to use.

[0026]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 to 6 are views showing an embodiment of the present invention, and in the drawings, parts denoted by the same reference numerals represent the same things.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a second housing having a first display portion, 2 is a third housing having a second display portion 4, 6 is a first housing having operation keys, and 7 is a first housing. The first hinge portion 5 that foldably connects the body and the second housing foldably joins the second housing and the third housing so that they do not face each other, and the first hinge portion 7 rotates. It is a 2nd hinge part which has a rotating shaft substantially orthogonal to a moving shaft.

In the state shown in FIG. 1, since the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion 5 are both closed, the second display portion 1 can be visually recognized by the user even under such a state. Becomes

Further, the first hinge 7 and the second hinge 5 are further provided.
When both and are closed, it is usual to use the first hinge portion 7 side up, so that the characters and figures displayed on the second display portion 1 are on the first hinge portion 7 side. Is displayed on the upper side.

On the other hand, FIG. 2 shows the case where the first hinge portion 7 is opened by about 90 degrees.

In the figure, since it is usual to use the first hinge portion 7 side down, characters and figures displayed on the second display portion 4 are displayed with the first hinge portion side down. It switches as if to do.

Here, 10 is an operation key provided on the first casing, and 9 is a speaker for transmitting.

Here, as is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, when the state of the foldable portable terminal is switched from the state of FIG. 1 to the state of FIG. 2, the display direction of the second display section 4 is turned upside down. Flip to. The screen displayed in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a standby screen.

FIG. 3 shows a case where the first hinge portion 7 is opened by approximately 180 degrees. Here, 8 is a speaker for outputting the received voice. In FIG. 3, since the second hinge unit 5 is closed, the standby screen as the initial screen is displayed on the first display unit 3, and the second display unit is hidden behind the screen and cannot be seen. The same screen is displayed.

As described above, the first display section 3 is provided on both sides of the portable terminal.
Since the same screen is displayed on the second display unit 4 and the second display unit 4, the person holding this mobile terminal can confirm the display content on the first display unit 3, and the other person who is facing is the second display unit 4. You can check the same display content at.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a state in which the third housing is opened from the state of FIG. 3, and the second hinge portion 5 is opened approximately 180 degrees.

Thus, the second hinge portion 5 is changed from FIG. 3 to FIG.
When the rotation state of No. 2 transitions to the open state, the display content of the second display unit 4 switches from the standby screen, which is the initial screen, to the mode selection screen, which is another display screen.

At this time, the operation key 10 is switched so as to be assigned to the operation of the second display unit 4 from the first display unit 3, so that the cursor key and the enter key (not shown) of the operation key 10 When the phonebook mode is selected from the mode selection screen displayed on the display unit 4, the screen is switched to the screen shown in FIG.

In FIG. 5, a mode selection screen is displayed on the first display unit 3, and a mode screen of the telephone directory selected by operating the operation keys is displayed on the second display unit 4.

In FIG. 5, the operation key 10 is the second key.
It goes without saying that it is assigned to the operation of the telephone directory screen of the display unit 4.

As described above, since the screen of the upper hierarchy is displayed on the first display unit 3 and the screen of the lower hierarchy is simultaneously displayed on the second display unit 4, the operability is further improved. .

Further, the transition of each display screen from FIG. 3 to FIG. 4 accompanying the opening operation of the second hinge part 5 is the same as the standby screen of the first display part 3 and the second display screen only is switched to the mode selection screen. However, the present invention is not limited to this,
For example, when the opening operation of the second hinge portion 5 is performed from FIG. 3,
As shown in FIG. 6, the screen of the first display unit 3 shifts from the standby screen, which is the initial screen, to the mode selection screen, and the second screen is displayed.
The screen of the display unit 4 may shift from a standby screen, which is an initial screen, to a phonebook mode screen, which is one layer below the mode selection screen.

With the mobile terminal of the present invention configured as described above, even if the first hinge is folded, the second terminal
In a state where the display unit is visible and the first hinge is opened and the second hinge is closed, two users face the first display unit and the second display unit in front of and behind the housing, respectively. When the first hinge and the second hinge are both opened, the first display section and the second display section can be viewed side by side.

Further, when both the first hinge and the second hinge are closed, it is usual to use the first hinge portion side up, so that the characters displayed on the second display portion are displayed. And graphics are displayed with the first hinge side facing up,
When the first hinge part is opened by about 90 degrees, it is common to use the first hinge part side down, so
The characters and figures displayed on the display unit are switched so that the first hinge unit side is displayed as the lower side.

Further, when the second hinge portion is opened, the first hinge on the left side is opened.
Since the upper layer is displayed on the display unit and the lower layer is displayed on the second display unit on the right side, the hierarchical display for two stages can be confirmed at one time, so that the usability is significantly improved.

Further, in the portable terminal of the present invention, when the second hinge portion is closed, only the first display portion can be seen from the front, so the operation keys correspond to the first display portion, and Two
When the hinge portion is open, the first display portion and the second display portion can be viewed side by side from the front, and therefore the operation key corresponds to the second display portion. As a result, the operation keys correspond to the screens in the lower layer, which greatly improves the usability.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the portable terminal of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course, it is possible to add.

[0048]

As described above, according to the portable terminal of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently display a plurality of folded screens.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a first hinge portion and a second hinge portion are both closed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention with the first hinge portion opened approximately 90 degrees and the second hinge portion closed.

FIG. 3 shows the first hinge portion of the embodiment of the present invention at approximately 180
It is a perspective view of the state which opened the second hinge part with a degree of opening.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which both the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion of the embodiment of the present invention are opened by approximately 180 degrees.

FIG. 5 is another perspective view showing a state in which both the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion of the embodiment of the present invention are opened by approximately 180 degrees.

FIG. 6 is another perspective view showing a state in which the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion according to the embodiment of the present invention are both opened approximately 180 degrees.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 second housing 2 Third housing 3 First display 4 Second display 5 Second hinge part 6 First case 7 First hinge part 8 speakers 9 microphone 10 operation keys

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A first housing in which operation keys are arranged, a second housing in which a first display portion is arranged, a third housing in which a second display portion is arranged, a first housing and a second housing. The first hinge part that foldably connects the body with the operation keys and the first display part face each other, and the first housing part and the second housing part do not face the second housing part and the third housing part. And a second hinge portion having a rotation axis that is substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis of the first hinge portion. 2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the display direction of the second display section is switched according to the rotating state of the first hinge section. 3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the display contents of the first display unit and the second display unit are switched according to the rotating state of the second hinge unit. 4. The same content is displayed on the first display portion and the second display portion when the rotation state of the second hinge portion is closed, and the rotation state of the second hinge portion is opened. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein the display content of the second display unit is switched in the state. 5. The same initial screen is displayed on the first display portion and the second display portion when the rotation state of the second hinge portion is closed, and the rotation state of the second hinge portion is opened. 5. The mobile terminal according to claim 4, wherein only the display content of the second display unit is switched to the mode selection screen in the open state. 6. A screen in a hierarchy lower than the content displayed on the second display portion is displayed on the first display portion when the rotation state of the second hinge portion is closed. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein 7. The operation key serves as an input means corresponding to the first display portion when the rotating state of the second hinge portion is closed, and the operating key is when the rotating state of the second hinge portion is open. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the operation key is switched to an input unit corresponding to the second display unit.