JP2000250654A - Electronic computer having radio communication function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily confirm the state of a computer and also to prevent the operability of the computer from being affected by its working environment. SOLUTION: An upper case 1 has a liquid crystal display part 5 on its inner side face and a lower case 2 has a keyboard 7. These cases 1 and 2 are connected together in a rotatable way via a hinge 3. A state display part 4 is formed on the outer side face of the case 1 to show the state of a computer. Thus, the state of the computer can be confirmed without opening the case 1. A scroll dial 6 is placed at the right edge part of the hinge 3 to scroll up and down the images shown on the part 5, and a menu selection button 8b and a click button 8a are placed near the dial 6 on the inner surface of the case 2. These dial 6 and buttons 8b and 8a are located at the positions near the finger tips of the user's right hand that is holding the computer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display and a keyboard provided on an upper and lower case which are openably and closably connected,
The present invention relates to a configurable electronic computer having an electronic mail function and a wireless communication function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, notebook computers have become the mainstream of electronic computers such as portable personal computers. In this type of computer, a liquid crystal display is provided in one case (upper case) rotatably connected by a hinge,
A keyboard is provided in the other case (lower case), and when carrying, the upper and lower cases are stacked and the case is closed, and when used, the case is opened so that the upper and lower cases are separated, By operating the keyboard in such a state, a document or the like can be input. The input text is displayed on the liquid crystal display on the upper case side.

[0003]

By the way, an electronic mail function and a communication function have been added to such a notebook type electronic computer, and the convenience has been further improved by increasing the number of functions.

However, when such a wireless communication function is provided, when information such as e-mail is received from another device, it is necessary to confirm that a call has arrived and the source of the received information. It was necessary to open the case, turn on the power, and display the confirmation information on the liquid crystal display unit. As described above, there is a problem in that confirmation of an incoming call requires a troublesome operation, and a small amount of information needs to operate a liquid crystal display unit which consumes a large amount of power.

[0005] Further, a battery is used as a power source because it is a portable type. Therefore, it is necessary to always pay attention to the remaining amount of the battery. Even if the state of the battery is not displayed on the liquid crystal display unit, it must be displayed on some display means. However, such a display means is usually arranged in a place that cannot be seen unless the case is opened, such as the inner surface of the case, and it also takes time and effort to know the state of the battery.

Furthermore, a portable notebook computer is not always used on a table, and may be used in an unrestricted posture, such as on a knee, depending on the location. Even in such a case, it is necessary to prevent the operability from being impaired.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic computer with a wireless communication function capable of surely checking a state without any trouble. To provide.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer with a wireless communication function that is excellent in operability regardless of the place of use.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a configuration in which a state display section is provided on one of the outer surfaces of an upper case and a lower case. The status display unit displays status information on incoming mail, remaining battery power, and the like, so that the status of the computer can be known even when the case is closed.

Further, the present invention has a structure in which a scroll dial is provided at an end of a hinge connecting the upper case and the lower case, and an operation button for operating a cursor is also arranged near the scroll dial. is there. According to such a configuration, the scroll dial and the cursor operation buttons are arranged near the finger of the hand holding the computer. When performing these operations, it is necessary to perform an operation of holding the hand. Disappears.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a computer with a wireless communication function according to the present invention.
Indicates a closed state, and FIG. 2B shows an opened state. 100 denotes an electronic computer with a wireless communication function according to this embodiment, 1 denotes an upper case, 2 denotes a lower case, 3 denotes a hinge,
Is a status display section, 5 is a liquid crystal display section, 6 is a vertical scroll dial, 7 is a keyboard, and 8a is a click (decision).
A button, 8b is a selection button, 9 is an open / close sensor, 9a is a convex portion, and 9b is a concave portion.

1A and 1B, an electronic computer with a wireless communication function (hereinafter abbreviated as a computer) 100 according to this embodiment includes an upper case 1 and a lower case 2 via a hinge 3. The upper case 1 and the lower case 2 are connected to each other and are rotatable about a hinge 3 so that the cases 1 and 2 are overlapped with each other (FIG. 1A). And an open state in which the cases 1 and 2 are separated from each other (FIG. 1B).

As shown in FIG. 1A, a state display section 4 using liquid crystal is provided on the outer surface of the upper case 1.
As shown in FIG. 1B, a liquid crystal display unit 5 for displaying a menu screen and information is provided on the inner surface of the upper case 1, and a keyboard 7 is provided on the inner surface of the lower case 2.
And a selection button 8 for operating the cursor for menu selection
b, a click button 8a, and the like. Further, at one end of the hinge 3, a vertical scroll dial 6 for vertically scrolling the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 5 is rotatably provided, as shown in FIG.
When the case shown in (1) is open, the vertical scroll dial 6 is positioned at the right end of the hinge 3. Therefore, the vertical scroll dial 6 is located near the fingertip of the right hand holding the computer, and can be rotated with this fingertip, so that the scrolling operation can be easily performed.

Here, the selection button 8b and the click button 8a are provided in the upper right corner of the lower case 2 in close proximity to the vertical scroll dial 6, and are operated by the same fingertip that operates the vertical scroll dial 6. I can operate it.

Therefore, the right hand holding the computer can operate the up / down scroll dial 6, the selection button 8b, and the click button 8a without holding the computer, and hold the computer on the lap. The operability is not impaired even in an uncomfortable posture such as being placed and held in a hand.

In this embodiment, although not shown, for example, a transmission / reception device for e-mail or the like is built in the lower case 2, so that wireless communication with the outside is possible. When confirming the contents of such an e-mail, the contents are displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 5, and when the contents are long, it is necessary to scroll up and down. There is also. In such a case, the operation is facilitated because the vertical scroll dial 6 is positioned as described above.

A convex portion 9a is provided near the hinge 3 on the inner surface of the upper case 1, and a concave portion 9b is provided near the hinge 3 on the inner surface of the lower case 2, respectively.
b constitute the case open / close sensor 9. That is, when the case is closed as shown in FIG.
a is fitted into the concave portion 9b, thereby detecting that the case is in the closed state. In this closed state,
The power in the device is turned off. Further, when the case is open as shown in FIG.
b, thereby detecting that the case is open. In this open state, the power inside the device is turned on.

Here, a battery is used as a power supply, and even if the power supply in the apparatus is turned off, the state display section 4 is supplied with power from the battery and is always operating. The state display unit 4 displays the state of the apparatus such as the state of the remaining battery power and the arrival of an e-mail. A small liquid crystal display device is used. The amount of power consumed can be made sufficiently small. Of course,
When the case as shown in FIG. 1B is opened, the above-described status display can be performed at a predetermined position (for example, the upper left corner) of the liquid crystal display unit 5 by a predetermined operation of the keyboard 7 or the like. it can.

Thus, the upper case 1 and the lower case 2
Even when the computer is closed, the above-mentioned state of the computer is displayed on the state display section 4, so that the state of the computer can be confirmed without requiring any trouble such as opening the case at least. .

The keyboard 7 complies with the JIS arrangement, and the key interval W is a minimum interval (for example, W = 16 mm) which can avoid erroneous operation when operated with both hands.
And try to minimize wasted space as much as possible. As a result, the planar space occupied by the keyboard 7 becomes horizontally long, and accordingly, the lower case 2 has a horizontally long plane shape. Therefore, the upper case 1 also has a horizontally long plane shape,
The liquid crystal display unit 5 also has a horizontally long shape.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, wherein 10 is an opening, 11 is a screen case, 12 is a keyboard side case, 13 is a battery, 14 is a main board,
Reference numeral 15 denotes a memory, and the portions corresponding to those in FIG.

In FIG. 1, an upper case 1 is provided with an opening 10 formed of a through hole.
Inside, the status display unit 4 is attached in accordance with the opening 10, the liquid crystal display unit 5 is attached from above, and finally the screen case 11 is attached.

In the lower case 2, a main board 14 on which a memory 15 and the like are mounted is mounted with the memory 15 facing downward. The keyboard 7 is arranged on the main board 14, and the keyboard side 12 is mounted thereon. Here, the battery 13 is
Or in a space below the main board 14 so as to be rechargeable or replaceable.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1 (a), wherein 16 is a space, 17 is a recess, and the same reference numerals are used for parts corresponding to FIGS. A duplicate description will be omitted.

FIG. 3A shows a case where the state display section 4 is provided in the upper case 1 as described above. Here, the surface of the upper case 1 is a flat surface. In this case, a small useless space 16 occurs between the inner surface of the upper case 1 and the liquid crystal display unit 5.

FIG. 3B shows the state display section 4 provided in the upper case 1.
7 is provided, and the state display section 4 is disposed in the hollow section 17. In this case, the useless space 16 as shown in FIG. 3A can be eliminated, but a projecting portion for the recess 17 is formed on the outer surface of the upper case 1.

FIG. 3C shows a case 2 having the status display section 4.
It is provided inside. Components such as a memory 15 and an LSI are mounted on both sides of the main board 14. When such a main board is mounted in the lower case 2, the mounting components allow the inner surface of the lower case 2 to be connected to the main board 14. A space is generated between the inner surfaces of the lower case 2 and the main substrate 14 in a portion where no component is mounted on the inner surface of the lower case 2 on the main substrate. This space is originally wasted space, but the state display section 4 is arranged in this space. Of course, lower case 2
Needless to say, an opening is provided so that the screen of the status display unit 4 can be seen from the outside. In this case, since the useless space is effectively used, the outer surfaces of the cases 1 and 2 can be made flat, and the space 16 shown in FIG. As a result, the entire device can be made thinner.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing a portion of the vertical scroll dial 6 in FIG. 1, wherein 3a is a cover, and 18 is a rotation sensor.

In the figure, a vertical scroll dial 6 is rotatably attached to an end of a cover 3a of the hinge 3 (FIG. 1), and the vertical scroll dial 6 is provided inside the cover 3a. A rotation sensor 18 for detecting the direction and amount of rotation of the dial 6 is provided.

When the vertical scroll dial 6 is rotated with a fingertip, the rotation sensor 18 detects the rotation direction and the rotation amount, and the liquid crystal display unit 5 operates according to the detection result, and the screen displayed there is displayed. Is scrolled upward or downward by an amount corresponding to the amount of rotation in accordance with the direction of rotation.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a specific example of the set position of the state display section 4. 19a and 19b are settable areas, 20 is a hand, and 21 is a settable area. Are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

FIG. 5 (a) shows a relatively large computer 100. As an example, the overall size is 105
mm × 230 mm wide. Now, assuming that the width of the ankle of the human hand 20 is about 100 mm, the hand 20
Is carried, the position of the
, There is a blank area on both sides of the area occupied by the hand 20. These areas are surrounded by 2m
The settable areas 19a and 19b of the status display section 4 are set except for a margin portion of about m.

That is, these settable areas 19a, 19b
The status display section 4 can be provided at any place as long as it is inside, and the palm does not touch the status display section 4. When the palm touches the status display unit 4, the surface of the status display unit 4 becomes dirty, and the status is constantly degraded.

FIG. 5B shows a case of a relatively small-sized computer 100.
The settable areas 19a and 19b as shown in FIG. 5A cannot be obtained. In such a case, the computer 100
The part where the palm does not touch a part of the palm holding the hand
And this portion is used as the settable area 21 of the status display section 4. The settable area 21 is, for example, an elliptical area having a vertical diameter of about 30 mm and a horizontal diameter of about 40 mm in a range of 5 to 10 mm from the hinge 3 side of the upper case 1.

According to this, even if the computer 100 is held by the hand 20, not only does the palm of the hand not touch the status display unit 4, but also the hand 20 protects the status display unit 21 by the hand 20. Will be.

In the case of the computer 100 shown in FIG. 5A, similarly to the case of FIG. 5B, the state display section 4 is provided in an area where the palm of the portion held by the hand 20 does not touch. You may.

In the above embodiment, the status display section 4 has a circular shape. However, as shown in FIG.
A rectangular state display section 4 having a relatively large area over one of the settable areas 19a or 19b shown in FIG. In this case, the status can be displayed with a relatively large amount of information. In the case of the incoming mail display, for example, in addition to the message "The mail has arrived." The date and time can be displayed in characters. The character arrangement may be vertical or horizontal as shown in the figure.

FIGS. 6 (b) and 6 (c) show a state where the state display section 4 is arranged in a part of one of the settable areas 19a or 19b shown in FIG. 5 (a). It has a narrow rectangular shape. The specific example shown in FIG. 6B is horizontally long (accordingly, the character arrangement is horizontal), and the specific example shown in FIG. 6C is vertically long (accordingly, the character The array is vertical). In such a state display section 4, a short message such as "Recommended to charge the battery" or "Waiting for mail transmission" is displayed.

FIG. 6D shows a state display section 4 provided in a part of one of the settable areas 19a or 19b shown in FIG. In this case, instead of displaying a message in characters, an antenna mark indicating mail or an icon indicating remaining battery level is displayed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another specific example of the status display section 4, in which 22 is a manufacturer's mark, and 23, 24, and 25 are L.
ED, 26 is a speaker, 27 is a clock display unit, 28 is a speaker, 29 is a reading operation button, 30 is an answering machine setting operation button, parts corresponding to the above-mentioned drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. I do.

The specific example shown in FIG.
5 to indicate the status.
Are provided in one settable area 19b shown in FIG. In the other settable area 19a, a mark or a batch of the maker of the computer 100 is marked. Here, the LED 23 indicates the power ON / OFF state, the LED 24 is lit when in the communication state, and the LED 25 is illuminated when a mail arrives. In addition, an LED that lights when the remaining battery power is low may be provided.

In the specific example shown in FIG. 7B, a speaker 26 is used as the status display means 4 instead of the liquid crystal display device, and the status is displayed by voice.

In the specific example shown in FIG. 7C, a speaker 28 is provided as a status display section in one settable area 19b shown in FIG. A clock display unit 27 of a liquid crystal display device is provided in the area 19a.

The specific example shown in FIG. 7 (d) is different from the specific example shown in FIG. 6 (d) in that a reading operation button 29 and an answering machine setting operation button 30 are provided, and a speaker is set in the settable area on the other side. 28 are provided. In this specific example, for example, when an incoming mail is displayed on the status display unit 4, when the read-aloud operation button 29 is operated, for example, the message content displayed on the status display unit 4 in FIG. You will hear a message of about
Sound is output from the speaker 28. Note that a message having such a content is stored, for example, in the memory 15 shown in FIGS.

When the answering machine setting operation button 30 is operated, when a mail is received, a predetermined message is automatically transmitted to the transmission source.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the arrangement of the click button 8a and the selection button 8b in FIG. 1, and portions corresponding to those in the above-mentioned drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The specific example shown in FIG. 8 (a) is the same as that of FIG. 1, and a click button 8a and a select button 8b are arranged near the vertical scroll dial 6 at the upper right corner of the inner surface of the lower case 2. It was done. In this case, the click button 8a and the selection button 8b can be operated with the same fingertip that operates the up-down scroll dial 6, such as the thumb of the right hand 20, and the operability is excellent.

In the specific example shown in FIG. 8 (b), a click button 8a and a selection button 8b are provided at the tip of the hinge 3 close to the vertical scroll dial 6.
In this case, the same effect as that of the specific example shown in FIG.

In the specific example shown in FIG. 8C, a click button 8a and a selection button 8b are provided at the upper left corner of the inner surface of the lower case 2. In this case, the click button 8a and the selection button 8 are
b. In this specific example, since the up / down scroll dial 6 and the click button 8a and the selection button 8b are completely separated from each other on the opposite side, for example, the fingertip operating the selection button 8b is mistakenly moved to the up / down scroll dial 6. The screen does not scroll by touching, and erroneous operation can be prevented. Of course,
Since the click button 8a and the selection button 8b are provided at positions where they can be easily operated with the fingertip of the left hand, the operability is excellent.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a display example on the state display section 4 in FIG.

In the above description, the contents displayed on the status display unit 4 include a message, a mark, and the like.
A motif as shown in (a) may be displayed, and this motif may change according to a change or type of the state. In addition, (a) is due to the phases of the moon, (b) is due to changes in plants, (c) is due to the degree of opening of the eyes,
(D) changes due to changes in the shape of the heart mark, etc. (E)
Each state is represented by a change in ripples on the water surface.

Now, taking (b) of FIG. 8A as an example,
In FIG. 8B, when there is no incoming mail and the battery is in a normal state where the battery level is sufficient, as shown in FIG. 8A, plants swaying in the wind are displayed. As shown in (b), the plant where the worm is stopped is displayed, and when it is notified that the scheduled time has come, as shown in (c), the plant which is blown by the strong wind is displayed and the remaining battery power is displayed. If the amount is low,
As shown in (d), the darkened plants are displayed. Of course, when the battery is charged,
The display moves from (d) to (b). Also, by displaying a plurality of states in the same manner, for example, when the battery level is low when receiving an e-mail, as shown in (e), a plant with dark surroundings may be replaced by a worm. The motif where is stopped is displayed.

[0053]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the status display unit is provided on the outer surface side of the case,
It is possible to check the state of the computer without having to open the case, thereby improving usability.

Further, according to the present invention, the up / down scroll dial and the operation buttons of the cursor are arranged near the finger of the hand holding the computer, so that the operability is not affected by the use environment. Thus, good operability is always obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a computer with a wireless communication function according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view A of the embodiment shown in FIG.
It is sectional drawing which follows -A.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing a part of a vertical scroll dial of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of a setting position of a state display unit in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of a state display unit used in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another specific example of the state display unit used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a selection button and a click button in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a state display on a state display unit in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Computer with wireless communication function 1 Upper case 2 Lower case 3 Hinge 4 Status display unit 5 Liquid crystal display unit 6 Vertical scroll dial 7 Keyboard 8a Click button 8b Select button 9 Open / close sensor 9a Convex portion 9b Concave portion 13 Battery 14 Main board 19a , 19b, 21 Settable area 23 to 25 LED 26 Speaker 27 Clock display unit 28 Speaker

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Daisuke Iseki 1-280 Higashi Koigabo, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo Inside the Hitachi, Ltd.Design Research Institute (72) Inventor Taisuke Kashima 1-280 Higashi Koigabo, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo Hitachi, Ltd. F term in the design laboratory (reference) 5B019 BC06 EA01 EA10 EB07 GA03 HD04 HE07

Claims (7)

[Claims] An upper case and a lower case are rotatably connected to each other via a hinge so that the case can be opened,
In a computer having a wireless communication function which is a device in which a liquid crystal display unit is provided on an inner surface side of the upper case and a keyboard is provided on an inner surface side of the lower case, a state display unit is provided on an outer surface side of the upper case or the lower case. An electronic device with a wireless communication function, characterized in that the state of the device can be known by the state display section even in a closed state where the upper case and the lower case overlap with each other. calculator. 2. The computer with a wireless communication function according to claim 1, wherein the status of the device displayed by the status display unit is an incoming mail status or a remaining battery status. 3. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the status display unit is a liquid crystal display device. 4. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the status display unit includes a speaker. 5. The computer according to claim 1, wherein the status display unit is an LED. 6. The liquid crystal display unit according to claim 1, wherein a display screen of the liquid crystal display unit is a horizontally long screen, and is displayed on an end portion of the hinge on the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit. An electronic computer with a wireless communication function, comprising a scroll dial for scrolling an image up and down. 7. An electronic computer with a wireless communication function according to claim 6, wherein a cursor operating means is arranged near said scroll dial.