JP2001147742A - Portable information input terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable information input terminal equipment, capable of improving portability and reducing labor, errors, etc., at key entry and allowing continuous use over a log period. SOLUTION: Compact portable information input terminal equipment MV is provided with a body part 10 and an input keyboard part 20. The keyboard part 20 can be detached from the body part 10 by pulling the connector 25a of a connection cord 25 from the connector 14 of the body part 10. A base plate 21 of the keyboard 20 is constituted of a 1st base plate part 21a, arranged on the front side and a 2nd base plate part 21b arranged on the depth side and can be folded in two through a hinge 26.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable information input terminal, and more particularly to a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).
s; portable information devices for personal use).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, small portable information input terminals, such as PDAs, capable of processing digital information such as characters, images, and voices and having a communication function and a pen input function have been proposed and started to spread.

[0003]

However, the conventional PDA terminal has the following problems. Since the keyboard of the conventional PDA terminal device needs a certain thickness to give a stroke feeling,
The input device of the DA terminal device lacks portability and convenience. In the case of the conventional PDA terminal device, when inputting characters, a pen or a finger is used to input characters one by one into small input keys. Is required. The display screen of the keyboard of the conventional PDA terminal device has become smaller due to the recent multi-functionality and the like, and when characters are pressed and input with a pen, it is difficult to notice mistakes in selection or conversion errors. In a pressure-sensitive keyboard, frequent pressures from a pen accelerate the deterioration of a contact portion (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-6343).
No. 7). When characters are input by hand on a touch panel of a conventional PDA terminal device, the character recognition rate is insufficient, and it takes patience and time to input a large amount of data. The conventional PDA terminal device generally uses a small battery. However, it takes a long time to input data and the battery capacity is not sufficient with respect to the power consumption of the liquid crystal display panel. As a result, long-time continuous use cannot be performed.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it has been made possible to improve portability, reduce labor and mistakes at the time of key input, and enable continuous use for a long time. To provide a portable information input terminal device.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable information input terminal device which can be used for various small portable terminals having a display unit.
The keyboard is detachable from the main body. As described above, in the portable information input terminal device according to the first aspect, since the keyboard portion is detachable from the main body, the main body and the keyboard can be carried separately. The performance is improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable information input terminal device including a main body having a display portion and an input keyboard portion, wherein the keyboard portion is foldable. It is characterized by the following. As described above, in the portable information input terminal device according to the second aspect, since the keyboard portion is foldable, the keyboard portion can be folded and carried.
Portability is improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the portable information input terminal device according to the first or second aspect, the keyboard section includes a film-shaped substrate and a key arranged on the film-shaped substrate. And an insulating sheet covering the film-shaped substrate and the key. As described above, in the portable information input terminal device according to claim 3, the keyboard unit includes:
By having the keys arranged on the film-shaped substrate and the insulating sheet covering the film-shaped substrate and the keys, the keyboard can be made ultra-thin and lightweight, so that portability is improved. improves.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the portable information input terminal device according to the first or second aspect, the keyboard section is provided with a solar cell as a power supply for driving the keyboard section. It is characterized by the following. As described above, in the portable information input terminal device according to the fourth aspect, since the solar cell is provided as the driving power source in the keyboard unit, the portable information input terminal device can operate for a long time without worrying about the consumption of the small battery unlike the related art. Over continuous use.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the portable information input terminal device according to the first or second aspect, a keyboard unit that functions in the same manner as the keyboard unit is provided on the main unit. It is characterized by. As described above, in the portable information input terminal device according to claim 5, since the keyboard portion is also provided separately in the main body portion,
Since the detachable or foldable keyboard unit can be used as the auxiliary input device, various usage methods according to the situation are possible.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the portable information input terminal device according to the second aspect, the size of the keyboard portion is smaller than the size of the main body portion in a state where the keyboard portion is folded. It is characterized by being substantially equal.
Thus, in the portable information input terminal device according to the sixth aspect, the size of the keyboard portion is substantially equal to the size of the main body portion in a state where the keyboard portion is folded, so that the folded keyboard portion and the main body portion are put together. And compactness can be achieved, so that portability is improved. Also,
When the folded keyboard is opened and used, the keyboard is several times larger than the main body, which facilitates manual input (fingertip input) and effort and mistakes when selecting and inputting desired characters. Also decreases. Further, deterioration of the touch panel due to frequent pressing at the time of pen input is also suppressed.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the portable information input terminal device according to the third aspect, when a predetermined key of the keyboard section is pressed, a sound corresponding to the predetermined key is emitted. It is characterized in that a sounding means is provided. As described above, in the portable information input terminal device according to the seventh aspect, the sound input means that emits a sound corresponding to the pressed key is provided, so that the key input can be confirmed by the sound. , Mistakes in key input are reduced. The sound emitted by the sounding means may be a beep sound, or a sound such as "A, I, U,..." For Roman letters, or "A, B, C" for alphanumeric characters. , ... ".

The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that, in the portable information input terminal device according to claim 3, the touch sheet portion on the surface of the insulating sheet above the keys is provided with irregularities. And Thus, in the portable information input terminal device according to the eighth aspect, the unevenness is provided on the touch sheet portion, so that each key can be accurately and easily identified, and further, a blind touch input can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to easily input a large number of characters continuously.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the portable information input terminal device according to the third aspect, the film-like substrate is divided into a plurality of pieces, and the plurality of divided film-like boards is folded by hinges. It is characterized by being connected as possible. Thus, in the portable information input terminal device according to the ninth aspect, the plurality of divided film-shaped substrates are foldably connected by the hinge, so that the keyboard can be easily folded when carrying. In use, the folded keyboard portion can be opened and stably fixed in that state, so that good portability and good usability are ensured.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiments. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a small portable information input terminal device MV according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
3 is a perspective view showing a folded state of the keyboard unit of the small portable information input terminal device MV of FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the keyboard unit of the small portable information input terminal device MV of FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system of the small portable information input terminal device MV of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the small portable information input terminal device MV includes a main body 10 and a keyboard 20 for input. The main body 10 includes a housing 11 and
A display unit 12 made of liquid crystal or the like, an interface connector 13 connected to a public line network such as ISDN, and a connector 14 such as RS-232C for inserting and connecting a connector 25a of a connection cord 25 from a keyboard unit 20 are provided. I have. Therefore, by pulling out the connector 25 a of the connection cord 25 from the connector 14, the keyboard section 20 can be detached from the main body section 10.

The keyboard section 20 which can be detached from the main body section 10 has a base plate section 21 made of a rectangular hard material insulator, and this base plate section 21 is connected to the first base plate section 21a on the near side by the back. And the second base plate portion 21b on the side, and the hinge 2
6 so as to be foldable (see FIG. 2).
That is, the keyboard section 20 can be folded into two by the hinge 26. Further, the connection cord 25 is drawn out from the center of the back surface of the second base plate portion 21b.

A flexible film-like substrate 22 is attached to the upper surface of the base plate 21. A contact conductor 23 made of, for example, a copper foil is arranged on the upper surface of the film-like substrate 22 to form each key. An insulating sheet 24 made of a flexible insulator is disposed on the upper surface side of the film-like substrate 22. And this insulating sheet 2
Letters, numbers, and symbols are printed on the front surface corresponding to each key of No. 4 and a conductive layer having conductivity (for example,
Carbon coat) is formed. In this way,
The keyboard section 20 can be made very thin.

Further, an insulating sheet 24 above each key is provided.
The touch sheet portion on the surface is provided with irregularities to facilitate character identification at the time of blind input. Then, predetermined characters on the insulating sheet 24 (for example,
When Z) is pressed down, the conductive layer of the insulating sheet 24 and the contact conductor 23 of the film-like substrate 22 come into contact with each other to conduct, and a conduction signal is sent to the main body 10 via the connection cord 25.

The insulating sheet 24 of the keyboard section 20
When pressing a touch sheet portion provided with surface irregularities, a voice IC (not shown) for generating a predetermined voice corresponding to the pressed key is provided.

Further, the keyboard section 20 is provided with a solar cell 27 for converting light energy such as sunlight and illumination into electric energy, and has a function as a power supply section of the small portable information input terminal MV. are doing.

As shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 31 has a ROM 32 storing a control program for the display unit 12 and the like, a RAM 33 used during processing, a keyboard unit 20, and a press input from the keyboard unit 20. A voice IC 34 that emits voice and a communication function unit 35 that communicates with a public line are connected. Power for operating the CPU 31 and the display unit 12 is supplied from the solar cell 27.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. When using the small portable information input terminal MV, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the main body 10 and the keyboard 20 are connected by the connection cord 25, and the base plate 21 is spread and fixed stably.
An input operation is performed at a place where 7 is irradiated. At the time of this key input, the voice IC 34 emits a voice corresponding to the input, so that the user (operator) can easily confirm the key input by the user with his / her ear. Specifically, it utters a voice such as "A, I, U, ..." for Japanese and "A, B, C, ..." for English.

Also, a small portable information input terminal MV
As shown in FIG. 2, the keyboard 20 is folded in two and carried, so that it is not bulky.

In the present embodiment, the keyboard unit 20 is used.
Is shown as a two-fold, but it may be four-fold or eight-fold. By doing so, even if the main body 10 is small, the area of the keyboard can be designed to be four times or eight times larger than the main body, so that the insulating sheet 24 corresponding to each key can be designed.
Characters, numbers, symbols, and the like to be printed on the surface of the image can be enlarged, and characters and the like can be easily identified.

In place of the voice IC 34, a sound IC for generating a beep may be provided. In addition, a foldable keyboard unit 20 displaying large key characters or the like may be provided as an auxiliary option.

Further, in the present embodiment, the keyboard 2
0 is used as a power supply for the small portable information input terminal device MV.
Instead of 7, a small dry battery may be provided in the main body 10 to serve as a power supply for the small portable information input terminal device MV, or a combination of these solar cells 27 and small dry batteries may be used.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. That is, according to the portable information input terminal device of the first aspect, since the keyboard portion is detachable from the main body portion, the main body portion and the keyboard portion can be carried separately. Performance can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the keyboard is foldable, the keyboard can be folded and carried.
Portability can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the keyboard portion has a film-like substrate, keys arranged on the film-like substrate, and an insulating sheet covering the film-like substrate and the keys. By doing so, the keyboard section can be made ultra-thin and lightweight, so that portability can be improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the solar cell serving as a power supply for driving the keyboard is provided in the keyboard, so that the small battery is not consumed as in the related art. It can be used continuously for a long time.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the keyboard is also provided separately on the main body.
Since the detachable or foldable keyboard unit can be used as the auxiliary input device, various usage methods according to the situation are possible.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the size of the keyboard is substantially equal to the size of the main body when the keyboard is folded, so that the folded keyboard and the main body can be compacted together. Therefore, portability can be improved. Also,
When the folded keyboard part is opened and used, the keyboard part is considerably larger than the main body part, and it is possible to draw key characters and key figures in a large size. Input) becomes easier,
Effort and mistakes in selecting and inputting desired characters and the like can be reduced. Further, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the touch panel due to frequent pressing at the time of pen input.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the sound generating means for generating a sound corresponding to the key to be pressed is provided, the key input can be confirmed by the sound. Input errors at the time of input (fingertip input) can be reduced.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the touch sheet portion is provided with irregularities, each key can be accurately and easily identified, and a blind touch input can be performed. You can easily enter characters continuously.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the plurality of divided film substrates are foldably connected by hinges, the keyboard portion can be easily folded when carrying. Becomes possible,
When used, the folded keyboard portion can be opened and stably fixed in that state, so that good portability and good usability can be ensured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a small portable information input terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a folded state of a keyboard unit of the small portable information input terminal device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of a keyboard section of the small portable information input terminal device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the keyboard unit of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system of the small portable information input terminal device of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

MV: small portable information input terminal device, 10: main body, 11
... Case, 12 ... Display, 13 ... Interface connector, 14 ... Connector, 20 ... Keyboard, 21 ... Base plate, 21a ... First base plate, 21b ... Second base plate, 22 ...
Film-like substrate, 23 contact conductor, 24 insulating sheet,
25: connection cord, 25a: connector, 26: hinge,
27 solar cell, 31 CPU, 32 ROM, 3
3 RAM, 34 voice IC, 35 communication function unit.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06F 1/00 312U

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A portable information input terminal device which can be used for various small portable terminals having a display section, wherein the keyboard section is detachable from the main body section. Input terminal device. 2. A portable information input terminal device comprising a main unit having a display unit and a keyboard unit for inputting, wherein the keyboard unit is foldable. Information input terminal device. 3. The portable information input terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard section includes a film-shaped substrate, a key disposed on the film-shaped substrate, the film-shaped substrate and the key. A portable information input terminal device, comprising: an insulating sheet to cover. 4. The portable information input terminal device according to claim 1, wherein a solar cell is provided as a driving power source in the keyboard unit. 5. The portable information input terminal according to claim 1, wherein the main body is provided with a keyboard functioning similarly to the keyboard. apparatus. 6. The portable information input terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the size of the keyboard is substantially equal to the size of the main body when the keyboard is folded. Information input terminal device. 7. The portable information input terminal device according to claim 3, wherein, when a predetermined key of the keyboard unit is pressed, a sound generating unit that emits a sound corresponding to the predetermined key is provided. Characteristic portable information input terminal device. 8. The portable information input terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the touch sheet portion on the surface of the insulating sheet above the keys is provided with irregularities. 9. The portable information input terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the film-shaped substrate is divided into a plurality of pieces, and the plurality of divided film-shaped boards is foldably connected by hinges. A portable information input terminal device characterized by the above-mentioned.