JP2003101619A - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable terminal which enables the user to take a photograph, while checking the image of a subject on the display, irrespective of the subject and which moreover is inexpensive and is superior in operability. SOLUTION: The main of the portable terminal consists of a first casing 1 and a second casing 2, and they are coupled rotatably with each other via a hinge part 3 provided at one end. The first hinge part 3a provided at the first casing 1 of the hinge part 3 is provided with a camera 5, and the second casing 2 is equipped with a display 6 which displays the image photographed by the camera 5. Then, direction A of the photographing of the camera 5 can be selectively directed, at least either in the same direction as or in the opposite direction to the display direction B of the display, by the rotation of the first casing 1 and the second casing 2.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile terminal for wirelessly transmitting and receiving communication information such as voice, characters and images, and particularly,
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal that is equipped with a camera for shooting and a display unit for displaying images, and whose main body is foldable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, mobile terminals such as mobile phones, mobile phones and PDAs have become widely popular because of their excellent portability and the ability to communicate various information such as characters and images. Recently, various mobile terminals equipped with a camera and having a photographing function have been proposed so that the user himself / herself can communicate image data photographed for the purpose of further expanding the usage. Since this tendency is particularly remarkable in the field of mobile phones, which has a high diffusion rate, the mobile phones will be described below as a representative.

The appearance of a conventional mobile phone is shown in FIG. A perspective view of the front side is shown in FIG. 7A, and a perspective view of the back side is shown in FIG. This mobile phone
The outer shape of the main body is referred to as a first housing 51 and a second housing 52.
It is a so-called foldable type, which is formed from one housing and is rotatably connected via a hinge portion 53 provided at one end of each housing. A plurality of operation keys 54 are provided on the front surface of the first housing 51. On the other hand, a display unit 56 is provided on the front surface of the second housing 52, and on the back surface thereof, a camera 55 for photographing and a mirror 57 adjacent to the camera 55.
And an expandable telescopic antenna 58 for communication is provided at the corner of the upper end. Here, communication information, an image taken by the camera 55, and the like are displayed on the display unit 56.

According to this portable telephone, when photographing a subject other than the user, for example, a landscape, the user uses the camera 55.
The image of the same subject can be confirmed on the display unit 56 with the object pointed at the subject, and the photographing can be performed after the proper photographing range is determined. On the other hand, when the user himself / herself shoots an image, the user turns the camera 55 toward himself and confirms the image of himself / herself reflected on the mirror 57, thereby assuming the approximate shooting range and shooting. .

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned mobile phone, since the photographing direction of the camera 55 and the display direction of the display unit 56 are always opposite to each other, when the user photographs himself / herself. It is impossible to confirm an appropriate image capturing range while confirming its own image on the display unit 56 and perform image capturing after that. Therefore, for example, even if an image of oneself is imaged on the mirror 57 adjacent to the camera 55, since the image capturing range is only roughly, the image captured is far from the desired image. This is often the case, and there is a problem that it is inconvenient for the user. In addition, it is used like a videophone, for example, a user takes a picture of himself / herself and transmits the image data in real time, while viewing the image data received from the communication partner in real time on the display unit 56 to have a dialogue. Is impossible at all.

According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-253124, a camera is provided in a hinge portion that rotatably connects the first casing and the second casing, and the hinge portion itself is the first, The camera is configured to rotate independently of the rotation of the second housings, and whether the subject is the user himself or not, the hinge unit is appropriately rotated and the camera is rotated. Can be aimed at the subject. Therefore, although the above problem is solved for the time being, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is increased more than necessary because the structure of the hinge portion is complicated and the number of parts is increased in fact. In addition, since the user needs to perform a complicated operation of opening the first and second casings and appropriately rotating the hinge portion on the first and second casings when actually using for photographing, the operability is never Not good.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is possible to take a photograph regardless of the subject while confirming the image of the subject on the display portion, and at the same time, it is inexpensive and has excellent operability. The purpose is to provide a terminal.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a portable terminal according to the present invention is a hinge part in which a first casing and a second casing forming a main body are provided at one end of each other. In the portable terminal rotatably connected via the
A camera is provided in the hinge part of the housing of the above, and a display part for displaying an image captured by the camera is provided in the second case. By rotating the first and second cases, the camera is changed to the display part. The display direction is selectively directed to either the same direction or the opposite direction.

From the viewpoint of easily obtaining the selective state,
For example, the camera is provided so that the one end of the first casing faces in a direction in which the one end extends substantially in parallel, and the display unit is provided on the front face of the second casing. Here, when an image is actually taken by the camera, the first and second casings are not in a folded state with their front faces facing each other.
When the camera is rotated about 0 degree and opened, the camera is directed in the direction opposite to the display direction of the display unit,
On the other hand, when the camera is turned about 270 degrees and opened, the camera is oriented in the same direction as the display direction of the display section. It is preferable that the two housings rotate at least 270 degrees from the state where their front surfaces face each other.

During photographing, the user operates the shutter key of the camera with his / her finger while holding the second housing with one hand, or leaves the first housing on the desk and operates the shutter key. For example, the shutter key of the camera is provided in the second housing so that the operation can be performed easily. Here, since the second housing is provided with the display unit, it is preferable that the shutter key is adjacent to the display unit so that the shutter key can be visually recognized without obstructing the display.

On the other hand, when photographing, the user operates the shutter key of the camera with his / her finger while holding the first housing with one hand, or leaves the first housing on the desk and operates the shutter key. In many cases, the shutter key of the camera is set to the first key so that the operation can be performed easily.
It may be provided in the housing. Here, when shooting is performed with the first casing left on the desk, the front or back surface of the first casing contacts the desk, so that the shutter key is set to the first key to prevent the operation from being adversely affected. It is preferable to be provided on a side portion of the casing of the.

For the purpose of simplifying the component structure, the first casing is provided with a plurality of operation keys, and one of the operation keys also serves as the shutter key of the camera. Is preferred.

The rotation of the first and second casings causes the display section to be displayed in a state in which the camera is oriented in the same direction as the display direction of the display section and in a state in which the camera is oriented in the opposite direction. Since the image to be displayed on the display is upside down, from the viewpoint of always displaying this image in the normal position, for example, angle detection means for detecting the rotation angle of the first and second casings,
Control means for controlling whether or not to reverse the top and bottom of the image displayed on the display section based on the angle detected by the angle detection means.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a mobile phone which is an example of the mobile terminal of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a front perspective view, and FIG. 1 (b) is a rear perspective view. It is shown. This mobile phone is a foldable type with a high degree of compactness, and the outer shape of the main body is formed from two housings, a first housing 1 and a second housing 2, and one end of each is a hinge portion 3. It is connected and rotatable about the base axis J. The hinge part 3 includes a first hinge part 3 a provided at one end of the first housing 1 and a second hinge part 3 a.
And a second hinge portion 3b provided at one end of the housing 2 and are arranged alternately along the base axis J. Therefore, for example, when carrying, the first housing 1 and the second housing 2 are closed so as to overlap with each other around the base axis J, while the first housing 1 and the second housing 2 are closed when used. It is possible to adopt a mode in which the housing 2 and the housing 2 are opened. One aspect of the latter is shown in FIG.

The front surface of the first housing 1 (the surfaces facing each other when the first housing 1 and the second housing 2 are closed)
Is provided with an operation key 4 composed of a plurality of keys, and further, a camera 5 for photographing is provided on the first hinge portion 3a thereof. Here, the camera 5 is fixed such that its photographing direction A is substantially parallel to the front surface of the first housing 1 and is directed outward in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base axis J of the hinge portion 3. On the other hand, the second housing 2 is provided with a display unit 6 on the front face, a shutter key 7 adjacent to the display unit 6, and an extendable telescopic antenna 8 in the corner of the upper end. Although not shown, a receiver for reception and a microphone for transmission are also provided so that a call can be made.

The operation keys 4 include a power key for turning ON / OFF the power supply, a numeric keypad for inputting various information such as electronic mail, a call key for starting / ending a call, display contents and functions of the display section 6. It consists of multi-function keys that can be switched. The camera 5 is composed of an image pickup device such as a CCD or C-MOS and a lens for focus adjustment and zooming. The display unit 6 is composed of a color liquid crystal panel or the like, and is configured to display various communication information such as characters and images by e-mail or the like and an image taken by the camera 5. When the shutter key 7 is pressed, the camera 5 takes an image.

The manner in which an image is taken by the camera 5 with such a mobile phone will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is a side view of the mobile phone showing a mode when the subject is other than the user, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the mobile phone showing a mode when the subject is the user himself. It is shown. In the figure, parts having the same names as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and a duplicate description will be omitted.

First, when the subject is other than the user, as shown in FIG. 2A, when the first casing 1 and the second casing 2 are rotated about 90 degrees and opened. , The shooting direction A of the camera 5 (the arrow pointing right in the figure) is the display direction B of the display unit 6.
(The arrow pointing left in the figure) is directed in the opposite direction. In this state, the user is located on the front side (left side in the figure) of the second housing 2, and the subject is located on the back side (right side in the figure). The user points the camera 5 toward the subject while holding the second housing 2 with one hand and looks at the image of the subject on the display unit 6 to determine an appropriate shooting range.
Then, the shutter key 7 is pressed with the held finger of the one hand to execute the photographing. At this time, the rear surface of the first housing 1 may be left in contact with a desk or the like.

On the other hand, when the subject is the user himself, when the first casing 1 and the second casing 2 are rotated about 270 degrees and opened as shown in FIG. , The shooting direction A of the camera 5 (the arrow pointing left in the figure) is the display direction B of the display unit 6.
(The arrow pointing left in the figure) is in the same direction. In this state, the user who is the subject is
It is located on the front side (left side in the figure). While holding the second housing 2 with one hand, the user points the camera 5 toward himself and sees the image of himself on the display unit 6 to determine the proper shooting range. Then, the shutter key 7 is pressed with the held finger of the one hand to execute the photographing. At that time, the front surface of the first housing 1 may be left in contact with a desk or the like.

Of course, in the mode shown in FIG. 2 (b), while the user photographs himself / herself with the camera 5 and transmits the image data in real time, the image data received from the communication partner in real time is displayed on the display unit. It is also possible to use it like a videophone, where you can see and interact on the screen.

In this embodiment, the shutter key 7
Is adjacent to the display unit 6, the display of the display unit 6 is not hindered, and the shutter key 7 can be easily visually recognized by the user and the operability is good. However, the shutter key 7 may be arranged at a position other than that in the second housing 2. Further, when the user often holds the first housing 1 to perform shooting, it is better to arrange the shutter key 7 in the first housing 1 to obtain better operability. Is preferred. However, in many cases where the camera is left on a desk or the like for photographing, the front surface or the back surface of the first housing 1 contacts the desk, so that the shutter key 7 is set to the first key in order to prevent the adverse effect of the operation. It is preferably arranged on the side of the housing 1. On the other hand, one of the operation keys 4 may also serve as the shutter key 7 for the purpose of simplifying the component structure and suppressing the manufacturing cost. In any case, the position where the shutter key 7 is arranged is not particularly limited, and may be set in consideration of the situation used for photographing and the manufacturing cost.

By the way, when the camera 5 takes a picture, the camera 5 is turned upside down between the mode shown in FIG. 2A and the mode shown in FIG. 2B. On the other hand, the image to be displayed on the display unit 6 is turned upside down, which may give the user a feeling of strangeness. Therefore, in the present embodiment, control is performed so that the image is always secured and displayed in the right position. The control method will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a component structure of the mobile phone of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the mobile phone at the time of photographing by the camera. It should be noted that in the figure, parts having the same names as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile telephone includes an operation key 4, a camera 5, a display unit 6, a shutter key 7, an antenna 8, an angle detector 9, a radio unit 10, and a control unit 11 for controlling the whole. It is composed of the memory 12. Here, the angle detector 9 detects a relative rotation angle between the first casing 1 and the second casing 2, and a general angle sensor is applied to the angle detector 9 in the vicinity of the hinge portion 3. It is provided and gives the detection angle to the control unit 11. The radio unit 10 controls conversion of a signal transmitted / received to / from a radio base station via the antenna 8, and exchanges the converted signal with the control unit 11. The memory 12 records various kinds of information such as image data taken by the camera 5, a telephone number, an e-mail address, and a name, and exchanges the information with the control unit 11.

In addition to the above, the control section 11 receives an input from the operation keys 4 to activate its own functions, causes the display section 6 to display various communication information and images taken by the camera 5, and the shutter key. For example, the camera 5 receives an input from the camera 7 and executes shooting.

The operation at the time of photographing by the camera having the above-described component structure will be described with reference to FIG. First housing 1 and second
When the housing 2 is rotated by about 90 degrees or about 270 degrees to be opened (see FIG. 2) and the predetermined operation key 4 is operated in step # 5, the input signal by the operation is transmitted to the control unit 11. , And shifts to the shooting mode in step # 10. Next, the control unit 11 acquires the rotation angle (about 90 degrees or about 270 degrees) from the angle detector 9 in step # 15,
In step # 20, it is determined whether or not the rotation angle is less than or equal to a predetermined value. In this embodiment, the predetermined value of the rotation angle is set to 1
It is set to about 80 degrees. If it is determined that the rotation angle is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the camera 5 is not turned upside down (see FIG. 2 (a)), so the image from the camera 5 is displayed on the display unit 6 in step # 25. To do. On the other hand, if it is determined in step # 20 that the rotation angle is not less than or equal to the predetermined value, the camera 5 is turned upside down (see FIG. 2B), so the image taken by the camera 5 is turned upside down in step # 30. Then, in step # 25, the image is displayed on the display unit 6.

After that, when the user determines the proper photographing range and operates the shutter key 7, photographing by the camera 5 is executed (steps # 35, 40).
Here, if the shutter key 7 is not operated, the process returns to step # 15. Then, when the shooting is executed in step # 35, the image data is recorded in the memory 12,
Returning to step # 15, these operations are repeated.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the present invention is also effective for mobile terminals such as mobile phones and PDAs, in addition to the mobile phones as in the above embodiment. Further, as long as the rotation of the first and second casings allows the camera to be selectively directed to either the same direction or the opposite direction with respect to the display direction of the display unit, the display unit is set to the first direction. It may be arranged on the back surface of the second housing or a camera may be arranged according to the rotation angle.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, the first casing and the second casing forming the main body are rotatably connected to each other via the hinge portion provided at one end of each other. In the portable terminal, the camera is provided on the hinge part of the first housing,
The second housing is provided with a display unit for displaying an image captured by the camera, and the rotation of the first and second housings causes the camera to move in the same direction as the display direction of the display unit or in the opposite direction. Since it can be selectively directed to either one of the two, whether the subject is the user himself or not, the user can confirm the proper image while checking the image of the subject on the display unit. It is possible to determine the shooting range and then shoot. Moreover, since the camera can be obtained by simply providing the camera in the hinge portion, the manufacturing cost is low, and since the photographing can be performed only by rotating the first and second casings, the operation is easy. There is also an effect.

For example, the camera is provided so that the one ends of the first housings are oriented in a direction extending substantially in parallel,
When the display unit is provided on the front surface of the second housing, the selective state of the camera with respect to the display direction of the display unit can be easily obtained by rotating the first and second housings. it can. Further, if the first and second casings are adapted to rotate at least 270 degrees from the state where their front faces face each other, when actually shooting with the camera, selective operation of the camera is possible. It is possible to reliably obtain the state.

Further, if the shutter key of the camera is provided in the second casing, the user operates the shutter key of the camera with his / her finger while holding the second casing with one hand during photographing. When operating the shutter key with the first casing left on the desk, the operation can be easily performed. Here, when the shutter key is adjacent to the display unit, the shutter key can be visually recognized without obstructing the display of the display unit, and thus the operability is further enhanced.

On the other hand, when the shutter key of the camera is provided in the first casing, the user operates the shutter key of the camera with his / her finger while holding the first casing with one hand during photographing. In many cases, the shutter key is operated with the first casing left on the desk, the operation can be easily performed.

If the first housing is provided with a plurality of operation keys, and one of the operation keys also serves as the shutter key of the camera, the parts structure can be simplified. Therefore, it is possible to suppress cost increase.

Further, angle detecting means for detecting the rotation angles of the first and second casings, and whether or not the top and bottom of the image displayed on the display unit are inverted based on the detected angle of the angle detecting means. And a control means for controlling the
By rotating the second housing, even if the image to be displayed on the display unit is upside down, the image can always be displayed in the normal position, so that the user does not feel uncomfortable.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a mobile phone which is an example of a mobile terminal of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view showing a mode of the mobile phone of FIG. 1 during camera shooting.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a component configuration of the mobile phone of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the mobile phone of FIG. 1 during camera shooting.

FIG. 5 is an external view of a mobile phone which is an example of a conventional mobile terminal.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 first housing 2 Second housing 3 Hinge part 4 operation keys 5 camera 6 Display 7 Shutter key 8 antenna

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A mobile terminal in which a first casing and a second casing forming a main body are rotatably connected via a hinge portion provided at one end of each other, wherein A camera is provided in the hinge portion of the housing, and a display portion for displaying an image captured by the camera is provided in the second housing, and the camera is operated by rotating the first and second housings. A mobile terminal which is selectively oriented in either the same direction or the opposite direction with respect to the display direction of the display unit. 2. The camera is provided so that the one end of the first housing faces in a direction in which the one end extends substantially in parallel, and the display unit is provided on a front surface of the second housing. The mobile terminal according to claim 1. 3. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein the first and second casings rotate at least 270 degrees from a state where their front faces face each other. 4. The shutter key of the camera is the second key.
The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is provided in the housing. 5. The mobile terminal according to claim 4, wherein the shutter key is adjacent to the display unit. 6. The shutter key of the camera is the first key.
The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is provided in the housing. 7. The first housing is provided with a plurality of operation keys, and one of the operation keys also serves as a shutter key of the camera. Mobile terminal. 8. An angle detecting means for detecting a rotation angle of the first and second casings, and whether or not to reverse the top and bottom of an image displayed on the display unit based on the detected angle of the angle detecting means. The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: a control unit that controls whether or not the mobile terminal.