JP2003224632A - Portable communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable communication device which is made small-sized while having its display part made large-sized and improves the ease of use of key operations. <P>SOLUTION: The portable communication device has a 1st housing and a 2nd housing. The 1st housing has a 1st display part and the 2nd housing has a display operation part serving as both a 2nd display part and a 1st operation part. The 1st housing and 2nd housing are joined together in such a changeable mutual positional relation so that the 1st display part and display operation part can be viewed at the same time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile communication device having a plurality of casings each having a display section.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, mobile communication devices such as mobile phones, cordless phones, handheld PCs, portable game machines with communication functions, and pagers (registered trademark) have come to be used in daily life. In these mobile communication devices, various operations can be performed by using operation keys and a display unit provided on the housing, and information such as telephone numbers, mails, moving / still images can be viewed.

Recently, the use of portable communication devices has been diversified, and for example, creation and browsing of image-attached mails, browsing the Internet web, display of game screens, display of captured images (still images / moving images) by digital cameras / videos, etc. Editing, word processing, operation of business software such as spreadsheets, etc. are required.

It is desirable to perform the above-mentioned operation using a plurality of display screens. For example, an image and a text in an image-attached mail, a previous page (menu page) and a next page on the Internet Web, a display from a plurality of viewpoints and scenes in a game, and the like can be given. Also, when editing captured images and operating business software,
Examples include the entire image and an enlarged screen where you want to edit. Further, in addition to the above screens, guidance or menus such as operation explanations and function explanations may be displayed.

In addition, transmission / reception of long sentences, large images, moving images, etc., which is the case with stationary type personal computers,
When editing and displaying, it is easier to see the display by using a screen as large as possible. For example, Internet web, mail with images, display of communication games, images captured by digital cameras / videos (still images / moving images)
Displaying and editing, and operating business software such as word processors and spreadsheets.

However, since the portable communication device is downsized so as to be convenient to carry, the operation keys are arranged in a narrow space, and the number of operation keys is limited. In order to cope with a wide variety of uses as described above, it is necessary to perform an extremely troublesome operation such as pressing an operation key in a predetermined procedure.

For this reason, a method is used in which a menu is displayed on the display unit and a cursor key or the like is used for selection.
During the selection process, the original screen is mostly hidden or invisible, which is inconvenient for the user.

On the other hand, if the number of operation keys is increased, the operation procedure becomes simple, but the display section becomes smaller and the screen becomes hard to see.

Therefore, in the conventional portable communication device,
Proposals have been made to improve the operability. For example, the following may be mentioned.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-196159 describes that a function list, function description, setting method, etc. of a portable communication device are displayed on an external display device so that a large amount of information is displayed at one time. Has been done.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-68159 discloses a mobile phone in which a display area such as a transparent touch panel is increased to make the display easy to see. According to this mobile phone,
When each function key is pressed, the corresponding character or operation key is displayed, so the amount of information displayed at one time increases.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-111674, by arranging each key on two outer surfaces of a portable telephone which cannot be operated from the same direction, the area for arranging the keys is increased, It is described that the surface area of each key can be increased and the interval between the keys can be widened to improve the discriminating property and the operability.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-247250, a lid is provided on the display side surface of the device body so as to be openable and closable, and the plurality of operation buttons are provided on the surface side of the lid body, while It is described that another display can be arranged on the surface hidden by the lid and data with a large amount of information can be displayed on the other display of the device body without connecting a personal computer or the like to the device body. .

[0014]

However, the above-mentioned conventional portable communication device has the following problems.

In the case of the portable communication device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-196159, the display device must be carried along with the communication device, and it is bulky and unsuitable for carrying.

The mobile phone disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-68159 is disadvantageous in downsizing the device because the display area must be reduced in order to downsize it. In addition, some kind of operation key must be displayed on the display portion, which is a problem when a large image or the like is desired to be displayed on the entire surface of the display portion.

In the portable telephone described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-111674, when the keys on the back side of the display section are operated, they have to be groped and the operability is insufficient. Also,
There is a problem that the display unit cannot be enlarged.

The mobile phone described in JP-A-9-247250 is
When the lid is opened, the operation buttons provided on the front side of the lid cannot be used, which is inconvenient and the key arrangement is limited. Also, with the lid open, the entire device becomes large and difficult to use.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a portable communication device which simultaneously realizes an increase in the size of the display unit and a reduction in the size of the device and improves the usability of key operation. is there.

[0020]

The portable communication device of the present invention has the following structure as means for solving the above problems.

The mobile communication device of the present invention is at least the first
A first housing having a display unit and a second housing having a second display unit and a display operation unit that doubles as the first operation unit are provided, and the positional relationship between these housings is variably joined. There is. Then, by changing the positional relationship, the first display section and the display operation section can be viewed at the same time. With the above-mentioned configuration, the display unit has a plurality of display portions when it is desired to see a larger number of images and character information, and in order to perform a more detailed operation when a plurality of screen displays or a large screen display is not required. It may have a display unit and an operation unit.

In addition to the above, the mobile communication device of the present invention can be configured as follows. The display operation unit has mode switching means for switching between an operation mode used as the first operation unit and a browsing / editing mode used as the second display unit. As a result, the mode can be easily switched as appropriate between when more images and text information are desired to be viewed and when more detailed operation is required. The first casing so that the first display unit and the second operation unit (provided on the surface different from the second display unit of the second casing) can be viewed at the same time. And the second housing are joined. In such a configuration, if the functions of the first operation unit (display operation unit) and the second operation unit are changed in advance, the operability is improved by switching the operation unit according to the scene. -The first operation unit displays operation keys according to the usage situation, and the second operation unit mainly has operation keys corresponding to basic functions. Therefore, the operation unit can be selectively used depending on whether the operation desired to be performed is the detailed function or the simple function, and the usability of the device is improved. -The operation keys corresponding to the simple functions assigned to the second operation section are the cursor key, power switch, response key,
Simple function keys including hook key, mode switching key, memo key, memory key or execution key, or numeric keypad,
It has simple input keys including Roman keys or input mode keys. In this way, by limiting the operation keys provided on the second operation unit to those normally used as described above, basic functions of the mobile communication device, such as telephone transmission / reception, mail transmission / reception, web browsing and power on / off. And so on can be used easily.

Since these operation keys are limited to those for basic operations, the number of operation keys can be reduced. This indicates that the size and shape of each key can be set more freely than in the conventional case. Therefore, when the first housing and the second housing are in a positional relationship in which the first display section and the second display section can be viewed at the same time,
It becomes possible to perform a key operation by groping with the direction instruction key and the like of the second operation unit and other operation keys. That is, various operations can be performed even when a screen is displayed using a plurality of display units. -The first operation unit displays operation keys corresponding to the operation processing that can be performed next. As a result, even if a detailed operation or a complicated procedure is required, the operation can be easily performed. The first housing has the first connecting portion, the second housing has the second connecting portion, and the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are rotatably connected to each other. With such a configuration, the positional relationship between the first housing and the second housing can be easily changed with a small operation. -The first housing and the second housing are foldably joined together. If this is done when the mobile communication device is not in use, space is saved and it is not bulky when carried. Also, if you fold it so that the 1st or 2nd display part faces the front, the next time you try to use it, information such as information source (phone sender, sender of mail, etc.) This has an advantage that the display can be confirmed without separately providing a display unit.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The details of the portable communication device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a mobile communication device which is one of the embodiments of the present invention.

The mobile communication terminal has a first housing 1 and a second housing 2. A surface (A side 6) of the first housing 1 is provided with a first display unit 3 for displaying characters or image information and a receiver 4 for listening to a received voice.

On the front surface (C surface 8) of the second housing 2, a display operation which doubles as a second display section for displaying characters or image information and a touch panel (first operation section) for displaying operation keys. A section 10 and a transmitter 11 for receiving the sound transmitted by the user are provided. In addition, a connecting portion 201 for connecting the coupler 13
Is provided. Further, a groove 17 is provided on the end surface of the second housing 2 closer to the connection portion 201, and a second groove 2 described later is provided.
The connector 13 does not interfere with the end surface of the second housing 2 in the usage pattern of.

FIG. 2 is a view of the portable communication device of FIG. 1 viewed from the direction a.

On the back surface (B side 7) of the first housing 1, the antenna
5, and a speaker 18 for outputting a ringing tone is installed, and a battery 12 is detachably attached. Further, a connecting portion 101 for connecting the coupler 13
Is provided.

On the back surface (D surface 9) of the second housing 2, operation keys 15 (hereinafter referred to as simple operation keys) corresponding to the above-mentioned simple functions and a transmitter 16 are provided. ing.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a joint portion between the connecting portions 101 and 201 and the coupler 13 in FIGS.

The coupler 13 includes a first coupler 1301 and a second coupler 13
It is configured by 02, and one end of each is connected by a connecting portion 1303 so that they can rotate about a shaft 1309. A hole 1304 is formed along the shaft 1310 in the other end side surface of the first coupler 1301 and the connecting portion 101. Hole 130
4 is fitted with a pin 1305, and the first connector 1301 and the connecting portion 101
Are rotatably connected about a shaft 1310. First
2 Regarding the other end side surface of the coupler 1302 and the connection portion 201,
A hole 1307 passes through along the axis 1306. Pin in hole 1307
1308 is fitted, and second connector 1302 and connecting part 201
It is connected so that it can rotate around 1306.

The upper surface of the connecting portion 101 is the B surface 7 of the first housing 1.
In addition, the lower surface of the connecting portion 201 is formed on the C surface 8 of the second housing, respectively. Further, the connection portion 101, the first coupler 1301, the second coupler 1302, and the connection portion 201 are provided with a communication hole (not shown) penetrating the inside thereof, and the first housing 1 is provided in the communication hole. And the
2 Signal lines for exchanging signals with the housing 2 are wired.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the connecting portion 1303 of the connector 13.

The connecting projection 1303 of the first connector 1 has a fitting projection 13
11 is formed, and the outer diameter is fitted on the tip of the protrusion 1311.
A locking portion 1312 that is slightly larger than the above is provided. Further, a rotation regulating protrusion 1313 and a slit 1317 are provided on the side surface of the fitting convex portion 1311.

The connecting recess 1303 of the second connector 2 has a fitting recess 13
14 is formed, and a locking groove 1315 having an inner diameter slightly larger than that of the fitting recess 1314 is formed at the inner side thereof. Further, on the inner wall surface of the fitting recess 1314, along the circumference of the inner wall surface,
The rotation restricting groove 1316 is provided by a length of half the circumference.

By fitting the fitting convex portion 1311 and the fitting concave portion 1314, the first connector 1301 and the second connector 1302 are connected. At that time, since the fitting convex portion 1311 is provided with the slit 1317, the fitting can be performed by deforming the locking portion 1312 in the direction of the shaft 1309.

When the fitting convex portion 1311 and the fitting concave portion 1314 are fitted together, the locking portion 1312 is fitted in the locking groove 1315, and the rotation regulating projection 1313 is fitted in the rotation regulating groove 1316. As a result, the first connecting portion 1301 and the second connecting portion 1302 are connected to each other.
1303 can be rotated half a turn. Here, the rotation restriction groove 13
If the end of 16 is made slightly deeper, the fitting protrusion 1311 is deformable by the slit 1317, and the rotation-regulating projection 1313 is fitted to the end, so that the positioning can be performed.

Since the coupler 13 is restricted to half rotation as described above, the signal line connecting the first casing 1 and the second casing will not be twisted.

The portable communication device of the present invention is rotated by the shaft 1309 and the shafts 1306 and 1310 to be the first
The A surface 6 and the B surface 7 of the housing 1 and the C surface 8 and the D surface 9 of the second housing 2 can be combined according to the purpose of use.

For example, as a first usage pattern, as shown in FIG. 1, a combination of the A surface 6 of the first housing 1 and the C surface 8 of the second housing 2 facing up can be mentioned. In the first usage pattern, the display operation unit 10 may be used as a first operation unit or may be used as a second display unit.

Among the above, when used as the first operation unit, it is possible to display operation keys suitable for the situation at the time of use. The type and arrangement of the operation keys may be changed appropriately depending on the occasion. Since display operation unit 10 is a touch panel, a cumbersome operation can be easily performed by pressing an operation key displayed according to the situation.

Taking as an example the case of creating a mail, first, the major items such as "mail", "telephone", and "internet" are displayed. Here, when the display portion of “mail” is pressed, items such as “receive”, “send”, and “register” are displayed on the second display portion. Then, when you select "Send" in the same way as above, the character input keys (such as the numeric keypad) are displayed on the second display, and at the same time the first display 3 switches to the text display screen so that you can enter the text. Become. At this time, the key display may be a guidance display with a simple description such as “use mail” or “receive”. In this way, since the operation keys that are the next operation candidates are always displayed on the second display unit, the user can operate without being aware of how to use the device.

When the display operation unit 10 is used as the second display unit, since the first display unit 3 and the second display unit 10 can be viewed at the same time, various information can be displayed on each display unit as appropriate. be able to. For example, by displaying the image information on the first display unit 3 and displaying the character information on the second display unit 10, it is possible to read the description of the image information or input the text while viewing the image. And the usability is improved. Further, by displaying image information on the first display unit 3 and displaying another image or an image with a different viewpoint on the second display unit 10, more information can be captured. Further, it is possible to display character information such as a sentence being input on the first display unit 3 and display editing information such as a kanji conversion candidate on the second display unit 10 in a large size.

Further, the lower end portion 301 of the first display unit 3 is attached to the first housing 1
The lower end portion 301 may be arranged so as to form a part of the lower end portion thereof so that the lower end portion 301 is aligned with the end portion 1001 of the display operation unit 10 where the transmitter is not installed. In this case, since the first display unit 3 and the display operation unit 10 (second display unit) are connected to each other, both display units can be displayed as one large screen. As a result, for example, a large image or a long sentence can be displayed at once. Further, it is possible to enlarge and display a small screen or characters without significantly impairing the visibility.

The screen is operated by the D surface 9 of the second housing 2 (in this case,
This can be done by manually operating the operation keys 15 on the back side, for example, cursor keys.

Switching between the first operation section and the second display section can be performed by operating the mode switching key. This mode switch key is for the A side or B side of the first housing 1 and the second housing 2
It can be provided on the C surface or D surface, or on the side surface of the first housing 1 or the second housing 2.

As a second usage pattern, as shown in FIG. 5, a combination of the A surface 6 of the first housing 1 and the D surface 9 of the second housing 2 so as to face up can be cited.

In this second mode of use, the first display section
3 and simple operation key 15 are face up. For this reason,
While watching the screen, you can quickly perform operations such as sending and receiving telephone calls, sending and receiving mail, browsing the Web, turning the power off and on, without the need for text input and cumbersome procedures.

As the simple operation keys 15, cursor keys,
Examples include simple function keys including a power switch, response key, hook key, mode switching key, memo key, memory key or execution key. These simple function keys have a one-to-one correspondence with the functions that are frequently used in mobile communication devices, and the desired function can be executed simply by pressing the key.

Other than the above, a simple input key including a numeric keypad, a Roman character key, or an input mode key may be used. When the key display or the guidance display according to the procedure like the first usage pattern described above is not necessary, it becomes possible to quickly input characters by operating the simple input keys.

To change from the first usage pattern to the second usage pattern, first, the first housing 1 is lifted in the direction of arrow E in FIG. Next, the second housing 2 is rotated with the shaft 1309 of the coupler 13 as the rotation axis. Further, it is performed by moving the first casing 1 in the direction of arrow F in FIG. At this time, the coupler 13
A part of this is fitted into the groove 17 (Fig. 6). No. 2
When changing from the first usage pattern to the first usage pattern, the same operation as described above can be performed.

The portable communication device of the present invention is
The one housing 1 and the second housing 2 can be folded at the connecting portion 13.
Folding operation, in the first usage pattern, first,
Lift the first housing 1 in the direction of arrow E in FIG.
Or you can bring it down in the direction of arrow H. Folding can be performed by the same operation in the second usage pattern.

Of the above, when folded in the direction of arrow H, as shown in FIG. 7, the first display unit 3 or the second display unit 10 faces outward, so that when a call or mail is received. By displaying a message such as an incoming call notification or the name of the other party, there is no omission in checking incoming calls.

[0055]

According to the portable communication device of the present invention, a plurality of display sections are provided when it is desired to see more images and character information, and more detailed display is required when a plurality of screen displays and a large screen display are not required. It may have a display unit and an operation unit for performing an operation.

Further, the display / operation unit can be set to the operation mode and browse /
By providing the mode switching means for switching the edit mode, the mode can be easily switched as appropriate depending on whether more image or character information is desired to be viewed or more detailed operation is required.

If the functions of the first operation section (display operation section) and the second operation section are changed in advance, the operability is improved by switching the operation section according to the scene. In particular, if the first operation unit is a key corresponding to the detailed function and the second operation unit is a key corresponding to the simple function, the usability of the device is improved. Here, since the first operation unit is the touch panel, the operation keys actually arranged can be only simple function keys, and the number of keys can be reduced. Furthermore, the first operation unit can display operation keys that are candidates for the next operation, and can be easily operated even when a detailed operation or a complicated procedure is required.

Further, the positional relationship between the first casing and the second casing can be easily changed with a small operation.

In addition, the portable communication device can be folded and carried, and in the folded state, for example, the information transmission source (telephone sender, mail sender, etc.) can be confirmed without separately providing a dedicated display section. be able to.

From the above, the portable communication device of the present invention simultaneously realizes an increase in the size of the display unit and a reduction in the size of the device, and is convenient in the key operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a mobile communication device which is one of embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view of the mobile communication device of FIG. 1 viewed from a direction.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the connection parts of the first housing and the second housing,
It is a figure which shows the mode of joining with a connector.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the coupler.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a mobile communication device of the present invention in a second usage pattern.

FIG. 6 is a view of the mobile communication device of the present invention in a second usage pattern, as seen from the side where the coupler 13 is located.

FIG. 7 is a folded view of a mobile communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A first housing and a second housing, wherein the first housing
One case has a first display section, and the second case has a second display section and a second display section.
1 has a display operation unit also serving as an operation unit, the first housing and the second housing, so that the first display unit and the display operation unit can be viewed at the same time, so that A portable communication device characterized in that the mutual positional relationship is variably joined. 2. The display / operation unit has mode switching means for switching between an operation mode used as the first operation unit and a browsing / editing mode used as the second display unit. The mobile communication device according to claim 1. 3. The second housing has a second operation portion on a surface different from the second display portion, and the first housing and the second housing include the first display portion and the first housing. 2. The mobile communication device according to claim 1, wherein the two operation parts are joined so that they can be viewed at the same time. 4. The first operation section displays operation keys according to the situation of use, and the second operation section mainly has operation keys corresponding to basic functions. 1
The mobile communication device according to. 5. The operation keys corresponding to the simple functions are:
Cursor key, power switch, response key, hook key,
The portable communication device according to claim 4, further comprising a simple function key including a mode switching key, a memo key, a memory key or an execution key, or a simple input key including a ten-key, a Roman key or an input mode key. 6. The mobile communication device according to claim 4, wherein the first operation unit displays an operation key corresponding to an operation process that can be performed next. 7. The first housing has a first connecting portion, and the second housing
2. The mobile communication device according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a second connecting portion, and the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are rotatably connected to each other. 8. The mobile communication device according to claim 1, wherein the first housing and the second housing are foldably joined to each other.