JP2003319026A - Mobile communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile communication terminal superior in operability which can prevent a camera lens from being soiled and injured, and does not make neighboring persons feel uneasy about secret photographing. <P>SOLUTION: Two cameras of photographing means are mounted in a case of the mobile communication terminal, which is provided with a lid 30 for covering lenses of the two cameras 24, 25, and a motor 50, a gear 40, etc., for opening and closing the lid 30. When the cameras 24, 25 are operated with a key board 16, the lid 30 opens. When operation of the cameras 24, 25 are ended with the key board 16, the lid 30 is closed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,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 terminal, and more particularly to a mobile communication terminal equipped with a camera.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, mobile communication terminals are generally equipped with an Internet connection function and a mail function, and further equipped with a camera function capable of mounting a camera and capturing an image of a subject. It was

However, the conventional mobile communication terminal equipped with a camera does not have a lid for covering the opening of the camera. In this case, there is a problem that the opening of the camera is always open, and the lens of the camera becomes dirty or scratched.

As a solution to this problem, some mobile communication terminals have a transparent cover attached to the surface of a camera. But,
Since the camera opening can be seen from the outside, there is also a problem in that people other than the user of the mobile communication terminal feel uneasy about being secretly photographed.

As a solution to this problem, there is mobile communication in which a lid for covering the opening of the camera is mounted. However, if the user manually opens and closes the lid, the usability is not good and the operability is not good. .

[0006]

As described above, the conventional mobile communication terminal equipped with a camera has a problem that the lens of the camera is damaged or soiled. In addition, there was a problem that people around me felt anxious about being secretly photographed by the camera. Further, the mobile communication terminal equipped with a camera lid also has a problem that the user feels uncomfortable and the operability is poor because the user manually opens and closes the mobile communication terminal.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, and can prevent the lens of the camera from being soiled or scratched, so that people around the camera can take pictures secretly. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile communication terminal with excellent operability that does not give a sense of anxiety.

[0008]

A first mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is a mobile device having a plurality of cameras (for example, a front camera 25 and a rear camera 24 in the embodiment of the present invention) as image pickup means. In the body communication terminal, a lid (for example, the lid 30 in the embodiment of the present invention) that covers the openings of the plurality of cameras, and a lid opening / closing unit that opens and closes the lid (for example, in the embodiment of the present invention). Oke lid drive unit 78)
And a control unit (for example, the camera control unit 75 in the embodiment of the present invention) that controls the opening and closing of the lid according to the operation of the operator. This can improve the operability of the mobile communication terminal.

The second mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is the first mobile communication terminal, and further comprises operating means for operating the camera (for example, the keyboard 16 in the embodiment of the present invention). The control means determines whether or not an operation instruction has been issued to the camera by the operation means, and controls opening / closing of the lid according to the presence or absence of the operation instruction. This can improve the operability of the mobile communication terminal.

A third mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is
The mobile communication terminal according to the first or second aspect, wherein the plurality of cameras are provided on two opposite surfaces of the mobile communication terminal. Thus, the plurality of camera openings can be covered with one lid opening / closing mechanism, and the weight and cost of the mobile communication terminal can be reduced.

A fourth mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is
A third mobile communication terminal, wherein at least one of the plurality of cameras is provided on a surface provided with a display screen for displaying an image captured by the camera, and another at least one camera faces the surface. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein the mobile communication terminal is installed in. This makes it possible to reduce the weight and cost of the mobile communication terminal.

A fifth mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is
The mobile communication terminal according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the opening / closing means is a rotating mechanism for rotating the lid. This makes it possible to reduce the weight and cost of the mobile communication terminal.

A sixth mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is
A fifth mobile communication terminal is characterized in that the rotating mechanism has a motor provided in the mobile communication terminal. This makes the mobile communication terminal lighter,
The cost can be reduced.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A mobile communication terminal according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b). Figure 1
1A and 1B are perspective views showing the appearance of a folding mobile communication terminal. FIG. 1A shows a state in which the foldable mobile communication terminal is opened, and FIG. 1B shows a state in which the foldable mobile communication terminal is closed.

Reference numeral 2 is a receiver, 3 is a transmitter, 11 is a receiver front case, 12 is a receiver rear case, 13 is a transmitter front case, 14 is a transmitter rear case, 15 is a power supply, and 16 is a power supply. A keyboard, 17 is a display screen, 18 is a receiver hole, 19 is a sound hole, 20 is a hinge unit, 21 is a rear camera window, 22 is a front camera window, 30 is a lid, 40 is a gear, and 50 is a gear. b is shown.

The mobile communication terminal has a display screen 1 such as an LCD.
7 and the earpiece 2 having the earpiece hole 18, and the keyboard 16
And the transmitting section 3 having the transmitting section sound hole 19. The surface provided with the display screen 17 is the front side when it is folded, and the back side is the surface that faces the front side and that is outside when folded.

The earpiece 2 is composed of an earpiece front case 11 and an earpiece rear case 12. The reception section front case 11 has a reception sound hole 18. A display screen 17 is provided in the center of the earpiece front case 11, and images and the like captured by the camera are displayed on the display screen 17. A front camera window 22 is provided next to the receiving sound hole 18.
The front camera window 22 is covered with a lid 30. The earpiece rear case 12 has a camera window 21, a lid 30 for covering the same, and a motor 50 for opening and closing the lid.

The transmitter unit 3 is a transmitter case front case 13.
And a rear case 14, a power supply 15, and a keyboard 16. The transmitting case front case 13 has a transmitting sound hole 19. The keyboard 16 has a numeric keypad, a cross key, a decision key, and the like.

The receiver unit 2 and the transmitter unit 3 are connected to the hinge unit 2
With 0, the rotation is integrated. Thereby, the receiving section 2 and the transmitting section 3 can be folded.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the lid opening / closing mechanism of the present invention. FIG. 2A shows a state in which the earpiece rear case 12 and the lid opening / closing mechanism are viewed from the back side. FIG. 2B shows a state in which the earpiece front case 11 and the lid opening / closing mechanism are viewed from the front side. FIG. 2C is a sectional view showing the positional relationship between the earpiece front case 11, the earpiece rear case 12, the lid 30, the lid opening / closing mechanism, the camera, and the circuit board 23.

The same reference numerals as those used in FIGS. 1A and 1B indicate the same parts, and a description thereof will be omitted.

A rear camera 24 and a front camera 25 are mounted on the circuit board 23. A wide field of view can be captured by these two cameras, and further different subjects can be captured. A rear camera window 21 is provided at a position of the receiver rear case 12 facing the rear camera 24.
Further, a front camera window 22 is provided at a position of the earpiece front case 11 facing the front camera 25. The lid 30 that opens and closes the rear camera window 21 and the front camera window 22 has a rotation shaft 31. In the rear case 12 of the earpiece, the rotary shaft 3
It has a bearing 41 through which 1 is passed. The rotation shaft 31 is fixed with a gear a40 that receives a rotational force.

A motor 52 for electrically rotating the lid 30 is positioned and fixed by a motor holding portion 53. For fixing, double-sided tape or the like is used. Motor 52
The cable is connected between the board and the board. Motor shaft 5
1, the gear b50 is fixed. The gear a40 and the gear b50 are engaged with each other by gear teeth to transmit the rotational force. These constitute a lid opening / closing mechanism, and thus the lid 30 rotates to perform the opening / closing operation. This allows the lens of the camera to be exposed or covered.

The operation of the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is an example of a block diagram of a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention. Antenna section 61, wireless section 62, voice processing section 63, microphone 64, speaker 6
5, control unit 66, notification unit 67, buzzer 68, VIB motor 69, key operation input unit 70, display control unit 71, display unit 72, data management unit 73, memory unit 74, camera control unit 75, front camera unit 76. , A rear camera section 77 and a lid drive section 78.

Radio waves from the base station are received by the antenna section 61, passed through the radio section 62, converted into an audio signal by the audio processing section 63, and output from the speaker 65 as audio. The voice is picked up by the microphone 64, and is transmitted from the antenna unit 61 to the base station via the voice processing unit 63 and the radio unit 62. Communication is performed in this manner.

The control unit 66 controls the notification unit 67, the key operation input unit 70, the display control unit 71, and the camera control unit 75. The display unit 72 is under the control of the display control unit 71. The memory unit 74 is under the control of the data management unit 73. These are input by the key operation input unit 70, and the contents are displayed on the display unit 7.
Display in 2. When the displayed contents are confirmed and the confirmation operation is performed by the key operation input unit 70, the information is stored in the data management unit 73.
Is stored in the memory unit 74 by the.

In response to an instruction from the control unit 66, the notification unit 67 sounds the buzzer 68 or the VIB motor 69 to notify the incoming call, and sends the incoming call telephone number to the display control unit 71 and displays it on the display unit 72. To work.

When a camera operation start instruction is input from the key operation input unit 70, this operation start instruction is input to the control unit 66. The control unit 66 outputs this operation start instruction to the camera control unit 75. The camera control unit 75 receives this operation start instruction. Then, the camera control unit 75 moves the lid driving unit 78 based on the operation start instruction, and the lid 30 is opened. In synchronization, the operation of the front camera unit 76, the rear camera unit 77, or both of them is started. The images captured by the camera are the camera control unit 75, the control unit 66, and the display control unit 7.
1 is displayed on the display unit 72. As a result, the camera is ready for shooting.

A camera photographing instruction is also input by the key operation input unit 70 and transmitted to the front camera unit 76 or the rear camera unit 77 through the control unit 66 and the camera control unit 75 to perform the photographing operation. The photographed image can be stored in the memory unit 74 from the control unit 66 through the data management unit 73.

A key operation input section 7 is also used for the camera operation end instruction.
The input is 0 and is transmitted to the front camera section 76 or the rear camera section 77 through the control section 66 and the camera control section 75, and the photographing end operation is performed. Then, the camera control unit 75 moves the lid driving unit 78 to close the lid 30.

The opening / closing operation of the lid 30 will be described with reference to FIG. When the camera control unit 75 receives the opening / closing command of the lid 30, the information is transmitted from the circuit board 23 through the cable and drives the motor 52. The rotational force of the motor 52 causes the gear 50b to rotate through the motor shaft 51. The gear 50b transmits the rotational motion to the gear 40a, and the gear 40a
Rotates the lid 30 through the rotary shaft 31.

In FIG. 2A, the position where the lid 30 is drawn with a solid line shows the position where the lid 30 is open, and the position where the two-dot chain line shows is where the lid 30 is closed. In this position,
The lid 30 closes the camera window 21. Similarly in FIG. 2B, opening and closing the lid 30 covers the rear camera window 21 and the front camera window 22. This allows the front camera window 2
Two windows, the rear camera window 21 and the rear camera window 21, can be covered with a set of the lid 30, the motor 52, the motor shaft 51, and the like.
Accordingly, even if two cameras are mounted on the front surface and the back surface, only one set of the opening / closing mechanism needs to be mounted, and the number of parts can be reduced. Therefore, the weight of the mobile communication terminal can be reduced and the cost can be reduced.

Other Embodiments. In the first embodiment, the opening / closing operation of the lid 30 is performed based on the camera operation start instruction and the camera operation end instruction, but the lid 30 is independent of the camera operation start instruction and the camera operation end instruction. It may be executed based on a keyboard input instructing only the opening / closing operation of. The input means for opening and closing the lid 30 is not limited to the keyboard 16, but the lid 30
It may be a switch used only for the opening and closing operation of. Further, the lid 30 may be opened when the folding mechanism is opened, and the lid 30 may be closed when closed.

In the first embodiment, two cameras are provided on the front surface and the back surface, but the number of cameras may be three or more, and the mobile communication terminal is provided with either the front camera 25 or the back camera 24. Good. Further, one camera may be provided on any surface, not limited to the front surface or the back surface.
Also in this embodiment, the lid 3 is input by the keyboard 16.
Opening / closing operations of 0 can be performed. Therefore, the operator uses the lid 3
It is not necessary to manually perform the opening / closing operation of 0, and the operability can be improved.

In the first embodiment, the cameras are mounted in the earpiece rear case 12 and the earpiece front case 11, but the same can be done by mounting the cameras in the transmitter rear case 14 and the transmitter front case 13, respectively. The effect is obtained.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the opening / closing operation of the lid 30 is performed by the key input at the start of use of the camera, but the opening / closing operation may be manually performed. Also in this form, the rear camera 21 and the front camera window 22
The opening and closing operation of can be performed by a set of lid opening and closing mechanism. Further, since the motor 52 and the like are unnecessary, the weight of the mobile communication terminal can be reduced.

Further, in the first embodiment, the gear a40, the gear b
Although the window is covered by rotating the lid 30 by using 65, a linear bearing may be provided instead of the gear a40 to slide the lid 30 in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. With this, the same effect can be obtained. Further, the opening and closing of the lid is not limited to the one by rotating the motor, but an electromagnetic solenoid, an iron core or the like may be used. In this case, the lid can be opened and closed according to the movement of the iron core.

Although the folding type mobile communication terminal is illustrated in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the same effect can be obtained even in the mobile communication terminal having no folding mechanism. A switch for operating the camera may be provided on the back side. The lid may be opened and closed when this switch is pressed.

By mounting not only the digital camera but also the flash in the range opened and closed by the lid, both the flash and the lens can be opened and closed at once, and the operability can be further improved.

The rear camera 24 and the front camera 25 described above.
Is preferably a CCD camera. The camera may be either a digital camera or a video camera. Further, the surface on which the camera is provided is not limited to the back surface and the front surface, but may be the upper surface or the side surface. Further, the positions of the two cameras are not limited to the surfaces facing each other, and may be any surface, for example, the top surface and the front surface or the side surface and the back surface. In addition, the lid 30 is open,
If there is no operation time for the camera for a certain time or longer, the lid 3
You may make it close 0. The operator may be allowed to set this time.

The mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is preferably used for a mobile phone. In addition, PHS (Person)
al Handy Phone). Furthermore, portable information terminals (PDA Personal Di
It is also possible to use it for a digital assistant).

[0042]

According to the present invention, the lens of the camera can be prevented from being soiled or damaged, and the surrounding people do not feel anxiety that the image may be secretly taken. It is possible to provide a mobile communication terminal having excellent operability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention in a folded state. (B) is a perspective view of the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention in a state in which the fold is closed.

FIG. 2A is a view of the lid opening / closing mechanism of the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention as viewed from the back side. (B) is the figure which looked at the lid opening / closing mechanism of the mobile communication terminal concerning this invention from the front. (C) is sectional drawing in the position of the lid opening / closing mechanism of the mobile communication terminal concerning this invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 earpiece 3 transmitter 11 Earpiece front case 12 Earpiece rear case 13 Transmitter front case 14 Transmitter rear case 15 power supply 16 keyboard 17 Display screen 18 Earpiece hole 19 Transmitter sound hole 20 Hinge unit 21 Rear camera window 22 Front camera window 23 circuit board 24 Rear camera 25 front camera 30 lid 31 rotation axis 40 gear a 41 bearing 50 gear b 51 motor shaft 52 motor 53 Motor holding part 61 Antenna part 62 radio section 63 Voice processing unit 64 microphones 65 speakers 66 control unit 67 Notification section 68 buzzer 69 VIB motor 70 Key operation input section 71 display control unit 72 display 73 Data Management Department 74 Memory section 75 Camera control section 76 Front camera section 77 Rear camera section 78 Lid drive

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04Q 7/32 H04B 7/26 V 5K067 F term (reference) 2H054 BB05 BB07 2H083 CC28 CC38 CC50 5C022 AA12 AC03 AC31 AC42 AC54 AC66 AC67 AC74 AC77 AC78 5K023 AA07 DD08 MM25 5K027 AA11 5K067 AA34 BB04 EE02 KK17

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A mobile communication terminal having a plurality of cameras as image pickup means, the lid covering the openings of the plurality of cameras, a lid opening / closing means for opening / closing the lid, and a lid opening / closing means for opening / closing the lid according to an operation of an operator. A mobile communication terminal comprising: a control unit that controls opening and closing of the lid. 2. An operation means for operating the camera is further provided, wherein the control means determines whether or not an operation instruction has been issued to the camera by the operation means, and the control means determines whether the operation instruction is issued or not. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein opening and closing of the lid is controlled. 3. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of cameras are provided on two opposite surfaces of the mobile communication terminal. 4. At least one of the plurality of cameras is provided on a surface provided with a display screen for displaying an image captured by the camera, and at least one of the other cameras is mounted on an opposite surface. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein the mobile communication terminal is a mobile communication terminal. 5. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the opening / closing means is a rotating mechanism for rotating the lid. 6. The mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, wherein the rotating mechanism has a motor provided in the mobile communication terminal.