JP2004343811A - Portable electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simultaneously indicate much more information that a user wants to watch, with simple operations. <P>SOLUTION: An opening/closing panel 4 is mounted on a side portion of a third display part 11 in a main body 1 so as to be turned, a first display part is provided on the front surface of the opening/closing panel 4, and a second display part 10 is provided on its rear surface. Ordinarily, the opening/closing panel 4 is closed to indicate information on the first display part and when the user wants to perform much more indications, the opening/closing panel 4 is opened to indicate information on the second display part 10 and the third display part 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a small-sized portable electronic device such as a portable telephone device for telephone calls or character information display, and an electronic organizer.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, portable electronic devices such as mobile phones have been frequently used in data communication functions as well as in portability. In particular, communication of text and image information using wireless communication has been diversified, and the spread and maintenance of communication infrastructure has been helped, and more information has been exchanged between electronic devices.

  By the way, an electronic device with excellent portability such as a portable telephone device has excellent portability, but it is difficult to mount a display device large enough to display information like a portable personal computer. It has become. Existing portable electronic devices are generally equipped with a single display device to display various types of information.In order to display a large amount of information, a user performs an input operation, for example, by scrolling a screen. , Function switching is being performed. In other words, in the case of receiving an e-mail or various information services by a portable telephone device having a single display device, in order to confirm the title or headline of the received document or to browse the contents, the user operates the device. The operation of switching the display screen every time was performed.

  However, conventionally, it is necessary to perform the operation of switching the display screen many times before obtaining the target information. Further, a device equipped with a display device having a sufficient area for displaying information may have a large body, which may impair portability. As a technique for increasing the size of a display device without changing the size of the device body, there is a conventional mobile phone device as shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional mobile phone device, wherein 50 is a main body, 51 is a large display device having a touch panel, 52 is an antenna, and 53 is a speaker. The conventional mobile phone device shown in FIG. 11 has a large display screen by eliminating the operation keys and substituting the functions for a touch panel.
JP-A-9-181801

  However, in the conventional mobile phone device shown in FIG. 11, since the mechanical operation keys are eliminated, the user does not feel the click feeling in the key operation, and the screen is displayed to confirm whether or not the input has been securely performed. Since it is necessary to operate accurately while watching the display, there is a problem that operability deteriorates.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable electronic device which solves such a problem and enables a user to display more information at the same time with a simple operation.

  The present invention for achieving the above object has an input unit for inputting information by an external operation, a plurality of display units for displaying various types of information on a screen, a communication unit for transmitting and receiving information, and an openable and closable device. Opening / closing means which is stored in a storage portion of the device main body when closed, and at least one of a plurality of display means is provided in the opening / closing means. With such a configuration, when a large amount of information is desired to be displayed, the information is displayed on a plurality of display means by opening and closing the display means by opening / closing the opening / closing means. When unnecessary, the information is used in a closed state. Can be used according to the application.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that a display means is provided in the storage portion, and the display means is configured to be visible from the outside when the opening / closing means is opened. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to perform a key operation for switching the display as in an electronic device equipped with a single display device, and a large amount of information can be viewed as if turning a page of a book or notebook.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the display means of the opening / closing means is provided on a surface of the opening / closing means facing the storage section. With such a configuration, it is not necessary to perform a key operation for switching the display as in an electronic device equipped with a single display device, and a large amount of information can be viewed as if turning a page of a book or notebook.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that display means are provided on both sides of the opening / closing means. With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the opening / closing means, simplify the component configuration, and simplify the control method.

  Further, the invention is characterized in that the display means is constituted by a polymer film liquid crystal display device. With such a configuration, the opening / closing means can be further reduced in thickness.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that a selection means for selecting a display means for displaying an image from a plurality of the display means is provided, and the power is turned on only to the display means selected by the selection means. With such a configuration, when the power of the display means not used is turned off, the power other than the minimum necessary display device is turned off, so that the energy consumption of the entire apparatus can be reduced.

  According to the present invention configured as described above, the display means is provided in the opening / closing means, and when a large amount of information is to be displayed, the display means is opened by opening / closing the opening / closing means. The information can be displayed on the display, and when unnecessary, the information can be used in a closed state, so that it can be used in accordance with the purpose, thereby improving the convenience. Further, when used in a closed state, the opening / closing means is housed in the main body, so that downsizing can be achieved.

  Further, when the opening / closing means is opened, another display device is disposed on the back surface or the storage portion, so that key operation for switching display such as an electronic device equipped with a single display device is unnecessary. As a result, you can see a lot of information as if you were turning pages of a book or notebook, improving operability.

  In addition, since the display means can be displayed on both sides, the thickness of the opening / closing means can be reduced, the component configuration can be simplified, and the control method can be simplified.

  Further, by using a polymer film liquid crystal display device as the display means, it is possible to further reduce the thickness of the opening / closing means.

  In addition, when the power of the display means that is not used is turned off, the power other than the minimum necessary display device is turned off, so that the energy consumption of the entire apparatus can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1st Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a portable telephone device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein 1 is a main body, 2 is an antenna, 3 is a speaker, 4 is an openable panel, and 5 is a surface of the openable panel 4. A first display unit provided, 6 is an operation panel including numeric keys, etc., 7 is a microphone, and 8 is an operation key.

  An antenna 2 is provided on an upper surface of the main body 1, a speaker 3 is provided on an upper part of the main body 1, and a microphone 7 is provided on a lower part. An opening / closing panel 4 is provided below the speaker 3 so as to be rotatable around one side as an axis. Further, an operation panel 6 is arranged between the opening / closing panel 4 and the microphone 7. An operation key 8 is provided on a side of the main body 1. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an open button 9 is provided on a side portion of the main body 1, and by pressing the open button 9, the opening / closing panel 4 can be opened.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the openable panel is opened in the portable telephone device of FIG. 1, where 10 is a second display unit provided on the back surface of the openable panel 4, and 11 is a facing of the openable panel 4 in the main body 1. A third display portion provided at the site, 12 is a hook portion provided on the back side of the opening and closing panel 4, 13 is a hole in which the hook portion 12 is stored when the opening and closing panel 4 is closed, and 14 is a 3 shows a storage unit that has a three-display unit 11 and stores the open / close panel 4. Further, an engaging member (not shown) for engaging with the hook portion 12 is provided in the vicinity of the hole 13 in the main body 1, and the opening shaft of the opening / closing panel 4 is provided on the rotation shaft side of the opening / closing panel 4. A biasing spring (not shown) is provided. This engaging member is interlocked with the open button 9, and when the open button 9 is pressed, the open / close panel 4 is opened as shown in FIG. 3, and when the open / close panel 4 is closed, it is shown in FIG. In the state of being housed in the main body 1.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the display unit installed on the opening / closing panel. Reference numeral 20 denotes a reflector, reference numerals 21 and 22 denote first polarizers disposed on both surfaces of the reflector 20, and reference numerals 23 and 24 denote first polarizers. First transparent electrodes provided on the first and second transparent electrodes 23 and 24, liquid crystal layers 25 and 26 are provided on the first transparent electrodes 23 and 24, and liquid crystal layers 25 and 26 are provided between the first transparent electrodes 23 and 24. The second transparent electrodes 29 and 30 denote the phase plates provided on the second transparent electrodes 27 and 28, and the reference numerals 31 and 32 denote the second polarizing plates provided on the phase plates 29 and 30.

  That is, the first display unit 5 has a configuration in which the first polarizing plate 21, the first transparent electrode 23, the liquid crystal layer 25, the second transparent electrode 27, the phase plate 29, and the polarizing plate 31 are laminated. Has a structure in which a first polarizing plate 22, a first transparent electrode 24, a liquid crystal layer 26, a second transparent electrode 28, a phase plate 30, and a polarizing plate 32 are laminated. A liquid crystal display device capable of both-side display is provided by being provided on the front and back of the reflection plate 20, and liquid crystal display is enabled on the front and back of the open / close panel 4.

  When the open / close panel 4 is closed, only the first display unit 5 is energized, and the second and third display units 10 and 11 are energized only when the open / close panel 4 is opened. In addition, the setting for prohibiting the energization of the second and third display units 10 and 11 is enabled by the operation of the operation panel 6 by the user. As a result, since the second and third display units 10 and 11 do not operate even when the open / close panel 4 is unexpectedly opened, the energy consumption of the device body can be reduced.

  FIGS. 5 and 6 are explanatory views showing examples of use of the portable telephone device of FIG. When the opening / closing panel 4 is closed, the first display unit 5 displays the minimum necessary information when the portable telephone device is not used, for example, electric field intensity, time, calendar, presence / absence of incoming e-mail. , And other information to be notified to the user are displayed. When reading the received e-mail, as shown in FIG. 6, the open / close panel 4 is opened so that the second and third display sections 10 and 11 can be seen. At this time, a list of subjects of the e-mail is displayed on the second display unit 10, and a text corresponding to the subject selected from the list displayed on the second display unit 10 is displayed on the third display unit 11.

  With this configuration, it is possible to simultaneously perform many displays. Further, it is not necessary to perform many key operations to read a desired e-mail, and the screen display can be viewed as if turning a page.

(2nd Embodiment)
7 and 8 are perspective views showing the appearance of the portable telephone device according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and reference numeral 15 denotes an open knob. The same members or members having the same functions as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

  The opening and closing panel 4 in the first embodiment is configured to be opened and closed to the side of the main body 1, whereas the portable telephone device of the second embodiment is configured such that the rotation axis of the opening and closing panel 4 is on the side of the speaker 3. And is configured to rotate to the speaker 3 side.

  Further, an opening knob 15 is provided at an upper portion of the operation panel 6, and when the opening and closing panel 4 is closed, a part of the opening and closing panel 4 is engaged with the opening knob 15, and as shown in FIG. The opening / closing panel 4 is stored in the main body 1. When the open / close panel 4 is opened, by operating the open knob 15, the open / close panel 4 is opened as shown in FIG.

  With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the opening / closing panel 4 from touching the hand when the user holds the main body 1 with the opening / closing panel 4 opened.

(Third embodiment)
9 and 10 are perspective views showing the appearance of a portable telephone device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 16 denotes a display unit provided on the main body 1; A flip portion 18 provided and covers the operation panel 6 when closed, and a second display portion 18 is provided on the surface of the flip portion 17 facing the operation panel 6. The same members or members having the same functions as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

  The opening and closing panel 4 in the first embodiment is configured to open and close on the third display unit 11 of the main body 1, whereas the portable telephone device of the third embodiment has a flip cover that covers the operation panel 6. A second display section 18 is provided in the section 17 so that the flip section 17 can be opened to use the operation panel 6 and at the same time the display on the second display section 18 can be viewed.

  With this configuration, the area of the screen display can be enlarged without changing the size of the conventional portable telephone device.

  Note that the portable electronic device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, by configuring the display unit mounted on the open / close panel 4 with a polymer film liquid crystal display device, the thickness of the open / close panel 4 can be reduced. In addition, a single-sided display device may be attached to both sides of the open / close panel 4, and the display unit may be configured by a display device other than the liquid crystal display device.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is useful in the field of electronic devices such as mobile phone devices and electronic books.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a portable telephone device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration near the open button of the portable telephone device of FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an opening / closing panel is opened in the portable telephone device of FIG. 1. Sectional view showing the configuration of the display unit installed on the open / close panel Explanatory diagram showing an example of use of the portable telephone device of FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state in which an opening and closing panel of the portable telephone device of FIG. 5 is opened. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a portable telephone device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which an opening and closing panel of the portable telephone device of FIG. 7 is opened. A perspective view showing the appearance of a portable telephone device in a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which the opening and closing panel of the portable telephone device of FIG. 9 is opened. A perspective view showing an example of a conventional portable telephone device.

Explanation of reference numerals

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Antenna 3 Speaker 4 Open / close panel 5 1st display part 6 Operation panel 7 Microphone 8 Operation key 9 Open button
10 Second display
11 Third display
12 Hook
13 holes
15 Open knob
16 Display
17 Flip section
18 2nd display
20 Reflector
21, 22 First polarizing plate
23, 24 First transparent electrode
25, 26 liquid crystal layer
27, 28 Second transparent electrode
29, 30 Phase plate
31, 32 Second polarizing plate

Claims (6)

  Input means for inputting information by external operation, multiple display means for displaying various information on the screen, communication means for transmitting and receiving information, and openable and closable in the device main body and stored in the storage section of the device main body when closed A portable electronic device, comprising: an opening / closing unit that is provided with at least one of a plurality of display units.   2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a display unit is provided in the storage unit, and the display unit is visible from the outside when the opening / closing unit is opened.   3. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a display unit of the opening / closing unit is provided on a surface of the opening / closing unit facing the storage unit.   3. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein display means is provided on both sides of the opening / closing means.   5. A portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said display means comprises a polymer film liquid crystal display device.   4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit for selecting a display unit for displaying an image from among the plurality of display units, and turning on only the display unit selected by the selection unit. The portable electronic device according to 4 or 5.

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