JP2004363683A - Mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the convenience of a mobile terminal capable of attaining function setting and the operation of an application program in a state that a main body enclosure of the mobile terminal is closed without giving an adverse effect on a mechanism design and a design. <P>SOLUTION: A second display apparatus 5 viewable when the main body enclosure is kept closed is provided on an outer face of a second enclosure 2, and a transparent touch panel 4 is overlappingly provided on the second display apparatus 5. Further, the second display apparatus 5 is designed to be capable of displaying a function setting menu of the mobile terminal and a menu of an application program of the mobile terminal. Then a user touches a touch panel 4 on the display apparatus 5 to allow the user to enter information corresponding to contents displayed on the display apparatus 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal device, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal device including a display unit that can open and close a main body housing and can be viewed by a user even when the main body housing is closed.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Taking a foldable mobile phone terminal as an example, in recent years, even when the main body housing is closed, a callee can be confirmed on a display provided outside the main body housing, or a favorite caller can be displayed on the display. It has become possible to display images.
[0003]
However, what can be performed while the main body housing is closed is limited to display on a display provided outside the main body housing, and it is not possible to set functions of the mobile phone terminal or operate applications. This is because the operation keys for performing those operations are located inside the main body housing. Therefore, when performing the function setting of the mobile phone terminal or the operation of the application, the main body housing of the foldable mobile phone must be opened.
[0004]
In view of this point, Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a mobile phone in which operation keys are provided together with a display on an outer surface of a main body housing so that input operation of characters and the like can be performed even when the main body housing is closed. Have been.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-325124 (FIGS. 1 to 5)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, if operation keys are provided on the outside of the main body casing, it is necessary to change the mechanical design of the mobile terminal device, which increases restrictions on the mechanical design and leads to an increase in the size and cost of the mobile terminal device, Alternatively, the design of the mobile terminal device may be impaired.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and does not adversely affect the mechanical design or design, and enables the setting of functions of the mobile terminal device and the operation of application programs while the main body housing of the mobile terminal device is closed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal device capable of improving the convenience of the portable terminal device.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
One embodiment of the mobile terminal device of the present invention is a mobile terminal device including a display portion that can open and close a main body housing and can be viewed even when the main body housing is closed. A contact-type operation means comprising a light-transmitting member provided on the display screen of the unit, and displaying a screen relating to a process involving a plurality of procedures on the display screen of the display unit, And control means for enabling input of information corresponding to the content displayed on the display screen and the operation position of the contact-type operation means when the operation means is touch-operated.
[0009]
With such a configuration, it is not necessary to provide special operation keys, so that a series of processes can be operated and executed without closing the main body housing without adversely affecting the mechanical design or the design.
[0010]
One embodiment of the portable terminal device of the present invention includes a main body housing including a foldable first housing and a second housing, and a main surface of the first housing provided on a main surface of the first housing. 1 is a foldable portable terminal device which is provided with a first display unit and a second display unit on the back surface, and is capable of seeing the display of the second display unit even when the main body housing is folded. A contact-type operating means comprising a light-transmitting member provided on the display screen of the second display section, and a screen relating to a process involving a plurality of procedures on the display screen of the second display section. And control means for enabling input of information corresponding to the content displayed on the display screen and the operation position of the contact-type operation means when the contact-type operation means on the display screen is touch-operated. , Is provided.
[0011]
With this configuration, it is not necessary to provide special operation keys, so that the main body housing is kept closed without adversely affecting the mechanical design and design and without increasing the size of the foldable portable terminal device. Operation and execution of a series of processes up to this point can be performed.
[0012]
One embodiment of the mobile terminal device of the present invention is any one of the mobile terminal devices described above, wherein the screen related to the process involving the plurality of procedures is a function setting screen of the mobile terminal device, It includes at least one of the screens of the application program.
[0013]
As a result, it is possible to display items necessary for setting the functions of the mobile terminal device, executing the application program, and the like, and input an operation corresponding to the display on the display unit which can be viewed with the main body casing closed. It is possible to operate and execute a desired process without closing the main body housing without adversely affecting the mechanism design or the design.
[0014]
One embodiment of the portable terminal device of the present invention is a portable terminal device including the first housing and the second housing, wherein the display on the first display unit and the display on the second display unit are performed. A display switching control unit that controls switching of the display unit, wherein the display switching control unit displays a screen related to a process involving the plurality of procedures on the second display unit in a state where the main body housing is closed. When the main body housing is opened when the main body is opened, the contents displayed on the second display section are displayed on the first display section and the display on the second display section is erased. Is controlled.
[0015]
With this, when the main body housing is changed from the closed state to the open state, the display switching from the second display unit to the first display unit is automatically performed, and the display unit according to the open / closed state of the housing is switched. The switching control maintains a visible state. Therefore, the user can continue a desired operation while watching the display content of the display unit without performing a special key operation or the like.
[0016]
One embodiment of the portable terminal device of the present invention is a portable terminal device including the first housing and the second housing, wherein the display on the first display unit and the display on the second display unit are performed. A display switching control unit that controls the switching of the display, the display switching control unit displays a screen related to the process involving the plurality of procedures on the first display unit while the main body housing is open. When the main body housing is closed, the contents displayed on the first display section are displayed on the second display section, and the display on the first display section is erased. Is controlled.
[0017]
Thus, when the main body housing is changed from the open state to the closed state, the display is automatically switched from the first display unit to the second display unit, and the display unit is switched according to the open / closed state of the housing. The switching control maintains a visible state. Therefore, the user can continue a desired operation while watching the display content of the display unit without performing a special key operation or the like.
[0018]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
In the present embodiment, a configuration example of a foldable mobile phone will be described as an example of a mobile terminal device.
[0019]
(1st Embodiment)
1 to 4 are views showing a configuration of a foldable mobile phone for explaining a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a side view of the foldable mobile phone in a state in which a main body housing is closed. FIG. 2 is a front view of the foldable mobile phone in a state where a main body housing is closed. FIG. 3 is a side view of the foldable mobile phone with its main body opened, and FIG. 4 is a front view of the foldable mobile phone with its main body opened.
[0020]
As shown in the figure, the foldable mobile phone has a structure in which a first housing 1 and a second housing 2 are connected by a hinge 3 so as to be foldable (openable and closable). The first housing 1 and the second housing 2 constitute a main housing. A state where the first housing 1 and the second housing 2 overlap each other as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a state where the main housing is closed. Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first housing 1 and the second housing 2 do not overlap, and various keys provided on the main surface (inner surface) of the first housing 1 are used. The exposed state is a state in which the main body housing is open.
[0021]
On an inner surface of the second housing 2 (a surface that is not exposed when the main housing is closed), a large first display 6 which is an example of a display unit formed of a liquid crystal display device or the like is provided. On the outer surface of the second housing 2 (the surface exposed to the outside when the main housing is closed), a relatively large second display 5 which is an example of a display unit composed of a liquid crystal display device or the like is provided. Is provided.
[0022]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the main body housing is closed, nothing is displayed on the first display 6. On the other hand, the second display 5 displays a screen for setting the function of the foldable mobile phone and a screen of an application program installed in the foldable mobile phone, in addition to the display of the communication partner and the like. be able to. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the second display 5 is provided with a touch panel 4 as an example of a transparent contact-type operation unit provided on the second display 5, and a screen displayed by the second display 5. When a finger touches a predetermined location on a function setting screen (for example, a function setting screen), the touch panel 4 recognizes the touch (details will be described later).
[0023]
As the touch panel 4, a resistive touch panel or a capacitive touch panel can be used. Preferably, one is used.
[0024]
The hinge 3 is provided with an extendable antenna 7. Further, a magnet 8 is built in the second housing 2, and a magnetic sensor 9 is built in the first housing 1. The magnet 8 and the magnetic sensor 9 constitute a sensor (open / close detection sensor 21 in FIG. 6) for detecting opening / closing of the main body housing. That is, when the magnet 8 is approaching the magnetic sensor 9 (FIGS. 1 and 2), the output of the magnetic sensor 9 is turned on, and when the magnet 8 is away (FIGS. 3 and 4), the output of the magnetic sensor 9 is Is turned off, thereby detecting the open / closed state of the main body housing.
[0025]
On the main surface of the first housing 1, as shown in FIG. 4, a menu key 10 for displaying a main menu item group of the foldable mobile phone, and a desired item from the menu item group are displayed. A navigation key 11 for selecting and deciding, and a mail key 12 for displaying a menu item group of a mail operation are provided. Further, a call start key 13, a call end key 14, and a numeric keypad 15 for making a voice call are provided. These various keys are collectively called operation keys. A transmitter (microphone) 16 and a receiver (speaker) 17 are provided on the main surface of the first housing 1.
[0026]
Next, referring to FIGS. 5 to 9, a method of operating a function setting and an application program in a state where the main body housing is folded (closed state), and an operation of the foldable mobile phone in that case explain.
[0027]
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the foldable mobile phone in a folded state (closed state) is held by hand. In the following description, it is assumed that the function setting of the foldable mobile phone and the operation of the application program are performed in the state of FIG. 5 (closed state). That is, in the state of FIG. 5, the user performs an operation by touching the transparent touch panel 4 superimposed on the second display 5 with a finger while viewing the display contents of the second display 5.
[0028]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a main internal configuration of the foldable mobile phone according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the foldable mobile phone has a memory 18 in addition to the first display 6, the second display 5, and the touch pad 4 described above, and a control for integrally controlling the operation of each unit. A unit 19, a coordinate conversion unit 20, and an open / close detection sensor 21 are provided.
[0029]
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, an operation in the case where the function setting of the foldable mobile phone is performed in a state where the main body housing is folded will be described.
[0030]
FIGS. 7A to 7E are diagrams illustrating positions of a finger on the display screen of the second display and the touch panel in each process of adjusting the reception volume of the foldable mobile phone. Here, a case where a capacitance type touch panel is used will be described.
[0031]
First, as shown in FIG. 7A, the user touches an item of “function setting” on the main menu screen with a finger. Then, the capacitance of the touch panel 4 changes at the position touched by the finger. The coordinate conversion unit 20 in FIG. 6 converts the position where the change in the capacitance has occurred into X and Y coordinates that are two-dimensional coordinates. The X and Y coordinates of the operation position converted by the coordinate conversion unit 20 are sent to the control unit 19 in FIG. The control unit 19 determines which item the finger has touched by comparing it with the position information of each menu item displayed on the second display 5.
[0032]
In the case of FIG. 7A, the control unit 19 recognizes that “function setting” has been selected, reads out the menu screen information of “function setting” from the memory 18 in FIG. 6, and displays “menu” on the second display 5. Display the “Function settings” menu screen. This state is shown in FIG.
[0033]
In FIG. 7A, triangular marks indicated by reference numerals 22a and 22b are scroll keys for scrolling the screen when there are selectable items outside the screen. Touching the upper scroll key 22a scrolls the screen upward, and touching the lower scroll key 22b scrolls the screen downward.
[0034]
When the "sound setting" item is touched with a finger on the display screen of FIG. 7B, the same processing as described above is performed in the coordinate conversion unit 20 and the control unit 19, and the "sound setting" menu screen is displayed on the second screen. Is displayed on the display 5. This state is shown in FIG.
[0035]
Similarly, when the item "volume setting" is touched with a finger on the display screen of FIG. 7C, a menu screen of "volume setting" is displayed as shown in FIG. 7D. Furthermore, when the item of "received sound volume" is touched with a finger on the display screen of FIG. 7D, a menu screen of "received sound volume" is displayed as shown in FIG. 7E.
[0036]
Here, by touching the triangular marks 23a and 23b, it is possible to adjust the increase or decrease of the received sound volume. That is, when the user touches the triangular mark 23a, the receiving sound volume increases, and when the user touches the triangular mark 23b, the receiving sound volume decreases.
[0037]
Next, a case where an application program is operated in a state where the main body housing is folded will be described with reference to FIG. 8 while referring to FIG.
[0038]
FIGS. 8A to 8D show display screens of a second display in each process of browsing a received mail among operations of a mail program which is one of application programs of the foldable mobile phone. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a position of a finger with respect to a touch panel.
[0039]
First, as shown in FIG. 8A, on the main menu screen, an item of “mail” is touched with a finger. Then, in the same process as described above for adjusting the reception volume, the operation of detecting the operation position of the touch panel 4 is performed in the coordinate conversion unit 20 and the control unit 19, and the menu screen of “mail” is displayed on the second screen. It is displayed on the display 5. This state is shown in FIG.
[0040]
Similarly, on the display screen of FIG. 8B, when the item of “received mail” is touched with a finger, a received mail list screen is displayed as shown in FIG. 8C. When the user touches the item “2/5 15:30 Tanaka” in the second row from the top with the finger on the display screen of FIG. 8C, the control unit 19 of FIG. Read out. Then, as shown in FIG. 8D, a screen showing the contents of the mail is displayed on the second display 5.
[0041]
As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to perform the function setting of the mobile terminal device and the operation of the application program without providing a special operation key and keeping the main body housing of the mobile terminal device closed. Thereby, the convenience of the portable terminal device is improved.
[0042]
(2nd Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, automatic switching of display when the foldable mobile phone changes from an open state to a closed state or when the foldable mobile phone changes from a closed state to an open state will be described.
[0043]
FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a screen (menu screen) displayed on the first display 6 and the second display 5 when the main body housing according to the second embodiment is in the open state and the closed state. FIG.
[0044]
The upper half of FIG. 9 shows an example of the screen in the open state, and the lower half shows an example of the screen in the closed state. The left half of FIG. 9 shows an example of a screen on the first display 6, and the right half shows an example of a screen on the second display 5.
[0045]
When the main body housing is opened, a function setting menu screen as shown in the upper left of FIG. 9 is displayed on the first display 6, and at this time, the second display 5 As shown in the upper right, nothing is displayed.
[0046]
When the main body housing is closed in this state, the open / close detection sensor 21 in FIG. 6 detects this, and notifies the control unit 19 that the main body housing is closed. The control unit 19 deletes the display on the first display 6 as shown in the lower left of FIG. 9, while, as shown in the lower right of FIG. Is displayed on the second display 5.
[0047]
Conversely, the main body housing is closed, the display of the first display 6 is turned off as shown in the lower half of FIG. 9, and the function setting menu screen is displayed on the second display 5. When the main body housing is opened in the state of being, the control unit 19 of FIG. 6 switches the display of each display as shown in the upper half of FIG.
[0048]
As described above, in the second embodiment, when an operation that has been performed while opening the main body housing is desired to be performed while being closed from the middle, the screen is automatically switched simply by closing the main body housing. Since the operation screen is displayed on a display that can be viewed by the user, the operation can be smoothly continued. Therefore, the convenience of the foldable mobile phone is further improved. Note that the same applies to the case where the operation that has been performed with the main body casing closed is performed while being opened from the middle.
[0049]
(Third embodiment)
In the first and second embodiments described above, a foldable mobile phone has been described as an example of a mobile terminal device. However, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. An example in which a configuration similar to that of the first embodiment is applied to a mobile phone that rotates with respect to a housing will be described.
[0050]
10 and 11 are views showing a configuration of a mobile phone for explaining a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a closed state of the mobile phone, and FIG. 11 is one housing of the mobile phone. It is a perspective view showing the state where a body turned and opened.
[0051]
As shown in the figure, the mobile phone is configured such that a first housing 31 and a second housing 30 are rotatably connected around a joint 33. A display 32 is provided on an outer surface of the second housing 30. As shown in FIG. 11, the operation keys 34 provided on the main surface of the first housing 31 can be used with the main housing open.
[0052]
In the third embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, a function setting screen and a screen of an application program can be displayed on the display 32, and a keypad formed of a transparent touch panel is provided on the surface of the display 32 so as to overlap with the user. By touching with a finger, it is possible to input information corresponding to the display screen. Thus, even when the housing as shown in FIG. 10 is closed, operations such as function setting and application use can be performed.
[0053]
Thus, the present invention can be used not only for a portable terminal device having a foldable casing, but also for a portable terminal device in which one casing rotates with respect to the other casing. . The portable terminal device of the present invention includes not only a communication terminal device having a communication function such as a mobile phone but also an information terminal device such as a PDA without a communication function.
[0054]
As described above, in the present embodiment, focusing on the fact that the second display provided as a sub-display that can be viewed in a state where the main body housing is closed is becoming larger, this display is subjected to a plurality of procedures. To use as a display for displaying a function setting screen of a mobile terminal device or a screen of an application program possessed by the mobile terminal device, and to simultaneously execute a process involving a plurality of procedures at the same time. It is also used as a means for inputting information necessary for the operation. In other words, the display provided on the main body housing simultaneously functions as a display unit for items related to processes involving a plurality of procedures and an input unit for information corresponding to display contents, thereby impairing the design of the mobile terminal device. It is possible to efficiently set functions, operate applications, and the like in a state in which the main body housing of the portable terminal device is closed without affecting the mechanism design without affecting the mechanism design.
[0055]
In addition, since the display on each display is automatically switched according to the opening and closing of the main body case, even if the opening and closing state changes during the function setting or application operation, it will respond to the changed state. You can immediately perform subsequent operations on the display.
[0056]
As the processing that can be performed using the display, execution of the application exemplified in the above description includes, for example, processing involving a number of procedures, such as an online bank transfer processing using a mobile terminal.
[0057]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to set functions of the mobile terminal device, operate an application program, and the like in a state where the main body housing of the mobile terminal device is closed, without adversely affecting the mechanism design and design. The convenience of the portable terminal device can be improved.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a foldable mobile phone according to a first embodiment of the present invention in a closed state; FIG. 2 is a side view of a foldable mobile phone according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a front view in a state where a body is closed. FIG. 3 is a side view in a state where a main body housing of the foldable mobile phone according to the first embodiment of the present invention is opened. FIG. 4 is a view according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a front view of the foldable mobile phone in a state where a main body housing is opened. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the foldable mobile phone in a folded state (closed state) according to the first embodiment is held by hand. 6 is a block diagram showing a main internal configuration of the foldable mobile phone according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for adjusting the reception volume of the foldable mobile phone according to the first embodiment. , (A) to (e) respectively adjust the receiving volume of the foldable mobile phone. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the position of a finger on the display screen of the second display and the touch panel in each process of the case. FIG. 8 shows an operation of an application program with the main body housing of the foldable mobile phone in the first embodiment folded. It is a figure for explaining the procedure performed, and (a)-(d) each shows the finger | toe on the display screen of a 2nd display, and a touch panel in each process at the time of browsing a received mail among operations of a mail program. FIG. 9 shows screens (menus) displayed on the first display and the second display when the main body housing according to the second embodiment of the present invention is in the open state and the closed state. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a closed state of the mobile phone according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of the mobile phone according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Perspective view showing a state in which one of the housing of the mobile phone is opened by rotating EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st housing 2 2nd housing 3 Hinge part 4 Touch panel 5 2nd display 6 1st display 7 Antenna 8 Magnet 9 Magnetic sensor 10 Menu key 11 Navigation key 12 Mail key 13 Call start key 14 Call end Key 15 Numeric keypad 16 Transmitter (microphone)
17 receiver (speaker)
18 memory 19 control unit 20 coordinate conversion unit 21 open / close detection sensor (combination of magnet and magnetic sensor)

Claims (5)

A portable terminal device having a display unit that can open and close a main body housing and can be viewed even when the main body housing is closed,
Contact-type operation means comprising a light-transmitting member provided on the display screen of the display unit,
On the display screen of the display unit, a screen related to a process involving a plurality of procedures is displayed, and when a contact-type operation unit on the display screen is touch-operated, the content displayed on the display screen and the contact-type Control means for enabling input of information corresponding to the operation position of the operation means,
A mobile terminal device comprising: A main body housing having a foldable first housing and a second housing, a first display portion on a main surface of the first housing, and a second display portion on a back surface of the first housing. A folding portable terminal device, which can see the display of the second display unit even when the main body housing is folded,
A contact-type operation unit including a light-transmitting member provided on the display screen of the second display unit,
On the display screen of the second display unit, a screen related to a process involving a plurality of procedures is displayed, and when a contact-type operation unit on the display screen is touch-operated, the content displayed on the display screen and Control means enabling input of information corresponding to the operation position of the contact-type operation means,
A mobile terminal device comprising: The mobile terminal device according to claim 1 or 2,
The mobile terminal device, wherein the screen related to the process involving the plurality of procedures includes at least one of a function setting screen of the mobile terminal device and a screen of an application program of the mobile terminal device. The mobile terminal device according to claim 2,
A display switching control unit that controls switching of display on the first display unit and the second display unit;
The display switching control unit is configured to open the main body housing when displaying a screen related to a process involving the plurality of procedures on the second display unit in a state where the main body housing is closed. In this case, the portable terminal device controls the content displayed on the second display unit to be displayed on the first display unit, and controls the display of the second display unit to be erased. The mobile terminal device according to claim 2,
A display switching control unit that controls switching of display on the first display unit and the second display unit;
The display switching control unit closes the main body housing when the first display unit displays a screen related to the process involving the plurality of procedures while the main body housing is open. In this case, the portable terminal device controls the content displayed on the first display unit to be displayed on the second display unit and erases the display on the first display unit.

Images