JP2005101814A - Portable communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To add a photographing function of high performance having an imaging unit and an optical system of a zoom mechanism, etc. extremely simply without cost increase. <P>SOLUTION: A portable communication terminal includes a first housing 12 and a second housing 13 which can be relatively rotatably coupling in a planar direction with a rotary axis X perpendicularly crossed with a plane as a center by a coupling part 14 near one end side. A display unit 15 is provided in the first housing 12. The imaging unit 17 is provided in the first housing 12, and the optical system 19 of the zoom mechanism, etc. is provided in the second housing 13. The imaging unit 17 and the optical system 19 are provided at the coupling part 14, and its optical axis is brought into coincidence with the rotary axis X of the coupling part 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal, and more particularly to a mobile communication terminal having two housings that are relatively movable.

In recent years, mobile phones have become larger in size and color due to the large amount of information displayed, and foldable mobile phones with excellent operability and portability have become common. In addition, a camera-equipped mobile phone equipped with a small camera has also appeared, and it is very popular because it is easy to carry around and take pictures anytime.
Many common mobile phones with a camera are equipped with a camera on the back side of the main unit (the back side of the display), and most of them use a camera with a single focus lens. Along with higher image quality and higher pixels, optical systems are also required to have a zoom function.

  A conventional portable communication device equipped with a zoom function is equipped with a zoom mechanism and an imaging unit in a hinge mechanism, and a casing having a display unit for calling / communication and shooting is provided in the imaging unit. It is rotated with respect to the optical axis.

Further, this type of camera portable communication terminal has the following prior art.
JP 11-136554 A

  However, in the folding portable communication terminal equipped with the zoom function, the optical axis of the optical system is set in the horizontal direction of the main body, that is, in the horizontal direction with respect to the display surface of the display unit in order to increase the distance of the zoom mechanism. When shooting, it is necessary to add a new rotating mechanism that changes the orientation of the display unit so that the display surface of the display unit matches the optical axis of the optical system. Had to be forced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a high performance including an image pickup unit and an optical system such as a zoom mechanism, and the like. An object is to provide a mobile communication terminal having a photographing function.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a mobile communication terminal having at least two casings connected to each other and configured so that these casings can be overlapped with each other, and any one casing is provided. The image pickup unit and the other housing are provided with an optical system, and are arranged so that the optical axes of the image pickup unit and the optical system coincide when the two housings are overlapped.

  Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the two housings are linearly slidably connected and arranged such that the optical axes of the imaging unit and the optical system coincide with each other in a contracted state. It is said.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that the two housings are connected so as to be relatively movable in a state where the optical axes of the imaging unit and the optical system are matched.
In addition, the present invention is a mobile communication terminal configured by two casings connected so as to be relatively rotatable around a rotation axis substantially orthogonal to the display surface in the vicinity of one end side, The image pickup unit is provided in the housing and an optical system is provided in the other case, and the image pickup unit and the optical system are placed in the rotation axis so that the optical axes of the image pickup unit and the optical system coincide with the rotation axis direction. It is arranged.

As described above, according to the mobile communication terminal of the present invention, since the imaging unit and the optical system are provided in the overlapping portion of the casings, the imaging system and the optical system such as the zoom mechanism are simply provided. In addition, a portable communication terminal having a high-performance photographing function can be obtained.
In addition, since the imaging unit and the optical system are provided with respect to the display unit so that the optical axes thereof are orthogonal to each other, a rotation mechanism for changing the orientation of the display unit at the time of photographing can be eliminated, resulting in an increase in cost. In addition, an imaging function having an optical system such as a zoom mechanism can be added without impairing portability.

Hereinafter, a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Note that, in each embodiment, the same structural parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

[Embodiment 1]
1 is a front view in a contracted state showing the mobile communication terminal, FIG. 2 is a back view in the contracted state showing the mobile communication terminal, and FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view in the contracted state showing the mobile communication terminal. FIG. 5 is a front view of the mobile communication terminal in the extended state, FIG. 5 is a back view of the mobile communication terminal in the extended state, and FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the mobile communication terminal in the extended state.
As shown in the figure, the mobile communication terminal 11 has a first housing 12 and a second housing 13. The first casing 12 and the second casing 13 rotate relative to the display surface in a substantially horizontal direction around the rotation axis X orthogonal to the display surface at a connecting portion 14 near one end side. It is connected in a movable manner and takes two forms: a contracted state (the state shown in FIGS. 1 to 3) and an extended state (the state shown in FIGS. 4 to 6). The first housing 12 is provided with a display unit 15 for displaying an image at the time of shooting, an operation menu of the telephone, an operation unit 16 including a plurality of operation buttons, an ear speaker (not shown), and the like. Yes.
Further, in the first casing 12, an imaging unit 17 including an imaging module such as a CCD or a CMOS is connected to a connecting part 14 with the second casing 13, and the optical axis thereof is the rotation axis X of the connecting part 14. Are arranged so as to match.

On the other hand, the second housing 13 is provided with an operation unit 18 including a numeric keypad used for characters, dial input and menu operation, and constitutes a mobile phone such as a battery, a CPU, a memory, a radio unit, a microphone (not shown). The element is contracted.
In addition, in the second casing 13, an optical system 19 such as a zoom mechanism is arranged at the connecting portion 14 with the first casing 12 with its optical axis aligned with the rotation axis X of the connecting portion 14. It is installed.
That is, in the mobile communication terminal 11, the optical axes of the imaging unit 17 and the optical system 19 are aligned with the rotation axis X of the connecting unit 14.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the mobile communication terminal.
As shown in the figure, the mobile communication terminal 11 has a CPU 21, which includes a display unit 15, operation units 16 and 18, an imaging unit 17, a memory 25 such as a ROM and a RAM, and a wireless unit 26. It is connected. The CPU 21 performs portable communication processing, image processing, and the like by the display unit 15, the operation units 16 and 18, the imaging unit 17, the memory 25, and the wireless unit 26.

The mobile communication terminal 11 is in a contracted state (the state shown in FIGS. 1 to 3) in which the first casing 12 is disposed so as to overlap the second casing 13 during normal times such as standby. In this state, when an operation such as character input is required, the first housing 12 is rotated 180 degrees about the rotation axis X of the connecting portion 14 to expose the operating portion 18 (see FIG. 4 to FIG. 6), and the key operation is performed.
In the mobile communication terminal 11, the optical axes of the imaging unit 17 and the optical system 19 are arranged so as to coincide with the rotation axis X of the connecting unit 14 between the first and second casings 12 and 13. Similarly, the positional relationship between the imaging unit 17 and the optical system 19 does not change both in the closed contracted state and in the open extended state, so that zoom photography can be performed in either state. In this case, it is not necessary to match the optical axes of the display surface, the imaging unit, and the optical system.

In the mobile communication terminal 11, when the camera function is activated from the menu, images captured by the imaging unit 17 are sequentially displayed on the display unit 15.
Further, when the user presses a shutter button (not shown) arranged on the surface of the main body, image data at the time of detecting the press is captured and stored in the memory 25 according to the user's instruction. Since the shutter button needs to be operated in the same manner when the first housing 12 is closed or opened, it is desirable to provide the shutter button on the side surface of the second housing 13.

  In addition, a zoom operation key can be pressed when the camera function is executed. This key for zoom operation may be provided exclusively like a shutter button, or the operation button of the first casing 12 or the operation key of the second casing 13 is used according to the open / close state of the casing. It may be realized by switching in software. The lens of the zoom mechanism of the optical system 19 is driven in accordance with the pressing of the zoom operation key.

According to the mobile communication terminal 11 according to the first embodiment, since the imaging unit 17 and the optical system 19 are provided in the overlapping portion of the casings 12 and 13, the size is not significantly increased. The mobile communication terminal 11 having a high-performance shooting function including the imaging unit 17 and the optical system 19 such as a zoom mechanism can be simply used.
Further, in a mobile communication terminal that is rotatably connected by the connecting portion 14, by providing the connecting portion 14 with the imaging unit 17 and the optical system 19, a high-performance photographing function can be easily added. Also, in this case, it is possible to perform photographing in the same manner in the contracted state where the casings 12 and 13 are closed and in the extended state where they are opened.

Moreover, since the imaging unit 17 and the optical system 19 are provided so that the optical axes thereof are orthogonal to the display unit 15, a rotation mechanism for changing the orientation of the display unit 15 at the time of photographing can be eliminated. A photographing function having the optical system 19 such as a zoom mechanism can be added without increasing the cost and without impairing portability.
Thereby, it is possible to take a picture while looking at the display unit 15 at the time of photographing.

  In the first embodiment, the first housing 12 and the second housing 13 may be configured to be relatively movable at the connecting portion 14 along the rotation axis X direction. As such a structure, the first housing 12 and the second housing 13 are moved relative to each other in the direction of the rotation axis X, thereby displacing the position of the optical system 19 with respect to the imaging unit 17, A zoom function for changing the magnification of an image taken at 17 can be provided.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, a mobile communication terminal according to the second embodiment will be described.
8 is a front view of the mobile communication terminal in the contracted state, FIG. 9 is a back view of the mobile communication terminal in the contracted state, and FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the mobile communication terminal in the contracted state. FIG. 12 is a front view of the mobile communication terminal in the extended state, FIG. 12 is a back view of the mobile communication terminal in the extended state, and FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the mobile communication terminal in the extended state.

  As shown in the figure, the mobile communication terminal 11 </ b> A also has a first housing 12 and a second housing 13. In the portable communication terminal 11A, the first casing 12 and the second casing 13 are connected to each other so as to be relatively slidable, and are contracted by being slid to each other (the state shown in FIGS. 8 to 10). And it is what is called a slide type which becomes two forms of the extended state (state of FIGS. 11-13) extended.

In the mobile communication terminal 11 </ b> A, the imaging unit 17 provided in the first housing 12 and the optical system 19 provided in the second housing 13 include the first housing 12 and the second housing 13. Are overlapped in a contracted state in which the optical axes are contracted, and the respective optical axes coincide with each other.
Then, in such a contracted state, the zoom function is activated by driving the lens of the zoom mechanism of the optical system 19 in a state where the optical axes of the imaging unit 17 and the optical system 19 are aligned with each other. It can be performed.

  Further, in the extended state in which the first housing 12 and the second housing 13 are extended, in this state, by pressing the shutter button, the imaging unit 17 does not use the zoom function by the optical system 19. You can also shoot. At this time, the cover 31 is disposed on the exposed surface of the optical system 19 to protect the optical system 19.

As described above, according to the mobile communication terminal 11A according to the second embodiment, since the imaging unit 17 and the optical system 19 are provided in a portion where the casings 12 and 13 overlap each other, there is a significant increase in size. Therefore, the mobile communication terminal 11 having a high-performance photographing function in which the imaging unit 17 includes the optical system 19 such as a zoom mechanism can be simply used.
In addition, in a so-called slide type mobile communication terminal in which the casings 12 and 13 are connected so as to be linearly slidable, the imaging unit 17 and the optical system 19 are provided so that the optical axes coincide in the contracted state. Thus, a high-performance photographing function can be easily added.

Moreover, since the imaging unit 17 and the optical system 19 are provided so that the optical axes thereof are orthogonal to the display unit 15, a rotation mechanism for changing the orientation of the display unit 15 at the time of photographing can be eliminated. A photographing function having the optical system 19 such as a zoom mechanism can be added without increasing the cost and without impairing portability.
Thereby, at the time of imaging | photography, it can image | photograph while looking at the display part 15. FIG.

  In the mobile communication terminal 11A of the second embodiment, a plurality of lenses having different focal lengths are overlapped with the imaging unit 17 in accordance with the slide positions of the first housing 12 and the second housing 13. It may be provided in the second housing 13. With such a structure, the first casing 12 and the second casing 13 are relatively slid, and the imaging unit 17 is overlapped with a lens having a focal length as necessary. can do.

It is a front view of the contraction state which shows the portable communication terminal concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a back view of the contraction state which shows the portable communication terminal concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the contracted state which shows the portable communication terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a front view of the expansion state which shows the portable communication terminal concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a back view of the expansion state which shows the portable communication terminal concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the expansion | extension state which shows the portable communication terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram explaining the function of a mobile communication terminal. It is a front view of the contracted state which shows the portable communication terminal which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a back view of the contracted state which shows the portable communication terminal which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the contracted state which shows the portable communication terminal which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a front view of the expansion | extension state which shows the portable communication terminal which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a reverse view of the expansion | extension state which shows the portable communication terminal which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the expansion | extension state which shows the portable communication terminal which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11, 11A Portable communication terminal 12 1st housing | casing 13 2nd housing | casing 14 Connection part 15 Display part 17 Imaging part 19 Optical system X Rotating shaft

Claims (4)

A portable communication terminal having at least two casings connected to each other, and these casings configured to be superposed on each other,
An image pickup unit is provided in one of the cases, and an optical system is provided in the other case. When the two cases are overlapped, the optical axes of the image pickup unit and the optical system are aligned. A characteristic mobile communication terminal. The both housings are linearly slidably connected and arranged so that the optical axes of the imaging unit and the optical system coincide with each other in a contracted state. The portable communication terminal as described. 3. The two casings are connected so as to be relatively movable along the direction of the optical axis in a state where the optical axes of the imaging unit and the optical system are aligned. Mobile communication terminals. A mobile communication terminal composed of two casings connected to each other so as to be relatively rotatable around a rotation axis substantially orthogonal to the display surface in the vicinity of one end side,
An imaging unit is provided in one of the housings, and an optical system is provided in the other housing, and the imaging unit and the optical system are rotated so that the optical axes of the imaging unit and the optical system coincide with the rotation axis direction. A mobile communication terminal characterized by being arranged in an axis.

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