JP2005228054A - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable terminal for easily performing operation for inputting information even when a display part is arranged on a front face, and an input part is arranged on the back face. <P>SOLUTION: This portable terminal 1 is provided with an input part 15 which includes a plurality of input buttons 14 arranged on the back face of the portable terminal body and a display part 13 arranged on the front face of the portable terminal body, wherein a display control means for superimposing image information 14' corresponding to the input part 15 on normal image information displayed at the display part 13 is included. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable terminal having an information display function and an input function, and more particularly to a portable terminal having a display unit on the front of a portable terminal body and an input unit on the back.

  Conventionally, a mobile terminal is generally provided with a display in the upper front area in a size that does not impair portability, and a lower front part is provided with buttons for inputting various information to the mobile terminal. Met. As such portable terminals, for example, cellular phones and electronic notebooks are known. The user of the mobile terminal checks the position of the button and the input content on the display by directing the front of the mobile terminal provided with the button and the display toward the user.

  In recent years, as the use of e-mail, Internet browsers, etc. has spread, the amount of information displayed on the display of mobile terminals has increased, and by expanding the display to a larger screen, it has become a mobile terminal that displays more information. Needs are increasing. For this reason, there is a need for a technology that can expand the display without impairing portability. For example, the portable terminal is folded when the portable terminal is not used, and is folded when the portable terminal is used. A foldable portable terminal that can deploy a portable terminal has been used.

  8 and 9 are diagrams showing a conventional foldable portable terminal 70. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the foldable portable terminal 70 can freely rotate an input panel 72 provided with an input button 71 and a display panel 74 provided with a display 73 via a hinge portion 75. Connected.

  The user can fold the display panel 74 so as to cover the input button 71 along the arrow 77, and at the time of use, the display panel 74 is expanded so that the display 73 and the input button 71 face the user side. Can be arranged. In other words, the display panel 74 and the input panel 72 are folded in the direction of the arrow 77 to realize space saving at the time of carrying, and conversely, the display panel 74 and the input panel 72 can be visually recognized by expanding in the direction of the arrow 78. It is said.

  As a derivative type of such a foldable portable terminal, there is one in which the display panel 74 can be rotated with respect to the input panel 72 in the direction indicated by the arrow 79 by devising the mechanism of the hinge portion 75. In such a portable terminal, the display panel 74 can be rotated (inverted) 180 degrees from the state shown in FIG. 9 in the direction indicated by the arrow 79, and the display panel 74 can be folded in the direction indicated by the arrow 77 in this inverted state. In such a folded state, the display 73 side of the display panel 74 is exposed to the outside, and the input button 71 side of the input panel 79 is hidden.

  Furthermore, as another prior art, there is a mobile phone in which the display panel 74 positioned in the state shown in FIG. 9 is folded in a direction indicated by an arrow 80 (for example, Patent Document 1). In this cellular phone, in the folded state, the display panel 74 and the input panel 79 are in a state of being turned away from each other, and both the display 73 side of the display panel 74 and the input button 71 side of the input panel 79 are exposed to the outside. It becomes the state.

JP 2003-169112 A (see FIG. 2)

  However, in a folding-type portable terminal, if the opening / closing operation is performed each time an input operation is performed, the durability and robustness of the hinge portion are reduced, and the hinge is not used due to unexpected stress during use (when deployed). There is a problem such as failure of the part.

  That is, in the case of a folding portable terminal, it is preferable to use the portable device in a folded state when performing an input operation from the viewpoint of a failure of the hinge portion. For example, in the case of the cellular phone of Patent Document 1, in the folded state, both the display side of the display panel and the input button side of the input panel are exposed to the outside, but input is performed in this folded state. In this case, the user can only visually recognize either the display or the input button, and must perform an input operation while rotating the mobile terminal and viewing the display panel and the input panel alternately. Gets worse. Further, when a large number of input buttons are arranged on the back side of the display, it is difficult for the user to memorize the position, and the learning ability of the operation is also deteriorated. For this reason, in the case of the mobile phone of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to expand the display panel and the input panel for input operation.

  Thus, in order to secure a wider display part while ensuring durability and robustness without sacrificing portability, basically the hinge part is eliminated and the display part is arranged in the front. However, it is desirable to arrange the input unit on the back side that is not visible to the user.

  However, in such a configuration, as described above, it is necessary to perform an input operation while rotating the portable terminal and visually observing the display unit and the input unit, so that the operability and the learning ability of the operation are deteriorated. There's a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a portable terminal capable of easily performing an information input operation even when a display unit is arranged on the front side and an input unit is arranged on the back side. With the goal.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention includes an input unit including a plurality of input buttons provided on the back surface of the mobile terminal body, and a display unit provided on the front surface of the mobile terminal body. The portable terminal includes a display control unit that superimposes and displays image information corresponding to the input unit on normal image information to be displayed on the display unit.

  According to this invention, the display unit is arranged in the front and the input unit is arranged in the back, and the display control means displays the image information corresponding to the input unit superimposed on the normal image information to be displayed on the display unit. Like that.

  According to this invention, the display unit is arranged in the front and the input unit is arranged in the back, and the display control means displays the image information corresponding to the input unit superimposed on the normal image information to be displayed on the display unit. As a result, the physical arrangement of each input button on the input unit arranged on the back can be visually confirmed on the display unit, and the portability of arranging the display unit on the front and the input unit on the back is sacrificed. Even when a configuration that can secure a wider display unit while ensuring durability and robustness without adopting a simple operation, the operability is improved and the user can easily perform information input operations. .

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a portable terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is an external view of a mobile terminal 1 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the left side is a view of the mobile terminal 1 viewed from the front side, and the right side is a view of the mobile terminal 1 viewed from the back side.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 1 according to Embodiment 1 includes a front panel 11 provided on the front side of the mobile terminal body 10, and a back panel provided with a display unit 13 on the back side of the main body 10. 12 is provided with an input unit 15 including a plurality of input buttons 14. Further, a display changeover switch 16 as a display changeover unit is provided on the side surface of the mobile terminal body 10.

  The portable terminal 1 does not have an opening / closing mechanism such as a hinge. Therefore, in a state where the display unit 13 of the front panel 11 faces the user side, the input unit 15 on the rear panel 12 side is not received from the user. I can't see.

  The input unit 15 is provided with a plurality of input buttons 14. On the upper surface of each input button 14, a label (not shown in FIG. 1) indicating the input character of each button is printed. For example, when a plurality of buttons such as “2”, “K”, “A”, “B”, “C” are assigned to one input button 14 as in a mobile phone, this input On the button 14, labels “2”, “ka”, “A”, “B”, and “C” are printed. Then, in accordance with the input mode and the number of times of pressing, numbers and letters such as “2”, “A”, “B”, “C”, or hiragana and katakana can be input from the one input button 14. . Although an input button is used as the input unit 15 in FIG. 1, it is of course possible to install other input devices such as a track point, a trackball, a touch panel, etc. in the input unit 15 as input keys. .

  The display unit 13 is configured by a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or the like, for example, and is provided over almost the entire area of the front panel 11. The display unit 13 performs screen display of normal image information according to the usage status of the mobile terminal 1. In other words, the display unit 13 can display various information transmitted to other portable terminals 1 using electronic mail or an Internet browser, and information input from the input buttons 14, 14a, and 14b. Further, in addition to normal display contents, image information 14 ′, 14 a ′, and 14 b ′ corresponding to the input unit 15 described later can be displayed on the display unit 13 in a superimposed manner. In the display unit 13 of FIG. 1, image information 14 ′ 14 a ′ and 14 b ′ corresponding to the input buttons 14, 14 a and 14 b are superimposed and displayed on normal display contents of A, B and C.

  The display changeover switch 16 has a function of switching between display and non-display of the image information 14 ′, 14a ′, and 14b ′ corresponding to the input buttons 14, 14a, and 14b. That is, when the display changeover switch 16 is turned on, image information indicating the input button 14 disposed on the rear panel 12 is displayed on the display unit 13 using software.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a control configuration of the mobile terminal 1. As shown in the figure, in addition to the display unit 13, the input unit 15, and the display changeover switch 16, the mobile terminal 1 includes a control unit 17 and a storage unit 18 that stores data such as programs.

  The control unit 17 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) having a calculation and control function, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores at least a program for starting a predetermined OS (Operation System), and the like. Program) and display control in the display unit 13 is executed.

  In this case, the software stored in the storage unit 18 (corresponding to the display control means in the claims) stores image information corresponding to the input unit 15 in addition to the normal display processing applied to the portable terminal. It has a function to display in a superimposed manner. That is, in this software, image information corresponding to each button 14 of the input unit 15 (including image information corresponding to a label on the button) and position information indicating a position where the image information of each button is to be displayed are stored in advance. Based on the stored information, the image information corresponding to the input unit 15 is displayed by being superimposed on the normal image information by transmission display or the like.

  In the portable terminal 1 having the above configuration, when the user turns on the display changeover switch 16, as shown in FIG. 3, the normal image information “How are you? I ’m fine.” The image information 14 ′ corresponding to the input unit 15 behind the display unit 13 is transparently displayed, for example. In this case, the transparently displayed image information 14 ′ includes image information corresponding to the input button 14 and image information corresponding to the label assigned to each input button. As described above, when the display changeover switch 16 is turned on, the image information 14 ′ corresponding to the input unit 15 on the back surface is displayed on the display unit 13 in a pseudo manner. In this case, the image information corresponding to the input unit 15 is transparently displayed. However, the image information may be displayed in the same manner as normal display contents, and as a measure for clarifying contrast, The display content and the image information corresponding to the input unit 15 may be changed in the degree of color and shading.

  Further, as the image information 14 ′ corresponding to the input unit 15, the position and shape of the input button 14 so that the input buttons 14 a, 14 b,... In FIG. And the size may be reproduced as they are, or the display position, shape, and size may be arbitrarily changed and set by the user. For example, the image information 14 ′ corresponding to the input unit 15 can be reduced and displayed at a corner such as the lower right of the display unit 13 by the setting.

  Further, when a plurality of buttons such as “2”, “K”, “A”, “B”, “C” are assigned to one input button 14, the mobile terminal corresponds to the operating state. Different character labels may be displayed on the display unit 13 as label information assigned to each input button. For example, if the input mode (kanji, English, numbers, katakana, full-width / half-width) changes, a label corresponding to the changed input mode can be displayed, and whether or not the label is displayed can be switched. .

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, in the mobile terminal in which the display unit is arranged in the front and the input unit is arranged in the back, the input unit 15 that is originally not visible from the front is displayed on the display unit 13 in a pseudo manner. Thus, the user relies on the image of the input unit 15 displayed on the display unit 13 in a pseudo manner, and does not directly look at the input unit 15 (configuration and labeling of input buttons and the like). ) Can be recognized. Therefore, the user can easily perform an input operation on the back surface without rotating the mobile terminal 1. Further, the image information corresponding to the input unit 15 is displayed translucently, and even when the normal display content is displayed over the image information corresponding to the input button, the image information corresponding to the input button button is displayed. Normal display content can be identified. Moreover, according to the portable terminal of this Embodiment 1, since it does not have a hinge part like a foldable portable terminal, robustness and durability can be ensured.

  In the above configuration, the dedicated display changeover switch 16 is provided on the side surface of the mobile terminal body 10, but the display changeover switch 16 may be provided on the rear panel 12 side or the front panel 11 side. The function of the display changeover switch 16 may be assigned to one to a plurality of input buttons 14 in the unit 15.

  The mobile terminal according to the first embodiment is not only a mobile phone but also a small portable device having input and display functions, as well as electronic devices such as PHS (Personal Handyphone System) and PDA (Personal Digital Assistants). Any electronic terminal device is applicable.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, the portable terminal according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is an external view of the mobile terminal 20 according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a side view of the mobile terminal 20. A mobile terminal 20 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is an example in which the function of the mobile terminal 1 described in Embodiment 1 is applied to a foldable mobile terminal.

  This portable terminal 20 includes an input unit 23 having a plurality of input buttons 22 provided on an input panel (first main body) 21, a display unit 25 provided on a display panel (second main body) 24, an input The panel 21 and the display panel 24 have a hinge part 29 that connects the folding and unfolding. Further, a display changeover switch 26 for switching between displaying and hiding the image information 14 corresponding to the input button 22 is provided on the side surface of the display panel 24.

  The display panel 24 can be rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 27 or 28 with the hinge portion 29 as a rotation axis. The mobile terminal 20 is folded by rotating the display panel 24 in the direction indicated by the direction 27, and the display panel 24 covers the input unit 23. On the other hand, by rotating the display panel 24 in the direction indicated by the arrow 28, the back surface of the input panel 21 and the back surface of the display panel 24 can be folded.

  Here, in the state where the display panel 24 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow 28 and the back surface of the input panel 21 and the back surface of the display panel 24 are brought into contact with each other, the same state as that of the mobile terminal 1 of the first embodiment. It becomes. Therefore, if the display changeover switch 26 is turned on in this state, the image information corresponding to the input unit 23 is displayed on the display unit 25 by being superimposed on the normal image information by transmission display or the like as in the first embodiment. can do. In this case, if the display changeover switch 26 is turned on, the image information corresponding to the input unit 23 may be displayed on the display unit 25 unconditionally, or the rear surface of the input panel 21 and the display panel 24 may be displayed. Only when the display switch 26 is turned on and the back surface of the input panel 21 and the back surface of the display panel 24 are in contact with each other. The image information corresponding to the input unit 23 may be displayed on the unit 25.

  In the case of the portable terminal of the second embodiment, it is not always necessary to unfold the portable terminal at the time of input operation. Therefore, the chance of applying extra stress to the hinge portion 29 during deployment is reduced, and the failure of the hinge portion is reduced. To do. In the case of the portable terminal of the second embodiment, when inputting on a desk or the like, the portable terminal 20 is placed in a stable state (for example, the state shown in FIG. 4) in the same manner as a normal folding portable terminal. It is also possible to use it by placing it, etc., and in this sense, it can be used flexibly according to the usage situation.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
Next, the portable terminal 40 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The portable terminal 40 according to the present embodiment is an example in which the structure of the portable terminal 1 described in the first embodiment is applied. Further, by holding the portable terminal 40 from the side surface with the palms of both hands of the user, It is characterized in that the input operation can be performed stably.

  FIG. 6 is an external view of the mobile terminal 40 as viewed from the front side. The mobile terminal 40 has a substantially flat outer shape and has a thickness (for example, 5 mm to 80 mm, more preferably 7 mm to 30 mm) that can be easily held by the palms of both hands. Furthermore, a display unit 41 and a pair of switches 42 arranged on both sides of the display unit 41 are provided on the front side of the mobile terminal 40. An input unit including a plurality of input buttons (not shown) is arranged on the back side of the mobile terminal. On the top surface of the portable terminal 40, a display changeover switch 45 and other input buttons 46 for switching whether or not to display the image information 43 ′ corresponding to the input button (input unit) on the back side on the display unit 41 are provided. Yes.

  The plurality of input buttons arranged on the back side of the portable terminal 40 are ranges that can be operated by the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, or little finger of the palm when the user holds the portable terminal 40 with the palm from the side (for example, 5 mm to 90 mm, more preferably 5 mm to 70 mm) from the side surface. Further, the input button 46 and the display changeover switch 45 arranged on the upper surface side of the portable terminal 40 are provided at positions that are easy to operate using the user's index finger (for example, 5 mm to 60 mm, preferably 10 mm to 50 mm from the side). It is done. Further, the pair of switches 42 arranged on the front side of the portable terminal 40 are provided at positions that are easy to operate using the thumb of the user (for example, about 0 to 50 mm, preferably about 5 to 30 mm from the side).

  The pair of switches 42 arranged on the front side of the mobile terminal 40 can assign input codes equal to or more than the number of input buttons (in this case, 4 × 6) arranged on the back side. For example, four types of input modes can be set by combining on / off of the two switches 42. That is, by changing the four input modes by the switch 42, 96 key inputs can be assigned to 24 input buttons arranged in 4 rows × 6 columns on the back surface.

  According to the portable terminal 40, when the display changeover switch 45 is turned on, the image information 43 ′ corresponding to the input button provided on the back surface of the portable terminal 40, the input button 46 provided on the upper surface of the portable terminal, the display The image information 46 ′ and 45 ′ corresponding to the changeover switch 45 is displayed superimposed on the normal image information. Image information 46 and 45 ′ corresponding to the input button 46 and the display changeover switch 45 is displayed as a button shape in a display area within the display area of the display unit 41 and close to the input button 46 and the display changeover switch 45. In this case, the key labels are displayed on the image information 43 ', 45', and 46 'as in the first and second embodiments, but the illustration is omitted for the sake of convenience.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, the buttons and switches are arranged so that the user can hold the portable terminal from the side with the palms of both hands of the user and the input operation can be performed. The display unit 41 displays image information 43 ′ corresponding to the input buttons provided on the back surface of 40, image information 46 ′ and 45 ′ corresponding to the input buttons 46 provided on the top surface of the mobile terminal and the display changeover switch 45. Since it did in this way, the user can perform input operation to a back surface easily, without rotating the portable terminal 40. FIG.

  Note that the input button 46 provided on the upper surface of the portable terminal may function as the display changeover switch 45. In this case, for example, when the right display changeover switch 45 is turned on toward the user, an input button arranged on the right side of the plurality of input buttons provided on the back surface is displayed on the display unit 41, and the user When the display changeover switch 45 on the left side is turned on, an input button arranged on the left side of the plurality of input buttons provided on the back surface is set to be displayed on the display unit 41. In this way, only normal display contents can be displayed on the side where the display changeover switch 45 is not turned on.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
Next, the portable terminal 50 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The mobile terminal 50 according to the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 7 has a holding direction for detecting the holding direction of the mobile terminal body with respect to the user in addition to the same configuration as any of the mobile terminals described in the first to third embodiments. According to the holding direction detected by the holding direction detecting unit 51, the image information corresponding to at least the character label among the image information 53 ′ corresponding to the input unit displayed on the display unit 52 is provided to the user. They are displayed so that they face each other.

  FIG. 7 is a partial plan view of the mobile terminal 50 as viewed from the front. It is assumed that the user faces the mobile terminal 50 in the direction indicated by the arrow 54. The display switch 52 (16, 26, or 45, not shown) is turned on, and the display unit 52 disposed on the front surface of the mobile terminal 50 has an input unit ( Image information 53 ′ corresponding to (not shown) is displayed in a transparent manner, for example.

  When such transmissive display is performed, the holding direction detection unit 51 detects the holding direction of the mobile terminal body with respect to the user, and inputs this detection signal to the control unit 17 shown in FIG. Based on the input detection signal, the control unit 17 sets at least the image information corresponding to the character label among the image information 53 ′ corresponding to the input unit displayed on the display unit 52 in the front / back direction, the up / down direction, and the left / right direction. It is rotated three-dimensionally and controlled so that the character label is displayed so as to face the user.

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, since the label display is rotated according to the holding direction of the portable terminal with respect to the user, the operability of the portable terminal can be further improved.

  In the above description, only the label display is rotated according to the holding direction of the mobile terminal body with respect to the user. However, the input button may be rotated.

  As described above, the portable terminal according to the present invention is useful for a portable terminal that desires a large display screen.

1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a mobile terminal according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control configuration of the mobile terminal according to the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of display contents of the mobile terminal according to the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a mobile terminal according to a second embodiment. It is a side view of the portable terminal concerning Embodiment 2. It is a front view of the portable terminal concerning Embodiment 3. FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a mobile terminal according to a fourth exemplary embodiment. It is an external view of the conventional portable terminal. It is a side view of the conventional portable terminal.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile terminal 10 Mobile terminal main body 11 Front panel 12 Rear panel 13 Display part 14, 14a, 14b Input information 14 ', 14a', 14b 'Image information corresponding to an input button 15 Input part 16 Display change switch 17 Control part 18 Memory | storage Unit 20 mobile terminal 21 input panel 22 input button 23 input unit 24 display panel 25 display unit 26 display changeover switch 29 hinge unit 40 mobile terminal 41 display unit 42 switch 45 display changeover switch 46 input button 50 mobile terminal 51 holding direction detection unit 52 Display section

Claims (11)

In a mobile terminal comprising: an input unit including a plurality of input buttons provided on the back surface of the mobile terminal body; and a display unit provided on the front surface of the mobile terminal body.
A portable terminal comprising: display control means for superimposing and displaying image information corresponding to the input unit on normal image information to be displayed on the display unit.   The portable terminal according to claim 1, further comprising display switching means for switching between display and non-display of image information indicating the input unit.   The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein the display switching unit is a switch provided on a side surface of the mobile terminal body. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the image information indicating the input unit includes image information corresponding to an input button shape and image information corresponding to a character label on the input button. Terminal.   The mobile terminal according to claim 4, wherein the display control unit displays the image information corresponding to the character label on the display unit in a different manner according to an operating state of the mobile terminal.   The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the image information indicating the input unit is displayed translucently.   The portable terminal main body includes a first main body portion provided with the input portion, a second main body portion provided with the display portion, and at least the input portion located on the back side and the display portion on the front side. And a hinge part connecting the first body part and the second body part so that the first body part and the second body part can be folded. The portable terminal as described in any one of 1-6.   The input unit provided on the back surface of the mobile terminal body is provided at a position where the user can input with the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, or little finger when holding the mobile terminal body from both sides with both hands of the user. The portable terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein   The input part is provided on the front side of the mobile terminal body at a position where the user can operate with the thumb of the user when the mobile terminal body is held from both sides with both hands of the user. The portable terminal as described in any one of 1-8. An input unit is further provided on the side surface of the mobile terminal body,
The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit also displays image information corresponding to an input unit provided on a side surface of the mobile terminal body on the display unit. Terminal. It further comprises holding direction detection means for detecting the holding direction of the mobile terminal body with respect to the user,
The display control means displays the image information indicating the input unit according to the holding direction detected by the holding direction detection means so that at least the image information corresponding to the character label faces the user. The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 4 to 10.

Images