JP2007043410A - Portable telephone apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable telephone apparatus capable of securing optimum communication quality regardless of the opening/closing angle of the apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The portable telephone apparatus includes: an opening/closing angle sensor 6 for detecting the opening/closing operation of the apparatus; an apparatus angle judgment part 9 for judging the opened/closed state of the apparatus on the basis of a signal from the opening/closing angle sensor 6; a plurality of matching circuits 12-15 for adjusting antenna impedance to an optimum state in each opened/closed state; and an antenna matching circuit switching part 11 for switching the matching circuit to the one suited to the opened/closed state on the basis of a signal from the apparatus angle judgment part 9: where the movement of a hinge gear to be rotated interlocking with the movement of a hinge is detected by the opening/closing angle sensor 6 to recognize the angle of the apparatus, the apparatus angle judgement part 9 receives the recognized angle information and sends a command for selecting the matching circuit optimum to the apparatus angle to the antenna matching circuit switching part 11, and the antenna matching circuit switching part 11 selects the optimum matching circuit in accordance with the command. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile phone device, and more particularly to a foldable mobile phone device that can be opened and closed.

  In recent years, a cellular phone device is mainly a foldable type in which an upper part of a device on which a liquid crystal screen or the like is arranged and a lower part of a device on which a key operation unit or a wireless unit is arranged are connected to each other by a hinge. In this type of mobile phone device, the antenna is usually disposed at the top of the device and connected to the radio unit disposed at the bottom of the device by wiring, so that the mobile phone device is in a closed state or an open state. Depending on what, the antenna impedance changes.

  Therefore, the open / close state of the mobile phone device is detected and the matching circuit is switched according to the open / close state so that good antenna characteristics can be obtained whether the mobile phone device is closed or open. A method of adjusting the antenna impedance is used. For example, in Patent Document 1, an upper terminal and a lower terminal are connected to each other through a folding mechanism so as to be openable and closable, and an antenna is provided on one side and a wireless unit is provided on the other side. A first matching circuit in which circuit constants are set so that impedance matching between the antenna and the radio unit can be taken in an open state, and a second matching circuit in which circuit constants are set so that impedance matching can be taken in a closed state A matching circuit, an open / close detection unit that detects an open state or a closed state, and a control unit that selects a first matching circuit when it is open and a second matching circuit when it is closed A structure in which a switching unit that connects a selected matching circuit to an antenna and a radio unit is provided is disclosed.

JP 2001-345882 (page 3-5, Fig. 1)

  Here, the mobile phone device is not always used in an open or closed state. For example, the upper part of the device is opened 90 degrees and placed on a charging stand, etc. The usage form is also conceivable.

  However, the conventional mobile phone device only switches the antenna matching circuit by recognizing the two patterns of the open state and the closed state, and adjusts to the optimum antenna impedance according to the open / close state. In this state, only the open state can be recognized, so that the matching circuit cannot be switched depending on the fine angle of opening and closing. Therefore, the antenna impedance cannot be optimized in the middle of opening and closing, and there is a problem that it is difficult to ensure the call quality completely.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its main purpose is to improve communication quality regardless of the opening / closing angle of the device in a structure in which the upper and lower portions of the device are supported by a hinge. An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile phone device that can be secured.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a mobile phone device in which an upper part of a device and a lower part of the device are connected to each other by a hinge so as to be opened and closed to send a signal according to an opening / closing operation of the upper part of the device and the lower part of the device. An open / close state is determined by comparing the angle sensor and an open / close angle set by a signal from the open / close angle sensor with a pre-stored reference angle, and a signal for selecting a matching circuit suitable for the open / close state is transmitted. A device angle determination unit, a plurality of matching circuits for adjusting antenna impedance to a value suitable for each open / close state, and a matching circuit selected based on a signal from the device angle determination unit between the antenna and the radio unit And at least an antenna matching circuit switching unit connected therebetween.

  In the present invention, two or more reference angles may be set, and the same number of matching circuits as the number of three or more open / close states determined according to the two or more reference angles may be provided.

  Further, the present invention provides a mobile phone device in which an upper part of a device and a lower part of the device are connected to be able to be opened and closed by a hinge, and an opening / closing angle sensor for sending a signal in accordance with an opening / closing operation of the upper part of the device and the lower part of the device, An apparatus angle determination unit for determining an open / closed state by comparing an open / closed angle set by a signal from the open / closed angle sensor with a pre-stored reference angle and sending a signal for selecting an antenna suitable for the open / closed state; And a plurality of antennas and an antenna connection switching circuit for connecting the antenna selected based on the signal from the device angle determination unit to the radio unit.

  In the present invention, the opening / closing angle sensor is disposed at a position facing the light source disposed in the vicinity of the hinge gear inside the hinge, with the hinge gear interposed therebetween, and allows light to pass through the rotation of the hinge gear. It can be configured to send a signal in response to the interruption.

  As described above, in the cellular phone device of the present invention, not only the open state and the closed state, but also the open / close angle can be finely discriminated and switched to the matching circuit or the antenna, thus ensuring the call quality in various usage forms. Can do.

  According to the mobile phone device of the present invention, it is possible to improve call quality not only in the open state and the closed state, but also in the state during the opening and closing.

  The reason is that the mobile phone device is provided with an opening / closing angle sensor, a device angle determination unit, three or more matching circuits, and an antenna matching circuit switching unit. This is because the antenna impedance can be optimally adjusted even in the middle of opening and closing.

  In addition, since the mobile phone device is provided with an open / close angle sensor, a device angle determination unit, two or more types of antennas, and an antenna connection switching circuit, not only two types of open state and closed state but also halfway open / close This is because an antenna having a high gain can be selected even in the state.

  As shown in the prior art, there has been proposed a mobile phone device that can adjust the antenna impedance to an appropriate value in two states, an open state and a closed state, but the mobile phone device is open or closed. It is not always used in any of the states, and may be used in the middle of opening and closing. In this case, there is a problem that call quality cannot be ensured.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the mobile phone device includes an open / close angle sensor that detects the open / close operation of the device, a device angle determination unit that determines the open / close state of the device based on a signal from the open / close angle sensor, and an open state and a closed state. 3 or more matching circuits that optimally adjust the antenna impedance in each of at least one open / closed state, and an antenna matching circuit that switches to a matching circuit suitable for the open / close state based on a signal from the device angle determination unit A switching unit, for example, the movement of a hinge gear that rotates in conjunction with the movement of the hinge is detected by an opening / closing angle sensor to recognize the angle of the device, and the recognized angle information is received by the device angle determination unit, A command is sent to the antenna matching circuit switching unit so that the optimum matching circuit for the device angle is selected, and antenna matching is performed according to the command. Circuit switching unit so as to select the matching circuit. Accordingly, the antenna impedance can be adjusted to an appropriate value not only in the open state and the closed state, but also in a state in the middle of opening and closing, and the call quality can be ensured regardless of the usage form.

  Although it is possible to continuously change the antenna impedance according to the opening / closing angle of the device, in this case, the structure of the device becomes complicated, the price of the mobile phone device increases, the weight increases, and the size of the device increases. If the antenna impedance changes in response to a subtle change in the opening / closing angle, it is expected that the call state will become unstable. On the other hand, considering the actual usage of the mobile phone device, it is sufficient to assume an open state, a closed state, and one or more intermediate states, and the antenna impedance is sufficiently matched if adjusted in the above state Can be made. Therefore, the structure of the present invention in which the open state, the closed state, and at least one state in the middle of opening and closing are changed stepwise is superior to the structure in which the antenna impedance is continuously changed.

  In order to describe the above-described embodiment of the present invention in more detail, a cellular phone device according to a first example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams schematically showing the configuration of the mobile phone device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 shows an open state, and FIG. 2 shows a state in the middle of opening and closing. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a specific configuration of the angle recognition mechanism of the open / close angle sensor, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the main configuration and operation of the mobile phone device of this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a matching circuit selection procedure using the cellular phone device of this embodiment and a diagram schematically showing an open / closed state.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile phone device of this embodiment includes a device upper portion 4 on which a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 3 and an organic EL (electroluminescence) display, an antenna 5 and the like are arranged, and a key operation unit. Further, a device lower part 1 in which various circuits (such as a wireless unit and a control unit) are arranged is connected by a hinge 2 so as to be opened and closed. Also, the hinge 2 is provided with a hinge gear 7 inside, and the hinge gear 7 is rotated during the opening and closing operation. The mobile phone device is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. For example, in FIG. 1, the antenna 5 is disposed on the distal end side of the device upper portion 4, but the antenna 5 may be disposed on the hinge 2 side of the device upper portion 4. Moreover, although the extendable antenna 5 is shown in FIG. 1, it may be a built-in antenna.

  Also, the main configuration of the cellular phone device of this embodiment is as shown in FIG. 4, and the antenna 5 and three or more matching circuits set so that the antenna impedance becomes an optimum value at each opening / closing angle ( Here, there are four types of matching circuit A12 which is optimal at 170 degrees, matching circuit B13 which is optimal at 90 to 170 degrees, matching circuit C14 which is optimal at 45 to 90 degrees, and matching circuit D15 which is optimal at 45 degrees or less. A matching circuit), an antenna matching circuit switching unit 11, a radio unit 10, a control unit 8, a device angle determination unit 9 included in the control unit 8, an open / close angle sensor 6, and the like.

  The opening / closing angle sensor 6 recognizes the opening / closing operation of the device and outputs angle information to the device angle determination unit 9. The device angle determination unit 9 determines an optimum matching circuit based on the angle information from the opening / closing angle sensor 6 and sends a matching circuit switching command to the antenna matching circuit switching unit 11. The antenna matching circuit switching unit 11 selects the commanded matching circuit. The antenna 5 transmits and receives radio waves through the selected matching circuit. The opening / closing angle detection function is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a light source 19 for irradiating light such as infrared rays 20 is provided near the hinge gear 7, and the light source 19 is sandwiched between the hinge gear 7. An opening / closing angle sensor 6 that detects the light emitted from the light source 19 may be provided at the opposite position, and the opening / closing angle may be detected based on ON / OFF of the light caused by the rotation of the hinge gear 7.

  Next, with regard to the operation of the mobile phone device of this embodiment, the external view of the mobile phone device of FIGS. 1 and 2, the angle recognition mechanism of the opening / closing angle sensor of FIG. 3, the block diagram of FIG. It explains using.

  For example, when the mobile phone device changes from the state shown in FIG. 1 (open state) to the state shown in FIG. 2 (opening / closing state) (when the device is folded in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2), A hinge gear 7 of FIG. 3 rotates. When the hinge gear 7 rotates, the infrared light 20 (here, infrared light but may be visible light) output from the light source 19 disposed at a position facing the opening / closing angle sensor 6 is blocked by the hinge gear 7. . By counting the number of times the infrared ray 20 is blocked by the hinge gear 7, the opening / closing angle sensor 6 detects the angle (= the angle at which the device is opened / closed) of the hinge gear 7 and recognizes the angle of the device. In order to be able to determine whether the cellular phone device is about to open or close, two opening / closing angle sensors 6 are arranged side by side, and the direction of operation is based on the time difference between transmission and blocking of light. May be determined.

  When the opening / closing operation is detected by the opening / closing angle sensor 6, a matching circuit is selected according to the flowchart of FIG. Specifically, when the opening / closing angle sensor 6 recognizes a change in the angle of the apparatus (S11), the apparatus angle determination unit 9 determines whether the opening / closing angle is 170 degrees in S12. A command for selecting A12 is sent to the antenna matching circuit switching unit 11 (S13), and the command is switched to the matching circuit A12 (S19). If it is not 170 degrees, the device angle determination unit 9 determines whether the opening / closing angle is 90 degrees or more (S14), and if it is 90 degrees or more, a command for selecting the matching circuit B13 is issued. The data is sent to the unit 11 (S15) and switched to the matching circuit B13 (S19). If it is not 90 degrees or more, the device angle determination unit 9 determines whether the opening / closing angle is 45 degrees or more (S16), and if it is 45 degrees or more, a command for selecting the matching circuit C14 is given to the antenna matching circuit. The data is sent to the switching unit 11 (S17) and switched to the matching circuit C14 (S19). If the angle is not 45 degrees or more, the device angle determination unit 9 determines that the opening / closing angle is 45 degrees or less, and sends a command to select the matching circuit D15 to the antenna matching circuit switching unit 11 (S18). Switch to D15 (S19).

  Here, the matching circuit is switched based on three angles of 170 degrees, 90 degrees, and 45 degrees. However, the reference angle is appropriately set in consideration of actual usage patterns and antenna impedance fluctuations. For example, the reference value for the open state may be 180 degrees, the reference value for the state in the middle of opening and closing may be only 90 degrees, or a reference value such as 135 degrees may be added. The matching circuit can be increased or decreased according to the increase or decrease.

  Thus, in the mobile phone device of the present embodiment, the device angle determination unit 9 determines the angle based on the signal from the opening / closing angle sensor 6, compares the angle with a preset reference angle, and sets the matching circuit. Since the selection instruction is transmitted to the antenna matching circuit switching unit 11 and the matching circuit instructed by the antenna matching circuit switching unit 11 is selected and connected to the antenna 5, matching suitable for the current apparatus state is performed. It is possible to switch to a circuit, thereby ensuring call quality regardless of usage.

  Next, a mobile phone device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the main configuration and operation of the mobile phone device according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the selection procedure of the matching circuit using the mobile phone device of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an open / close state typically. Although the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the antenna 5 is divided into the main antenna 17 and the sub-antenna 18, and the antenna matching circuit switching unit 11 is replaced with the antenna connection switching circuit 16. .

  As shown in FIG. 6, the cellular phone device of this embodiment has two antennas, a main antenna 17 and a sub-antenna 18, and the antenna gain of each antenna varies depending on the opening / closing angle. The structure and arrangement of the main antenna 17 and the sub-antenna 18 are arbitrary, but one antenna (in this embodiment, the main antenna 17) has a large antenna gain when the open / close angle is large, and the other antenna (in this embodiment). Then, it is preferable that the sub-antenna 18) is configured so that the antenna gain increases when the opening / closing angle is small.

  Next, the operation of the mobile phone device of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, as in the first embodiment, when the hinge gear 7 inside the hinge 2 rotates, the light (for example, infrared rays 20) output from the light source 19 is blocked by the hinge gear 7, and the number of times of the interruption is determined. By counting, the opening / closing angle sensor 6 senses the angle of movement of the hinge gear 7 and recognizes the angle of the apparatus.

  When the opening / closing operation is detected by the opening / closing angle sensor 6, the antenna is selected according to the flowchart of FIG. Specifically, when the opening / closing angle sensor 6 changes the opening / closing angle of the apparatus (S21), in S22, the apparatus angle determination unit 9 determines whether the opening / closing angle of the apparatus is 170 degrees, and 170 degrees (apparatus opening state). If it is, a command to select the main antenna 17 whose gain is increased at 170 degrees is sent to the antenna connection switching circuit 16 (S23) and switched to the main antenna 17 (S29). If the angle is not 170 degrees, the device angle determination unit 9 determines whether the opening / closing angle is 90 degrees or more (S24). If the angle is 90 degrees or more, the apparatus angle determination unit 9 selects a main antenna whose gain is higher than 90 degrees but less than 170 degrees. A command to be selected is sent to the antenna connection switching circuit 16 (S25) and switched to the main antenna 17 (S29). If it is not 90 degrees or more, the device angle determination unit 9 determines whether the opening / closing angle is 45 degrees or more (S26), and if it is 45 degrees or more, the sub-antenna whose gain is increased by less than 90 degrees and 45 degrees or more. Is sent to the antenna connection switching circuit 16 (S27), and the sub-antenna 18 is switched (S29). If the angle is not 45 degrees or more, the device angle determination unit 9 determines that the opening / closing angle is 45 degrees or less, and issues a command to select the sub-antenna 17 whose gain is high when the angle is less than 45 degrees and 0 degrees or more. 16 (S28) and switch to the sub-antenna 18.

  Also in this embodiment, the reference angle can be set appropriately in consideration of the actual usage pattern and antenna characteristics. For example, the reference value of the open state is set to 180 degrees, or the reference of the state in the middle of opening and closing is set. The value may be 90 degrees only, or a reference value such as 135 degrees may be added. In this embodiment, two antennas, the main antenna 17 and the sub-antenna 18, are provided, but three or more antennas are provided so that the antenna having the largest antenna gain at each opening / closing angle is selected. Good.

  As described above, in the cellular phone device of this embodiment, the angle is determined by the device angle determination unit 9 based on the signal from the opening / closing angle sensor 6, and the angle is compared with the preset reference angle to select the antenna. Since an instruction is transmitted to the antenna connection switching circuit 16 and control is performed to select the antenna instructed by the antenna connection switching circuit 16, it is possible to select an antenna optimally according to the device angle. Regardless, the call quality can be ensured.

  In each of the above embodiments, the device upper portion 4 and the device lower portion 1 are connected to each other by the hinge 2 so as to be opened and closed. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the device upper portion 4 and The present invention can be applied to all structures in which the positional relationship of the apparatus lower part 1 changes. For example, the apparatus upper part 4 and the apparatus lower part 1 are connected to each other by a biaxial hinge so as to be opened and closed and rotated, or the apparatus upper part 4 The present invention can be similarly applied to a structure in which the apparatus lower part 1 and the apparatus lower part 1 are slidably connected.

  For example, in the case of a structure that can be opened / closed and rotated by a biaxial hinge, a sensor for detecting a rotation angle (for example, a sensor having the same structure as the opening / closing angle sensor 6) is provided, and instead of the opening / closing angle, or opening / closing. The matching circuit and the antenna may be switched in stages according to the rotation angle together with the angle. In the case of a structure that is slidably connected, a sensor that detects the slide amount (for example, contacts are arranged in the slide direction) A sensor) may be provided, and the matching circuit and the antenna may be switched in stages according to the slide amount.

  The present invention can be applied to any wireless device whose antenna characteristics change according to the positional relationship between the upper part and the lower part of the device, such as a mobile phone, a PHS (Personal Handyphone System), a mobile terminal device, a game machine, and the like. .

It is a side view which shows typically the structure (open state) of the mobile telephone apparatus which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a side view which shows typically the structure (state in the middle of opening and closing) of the mobile telephone apparatus which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the specific structure of the angle recognition mechanism of the opening / closing angle sensor which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the main structures and operation | movement of a mobile telephone apparatus based on 1st Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the selection procedure of the matching circuit using the mobile telephone apparatus based on 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the main structures and operation | movement of a mobile telephone apparatus based on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the selection procedure of the matching circuit using the mobile telephone apparatus based on 2nd Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Lower part 2 Hinge 3 LCD
4 device upper part 5 antenna 6 opening / closing angle sensor 7 hinge gear 8 control unit 9 device angle determination unit 10 radio unit 11 antenna matching circuit switching unit 12 matching circuit A
13 Matching circuit B
14 Matching circuit C
15 Matching circuit D
16 Antenna connection switching circuit 17 Main antenna 18 Sub antenna 19 Light source 20 Infrared

Claims (4)

In the mobile phone device in which the upper part of the device and the lower part of the device are connected to be able to be opened and closed by a hinge
An open / closed angle sensor that sends a signal according to an open / close operation of the upper part of the apparatus and the lower part of the apparatus, and an open / closed state by comparing an open / closed angle set by a signal from the open / closed angle sensor with a pre-stored reference angle A device angle determination unit that sends a signal for selecting a matching circuit suitable for the open / close state, a plurality of matching circuits that adjust the antenna impedance to a value suitable for each open / close state, and the device angle determination unit A mobile phone device comprising at least an antenna matching circuit switching unit that connects a matching circuit selected based on a signal from the antenna and the radio unit.   2. The cellular phone device according to claim 1, wherein two or more reference angles are set, and the same number of matching circuits as three or more open / close states determined according to the two or more reference angles are provided. In the mobile phone device in which the upper part of the device and the lower part of the device are connected to be able to be opened and closed by a hinge
An open / closed angle sensor that sends a signal according to an open / close operation of the upper part of the apparatus and the lower part of the apparatus, and an open / closed state by comparing an open / closed angle set by a signal from the open / closed angle sensor with a pre-stored reference angle A device angle determination unit that transmits a signal for selecting an antenna suitable for the open / close state, a plurality of antennas, and an antenna selected based on a signal from the device angle determination unit is connected to the radio unit A cellular phone device comprising at least an antenna connection switching circuit.   The opening / closing angle sensor is disposed at a position facing the light source disposed in the vicinity of the hinge gear inside the hinge with the hinge gear interposed therebetween, and a signal according to light passing / blocking by rotation of the hinge gear. The mobile phone device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mobile phone device is transmitted.

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