JP2007335912A - Portable information terminal and visual field angle control method thereof, visual field angle control program, and recording medium having recorded the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control a visual angle at a display according to an operation mode of either a manner mode or a non-manner mode. <P>SOLUTION: A portable telephone 1 can change the operation mode between the manner mode and the non-manner mode. The portable telephone 1 has a visual angle control section 25 for controlling the visual angle at a main display section 12 according to an operation mode of either the manner mode or the non-manner mode and the operation state of an application executed in a portable information terminal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable information terminal capable of controlling the viewing angle of a display unit, a viewing angle control method for the portable information terminal, a viewing angle control program, and a recording medium on which the program is recorded.

  Conventionally, a liquid crystal display (LCD) has been widely used as a display of a portable information terminal such as a mobile phone or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). LCDs have been considered to have a narrow viewing angle compared to CRTs (Cathode Ray Tubes), plasma displays, and the like, but with the recent advances in LCD technology, viewing angles have been widened.

  However, when the portable information terminal is used in a crowded situation such as in a train or a bus, the content displayed on the display screen of the portable information terminal may be peeped by surrounding people. In particular, when creating and browsing an electronic mail, it is not preferable in terms of privacy that the contents are peeped by people around.

  In response to this problem, LCDs that can control the viewing angle have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4). In such an LCD, it is possible to switch from one of a normal wide viewing angle mode and a narrow viewing angle mode with a narrow viewing angle to the other. The narrow viewing angle mode is a mode in which a normal display image can be visually recognized from directly in front of the display screen where the user is present, and a plain image or another image can be viewed from an oblique direction.

  For example, the viewing angle variable element described in Patent Document 1 has a narrow viewing angle when liquid crystal molecules in a liquid crystal layer between a pair of substrates are aligned in a direction perpendicular to the substrates, and is aligned in a parallel direction. With a wide viewing angle. Moreover, the portable terminal device of patent document 2 changes the viewing angle of the information display means by changing the orientation of the liquid crystal between two glass plates.

  Furthermore, by dividing the display device into several sections and changing the liquid crystal alignment direction etc. in each section, when the display screen is viewed from a direction other than the front in the narrow viewing angle mode, it is displayed on the display screen. There is also a configuration that makes it possible to visually recognize another image different from the image. For example, Patent Document 3 describes a liquid crystal display device in which an alignment film sandwiching a liquid crystal layer is divided into a plurality of regions, and the alignment directions of adjacent regions are different. Patent Document 4 describes a liquid crystal display device in which first liquid crystal cells and second liquid crystal cells having different viewing angle directions are alternately arranged.

Furthermore, the portable terminal device described in Patent Document 2 controls the viewing angle according to the type of application being executed. Thereby, a viewing angle can be automatically changed according to a use condition, and the troublesomeness in which a user determines a viewing angle one by one can be avoided.
JP-A-9-105958 (release date: April 22, 1997) JP 2004-62094 (release date: February 26, 2004) JP 2001-264768 (release date: September 26, 2001) JP-A-2004-38035 (Release date: February 5, 2004)

  However, there is no disclosure of a portable information terminal that can control the viewing angle in accordance with the operation mode of the apparatus, the manner mode and the non-manner mode. Usually, the manner mode is often set in public places such as movie theaters and trains where quietness is required. That is, since the manner mode is often used in a crowded situation, the content displayed on the display screen of the portable information terminal when the manner mode is set is highly likely to be peeped by surrounding people. Therefore, it is convenient if there is a portable information terminal that can automatically control the viewing angle so that, for example, the narrow viewing angle mode is set when the manner mode is set.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable information terminal capable of controlling the viewing angle of the display unit according to the operation mode of the manner mode or the non-manner mode. It is to be realized.

  In order to solve the above problems, a portable information terminal according to the present invention is a portable information terminal comprising display means and capable of switching an operation mode between a manner mode and a non-manner mode. It is characterized by comprising viewing angle control means for controlling the viewing angle of the means in accordance with the mode of operation.

  Here, the manner mode is an operation mode set in order to use a portable information terminal such as a cellular phone with good manners. The most common manner mode is a mode in which a vibration is generated by a vibrator without making a sound when receiving an incoming call. That is, as an example of the non-manner mode, there is a mode for notifying the user that there is an incoming call by sound when an incoming call is received at the portable information terminal. As an example of the manner mode, There is a mode in which when a portable information terminal receives an incoming call, the user is notified that the incoming call has been received by a method other than sound, such as vibration or light.

  As described above, the portable information terminal of the present invention includes the viewing angle control means for controlling the viewing angle of the display means in accordance with the operation mode of the manner mode / non-manner mode. According to said structure, a viewing angle can be automatically controlled by selecting the mode of operation.

  The “controlling the viewing angle” may be switching between two viewing angles of a wide viewing angle and a narrow viewing angle depending on the manner mode and the non-manner mode. There may be a plurality of mode forms in the mode and the non-manner mode, and the viewing angle may be controlled in multiple stages so that the viewing angle becomes a predetermined value.

  In the portable information terminal of the present invention, the viewing angle control means may perform manner mode viewing angle control when the volume of incoming calls is set to a predetermined value or less.

  According to the above configuration, the viewing angle control means determines that the manner mode is in effect when the volume at the time of the incoming call is set to a small volume equal to or lower than a predetermined value, and controls the viewing angle according to the manner mode. It can be carried out.

  The portable information terminal of the present invention further includes an incoming call notification means for notifying an incoming call by vibration or sound, and the viewing angle control means controls the viewing angle control in the manner mode when the incoming call notification means notifies the incoming call by vibration. And the non-manner mode viewing angle control may be performed when the incoming call notification means notifies the incoming call by sound.

  According to the above configuration, the viewing angle control means determines that it is the manner mode when the incoming call is notified by vibration, controls the viewing angle according to the manner mode, and notifies the incoming call by sound. In this case, it is determined that the non-manner mode is selected, and the viewing angle can be controlled according to the non-manner mode.

  In the portable information terminal of the present invention, when the operation mode is the manner mode, the narrow viewing angle is preferably controlled.

  Since the manner mode is often used in a crowded situation, the content displayed on the display screen of the portable information terminal when the manner mode is set is highly likely to be peeped by surrounding people. Therefore, as described above, if the viewing angle can be automatically controlled so that the narrow viewing angle mode is set when the manner mode is set, it is possible to save the user from manually manipulating the viewing angle.

  In order to solve the above problems, a portable information terminal according to the present invention is a portable information terminal comprising display means and capable of switching an operation mode between a manner mode and a non-manner mode. It is characterized by comprising viewing angle control means for controlling the viewing angle of the means in accordance with the mode of operation and the operating state of the application executed in the portable information terminal.

  As described above, the manner mode is an operation mode set in order to use a portable information terminal such as a mobile phone with good manners. That is, as an example of the non-manner mode, there is a mode for notifying the user that there is an incoming call by sound when an incoming call is received at the portable information terminal. As an example of the manner mode, There is a mode in which when a portable information terminal receives an incoming call, the user is notified that the incoming call has been received by a method other than sound, such as vibration or light.

  In addition, the above-mentioned “operation state of the application” refers to whether or not the application is activated and the state of the operation mode of the application (for example, in the case of mail software, the reception state, the transmission state, the document creation state) Or the like).

  As described above, the portable information terminal of the present invention is provided with viewing angle control means for controlling the viewing angle of the display means according to the operation mode of the manner mode / non-manner mode and the operation state of the application. . According to the above configuration, the viewing angle can be automatically controlled according to the operation mode and the operation state of the application.

  The portable information terminal according to the present invention includes a storage means for storing a correspondence relationship between a combination of mode state and application state and a viewing angle, and a visual field corresponding to a combination of the current mode state and the current application state. Viewing angle search means for searching for an angle from the correspondence relationship, and the viewing angle control means controls the viewing angle of the display means based on the viewing angle searched by the viewing angle search means. preferable.

  According to the above configuration, the current mode state and application actually set based on the correspondence between the combination of the mode state and the application state stored in advance and the mode state to be set in that case From these states, it is possible to appropriately select the mode state to be set.

  A viewing angle control method according to the present invention is a viewing angle control method for controlling the viewing angle of display means of a portable information terminal, and the mode of operation of the portable information terminal is a manner mode or a non-manner mode. The viewing angle of the display means is controlled based on whether or not the display means is present. According to the viewing angle control method of the present invention, the viewing angle can be automatically controlled according to the operation mode and the operation state of the application.

  The viewing angle control in the portable information terminal may be realized by a computer. In this case, the portable information terminal is realized by a computer by operating the computer as the viewing angle control means. A computer-readable recording medium in which the viewing angle control program is recorded also falls within the scope of the present invention.

  That is, the viewing angle control program according to the present invention is for realizing a viewing angle control function in a portable information terminal having any one of the above-described configurations by a computer. A recording medium according to the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium on which the viewing angle control program is recorded.

  As described above, the portable information terminal according to the present invention includes the viewing angle control means for controlling the viewing angle according to the operation mode of the manner mode / non-manner mode. Thus, the viewing angle can be controlled.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 shows the appearance of a mobile phone (portable information terminal) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment is a so-called clamshell type, and is shown in an open state in FIG. FIG. 5A shows a portion that becomes an inner side when the mobile phone 1 is closed, and a side that is mainly used by a user when the mobile phone 1 is opened. Therefore, in this application, the side shown in FIG. FIG. 2B shows a portion that is on the outside when the cellular phone 1 is closed, and is on the side opposite to the side in FIG. 1A when the cellular phone 1 is opened. Therefore, in the present application, the side shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 1 includes a main body 2 and a lid 3, and the main body 2 and the lid 3 are connected in a hinge shape. The lid 3 is provided with a main screen 4 on the front side and a sub screen 5 on the back side. Although not shown in the figure, an antenna is provided in the lid 3.

  The main body 2 is provided with a main operation button group 6 on the front side. The main operation button group 6 includes a function button group 7 for performing various settings and function switching in the mobile phone 1 and an input button group 8 for inputting symbols such as numbers and characters. Specifically, the function button group 7 activates a power button for switching the power on / off of the mobile phone, a manner mode button for turning on / off the manner mode setting, a camera button for activating the photographing mode, and a mail mode. It includes a mail button, a cross button for moving the selection object in the up / down / left / right directions, and a determination button arranged at the center of the cross button for determining various selections. The input button group 8 is a numeric keypad. A camera 9 is provided on the back side of the main body 2.

  The mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment has a function of controlling the viewing angle of the main screen 4 to switch from one of the wide viewing angle mode and the narrow viewing angle mode to the other. The switching of the viewing angle mode can be executed by the user operating a predetermined operation button. Various structures for changing the viewing angle are known, and are described in, for example, the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1, 3, and 4. Therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, whether the operation mode of the mobile phone 1 is the manner mode or the non-manner mode (that is, the manner mode button is turned on / off) and / or application software such as mail or game is activated. The viewing angle mode is automatically switched according to whether or not the image is displayed. For example, the wide viewing angle mode is automatically set by setting the non-manner mode, and the narrow viewing angle mode is automatically set by setting the manner mode.

  That is, the cellular phone 1 according to the present embodiment changes between the wide viewing angle mode and the narrow viewing angle mode only depending on whether the operation mode is the manner mode or the non-manner mode. In addition, the wide viewing angle mode and the narrow viewing angle mode can be changed in accordance with the combination of the state of the mode and the activation state of a specific application.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 1 of the present embodiment displays viewing angle information 60 indicating the state of the viewing angle on the main screen 4. Thereby, even if the state of the viewing angle automatically changes corresponding to the usage status of various devices, the user can easily determine the state of the viewing angle only by looking at the main screen 4 from the front. In the illustrated example, the viewing angle information 60 is displayed at the center of the upper end of the main screen 4, but can be displayed at any position on the display screen 4. In the illustrated example, the viewing angle information 60 is expressed by a character string, but can also be expressed by a graphic such as an icon.

  In the cellular phone 1, when the viewing angle is controlled only in the operation mode state, when the manner mode button included in the function button group 7 is turned on, the narrow viewing angle mode is set. On the other hand, when the manner mode button is turned OFF, the wide viewing angle mode is set. This is because the manner mode is often used in a crowded situation, and the content displayed on the display screen of the portable information terminal when the manner mode is set is likely to be peeped by surrounding people. This is because it is desirable to set to a narrow viewing angle mode in which the image of the main screen 4 can be viewed only from the right side and the image of the main screen cannot be viewed from the right side and the left side.

  FIG. 3 shows an image viewed by a person Pf in the front direction of the main screen 4 and the main screen 4 when the main screen 4 is automatically set to the wide viewing angle mode by setting the operation mode to the non-manner mode. The images viewed by the persons Pl and Pr in the diagonal direction are shown. FIG. 4 shows an image viewed by the person Pf in the front direction of the main screen 4 and the main screen 4 when the main screen 4 automatically enters the narrow viewing angle mode by turning on the manner mode button. The images viewed by the persons Pl and Pr in the diagonal direction are shown.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the wide viewing angle mode, the main screen 4 is viewed from the front (front direction), and is also viewed from the front diagonally from the front toward the main screen 4 (right side). (Azimuth), the image of the main screen 4 is also visually recognized when viewed from the front facing the main screen 4 from the diagonal front (left side orientation). At this time, viewing angle information 60w indicating a wide viewing angle is displayed on the main screen 4.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, in the narrow viewing angle mode, the image of the main screen 4 is visually recognized in the front direction, but a black display or another image is visually recognized from the right side direction or the left side direction. The image of the main screen 4 is not visually recognized. At this time, viewing angle information 60n indicating a narrow viewing angle is displayed on the main screen 4.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the mobile phone 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the mobile phone 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a part related to the control of the viewing angle of the mobile phone 1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the mobile phone 1 includes a control unit (viewing angle control unit) 11, a main display unit (display unit) 12, an incoming call notification unit (incoming call notification unit) 13, an operation unit 14, and a storage unit (storage unit). ) 15, application software storage unit 16, antenna unit 70, wireless processing unit 71, audio processing unit 72, audio input unit 73, audio output unit 74, data processing unit 75, sub display unit 76, photographing unit 78, power supply unit 77 It is the structure provided with.

  The antenna unit 70 is for sending radio waves to the outside and receiving radio waves from the outside. Specifically, the antenna unit 10 is for transmitting and receiving radio waves for mobile phones in the 800 MHz band or 1.5 GHz band.

  The wireless processing unit 71 converts the data received from the voice processing unit 72 or the data processing unit 75 into a format suitable for wireless transmission, and transmits the converted wireless signal to the outside via the antenna unit 70. The wireless processing unit 71 converts a wireless signal received from the outside via the antenna unit 70 into an original format, and transmits the converted data to the voice processing unit 72 or the data processing unit 75. Specifically, the wireless processing unit 71 performs channel codec processing, baseband signal processing, data modulation / demodulation processing, RF (Radio Frequency) processing, and the like.

  The audio processing unit 72 converts the audio signal from the audio input unit 73 into predetermined audio data and transmits it to the radio processing unit 71, and converts the audio data from the radio processing unit 71 into an audio signal and converts it into an audio output unit. 74 to be transmitted. Specifically, the audio processing unit 72 includes an A / D converter, a D / A converter, an amplifier, and an audio codec circuit.

  The voice input unit 73 converts a sound wave input from the outside into a voice signal that is an electrical signal and transmits the voice signal to the voice processing unit 72. Specifically, the voice input unit 73 includes a microphone.

  The audio output unit 74 converts the audio signal from the audio processing unit 72 into a sound wave and outputs it to the outside. Specifically, the audio output unit 74 includes a speaker, an earphone, an audio output connector, and the like. Normally, the mobile phone 1 uses an earphone when making a call and a speaker when notifying an incoming call. Also, when listening to music, headphones are connected to the audio output connector in consideration of the surrounding people.

  In the case of a telephone, it is desirable that the user's voice input to the voice input unit 73 is heard from the voice output unit 74. For this reason, it is desirable that the audio processing unit 72 adjusts the audio signal from the audio input unit 73 to a predetermined volume level and then transmits it to the audio output unit 74.

  The data processing unit 75 encodes data from the control unit 11 into data of a predetermined format and transmits the data to the wireless processing unit 71, and also decodes data from the wireless processing unit 71 and transmits the data to the control unit 11. . Examples of data encoding / decoding (codec) systems performed by the data processing unit 75 include MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) -4 and ITU-T Recommendation H.264. H.263.

  The operation unit 14 creates operation data and transmits it to the control unit 11 when a user operates an input device such as the main operation button group 6 provided on the surface of the mobile phone 1. Examples of the input device include a touch panel in addition to the button switch. In addition, the operation unit 14 creates operation data instructing to change the viewing angle when the user operates a predetermined operation button, and transmits the operation data to the control unit 11.

  The storage unit 15 stores various data and programs. Examples of the storage unit 15 include a ROM (Read Only Memory) that is a read-only semiconductor memory that stores fixed data such as programs and communication control data required when the control unit 11 operates, and barcode recognition and communication. RAM (Random Access Memory) as a so-called working memory for temporarily storing data related to data, data used for calculation, calculation results, and the like.

  The main display unit 12 and the sub display unit 76 receive image data from the control unit 11 and display an image based on the received image data. Specifically, the main display unit 12 and the sub display unit 76 include a display element such as a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), an LCD, and an EL (Electroluminescence) display, and a driver circuit that drives the display element based on received image data. It is the structure provided with.

  In the present embodiment, the main display unit 12 has a function of receiving viewing angle control data from the control unit 11 and changing the viewing angle based on the received viewing angle control data. Note that the sub display unit 76 may have a function of changing the viewing angle.

  The image capturing unit 78 captures a subject and generates video data. Specifically, the photographing unit 78 captures an electrical signal from the image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and a CMOS (Complementary Metal-oxide Semiconductor) that converts light from the subject into an electrical signal in RGB colors. And a video processing circuit for converting the digital video data. The imaging unit 78 transmits the generated video data to the control unit 11.

  The power supply unit 77 supplies appropriate power to various components in the mobile phone 1. The power supply unit 77 includes, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery, a power supply circuit, and the like.

  The incoming call notification unit 13 notifies that there is an incoming call by sound or vibration when the mobile phone 1 receives an incoming call. The incoming call notification unit 13 includes a vibrator 41 that generates vibration and a sound generation unit 42 that generates sound.

  The application software storage unit 16 stores software for various applications executed on the mobile phone 1 such as mail software, game software, basic software, and word processing software.

  The control unit 11 comprehensively controls various configurations in the mobile phone 1. The function of the control unit 11 is realized by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program stored in a storage device such as a RAM or a flash memory.

  FIG. 1 shows details of a configuration related to an operation for controlling the viewing angle among the above-described configurations in the mobile phone 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile phone 1 includes a control unit 11, a main display unit 12, an incoming call notification unit 13, an operation unit 14, a storage unit 15, and an application software storage unit 16 as a configuration related to an operation for controlling the viewing angle. It has.

  As described above, the main display unit 12 has a function of receiving the viewing angle control data from the control unit 11 and changing the viewing angle based on the received viewing angle control data. Inside the main display unit 12, a viewing angle changing unit 32 that changes the viewing angle based on the viewing angle control data received from the viewing angle control unit 25 in the control unit 11, and various images received from the control unit 11. And a main screen 4 for displaying an image based on the data.

  The incoming call notification unit 13 is configured to include a vibrator 41 that generates vibration and a sound generation unit 42 that generates sound. The incoming call notification unit 13 is transmitted to the mobile phone 1 based on a control command from the manner mode control unit 22 in the control unit 11. When there is an incoming call, the fact that the incoming call has been received is notified by sound or vibration.

  In the operation unit 14, when a user operates a predetermined operation button, operation data instructing to change the viewing angle is created and transmitted to the viewing angle instruction acquisition unit 23 in the control unit 11. As a result, the viewing angle can be changed manually.

  Further, the operation unit 14 creates operation data for starting and ending the application and further operating the application when the user operates a predetermined operation button, and transmits the operation data to the application control unit 21 in the control unit 11. To do. This makes it possible to start and end various application software such as mail software and game software, and to operate applications.

  Further, the operation unit 14 creates operation data for setting and canceling the manner mode (that is, setting the non-manner mode) by the user operating a predetermined operation button, and the manner in the control unit 11 is established. Transmit to the mode control unit 22. Thereby, the operation mode of the mobile phone 1 can be switched between the manner mode and the non-manner mode.

  The application software storage unit 16 stores various application software 51. The application control unit 21 in the control unit 11 executes various applications based on the application software 51.

  The storage unit 15 stores a correspondence table 50 indicating a correspondence relationship between combinations of operation mode states and application activation states and viewing angles to be set in that case. FIG. 6 shows an example of the correspondence table 50 in a table format. In the manner mode setting in the table shown in FIG. 6, the case where the manner mode is set is indicated by “ON”, and the case where the non-manner mode is set is indicated by “OFF”. Further, in the application settings in the table shown in FIG. 6, “ON” indicates that the application is activated, and “OFF” indicates that the application is terminated. In the illustrated example, the narrow viewing angle mode is set corresponding to the case mode setting and the application setting being “ON”, and the wide viewing angle mode is set corresponding to cases other than the above.

  The viewing angle search unit 24 in the control unit 11 searches the correspondence table 50 in the storage unit 15 for a viewing angle mode that matches the currently set operation mode and application activation state. The viewing angle mode is transmitted to the viewing angle control unit 25 as the viewing angle mode to be set.

  The application activation state stored in the correspondence table 50 may correspond to only specific application software, or may be applicable to a plurality of application software. Further, a plurality of correspondence tables 50 may be provided for each application software so that different viewing angle control can be performed for each application software.

  As a specific example of the viewing angle control combining the operation mode state and the application activation state, for example, when the application software is mail software, viewing angle control as shown in FIG.

  In addition, when the application software is a battle-type game software, it is desirable to prevent the opponent from seeing the screen display of the main display unit 12, so the game software can be used regardless of the manner mode setting. A correspondence table 50 may be created so that the narrow viewing angle mode is set at the start-up and the wide viewing angle mode is set at the end of the game software. On the other hand, when the application software is non-matching game software, the screen display of the main display unit 12 may be seen in the surroundings, and therefore the correspondence table 50 as shown in FIG. 6 may be created.

  Inside the control unit 11, there are an application control unit 21, a manner mode control unit 22, a viewing angle instruction acquisition unit 23, a viewing angle search unit (viewing angle search unit) 24, and a viewing angle control unit (viewing angle control unit) 25. Is provided.

  The application control unit 21 controls the operation of the application. The application control unit 21 activates and terminates various application software 51 provided in the application software storage unit 16 and operates the application 51 based on the operation data sent from the operation unit 14. In addition, the application control unit 21 transmits data indicating that the application settings have been changed to the viewing angle search unit 24 when the application software 51 is activated and when the application software 51 is terminated.

  The manner mode control unit 22 controls mode switching between the manner mode and the non-manner mode. When the manner mode control unit 22 receives operation data instructing setting of the manner mode from the operation unit 14, the manner mode control unit 22 controls the incoming call notification unit 13 to stop the operation of the vibrator 41 and start the operation of the sound generation unit 42. . On the other hand, when the operation data instructing the cancellation of the manner mode is received from the operation unit 14, the operation of the sound generation unit 42 is stopped and the incoming call notification unit 13 is controlled to start the operation of the vibrator 41. Accordingly, by turning on the manner mode button included in the main operation button group 6, the vibrator 42 in the incoming call notification unit 13 is set to function, and the manner mode button included in the main operation button group 6 is turned off. Thus, the sound generation unit 42 in the incoming call notification unit 13 is set to function.

  Further, the manner mode control unit 22 transmits data indicating that the setting has been changed to the manner mode or the non-manner mode to the viewing angle search unit 24 when the manner mode setting is changed.

  When receiving the operation data for instructing the change of the viewing angle from the operation unit 14, the viewing angle instruction acquisition unit 23 creates the viewing angle instruction data for changing the state of the viewing angle. The viewing angle instruction acquisition unit 23 transmits the created viewing angle instruction data to the viewing angle control unit 25.

  The viewing angle search unit 24 receives data indicating the activation state of the application and data indicating the manner mode setting state from the application control unit 21 and the manner mode control unit 22, and the field of view corresponding to the received combination of the two data. The angular mode is searched from the correspondence table 50. The viewing angle search unit 24 transmits the searched viewing angle mode information to the viewing angle control unit 25 as viewing angle instruction data.

  The viewing angle control unit 25 controls the viewing angle change unit 32 based on the viewing angle instruction data received from the viewing angle instruction acquisition unit 23 and the viewing angle search unit 24. Specifically, when receiving the viewing angle instruction data for changing the viewing angle state, the viewing angle control unit 25 controls the viewing angle changing unit 32 to change the viewing angle state. The viewing angle control unit 25 holds the current viewing angle state. If the viewing angle state of the received viewing angle instruction data is different from the current viewing angle state, the viewing angle instruction data The viewing angle changing unit 32 is controlled so as to change to the viewing angle state.

  The viewing angle state may be represented by an actual viewing angle, or may be represented by a viewing angle such as a wide, narrow, or medium viewing angle. In the present embodiment, the viewing angle state is represented by a wide viewing angle with a wide viewing angle and a narrow viewing angle with a narrow viewing angle.

  Processing operations in the mobile phone 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows a processing operation controlled by the control unit 11 to change the viewing angle according to the operation mode and the operation state of the application.

  As shown in FIG. 7, first, the viewing angle instruction acquisition unit 23 determines whether or not the user has manually operated the viewing angle change operation by pressing a predetermined viewing angle change button on the operation unit 14 ( Step S10 (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “S10”. The same applies to other steps). When the operation for changing the viewing angle is performed (YES in S10), the viewing angle control unit 25 controls the viewing angle changing unit 32 so as to change the viewing angle (S11). Then, it returns to step S10 and repeats the said operation | movement.

  On the other hand, when the operation for changing the viewing angle is not performed manually (NO in S10), the manner mode control unit 22 determines whether or not the manner mode setting is changed, and the application setting is changed. Whether or not the application control unit 21 determines (S12). If neither the manner mode setting nor the application setting is changed (NO in S12), the process returns to step S10 and the above operation is repeated.

  On the other hand, when the manner mode setting / application setting is changed (YES in S12), data indicating that the setting has been changed is sent to viewing angle search unit 24. The viewing angle search unit 24 searches the correspondence table 50 for the viewing angle corresponding to the changed manner mode / application setting combination (S13). Next, the viewing angle control unit 25 controls the viewing angle changing unit 32 so that the searched viewing angle is obtained (S14). Thereby, the viewing angle can be controlled according to the operation mode and the operation state of the application. Then, it returns to step S10 and repeats the said operation | movement.

  The mobile phone 1 according to the present embodiment has the above-described configuration, so that the visual field is automatically determined depending on whether the manner mode is set and whether a specific application is activated. The corner can be controlled.

  Further, the viewing angle of the mobile phone 1 can be controlled independently of either the manner mode setting or the application setting. In this case, the viewing angle control unit 25 directly receives information regarding the setting change from the manner mode control unit 22 or the application control unit 21 when the manner mode setting or the application setting is changed. The viewing angle may be changed based on a predetermined setting without using.

  In the mobile phone 1, the user operates the setting of whether to control the viewing angle based on both the manner mode setting and the application setting, or to control the viewing angle based on only one of the above. By performing a button input operation from the unit 14, it can be changed as appropriate.

  Note that when changing between the wide viewing angle mode and the narrow viewing angle mode based on only the mode of operation, it is preferable to change to the narrow viewing angle mode when the manner mode is set. Since the manner mode is often used in a crowded situation, the content displayed on the display screen of the portable information terminal when the manner mode is set is likely to be peeped by the surrounding people. If the mode is changed to the narrow viewing angle mode when the manner mode is set, it is possible to prevent the surrounding people from peeping.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the mobile phone 1 is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any PHS (Personal Handy-phone System), PDA, mobile PC (Personal Computer), or portable DVD (Digital Versatile) can be used as long as it has a display device having a viewing angle control function. It can be applied to any portable information terminal such as a disk). Alternatively, it may be applied to a stationary display.

  In the above-described embodiment, there are only two types of viewing angle modes, the wide viewing angle mode and the narrow viewing angle mode. However, more viewing angle modes can be provided. For example, an intermediate viewing angle mode in which the viewing angle is neither wide nor narrow may be provided. This viewing angle mode is suitable when a display screen is viewed by a few persons including the user.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, when the input button group 8 is operated, it sets so that it may become a narrow viewing angle mode. However, the user may accidentally operate the input button group 8, and it is troublesome for the user to change from the wide viewing angle mode to the narrow viewing angle mode each time. Accordingly, the narrow viewing angle mode may be set when the input button group 8 is operated a predetermined number of times or more in a predetermined period.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the mode state (namely, the state which the vibrator 41 act | operates) which alert | reports an incoming call by vibration is made into a manner mode, and the mode state which alert | reports an incoming call by sound (namely, the state which the sound generation part 42 act | operates). However, the present invention is not limited to this. As another example, a method of switching the volume of a ringtone generated from the sound generator 42 at the time of an incoming call between the manner mode and the non-manner mode is also included in the scope of the present invention. In this case, when the user sets the manner mode in the operation unit 14, the manner mode control unit sets the volume at the time of incoming call to a sufficiently low volume that does not cause noise in the surroundings. The viewing angle control unit 25 controls the viewing angle according to the manner mode.

  Further, each block of the mobile phone 1, in particular, the control unit 11 may be configured by hardware logic, or may be realized by software using a CPU as follows.

  That is, the mobile phone 1 includes a storage device (recording device) such as a CPU that executes instructions of a control program that realizes each function, a ROM that stores the program, a RAM that expands the program, a memory that stores the program and various data, and the like. Medium). An object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium on which a program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of a control program for the mobile phone 1 which is software for realizing the above-described functions is recorded so as to be readable by a computer. This can also be achieved by supplying the mobile phone 1 and reading and executing the program code recorded on the recording medium by the computer (or CPU or MPU).

  Examples of the recording medium include a tape system such as a magnetic tape and a cassette tape, a disk system including a magnetic disk such as a flexible disk / hard disk and an optical disk such as a CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R, and an IC card. A card system such as an optical card (including a memory card) or a semiconductor memory system such as a mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM can be used.

  The mobile phone 1 may be configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code may be supplied via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication. A net or the like is available. Also, the transmission medium constituting the communication network is not particularly limited. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth ( (Registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, and the like can also be used. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a carrier wave or a data signal sequence in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  As described above, the present invention controls the viewing angle depending on whether or not the operation mode is set to the manner mode. Therefore, the present invention is applied to various portable information terminals that can be switched between the manner mode and the non-manner mode. Can do.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the principal part of the mobile telephone which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the external appearance in the state which opened the said mobile telephone, The figure (a) is a front view, The figure (b) is a rear view. It is a figure which shows the display screen visually recognized from the front or diagonal direction, when the operation mode of the said mobile telephone is a non-manner mode and the viewing angle is set to the wide viewing angle mode. It is a figure which shows the display screen visually recognized from the front or diagonal direction when the operation mode of the said mobile telephone is a manner mode and the viewing angle is set to the narrow viewing angle mode. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the said form telephone. It is a figure which shows an example of the correspondence table memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of the said mobile telephone by a table format. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the control process of the viewing angle performed in the control part of the said mobile telephone.

Explanation of symbols

1 Mobile phone (portable information terminal)
11 Control unit (viewing angle control means)
12 Main display (display means)
13 Incoming call notification unit (incoming call notification means)
15 Storage unit (storage means)
21 Application control unit 22 Manner mode control unit 24 Viewing angle search unit (viewing angle search means)
25 Viewing angle control unit (viewing angle control means)
50 Correspondence table 60 Viewing angle information

Claims (9)

A portable information terminal comprising a display means and capable of switching the operation mode between a manner mode and a non-manner mode,
A portable information terminal comprising viewing angle control means for controlling the viewing angle of the display means in accordance with an operation mode.   2. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the viewing angle control means performs manner angle viewing angle control when the volume at the time of incoming call is set to a predetermined value or less. Further comprising an incoming call notification means for notifying an incoming call by vibration or sound,
The viewing angle control means performs viewing angle control in manner mode when the incoming call notification means notifies an incoming call by vibration, and performs viewing angle control in non-manner mode when the incoming call notification means notifies an incoming call by sound. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the portable information terminal is performed.   The portable information terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the operation mode is the manner mode, the narrow viewing angle is controlled. A portable information terminal comprising a display means and capable of switching the operation mode between a manner mode and a non-manner mode,
A portable information terminal comprising: a viewing angle control unit that controls a viewing angle of the display unit according to an operation mode and an operation state of an application executed in the portable information terminal. Storage means for storing a correspondence relationship between a combination of a mode state and an application state and a viewing angle;
A viewing angle search means for searching a viewing angle corresponding to the combination of the current mode state and the current application state from the correspondence relationship;
6. The portable information terminal according to claim 5, wherein the viewing angle control means controls the viewing angle of the display means based on the viewing angle searched by the viewing angle search means. A viewing angle control method for controlling the viewing angle of display means of a portable information terminal, comprising:
A viewing angle control method, comprising: controlling a viewing angle of the display unit based on whether the mode of operation of the portable information terminal is a manner mode or a non-manner mode.   The viewing angle control program for implement | achieving the control function of the viewing angle in the portable information terminal of any one of Claim 1 to 6 with a computer. A computer-readable recording medium on which the viewing angle control program according to claim 8 is recorded.

Images