JP2013186578A - Order terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that an order terminal is not able to detect the opening/closing of a lid part.SOLUTION: The order terminal includes: a main body part casing having first and second side faces; a lid part casing which opens and closes at the side of the first side face with respect to the main body part casing; an input part arranged in the lid part casing; a display part arranged at the main body part casing; a pair of holding members respectively arranged at the main body part casing and the lid part casing for generating a holding force with which the main body part casing and the lid part casing close; a magnet arranged at the lid part casing at a position which is not overlapped with the respective arrangement positions of the pair of holding members, input part and display part in a closed state by the holding member; an operation key arranged on the second side face of the main body part casing so as to be faced to the magnet in the closed state; a magnetic sensor arranged at the main body part casing integrally with the operation key for detecting a magnetic force from the magnet; and a control part arranged at the main body part casing for detecting the opening/closing of the main body part casing and the lid part casing in accordance with the scale of the magnetic force from the magnetic sensor, and for controlling the input and display of the key and the operation key.

Description

  One embodiment relates to an order terminal.

  In restaurants, order entry portable terminals are used in which a clerk opens a lid and inputs an order (see, for example, Patent Document 1). 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a portable terminal and an open / close detection device including a magnetic body that guides magnetic force from a magnet to a magnetic sensor are known (see, for example, Patent Document 2). A mobile phone and an electronic device have first and second casings that can be opened and closed by a hinge mechanism, and a technique for detecting opening and closing using a magnet and a magnetic sensor is known (for example, Patent Documents). 3-7).

JP 2007-316808 A JP-A-2005-44110 JP 2004-20289 A JP 2003-283621 A JP 2010-85868 A JP 2003-166826 A JP 2010-206238 A

  However, in the conventional technology described above, the order terminal cannot detect the opening / closing of the lid. The order terminal cannot detect that the lid has been closed or the lid has been opened when the order input operation has been completed. The ordering terminal cannot obtain the on / off timing of energization of the display screen.

  In order to solve such a problem, according to one embodiment, a main body housing having a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other, and the main body housing on the first side surface side. A lid housing that opens and closes, an input portion that is provided on the lid housing and has a key for inputting order information of menu items, and is provided on the main body housing that displays the order information from the input portion. The display unit and the display unit and the input unit face each other to generate a holding force for closing the main body unit case and the lid unit case, and A pair of holding members provided, and the lid housing is provided at a position that does not overlap with the arrangement positions of the pair of holding members, the input unit, and the display unit when the holding members are in a closed state. Facing the magnet and the magnet in the closed state An operation key provided on the second side surface of the main body housing, a magnetic sensor provided on the main body housing integrally with the operation key, for detecting a magnetic force from the magnet, and from the magnetic sensor A controller provided on the main body housing that detects opening and closing of the main body housing and the lid housing according to the magnitude of the magnetic force, and controls input and display of the keys and the operation keys. An order terminal characterized by the above is provided.

It is a perspective view of the order terminal which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a front view of the order terminal concerning one embodiment. It is a figure showing the section structure in the closed state of the order terminal concerning one embodiment. It is a figure showing the section structure in the closed state of the order terminal concerning the modification of one embodiment.

  The order terminal according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the drawings, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an order terminal according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view of an order terminal according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure between AA ′ in FIG. 1 in a closed state of the order terminal according to the embodiment. In these drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same elements. The order terminal according to the present embodiment is a handy terminal for business use in which a store clerk accepts and inputs an order from a customer at a restaurant or the like. The handy terminal 10 has a main body 11 and a lid 12, and the lid 12 can be opened and closed with respect to the main body 11 via a hinge mechanism 13.

  The handy terminal 10 includes a main body housing 14 having a first side surface 35 and a second side surface 36 facing each other, and a lid housing that opens and closes to the main body housing 14 on the first side surface 35 side. 15, a key input unit 16 (input unit) provided on the lid housing 15 and having a plurality of menu keys for inputting order information of menu items, and the order information input by the key input unit 16 are displayed. A screen display unit 17 (display unit) provided in the main body housing 14, a key sheet 18 provided in the lower part of the screen of the screen display unit 17 and superimposed on the screen display unit 17, and these screens A magnet 19 and a sheet metal 20 (a pair of holding members) that generate a holding force that causes the display unit 17 and the key input unit 16 to face each other and close the main body housing 14 and the lid housing 15 are provided. Further, the handy terminal 10 is for an operator who is provided on a second magnet 37 provided on the lid housing 15 and on a second side surface 36 of the main body housing 14 and faces the magnet 37 when closed. Side key 38 (operation key), a magnetic sensor 21 that is provided integrally with the side key 38 and detects the magnetic force from the magnet 37, and a magnetic sensor 21 that is provided on the main body housing 14. A controller 22 that detects the opening and closing of the main body housing 14 and the lid housing 15 based on the magnitude of the magnetic force from the main body, and controls input from each menu key of the key input unit 16 and input and display of the side key 38; It has.

  A hinge mechanism 13 is provided on the first side surface 35 side. In the hinge mechanism 13, a flexible printed wiring board for electrically connecting the control unit 22 and the key input unit 16 is passed. On the second side surface 36 side, as shown in FIG. 3, when the main body 11 and the lid 12 are folded, the side wall 23 of the main body housing 14 and the side wall 24 of the lid housing 15. And the key input unit 16 and the screen display unit 17 face each other. The plurality of menu keys of the key input unit 16 are arranged in a matrix. Each menu key is represented by printing a character on the key top or inserting a paper on which a key name is printed. Examples of character types include menu item keys such as “coffee”, “curry”, “salad”, “dessert”, confirmation key, enter key, additional key, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the handy terminal 10 includes an LCD (liquid crystal display) 25 on the main body 11, a touch panel 26 that is stacked on the display surface of the LCD 25, and a surface of the touch panel 26. And a protective sheet 27. The LCD 25, the touch panel 26, and the protective sheet 27 are integrated to form a touch input type display screen. Further, the side walls 23 project from the four sides to the center of the screen to form a rectangular opening. The display screen is exposed from the opening to form the screen display unit 17. A membrane key is used for the key sheet 18. The key sheet 18 includes a numeric keypad for displaying numbers, an arrow key for displaying up and down arrows, a transmission key for displaying “Send”, and the like.

  The holding magnet 19 and the sheet metal 20 for attracting the magnet 19 in FIGS. 1 and 2 constitute a pair of holding members. The magnet 19 is a permanent magnet provided at a position different from the key input unit 16 in the lid housing 15, and faces the sheet metal 20 in the closed state and is attracted to the sheet metal 20. The closed state means a state in which the main body casing 14 and the lid casing 15 are closed. The sheet metal 20 is a magnetic body magnetized by the magnet 19, and is provided in the main body housing 14 at a position different from each of the screen of the screen display unit 17 and the key sheet 18. The sheet metal 20 has the same size in the longitudinal direction as the size of the magnet 19 in the longitudinal direction.

  The second magnet 37 is provided on the side surface 36 at a position that does not overlap with the arrangement positions of the first magnet 19 and the sheet metal 20, the key input unit 16, and the screen display unit 17 in the closed state. The side key 38 is always exposed to the outside in any state of opening and closing, and is attached to a position where the operator touches the thumb of the left hand when the operator grips the main body housing 14 with the left hand. The open / closed state means a state in which the main body housing 14 and the lid housing 15 are opened and closed. The magnet 37 is made of a magnetic material having a weak residual magnetic flux. As the magnet 37, for example, a neodymium iron boron alloy magnetic material or a rare earth cobalt alloy magnetic material is used. Alternatively, as the magnet 37, a ferrite metal oxide magnetic body that is cheaper than the price of this neodymium iron boron alloy magnetic body or rare earth cobalt alloy magnetic body may be selected and used.

  As an example, the side key 38 has a push button having three buttons, an up button for moving the cursor displayed on the screen display unit 17 up, a down button for moving down the cursor, and an enter button for determining the cursor position. It is a button switch. The up button, the down button, and the enter button are all provided with contacts, and immediately below these buttons, other contacts that are in contact with these contacts are provided. The button tops of the up direction button, the down direction button, and the enter button are covered with rubber contacts having different shapes such as a triangle and a circle, so that the operator can operate without looking at the side key 38 by touch. The side key 38 is electrically connected to the control unit 22 by a sub-board and wiring (not shown). The handy terminal 10 accepts input of order information also by operation input to the touch panel 26, the key input unit 16 and the key sheet 18, and operation input to the side keys 38.

  The magnetic sensor 21 detects magnetic force. The magnetic force refers to the strength of the magnetic field or the magnetic flux density obtained by multiplying the strength of the magnetic field by the permeability in the air. For example, the magnetic sensor 21 includes a pair of magnetic bodies that change impedance by magnetic force, a high-frequency oscillator applied to these magnetic bodies, and a pair of impedances for detecting a change in impedance of the pair of magnetic bodies at this frequency. This is a bridge circuit for magnetic detection that includes a resistor and a voltage source and is configured by bridge connection. The magnetic sensor 21 is electrically connected to the control unit 22 by wiring through a sub-board for the side key 38.

  The control unit 22 executes an application program for receiving product orders and performs overall control. The control unit 22 includes a main board (main board) 33 attached on the partition wall 30 at the bottom, and a control circuit 34 provided on the main board 33. The control circuit 34 includes a CPU (central processing unit), a ROM (read only memory), a RAM (random access memory), a driver IC (integrated circuit), and the like. The driver IC is a function for capturing input signals from the touch panel 26, the key input unit 16 and the key sheet 18, a function for displaying an image corresponding to the image data on the LCD 25, and a communication interface of the wireless transmission / reception unit 31 (FIG. 1). A controller that has a function to perform. The wireless transmission / reception unit 31 performs wireless communication with a wireless repeater installed in the store. The handy terminal 10 has a battery 32 in the main body housing 14.

  The handy terminal 10 having such a configuration is placed in a store clerk's pocket with the main body 11 and the lid 12 closed. In the closed state, the magnet 19 and the sheet metal 20 are attracted to each other by magnetic attraction. When the state of the main body housing 14 and the lid housing 15 changes from the open state to the closed state, the magnet 37 having a stable magnetic force faces the magnetic sensor 21. A holding force acts between the main body casing 14 and the lid casing 15, and the open / closed state thereof is closed. The magnetic sensor 21 located in the vicinity of the side key 38 detects the magnetic force. The control unit 22 detects that the handy terminal 10 is closed. The magnitude of the magnetic force of the first magnet 19 and the second magnet 37 is such that these magnetic forces are not detected by the magnetic sensor 21 when it is in the open state.

  On the other hand, when the lid portion 12 is opened by an operation by a store clerk in the passenger seat, the holding between the magnet 19 and the sheet metal 20 is released. The magnetic sensor 21 cuts off the magnetic flux from the magnet 37. The control unit 22 detects that the lid unit 12 is opened with respect to the main body unit 11. The handy terminal 10 detects that the handy terminal 10 is open. In the open state, the menu item is exposed. In the handy terminal 10, “coffee” is input by the key input unit 19, the number of people, for example, “2” is input by the key sheet 18, and the “send” key is pressed. If necessary, the store clerk selects one of the side keys 38 by pressing. The control unit 22 generates order data including the information “coffee” and “2”. The wireless transmission / reception unit 31 wirelessly transmits this order data. The handy terminal 10 transmits radio waves to the radio receiver of the in-store system via a repeater installed on the ceiling or the like. When the wireless receiver normally receives the order data, the wireless receiver transmits a wireless signal including an acknowledgment message to the handy terminal 10.

  When the ordering operation is completed, the main body 11 and the lid 12 are closed by a user operation. The magnet 19 and the sheet metal 20 as a pair of holding members attract each other. The magnetic sensor 21 starts detecting the magnetic force from the magnet 37 again. The control unit 22 detects that the handy terminal 10 is closed. In this way, the handy terminal 10 can detect opening and closing. The magnetic sensor 21 is mounted on the side surface 36 together with the side key 38, and a sub board originally necessary for the side key 38 can be used as a board for connecting the magnetic sensor 21.

  In the conventional example, the opening / closing detection of the order entry portable terminal determines whether or not the order entry portable terminal is being operated by increasing the pause time of the key input. In other words, in the conventional example, the order entry portable terminal determines whether or not the lid is opened, monitors the pause of the key input by the timer of the main unit, and detects that there is no key input for several seconds. Is going. In the conventional example, when the order data is forgotten to be transmitted or there is a transmission error, warnings such as sound of an error sound and vibration by a vibrator are performed, and the battery and the power supply to the LCD and the touch panel are turned off. Since the order entry portable terminal is usually carried in an employee's pocket or the like, it is difficult for a person to hear an error sound when the order entry portable terminal is put in the pocket. It is difficult for people to feel the vibration of the vibrator. Unnecessarily, the battery power is used up for the screen backlight. In the timer detection type open / close detection method, an error sound and a vibrator are driven after a certain amount of time has elapsed after the lid is closed, so that it is difficult to detect the opening of the lid. Further, the order entry portable terminal according to the conventional example returns the state of the terminal from the suspended state by turning on the power by the key input, and it is difficult to detect that the lid is opened. On the other hand, according to the handy terminal 10, opening / closing can be quickly detected immediately after the opening / closing operation.

  In the conventional example, it is difficult to provide an open / close detection mechanism in the order entry portable terminal. As an open / close detection mechanism, a mechanical (contact) switch is generally known because it is inexpensive. However, an order entry portable terminal is required to be waterproof. Open / close detection is difficult. On the other hand, according to the handy terminal 10, detection can be performed without using a contact-type switch.

  In general, magnets are expensive, and in the handy terminal 10, mounting two magnets for magnetic sensing and holding a case, and mounting a substrate on these magnets means price competitiveness. It was difficult. A second board separate from the main board of the control unit for display and input is provided, and board design costs and wiring cables for wiring between the second board and the main board become expensive. When the magnetic sensor is mounted on the second substrate, the second substrate must be provided above the main body casing, that is, near the screen display unit, and the wiring length between the main board and the second substrate becomes long. Since the main board is provided at the bottom of the main body housing, it is still expensive to provide the second substrate. On the other hand, according to the handy terminal 10, it is possible to realize opening / closing detection while suppressing the cost with an inexpensive configuration.

(Modification)
The order terminal according to the embodiment may align the magnetic flux by adding a yoke or another sheet metal around the magnet 37, and the magnetic sensor 21 may detect the magnetic force.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure between AA ′ in FIG. 1 in the closed state of the order terminal according to the modification. The above-described symbols represent the same elements as each other. The order terminal according to the modification is a handy terminal, and has the same configuration as that of the handy terminal 10 unless otherwise specified.

  In the handy terminal according to this modification, a yoke 39 is provided on the magnet 19. The yoke 39 has an inner bottom that overlaps the outer surface of the magnet 37 and an inner wall that overlaps the axial end surface. The yoke 39 increases the magnetic force in the downward direction without increasing the size of the magnet 37. The magnetic flux from the magnet 37 may be made uniform by two sheet metals equivalent to the yoke 39. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the influence of the magnetic force on the outside without simply increasing the size of the magnet 37 and without increasing the magnetic strength of the magnet 37.

(Other)
The above-described embodiment is not limited to the embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In the above embodiment, the liquid crystal display is used for the display unit. However, the display unit may be an organic EL (Electroluminescence) element.

  Although the pair of holding members is constituted by the magnet 19 and the sheet metal 20, other members may be used for the holding member. For example, a protrusion member provided on one of the main body casing 14 and the lid casing 15 and a receiving member provided on either one of the protrusions and fitted or locked to the protrusion member are a pair of holding members. May be configured. A belt body and a fastener that fastens the belt body and fastens the belt body may be provided on one and the other of the main body housing 14 and the lid housing 15, respectively. A planar fastener may be used for either one or the other.

  Although several embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Handy terminal (order terminal which concerns on embodiment) 11 ... Main-body part, 12 ... Cover part, 13 ... Hinge mechanism, 14 ... Main-body part housing | casing, 15 ... Cover part housing | casing, 16 ... Key input part, 17 ... Screen display unit, 18 ... key sheet, 19 ... magnet (holding member), 20 ... sheet metal (holding member), 21 ... magnetic sensor, 22 ... control unit, 23,24 ... side wall, 25 ... LCD, 26 ... touch panel, 27 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Protective sheet 28 ... One end part, 29 ... Other end part, 30 ... Partition wall, 31 ... Wireless transmission / reception part, 32 ... Battery, 33 ... Main board, 34 ... Control circuit, 35 ... First side, 36 ... First 2 side surfaces, 37 ... second magnet (magnet), 38 ... side key (operation key), 39 ... yoke.

Claims (3)

A main body housing having first and second side surfaces facing each other;
A lid housing that opens and closes on the first side surface with respect to the main body housing;
An input unit provided with a key for inputting order information of menu items provided in the lid unit case;
A display unit provided on the main body housing for displaying the order information from the input unit;
The display unit and the input unit face each other to generate a holding force that closes the main body housing and the lid housing, and a pair of each provided in the main body housing and the lid housing. A holding member;
A magnet provided on the lid housing at a position that does not overlap with the arrangement positions of the pair of holding members, the input unit, and the display unit when closed by these holding members;
An operation key provided on the second side surface of the main body housing facing the magnet when in the closed state;
A magnetic sensor that is provided in the main body housing integrally with the operation key and detects a magnetic force from the magnet;
Opening / closing of the main body casing and the lid casing is detected based on the magnitude of the magnetic force from the magnetic sensor, and provided on the main body casing for controlling input and display of the keys and the operation keys. An ordering terminal comprising a control unit.   The pair of holding members are a sheet metal provided at a position different from the screen of the display unit in the closed state on the main body housing, and the sheet metal provided at the lid housing facing the sheet metal in the closed state. The order terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a holding magnet that is attracted to the sheet metal.   The order terminal according to claim 1, wherein a yoke having an inner bottom that overlaps the outer surface of the magnet and an inner wall that overlaps an end surface in the axial direction is further provided on the lid housing.

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