JP2016063366A - Portable display terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable display terminal capable of automatically changing a display direction of content information as a user intends.SOLUTION: A portable display terminal consists of: content display means of displaying content information on a display screen 12; attitude detection means of detecting an attitude of a thin type casing 10; display direction control means of changing a display direction of the content information between a longitudinal screen display and a lateral screen display according to a detection result of the attitude; contact detection means of detecting a hand coming into contact with four side faces of the thin type casing 10; holding way determination means of determining a way of holding the thin type casing 10 on the basis of a detection result of the contact detection means; and display time integration means of finding a display cumulative time by integrating display times of the content information for each way of holding the thin type casing 10 and each display direction. The display direction control means controls the display direction of the content information on the basis of a display cumulative time corresponding to the way of holding determined by the holding way determination means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable display terminal, and more particularly, to an improvement of a portable display terminal that displays content information on a rectangular display screen provided on the front surface of a casing.

  On mobile display terminals such as mobile phones and tablet terminals that can display various content information on a rectangular display screen provided on the front of the housing, content information is displayed between the vertical screen display and the horizontal screen display. Some have a function of switching directions (for example, Patent Document 1). The vertical screen display is a display mode in which content information is displayed with the longitudinal direction of the display screen as the vertical direction, and the horizontal screen display is a display mode in which content information is displayed with the longitudinal direction of the display screen as the horizontal direction.

  The display direction is switched by detecting the orientation of the housing using an acceleration sensor or the like, and determining whether the display screen is in a vertically placed state or a horizontally placed state based on the detection result. This is done automatically. The display screen has a long vertical and horizontal length, and the visibility of content information can be improved by switching the display direction according to the terminal state.

  Moreover, in the portable terminal described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of contact sensors 120 that detect the contact position of the hand are provided on the back surface of the housing 110 in order to improve the determination accuracy of whether or not to automatically switch the display direction. The contact position that is disposed and detected by the contact sensor 120 is used to determine whether to perform automatic switching.

JP 2013-150129 A

  The conventional portable display terminal as described above has a problem that automatic switching of the display direction unintended by the user occurs. For example, when browsing content information in a lying state, it is desirable to display the content information with the horizontal direction as the vertical direction. However, in the method of automatically switching the display direction according to the terminal state, the content information is displayed with the vertical direction as the vertical direction.

  Further, in the method of Patent Document 1 in which the display direction is automatically switched in consideration of the contact position detected by the contact sensor 120, the way of holding the housing differs depending on the user's preference and habit, and the type and content of content information. Therefore, there is a problem that the display direction cannot be switched as intended by the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a portable display terminal capable of automatically switching the display direction of content information in accordance with the user's intention.

  The portable display terminal according to the present invention includes a content display unit that displays content information on a rectangular display screen provided on the front surface of the housing, a posture detection unit that detects the posture of the housing, and a detection result of the posture. The display direction of the content information between the vertical screen display that displays the content information with the longitudinal direction of the display screen as the vertical direction and the horizontal screen display that displays the content information with the longitudinal direction of the display screen as the horizontal direction. Display direction control means for switching, contact detection means for detecting hand contact with the four side surfaces of the casing, and holding determination means for determining how to hold the casing based on the detection result of the contact detection means And display time integration means for integrating the display time of the content information for each way of holding the casing and the display direction to obtain the display accumulated time. The display direction controlling means, based on said display cumulative time corresponding to manner of holding it is determined by the holding method determining section configured to control the display direction of the content information.

  The user's preference and habit according to the type and content of the content information are reflected in the accumulated display time for each holding method and the accumulated display time for each display direction in which the display time of the content information is integrated. For this reason, the display direction of the content information is automatically controlled according to the user's intention by specifying the holding method of the housing and controlling the display direction of the content information in consideration of the display accumulated time corresponding to the holding method. Can be switched.

  According to the present invention, the manner of holding the casing is specified, and the display direction is controlled based on the accumulated display time corresponding to the way of holding. Therefore, the portable device that automatically switches the display direction of the content information according to the user's intention. A display terminal can be provided.

It is the perspective view which showed one structural example of the portable display terminal 1 by Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed typically an example of operation | movement of the portable display terminal 1 of FIG. It is the figure which showed an example of operation | movement of the portable display terminal 1 of FIG. 1, and a mode that the contact area AL or AS of a hand is detected and a holding type is specified is shown. It is the figure which showed an example of operation | movement of the portable display terminal 1 of FIG. 1, and the display accumulation time database is shown. It is the block diagram which showed an example of the function structure in the portable display terminal 1 of FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a display direction control operation in the portable display terminal 1 of FIG. 1. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a display direction control operation in the portable display terminal 1 of FIG. 1. It is the flowchart which showed an example of the display direction control operation | movement of the portable display terminal 1 by Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
<Mobile display terminal 1>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a portable display terminal 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the figure, the portable display terminal 1 is drawn with the longitudinal direction of the display screen 12 aligned with the vertical direction of the paper surface and the short direction of the display screen 12 aligned with the horizontal direction of the paper surface. The portable display terminal 1 is a portable terminal device capable of displaying various content information on a rectangular display screen 12, and includes a thin casing 10, a receiver 11 for receiving, a display screen 12, and operation keys 13a. To 13c, the microphone 14 for transmission, the acceleration sensor 15, and the contact detection unit 16.

  The receiver 11, the display screen 12, the operation keys 13 a to 13 c and the microphone 14 are provided on the front surface of the thin housing 10, the contact detection unit 16 is provided on the four side surfaces of the thin housing 10, and the acceleration sensor 15 is Housed in a thin housing 10. For example, the mobile display terminal 1 is a mobile phone having a call function.

  The thin casing 10 is a plate-shaped casing whose longitudinal direction is the vertical direction of the paper and whose thickness direction is the front-rear direction, and has a size that can be easily grasped by hand. The front surface of the thin housing 10 is a main surface having a larger area than each side surface. The receiver 11 is arranged at the upper end of the thin casing 10, and the operation keys 13 a to 13 c and the microphone 14 are arranged at the lower end of the thin casing 10.

  The receiver 11 is a sound output device for outputting a received sound. The microphone 14 is a voice input device for inputting a transmission sound. Each of the operation keys 13a to 13c includes a push-down contact type switch, and various functions are assigned thereto. For example, the operation key 13a is a return key for returning to the previous screen. The operation key 13b is a home key for displaying a home screen. The operation key 13c is a menu key for displaying a menu screen.

  The display screen 12 includes a detection surface of a touch panel that detects a touch operation. For example, the touch panel includes a liquid crystal panel having a display screen 12 and a capacitive touch sensor that detects an operation position of a touch operation on the display screen 12 based on a change in capacitance. The display screen 12 occupies most of the front surface of the thin housing 10.

  The acceleration sensor 15 is a sensor for detecting the posture of the thin casing 10 and detects the inclination of the display screen 12 with respect to the horizontal plane using gravity. For example, the acceleration sensor 15 is a capacitive sensor of a mechanical displacement measurement type that detects a minute change in the position of a movable body connected to a return spring based on the change in capacitance.

  Based on the detection result by the acceleration sensor 15 as described above, it is determined whether the thin casing 10 is in a vertically placed state or a horizontally placed state. The vertically placed state is a terminal state in which the longitudinal direction of the display screen 12 is vertically set, and the horizontally placed state is a terminal state in which the short direction of the display screen 12 is vertically set.

  The contact detection unit 16 is a sensor that detects contact of the hand with the side surface of the thin casing 10 in order to specify how the user holds the thin casing 10 by hand. For example, the contact detection unit 16 includes a capacitive touch pad that detects a contact position when a finger or a hand's belly contacts a detection surface based on a change in capacitance. Note that the contact detection unit 16 may detect a contact position of a hand using a pressure-sensitive sensor such as a piezoelectric element.

  Each side surface of the thin casing 10 is formed with a detection surface that substantially covers the entire side surface. That is, a substantially rectangular detection surface extending in the vertical direction is formed on the left side surface and the right side surface of the thin casing 10, and a substantially rectangular detection surface extending in the left-right direction is formed on the upper side surface and the lower side surface of the thin casing 10. Is formed. The contact position of the hand with respect to such a detection surface is detected by the contact detection unit 16.

  In the portable display terminal 1, the display direction of the content information is automatically switched depending on whether the thin casing 10 is in a vertically placed state or in a horizontally placed state. On the other hand, how to hold the thin casing 10 is determined based on the detection result by the contact detection unit 16, and the display direction of the content information is controlled based on the determination result.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an example of the operation of the mobile display terminal 1 of FIG. (A) in the figure shows a case where the display direction of the content information IM is switched between the vertical screen display and the horizontal screen display. The vertical screen display is a display mode in which the content information IM is displayed with the longitudinal direction of the display screen 12 as the vertical direction, and the content information IM is displayed in a state where the vertical direction of the content information IM is matched with the longitudinal direction of the display screen 12. Is displayed.

  The horizontal screen display is a display mode in which the content information IM is displayed with the longitudinal direction of the display screen 12 as the horizontal direction, and the content information IM is displayed in a state where the vertical direction of the content information IM is matched with the short direction of the display screen 12. Is displayed.

  (B) in the figure shows a vertically placed state in which the display screen 12 is rotated with respect to the horizontal plane 2 around a straight line extending in the short direction of the display screen 12. In the vertically placed state, the inclination angle θ (−90 ° ≦ θ ≦ 90 °) with respect to the horizontal plane 2 in the longitudinal direction of the display screen 12 is larger than the determination threshold θth, and the inclination angle θ in the longitudinal direction of the display screen 12 is short. It is a terminal state when it is larger than the inclination angle φ.

  (C) in the figure shows a horizontally placed state in which the display screen 12 is rotated with respect to the horizontal plane 2 around a straight line extending in the longitudinal direction of the display screen 12. In the horizontal position, the inclination angle φ (−90 ° ≦ φ ≦ 90 °) of the display screen 12 with respect to the horizontal plane 2 in the short direction is larger than the determination threshold φth, and the inclination angle φ in the short direction of the display screen 12 is long. This is the terminal state when the direction inclination angle θ is larger.

  In the portable display terminal 1, by detecting the posture of the thin casing 10, it is determined whether the thin casing 10 is in the vertically placed state or the horizontally placed state, and the display direction of the content information is automatically switched. . Therefore, the vertical screen display is selected in the vertical position, and the horizontal screen display is selected in the horizontal position.

  In such automatic switching of the display direction based on the posture of the thin casing, automatic switching of the display direction unintended by the user may occur. For example, a user who normally browses content information in a vertically placed state and in a vertical screen display may occasionally view the content information while lying down. In such a case, although it is desirable to display the content information with the horizontal direction as the vertical direction, if the terminal state is changed to the horizontal state, the display direction is automatically switched to the horizontal screen display, Content information is displayed with the direction as the vertical direction.

  Therefore, in the portable display terminal 1 according to the present embodiment, in order to realize automatic switching of the display direction in accordance with the user's intention, the hand contact with the side surface of the thin casing 10 is detected to hold the thin casing 10. The operation of determining the direction and integrating the display time of the content information for each way of holding the thin casing 10 and the display direction of the content information is performed. The display direction of the content information is controlled based on the accumulated display time corresponding to the way of holding.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the mobile display terminal 1 of FIG. 1, in which the hand contact area is detected as the long area AL or the short area AS and the holding type is specified. It is shown. In the drawings, (a) to (c) show a case where the thin casing 10 is gripped with only the left hand, and (d) shows a case where the thin casing 10 is gripped with both hands.

  The holding type is specified by determining whether or not the contact area of the hand is longer than a predetermined reference length Lth for each side surface of the thin casing 10. The long area AL is a continuous area longer than the reference length Lth, and is detected as an area including one or more contact positions. The short area AS is a continuous area whose length in the longitudinal direction of the detection surface is equal to or less than the reference length Lth, and is detected as an area including zero or one or more contact positions. Here, the four ways of holding the thin casing 10 are determined in advance by determining whether the contact area of the hand is the long area AL or the short area AS for the four sides of the top, bottom, left and right. Which of the types HA to HD corresponds is specified.

  (A) in the drawing shows a case where the way of holding the thin casing 10 corresponds to the holding type HA. The holding type HA is in a state where the thumb or the abdomen of the hand close to the thumb is in contact with the left side surface of the thin housing 10 and the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger are in contact with the right side surface of the thin housing 10. This is a way of holding the thin casing 10, and a long area AL is formed on both the left side surface and the right side surface.

  (B) in the figure shows a case where the way of holding the thin casing 10 corresponds to the holding type HB. The holding type HB holds the thin case 10 with the thumb in contact with the left side surface of the thin case 10 and the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger in contact with the right side surface of the thin case 10. The short area AS is formed on the left side, and the long area AL is formed on the right side.

  (C) in the figure shows a case where the way of holding the thin casing 10 corresponds to the holding type HC. The holding type HC is a way of holding the thin casing 10 with the thumb in contact with the upper surface of the thin casing 10 and the index finger and middle finger in contact with the lower surface of the thin casing 10. The short region AS is formed on both the upper side surface and the lower side surface.

  (D) in the drawing shows a case where the way of holding the thin casing 10 corresponds to the holding type HD. In the holding type HD, the thumb of the left hand or the belly of the hand close to the thumb is brought into contact with the upper surface of the thin housing 10, and the thumb of the right hand or the hand of the hand close to the thumb is placed on the thin housing 10. It is a way of holding the thin housing 10 in contact with the lower side surface, and a long region AL is formed on both the upper side surface and the lower side surface.

  By specifying such a holding type and integrating the display time of the content information for each holding type and the display direction of the content information, the display accumulated time is obtained. Note that when the thin casing 10 is gripped with only the right hand, the holding cases HA to HC are classified in the same manner as (a) to (c) in the figure.

<Display cumulative time database>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the mobile display terminal 1 of FIG. 1, in which a display accumulated time database is shown. In general, how to hold the thin casing 10 varies depending on the type and content of content information. Therefore, in the present embodiment, for each of the four holding types HA to HD, for each type of application program that displays content information, the display accumulated time for the vertical screen display and the display accumulated time for the horizontal screen display are obtained. It is done. In FIG. 4, when the user actually uses the portable display terminal 1, a display accumulated time obtained by measurement and a horizontal screen ratio obtained by calculation from the accumulated display time are shown as specific examples.

  In the display cumulative time database, the display cumulative time Td in each display direction, the display cumulative time TH for each holding type, and the horizontal screen ratio r are stored in association with the application program type. The display accumulated time TH for each holding type is the sum of the display accumulated time Td for vertical screen display and the display accumulated time Td for horizontal screen display. The horizontal screen ratio r is a ratio of the display cumulative time Td of the horizontal screen display to the display cumulative time TH for each holding type.

  For example, in the case of “application 1”, the measured value of the display accumulated time Td for the vertical screen display in the holding type HA is 1000 h (hours), and the measured value of the display accumulated time Td for the horizontal screen display is 30 h (hours). ). The measured value of the display accumulated time TH of the holding type HA is 1030 h (hours), and the calculated value of the horizontal screen ratio r is 2.91%. In addition, the measured value of the display accumulated time Td for the vertical screen display in the holding type HB is 500 h (hours), and the measured value of the display accumulated time Td for the horizontal screen display is 1000 h (hours). The measured value of the display accumulated time TH of the holding type HB is 1500 h (hours), and the calculated value of the horizontal screen ratio r is 66.67%.

  The measured value of the display accumulated time Td for the vertical screen display in the holding type HC is 30 h (hours), and the measured value of the display accumulated time Td for the horizontal screen display is 500 h (hours). The measured value of the display accumulated time TH of the holding type HC is 530 h (hours), and the calculated value of the horizontal screen ratio r is 94.34%. The measured value of the display accumulated time Td of the vertical screen display in the holding type HD is 500 h (hours), and the measured value of the display accumulated time Td of the horizontal screen display is 600 h (hours). The measured value of the display accumulated time TH of the holding type HD is 1100 h (hours), and the calculated value of the horizontal screen ratio r is 54.55%.

  In “application 1”, the measured value of the accumulated display time TH of the holding types HA, HB, and HD exceeds a lower limit use time Tth = 1000 h (hours) described later, and the horizontal screen ratio r of the holding type HC is calculated. The value exceeds a determination threshold Rth = 90% described later. In “App 2”, the measured value of the display accumulated time TH of the holding type HB and HC exceeds the lower limit use time Tth = 1000h (hours), and the calculated value of the horizontal screen ratio r of the holding type HB and HD is The determination threshold Rth = 90% is exceeded. In “APP3”, the measured value of the display accumulated time TH of the holding type HC exceeds the lower limit usage time Tth = 1000 h (hours), and the calculated value of the horizontal screen ratio r of the holding type HA and HC is the determination threshold value. Rth = 90% is exceeded.

  The display accumulated time TH for each holding method and the display accumulated time Td for each display direction reflect the user's preference and habit according to the type and content of the content information. By controlling the switching of the display direction based on the accumulated display time corresponding to the type, the automatic switching of the display direction unintended by the user can be suppressed.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration in the portable display terminal 1 of FIG. The portable display terminal 1 includes a content information storage unit 101, a display image generation unit 102, a display image storage unit 103, a content display unit 104, a posture detection unit 105, a display direction control unit 106, a holding method determination unit 107, and a display time integration. Section 108 and a display accumulated time database 109.

  The content information storage unit 101 holds various content information. The content information is display information that can be visualized as a still image or a moving image. The content information includes an e-mail editing screen, e-mail reception data, video content downloaded from a website on the Internet, a camera image, TV broadcast wave reception data, game content, and the like.

  The display image generation unit 102 generates a display image to be displayed on the display screen 12 based on the content information read from the content information storage unit 101 and stores the display image in the display image storage unit 103.

  The content display unit 104 is a screen display unit that displays content information on the display screen 12, and performs screen display of content information based on the display image in the display image storage unit 103. For example, the content display unit 104 executes display processing based on various application programs.

  The posture detection unit 105 detects the posture of the thin casing 10 based on the output of the acceleration sensor 15 and outputs the detection result to the display direction control unit 106. Specifically, based on the inclination of the display screen 12 with respect to the horizontal plane, it is determined whether the terminal state is the vertically placed state or the horizontally placed state.

  The display direction control unit 106 controls the display image generation unit 102 to switch the display direction of the content information between the vertical screen display and the horizontal screen display based on the detection result of the posture by the posture detection unit 105. The display image generation unit 102 updates the display image in the display image storage unit 103 in order to change the display direction of the content information based on an instruction from the display direction control unit 106.

  The holding method determination unit 107 determines how to hold the thin casing 10 based on the detection result of the contact detection unit 16, and outputs the determination result to the display direction control unit 106 and the display time integration unit 108. Specifically, for each side surface of the thin casing 10, it is determined whether or not the contact area of the hand is longer than the reference length Lth, and the holding method is any of the holding types HA to HD based on the determination result. It is determined whether or not this is true. That is, for each side surface of the thin casing 10, the holding type is specified by determining whether the contact area of the hand corresponds to the long area AL or the short area AS.

  The display time integration unit 108 integrates the display time of the content information for each way of holding the thin casing 10 and the display direction, obtains the display accumulated time, and updates the display accumulated time database 109. As the display time of the content information, the display cumulative time Td of the vertical screen display and the display cumulative time Td of the horizontal screen display are obtained for each of the four holding types HA to HD for each type of application program.

  The display cumulative time database 109 is a storage means for storing statistical information over time. The display cumulative time Td in each display direction, the display cumulative time TH for each holding type, and the horizontal screen ratio r are stored in the application program. Stored in association with the type.

  The display direction control unit 106 controls the display direction of the content information based on the accumulated display time corresponding to the holding method determined by the holding method determination unit 107. In other words, when the holding type is specified by the holding method determination unit 107, the display direction control unit 106 refers to the display accumulation time database 109 and displays the application program being executed and the display accumulation corresponding to the specified holding type. Check the time.

  Then, the display direction control unit 106 compares the ratio of the display accumulated time Td of the horizontal screen display to the display accumulated time TH for each holding type with a predetermined determination threshold value Rth, and based on the comparison result, the display direction Is switched. For example, when the current display direction is vertical screen display and the horizontal screen ratio r exceeds the determination threshold Rth = 90%, the display direction is switched to horizontal screen display.

  On the other hand, if the current display direction is horizontal screen display or the horizontal screen ratio r is equal to or less than the determination threshold Rth = 90% even when the screen is vertical screen display, the display direction is switched based on the display accumulated time. Is not done. Such switching of the display direction based on the accumulated display time is performed, for example, at a timing when the terminal state changes between the vertically placed state and the horizontally placed state.

  Here, in order to ensure the reliability of automatic switching of the display direction based on the holding type and the display accumulated time, the display accumulated time TH for each holding type is compared with a predetermined lower limit use time Tth, and the comparison is made. Depending on the result, it is determined whether or not to switch the display direction based on the ratio of the accumulated display time. For example, the lower limit use time Tth is 1000 h (hours).

  That is, the display direction control unit 106 switches the display direction based on the ratio of the display cumulative time when the display cumulative time TH exceeds the lower limit use time Tth = 1000 h (hours). Specifically, when the current display direction is the vertical screen display, the display cumulative time TH is longer than the lower limit use time Tth = 1000h (hours), and the horizontal screen ratio r is greater than the determination threshold Rth = 90%. If it is higher, the display direction is switched to the horizontal screen display regardless of the terminal state.

  On the other hand, if the display cumulative time TH for each holding type is equal to or lower than the lower limit use time Tth = 1000h (hours), the display direction control unit 106 does not switch the display direction based on the ratio of the display cumulative time. Specifically, when the current display direction is horizontal screen display, when the horizontal screen ratio r is equal to or less than the determination threshold Rth = 90% even when the screen is displayed in the vertical screen, the display cumulative time TH is the lower limit use time. When Tth = 1000 h (hours) or less, the display direction is not switched based on the display cumulative time ratio.

  Further, the display direction control unit 106 ends the predetermined switching limit period from when the display direction is switched based on the ratio of the display accumulated time in order to prevent frequent automatic switching of the display direction. Until this is done, the display direction is not switched based on the detection result of the posture. For example, the automatic switching of the display direction based on the detection result of the posture is limited between the time until the application program being executed is terminated and the time the holding type is changed.

  Steps S101 to S115 in FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts illustrating an example of the display direction control operation in the portable display terminal 1 in FIG. First, the holding method determination unit 107 determines how to hold the thin casing 10 based on the detection result of the contact detection unit 16, and specifies which of the holding types HA to HD corresponds (step S101, S102).

  When the holding method corresponds to any of the holding types HA to HD, the display direction control unit 106 refers to the posture detection result by the posture detection unit 105 (step S103). Next, the display direction control unit 106 refers to the display cumulative time database 109 to acquire the display cumulative time TH and the horizontal screen ratio r corresponding to the application program being executed and the holding type, and the lower limit usage times Tth and Rth. (Steps S104 to S106).

  At this time, if the display cumulative time TH is longer than the lower limit use time Tth = 1000h (hours) and the horizontal screen ratio r is higher than the determination threshold Rth = 90%, the display direction control unit 106 displays the horizontal screen. The display direction is selected (step S107), and the display accumulated time database 109 is updated (step S108). That is, if the current display direction is the vertical screen display, the display direction control unit 106 switches the display direction to the horizontal screen display, while if the current display direction is the horizontal screen display, the display direction control unit 106 continues the horizontal screen display.

  On the other hand, if the display cumulative time TH is equal to or lower than the lower limit use time Tth = 1000h (hours) or the horizontal screen ratio r is equal to or less than the determination threshold Rth = 90%, the display direction control unit 106 detects the posture detection result. The display direction is selected according to (Steps S109 and S110), and the display accumulated time database 109 is updated (Step S111). That is, if the terminal state is the landscape orientation, the display direction control unit 106 selects the horizontal screen display as the display direction (step S107). Further, if the terminal state is the portrait orientation, the display direction control unit 106 selects the vertical screen display as the display direction (step S110). Accordingly, the display direction control unit 106 continues the vertical screen display if the current display direction is the vertical screen display, while switching the display direction to the vertical screen display if the current display direction is the horizontal screen display.

  In step S102, when the holding method does not correspond to any of the holding types HA to HD, the display direction control unit 106 refers to the detection result of the posture by the posture detection unit 105 (step S112), and uses the posture detection result. Accordingly, the display direction is selected (steps S113 to S115), and this process ends. That is, if the terminal state is in the horizontal position, the display direction control unit 106 selects the horizontal screen display as the display direction (steps S113 and S114), and displays the vertical screen display if the terminal state is in the vertical state. The direction is selected (steps S113 and S115).

  In the portable display terminal 1 according to the present embodiment, the way of holding the thin casing 10 is specified, and the display direction of the content information is controlled in consideration of the display accumulated time corresponding to the way of holding, so that the user's intention is met. Thus, the display direction of the content information can be automatically switched. In particular, for each application program or its type, monitor the tendency of how content information is displayed in the form of display accumulated time, and switch the display direction based on the monitoring result. Therefore, automatic switching optimized for the holding tendency for each user is possible.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the display cumulative time TH and the horizontal screen ratio r are respectively compared with the lower limit use time Tth and the determination threshold value Rth and the display direction is switched to the horizontal screen display based on the comparison result will be described. However, the present invention does not limit the display direction switching method to this. For example, the display direction may be switched to the vertical screen display based on the comparison result obtained by comparing the display cumulative time TH and the horizontal screen ratio r with the lower limit use time Tth and the determination threshold value Rth, respectively. Alternatively, the display direction is switched to either the horizontal screen display or the vertical screen display based on a comparison result obtained by comparing the display cumulative time TH and the horizontal screen ratio r with the lower limit use time Tth and the determination threshold value Rth, respectively. May be.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the attitude of the thin casing 10 is detected using the acceleration sensor 15 has been described. However, the present invention does not limit the attitude detection method. For example, the present invention includes a device that detects the posture of the thin casing 10 using a magnetic sensor that detects geomagnetism.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, an example in which the orientation of the thin casing 10 is detected and the display direction is automatically switched has been described. In contrast, in the present embodiment, a case where the display direction of content information is switched based on a user operation will be described. For example, the mobile display terminal 1 according to the present embodiment includes a display direction switching operation unit (not shown) instead of the acceleration sensor 15 and the posture detection unit 105 as compared with the mobile display terminal 1 of FIG. It is different.

  The display direction switching operation unit generates an operation signal for changing the display direction based on a pressing operation on the operation keys 13 a to 13 c or a touch operation on a soft key on the display screen 12. The display direction control unit 106 switches the display direction of the content information between the vertical screen display and the horizontal screen display based on the operation signal from the display direction switching operation unit, and changes the holding method determined by the holding method determination unit 107. The display direction of the content information is controlled based on the corresponding display accumulated time.

  Steps S201 to S211 in FIG. 8 are flowcharts showing an example of the display direction control operation of the portable display terminal 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. First, the display direction control unit 106 switches the display direction of the content information when a user operation is detected by the display direction switching operation unit (steps S201 and S202).

  Next, the holding method determination unit 107 determines how to hold the thin casing 10 based on the detection result of the contact detection unit 16, and specifies which of the holding types HA to HD corresponds (step S203). ). The display direction control unit 106 refers to the display cumulative time database 109, acquires the display cumulative time TH and the horizontal screen ratio r corresponding to the application program being executed and the holding type, and compares them with the lower limit usage times Tth and Rth. (Steps S204 to S206).

  At this time, if the display cumulative time TH is longer than the lower limit use time Tth = 1000h (hours) and the horizontal screen ratio r is higher than the determination threshold Rth = 90%, the display direction control unit 106 displays the horizontal screen. The display direction is selected (step S207), the display accumulated time database 109 is updated, and this process is terminated (step S208).

  On the other hand, if the display cumulative time TH is equal to or lower than the lower limit use time Tth = 1000h (hours) or the horizontal screen ratio r is equal to or less than the determination threshold Rth = 90%, the display direction control unit 106 displays the current display direction. Is confirmed (step S209), and if the current display direction is horizontal screen display, the cumulative display time of the horizontal screen display is updated and the process is terminated (steps S210 and S208). Further, if the current display direction is the vertical screen display, the display direction control unit 106 updates the accumulated display time of the vertical screen display and ends this processing (steps S210 and S211).

  Also according to the present embodiment, by specifying how to hold the thin casing 10 and controlling the display direction of the content information in consideration of the accumulated display time corresponding to the holding method, the content information can be changed according to the user's intention. The display direction can be switched automatically.

  In the first and second embodiments, an example in which a touch pad is provided on each side surface of the thin casing 10 and a hand contact with the side surface of the thin casing 10 is detected based on the output of the touch pad has been described. However, the present invention does not limit the contact detection method. For example, the configuration may be such that the contact of the hand with the four side surfaces of the thin casing 10 is detected using the output of the touch panel with the display screen 12 as the detection surface. Specifically, the contact position of the hand with respect to each side surface of the thin casing 10 is detected by identifying the contact state based on the change in capacitance at the peripheral edge of the display screen 12.

The configuration of the mobile display terminal 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention and the corresponding operational effects are organized and summarized below.
The portable display terminal 1 according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a content display unit 104 that displays content information on a rectangular display screen 12 provided on the front surface of the thin casing 10 and an attitude that detects the attitude of the thin casing 10. Based on the detection result of the detection unit 105 and the posture, the vertical screen display that displays the content information with the longitudinal direction of the display screen 12 as the vertical direction and the horizontal screen display that displays the content information with the longitudinal direction of the display screen 12 as the horizontal direction Based on the detection results of the display direction control unit 106 that switches the display direction of the content information between them, the contact detection unit 16 that detects hand contact with the four side surfaces of the thin case 10, and the detection result of the contact detection unit 16 Accumulated display time for the holding method determining unit 107 that determines how to hold the body 10 and the display time of the content information are accumulated for each holding method and display direction of the thin casing 10. And a display direction control unit 106 configured to control the display direction of the content information based on the accumulated display time corresponding to the holding method determined by the holding method determination unit 107. The

  According to such a configuration, the display accumulated time reflects the user's preference and habit according to the type and content of the content information. By controlling the display direction of the content information in consideration of the accumulated display time, the display direction of the content information can be automatically switched according to the user's intention.

  In addition to the above-described configuration, the portable display terminal 1 according to the second aspect of the present invention is configured so that the way determination unit 107 has a hand contact area longer than a predetermined reference length Lth for each side surface of the thin casing 10. And based on the determination result, it is configured to determine which of the two or more holding types is determined in advance. According to such a configuration, the holding type can be easily determined.

  In the portable display terminal 1 according to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, the display direction control unit 106 determines in advance a ratio of the display accumulated time Td of the horizontal screen display to the accumulated display time TH for each holding type. Compared with the threshold value Rth, the display direction is switched based on the comparison result. According to such a configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not to switch the display direction according to the ratio of the display cumulative time Td of the horizontal screen display to the display cumulative time TH for each holding type.

  In addition to the above configuration, the mobile display terminal 1 according to the fourth aspect of the present invention displays the display direction control unit 106 when the accumulated display time TH for each holding type exceeds a predetermined lower limit use time Tth. The display direction is switched based on the ratio of the accumulated time, and the display direction is not switched based on the ratio of the accumulated display time if the accumulated display time TH for each holding type is equal to or lower than the lower limit use time Tth. Is done. According to such a configuration, it is possible to improve the reliability with respect to the automatic switching of the display direction based on the display accumulated time.

  In addition to the above-described configuration, the portable display terminal 1 according to the fifth aspect of the present invention ends a predetermined switching restriction period from when the display direction control unit 106 switches the display direction based on the ratio of the accumulated display time. In the meantime, the display direction is not switched based on the posture detection result. According to such a configuration, frequent switching of the display direction can be suppressed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Portable display terminal 10 Thin housing | casing 12 Display screen 15 Acceleration sensor 16 Contact detection part 101 Content information storage part 102 Display image generation part 103 Display image storage part 104 Content display part 105 Orientation detection part 106 Display direction control part 107 Holding | maintenance determination Unit 108 Display time integration unit 109 Display accumulated time database 2 Horizontal plane AL, AS Hand contact area

Claims (5)

Content display means for displaying content information on a rectangular display screen provided on the front surface of the housing;
Attitude detection means for detecting the attitude of the housing;
Based on the detection result of the posture, the content is displayed between a vertical screen display that displays content information with the longitudinal direction of the display screen as a vertical direction and a horizontal screen display that displays content information with the longitudinal direction of the display screen as a horizontal direction. Display direction control means for switching the display direction of information;
Contact detection means for detecting contact of the hand with the four side surfaces of the housing;
Based on the detection result of the contact detection means, holding method determination means for determining how to hold the housing,
Display time integration means for integrating the display time of the content information for each way of holding the housing and the display direction, and obtaining a display accumulated time;
The portable display terminal, wherein the display direction control means controls the display direction of the content information based on the accumulated display time corresponding to the holding method determined by the holding method determination means.   The holding method determining means determines whether the contact area of the hand is longer than a predetermined reference length for each side surface of the casing, and the holding method is determined in advance based on the determination result. 2. The portable display terminal according to claim 1, wherein one of two or more holding types is determined.   The display direction control means compares a ratio of the display accumulated time of the horizontal screen display to the display accumulated time for each holding type with a predetermined determination threshold, and switches the display direction based on the comparison result. The portable display terminal according to claim 2, wherein:   The display direction control means switches the display direction based on the ratio of the display cumulative time when the display cumulative time for each holding type exceeds a predetermined lower limit use time, and 4. The portable display terminal according to claim 3, wherein the display direction is not switched based on the ratio of the display cumulative time if the display cumulative time for each type is equal to or less than the lower limit use time.   The display direction control unit is configured to display the display direction based on the detection result of the posture from when the display direction is switched based on the ratio of the display cumulative time to when a predetermined switching restriction period ends. The portable display terminal according to claim 4, wherein no switching is performed.

Images