JP3293134B2 - Information processing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to relates to a combination information processing apparatus capable of handwriting and keyboard input, and more particularly, to an information processing apparatus <br/> which is adapted to improve the storage position of the keyboard.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various information processing apparatuses that can use both keyboard input and handwriting input have been proposed. For example, a known example described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-19577 was configured as shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 8, the display unit 2 is rotatably attached to the front side of the apparatus main body 1 via the hinge mechanism 3. Further, a keyboard section 4 is provided on the front surface of the apparatus main body 1 and can be stored in the apparatus main body 1 via a slide mechanism (not shown). Then, at the time of keyboard input, the keyboard section 4 is pulled out of the apparatus main body 1, and the display section 2 is fixed at a predetermined angle. At the time of handwriting input, the keyboard unit 4 is housed in the apparatus main body 1 and handwriting input is performed with the pen 5 on the display unit 2 substantially parallel to the apparatus main body 1.

[0003]

In the conventional information processing apparatus configured as described above, the keyboard unit 4 or the display unit 2 is selectively operated according to either the keyboard use state or the handwriting input state. It can be installed in a state where user's input is easy, and usability is improved. Further, at the time of handwriting input, the keyboard unit 4 can be stored in the apparatus main body 1, and the installation area of the information processing apparatus can be reduced to save space.

[0004] By the way, there is a demand for more space-saving in storing a keyboard in an information processing apparatus.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to improve the storage state of a keyboard.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided an information processing apparatus comprising: a keyboard for generating a signal corresponding to a key operation; an information processing unit for executing a predetermined process in response to a signal generated from the keyboard; Display based on information from the information processing unit, a display unit that is separate from the keyboard, a shaft that rotatably supports the display unit, and a display unit that rotates at a predetermined angle with respect to the shaft unit A first holding portion for freely holding , and a key which is rotatably connected to the shaft portion and is mounted on the mounting surface;
A supporting body having a recess for accommodating the board, and a second body for rotatably holding the shaft at a predetermined angle with respect to the supporting body.
And a holding portion, a display unit, to the mounting surface, to be substantially horizontal position from a substantially vertical state, is held at a predetermined angle and a predetermined position, the display surface
When it is positioned almost upright, its front edge
Abuts against the placement surface described above .

[0007] The keyboard can be wirelessly connected to the support body.

[0008] The front end of the display unit can be made rotatable to a position where it comes into contact with the surface on which the support main body is placed.

In a state where the front end of the display section is disposed at a position where it comes into contact with the surface on which the support body is placed, the keyboard can be stored between the display section and the support body.

[0010] The display unit may include a tablet for detecting handwriting input.

In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the display unit, which is separate from the keyboard, has a predetermined angle and a predetermined position such that the display unit is substantially horizontal with respect to the mounting surface. Is held.

[0012]

[0013]

[0014]

[0015]

[0016]

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which the display unit 2 is overlaid on the apparatus main body 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the display unit 2 is rotated substantially vertically, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the display unit 2 is rotated substantially horizontally, corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively. I have. In these figures, parts corresponding to the parts of the conventional example shown in FIG.
Description is omitted as appropriate. As shown in FIG. 3, a recess 1 is provided on the front side of the
The keyboard 4 is accommodated in the recess 1a when not in use, and is arranged at a desired position when in use. As will be described later, since the keyboard 4 and the apparatus main body 1 are connected wirelessly (infrared rays), the keyboard 4 can be arranged at an arbitrary position.

The lower end of the shaft 11 is rotatably attached to the back side of the apparatus main body 1 via a connecting portion 30. Axis 11
The display unit 2 is rotatably attached to the upper end of the display unit via a pin 12. Three pen housing holes 13A to 13C are provided on the rear upper surface of the apparatus main body 1, and three pen pens 5A corresponding to the pen housing holes 13A to 13C respectively.
5C are detachably housed in the vertical direction.

A switch 14 pressed by the stored keyboard unit 4 is provided behind the concave portion 1a of the apparatus main body 1 in which the keyboard unit 4 is stored. Further, the stored pen 5 is located at the bottom inside the pen receiving holes 13A to 13C.
Switches 15A to 15C that detect A to 5C (FIG. 1)
Is provided with only one switch 15). Further, a microphone 16 for capturing a user's voice and a video camera 17 for capturing the user are provided above the display unit 2, and speakers 18 are provided on both sides of the display unit 2.

Each of the three pens 5A to 5C is uniquely identified by the user. For example, the pen 5A is for ordinary adults, the pen 5B is for children, and the pen 5C is for elderly people. Then, the font mode of the input character is switched according to the pens 5A to 5C used. For example, when the pen 5A for the adult is used, the mode is the normal mode, when the pen 5B for the child is used, the mode is the hiragana mode, and when the pen 5C for the elderly is used, the mode is the uppercase mode.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the internal configuration of each unit. Signals from a keyboard position detection unit 21 having a switch 14 and a pen detection unit 22 having a switch 15 shown in FIG. 1 are input to a CPU 23 via an interface (I / F) 25. It is determined whether or not the stylus is stored in the stylus, and which of the three pens 5A to 5C is taken out. CPU
A character font storage (ROM) 24 in which various character fonts are stored is connected to 23. Further CPU
The display unit 2, the microphone 16, the video camera 17, and the speaker 18 are connected to 23 via an interface 25. The display unit 2 includes a tablet 2a for detecting a handwritten input and an LCD 2b for displaying the input or predetermined information.

The keyboard 4 has an IR transmitter 4a, and generates an infrared signal corresponding to an operated key. This infrared signal is received by the IR receiver 26 of the apparatus main body 1. The output of the IR receiver 26 is input to the CPU 23 via the interface 25.

Next, a use state in the present embodiment will be described. When the keyboard unit 4 is used, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 3, the keyboard unit 4 is pulled out from the concave portion 1 a of the apparatus main body 1 to a desired position, and the shaft 11 stands upright with respect to the apparatus main body 1. The display unit 2 is held at a predetermined angle. At this time, the display unit 2 is locked at a predetermined position by a lock mechanism (not shown) provided on the coupling unit 30 and the pin 12. When information is input from the keyboard unit 4 in this state, the information is input from the IR transmitting unit 4a to the IR receiving unit 26, and further input to the CPU 23 via the interface 25. The CPU 23 reads, for example, a font corresponding to the input from the font storage unit 24, outputs the font to the LCD 2b, and displays it.

During this time, the pen 5 which does not need to be used is hidden behind the display unit 2, so that it cannot be seen from the front side.

On the other hand, at the time of handwriting input, as shown in FIG. 6B, the keyboard section 4 is housed in the concave portion 1a of the apparatus main body 1, and the shaft 11 is rotated in the direction approaching the apparatus main body 1, and As shown in FIG. 4C and FIG. 4, the display unit 2 is brought close to the apparatus main body 1 with the tablet 2a (LCD 2b) facing upward. At this time, the pens 5A to 5C are exposed (visible to the user), and the user can take it out. The user extracts one corresponding one of the pens 5A to 5C and performs handwriting input. This input is captured by the tablet 2a, and the CPU 23 causes the LCD 2b to perform a display corresponding to the input.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the front end of the display unit 2 comes into contact with the surface of the desk on which the apparatus main body 1 is placed.
Handwriting input becomes easier. In this state, the keyboard unit 4 is covered with the display unit 2. The rotation of the shaft 11 may be performed by a motor.

Next, the input method of the present apparatus will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. The CPU 23 determines in step S
At 1, the position of the keyboard unit 4 is detected. When the keyboard unit 4 is housed in the recess 1a of the apparatus main body 1, the switch 14 is turned on as shown in FIG. At this time, the user determines that the handwriting input is to be performed with the display unit 2 substantially horizontal as shown in FIG. 6C, and the CPU 23 sets the handwriting input mode in step S2. Next, in step S3, the switches 15A to 15 provided in each of the pin accommodation holes 13A to 13C shown in FIG.
Detect by C.

If the pen to be used is an adult pen 5A, the CPU 23 sets the normal mode and compares the character input by handwriting with the normal display character font stored in the character font storage unit 24. Perform character recognition processing. Similarly, if the pen to be used is the pen 5B for a child, a hiragana mode is set in step S5, and character recognition processing is performed on the characters input by handwriting, using hiragana or katakana as first or second candidates. If the pen to be used is the old man's pen 5C, the uppercase mode is set in step S6. In this case, the characters obtained as a result of the recognition are displayed as characters of a larger font. Then, the CPU 23 performs normal information processing in step S7 according to each character font. That is,
Performs processing corresponding to the input.

In step S1, when the keyboard unit 4 is pulled out of the concave portion 1a of the apparatus main body 1 and the switch 14 is turned off, the display unit 2 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. It is determined that an input is to be made from the keyboard unit 4 in a substantially vertical state.
Sets the keyboard input mode in step S8, and performs normal information processing in step S7.

As described above, in the present embodiment,
An unnecessary pen can be hidden behind the display unit 2 at the time of keyboard input, so that a preferable appearance can be obtained. In addition, the user can set the storage position of the pen 5 to a specific position, and by taking out the pen 5, the display mode can be switched to the font mode of the display character according to the position. In addition, it is possible to output a character input by an old man as a character having a legible size.

The number of the pens 5 is not limited to three, and the mode switching is not limited to the font mode of the display characters. Further, a unique barcode or other ID may be provided for each pen 5, and an ID reading device may be provided in the pen housing hole 13 or the like. In this way, it is possible to absolutely specify the pen actually used from the plurality of pens. Further, a switch for detecting the position of the display unit 2 may be provided in the apparatus main body 1 instead of the switch 14 for detecting the position of the keyboard unit 4.

As a method of detecting the type of pen, in addition to this, a coil having a different inductance is provided for each of the pens 5A to 5C so that a magnetic field is applied from the tablet 2a side. The tablet 2a may detect the inductance value by the electromagnetic induction method, and the CPU 23 may switch the mode based on the inductance value. Also in this case, there is no need to provide a switch in the pen storage unit, so that the pen storage position can be freely changed according to the user's preference.

As a method of switching the input mode between the keyboard and the tablet, the pen 5 approaches the tablet 2a (in the case of the electromagnetic induction method) or touches (in the case of the pressure-sensitive method).
The tablet mode may be set when the CPU 23 detects this, and the keyboard input mode may be set otherwise. In this way, when the user wants to make a pen input appropriately while operating the keyboard, the tablet 2
Since the input can be made to the key a and the switch 14 is not required, the operability is improved without being limited to the position of the keyboard.

[0035]

As described above, according to the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the display unit which is separate from the keyboard is changed from a state substantially perpendicular to the mounting surface to a state substantially horizontal. In addition, since the keyboard is held at a predetermined angle and a predetermined position, the storage state of the keyboard can be improved.

[0036]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a configuration example of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which the display unit of FIG. 1 is overlaid on an apparatus main body.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration in a state where a display unit 1 in FIG. 1 is vertically set.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration in a state where a display unit 1 of FIG. 1 is horizontal.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the internal configuration of an information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing the positions of the keyboard unit and the display unit in FIG. 1 during keyboard input and handwriting input.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an input method of the information processing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of an example of a conventional information processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 device main unit, 2 display unit, 4 keyboard unit,
5 pen, 22 pen detector

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06F 1/16-1/18 G06F 3/02-3/027 G06F 3/03 G06F 3/033-3 / 037 G09F 9/00

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A keyboard that generates a signal corresponding to a key operation, an information processing unit that executes a predetermined process in response to the signal generated from the keyboard, and based on information from the information processing unit A display unit that performs display and is separate from the keyboard, a shaft unit that rotatably supports the display unit, and a shaft that rotatably holds the display unit at a predetermined angle with respect to the shaft unit. 1 and a holding part, which is rotatably connected to the shaft part and is mounted on a mounting surface.
A supporting body having a concave portion for accommodating the keyboard; and a second holding portion rotatably holding the shaft at a predetermined angle with respect to the supporting body. Is held at a predetermined angle and a predetermined position so as to change from a substantially vertical state to a substantially horizontal state with respect to the mounting surface, and with the display surface thereof facing upward,
When placed in a horizontal position, its front edge will
An information processing device, which is in contact with the information processing device. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard is wirelessly connected to the support main body. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a front end of the display unit is rotatable to a position where the front end comes into contact with a surface on which the support body is placed. 4. In a state where a front end of the display section is disposed at a position where it comes into contact with a surface on which the support main body section is placed,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the keyboard can be stored between the display unit and the support body. 5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit includes a tablet that detects a handwriting input.