JP3840904B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention mainly relates to an electronic device including a display unit and an input switch capable of inputting a desired selection item, such as a mobile phone, a mobile communication terminal, a video camera, and an audio device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A cellular phone as an example of a conventional electronic device of this type will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a front view of a conventional mobile phone. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 1 denotes an exterior case which is a casing, and the front side is an operation surface.
[0003]
In the upper part of the operation surface, a reception unit 2 with a built-in speaker is formed, and a display unit 3 as a display means is formed by an LCD 4 below the operation unit.
[0004]
On the other hand, at the lower part of the operation surface, a speech transmission unit 5 is arranged in which a microphone used for transmission is arranged, and an operation button unit 6 composed of numeric keys or the like is disposed above the operation unit. One of the sections 6 is a confirmation operation key 6A for confirming various operations. A cursor control button 7 for moving a cursor on the screen is arranged above the operation button unit 6.
[0005]
An antenna 8 is attached to the upper end portion of the outer case 1 so that the antenna 8 can be expanded and contracted with respect to the outer case 1, and the LCD 4, the operation button unit 6, and the cursor control button 7 are provided in the outer case 1. And an electric circuit for controlling input / output information between the antenna 8 and the like, and the configuration of the mobile phone including this electric circuit is represented by the block diagram showing the circuit configuration of FIG. The following will be described with reference to FIG.
[0006]
In FIG. 7, reference numeral 9 denotes a CPU for performing various arithmetic processes and determinations. The LCD 4, the operation button section 6, the cursor control button 7 and the antenna 8 are connected to the CPU 9 directly or via a predetermined circuit section or the like for control. Has been.
[0007]
That is, the LCD 4 is connected to and controlled by the CPU 9 via the LCD driver 10, and signals from the operation button unit 6 and the cursor control button 7 are directly input to the CPU 9 for processing. ing. Further, the antenna 8 is connected to and controlled by the CPU 9 via the transmission / reception circuit unit 12.
[0008]
The CPU 9 is connected to a ROM 13 in which predetermined information is registered in advance and a RAM 14 so that information such as a telephone number book can be registered and deleted at any time.
[0009]
Next, the operation of the mobile phone configured as described above will be described.
[0010]
In an initial state in which no transmission / reception is performed, the mobile phone has a predetermined display menu constituted by a plurality of selection items 15A by the LCD 4, as shown in the figure for explaining the display screen of FIG. 15 and a cursor 16 that clearly indicates which of the displayed items is currently selected.
[0011]
Then, in order to perform a predetermined operation such as when making a mobile phone, the operator first uses the cursor control button 7 to switch the display screen from the initial state to a screen where a desired operation can be performed, The position of the cursor 16 displayed on the display unit 3 is moved to match the desired item, and then the confirmation operation key 6A is pressed to send a signal to the CPU 9 that the item has been selected and confirmed.
[0012]
When the CPU 9 recognizes the confirmation signal, the CPU 9 determines the item selected by the cursor 16 of the display unit 3, calls the corresponding screen or the like from the ROM 13 or RAM 14, and transmits it to the LCD 4 via the LCD driver 10. The display content was switched to the desired one.
[0013]
The above contents will be described in more detail. When a telephone number stored in advance is retrieved and called, the operator corresponds to the item “call telephone number” among the items of the display menu 15. In order to switch to the display, the cursor control button 7 is operated to move the cursor 16 onto the item “call telephone number”, and then the confirm operation key 6A is pressed.
[0014]
By this operation, the CPU 9 takes out information on the telephone number book registered in advance from the RAM 14 or the ROM 13, and transmits the information to the LCD 4 through the LCD driver 10, so that the display on the LCD 4 can be searched and searched. Switch to the correct display.
[0015]
Subsequently, the operator moves the cursor 16 onto the desired telephone number in the same manner as described above, and then presses the confirm operation key 6A to select and confirm the desired telephone number.
[0016]
When the CPU 9 recognizes that the desired telephone number has been determined in this way, the CPU 9 performs a predetermined process to send a transmission signal to the transmission / reception circuit unit 12 and the antenna 8 for the selected and confirmed telephone number. To send through.
[0017]
At the same time, the CPU 9 can transmit and receive voice input / output signals to / from the receiver 2 and transmitter 5 (not shown in FIG. 7) via the transmitter / receiver circuit 12 and the antenna 8. The predetermined control is to be performed.
[0018]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above conventional mobile phone, when selecting a desired item, the cursor may move simultaneously with the operation of the cursor control button, and may move in a direction different from the direction that the operator wants to select. In order to correct this, a wasteful operation of returning to the previous position and selecting the direction again is necessary. In particular, the smaller and more multifunctional mobile phone, the more items are provided, and the easier it is to operate incorrectly.
[0019]
The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device with excellent operability that can reliably move a cursor in a direction intended by an operator.
[0020]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.
[0021]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, there are provided a display unit on which a plurality of selection items represented by characters, graphics, and the like and a cursor for identifying the currently selected selection item are displayed, and an operation on the display unit The operation unit moves the cursor to the selection item desired by the operator, and the operation unit includes a selection input unit for selecting the direction and location for moving the cursor to the selection item desired by the operator, and the direction and location for moving the cursor. And a confirmation input unit for confirming the movement of the cursor after selecting the item, and having a notice means for identifying the direction and the location when the cursor is selected by the selection input unit. An electronic device that confirms the movement of the cursor by operating the confirmation input unit. When the cursor is moved, the advancement means indicates the direction and location where the cursor moves first. An effect that it is possible to surely move the cursor in the desired direction.
[0022]
The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit is configured integrally with a selection input unit and a confirmed input unit that operates with a heavier operating force than the selection input unit, Because the operation force of the selection input unit and the confirmation input unit is different, the electronic device has excellent operability and can be confirmed after confirming the moving direction or location by predicting the direction or location of the cursor by operating with a light force. Is obtained.
[0023]
The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation input unit is configured by a pressure switch with moderation, and since a sense of moderation can be obtained when confirming the predicted direction and location, the moderation feeling is obtained. An electronic device with excellent operability that can be operated is obtained.
[0024]
The invention according to claim 4 is configured such that, in the invention according to claim 1, a notice is given by a display indicating the direction of the location of the desired selection item from the location of the currently selected selection item. It has an effect that an electronic device with excellent operability can be obtained in which the direction in which the cursor advances is easily recognized visually.
[0025]
The invention according to claim 5 is configured such that the display of the selection item desired by the operator changes in the invention according to claim 1, and the next place where the cursor advances is easily recognized visually. Thus, an electronic device with excellent operability can be obtained.
[0026]
The invention described in claim 6 is configured such that, in the invention described in claim 1, the direction of the location of the desired selection item is indicated by sound from the location of the currently selected selection item. Since the traveling direction can be identified by sound, an electronic device with excellent operability that can be easily operated without looking at the operation surface can be obtained.
[0027]
The invention according to claim 7 is configured such that the desired selection item is indicated by sound in the invention according to claim 1, and the next item to be selected can be identified by sound, so there is no need to look at the operation surface. An electronic device with excellent operability that can be easily operated is obtained.
[0028]
The invention according to claim 8 is a display unit on which a plurality of selection items represented by characters, graphics, and the like and a cursor for identifying the currently selected selection item are displayed, and an operator's request on the display unit In an electronic apparatus including an operation unit that moves a cursor to a selection item to be performed, the internal control unit includes first recognition areas corresponding to the plurality of selection items, and the first recognition area is selected according to the selection operation by the operation unit. A recognition area changing means is provided for identifying a recognition area and automatically changing the state of the first recognition area to change to a second recognition area that is less susceptible to fluctuations in the operation unit than the first recognition area. An operation that is an electronic device and automatically changes the recognition area corresponding to the desired selection item once identified to a stable state that is not affected by slight fluctuations in the operation unit, so that the selection item is securely held. Excellent electronic equipment It has the effect that can be obtained.
[0029]
The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that, in the invention according to claim 8, the recognition region changing means makes the second recognition region wider than a plurality of other adjacent recognition regions, When the first recognition area is selected by the selection operation, the second recognition area is expanded so that the selection item is surely held even if the operation is continued slightly while the same selection operation continues. Thus, an excellent electronic device can be obtained.
[0030]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth aspect of the invention, the recognition region changing means selects the first recognition region selected when the first recognition region is specified according to the selection operation by the operation unit. When the first area is recognized by the selection operation, the selection operation may be slightly blurred by changing all other areas to the non-recognition area. There is an effect that an electronic device with excellent operability that can reliably hold a desired selection item without any other selection item being selected can be obtained.
[0031]
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the eighth aspect of the invention, the recognition area changing means selects the first recognition area selected when the first recognition area is specified according to the selection operation by the operation unit. This is characterized in that at least a part of another area adjacent to the non-recognized area is changed to a non-recognized area even if the operation is slightly deviated. There is an effect that an electronic device with excellent operability that can reliably hold a desired selection item without any other selection item being selected can be obtained.
[0032]
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the eighth aspect of the invention, the recognition area changing means selects the first recognition area selected when the first recognition area is specified according to the selection operation by the operation unit. Is changed to the second recognition area and held for a certain period of time. When the same selection is made after selecting the first recognition area and executing the selection item, the second is immediately after the first operation. Since it is changed to the recognition area, the selection item can be executed reliably in the continuous operation, and since the first recognition area returns to a state where the first recognition area can be recognized after a certain period of time from the end of the operation, the selection operation is the same as the first operation Thus, an electronic device with excellent operability can be obtained.
[0033]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0034]
(Embodiment 1)
The invention according to the first to seventh aspects of the present invention will be described using the first embodiment.
[0035]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a mobile phone as an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an exterior case having a front surface as a display surface. 2. A display unit 3 as a display means is composed of an LCD 4 at the upper center, and an operation button unit 6 including a transmitter 5 at the lower end and numeric keys at the lower center is arranged. One of 6 is a confirmation operation key 6A for confirming various operations. A cursor control button 17 is disposed at the lower part of the display unit 3.
[0036]
Further, an antenna 8 is attached to the upper part of the outer case 1 so that the antenna 8 can be expanded and contracted with respect to the outer case 1, and the display unit 3, the operation button unit 6, and the cursor control button are provided in the outer case 1. 17 and an electronic circuit for controlling the antenna 8 are accommodated, and the circuit configuration of the mobile phone according to the present invention including this electric circuit is shown in the block diagram showing the circuit configuration of FIG. The circuit configuration will be described.
[0037]
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 19 denotes a CPU for performing various arithmetic processes and determinations. The LCD 4, the operation button unit 6, the cursor control button 17 and the antenna 8 as the display unit 3 are directly or via a predetermined circuit unit. It is connected to the CPU 19 and controlled.
[0038]
That is, the LCD 4 serving as the display unit 3 is connected to and controlled by the CPU 19 via the LCD driver 10, and a signal from the operation button unit 6 is directly input to the CPU 19 for processing.
[0039]
The cursor control button 17 is configured to output a signal when the outer peripheral portion is pressed with a light force and when the center portion is pressed with a heavy force, and is connected to the CPU 19 via the cursor controller 18. It is controlled. In addition, the CPU 19 is connected to the antenna 8 via the transmission / reception circuit unit 12 to be controlled, and the ROM 13 in which predetermined information is registered in advance and information such as a telephone number book are deleted and registered at any time. A possible RAM 14 is connected.
[0040]
Next, the operation of the mobile phone according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
[0041]
The mobile phone according to the present embodiment, in an initial state where no incoming / outgoing calls are made, is a predetermined configuration composed of a plurality of items on the display unit 3 as shown in FIG. A display menu 15 and a cursor 16 that clearly indicates which item is currently selected among the displayed items are displayed.
[0042]
In order to perform a predetermined operation such as when making a mobile phone, the operator first switches the display screen from the initial state to a menu indicating a desired item, so that a predetermined portion of the cursor control button 17, for example, in FIG. An operation of pressing the upward direction with the fingertip to move the cursor 16 to the position of a desired selection item is performed. At this time, by gently pressing the cursor control button 17, as shown in FIG. First, the display of the place 16A where the cursor 16 is about to move is changed. When the operator determines that the change in the state correctly indicates the item to be selected, the operator performs a confirming input operation with a heavy pressing operation at the center of the cursor control button 17 to confirm the actual movement of the cursor 16.
[0043]
That is, this mobile phone transmits a signal indicating that the cursor 16 is about to be moved via the cursor controller 18 by lightly pressing a predetermined position on the cursor control button 17 disposed at the bottom of the display unit 3. When the CPU 19 recognizes the signal, it notifies the display unit 3 of the next item 16A to be selected by the cursor 16 by a display change such as blinking, and displays a cursor movement confirmation signal by a heavy pressing operation. The data is sent to the CPU 19 via the controller 18, and when the CPU 19 recognizes the signal, the cursor 16 on the display unit 3 is actually moved as shown in FIG. Thereafter, a signal indicating that the desired item has been selected and confirmed by pressing the confirm operation key 6A is sent to the CPU 19 via the cursor controller 18, and when the CPU 19 recognizes the confirm signal, the cursor 16 on the display unit 3 selects it. The selected item is discriminated, a predetermined menu screen or the like corresponding to the item is called from the ROM 13 or the RAM 14, and transmitted to the LCD 4 through the LCD driver 10, and the display content of the display unit 3 is switched to the desired one.
[0044]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the cursor control button 17 at the lower part of the display unit 3 is pressed, so that the direction or place where the cursor 16 moves next is displayed in advance. It is possible to realize a mobile phone with excellent operability that can move the cursor 16 in the desired direction after confirming the display.
[0045]
In the above description, the cursor control button 17 having a different operation load is used for the advance notice display and the movement confirming operation. However, as shown in the sectional view of the cursor control button in FIG. Using the pressure switch 20 with moderation, a notice is displayed when the contact 21 is turned on by an operation on the outer periphery, and an operation with a sense of moderation is performed by pressing the pressure switch 20 with moderation by pressing the center portion and turning on the contact 22. Sometimes the direction is fixed and the cursor 16 may actually move.
[0046]
Further, as the notice display function, the item 16A to be selected next may be displayed blinking, highlighted or enlarged, and an arrow 16B indicating the next direction is displayed as shown in FIG. You may make it identify, and you may make it identify the direction which advances next with a sound or an audio | voice.
[0047]
(Embodiment 2)
Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described in particular with reference to the eighth to twelfth aspects of the present invention.
[0048]
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an identification area of the cursor controller when the cursor control buttons can be input in eight directions. FIG. 5A shows an eight-way cursor and input from the cursor control button 17 is performed. No cursor controller 18 recognizes the signal. In the initial state, the cursor controller 18 has the recognition areas 23 equally divided in increments of 45 degrees. The operation of the cursor controller 18 when the upper outer peripheral portion of the cursor control button 17 is pressed will be described. The recognition area to be specified is a first recognition area 23e as shown in FIG. Yes, adjacent recognition areas 23f and 23g must not be specified. Therefore, once the operator selects the first recognition area 23e via the cursor control button 17, the cursor controller 18 widens the first recognition area 23e left and right by 12.25 degrees as shown in FIG. The second recognition area 23h is larger than the other recognition areas 23f and 23g. For this reason, since the recognition area is wide even if the operator's operation is slightly deviated, the cursor 16 can be moved in the desired direction without selecting the wrong direction, and the operability is improved. When the operator lifts his / her finger, the cursor controller 18 recognizes that the finger has been released and returns the recognition area to the size of the first first recognition area 23e, so that the operator feels uncomfortable even when selecting another direction. The same operation can be performed without any problem, and the cursor 16 can be operated reliably.
[0049]
In the above description, the spreading angle is 12.25 degrees, but this may be wide at an arbitrary angle or may be spread over the entire region.
[0050]
Further, as shown in FIG. 5D, when a desired area is specified, a part of the adjacent area is set to the non-recognized areas 23i and 23j so that the operation of the operator is somewhat blurred. However, the wrong direction is not selected, and the cursor 16 can be moved in the desired direction, improving operability.
[0051]
Further, as shown in FIG. 5E, the same effect can be obtained even if the outside of the first recognition area 23e is set to the non-recognition area 23k that does not recognize anything.
[0052]
Further, if the first recognition area 23e is changed to the second recognition area 23h and held for a certain period of time, an effect can be obtained in which continuous input in the same direction can be surely performed even if the operation of the operator is somewhat deviated.
[0053]
In the above description, an eight-direction cursor is used. However, the direction resolution may be four directions, sixteen directions, or an arbitrary number of resolutions.
[0054]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when the item is selected, the next moving direction and place are displayed in advance in advance, so that the operator can confirm the direction and then perform the actual cursor movement. it can. Further, by changing the recognition area for judging the direction, it is possible to realize an electronic device with excellent operability that can eliminate the cursor movement in the wrong direction.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view of a mobile phone according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the display screen. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a recognition area of a cursor controller according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a front view of a conventional mobile phone. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration. [Figure 8] Figure explaining the same display screen [Explanation of symbols]
1 exterior case 2 receiver 3 display 4 LCD
5 Transmitter 6 Operation Button 6A Confirmation Operation Keys 7, 17 Cursor Control Button 8 Antenna 9, 19 CPU
10 LCD driver 12 Transmission / reception circuit unit 13 ROM
14 RAM
15 Display menu 15A, 16A Selection item 16 Cursor 16B Arrow 18 Cursor controller 20 Moderate pressure switch 21, 22 Contact 23, 23f, 23g Recognition area 23e First recognition area 23h Second recognition area 23i, 23j, 23k Non-recognition region

Claims (12)

At least a plurality of selection items represented by characters, figures, etc., and a display portion on which a cursor for identifying the selection item currently selected is displayed, and the cursor is moved to the selection item desired by the operator on the display portion In an electronic device having an operation unit, the operation unit includes a selection input unit for selecting a direction and a location for moving the cursor to a selection item desired by the operator, and a movement of the cursor after selecting a direction and a location for moving the cursor. And a confirmation input unit that can identify the direction and the location when the cursor is moved by the selection input unit, and operates the confirmation input unit. An electronic device that determines the movement of the cursor. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit is configured integrally with a selection input unit and a confirmed input unit that operates with an operation force heavier than the selection input unit. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation input unit is a pressure switch with moderation. 2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the notice means is a display indicating a direction of a desired selection item location from a currently selected selection item location. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the notice means is a change in display of a desired selection item. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the notice means indicates the direction of the location of the desired selection item from the location of the currently selected selection item by sound. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the notice means indicates a desired selection item by sound. At least a plurality of selection items represented by characters, figures, etc., and a display portion on which a cursor for identifying the selection item currently selected is displayed, and the cursor is moved to the selection item desired by the operator on the display portion In an electronic device including an operation unit, the internal control unit includes first recognition areas corresponding to a plurality of selection items, and after the first recognition area is specified according to the selection operation by the operation unit, An electronic device comprising a recognition area changing means for automatically changing the state of the first recognition area to change to a second recognition area that is less susceptible to fluctuations in the operation unit than the state of the first recognition area. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the recognition area changing unit has a function of making the second recognition area wider than a plurality of adjacent recognition areas. The recognition area changing means has a function of changing an area excluding the selected first recognition area to a non-recognition area when the first recognition area is specified in response to a selection operation by the operation unit. Electronic equipment. The recognition area changing means changes at least a part of another area adjacent to the selected first recognition area to a non-recognition area when the first recognition area is specified according to the selection operation by the operation unit. The electronic device according to claim 8 having a function. 9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the recognition area changing means has a function of holding the second recognition area for a predetermined time after changing the first recognition area to the second recognition area in accordance with a selection operation by the operation unit. machine.

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