JP3847158B2 - Mobile phone equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mobile phone device having an image pickup unit and two housings connected by a hinge unit, and more particularly, a mobile phone that changes the setting of the image pickup unit to the setting of close-up shooting by detecting the rotation angle of the hinge unit. Relates to the device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, a configuration has been proposed in which a portable device is configured with a plurality of housings and the portable device is folded using a hinge structure in order to achieve both a reduction in the size of the portable device and an increase in the size of a display unit using liquid crystal. Yes. As portable devices using such a hinge structure, there are notebook computers and mobile phones.
In addition, a portable device using the above-described hinge structure in which an imaging unit is housed in a housing has been proposed.
[0003]
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a conventional mobile phone device using a hinge structure and having an imaging unit housed in a housing, and FIG. 6A is a view of the mobile phone device seen from the side, FIG. 6B is a view as seen from the front (the surface with a key operation unit and a display portion for inputting / outputting information), and FIG. 6C is a view as seen from the back (the surface opposite to the front) of the mobile phone device. FIG.
The upper casing 101 and the lower casing 102 constituting the mobile phone device are coupled by a hinge portion 103. The upper housing 101 accommodates the display unit 104 and the receiver unit 105 on the front surface, and the imaging unit 108 and the mirror unit 109 on the back surface. In addition, the lower housing 102 accommodates a transmitter 106 and a key operation unit 107 on the front.
[0004]
Normally, the upper casing 101 is in a position indicated by a broken line in FIG. 6A when the mobile phone device is not used, and is rotated to a position indicated by a solid line when the mobile phone device is used. When the mobile phone device is not used, the upper housing 101 is placed in a state indicated by the broken line in FIG. 6A, so that the surface area of the mobile phone device is reduced and storage becomes easy. At the same time, since the display unit 104 and the key operation unit 107 cannot be directly contacted from the outside of the mobile phone device, the display unit 104 is damaged or soiled by contact with an object other than the mobile phone device, and the key operation unit. An erroneous input at 107 can be prevented.
When the cellular phone device is used, the upper casing 101 rotates to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 6A. In general, the rotation angle α at this time is 180 degrees or less. This is to improve the transmission / reception sensitivity by placing the reception unit 105 on the ear and bringing the transmission unit 106 close to the mouth during a call.
[0005]
When shooting using this cellular phone device, first, the key operation unit 107 is operated to switch from the normal telephone function to the imaging function. Thereafter, the image capturing unit 108 is directed toward the subject, and the image captured by the image capturing unit 108 is captured while being confirmed on the display unit 104. Further, when the subject (imaging target object) is the photographer himself, the image capturing unit 108 is directed toward the photographer himself, and the image is taken with reference to an image shown on the mirror unit 109 provided beside the image capturing unit 108. After shooting, the key operation unit 107 is operated to switch from the imaging function to the telephone function.
[0006]
However, in the above conventional example, the subject is usually a person or a landscape, and shooting close to the subject (proximity shooting) has not been considered. For this reason, when shooting close to the subject, the image was out of focus. In addition, when close-up photography is possible by adjusting the focal length or the like, it is necessary for the user to prepare a switch or the like for appropriately adjusting the focal length or the like according to the subject. However, there has been a problem that it is difficult to newly add a switch for adjustment operation to a portable device that requires a small casing.
[0007]
In addition, since the cellular phone device and the subject are close to each other, problems such as the cellular phone device and the photographer blocking ambient light, shadowing the subject, and being able to capture only a dark image as a whole have occurred.
[0008]
In addition, when a photographer takes a picture using a mobile phone device, it is necessary to set the mobile phone device to a shooting state using a key operation unit. Many functions such as a mail function and a web browsing function are included, and a plurality of key inputs are required to select and operate these functions with a small number of keys, resulting in a problem that the operation is complicated.
[0009]
In addition, since the mobile phone device is small and light, camera shake is likely to occur, and when a close subject is photographed, problems such as a large distance from the focal plane and blurring of the image have occurred.
[0010]
In addition, since a mobile phone device normally does not shoot with a tripod or the like, even when shooting from the front of the subject, it is difficult to keep the subject and the imaging unit parallel. It was.
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and provides a mobile phone device that can perform close-up photography by rotating an existing hinge portion without providing an independent switch or the like. The purpose is to do.
[0012]
In addition, a mobile phone device that can shoot under favorable conditions by rotating an existing hinge part to illuminate a subject and illuminate a subject instead of providing an independent switch or the like for illumination operation. The purpose is to provide.
[0013]
Furthermore, in order to switch from the normal telephone function state to the imaging function state, a mobile phone device is provided that eliminates the need for complicated input operations by adding a key (switch) to the key operation unit. The purpose is to do.
[0014]
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobile phone device that can prevent camera shake and can capture a good image.
[0015]
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobile phone device that makes it easy to keep a subject and an imaging unit in parallel, and that can capture a good image.
[0016]
Furthermore, by making the rotation angle of the existing hinge part more than the rotation angle at the time of normal telephone call, the rotation angle suitable for normal telephone call etc. is maintained when realizing various functions. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile phone device that can be used.
[0017]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The first technical means detects a rotation angle of the hinge part in the mobile phone device in which the first housing and the second housing that house the imaging unit are rotatably coupled by the hinge unit, The setting of the imaging unit is changed to the setting of the close-up shooting when the hinge unit is rotated by a predetermined rotation angle or more, so that an existing switch or the like is not provided for changing the setting. Proximity shooting can be performed by rotating the hinge.
[0018]
In the first technical means, the second technical means accommodates illumination that illuminates the imaging target in the first casing or the second casing, and the hinge portion rotates by a predetermined rotation angle or more. The above-mentioned illumination is turned on, so that the photographing is performed under favorable conditions by illuminating the subject by turning on the existing hinge part and rotating the existing hinge part instead of providing an independent switch for the illumination operation. It is possible to do.
[0019]
A third technical means is characterized in that, in the first or second technical means, display of the image taken by the imaging unit or image processing is started when the hinge unit rotates by a predetermined rotation angle or more. Therefore, in order to switch from the normal telephone function state to the imaging function state, a key (switch) is not added to the key operation unit, thereby eliminating the need for complicated input operations at the key operation unit.
[0020]
According to a fourth technical means, in the first to third technical means, the distance between the focal plane set by changing to the setting of the close-up shooting and the imaging unit is determined by the tip of the second casing. It is characterized by being equal to the distance between the imaging target object and the imaging unit when the imaging target object or a mounting table of the imaging target object is brought into contact with, and thus enables good imaging with good focus.
[0021]
According to a fifth technical means, in the first to fourth technical means, an imaging target object at a tip portion of the second casing or a part contacting the mounting table of the imaging target object is parallel to the imaging unit. Thus, it is possible to take a picture with good distortion.
[0022]
According to a sixth technical means, in the first to fifth technical means, an anti-slip process is applied to an imaging target object at a tip portion of the second casing or a portion contacting the mounting base of the imaging target object. Therefore, the mobile phone device is fixed, and it is possible to prevent camera shake more reliably.
[0023]
A seventh technical means is characterized in that, in the first to sixth technical means, when the hinge part has a rotation angle that makes a call or web browsing different from close-up shooting, a click feeling is generated and the rotation angle is fixed. Therefore, by making the rotation angle of the existing hinge part more than the rotation angle at the time of normal call, the rotation angle suitable for normal call etc. is maintained when realizing various functions. It is possible to do.
[0024]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining an embodiment of a mobile phone device according to the present invention. FIG. 1A is a front view of the mobile phone device, and FIG. 1B is a rear view of the mobile phone device. is there.
The casing of the mobile phone device is composed of an upper casing 1 and a lower casing 2, which are rotatably coupled by a hinge portion 3. As shown in FIG. 1A, a display unit 4 and a receiving unit 5 are accommodated on the front side of the upper casing 1 of the mobile phone device, and a transmitting unit 6 and a receiving unit 5 are arranged on the front side of the lower casing 2. A key operation unit 7 is accommodated. Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, an imaging unit 8, a mirror unit 9, and an illumination unit 10 are accommodated on the back surface of the upper housing 1 of the mobile phone device.
[0025]
FIG. 2 is a side view of the mobile phone device shown in FIG.
The mobile phone device keeps the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2 closed when not in use. As a result, the surface area is reduced, which is convenient for carrying, and it is possible to prevent the display unit and key operation unit housed on the front side from coming into contact with an external object. When making a call, browsing the web, or the like, it is in a state of being rotated by a rotation angle α around the hinge portion 3. As a result, the display unit and the key operation unit are exposed, the display unit can be browsed and operated by the key operation unit, and the reception unit and the transmission unit housed on the front side are connected to the user's ear and mouth. It will be located nearby.
[0026]
In the case of performing close-up photography with this mobile phone device, the rotation angle β rotation larger than the rotation angle α is performed around the hinge portion 3. By detecting that the rotation angle β has been reached, the imaging unit 8 changes from a normal shooting setting (a setting for shooting the subject 20 that is several tens of centimeters away from the mobile phone device) to a close-up shooting setting (from the mobile phone device). The setting of photographing the subject 20 that is several centimeters to several tens of centimeters away).
Further, when it is detected that the upper housing 1 has rotated by the rotation angle β, the illumination unit 10 is turned on to illuminate the subject 20. As a result, it is possible to prevent the subject from being taken dark due to the shadow of the mobile phone device or the user.
[0027]
Further, when it is detected that the upper housing 1 has been rotated by the rotation angle β, the mobile phone device is switched from the normal state displaying the standby screen or the like to the close-up photographing state. At this time, in order to inform the user what is being imaged, the image captured by the imaging unit 8 is displayed on the display unit 4.
Also, if the object to be imaged is a book or the like and character recognition or the like is performed with a mobile phone device, the processing for imaging and character recognition is automatically started when the upper housing 1 is rotated by the rotation angle β.
Thereby, it is possible to perform close-up photography and character recognition without performing a complicated operation using the key operation unit 7.
[0028]
In addition, the imaging unit 8 changes the focal length by rotating the upper housing 1 by the rotation angle β. More specifically, by changing the setting of the distance between the lens inside the imaging unit and the imaging element. The distance between the imaging unit 8 and the focal plane in focus is made shorter than usual so as to be suitable for close-up photography. At this time, when the front end of the lower housing 2 is in contact with the subject 20 and the upper housing 1 and the subject 20 are parallel, the distance between the imaging unit 8 and the subject 20 is set to the focal plane in focus with the imaging unit 8. It is configured to be equal to the distance. As a result, it is possible to easily shoot a good image in focus without camera shake, and the recognition rate is improved in image recognition such as character recognition. The subject 20 may be a small thin object placed on a horizontal plane. In this case, the tip of the lower housing 2 is brought into contact with a horizontal surface or a mounting table on which the subject 20 is placed.
[0029]
FIG. 3 is a side view of an essential part for explaining an embodiment of a means for detecting that the upper casing shown in FIG. 1 has rotated by a predetermined rotation angle. 3A is a side view of a main part of the mobile phone device in a state where the mobile phone device is less than the rotation angle β, and FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram of the mobile phone device in a state where the mobile phone device is at the rotation angle β. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 11 is provided on the back side of the upper housing 1, and the detection switch 12 that fits the protrusion 11 is accommodated in the back side of the lower housing 2. When the rotation angle is less than β, the detection switch 12 is not pressed as shown in FIG. However, when the upper housing 1 rotates by the rotation angle β around the hinge portion 3, the protrusion 11 pushes the detection switch 12 accommodated in the lower housing 2. As a result, it is possible to detect that the upper housing 1 is in the state of the predetermined rotation angle β.
[0030]
The means for detecting the rotation angle is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 3, and various means capable of detecting the rotation angle can be applied. Further, not only detecting when a certain rotation angle is reached, but also detecting that the rotation angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined rotation angle and setting the close-up shooting as described above. You may do it.
[0031]
FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining another embodiment of the cellular phone device according to the present invention, and is a diagram for explaining the cellular phone device that makes it easy to keep the imaging unit parallel to the subject.
The angle θ formed by the lower housing 2 and the contact surface that contacts the subject 20 at the tip of the lower housing 2 is formed to be equal to the angle formed by the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2, and is rotated from 360 degrees. The angle is obtained by subtracting the angle β. This makes it easy to keep the upper housing 1 and the subject 20 in parallel, and it is possible to capture an image with little distortion, and the recognition rate is improved in image recognition such as character recognition.
Here, the portion of the lower housing 2 that contacts the subject 20 is a contact surface, but the portion that contacts the subject 20 has three or more convex portions, and the tip of the three or more convex portions. The surface formed by connecting the two may be parallel to the upper housing 1 when contacting the subject 20.
[0032]
5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining still another embodiment of the mobile phone device according to the present invention. FIG. 5A is a side view of the mobile phone device, and FIG. 5B is a rear view of the mobile phone device. It is the figure seen from the to-be-photographed object side of FIG. 5 (A).
As shown in FIG. 5, by adding a rubber-made contact component 13 to the lower end of the lower housing 2, stable contact is possible without the lower housing 2 slipping on the subject 20. At the lower end of the lower housing 2, a charging contact 14 for charging the mobile phone device and a connector 15 for inputting / outputting data to / from an external device are usually provided. The rubber contact part 13 can prevent not only the anti-slip action on the subject 20 but also the charging contact 14 and the connector 15 from coming into contact with an external object and being damaged.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in the mobile phone device in which the upper casing provided with the image pickup unit and the other lower casing are coupled by the hinge unit, the upper casing is largely larger than that at the time of the call centering on the hinge unit. By rotating the body and detecting this rotation, the setting of the imaging unit is changed to the setting for close-up shooting, so that even when shooting close-up subjects, it is possible to shoot images that are out of focus and in focus become.
[0034]
Further, it is possible to provide a mobile phone device capable of capturing a good image without darkening the subject by detecting the rotation and turning on the illumination for illuminating the subject.
[0035]
Further, by detecting the rotation and starting image processing such as displaying and recognizing the captured image, it is not necessary to add a new operation switch for shooting, and it is troublesome for shooting. It is possible to provide a mobile phone device that does not require the user to perform an operation.
[0036]
In addition, when the upper case is rotated, the tip of the lower case is brought into contact with the subject to prevent camera shake, and the portion of the lower case that comes into contact with the subject is parallel to the imaging unit. Thus, the mobile phone device can be prevented from being tilted and camera shake can be further prevented.
Further, since the anti-slip process is applied to the portion of the lower housing that comes into contact with the subject, it is possible to more reliably prevent camera shake during shooting by the mobile phone device.
[0037]
In addition, a click feeling is generated when the rotation angle used in a normal call or the like is reached, and the rotation angle can be fixed. Therefore, it is possible to provide a mobile phone device that does not have a problem that the rotation angle moves during a call. it can.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front view and a rear view showing an embodiment of a mobile phone device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the mobile phone device shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a side view of an essential part for explaining an embodiment of means for detecting that the upper casing shown in FIG. 1 has rotated a predetermined rotation angle;
FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining another embodiment of the mobile phone device according to the present invention.
FIGS. 5A and 5B are a side view and a rear view for explaining still another embodiment of the cellular phone device according to the present invention. FIGS.
FIG. 6 is a side view, a front view, and a rear view for explaining an example of a conventional mobile phone device.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101 ... Upper housing | casing, 2,102 ... Lower housing | casing, 3,103 ... Hinge part, 4,104 ... Display part, 5,105 ... Reception part, 6,106 ... Transmission part, 7, 107 ... Key Operation unit 8, 108 ... Imaging unit, 9, 109 ... Mirror unit, 10 ... Illumination unit, 11 ... Projection unit, 12 ... Detection switch, 13 ... Contact component, 14 ... Contact for charging, 15 ... Connector, 20 ... Subject , Α: rotation angle during a call, β: rotation angle during shooting, θ: angle formed by the lower housing and the subject, and angle formed by the upper housing and the lower housing.

Claims (7)

In a mobile phone device in which a first housing containing an imaging unit and a second housing are rotatably coupled by a hinge unit, a rotation angle of the hinge unit is detected, and the hinge unit has a predetermined rotation angle. A mobile phone device that changes the setting of the imaging unit to the setting of close-up shooting by rotating as described above. 2. The mobile phone device according to claim 1, wherein illumination for illuminating an imaging target is accommodated in the first casing or the second casing, and the hinge is rotated by a predetermined rotation angle or more to thereby illuminate the illumination. A mobile phone device characterized by being lit. 3. The mobile phone device according to claim 1, wherein display or image processing of an image picked up by the image pickup unit is started when the hinge portion rotates by a predetermined rotation angle or more. . 4. The mobile phone device according to claim 1, wherein a distance between a focal plane set by changing to the close-up shooting setting and the imaging unit is a tip of the second casing. 5. A mobile phone device characterized by being equal to a distance between the imaging target object and the imaging unit when the unit comes into contact with the imaging target object or a mounting table for the imaging target object. 5. The mobile phone device according to claim 1, wherein an imaging target object at a tip portion of the second casing or a portion that contacts the mounting table of the imaging target object is parallel to the imaging unit. A cellular phone device characterized by being formed to be The mobile phone device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an anti-slip process is applied to an object to be imaged at a tip portion of the second casing or a portion contacting the mounting table of the object to be imaged. A cellular phone device characterized by being made. The mobile phone device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when the hinge portion has a rotation angle for performing a call or web browsing different from proximity shooting, a click feeling is generated and the rotation angle is fixed. A mobile phone device.

Images