JP3882699B2 - Folding mobile phone and its character input mode switching method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a foldable mobile phone and a character input mode switching method thereof, and more particularly, to a foldable mobile phone and a character input mode switching method thereof that switch a character input mode in accordance with a relative angle of a casing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
With the rapid spread of mobile phones, the contents of telephone terminals themselves have become more sophisticated, screen displays have been provided, and functions such as multiple call modes and multiple call incoming modes have been added. However, although there is a strong demand for downsizing, there is a limit to reducing the size of the key that must be adjusted to human fingers. The problem is how to solve the demand for increasing the size and weight of the telephone.
[0003]
On the other hand, the mobile phone itself has changed from the conventional integrated type to the folding type in response to the demand for small size. Therefore, an attempt to detect the opening / closing of the fold and use it for switching the mode in the telephone function has been made. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-127855 provides a hinge portion between the first casing and the second casing of the mobile phone. An open / close angle detection device is disclosed, and a mobile phone that uses the open / close angle detection device to switch a plurality of voice communication modes to a normal call mode, a hands-free call mode, or a non-call mode is disclosed.
[0004]
In Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-082731, detection means for detecting the closed state and the fully open state of the first housing and the second housing is provided, or rotation in which the resistance value changes in response to a change in angle. An angle detection means that detects the angle using a variable resistance element or a switch that changes the contact position of the electrode in multiple stages in conjunction with the change of the angle is provided, and the incoming call operation in the telephone function is set as a ring tone, a vibrator, or both A foldable mobile phone that can be switched to inform the user, switch the screen display to the standby screen display and time display, switch the backlight on, or switch the incoming call response function to incoming call answer, incoming call disconnect, or answer hold It is disclosed.
[0005]
However, only the function related to the telephone is the target to be switched according to the open / closed state of the first casing and the second casing.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the so-called i-mode character information service has recently started to be provided to mobile phones, the use of mobile phones has spread from voice transmission to information acquisition via the Internet, and the transmission of e-mail has expanded rapidly. I have done it.
[0007]
Therefore, it is necessary to input characters including Japanese input. On the other hand, it is difficult to add a key for inputting characters due to the demand for miniaturization. And a desired character is input by this continuous keystroke.
[0008]
FIG. 6 is a schematic key layout diagram of a keyboard in a conventional cellular phone having a telephone mode and a data processing mode. Although the actual key arrangement and some key functions differ depending on the mobile phone, the function of each key will be described according to this example.
[0009]
The keyboard 600 is composed of 24 keys, and the keys are composed of a control key portion 610 and a data key portion 630. An i-mode key 611 is a key for switching the cellular phone from the telephone mode to the data processing mode. In the data processing mode, characters can be input from the keyboard 600. Arrow keys 612, 614, 616, and 618 are cursor keys, and up / down / left / right cursor movements can be input with the keys. By pressing the menu key 613, a menu screen (not shown) can be displayed. By operating the keys according to the screen, various states relating to character input, such as designation of uppercase / lowercase characters, full-width characters, You can specify half-width characters. The confirmation key 615 instructs execution or confirmation of the operation. Recently, arrow keys 612, 614, 616, 618 and a confirmation key 615 are often combined together. The character key 617 is a key for switching the character input mode. Each time this key is pressed, the character input mode is switched in the order of flat input mode, one-sided input mode, alphabetic input mode, and numeric input mode. The interval key 619 inputs an interval code in the character input mode. The telephone key 620 and the hold key 622 are used for controlling the telephone function call and are not used for the character input function. The clear key 621 deletes the input content under a predetermined condition.
[0010]
As one of the methods of inputting Japanese kana characters or English alphabets with a small number of keys from a character input keyboard, twelve numeric keys and symbol keys for inputting the telephone number of the data key portion 630 are input. The same key is used as both a numeric key and a character input key by switching the input mode with the character key 617.
[0011]
For this reason, for kana input, keys are arranged in the order of each line by the arrangement of the known kana 50 syllables. For inputting the English alphabet, alphabets arranged in the well-known ABC order are used. Is assigned to each numeric key. However, since there are about ten numeric keys, a plurality of kana characters or alphabets are overlapped on one key in the key arrangement of FIG. Therefore, since it is necessary to input a plurality of types of characters separately from one key, in the conventional method, different characters are input depending on the number of consecutive keystrokes of the same key. The symbol key [*] 640 and the symbol key [#] 642 are keys for inputting symbols, and in accordance with the number of consecutive keystrokes of the symbol key [*] 640, the next symbol, i.e. A cloud point [°] can be input. Depending on the number of consecutive keystrokes of the symbol key [#] 642, the next symbol, long sound [-], reading [,] punctuation [. ], Midpoint [•], question mark [? ],Exclamation point[! ] Can be entered.
[0012]
In this way, the twelve keys of the data key portion 630 and the character key 617 can be input as desired by a plurality of consecutive keystrokes. However, it is fine for the operator to key in the same key a plurality of times. This is a time consuming and laborious operation.
[0013]
In this example, uppercase / lowercase letters and full-width / half-width letters can be designated by pressing the menu key 613 to display a menu screen (not shown) and performing key operations according to the screen. However, it may be possible to perform it by continuously pressing a predetermined key. Depending on the model, uppercase / lowercase letters and full-width / half-width characters are not specified, and the character input mode can be switched from full-width kanji → half-width kana → half-width alphabet → half-width numbers by consecutively pressing the character key 517. Some have. Even in this case, for example, when switching to single-byte numeric input, the switching key must be pressed three times, and one key to be reduced is used for this purpose.
[0014]
An object of the present invention is to detect an opening / closing angle between the first casing and the second casing of a folding cellular phone, and to switch the character input mode corresponding to the opening / closing angle without continuously pressing the key. It is to provide a mobile phone to be performed.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The foldable mobile phone of the present invention is
In a foldable mobile phone having an upper housing portion and a lower housing portion, a first hinge portion at an end portion of the upper housing portion and a second hinge portion at an end portion of the lower housing portion are rotatable. An open / close angle detection mechanism that detects the relative angle between the upper housing portion and the lower housing portion in at least four stages is built in the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion. And a data key for inputting data information on at least one of the opposing surfaces of the upper casing and the lower casing, a control key for inputting control information, and a display for displaying an image The control unit that executes telephone information processing and data processing information processing further includes an angle information analysis unit and a character input mode switching unit. In the angle information analysis unit, the angle input from the opening / closing angle detection unit The angle is analyzed from the related information, and the character input mode switching unit The character input mode corresponding to each angle range is selected according to the control unit, and the control unit switches the character input mode in the data processing information processing according to the selection of the character input mode switching unit and displays the selected character input mode. It is characterized by that.
[0016]
The character input mode that can be switched by the character input mode switching unit may be four modes of a hiragana input mode, a katakana input mode, an alphabet input mode, and a number input mode. There may be four modes, a half-width alphabet input mode and a half-width number input mode.
[0017]
The character input switching unit selects a character input mode corresponding to each angle range except one range, and also switches the telephone mode / data processing mode in the angle range where the character input mode is selected. In the range of angles in which the character input mode is not selected, the telephone mode in the telephone mode / data processing mode switching may be selected.
[0018]
The opening / closing angle detection mechanism may be a contact type rotary switch capable of detecting at least four types of angles, or may be a rotary variable resistor capable of detecting at least four types of angles. A click mechanism that temporarily stops rotation within a range of four or more angles to be detected when the upper housing portion is rotated with respect to the lower housing portion in the hinge portion and the second hinge portion. The selected character input mode may be displayed on the display unit.
[0019]
The character input mode switching method of the foldable mobile phone of the present invention,
A switching method for switching a character input mode in a data processing mode in a foldable mobile phone provided with an upper housing portion and a lower housing portion, which is provided at a connection portion between the upper housing portion and the lower housing portion. The open / close angle detection mechanism detects the relative angle between the upper casing and the lower casing in at least four stages, and determines the character input mode in the data processing mode according to each detected angle range. It is characterized in that it is switched to a character input mode corresponding to the above.
[0020]
In the method for switching the character input mode according to the opening / closing angle of the foldable mobile phone according to the present invention and the foldable mobile phone provided with the method, the character input mode is switched by changing the opening / closing angle, and the mode selected on the screen Is displayed, the key input is not temporarily interrupted to switch the character input mode, and the switch key is not repeatedly hit. Therefore, the character input is performed continuously and the switch key is omitted. Can do.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which the foldable mobile phone according to the first embodiment of the present invention is opened so as to be able to talk. The foldable mobile phone of the present invention has an opening / closing angle detection mechanism for detecting a relative angle of the casing, and is characterized in that the character input mode in the data processing mode is selected in accordance with the relative angle of the casing. .
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 1, the foldable mobile phone according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an upper casing portion 101 and a lower casing portion 102, and a first hinge at an end of the upper casing portion 101. The portion 103 and the second hinge portion 104 at the end of the lower housing portion 102 are rotatably connected, and the first hinge portion 103 and the second hinge portion 104 are opened and closed (not shown). An angle detection mechanism is built in to detect a relative angle between the upper casing unit 101 and the lower casing unit 102. One side of the upper casing 101 includes an LCD 105 for displaying an image, a four-direction key and an enter key 106, and a receiver opening 110, and one side of the lower casing 102 has a control key 107, A data key 108 and a transmitter opening 111 are provided, which can be folded on the key surface of the lower casing 102 with the image display section of the upper casing 101 inside, and the upper casing 101 And the lower housing portion 102 can be held in an open state at an arbitrary angle. This structure and arrangement is an example of the embodiment, and does not limit the structure and arrangement of the folding mobile phone to which the present invention is applied, except that the opening / closing angle detection mechanism can be attached.
[0023]
As the open / close angle detection mechanism, a known rotary switch, a rotary variable resistance switch, or the like can be used. 2A and 2B are explanatory views showing an example of a rotary switch, wherein FIG. 2A is a partial cross-sectional perspective view near the hinge, FIG. 2B is a side cross-sectional view near the hinge, and FIG. 2C is an upper housing portion and a lower housing portion. It is a table | surface which shows the relationship between the opening degree of each, and the conduction | electrical_connection state of each spring terminal.
[0024]
At both ends of the hinge portion, there is a second hinge 104 integrated with the lower housing portion 102, and the first hinge 103 integrated with the upper housing portion 101 is coaxial with the inner side of the second hinge 104. It is mounted rotatably. The middle of the first hinges 103 on both sides is covered with a cover part 230 of the lower housing part 102. The first hinge 103 on one side is provided with a cylindrical portion 211 coaxially so as to protrude into the cover portion 230, and the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 211 has a shape in which one side of a rectangular rectangle is cut obliquely. A conductive surface 212 is provided. A first spring terminal 221, a second spring terminal 222, a third spring terminal 223, a fourth spring terminal 224, and a power supply spring terminal 225 for collecting current are provided inside the cover of the lower casing portion 102. The power supply spring terminal 225 contacts the conductive surface 212 regardless of the degree of opening and closing of the casing, and the first to fourth spring terminals sequentially contact the conductive surface 212 according to the degree of opening and closing of the casing. Is arranged. Each spring terminal is connected to a control unit built in the lower casing unit 102. Therefore, the relationship between the opening of the housing and the conduction state of the first to fourth spring terminals is as shown in FIG. 2C, and the electrical level combination of each spring terminal is electrically processed. Can detect four states of opening.
[0025]
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a functional configuration of the folding mobile phone according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The foldable mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 301 that controls the overall functions, a transmission / reception unit 302 that performs wireless transmission / reception with the outside, a dial transmission number input, character input, and control information input. A key operation unit 303 for performing display, a display unit 304 for displaying information as an image, a microphone 305 for inputting voice by telephone, a speaker 306 for telephone, and an opening / closing angle detection mechanism 321 used in the present invention. The control unit 301 includes a telephone information processing unit 311, a data processing information processing unit 312, an angle information analysis unit 322 used in the present invention, and a character input mode switching unit 323.
[0026]
As described with reference to FIG. 6 in the prior art, for character input in the data processing mode, the character input mode is any one of the flat input mode, the katakana input mode, the alphabet input mode, and the numeric input mode. The character key (switching key) 617 is switched by continuously pressing the desired number of times.
[0027]
In the present invention, at least four types of angle-related information are output from the above-described opening / closing angle detection mechanism 321, the angle is analyzed by the angle information analysis unit 322 from the input angle-related information, and the character input mode switching unit is analyzed according to the analysis result. In 323, a character input mode corresponding to each angle range in advance is selected and output to the data processing information processing unit 301, thereby switching the character input mode and displaying the selected character input mode on the display unit 304. .
[0028]
In this way, by changing the relative angle of the upper and lower casings of the folding mobile phone in use as the information processing mode, the character input mode can be switched without continuously pressing the character keys (switching keys) as in the past. Can do. Since the case is held by the hand opposite to the hand used for key input, the character input mode can be switched without interrupting the character input. Further, since the character keys (switching keys) in the prior art can be omitted, it is useful for miniaturization of the keyboard.
[0029]
In the conventional example shown in FIG. 6, designation of uppercase letters / lowercase letters and full-width / half-width letters is performed by pressing the menu key 613 to display a menu screen (not shown) and perform key operations according to the screen. In some cases, the character input mode is limited to full-width kanji → half-width kana → half-width alphabet → half-width numbers. In this case, all the character input modes can be selected simply by changing the relative angles of the upper and lower casings of the folding mobile phone in use in the information processing mode. FIG. 4 is a table showing an example of the relationship between the opening of the upper and lower housings and the selected character input mode in the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0030]
Here, since the number of opening ranges to be selected is large, it is desirable to provide a known click means in the rotating part in order to prevent movement during use.
[0031]
Here, switching of the four types of character input modes has been described, but the number of detected angles may be further increased.
[0032]
Next, a foldable mobile phone according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except for the content of the character input mode switching unit 323 of the first embodiment, and the description of the same part is omitted.
[0033]
In the second embodiment, the character input mode switching unit 324 of the first embodiment is an i mode (telephone / information processing mode) and a character input mode switching unit. FIG. 5 is a table showing an example of the relationship between the opening of the upper and lower casings and the selected telephone / information processing mode and character input mode in the second embodiment of the present invention.
[0034]
In the first embodiment, only the character input mode is switched according to the opening of the upper and lower casings. In the second embodiment, however, the telephone / information processing mode is also switched. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the information processing mode is selected in the range of opening degrees a to d, and the telephone mode is selected in the range of opening degree e. In other words, the information processing mode is selected when the upper and lower casings are relatively wide open, the character input mode is selected according to the change in opening, and the telephone mode is selected when the upper and lower casings are slightly closed or adjusted. The
[0035]
As a result, the i-mode key 511 of the prior art described with reference to FIG. 6 can be further omitted, which is further useful for downsizing the keyboard.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, there is an effect that it is not necessary to repeatedly press a predetermined key to switch the character input mode, and the burden on the operator can be reduced. This is because the input mode is switched in accordance with the folding angle of the upper and lower casings in the folding type mobile phone.
[0037]
In addition, the telephone / information processing mode can be switched.
[0038]
In addition, it is possible to save the keys used to switch between them and to effectively use the keyboard.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which a foldable mobile phone according to a first embodiment of the present invention is opened so as to be able to make a call.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a rotary switch.
(A) is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the hinge vicinity.
(B) is side surface sectional drawing of hinge vicinity.
(C) is a table | surface which shows the relationship between the opening degree of an upper housing | casing part and a lower housing | casing part, and the conduction | electrical_connection state of each spring terminal.
FIG. 3 is a schematic block configuration diagram showing a functional configuration of the folding mobile phone according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a table showing an example of the relationship between the opening of the upper and lower housings and the selected character input mode in the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a table showing an example of the relationship between the opening of the upper and lower casings and the selected telephone / information processing mode and character input mode in the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic key layout diagram of a keyboard in a conventional cellular phone having a telephone mode and a data processing mode.
[Explanation of symbols]
101 Upper housing portion 102 Lower housing portion 103 First hinge portion 104 Second hinge portion 105 LCD
106 Four-way key and enter key 107 Control key 108 Data key 110 Handset opening 111 Handset opening 211 Cylindrical portion 212 Conductive surface 221 First spring terminal 222 Second spring terminal 223 Third spring terminal 224 Fourth Spring terminal 225 Power supply spring terminal 301 Control unit 302 Transmission / reception unit 303 Key operation unit 304 Display unit 305 Microphone 306 Speaker 311 Telephone information processing unit 312 Data information processing unit 321 Opening / closing angle detection mechanism 322 Angle information analysis unit 323 Character input mode switching Part 600 Keyboard 610 Control key part 611 to 622 Control key 630 Data key part 631 to 642 Data key

Claims (9)

In a foldable mobile phone having an upper housing portion and a lower housing portion, a first hinge portion at an end portion of the upper housing portion and a second hinge portion at an end portion of the lower housing portion rotate. Opening / closing angle detection that is connected in a possible manner and detects the relative angle between the upper housing portion and the lower housing portion within the first hinge portion and the second hinge portion in at least four stages. A mechanism is built-in, a data key for inputting data information to at least one of the opposing surfaces of the upper casing part and the lower casing part, a control key for inputting control information, and an image A display unit for displaying,
The control unit that executes telephone information processing and data processing information processing further includes an angle information analysis unit and a character input mode switching unit. In the angle information analysis unit, the angle information input from the opening / closing angle detection unit Analyzing the angle from the information, the character input mode switching unit selects a character input mode corresponding to each angle range according to the analysis result, and the control unit selects the character input mode in data processing information processing as the character input A foldable mobile phone characterized by switching according to the selection of the mode switching unit and displaying the selected character input mode. The foldable mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the character input mode switched by the character input mode switching unit is four modes of a hiragana input mode, a katakana input mode, an alphabetic input mode, and a number input mode. 2. The folding mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the character input modes switched by the character input mode switching unit are four modes of a full-width kanji input mode, a half-width kana input mode, a half-width alphabet input mode, and a half-width numeric input mode. The character input switching unit selects a character input mode corresponding to each angle range excluding one range, and in the angle range where the character input mode is selected, the phone mode / data processing mode is selected. The foldable mobile phone according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a data processing mode in switching is selected, and a telephone mode in telephone mode / data processing mode switching is selected in an angle range in which the character input mode is not selected. The folding cellular phone according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the open / close angle detection mechanism is a contact type rotary switch capable of detecting at least four types of angles. The folding cellular phone according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the open / close angle detection mechanism is a rotary variable resistor capable of detecting at least four types of angles. The first hinge portion and the second hinge portion are rotated within a range of four or more angles to be detected when the upper housing portion is rotated with respect to the lower housing portion. The foldable mobile phone according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a click mechanism for temporarily stopping the click mechanism. The foldable mobile phone according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the selected character input mode is displayed on the display unit. In a foldable mobile phone having an upper housing part and a lower housing part, a switching method for switching a character input mode in a data processing mode,
A relative angle between the upper housing part and the lower housing part is detected in at least four stages by an opening / closing angle detection mechanism provided at a connection portion of the upper housing part and the lower housing part, and a data processing mode A character input mode switching method in a foldable mobile phone, wherein the character input mode is switched to a character input mode corresponding to a range of each angle in accordance with each detected angle.

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