JPH04326456A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To execute appropriate screen setting and to prevent an operation error so as to improve work efficiency by switching the direction of a display possible area only when the direction of a display means coincide with that of the display possible area designated with a switch instruction. CONSTITUTION:An arrangement sensor 25 being a length/width detection means is provided near a notch inclination part 23a in a lower end surface at the time of setting a display unit 3 in a position in such a way that a length is longer in a panel frame body 23. When the switch instruction changing over the direction of the display possible area of a liquid crystal panel 22 is inputted through a keyboard, CPU compares the switch instruction with the detection signal of the arrangement sensor 25. A display controller is controlled in such a way that the direction of the display possible area is switched when it is judged that the direction of the display possible area designated with the switch instruction coincides with the direction of the display unit 3 discriminated by a detection signal. When the coincidence of them cannot be judged, the direction of the display possible area cannot be switched.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to information processing devices such as word processors and computers, and more particularly to an information processing device whose display surface can be rotated to provide portrait and landscape screens.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Information processing apparatuses such as personal computers and word processors usually include a main body containing a control section, a display device for displaying display contents, and a keyboard for performing input operations. Conventionally, in such information processing devices, the display surface of the display device has a rectangular shape, and the display device is generally fixed so that the display surface is arranged in a vertically or horizontally long manner.

For example, in a configuration in which the display device is fixed so that the display surface is horizontally long, it is possible to output a large number of characters in the horizontal direction, so when creating a document in the horizontal A4 size document format, , the entire A4 size document can be output on one screen.

0004

However, in the above-mentioned conventional information processing apparatus, since the display device is fixed to be vertically or horizontally long, it has the following problems.

[0005] Document formats include various sizes such as A4 size and B4 size, and each of the above sizes can be placed horizontally or vertically. For this reason, on a horizontal display screen, for example, if you try to create a document in A4 size document format in portrait orientation, the entire A4 size document will be output on one screen because the number of vertical display digits on the display screen is small. There is nothing I can do. Therefore, in order to view a document on one screen, it is necessary to move the screen, and the accompanying operations tend to be complicated.

Therefore, in recent years, a configuration has been proposed in which the entire display device can be rotated between a vertical position and a horizontal position, and the above-mentioned problems have been solved. However, in such a configuration, it is necessary to set the displayable area that appears within the display surface to be vertically or horizontally long by operating a keyboard or the like depending on the vertically or horizontally long arrangement of the display device. Therefore, each time the operator changes the orientation of the display device, the screen settings must be changed as described above.

[0007] Furthermore, with the above configuration, the orientation of the displayable area can be changed regardless of the orientation of the display device, so screen settings that do not match the orientation of the display device due to operator error, etc. can be avoided. be exposed. Therefore, if an attempt is made to return the screen to its proper screen settings, an operation is required for this purpose, which is disadvantageous in that work efficiency is reduced.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to perform appropriate screen settings in accordance with the orientation of the display device, and to prevent operational errors when setting the screen.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems] An information processing device of the present invention includes a display means having a rectangular display surface that is rotatable between a vertical position and a horizontal position, and a display device that can be displayed on the display surface. In order to solve the above problem, the information processing apparatus is provided with a switching control means for switching a displayable area to portrait or landscape according to a switching command, and takes the following measures to solve the above problem.

[0010] That is, the information processing device is provided with an aspect detection means for detecting whether the display means is in the portrait or landscape position, and the switching control means switches between the detection result by the aspect detection means and the aspect detection means. The present invention is characterized by having a coincidence determination means that compares the orientation of the display means with the command and switches the orientation of the displayable area only when the orientation of the display means and the orientation of the displayable area specified by the switching command match. It is said that

[0011]

[Operation] In the above configuration, the match determination means of the switching control means detects the displayable area only when the orientation of the display means detected by the vertical/horizontal detection means matches the orientation of the displayable area set by the switching command. Since the orientation of the display area can be switched, the orientation of the displayable area will not be set to be different from the orientation of the display means by a switching command. As a result, the screen settings associated with switching the orientation of the display means can always be performed correctly, and a decrease in work efficiency due to operational errors can be avoided.

0012

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a document creation device will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the document creation device according to this embodiment includes a base portion 1 for stably placing the entire device on a desk or the like, and a base portion 1 that can be raised upward from this base portion 1. A display unit 3 as a display section is attached to the main body part 2 which has a main body part 2 , and the front side of the main body part 2 which is on the operator's side.

The front side of the base section 1 protrudes from the main body section 2, and a floppy disk device 4 for recording and reproducing document data, etc. on a floppy disk 5 (see FIG. 4) is mounted on the right end of the front side. It is provided. A curved inclined surface 1 a is provided on the inner side of the floppy disk device 4 and is curved from the upper end surface of the floppy disk device 4 to the upper end surface of the base portion 1 .

The main body section 2 has a built-in control section and the like for controlling the operation of the document creation device, and is provided with a rotation support section 21 on the front side. The rotation support section 21 supports the display unit 3 so as to be rotatable in the A direction and the B direction. The display unit 3 has a liquid crystal display panel 22 serving as a display surface, and a panel frame 23 that supports the liquid crystal display panel 22. A floppy disk is mounted on the panel frame 23 when set in a vertical position. A notch inclined portion 23a is formed at a corner portion on the device 4 side. This notch inclined portion 23a functions, together with the curved inclined surface 1a, to prevent the display unit 3 from colliding with the base portion 1 when rotating.

The liquid crystal display panel 22 is designed to perform display in a rectangular display area that is slightly smaller than its outer size. Further, the panel frame 23 is provided with a pair of power switches 24 , 24 , for example, at corner portions facing each other about the center of the liquid crystal display panel 22 . These power switches 24 are located at the lower left end when the display unit 3 is set in the portrait position as shown by the dashed line in FIG. It is located at the bottom right corner.

Furthermore, a placement sensor 25 is provided in the panel frame 23 near the notch inclined portion 23a on the lower end surface when the display unit 3 is set in the vertical position. The placement sensor 25, which serves as the length/width detection means, is a push-type microswitch, and detects whether the display unit 3 is placed vertically or horizontally by detecting that the side receiving heavy pressure is the bottom side. There is. It should be noted that as the aspect detection means, something other than the above-mentioned microswitch may be used.

[0018] Here, the control unit etc. built into the main body 2 will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control section includes a CPU (C
internal processing unit) 6, ROM (Read Only Memory) 7, and RAM (Random Access Memory)
) 8, controllers 10 and 12, a keyboard controller (KEY controller in the figure) 13, a printer controller 15, a communication unit 17, and a display controller 18.

When a switching command for switching the orientation of the displayable area of the liquid crystal display panel 22 is inputted via the keyboard 14, the CPU 6 serving as a switching control means inputs the switching command and the detection result of the placement sensor 25. is compared with the detection signal, and only when it is determined that the orientation of the displayable area specified by the switching command and the orientation of the display unit 3 determined by the detection signal match, in response to the switching command. It is configured to control the display controller 18 to switch the orientation of the displayable area, and has the function of a match determination means.

[0021] The above switching command is, for example,
It can be switched by operating the switch key (not shown), and the
" corresponds to portrait orientation, and "0" corresponds to landscape orientation. Therefore, when the display unit 3 is set in the portrait position, the above detection signal becomes "1", but when the display unit 3 is set in the landscape orientation, the detection signal is set to "1". When set to the position, the above detection signal is “
0", the CPU 6 switches the displayable area to portrait when both are "1", and switches the displayable area to landscape when both are "0".

The controllers 10 and 12 control the hard disk device 9 and the floppy disk device 4 through communication with the CPU 6, respectively. The keyboard controller 13 is a keyboard (KEY in the figure)
14 is connected, and the input from the keyboard 14 is
The data is converted into data that can be processed by the PU6. The keyboard 14 is provided with ten function keys (not shown) each having three different functions, and by switching the function of each function key, a variety of processing functions can be used. .

The ROM 7 is a read-only memory that stores control programs and data, including programs for executing the above operations of the CPU 6, as well as control programs and various data for each control section. is stored. On the other hand, the RAM 8 is a memory that can be written/read at any time and has a function of temporarily storing input data, calculation results of the CPU 6, etc.

[0024] The printer controller 15
6 is connected, and the printing operation of the printer 16 is controlled based on instructions from the CPU 6. The communication unit 17 is a device for communicating with other document creation devices, and is configured with a modem or the like. The display controller 18 converts the display data from the CPU 6 into a video signal and sends it to the display unit 3, and also controls the display operation of the display unit 3 according to instructions from the CPU 6.

In addition to the above-mentioned control section, the main body section 2 also includes:
A hard disk device 9 and a main power source 20 are built-in. Like the floppy disk device 4 described above, the hard disk device 9 is capable of recording and reproducing document data and the like, and includes a hard disk (not shown) as a recording medium. The main power supply 20 supplies power to the control unit, the hard disk device 9, and the like.

In the above configuration, the procedure for setting the screen according to the orientation of the display unit 3 will be explained based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the current orientation of the display unit 3 is detected by the placement sensor 25 (S1), and a switching command for switching the orientation of the displayable area is input by operating the keyboard 14 (S2). Then, the detection signal of the placement sensor 25 and the switching command are compared, and it is determined whether or not they match (S3). If it is determined that the two match, the CPU 6 changes the orientation of the displayable area. is switched (S4). On the other hand, if it is not determined in S3 that the two match, the process in S4 is not performed and the orientation of the displayable area is not switched.

For example, when the display unit 3 is set in the portrait position, if a switching command that switches the displayable area to portrait orientation is input, the displayable area will be switched to portrait orientation according to the switching command, but the displayable area will be changed to portrait orientation. If a switching command that allows the display to be switched to landscape orientation is input, the displayable area will not be switched to landscape orientation.

As described above, in the document creation device according to this embodiment, the arrangement sensor 25 detects whether or not the orientation of the display unit 3 matches the orientation of the displayable area designated by the switching command. Since the determination is made by comparing the signal with a switching command for switching the orientation of the displayable area, the orientation of the displayable area is always switched in accordance with the orientation of the display unit 3. Therefore, even if the operator mistakenly performs a switching operation that does not match the orientation of the display unit 3, this will not be accepted, and operational errors can be prevented.

[0030]

Effects of the Invention As described above, the information processing device of the present invention detects whether the display means, which is rotatably provided between a vertical position and a horizontal position, is in the vertical position or the horizontal position. The switching control means for switching the displayable area on the rectangular display surface of the display means to portrait or landscape according to a switching command has a coincidence determination means. A coincidence determination means compares the detection result by the vertical/horizontal detection means and the switching command,
The orientation of the displayable area is switched only when it is determined that the orientation of the display means matches the orientation of the displayable area set in response to a switching command.

[0031] With this, the orientation of the displayable area is switched only when the orientation of the display means and the orientation of the displayable area specified by the switching command match, so that the orientation of the displayable area is changed according to the switching command. It will no longer be set in a different direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent operational errors caused by switching the orientation of the display means and to always set the screen correctly, thereby improving work efficiency.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a screen setting procedure according to the orientation of a display unit.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the appearance of a document creation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control unit of the document creation device of FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Main body 3 Display unit (display means) 6 CPU (switching control means, match determination means) 7 R
OM 21 Rotation support part 22 Liquid crystal display panel (display surface) 25 Arrangement sensor (vertical/horizontal detection means)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A display means having a rectangular display surface that is rotatable between a vertical position and a horizontal position, and a display device that is configured to have a rectangular display surface that is rotatable between a vertical position and a horizontal position; a switching control means for switching to landscape orientation, the information processing device comprising: an orientation detection means for detecting whether the display means is in a portrait position or a landscape orientation; and a coincidence determination means that compares the detection result by the means with the switching command and switches the orientation of the displayable area only when the orientation of the display means and the orientation of the displayable area specified by the switching command match. An information processing device characterized by: