JPH11168537A - Portable telephone set - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the number of keys on the front plane of a casing and to accurately operate the keys by permitting a control part to input numbers which are led out from the sliding position of an input member, to execute a processing for temporarily storing them as a part of a telephone number when an input decision member is operated, to execute the processing until a series of numbers are collected and to make a call. SOLUTION: An antenna 12 is provided on the upper face of the square casing 10, and a receiver 14 and a transmitter 16 at an upper part and a lower part on a front face. A display part 18 constituted of a planar display device such as LCD and several push key switches 20 are provided on the front face of the square casing 10. A sliding operation possible member 22 is provided on the side of the square casing 10. Thus, the number of the push key switches 20 on the front face of the square casing 10 is reduced by inputting the numbers by using the sliding operation possible member 22 and intervals among the push key switches 20 can be widen by providing them on the side of the casing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an analog cordless telephone, a digital cordless telephone (for example, PHS).
The present invention relates to a telephone (hereinafter, referred to as a “mobile telephone” in the present application) that carries a call-in / out operation through a wireless channel, such as a slave station, a mobile telephone, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A typical portable telephone known in the prior art has a handset at the top and bottom of a handset, a handset, and an operation unit for inputting a telephone number. It has a configuration in which a flat display unit (for example, LCD) for displaying the input telephone number, the operation state of the telephone, and the like is arranged between the receiver and the transmitter. The keys constituting the operation unit are provided with 12 keys for inputting a telephone number.
Keys ("0" to "9", "#", "*"), a power key, a volume key, a hold key, an answering machine key, a call waiting key, and so on. Or even more. If such a large number of keys are to be provided in an area with a limited area between the receiver and the transmitter and while securing the space for disposing the display unit, each key becomes smaller or the interval between the keys becomes smaller. Narrows. This imposes a psychological burden on the user that care must be taken not to press other keys or to press the same key twice during key operation. Further, in a portable telephone having a function design emphasizing the data communication function such as a PHS slave station compatible with PIAFS or a popular portable telephone having a pager function, the number of keys is further increased due to English character input. Due to the trend, the above-mentioned problems are even more pronounced (note: “call waiting” and “pager” are trademarks).

For this reason, various technical improvements for reducing the number of keys provided in an area between a receiver and a transmitter have been conventionally proposed. The first of such proposals is to use function keys. That is, by operating another key simultaneously with or immediately after operating any specific key (function key), it is possible to cause the other key to play a different role from its original role. Yes, the number of keys can be reduced. However, if this scheme is adopted, knowledge or skill on which key and which combination of keys can be operated to perform a desired device operation is required, which imposes a new burden on the user. Further, as in the case where an English character input function is provided, a large number of function keys themselves may be required, which is not effective.

As a second plan, among keys provided in an area between a receiver and a transmitter, those related to function adjustment / setting such as power on / off, volume adjustment, etc. (hereinafter, referred to as "function adjustment keys") Is moved to the side of a generally rectangular housing, and this is realized by a slide-type operable member such as a slide switch. Even with this plan, the number of keys on the front of the housing can be reduced, but the number of function adjustment keys that can be moved to the side must be limited to a few, which is also effective for reducing the psychological burden of the user There are aspects that are not.

[0005] As a third plan, a jog switch having a thin disk-shaped portion is provided with a front surface of a rectangular housing such as a display portion so that a user can put a finger on the edge of the jog switch and rotate the disk-shaped portion. There is a plan to attach it between keys. That is, the user flips and turns the edge of the jog switch with the thumb or the like of the hand holding the mobile phone, sees the number on the display that changes with this rotation, and finds that number is the desired number. If so, press the edge of the jog switch firmly with your thumb, and use this to confirm the number input. With such a configuration, it is possible to abolish the number keys, etc., which are the largest among the keys. However, this scheme has a disadvantage that the jog switch itself occupies a significant area on the front or side surface of the rectangular housing, and is not so small.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A first object of the present invention is to reduce the number of keys provided on the front surface of a housing, so that a psychological burden on a user that small keys or keys with small intervals must be operated accurately. And to achieve simplicity of operating with one hand. A second object of the present invention is to achieve the first object by relatively simple technical means, and to realize a compact and lightweight portable telephone with high integration. A third object of the present invention is to
An object of the present invention is to realize a more compact, lightweight mobile phone with higher integration by effectively utilizing the side surface of the housing. A fourth object of the present invention is to devise a method of notifying a user so that a key does not have to be seen at the time of operation. A fifth object of the present invention is to make it possible to listen to a radio broadcast or the like using a portable telephone and to suitably coexist a broadcast receiving function and a telephone function. A sixth object of the present invention is to simplify a character string registration operation such as registration in a built-in telephone directory and a registered character string correction operation. A seventh object of the present invention is to realize further miniaturization and convenience by devising members related to sound among members constituting a portable telephone. Eighth of the invention
An object of the present invention is to realize a mobile phone that is more ergonomically excellent by devising a housing shape.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a predetermined number of slidable operating members are provided on the side surface of a rectangular housing, and a predetermined number of push button switches are provided on the front or side surface of the rectangular housing. Are provided, respectively, and the operation unit is configured by these. In particular, one of the predetermined number of slidable operating members is used as a number input member,
One of the predetermined number of push button switches is used as an input confirmation member. Further, in the control unit for wirelessly calling the subscriber corresponding to the telephone number input by the operation of the operation unit, a number derived from the sliding position of the number input member was input, and the input confirmation member was operated. The process of temporarily storing the number as part of the telephone number is performed until a series of numbers that can be regarded as the telephone number of the subscriber to call is gathered, and the resulting series of numbers The subscriber is called by radio.

As described above, since the number of keys provided on the front surface of the housing can be reduced by providing the slidable operation member, it is necessary to operate small keys or keys with small intervals accurately. The psychological burden on the person can be reduced. In particular, since the slidable operation member is used for inputting the telephone number, the effect of reducing the number of keys is large compared to a configuration in which only the function adjustment of the mobile phone is performed by the slidable operation member, for example. Therefore, the psychological burden on the user can be further reduced. Thereby, it is possible to realize the simplicity of inputting a telephone number by an operation with the thumb or the index finger of the left hand holding the mobile phone while reading the book with the right hand. In addition, it is possible to provide a relatively simple, inexpensive, and compact and lightweight sliding-type operable member by using a conventionally known technique. Also,
Since the side of the housing is used, the front of the housing is not occupied.

In practicing the present invention, it is preferable to make various efforts to further enhance the effect of reducing the psychological burden and the effect of reducing the size and weight. For example, a plurality of slidable operating members are provided on the side of the housing, one of which is used as the above-mentioned number input member, and the other is used as a function adjusting member. The control unit detects the sliding position of the function adjusting member and converts it to a corresponding parameter value,
According to this parameter value, the function of the portable telephone, for example, the volume and the associated function, for example, the receiving station and the volume of the built-in broadcast receiving unit are adjusted. In this way, part of the keys related to the function adjustment can be realized by the slidable operation member, and the key can be further reduced by the number of keys on the front surface of the housing, thereby reducing the psychological burden on the user. And the effect of reducing the size and weight can be further enhanced. Further, if the number input member and the function adjusting member are realized by the same slidable operation member, the integration is enhanced, and a more compact and lightweight portable telephone can be obtained. In this case, one of the push button switches on the front or side of the housing (other than the one used as the input confirmation member) is used as the function assignment member,
Every time the function allocating member is operated, the operation mode of the control unit may be changed from the mode for performing the operation related to the number input to the mode for performing the operation related to the function adjustment or vice versa. . Further, during use as a telephone, it is preferable to suppress or turn off the reception volume of radio broadcasting such as radio. If the casing is a round casing, discomfort in the palm is reduced.

Further, a character string (for example, a character string indicating the subscriber number or name of another subscriber who exchanges a call relatively frequently) is registered in the portable telephone as a slide-type operable member as a function adjusting member. It can also be used for operations to correct or correct this. For example, the type of character to be designated is selected from a menu such as Kana and English characters by using a slidable operation member as a function adjusting member. Next, a character is designated using a sliding-type operable member, and a character string is registered in a portable telephone (for example, a built-in telephone directory). The operation of character type determination and character determination may be performed using a push button switch or the like as a determination input member. When specifying an arbitrary character in a character string already registered in the mobile phone, for example,
First, using a sliding-type operable member as a function adjusting member, a character to be a key when searching for a character string already registered in the portable telephone is designated. Next, the position of the character to be corrected in the character string already registered in the portable telephone is designated using the function adjusting member. Further, a character to be inserted into the character string, that is, a replacement character, is designated using the function adjusting member instead of an arbitrary character in the character string already registered in the portable telephone. At the time of character correction, the character type can be specified using the function adjustment member. Further, coarse / fine switching may be performed by using a slide-type operable member as a function adjusting member, a push button switch as an input determining member, or another push button switch. As a result, it is possible to obtain an effect that a character can be easily and accurately specified from a large number of characters. Note that this coarse / fine switching is performed by
You may make it possible at the time of volume adjustment or tuning.

It is preferable to devise the structure of the slidable member. For example, if this sliding type switch is provided with a push button switch having two upper and lower contacts, and the number can be increased or decreased by operating the upper and lower contacts, the number input member and the function adjustment function with a simple configuration and high reliability can be achieved. A member is obtained. In addition, even if the power supply voltage is divided by a sliding variable resistor having a sliding contact, the divided voltage is detected by the control unit, and the result is treated as a sliding position detection result.
Similar effects can be obtained. Further, a number input member or a push button switch may be provided as a number input member, and the push button switch may be used as an input determination member. By doing so, the number of keys on the front surface of the housing is further reduced and the integration is enhanced.

In addition, it is desirable to make an improvement so that the user can more accurately and easily know the sliding position of the number input member and the function adjusting member. In particular,
Each time the sliding position of the slideable operation member changes by a predetermined amount,
A notification means for notifying the user of the information about the sliding position after the change or the change may be provided. Examples of the configuration of the notification means include a display unit provided on the front surface of a rectangular housing, a buzzer provided on the rectangular housing, a receiver provided on the front surface of the rectangular housing, a wireless earphone wirelessly connected to the control unit, and the like. be able to. Among these, the display unit can be constituted by a planar display device such as an LCD, and under the control of the control unit, information or a slide indicating that the sliding position of the slidable member has changed by a predetermined amount. Information indicating the change amount of the moving position is displayed on the screen. The buzzer and the handset emit sound indicating similar information under the control of the control unit. Wireless earphones provide sound to the user via near field communication. If these means are used, the user does not need to look at the keys at the time of operations such as inputting a telephone number, and especially in the case of using sound or synthesized voice, it is not necessary to look at the display unit. In particular, by using a handset instead of a dedicated buzzer, a smaller device can be obtained. In addition, the use of the wireless earphone eliminates the need for a receiver, so that the size of the housing can be reduced, and the inconvenience of the wire can be avoided.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the description of the following embodiments, and various modifications can be made, including a range that can be conceived by a person skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present application. Shall be included in the technical scope. Also, in the present application, the present invention is described as an invention relating to a “mobile phone”, but those skilled in the art with reference to the disclosure of the present application may describe the present invention as “PHS slave station”, “cordless phone”, “mobile phone”. It can be uniquely grasped and expressed as "the structure of the operation unit", "the telephone number input method", "the case for the portable telephone" or the like.

[0014]

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a portable telephone according to an embodiment of the present invention. The portable telephone shown in FIG. 1 has a rectangular casing 10, an antenna 12 on the upper surface thereof, and a receiver (speaker) 14 and a transmitter (microphone) 16 on the upper and lower front surfaces, respectively. Is provided. Further, on the front surface of the rectangular casing 10, a display section 18 constituted by a flat display device such as an LCD, and several push button switches 20 are provided. Further, a sliding-type operable member 22 is provided on a side surface of the rectangular housing 10.

The present embodiment is characterized in that the number of push button switches 20 on the front surface of the rectangular casing 10 is reduced by enabling input of numbers and the like using the slidable operation member 22 as compared with the conventional case. It has been reduced. Further, one of the features is that a member for reducing the number of the push button switches 20 (here, the slidable operation member 22) is provided on the side surface of the rectangular housing 10 instead of the front surface. Further, the structure of the slideable operation member 22 and the push button switch 20
The use form of the device is also devised. In the present embodiment, the number of the push button switches 20 can be reduced as compared with the prior art by these characteristic configurations, so that the interval between the push button switches 20 can be increased, and the dimensions of the push button switches 20 themselves can be reduced. It is possible to make it larger. Further, the size of the portable telephone defined by the rectangular casing 10 can be reduced, and the operability can be improved. For example, it is possible for the user to make a call operation with almost only his thumb while holding the portable telephone with his left hand.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the slidable member 22 in this embodiment. As shown in this figure, the sliding-type operable member 22 has an appearance provided with a knob 26 so as to be able to slide in a sliding groove 24 provided on a side surface of the rectangular casing 10. A push button switch 28 is further provided on the top of the knob 26. Therefore, the user can give information regarding the sliding position of the knob 26 to the portable telephone by sliding the knob 26 of the slidable operation member 22, and operate the push button switch 28. Thus, a signal such as an input confirmation can be given as described later.

FIG. 3 shows an operation unit 30 according to this embodiment.
Is shown. As shown in this figure, the operation unit 30 of the portable telephone shown in FIG. 1, that is, a member operated by the user, is different from the push button switch 20 provided on the front surface of the rectangular housing 10 in this embodiment. And a push-button switch 28 incorporated in the slide-type operable member 22 newly provided. In particular, in FIG. 3, the slide-type operable member 22 is constituted by a variable resistor VR.
That is, the operation unit 30 outputs a signal to be given to the A / D converter 32, that is, an analog signal indicating the sliding position of the knob 26, in addition to the signal indicating the operation state of the push button switches 20 and 28 described above. You. These outputs are input to the control unit 34 which controls the operation of the entire portable telephone. When the user slides the knob 26 along the sliding groove 24, the power supply voltage of + 5V is divided by the variable resistor VR. The A / D converter 32 included in the control unit 34 converts the analog voltage obtained as a result of the voltage division into a digital value, thereby generating a signal indicating the sliding position of the knob 26. Further, a switch having two upper and lower contacts may be provided instead of the variable resistor VR. The operability is improved by pressing the upper contact of this switch to increase the number and pressing the lower contact to decrease the number.

FIG. 4 shows a functional configuration of the portable telephone according to the present embodiment. In this figure, the above-described antenna 12, receiver 14, transmitter 16, display unit 18, and operation unit 3
0 and the control unit 34, a wireless unit 36, a wireless control unit 38
And a voice control unit 40. The wireless unit 36 is a member that executes wireless communication using the antenna 12, and its operation is controlled by the wireless control unit 38 under the control of the control unit 34. The voice control unit 40 is interposed between the wireless unit 36 and the receiver 14 and the transmitter 16, controls the voice output from the receiver 14, and gives the voice input from the transmitter 16 to the wireless unit 36. . The control unit 34 controls such an operation of the audio control unit 40, and also controls the operation of an audio generation circuit 42 incorporated or attached to the audio control unit 40. Is output from the receiver 14. As shown by the broken line in FIG.
Separately, a buzzer 44 is provided to provide a "pi" sound or "pipi"
Sound may be output from the buzzer 44.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the operation of the control unit 34 in this embodiment. The operation shown in the figure starts when a power switch, which is one of the push button switches 20, is turned on, and ends when the power switch is turned off.
As shown in this figure, after the power switch is turned on, the control unit 34 first sets flag to 0 (100). The flag used here is a slidable operation member 22.
Is a flag indicating the use mode, where flag = 0 indicates the number input mode and flag = 1 indicates the function adjustment mode. The number input mode referred to here is a mode in which a telephone number for calling is input using the slidable operation member 22. The function adjustment mode is a mode in which the user performs volume adjustment, alphabet input, and the like as appropriate. In this mode, the operation is performed by operating the slidable operation member 22.

After setting the use mode of the slidable member 22 to the number input mode in step 100, the control section 34 determines whether or not the push button switch 28 has been pressed (102). In this step 102, the push button switch 28 is used as a so-called handset switch. If it is determined in this step that the button has not been pressed, the process waits until the button is pressed. When it is determined that the key is pressed, the control unit 3
Operation 4 proceeds to step 104 in principle. In step 104, the control unit 34 sets the slidable operation member 22
The position of the knob 26 is detected from the output of the above-mentioned A / D converter 32, and a numeral corresponding to the detected sliding position among a total of ten numerals (and “#”, “*”) of 0 to 9 (Or symbol) is displayed on the screen of the display unit 18, and a synthesized voice representing the numeral (or symbol) is output using the voice generation circuit 42. As long as the switch 28 is not pressed, the control unit 34 gives a command to the voice control unit 40 to output a "beep" sound from the receiver 14 or the buzzer 44 (108). As described above, in the present embodiment, when the user operates the slidable operation member 22 when inputting a telephone number for calling, the sliding position of the knob 26 changes every time a certain unit amount changes. Since the number on the display section 18 changes and a "pip" sound is output, the user can display the current sliding position and thus what the currently input number is on the display section 18. , Or only by listening to the “pip” sound without looking at the display on the display unit 18.

When the operation of detecting and displaying the sliding position and outputting the "beep" sound is repeated by the operation of the slidable operation member 22 by the user, the number on the display 18 is eventually changed by the user. It becomes the number to do. When using the portable telephone according to the present embodiment, when this state is reached, the user presses the push button switch 28. When the push button switch 28 is pressed by the user (11
0), the control unit 34 gives a command to the voice control unit 40,
The sound is output from the receiver 14 or the buzzer 44 (11
2). Alternatively, the voice generating circuit 42 may be operated to output a synthesized voice representing the number currently displayed on the screen of the display unit 18. In addition to notifying the user in this way, the control unit 34 stores therein the number obtained by using the push button switch 28 as the input determination member in step 110, and stores the number immediately after execution of step 102. Return to the stage.

When the steps 104 to 112 are repeated the number of times corresponding to the number of digits of the telephone number, the control unit 34 has a sequence of numbers related to the telephone number of the destination to which the user wants to talk. Will be remembered. In this embodiment, the control unit 34 determines at this stage that the input of the telephone number has been completed, for example, by detecting that the user has pressed the push button switch 28 (11).
6). The control unit 34 thereafter controls each unit of the apparatus according to a predetermined calling procedure (118), and as a result, the portable telephone shifts to a call state. When the user presses any one of the push button switches 20 in the call state (120), the call ends, and the operation of the control unit 34 returns to the stage immediately after the execution of step 100.

In this embodiment, the rectangular casing 1
One of the push button switches 20 provided on the front of the “0” is used as a function assignment member to the slidable operation member 22. That is, one of the push-button switches 20 is used as a means for appropriately switching the use mode of the slidable operation member 22 represented by the flag from the user side. Among the procedures shown in FIG. 5, for example, steps 122 to
Step 128. Step 122 is Step 1
02 is a step executed immediately after it is determined that the push button switch 28 has been pressed. In this step, it is determined whether or not the push button switch 20 used as a function assignment member has been pressed. When the control unit 34 determines that the button has not been pressed as a result of the determination, the process proceeds to step 104 described above. Conversely, when it is determined that the button has been pressed, the flag f
If the flag is 0 (124), the flag is changed to 1 (126), and if the flag at that time is 1 (124), the flag is changed to 0 (12).
8).

In response to the use mode switching performed in this manner, immediately after step 112, step 130
Is provided. In this step 130, the flag fl
It is determined whether or not ag is 0.
The above-described step 11 is performed only when it is determined to be 0, that is, only when it is determined that the mode is the number input mode.
Move to 6. Conversely, when it is determined that the flag is flag = 1, that is, the mode is the function adjustment mode, the control unit 34 adjusts a specific function, for example, the volume according to the number currently displayed on the screen of the display unit 18 (132). The control unit 34 causes the receiver 14 to output a synthesized voice indicating the function adjustment and the result of the function adjustment in accordance with a command to the voice generation circuit 42 in the voice control unit 40 (134). Thereafter, the operation of the control unit 34 is
0 Return to the stage immediately after execution. When performing the function adjustment, in step 112, it is preferable to generate a synthesized voice indicating the name or symbol of the function being adjusted or the current function adjustment value.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the slidable operation member 22 provided on the side surface of the rectangular housing 10 is provided.
By operating the push button switch 28 incorporated in the knob 26 of the slidable member 22, most operations related to input of telephone numbers and adjustment of functions can be performed. In particular, since the push button switch 28 is incorporated in the knob 26, the user hardly needs to release his finger from the slidable operation member. Further, since the slide-type operable member 22 is used not only for inputting a telephone number but also for adjusting functions, the provision of the slide-type operable member 22 reduces the number of push-button switches 20 only. In addition, there is also an effect that the key provided on the front surface of the rectangular housing 10 for adjusting the function can be eliminated, so that the number of the push button switches 20 to be provided on the front surface of the rectangular housing 10 is It is significantly reduced. As a result, the size of the push button switches 20 provided on the front surface of the rectangular casing 10 can be increased, and the interval between the push button switches 20 can be increased. Although the push button switch 20 is used in steps 102 and 122 and when the power is turned on, it is preferable that these are different from each other.

FIG. 6 shows a modification of the portable telephone according to the present embodiment. In this figure, a total of two sliding-type operable members 22-1 and 22-2 are provided.
The sliding operable member 22-1 is provided on the left side surface of the rectangular casing 10,
Further, the slide-type operable member 22-2 is provided on the right side surface, respectively. The sliding operation members 22-1 and 22
2 has a structure obtained by removing the push button switch 28 from the structure shown in FIG. The sliding operable member 22-1 has a role to play, for example, inputting a telephone number, and the sliding operable member 22-2 has a role to adjust functions. In this way, the structure of the slidable member can be simplified as compared with the structure shown in FIG. 2, and the above-described effects can be realized by a simpler procedure than the procedure shown in FIG. Can be. However, since the slide-type operable members are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the rectangular casing 10, the movement of the user's finger becomes somewhat complicated.

FIG. 7 shows the appearance of a portable telephone according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a rectangular casing 10 is used, and a casing that is rounded so as to conform to the shape of a human palm, that is, a round casing 48 is used. By using such a round casing 48, the user's discomfort when the portable telephone according to the present invention is put in the palm is reduced as compared with the embodiment shown in FIGS. . FIG. 8 shows a modification of this embodiment. The configuration shown in FIG. 8 is obtained by applying the same modification to the configuration shown in FIG. 1 to the configuration shown in FIG. 7 in order to obtain the configuration shown in FIG. That is, the number of the push button switches 20 on the front surface of the round housing 48 is reduced by providing the slideable operation members 22-1 and 22-2 on both left and right side surfaces of the round housing 48.

In the configuration shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,
Further, the handset 14 provided in the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 is eliminated. That is, in order to eliminate the receiver 14, the wireless earphones are used in the configurations of FIGS. FIG. 9 shows an example of a functional configuration for realizing the configurations shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. In this figure, the part shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, that is, the part that can be put in the palm of the user, is depicted as a handset 50, and the part that is wirelessly connected to the handset 50 and worn on the user's ear is wireless. It is depicted as an earphone 52.

As shown in this figure, the handset 50 has an earphone transmitting unit 54 and an antenna 56 instead of the receiver 14 in FIG. On the other hand, the wireless earphone 52 includes an antenna 58, an earphone receiving unit 60, and an earphone 62. Earphone transmitter 5
Reference numeral 4 denotes a sound transmitted from the sound control unit 40,
6, and the wireless earphone 52 wirelessly receives it using the antenna 58. The earphone receiving section 60 gives a signal received using the antenna 58 from the earphone 62 to the user as a sound. In this way, the use of the wireless earphone 52 makes it possible to abolish the handset 14, so that, for example, a small device as shown in FIGS. A portable telephone having dimensions can be realized. Further, since the wireless earphone 52 is used, the user is not affected by the wire.

Further, the handset 50 shown in FIG.
Inside, an AM receiving section 66 for receiving AM radio broadcasting by an antenna 64 and an FM receiving section 70 for receiving FM radio broadcasting by an antenna 68 are incorporated. AM
The signals received by the receiving unit 66 and the FM receiving unit 70 are output to the earphone transmitting unit 54 via the audio control unit 40. Also, the AM receiving unit 66 and the FM receiving unit 70
Under the control of the control unit 34, when the user activates the calling procedure by operating the operation unit 30, for example, the push button switches 20 and 28, the AM receiving unit 66 or F
The reception volume by the M receiving unit 70 is reduced or the reception operation by these is stopped.

Further, the handset 50 shown in FIG.
Recognizes the user's voice input via the transmitter 16, displays the result on the screen of the display unit 18 via the control unit 34, and compares the voice for use in calling procedures and various function adjustments. It has a circuit 72. That is, in the present embodiment, in addition to telephone number input and function adjustment using the slidable operation member 22 and the like, similar functions using voice recognition are realized.

FIG. 10 shows a control unit 34 according to this embodiment.
An example of the operation will be described. However, in this figure, the parts common to the operation shown in FIG. 5 are not shown.

In the present embodiment, as described above, step 102 is executed, and when it is determined that the switch 28 has been pressed, the control unit 34 and the voice control unit 40
It is determined whether or not voice input has been received via
6). If the voice input has not been received, the operation of the control unit 34 proceeds to the aforementioned step 122, and it is determined whether or not the switch 20 has been pressed. If it is determined that the switch 20 has been pressed (122) and the flag is currently 0 (124), the flag is set to 1 as described above (126), and the function to be adjusted is designated. (138). The designation includes which of the push button switches 20 has been pressed, the position of the slide-type operable member 22 at present, and what kind of sound is currently being input via the transmitter 16. The determination may be made. After execution of step 138, step 12
8, the process proceeds to step 102 described above.

If it is determined in step 136 that there is a voice input, the control unit 34
Is displayed on the screen of the display unit 18 (140). What is displayed at this time is, for example, the telephone number of the other party to which the user is about to make a call, the type of function to be adjusted (volume or station), or the value of the function to be adjusted. is there. After execution of step 140, the operation of the control unit 34 proceeds to step 116. If it is determined in step 116 that number input has been completed, the control unit 34
6 or the FM receiving unit 70 is instructed to lower the received sound volume within a predetermined value or to cut it off (14).
2). As a result, little or no sound related to the broadcast is output from the earphone 62, so that the sound related to the broadcast hardly hinders the call. Although FIG. 10 shows the operation of lowering or blocking the broadcast reception volume when executing the calling procedure, it is preferable to perform the same processing when executing the incoming call.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the size of the device, reduce the sense of discomfort in the palm, and to input voice such as a telephone number as compared with the above-described embodiment. Therefore, the burden on the user is reduced. In addition, it becomes possible to receive AM broadcasts and FM broadcasts, and it is possible to prevent sounds related to such broadcasts from interfering with telephone sounds, so that the usability is greatly improved for users. Note that the above-described AM receiving unit 66 and FM
Since the receiving unit 70 is smaller than the other circuit configurations shown in FIG. 9, it does not hinder the miniaturization of the whole portable telephone as much as any difference. Further, the AM receiving unit 66 and the FM receiving unit 70
The reception volume and the current reception station according to
Is preferably displayed on the screen. Further, the wireless power of the wireless earphone 52 may be weak power used in so-called close-field electromagnetic communication. Further, the enlargement of the device configuration due to the provision of the earphone transmitting unit 54 can be at a level that does not cause a significant problem if an integrated circuit is formed.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, FIG.
As described in step 132, the function of the portable telephone can be adjusted by the slideable operation member 22. The functions to be adjusted include, for example, adjustment of a call volume and a broadcast volume, selection of a broadcast station to be received, registration of a subscriber in a telephone directory or the like in a mobile phone, and registration of a subscriber. Functions such as correction of subscribers are also included. FIG. 11 shows an outline of the processing executed in step 132 of each of the above embodiments.

As shown in the figure, in the routine for setting the function adjustment value, the control unit 34 first displays a function list on the screen of the display unit 18 (200). For example, as shown in FIG. 12A, a menu for call volume, broadcast volume, channel selection, subscriber input, subscriber correction, and the like is displayed. The control unit 34 detects the sliding position of the slidable member 22, displays a cursor on the screen of the display unit 18 in accordance with the detected sliding position, and generates a synthesized voice by the voice generation circuit 42. And output it from the receiver 14 (20
2). The cursor to be displayed is a black triangle in the example shown in FIG. 12A, but may be another kind of cursor such as an underline or the like. You can also.

The user moves the position of the cursor (blink display) to a position indicating a desired function by operating the slidable operation member, and then operates the push button switch 28 to change the position. Select a function. The operation of the control unit 34 branches depending on which function is selected by this operation (204).

For example, when the user selects the call volume as an object to be adjusted, the control unit 34 detects the sliding position and displays the result on the screen of the display unit 18 in the form of, for example, a bar. Alternatively, the synthesized voice is output from the receiver 14 by the voice generating circuit 42 (206). Control unit 34
Causes the handset 14 to output a "beep" sound in response to the operation of the slidable member 22 by the user (208). When the user operates the push button switch 28 (21)
0), the call volume of the portable telephone is adjusted and set according to the sliding position of the slideable operation member 22 at that time (212).

When the user selects the broadcast volume or selects the channel, the adjustment is performed in the same procedure. 11, steps 214 to 220 and 222 to 2
28 is a step corresponding to steps 206 to 212. The difference between these steps with respect to steps 206 to 212 is that the adjustment target in steps 220 and 228 is the reception volume of the broadcast and the station to be received, and the display or synthesized voice in steps 214 and 222 What is output is the information indicating the broadcast volume or the broadcast station.

If the user selects the subscriber input, a procedure for inputting the subscriber number is executed (230), and if the user selects the subscriber correction, the already registered subscriber number is corrected. Is executed (232).

FIG. 14 shows a procedure for inputting the subscriber number in step 230. In the procedure shown in this figure, first, the position of the cursor on the screen of the display unit 18 and the like are initialized (300), and the procedure related to the setting of the input mode is executed (302). The procedure for setting the input mode is, for example, a procedure as shown in FIG.

In the procedure shown in FIG.
First, the input mode is displayed on the screen of the display unit 18 (400). For example, as shown in FIG. 12B, two types of input modes, "kana input" and "alphanumeric character / numeric input" are displayed, and a cursor, for example, a black triangle is displayed. However, in place of the cursor display, another display mode, such as a blink display, which can designate any input mode may be used. The control unit 34 detects the sliding position of the slidable operation member 22, and controls a cursor display or a blink display to indicate an input mode corresponding to the sliding position on the screen (402). Control unit 3
4 causes the handset 14 to output a "beep" sound each time the user operates the slide-type operable member 22 (404). The user presses the push button switch 2 to confirm the input mode.
When the control unit 8 is operated (406), the control unit 34 specifies the input mode corresponding to the current sliding position of the slidable operation member 22, that is, the cursor or blink is designated on the screen of the display unit 18 at that time. The input mode being set is set as an input mode in the subsequent processing (408).

In the procedure shown in FIG. 13, after the input mode is set (302), the control unit 34 detects the sliding position of the slidable member 22 and writes the character corresponding to the sliding position. It is displayed at the current cursor position (304). For example, as shown in FIG.
In addition to the current input mode, a cursor (black triangle in the figure) indicating the position where the current input is being performed and a character designated by operating the slidable operation member 22 are displayed on the screen of the display unit 18. Display. Initially, a series of character candidates that are located substantially at the center is displayed. For example, in the case of kana input, "na" which is substantially at the center of a series of characters "a" to "n" is displayed. The user switches the characters to “g”, “te”,... By operating the sliding operation member 22 upward from the state where “na” is displayed, and By operating 22 downward, the characters are switched to "d", "nu", ....

When the user operates the push button switch 28 (306), the control section 34 outputs a "pip" sound from the handset 14 or the buzzer 44 (30).
8) The cursor on the screen of the display unit 18 is moved to the position of the next character (310). When the user instructs the control unit 34 to end the input operation for the currently input subscriber by operating the push button switch 28 or operating one of the push button switches 20 ( 312), the control unit 34
A "pip" sound is output from the receiver 14 and the like, and information input by a series of operations up to now, such as a subscriber number and its name, is stored in a memory in the control unit 34 or in a memory associated therewith (314). ). The user operates the pushbutton switch 28 or pushbutton switch 2
When the user instructs the operation unit 34 to register another subscriber by operating a predetermined one of 0 (316), the operation of the control unit 34 returns to step 300. In steps 312 and 316, if the user does not operate a predetermined key within a predetermined time, it is considered that there is no need to terminate the input operation for the current subscriber or to input another subscriber. Alternatively, the procedure may move to the next step.

In some cases, it is necessary to change the input mode while the user is performing an operation related to the input by the subscriber. For example, the input mode may be automatically switched at the time of the operation of switching from the input of the subscriber's name to the input of the subscriber's number. However, in the procedure shown in FIG. When the mode changeover switch, one of which is pressed (318),
The input mode setting procedure shown in (2) is executed again (320),
Thus, the input mode is changed and set.

It is also possible to switch between fine adjustment and coarse adjustment for character input (322). That is, FIG.
As shown in (5), when a predetermined one of the fine adjustment / coarse adjustment switch, for example, the push button switch 28 and the push button switch 20, is operated (500), the control unit 34
Displays a fine adjustment / coarse adjustment switching screen as shown in FIG. 12D on the screen of the display unit 18 and further detects the current sliding position of the slidable member so that the cursor, for example, is painted in black. The position of the triangle is moved (502). When the user operates the push button switch 28 (504), an adjustment mode corresponding to the cursor position, that is, the sliding position at that time is set (506). For example, when “one character at a time” shown in FIG. 12D is selected, that is, when fine adjustment is selected, the sliding position detected in step 304 is a unit change of the sliding position = 1 character Is converted at the rate of change. When “5 characters at a time” is selected, that is, when coarse adjustment is selected, step 3
At 04, the conversion is converted into a unit change of the sliding position = a change of 5 characters.

FIG. 16 shows the procedure relating to step 232, that is, the procedure for correcting the already registered subscriber number. As shown in the figure, when the user selects the subscriber correction, the control unit 34 first initializes the cursor position on the screen of the display unit 18 (600),
The procedure related to the subscriber search is executed (602). In the procedure 602 relating to the subscriber search, as shown in FIG. 17, the control unit first displays the search mode on the screen of the display unit 18 (700). That is, as shown in FIG. 12E, for example, a mode such as “Kana search” and “English character / number search” is displayed. When the user operates the slidable member 22 in this state, the sliding position is detected by the control unit 34, and a cursor such as a black triangle is displayed at a position on the screen corresponding to the sliding position, Alternatively, the mode corresponding to this position is blink-displayed (70
2). The control unit 34 causes the handset 14 or the like to output a “beep” sound each time the slide-type operable member 22 is operated (70).
4) When the push button switch 28 is operated by the user (706), the mode designated by the cursor (blink) at that time, that is, the mode corresponding to the current sliding position is changed to the mode for subscriber search. (70
8).

Subsequently, the control section 34 causes the display section 18 to display a screen for searching for a subscriber to be corrected, as shown in FIG. The moving position is detected, and the cursor position (or blink position) is moved according to the detected sliding position (710). When the push button switch 28 is pressed by the user (712), the control unit 34 displays the information of the subscriber currently designated by the cursor (or blink) on the display unit 18.
Is displayed on the screen, and a synthesized voice is generated by the voice generating circuit 42 if necessary (714). Step 7
Also in the subscriber search procedure realized by 10 or the like, switching between fine adjustment and coarse adjustment can be executed according to the procedure shown in FIG. 15 (716).

After such a subscriber search is performed, the control unit 34 specifies a position of a character to be corrected after passing through a procedure for setting an input mode (604) as shown in FIG. Move on to the procedure. That is, the control unit 34
Detects the sliding position of the slidable member and moves the cursor to that position (606), and repeatedly executes the operation until the user presses the push button switch 28 (60).
8) When the user presses the push button switch 28, the procedure shifts to a procedure for inputting a character corresponding to the position.

In this procedure, the control section 34 detects the sliding position of the slidable operating member and displays it at the position designated and determined in steps 606 and 608 corresponding to the detected sliding position. (610). For example, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, when the user designates "2" in steps 606 and 608, the cursor moves to a position indicating this character. In this state, when the user operates the slidable member, "2" is displayed. For example, it changes to “1” or “3”.
When the desired character is displayed on the screen, the user presses the push button switch 28 (612), and the character is determined with that character. Thereafter, the operation of the control unit 34 returns to step 606 in principle, and shifts to a process of designating the next character to be corrected among the character strings currently displayed on the screen.

However, when the operation of the push button switch 28 is detected again within a predetermined time after the operation of the push button switch 28 is detected in step 612 (614), the control unit 34 displays the current display on the screen. It is considered that the corrective operation has been completed for the subscriber who is performing the correction. At this stage, the control unit 34 inquires of the user whether to search and correct another subscriber by screen display or synthesized voice output (616). When the user instructs the search / correction of another subscriber by operating the push button switch 28 (618), the operation of the control unit 34 proceeds to step 600.
Return to Otherwise, the procedure for correcting the subscriber number ends.

Therefore, according to the procedure shown in FIGS. 9 to 17, the slide-type operable member 22 and the push button switch 28 are used.
By using such members, the user can easily input and correct the subscriber number. That is, in the related art, it was necessary to input English characters and kana by repeatedly pressing the numeric keys, and the operability was poor. However, according to the above-described procedure, such a complicated operation is not required. Further, there is no particular increase in cost in realizing the improved operability. Furthermore, since fine adjustment / coarse adjustment switching can be performed, the user does not feel troublesome when searching or specifying characters. In the above-mentioned procedure, fine adjustment / coarse adjustment switching or the like is not performed at the time of sound volume adjustment or channel selection. However, it is easy for those skilled in the art with reference to the disclosure of the present application to enable such adjustment. Will.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing a configuration of a sliding-type operable member in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating a configuration of an operation unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the mobile phone according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an operation of a control unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a modification of the mobile phone according to the embodiment, in which (a) is a perspective view seen from the left,
(B) is a perspective view seen from the right.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a mobile phone according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a modification of the mobile phone according to the embodiment, in which (a) is a perspective view seen from the left,
(B) is a perspective view seen from the right.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the mobile phone according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an operation of a control unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an operation of a control unit in each embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen at the time of function adjustment, in particular, (a) shows a function list screen, (b) shows an input mode setting screen, (c) shows a subscriber input screen, and (d) shows a subscriber input screen. )
Is a fine adjustment / coarse adjustment switching screen, (e) is a subscriber correction / mode selection screen, (f) is a subscriber correction / search screen, (g)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a subscriber correction screen.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an operation of a control unit in each embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an operation of a control unit in each embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an operation of a control unit in each embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an operation of a control unit in each embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of an operation of a control unit in each embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 rectangular housing, 12, 56, 58, 64, 68 antenna, 14 receiver (speaker), 16 transmitter (microphone), 18 display, 20, 28 push button switch, 22, 22-1, 22-2 Sliding operable member, 3
0 operation unit, 34 control unit, 40 sound control unit, 42 sound generation circuit, 44 buzzer, 48 round housing, 50 handset, 52 wireless earphone, 54 earphone transmission unit, 60 earphone reception unit, 62 earphone, 6
6 AM receiver, 70 FM receiver.

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. An operation unit having a predetermined number of slidable operating members provided on a side surface of a rectangular housing and a predetermined number of push button switches provided on a front surface or a side surface of the rectangular housing; And a control unit for wirelessly calling a subscriber associated with a telephone number input by operation of the unit, wherein one of the predetermined number of slidable operation members is used as a number input member and the predetermined number of One of the push button switches is used as an input confirmation member, and the control unit inputs a number derived from a sliding position of the number input member, and a part of a telephone number when the input confirmation member is operated. The process of temporarily storing as
A portable telephone which executes until a series of numbers that can be regarded as a telephone number of a subscriber to be called are collected, and wirelessly calls a subscriber associated with the obtained series of telephone numbers. 2. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein one of said predetermined number of slidable operating members is used as a function adjusting member, and said control section determines a sliding position of said function adjusting member. A portable telephone characterized by detecting and converting to a corresponding parameter value and adjusting the function of the portable telephone according to the parameter value. 3. The portable telephone according to claim 1, further comprising: a broadcast receiving unit for receiving a radio broadcast, wherein the slidable operating member is used to select a radio broadcast receiving station and / or adjust a reception volume. A portable telephone characterized by being used. 4. The portable telephone according to claim 3, wherein, when the control unit executes a procedure relating to a call or an incoming call during reception of the radio broadcast, the reception volume of the radio broadcast is reduced to a predetermined level or less. A portable telephone characterized by being lowered or cut off. 5. The portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein the slidable member is used for an operation of designating a character to register a character string in the portable telephone. . 6. The portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein the slidable operation member is used to specify a key character to search for a character string already registered in the portable telephone. An operation to specify the position of a character to be corrected in a character string already registered in the telephone, and insertion into the character string in place of an arbitrary character in the character string already registered in the portable telephone Operation to specify the character to be
A portable telephone characterized by being used for at least one of them. 7. The portable telephone according to claim 5, wherein the slidable operation member is used for an operation of selecting a type of a character to be designated or searched from a menu such as Kana and English characters. Mobile phone characterized by the following. 8. The portable telephone according to claim 2, wherein a slide-type operable member, a push-button switch as an input determination member, or another push-button switch adjusts the function roughly or finely. A mobile phone used as a switch for switching. 9. The portable telephone according to claim 2, wherein the number input member and the function adjusting member are the same slidable operating member, and another one of the predetermined number of push button switches is provided. Used as a function allocating member, the operation mode of the control unit is, each time the function allocating member is operated, a mode for executing an operation related to the number input, and a mode for executing an operation related to the function adjustment A portable telephone characterized by transition between the two. 10. The portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein the sliding operation member is a push button switch having two upper and lower contacts, and the upper contact is pressed by the controller. A portable telephone characterized in that a number is sometimes increased, and when a lower contact is pressed, the number is input as being reduced. 11. The portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein the slidable operation member has a slidable variable resistor having a slidable contact and dividing a power supply voltage, and the control unit. Wherein a voltage output from the sliding variable resistor is detected and the result is treated as a detection result of the sliding position. 12. The portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein the input determination member is a push button switch provided on the number input member or provided as the number input member. Type telephone. 13. The portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein the rectangular casing has a round outer shape matching a human palm. 14. The portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein each time the sliding position of the slidable member changes by a predetermined amount, information on the fact or the changed sliding position is used by the user. A mobile phone comprising: a notification unit that notifies the mobile phone. 15. The portable telephone according to claim 14, wherein said notifying means is provided on a front surface of said rectangular housing and displays said information under control of said control unit. A buzzer that is provided and emits sound indicating the information under the control of the control unit, a receiver that is provided on the front surface of the rectangular housing and emits a synthesized voice indicating the information under the control of the control unit, and the control unit A mobile phone comprising at least one of wireless earphones wirelessly connected to the mobile phone. 16. The portable telephone according to claim 1, wherein a voice of a user is recognized, and the result is input by the control unit as a telephone number, a function adjustment value, or information indicating an adjustment target function. Mobile phone.