JP4782074B2 - Portable terminal, control method, control program, and storage medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, a control method for the mobile terminal, a control program, and a storage medium. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mobile terminal that includes a rotation mechanism of a display unit and displays a display screen according to the rotation state of the display unit, a control method for the mobile terminal, a control program, and a storage medium.

  In recent years, with the spread of high-speed communication lines and the advancement of communication technology, mobile terminals such as mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistance) can be provided with new services utilizing large volumes of data. Accordingly, opportunities to receive various digital contents including characters and images are increasing. With the start of digital terrestrial broadcasting, it is also possible to receive a video transmitted as digital data and watch a program.

  As new services are provided and programs broadcast by terrestrial digital broadcasting can be received, the opportunity to receive digital contents with different display screen shapes at the time of display has increased. For example, in a digital terrestrial broadcast program screen and a communication information screen that displays communication information during a call, the former screen is displayed in a horizontally long rectangular shape, while the latter is displayed in a vertically long rectangular shape. .

  In order to cope with such a difference in screen shape at the time of display, a mobile phone equipped with a mechanism that rotates a display unit having a vertically long display area in an initial state so that the display area becomes a horizontally long shape as necessary. Information terminals have been developed. And in the portable information terminal which has such a mechanism, the technique which displays each information source from which a screen shape differs, utilizing the display area of the said portable information terminal effectively is disclosed.

  More specifically, in the portable terminal as described above, the first information source or the first information source is based on the difference in the relative position between the first casing (video display unit) and the second casing (operation button unit). It is possible to switch between two information sources to be displayed. Thereby, the portable terminal can display the entire display area without wasting the display area.

  Also disclosed is a technique for displaying an image in accordance with the vertical and horizontal sizes of the display area, instead of switching and adjusting the shape of the display area by changing the relative positions of the video display section and the operation button section. In such a technique, distortion of an image to be displayed can be suppressed by rotating, enlarging, and reducing the image according to the vertical and horizontal sizes of the display area.

  In addition, processing common to each application, such as file management, memory management, input / output management, and provision of a user interface, is performed by basic software such as Windows Mobile OS (registered trademark) manufactured by Microsoft Corporation. Is provided by. In such basic software, the display area can be regarded as a vertically long rectangular area or a horizontally long rectangular area, that is, an image can be displayed according to the vertical and horizontal directions of the set display screen. It is like that. That is, the basic software prepares in advance resources that can be commonly used by application software regardless of whether the display area is vertically long or horizontally long. Thereby, the application software does not need to be aware of the directions of the horizontal axis and the vertical axis of the image to be displayed.

Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a portable communication terminal that automatically switches between a vertically long display screen and a horizontally long display screen by rotating a display unit by 90 degrees.
NTT DOCOMO "FOMA SH903iTV Instruction Manual", pp. 33, February 28, 2007

  However, in the above conventional configuration, there is a problem that it is not clear whether or not the function or application that the user is trying to activate corresponds to a vertically long display screen and a horizontally long display screen. If you try to start a function or application that can be started only in the display state of the landscape display screen in the display state of the portrait display screen, the function or application cannot be started, but the user starts the function or application. After selecting an icon or menu to do so, a guidance message such as “This app does not support a portrait display screen” will be displayed.

  Thus, until the user selects an icon or menu, the user does not know what screen state the function or application corresponds to, and is stressed by the desired function or application not being activated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and the purpose of the present invention is to enable the user to grasp at a glance what screen state the function or application associated with the icon corresponds to. It is to realize a portable terminal, a control method of the portable terminal, a control program, and a storage medium.

  In the mobile terminal according to the present invention, in order to solve the above problem, the first casing including the display means, the second casing rotatably connected to the first casing, and the second casing A mobile terminal comprising: a detecting unit that detects a rotation angle of the first housing with respect to the housing; and a display control unit that displays a corresponding display screen on the display unit based on the rotation angle. As a state of the display screen displayed on the display means, a reference screen display state in which the vertical direction of the display screen of the first casing and the second casing match, and the second casing At least a rotation screen display state in which the first casing is rotated by a predetermined angle, an icon associated with activation of a function executed on the mobile terminal, and the function corresponding to the reference screen state and rotation Corresponding to the information indicating whether it is valid or invalid in the screen state Storage means for storing function correspondence information, wherein the display control means displays icons corresponding to the reference screen display state and the rotation screen display state on the display screen based on the function correspondence information. It is said.

  Moreover, in the control method in the portable terminal of this invention, in order to solve said problem, the 1st housing | casing containing a display means, and the 2nd housing | casing rotatably connected with a 1st housing | casing A portable device comprising detection means for detecting the rotation angle of the first casing relative to the second casing, and display control means for displaying a corresponding display screen on the display means based on the rotation angle. A control method in a terminal, wherein the mobile terminal includes an icon associated with activation of a function executed on the mobile terminal, and information indicating whether the function is valid or invalid in the reference screen state and the rotation screen state Storage means for storing the function correspondence information in association with each other, and as the state of the display screen displayed on the display means, the vertical direction between the display screen of the first casing and the second casing is Matching reference screen display status and top At least a rotation screen display state in which the first housing is rotated by a predetermined angle with respect to the second housing, and the display control means is configured to display the reference screen display state based on the function correspondence information. And a step of displaying an icon corresponding to the rotation screen display state on the display screen.

  According to the above configuration, the state of the display screen, that is, the size of the screen and the angle of the screen is changed by rotating the first casing provided with the display unit with respect to the second casing. When displaying a screen corresponding to the changed state of the display screen, it is possible to display functions that are valid and invalid in each screen display state with icons associated with the functions on the display screen.

  Accordingly, it is possible to realize a portable terminal that allows the user to grasp at a glance what screen state the function associated with the icon corresponds to.

  In the mobile terminal, when the screen display state is changed and the function associated with the icon is valid in the screen display state, the display control unit displays the icon associated with the function. If the function associated with the icon is invalid in the screen display state, the icon associated with the function is displayed to indicate that it is invalid. Is preferred.

  In the portable terminal, the icon has a vertical direction, and the display control unit is associated with the icon when the screen display state is changed from the reference screen display state to the rotation screen display state. When a function is effective in the rotation screen display state, the display is changed so that the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function matches the vertical direction of the second housing, and the icon is associated with the icon. When a given function is invalid in the rotation screen display state, it is preferable that the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function is displayed in the vertical direction in the reference screen display state.

  In the portable terminal, the icon has a vertical direction, and the display control unit is associated with the icon when the screen display state is changed from the rotation screen display state to the reference screen display state. When a function is valid in the reference screen display state, the display is changed so that the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function matches the vertical direction of the second housing, and the function is associated with the icon. If a given function is invalid in the reference screen display state, it is preferable to display the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function as the vertical direction in the rotation screen display state.

  According to the above configuration, the user is notified whether the function associated with a certain icon is effective in the current display screen state by changing the display of the icon. It is possible to grasp at a glance whether or not the function associated with the icon is effective simply by confirming the above.

  More specifically, when the screen display state is changed from the reference screen display state to the rotation screen display state, the reference screen display state in which the vertical direction of the first housing and the second housing match. The icon associated with the effective function is changed in display so as to coincide with the vertical direction of the second casing in the reference screen display state.

  On the contrary, when the screen display state is changed from the rotation screen display state to the reference screen display state, the icon associated with the function effective in the rotation screen display state is the second casing in the rotation screen display state. The display is changed so that the vertical direction of the icon matches the vertical direction of the icon.

  In addition, it is preferable that an icon associated with a function that is not effective in each screen display state is displayed on a new display screen while being oriented in the vertical direction in the screen display state before the change.

  According to the above configuration, the user can determine at a glance whether the function associated with the icon is valid or invalid in each screen display state simply by confirming the state of the displayed icon. it can. Furthermore, it is possible to determine at a glance how the display screen is rotated to enable the function.

  In addition, the said control method of a portable terminal can be performed on a computer by control of a computer. Furthermore, by storing the control program in a computer-readable recording medium, it can be executed on any computer.

  Since the mobile terminal according to the present invention includes the display control means for displaying the icons corresponding to the reference screen display state and the rotation screen display state on the display screen based on the function correspondence information as described above, the reference direction There is an effect that it is possible to display an appropriate icon on the display screen based on the function correspondence information associated with the icon provided with.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen display in the mobile terminal 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 1A is a display example when the screen is vertically long (reference screen display state), and FIG. Is a display example in a horizontally long state (rotation screen display state). Hereinafter, the function of each unit will be described in detail.

  The mobile terminal 1 includes a main body housing (second housing) 2, a display unit housing (first housing) 3, a hinge (connection means) unit 4, a TV antenna 5, an operation unit 6, a microphone 7, A speaker 8 and a display output unit (display means) 9 are provided. A display screen 10 is displayed on the display output unit 9, and an icon 12, an icon 14, and an icon 16 are displayed on the display screen 10. An arrow on the side of the display screen 10 points in the positive direction (upper side) when the user holds the mobile terminal 1.

  Here, the forward direction of the screen and icons will be described. In the present embodiment, when the user holds the main body housing 2, the direction on the upper side of the display from the user's viewpoint is the positive direction of the display screen. The icons 12, 14, and 16 are icons having directions that can be understood at a glance that one of the directions is on the upper side, and the direction that corresponds to the upper side of the icon matches the direction that corresponds to the upper side of the display screen 10. This state is called that the icon is in the forward direction.

  In FIG. 1A, the upper side of the figure is the positive direction for the icons 12 and 14, and the left side of the figure for the icon 16 is the positive direction. In FIG. 1B, the upper side of the figure is the positive direction for the icons 12 and 16, and the right side of the figure for the icon 14 is the positive direction. Here, the icon 12 is associated with an application that can be used on either a vertically long screen or a horizontally long screen. The icon 14 is associated with an application that is displayed only on a vertically long screen, and the icon 16 is associated with an application that is displayed only on a horizontally long screen.

  Each icon of the present embodiment uses a smile mark that imitates a smiling person, and considers the upper two circles as eyes and the lower arc as a mouth. In this case, the side where the two eyes are arranged is the upper side, which represents the reference direction. The icon is not limited to a smile mark, and any graphic, character, and line segment combination may be used as long as the user can recognize which direction is upward.

  The main body casing 2 and the display section casing 3 are connected by a hinge section 4, and the main body casing 2 and the display section casing 3 can be overlapped and folded by rotating around the hinge section 4. ing. The display unit housing 3 is rotatably connected to the hinge unit 4 by a rotation mechanism (not shown). FIG. 1A shows a state in which the display unit housing 3 is arranged linearly with respect to the main unit housing 2, and FIG. 1B shows the display unit housing 3 rotated 90 degrees clockwise. Indicates the state.

  In the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment, since the longitudinal directions of the main body housing 2 and the display unit housing 3 coincide with each other at the relative positions of the main body housing 2 and the display unit housing 3, the lengths of both of them. The main body housing 2 and the display unit housing 3 are connected to each other with a rotation mechanism that can rotate clockwise so that the angle formed by the direction is 90 degrees. The shape of the display output unit 9 of the display unit housing 3 can be switched to a vertically long rectangular shape (reference screen display state) or a horizontally long rectangular shape (rotary screen display state) by the rotation mechanism of the hinge portion 4. it can. In addition, in FIG. 1, in FIG. 1, the shape of the display output unit 9 when the vertical direction of the display unit housing 3 is longer than the horizontal direction with respect to the main body housing 2 is a vertical screen, and the vertical direction of the display unit housing 3 is horizontal. The shape of the display output unit 9 when it becomes shorter than this is called a landscape screen.

  Further, in the mobile terminal 1 of the present embodiment, when the state of the display output unit 9 is changed as described above, the vertical axis and the horizontal axis of the screen (reference screen display state) displayed on the display output unit 9 are also set. Is configured to change. That is, at the relative position between the display unit housing 3 and the main unit housing 2, the angle formed by the longitudinal directions of the main unit housing 2 and the display unit housing 3 is 90 degrees from the state in which the longitudinal directions of the main body housing 2 and the display unit housing 3 match. When rotating clockwise in such a state, change the setting so that the direction set as the vertical axis of the screen in the display area is the horizontal axis and the direction set as the horizontal axis of the screen is the vertical axis. (FIG. 6).

  That is, in the mobile terminal 1 of the present embodiment, the display output unit 9 that displays a screen generated by executing the application program by changing the relative position of the display unit housing 3 with respect to the main body housing 2 is used in the display output unit 9. The settings for the vertical and horizontal axes of the screen are changed.

  Further, in the portable terminal 1, although not shown in FIG. 1, the rotation direction and the rotation timing by the rotation mechanism are detected at the connection portion between the hinge unit 4 and the display unit housing 3, or the current display unit A detection unit (angle detection means) 10 that detects information on the relative position of the housing 3 with respect to the main body housing 2 is further provided. Then, the detection unit 18 outputs information (casing angle) related to the detected rotation direction and rotation timing by the rotation mechanism to the main control unit 16 or in response to a request from the main control unit 16. Information on the relative position of the body 3 with respect to the main body housing 2 is output to the main controller 16.

  Note that the rotation information based on the casing angle includes information indicating the timing at which the display unit casing 3 is rotated by the rotation mechanism, and display unit position information after the rotation, that is, the display output unit 9 in the display unit casing 3. Includes information indicating whether the position is a horizontally long rectangular shape or a vertically long rectangular shape.

  The detection unit 18 outputs the detected rotation information to the main control unit 16, or acquires display unit position information in response to a request from the main control unit 16 and outputs it to the main control unit 16. In other words, the mobile terminal 1 is configured so that it can be grasped from the detection result of the detection unit 18 whether the current shape of the display output unit 9 is a vertically long rectangular shape or a horizontally long rectangular shape. ing.

  In the present embodiment, two states are described in which the angle between the main body housing 2 and the display housing 3 is 0 degree or a state in which the angle is rotated 90 degrees clockwise, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be configured to be able to stop at any angle such as every 90 degrees or every 45 degrees. Further, it is not configured to rotate around the center of the display unit housing 3 as a fulcrum, but is configured to be rotatably connected to the hinge unit 4 or the main unit housing 2 at the lower right and lower left portions of the display unit housing 3. May be. The main body housing 2 and the display unit housing 3 may be fixed at a predetermined angle, and a screen display setting corresponding to the angle may be present.

  Further, in this embodiment, the angle between the main body housing 2 and the display unit housing 3 is 0 degree, that is, the state in which both the main body housing 2 and the display unit housing 3 are vertically long and straight is used as a reference. Although described as a screen display state, it is not limited to this. A state in which both the main body housing 2 and the display unit housing 3 are horizontally long as a reference state and the display unit housing 3 tilted by 90 degrees may be set as a rotation screen display state.

  Next, the function of each part of the portable terminal 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the relationship between each part of the mobile terminal 1 and the software configuration. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 1. The main body housing 2 includes an operation unit 6 and a microphone 7 on the surface, and an application processing unit 30 configured by a CPU and the like, and each storage unit. The display unit housing 3 includes a display output unit 9 and a rotation mechanism (not shown). Note that the display output unit 9 is fixed to the display unit housing 3, and the display output unit 9 rotates as the display unit housing 3 rotates.

  The hinge part 4 connects the main body housing 2 and the display unit housing 3 in a rotatable manner. The TV antenna 5 is an antenna for receiving TV broadcasts. Note that a communication antenna 67 (not shown) is stored in the main body housing 2. The operation unit 6 is an input device that receives an operation input from a user when executing various functions of the mobile terminal 1, and includes various keys and a touch panel.

  The microphone 7 receives voice input from the user and inputs it to the internal processing unit. Moreover, the hinge part 4 is provided with the detection part 18 which is not shown in figure. The speaker 8 performs voice output when executing functions such as voice call, incoming call, and music playback by the mobile terminal 1. The display output unit 9 displays and outputs the results of executing various functions in the mobile terminal 1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment includes the hinge unit 4, the TV antenna 5, the operation unit 6, the microphone 7, the speaker 8, the display output unit 9, the detection unit 18, and the communication. In addition to the antenna 67, the wireless communication processing unit 61, the signal processing unit 62, the display driver 13, the first memory 64, the second memory 65, the main control unit 16, and the digital broadcast receiving unit 68 are further provided. is there.

  Here, the first memory 64 plays a role of a buffer, and the second memory 65 plays a role of storing data permanently like a flash memory. The configuration of the first memory 64 and the second memory 65 that are storage devices of the mobile terminal 1 can be changed as appropriate according to the specifications of the mobile terminal 1, and may be provided integrally, for example.

  In the second memory 65, a system program that is a program for providing file management, memory management, input / output management, user interface, and the like in the mobile terminal 1, and an application program that operates on the system program Etc. are stored.

  Moreover, the main control part 16 controls each part with which the portable terminal 1 is provided, and can be implement | achieved by CPU etc., for example. Here, when the main control unit 16 is realized by, for example, a CPU or the like, the CPU reads out and executes the system program (OS) stored in the second memory 65 to the first memory 64, whereby the mobile terminal 1. Each part of the can be controlled.

  And the portable terminal 1 comprised in this way can perform a telephone call function, a television reception function, an application execution function, etc. as follows.

  First, in the mobile terminal 1, signals are transmitted to and received from the base station via the communication antenna 67 under the transmission / reception control by the wireless communication processing unit 61, and the signal processing unit 62 performs predetermined processing on signals transmitted and received The signal processing is performed. As a result, the mobile terminal 1 outputs the sound transmitted from the partner apparatus via the base station from the speaker 8 or transmits the sound input from the microphone 7 to the partner apparatus via the base station. In other words, a so-called call function is realized.

  In the mobile terminal 1, the TV antenna 5 receives a broadcast signal modulated by the OFDM modulation / demodulation method, and the digital broadcast receiving unit 68 demodulates the broadcast signal. The broadcast signal demodulated by the signal processing unit 62 is subjected to predetermined signal processing. In the received broadcast signal, the video data is displayed on the display output unit 9 under the control of the display driver 13, while the audio data is output from the speaker 8. Thereby, a television receiving function is realized. The digital broadcast receiving unit 68 can be realized by a tuner that sets a channel of a program to be received and a demodulator that demodulates broadcast data of the program set by the tuner.

  The mobile terminal 1 can also realize a so-called application execution function in which the main control unit 16 reads out and executes an application program from the second memory 65 in accordance with an instruction from the user input from the operation unit 6.

  Note that the functions of the mobile terminal 1 are not limited to the above-described call function, TV reception function, and application execution function, and further include, for example, an imaging unit configured by a CCD (charge coupled device) or a CMOS. A camera function for taking an image may be realized.

  By the way, in the portable terminal 1 according to the present embodiment, as described above, the display unit housing 3 has a rotation mechanism that rotates 90 degrees with respect to the main body housing 2. And according to rotation (movement) of this display part housing | casing 3, it was comprised so that the setting of the vertical axis | shaft of a screen displayed on the display output part 9 and a horizontal axis may be changed.

  For this reason, the display output unit 9 included in the display unit housing 3 has a vertically long rectangular shape or a horizontally long rectangular shape. Further, the ratio of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the screen displayed on the display output unit 9 is changed (FIG. 6).

  Therefore, when the screen to be displayed in accordance with the execution of the application program is designed to be adapted to a vertically long rectangular display area, when the display output unit 9 has a horizontally long rectangular shape, this display output The screen displayed with the execution of the application program does not correspond to the unit 9.

  Therefore, in the mobile terminal 1 of the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the application program can be appropriately executed at the housing angle, and it can be seen at a glance that it can be executed when it cannot be executed properly or with any screen setting. In addition, the icon display is changed. Note that processing for determining whether or not an application program can be appropriately executed at the current position of the display unit housing 3 and changing the icon display will be referred to as application execution suitability determination processing.

  Next, the software configuration of the mobile terminal 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of each block related to the screen display control process in the mobile terminal 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment has an operation unit 6, a display output unit 9, a display driver 13, a detection unit 18, a display direction determination unit 20, application processing in order to control screen display. Unit 30, a correspondence information storage unit 40 for storing correspondence information 41, and an icon data storage unit 50 for storing icon data 51. The application processing unit 30 further includes an acquisition unit 31, a display availability determination unit 32, an execution processing unit 33, and an execution confirmation unit 34.

  The correspondence information 41 is information indicating whether the application program can be executed in a predetermined screen state (vertical screen, horizontal screen). That is, whether the correspondence information 41 corresponds to the display output unit 9 in which the screen displayed after execution of the application program has a vertically long rectangular shape or corresponds to the display output unit 9 in a horizontally long rectangular shape. Or, it indicates whether it corresponds to both of these.

  As the icon data 51, an icon 12 associated with a function or application that can be executed on both a portrait screen and a landscape screen, and an icon associated with a function or application that can be executed only on a portrait screen 14 and icons 14 associated with functions and applications that can be executed only on a horizontally long screen are stored in the icon data storage unit 50, respectively.

  The display direction determination unit 20 displays the current display on the main body housing 2 based on the rotation information input from the detection unit 18 or the display unit position information acquired from the detection unit 18 in response to an instruction from the application processing unit 30. The relative position of the partial housing 3 is determined. That is, the display direction determination unit 20 determines whether the display output unit 9 has a vertically long rectangular shape or a horizontally long rectangular shape. The display direction determination unit 20 outputs the determined result to the application processing unit 30.

  Based on the determination result by the display direction determination unit 20, the application processing unit 30 is configured such that the sizes on the vertical axis and the horizontal axis set on the screen displayed when the application program is executed are the current display unit housing 3. , That is, whether or not it corresponds to the screen state of the display output unit 9, and the application program is executed.

  In addition, when the main control unit 16 is realized by a CPU, for example, the application processing unit 30 is realized by reading and starting an application program stored in the second memory 65 by the CPU. It is a functional block. The first memory 64 plays a role of a buffer, and the second memory 65 plays a role of storing data permanently like a flash memory.

  The acquisition unit 31 acquires a determination result about the relative position of the display unit housing 3 with respect to the main body housing 2 from the display direction determination unit 20 in accordance with an execution instruction of the application program input from the operation unit 6. It is. The acquisition unit 31 also receives a determination result by the display direction determination unit 20 for the rotation information input from the detection unit 18.

  When the acquisition unit 31 acquires a determination result about the relative position of the display unit housing 3 with respect to the main body housing 2 from the display direction determination unit 20, the acquisition unit 31 outputs the determination result to the display availability determination unit 32. On the other hand, when the determination result by the display direction determination unit 20 with respect to the rotation information input from the detection unit 18 is received, the determination result is output to the execution confirmation unit 34.

  The display availability determination unit 32 refers to the correspondence information 41 stored in the correspondence information storage unit 40 based on the determination result of the display direction determination unit 20 input from the acquisition unit 31, and is displayed by executing the application program It is determined whether or not the display range is within the range of the screen area in the current display output unit 9.

  That is, the display availability determination unit 32 can grasp the current shape (range) of the display output unit 9 based on the information input from the acquisition unit 31. On the other hand, the display availability determination unit 32 refers to the correspondence information 41 to determine whether the application program to be activated is designed to correspond to the vertically long display output unit 9 or to the horizontally long display output unit 9. Can be judged. That is, it is possible to determine whether the display range of the screen displayed by executing the application program fits in the vertically long display output unit 9 or the horizontally long display output unit 9.

  In this way, the display availability determination unit 32 can determine whether the screen range to be displayed with the execution of the application program can correspond to the shape of the display output unit 9 at the current position of the display unit housing 3. it can. That is, the display availability determination unit 32 can determine whether the application program to be executed is compatible with the current display output unit 9.

  When it is determined that the application program to be executed is compatible with the current display output unit 9, the display availability determination unit 32 instructs the execution processing unit 33 to execute the application program. In response to this instruction, the execution processing unit 33 continues to execute the application program.

  On the other hand, if it is determined that the application program to be executed in the current display output unit 9 cannot be handled, the execution processing unit 33 is instructed to stop the execution of the application program. In response to this instruction, the execution processing unit 33 temporarily stops the execution of the application program.

  Furthermore, the display availability determination unit 32 instructs the display driver 13 to display the icon data 51. In response to this instruction, the display driver 13 controls to read the icon data 51 from the icon data storage unit 50 and display it on the display output unit 9. Examples of the contents of the icon data 51 displayed on the display output unit 9 include the following examples.

  In other words, when the display unit housing 3 is located at a position where the display output unit 9 has a horizontally long rectangular shape, the display output unit 9 can be displayed if the application program associated with the icon cannot be activated in the shape of the display output unit 9 at this time. When the determination unit 32 determines, the icon associated with the application is not changed. That is, even if the display unit housing 3 is placed sideways, the icon does not change the display direction corresponding to the upper side of the new screen. Here, “laterally” means that the display unit housing 3 is moved (rotated) to a position where the display output unit 9 has a horizontally long rectangular shape.

  The execution processing unit 33 is for executing or stopping the application program. The execution processing unit 33 also responds to an inquiry about the execution status of the application program from the execution confirmation unit 34 described later.

  When the determination result by the display direction determination unit 20 with respect to the rotation information is input from the acquisition unit 31, the execution confirmation unit 34 inquires of the execution processing unit 33 and confirms the execution state of the application program in the mobile terminal 1. .

  When the execution confirmation unit 34 confirms that the display based on the icon data 51 is performed and the execution of the application program is paused when the determination result by the display direction determination unit 20 with respect to the rotation information is input, The display driver 13 is instructed to erase the display indicating that the direction of the display output unit 9 does not correspond to the application. Then, it instructs the execution processing unit 33 to resume execution of the application program that has been paused.

  In addition, when the execution confirmation unit 34 determines that the application program is being executed when the determination result by the display direction determination unit 20 with respect to the rotation information is input, the execution confirmation unit 34 instructs the display availability determination unit 32. Then, it is determined whether or not the application program being executed corresponds to the position of the display unit housing 3 after the movement.

  Hereinafter, the flow of the application program execution suitability determination process and the icon display change process in the mobile terminal 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an application program execution suitability determination process and an icon display change process flow in the mobile terminal 1.

  When the process is started, in S101, the display direction determination unit 20 detects whether the shape of the display screen in the display output unit 9 is a vertically long display screen or a horizontally long display screen by the detection unit 18. Determine based on. If the display screen is vertically long (vertically long in S101), the process proceeds to S102. If the display screen is horizontally long (horizontal in S101), the process proceeds to S103.

  In S <b> 102, the display availability determination unit 32 determines whether the function or application that is currently being activated corresponds to a vertically long display screen. If the function or application supports a vertically long display screen (YES in S102), the process proceeds to S104. If not (NO in S102), the process proceeds to S105.

  In step S <b> 104, the execution confirmation unit 34 uses the display driver 13 to change the icon so that the icon corresponding to the function or application is displayed upright in alignment with the upper side of the current display screen. In other words, the current display screen is vertically long, and the function or application supports the setting of the vertically long display screen. Therefore, the upper side of the icon is directed in the same direction as the upper side of the current vertical display screen. Change as follows. As a result, since the upper side when the user grips the main body housing 2 and the upper side of the current display screen are displayed in alignment, the user can see at a glance that the function or application supports a vertically long display screen. (The icon 12 and the icon 14 in FIG. 1A).

  In S <b> 105, the execution confirmation unit 34 uses the display driver 13 to change the icon corresponding to the function or application to an icon rotated 90 degrees horizontally. That is, since the current display screen is portrait and the function or application does not support the portrait display screen, in order to clearly indicate to the user that the function or application does not support the portrait screen, Change the icon corresponding to the function or application to the one rotated 90 degrees to the left. As a result, an icon rotated 90 degrees from the upper side of the current display screen is displayed, so that the user can activate the function or application by rotating the display output unit 9 90 degrees to the right. It can be grasped at a glance that it cannot be activated (icon 16 in FIG. 1A).

  In S103, the display availability determination unit 32 determines whether or not the function or application that is currently being activated corresponds to a horizontally long display screen. If the function or application supports a horizontally long display screen (YES in S103), the process proceeds to S106. If not (NO in S103), the process proceeds to S107.

  In S <b> 106, the execution confirmation unit 34 uses the display driver 13 to change the icon so that the icon corresponding to the function or application is displayed upright in alignment with the upper side of the current display screen. That is, since the current display screen is horizontally long and the function or application supports the setting of the horizontally long display screen, the upper side of the icon is directed in the same direction in addition to the upper side of the current horizontally long display screen. Change as follows. As a result, since the upper side when the user grips the main body housing 2 and the upper side of the current display screen are displayed in alignment, the user can easily see that the function or application corresponds to a horizontally long display screen. (The icon 12 and the icon 16 in FIG. 1B).

  In S107, the execution confirmation unit 34 uses the display driver 13 to change the icon corresponding to the function or application to an icon rotated 90 degrees horizontally. That is, the current display screen is horizontally long, and the icon corresponding to the function or application is rotated 90 degrees to the right to clearly indicate to the user that the function or application is not compatible with the landscape screen. Change to As a result, an icon rotated 90 degrees from the upper side of the current display screen is displayed, so that the user can start the function or application by rotating the display output unit 9 90 degrees to the left. It can be grasped at a glance that it cannot be activated (icon 14 in FIG. 1B).

  As described above, the mobile terminal 1 can execute the function or application execution suitability determination when the relative position of the display unit housing 3 with respect to the main body housing 2 is changed.

  Therefore, in the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment, the function or application display screen corresponds to the current display screen shape of the display output unit 9 when the function or application is executed and when the display unit housing 3 is rotated. It can be determined whether or not.

  Here, when the function or application does not support the vertical screen setting or the horizontal screen setting, the display screen of the application program to be executed on the mobile terminal 1 is oriented in the same direction as the shape of the corresponding display output unit 9. That is, the rotation of the display unit housing 3 is directed to the user so that the setting of the vertical axis and horizontal axis of the display screen in the display output unit 9 corresponds to the vertical axis and horizontal axis of the screen that can be displayed by the application program. You can prompt by showing.

  That is, in order to display an icon that can prompt the user to change the setting of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis of the screen displayed on the display output unit 9, that is, the display output unit 9, the display on the current display output unit 9 In the setting of the vertical axis and horizontal axis of the screen, even if the screen generated by executing the function or application cannot be displayed in the display output unit 9, the setting of the vertical axis and horizontal axis can be changed appropriately. Can be displayed.

  For this reason, for example, when the copyright holder who provides the application does not like to destroy the design, layout, etc. of the screen displayed by executing the application, and does not allow the enlargement, reduction, etc. of this screen. Can be displayed appropriately without enlarging or reducing.

  Furthermore, in the mobile terminal 1 of the present embodiment, the application program to be executed does not need to be designed in advance so that it can be displayed corresponding to each display area having a different aspect ratio. Costs for program development can be reduced.

  Further, the current display screen shape of the display output unit 9 is grasped, the display screen shape of the display output unit 9 that can be applied to the application program to be executed is confirmed, and the display unit housing 3 is rotated as necessary. It is the structure which displays the icon to instruct | indicate. For this reason, the portable terminal 1 according to the present embodiment can be applied to an application program such as a Java (registered trademark) application loaded from the outside as long as it holds information on the shape of the display output unit 9 that can be supported. Can be applied.

  Next, specific sizes of the vertically long display screen and the horizontally long display screen will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of display range information held in the mobile terminal 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the display output unit 9 included in the mobile terminal 1 of the present embodiment and the vertical size and horizontal size of the screen displayed on the display output unit 9.

  The mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment further includes a display range information storage unit 69 and a data storage unit 70 that can be realized as the second memory 65. The display range information storage unit 69 stores display range information, and the data storage unit 70 stores display data.

  The display range information is information related to the screen range displayed by executing the application program. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, when the shape of the display output unit 9 is vertically long (that is, when the vertical axis of the screen is longer than the horizontal axis), when it is horizontally long (that is, the screen In each case, the size information of the vertical axis and the horizontal axis can be displayed by executing the application program. As shown in FIG. 6, the vertical size and the horizontal size are set in advance in the application program for each case where the display output unit 9 has a vertically long shape or a horizontally long shape.

  The display data is image data that is read when the application program is executed, and a screen generated based on the display data as the application program is executed is displayed on the screen generated by the application program execution.

  In addition, although the portable terminal 1 which concerns on this Embodiment is the structure which hold | maintains the display data used at the time of execution of an application program previously, it is not limited to this. For example, the display data may be acquired from the outside using the communication antenna 67, the wireless communication processing unit 61, and the signal processing unit 62 when the application program is executed.

  In the present embodiment, the smile mark is used for the icon as a figure that can be seen at a glance which side is the upper side, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 7, the screen may be divided into cells of 3 digits × 4 lines, and the function or application content may be written in characters in each cell.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen configuration in which icons for starting functions or applications are configured using ruled lines and characters. In FIG. 7, ruled lines as icons associated with nine functions or applications such as “net”, “application”, “camera”, “mail”, “data box”, “phone book”, “setting”, “useful tool”, and “media tool”. And strings are used. When a character string is used for an icon, the upper side of the character from which the character string can be read may be set as the positive direction.

  As described above, the mobile terminal 1 of the present embodiment includes the display unit housing 3 including the display output unit 9, the second housing rotatably connected to the display unit housing 3, and the display unit housing. 3 is a portable terminal 1 including a detection unit that detects a rotation angle of the main body housing 2 with respect to the display unit 3 and a display driver 13 that displays a corresponding display screen on the display output unit 9 based on the rotation angle. As a state of the display screen displayed on the output unit 9, a reference screen display state in which the display screen of the display unit housing 3 matches the vertical direction of the main unit housing 2, and the main unit housing with respect to the display unit housing 3. At least a rotation screen display state obtained by rotating 2 by a predetermined angle, and an icon associated with activation of a function executed on the mobile terminal 1 and whether the function is valid in the reference screen state and the rotation screen state Function correspondence information that correlates with invalid information Further comprising a storage means for 憶, display driver 13, based on the function correspondence information, the icon corresponding to the reference screen display state and the rotating screen display state is displayed on the display screen.

  Moreover, in the control method in the portable terminal 1 of this invention, the display part housing | casing 3 containing the display output part 9, the main body housing | casing 2 connected with the display part housing | casing 3 rotatably, the display part housing | casing 3, and A control method in a portable terminal comprising a detecting means for detecting a second angle and a display driver 13 for causing the display output unit 9 to display a corresponding display screen based on the angle. Storage means for storing function correspondence information in which an icon associated with activation of a function executed on the portable terminal 1 is associated with information indicating whether the function is valid or invalid in the reference screen state and the rotation screen state. The display screen state displayed on the display output unit 9 includes a reference screen display state in which the display screen of the display unit housing 3 matches the vertical direction of the main body housing 2, and the display unit housing 3 or Only a predetermined angle of the main body housing 2 Including a step in which the display driver 13 displays icons corresponding to the reference screen display state and the rotation screen display state on the display screen based on the function correspondence information. Yes.

  According to the above configuration, by rotating the display unit housing 3 provided with the display output unit 9 with respect to the main body housing 2 held by the user, the state of the display screen, that is, the screen size and the screen When changing the angle of the screen and displaying a screen corresponding to the changed display screen state, the function effective in the reference screen display state, the function effective in the rotated screen display state, and both screens The display driver 13 can display an appropriate icon on the display screen based on the function correspondence information in which the function effective in the display state is associated with the icon having the reference direction.

  Accordingly, it is possible to realize the mobile terminal 1 that allows the user to grasp at a glance what screen state the function associated with the icon corresponds to.

  In the portable terminal 1 described above, when the function associated with the icon is valid in the screen display state when the screen display state is changed, the display driver 13 displays the icon associated with the function. If the function associated with the icon is invalid in the screen display state, the icon associated with the function is displayed to indicate that it is invalid. Yes.

  In the portable terminal 1, the icon has a vertical direction, and the display driver 13 is associated with the icon when the screen display state is changed from the reference screen display state to the rotation screen display state. When a certain function is effective in the rotation screen display state, the display is changed so that the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function matches the vertical direction of the main body housing 2, and the icon is associated with the icon. When a certain function is invalid in the rotation screen display state, the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function is displayed in the vertical direction in the reference screen display state.

  In the portable terminal 1, the icon has a vertical direction, and the display driver 13 is associated with the icon when the screen display state is changed from the rotation screen display state to the reference screen display state. When a function is effective in the reference screen display state, the display is changed so that the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function matches the vertical direction of the main body housing 2, and the icon is associated with the icon. When a certain function is invalid in the reference screen display state, the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function is displayed in the vertical direction in the rotation screen display state.

  According to the above configuration, the user is notified whether the function associated with a certain icon is effective in the current display screen state by changing the display of the icon. It is possible to grasp at a glance whether or not the function associated with the icon is effective simply by confirming the above.

  More specifically, when the screen display state is changed from the reference screen display state to the rotation screen display state, in the reference screen display state in which the vertical direction of the display unit housing 3 and the main body housing 2 match. The icon associated with the effective function is changed in display so as to coincide with the vertical direction of the main body housing 2 in the reference screen display state.

  On the contrary, when the screen display state is changed from the rotation screen display state to the reference screen display state, the icon associated with the function effective in the rotation screen display state is the icon of the main body housing 2 in the rotation screen display state. The display is changed so that the vertical direction matches the vertical direction of the icon.

  In addition, icons associated with functions that are not valid in each screen display state are configured to be displayed on a new display screen while facing in the vertical direction in the screen display state before the change.

  According to the above configuration, the user can determine at a glance whether the function associated with the icon is valid or invalid in each screen display state simply by confirming the state of the displayed icon. it can. Furthermore, it is possible to determine at a glance how the display screen is rotated to enable the function.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  Finally, each block of the mobile terminal 1, particularly each functional block in the main control unit 16 and the application processing unit 30, may be configured by hardware logic, or realized by software using a CPU as follows. May be.

  That is, the mobile terminal 1 includes a CPU (central processing unit) that executes instructions of a control program that realizes each function, a ROM (read only memory) that stores the program, a RAM (random access memory) that expands the program, A storage device (recording medium) such as a memory for storing the program and various data is provided. An object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium in which a program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of a control program of the portable terminal 1 which is software that realizes the above-described functions is recorded so as to be readable by a computer. This can also be achieved by supplying the portable terminal 1 and reading and executing the program code recorded on the recording medium by the computer (or CPU or MPU).

  Examples of the recording medium include a tape system such as a magnetic tape and a cassette tape, a magnetic disk such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk / hard disk, and an optical disk such as a CD-ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R. Card system such as IC card, IC card (including memory card) / optical card, or semiconductor memory system such as mask ROM / EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM.

  Moreover, the portable terminal 1 may be configured to be connectable to a communication network, and the program code may be supplied via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited. For example, the Internet, intranet, extranet, LAN, ISDN, VAN, CATV communication network, virtual private network, telephone line network, mobile communication network, satellite communication. A net or the like is available. Further, the transmission medium constituting the communication network is not particularly limited. For example, even in the case of wired such as IEEE 1394, USB, power line carrier, cable TV line, telephone line, ADSL line, etc., infrared rays such as IrDA and remote control, Bluetooth ( (Registered trademark), 802.11 wireless, HDR, mobile phone network, satellite line, terrestrial digital network, and the like can also be used. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a computer data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program code is embodied by electronic transmission.

  Since the mobile terminal according to the present invention includes the display control means for displaying the icons corresponding to the reference screen display state and the rotation screen display state on the display screen based on the function correspondence information as described above, the reference direction An appropriate icon can be displayed on the display screen based on the function correspondence information associated with the icon having.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part of a mobile terminal, in which FIG. 1A is a display example in a vertically long screen, and FIG. It is a display example in a horizontally long state. It is a functional block diagram which shows the relationship between each part of the said portable terminal, and a software structure. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the said portable terminal. It is a flowchart explaining the execution propriety determination process of an application program in the said portable terminal, and an icon display change process flow. It is a figure which shows an example of the display range information hold | maintained with the said portable terminal. It is a figure explaining the vertical size and horizontal size of the screen which are displayed on the display output part with which the said portable terminal is provided, and a display output part. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen structure which comprised the icon which starts a function or an application using a ruled line and a character in the said portable terminal.

Explanation of symbols

1 mobile terminal 2 body housing (second housing)
3 Display housing (first housing)
4 Hinge part 5 TV antenna 6 Operation part 7 Microphone 8 Speaker 9 Display output part (display means)
10 Display screen 12 Icon 13 Display driver (display control means)
14 icon 16 icon 16 main control unit 18 detection unit (detection means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Display direction determination part 30 Application process part 31 Acquisition part 32 Display availability determination part 33 Execution process part (display control means)
34 execution confirmation unit 40 correspondence information storage unit (storage means)
41 Correspondence information (function correspondence information)
50 Icon data storage (storage means)
51 Icon Data 61 Wireless Communication Processing Unit 62 Signal Processing Unit 64 First Memory 65 Second Memory 67 Communication Antenna 68 Digital Broadcasting Reception Unit 69 Display Range Information Storage Unit

Claims (8)

A first housing including display means;
A second housing rotatably connected to the first housing;
Detecting means for detecting a rotation angle of the first casing with respect to the second casing;
A portable terminal comprising display control means for causing the display means to display a corresponding display screen based on the rotation angle,
As the state of the display screen displayed on the display means,
A reference screen display state in which the vertical direction of the display screen of the first housing and the second housing match,
At least a rotating screen display state in which the first casing is rotated by a predetermined angle with respect to the second casing,
An icon with an up and down direction associated with activation of a function executed on the mobile terminal is associated with information indicating whether the function is valid or invalid in the reference screen display state and the rotation screen display state. It further comprises storage means for storing function correspondence information,
The display control means is based on the function correspondence information.
When the screen display state is changed from the standard screen display state to the rotation screen display state,
When a function associated with the icon is valid in the rotating screen display state, the display is changed so that the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function matches the vertical direction of the second housing. And
When a function associated with the icon is invalid in the rotation screen display state, the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function is displayed in the vertical direction in the reference screen display state. Mobile device.   A first housing including display means;
  A second housing rotatably connected to the first housing;
  Detecting means for detecting a rotation angle of the first casing with respect to the second casing;
  A portable terminal comprising display control means for causing the display means to display a corresponding display screen based on the rotation angle,
  As the state of the display screen displayed on the display means,
  A reference screen display state in which the vertical direction of the display screen of the first housing and the second housing match,
  At least a rotating screen display state in which the first casing is rotated by a predetermined angle with respect to the second casing,
  An icon with an up and down direction associated with activation of a function executed on the mobile terminal is associated with information indicating whether the function is valid or invalid in the reference screen display state and the rotation screen display state. It further comprises storage means for storing function correspondence information,
  The display control means is based on the function correspondence information.
  When the screen display state is changed from the above rotation screen display state to the reference screen display state,
  When a function associated with the icon is valid in the reference screen display state, the display is changed so that the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function matches the vertical direction of the second housing. And
  When a function associated with the icon is invalid in the reference screen display state, the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function is displayed in the vertical direction in the rotation screen display state. Mobile device. A first housing including display means;
A second housing rotatably connected to the first housing;
Detecting means for detecting a rotation angle of the first casing with respect to the second casing;
A control method in a portable terminal comprising display control means for displaying a corresponding display screen on the display means based on the rotation angle,
As the state of the display screen displayed on the display means,
A reference screen display state in which the vertical direction of the display screen of the first housing and the second housing match,
At least a rotating screen display state in which the first casing is rotated by a predetermined angle with respect to the second casing,
The portable terminal has an icon with a vertical direction associated with activation of a function executed on the portable terminal, and information indicating whether the function is valid or invalid in the reference screen display state and the rotation screen display state. Storage means for storing function correspondence information in association with
The display control means is based on the function correspondence information,
When the screen display state is changed from the reference screen display state to the rotation screen display state, if a certain function associated with the icon is valid in the rotation screen display state, the function is associated with the function. Changing the display so that the vertical direction of the icon matches the vertical direction of the second housing;
Certain functions associated with the icon, if it is ineffective in the rotating screen display state, to and displaying the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function remains vertical direction of the reference screen display state A method for controlling a portable terminal.   A first housing including display means;
  A second housing rotatably connected to the first housing;
  Detecting means for detecting a rotation angle of the first casing with respect to the second casing;
  A control method in a portable terminal comprising display control means for displaying a corresponding display screen on the display means based on the rotation angle,
  As the state of the display screen displayed on the display means,
  A reference screen display state in which the vertical direction of the display screen of the first housing and the second housing match,
  At least a rotating screen display state in which the first casing is rotated by a predetermined angle with respect to the second casing,
  The portable terminal has an icon with a vertical direction associated with activation of a function executed on the portable terminal, and information indicating whether the function is valid or invalid in the reference screen display state and the rotation screen display state. Storage means for storing function correspondence information in association with
  The display control means is based on the function correspondence information,
  When the screen display state is changed from the above rotation screen display state to the reference screen display state,
  When a function associated with the icon is valid in the reference screen display state, the display is changed so that the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function matches the vertical direction of the second housing. And steps to
  When a certain function associated with the icon is invalid in the reference screen display state, the vertical direction of the icon associated with the function is displayed in the vertical direction in the rotation screen display state. A method for controlling a portable terminal. A control program for operating the mobile terminal according to claim 1 or 2 for causing a computer to function as the display control means. A computer-readable recording medium on which the control program according to claim 5 is recorded.   A method for controlling a portable terminal provided with a display means,
  Determining whether the shape of the display screen in the display means is a vertically long display screen or a horizontally long display screen;
  Determining whether or not the function or application to be activated corresponds to a vertically long display screen when the display screen is vertically long;
  If the function or application supports a vertically long display screen, changing the icon so that the icon corresponding to the function or application is aligned upright on the current display screen and displayed upright;
  A step of changing the icon corresponding to the function or application to an icon rotated by 90 degrees horizontally when the function or application does not support a vertically long display screen. Method.   A method for controlling a portable terminal provided with a display means,
  Determining whether the shape of the display screen in the display means is a vertically long display screen or a horizontally long display screen;
  Determining whether the function or application to be activated corresponds to a horizontally long display screen when the display screen is horizontally long;
  If the function or application supports a horizontally long display screen, changing the icon so that the icon corresponding to the function or application is aligned upright on the current display screen and displayed upright;
  A step of changing the icon corresponding to the function or application to an icon rotated by 90 degrees horizontally when the function or application does not support a horizontally long display screen. Method.

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