JPH10108152A - Portable information terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the operability of the portable information terminal by adopting a structure for the information terminal such that the portable information terminal is made small to be mounted on an arm. SOLUTION: A band 12 is connected to the portable information terminal so as to allow the portable information terminal to be mounted on the arm of the user in the case of carrying the portable information terminal, display devices 5, 6 are provided respectively to a rear side of a main body cover 2 connected to an upper side of a terminal main body and this side of an upper face of the main body 1 respectively so as to allow the user to reference a plurality of images at the same time, and furthermore a video signal with a depth is displayed by devising a 3D (dimension) image to be displayed on the display devices. Moreover, a CCD camera 4 is turned in a front/rear direction of a main body cover 2, or a lens is provided respectively a rear/front side of the main body cover 2 so as to select an input direction of an image to be picked up with a liquid crystal shutter, or the CCD camera 4 is formed to be foldable to the front side of the main body cover 2, then an image in existence in the rear/front direction of the main body cover 2 is picked up.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a portable information terminal capable of transmitting / receiving and recording / reproducing voices and images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art While the digitization of wireless communication and the enhancement of service functions are progressing, the miniaturization of portable information terminals is also advancing rapidly. Against this background, portable information terminals for transmitting and receiving images have been developed. For example, Japanese Patent Application No. 5-73
FIG. 7 shows a portable wireless TV phone as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 200-200. In FIG. 7, the portable wireless TV phone has an operation unit and a microphone 22 on the upper surface of an apparatus main body 21 and an apparatus main body 2.
An earpiece 23 and a second microphone are provided on one lower surface, and a flip part 25 connected to the apparatus main body 21 by a hinge 24 is further provided.

Further, a monitor 2 is provided on the surface of the flip portion 25.
6. A CCD camera 27 and a speaker 28 are provided. When the flip section 25 is opened, the speaker 28 or the earphone 29 is kept at a fixed distance toward the monitor 26, the CCD camera 27, and the speaker 28 while checking the monitor 26.
Thus, it can be used as a wireless TV phone, and can be used as a normal mobile phone by closing the flip part 25 and placing the earpiece 23 on the device body side.

[0004]

The conventional portable information terminal is small in size, but slightly large for carrying around. In addition, downsizing tends to cause loss, and furthermore, the displayed screen becomes smaller and the image becomes difficult to see, so that usability is impaired. An object of the present invention is to improve the usability of a portable information terminal by reducing the size of the portable information terminal and adopting a structure that can be worn on an arm.

[0005]

According to the portable information terminal of the present invention, at least one of voice and image information can be transmitted / received and / or recorded / reproduced, and the apparatus main body is connected to a band, It can be attached to In the portable information terminal according to the second aspect, the display device is provided on the back surface of the main body cover connected to the upper surface of the main body and on the front side of the upper surface of the main body.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a portable information terminal displays a 3D image,
The information is displayed on the display device.
The portable information terminal according to claim 4, wherein a C
The CD camera is provided so as to be rotatable in the front and rear directions of the cover. 6. The portable information terminal according to claim 5, wherein a liquid crystal shutter, a half mirror, and a mirror are built in the CCD camera installed above the main body cover, and when photographing the front side of the main body cover, the liquid crystal shutter on the front side of the main body cover is opened. Close the LCD shutter on the back side of the cover, and reflect the image reflected by the mirror and passing through the half mirror.
To take a picture at D, and to photograph the back side of the main body cover, open the liquid crystal shutter on the back side of the main body cover, close the liquid crystal shutter on the front side of the main body cover, and set the image reflected on the half mirror to
It is characterized by shooting on a CD.

A portable information terminal according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a CCD camera is arranged above the main body cover so as to be foldable toward the surface of the cover. That is, in the first aspect of the present invention, the band is connected so that it can be worn on the wrist when the portable information terminal is carried around. According to the second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of screens can be referred to at the same time by providing the display device on the back surface of the main body cover connected to the upper surface of the main body and on the front side of the upper surface of the main body.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a display device capable of displaying a 3D image can be used to display a deep image. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the CCD camera is rotated in the front and rear directions of the main body cover, thereby enabling photographing in the front and rear directions of the cover. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a lens is provided on the back surface of the cover, and the input direction of an image to be shot can be switched by a liquid crystal shutter, thereby enabling shooting in the front and back directions of the cover.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the CCD camera section can be folded on the front side of the main body cover to enable photographing in the front and back directions of the cover.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an apparatus main body, 2 denotes a main body cover connected to the apparatus main body 1, 3 denotes a display cover connected to the apparatus main body 1, and 4 denotes image information including a 3D image installed on an upper part of the main body cover 2. Cameras 5 and 6 are provided on the back of the body cover 2 and on the front side of the front surface of the apparatus body 1 for displaying still images or moving images such as images and characters and 3D images.
Reference numeral 7 denotes a speaker installed at the top of the main body cover 2 for outputting audio information, 8 denotes a microphone installed on the front side of the main body for inputting audio information, and 9 denotes an operation button of the present apparatus installed on the surface of the apparatus main body 1. Reference numeral 10 denotes a slit for inserting and removing a memory card installed on the side of the apparatus main body, 11 denotes a display device having a clock function installed on the front side of the apparatus main body, and 12 denotes a display connected to the apparatus main body 1, It is a band when worn on the arm.

The operation of the portable information terminal of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below. The portable information terminal of the present invention includes a wristwatch, a telephone with only voice, a voice memo capable of recording and reproducing voice, a TV telephone capable of transmitting and receiving 3D images,
There is a function as a video capable of recording and reproducing 3D images and normal images.

Normally, as shown in FIG. 2, the apparatus main body 1 is worn on an arm with a band 12, and the main body cover 2 and the display unit cover 3 are closed. A solar cell 13 is attached to the surface of the main body cover 2, and a rechargeable battery built in the apparatus main body is charged. The display unit cover 3 is cut out in the vicinity of the display unit 11 so that the display unit 11 having a clock function can be referred to even when the display unit cover 3 is closed.

For use as a telephone and voice memo,
As shown in FIG. 1, the user opens the main body cover 2 and the display unit cover 3, dials using the operation buttons 9, and transmits and receives audio information using the microphone 8 and the speaker 7. When recording voice information as a voice memo, the voice information is directly recorded in the built-in memory, or a removable memory card 14 is inserted into the slit 10 as shown in FIG. 2 to record and reproduce the voice information. To remove the memory card, the user presses one of the operation buttons 9.

To use as a TV phone, the user opens the main body cover 2 and the display unit cover 3 as shown in FIG. 1, dials using the operation buttons 9, and switches the display devices 5 and 6 to, for example, a personal monitor and a communication partner. And transmits and receives audio information using the microphone 8 and the speaker 7. By installing the display devices 5 and 6 behind the body cover 2 and in front of the surface of the device body 1, the screen can be viewed in a comfortable posture.

Images are captured by the CCD camera 4 and transmitted and received by the communication function. The 3D image and the 2D image of the received image are automatically distinguished and displayed on the display device 5 or 6. The image taken by the CCD camera 4 and transmitted from here is basically a 3D image.
2 if the other party has only 2D display function
It has backward compatibility as indicated by D.

The 3D display according to the present invention employs the following method. 3D display uses binocular parallax (a difference in appearance due to a difference in the position of the right and left eyes of a human), which is a main factor of stereoscopic vision, to give different images to the right and left eyes of the observer. Is realized. In general 2D video, since there is some movement other than a still image, two images with a time difference are generated according to the horizontal component of this movement, and these are displayed by the right and left eyes of the observer. Binocular parallax was realized. By providing this function in the display devices 5, 6 and the device main body, 3D display is enabled.

The display devices 5 and 6 can switch the image to be output by the operation buttons 9. For example, the display device 5 and the monitor of the communication partner side or the monitor of the communication partner side and the image recorded on the memory card 14 are displayed. You can use them separately, such as referring to images at the same time. When used as a video, the main unit cover 2 and the display unit cover 3 as shown in FIG.
Is opened, and the CCD camera 4 and the microphone 8 are used. CC
The 3D image photographed by the D camera 4 and the audio information recorded simultaneously by the microphone 8 can be recorded in the built-in memory of the main body or the removable memory card 14, and the recorded data can be transmitted and received by the reproduction and communication function on the spot. .

The CCD camera 4 may be in the form shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6. FIG. 3 is a side view of the portable information terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. When photographing the rear side of the main body cover 2 (the direction in which the display device 5 is installed), the CCD camera 4 attached to the upper part of the main body cover 2 is turned to the rear side of the main body cover 2 and the angle of the main body cover 2 is set. The subject can be photographed by adjusting. When photographing the front side of the main body cover 2, the front side of the main body cover 2 can be photographed by rotating the CCD camera 4 to face the front side of the main body cover 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a main body in which a liquid crystal shutter is employed in the CCD camera 4. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the photographing unit. A liquid crystal shutter 15, a half mirror 16, a mirror 17, and a CCD 20 are built in the body cover 2. When shooting an image on the lens 18 side (back side of the body cover 2), the liquid crystal shutter on the lens 18 side is opened with the operation button 9 and the liquid crystal shutter on the lens 19 side is closed, so that the lens 18 is closed. The passed image is reflected by the half mirror 16 and photographed by the CCD 20. Lens 19
When shooting video on the side (the front side of the body cover 2),
By opening the liquid crystal shutter on the lens 19 side with the operation button 9 and closing the liquid crystal shutter on the lens 18 side,
The image passing through the lens 19 is reflected by the mirror 17, passes through the half mirror 16, and is photographed by the CCD 20.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the main body adopting the photographing unit folding system. When photographing the back side of the main body cover 2, the photographing can be performed as it is. However, when photographing the front side of the main body cover 2, the photographing unit is folded on the front side of the main body cover 2 so that the image in the front direction of the main body cover 2 can be obtained. Can be taken. At this time, the image input to the CCD camera 4 is
Unlike the case of photographing the back side of 2, the image is turned upside down, but is automatically corrected when the photographing unit is folded, and an image in a normal direction is photographed.

[0021]

According to the portable information terminal of the present invention, the portable information terminal can be prevented from being lost by being worn on the wrist and can be easily carried. In addition, since the display device is provided on the back surface of the main body cover connected to the upper surface of the main body and on the front side of the upper surface of the main body, a plurality of screens can be referred to at the same time, and the screens can be referred to in a comfortable posture. Will be better.

Further, by adopting a display device for displaying a 3D image, an image having a large depth is reproduced, so that the image can be easily viewed. Further, by rotating the CCD camera, images can be taken in the front and back directions of the main body cover, so that the photographable range is expanded. In addition, since a lens is installed on the back surface of the body cover of the CCD camera and an image in the front and back direction of the cover can be taken by switching the liquid crystal shutter, a photographable range is widened.

Further, by making the CCD camera foldable on the front side of the main body cover, images can be taken in the direction of the front and back of the main body cover, so that the photographable range is widened.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the cover of the portable information terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention is closed.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the portable information terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a CCD of the portable information terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.
It is a side view of a main body when a liquid crystal shutter is used for a camera.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part of the CCD camera of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a CCD of the portable information terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a side view of the main body when the camera is of a foldable type.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a conventional portable information terminal.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Device main body 2 Body cover 3 Display cover 4 CCD camera 5 Display device 6 Display device 7 Speaker 8 Microphone 9 Operation button 10 Slit for memory card 11 Display device with clock function 12 Band 13 Solar cell 14 Memory card 15 Liquid crystal shutter 16 Half mirror 17 Mirror 18 Lens 19 Lens 20 CCD

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A portable information terminal capable of performing at least one of transmission and reception and recording / reproduction of at least one of voice and image information, a main body connected to a band, and being attached to an arm. 2. The portable information terminal according to claim 1, wherein the display device is provided on the back surface of the body cover connected to the top surface of the device body and on the front side of the top surface of the body. 3. The portable information terminal according to claim 2, wherein a 3D image is displayed on the display device. 4. The portable information terminal according to claim 2, wherein a CCD camera is provided on an upper part of the main body cover so as to be rotatable in a front and rear direction of the cover. 5. A CCD installed on an upper part of the main body cover
A liquid crystal shutter, a half mirror and a mirror are provided inside the camera, and when photographing the front side of the main body cover, the liquid crystal shutter on the front side of the main body cover is opened, the liquid crystal shutter on the back side of the main body cover is closed, and the mirror is reflected on the half mirror. To capture the image passing through the CCD and shoot the back side of the body cover, open the liquid crystal shutter on the back side of the body cover, close the liquid crystal shutter on the front side of the body cover, and capture the image reflected on the half mirror with the CCD. Claim 2 characterized in that:
Or the mobile information terminal according to 3. 6. The portable information terminal according to claim 2, wherein a CCD camera provided on an upper part of the main body cover is configured to be foldable on a cover surface side.