JP2012257324A - Wireless communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wireless communication terminal which can immediately shift to a desired operation state even if the wireless communication terminal is at any operation state.SOLUTION: When a camera is started, a wireless communication terminal is set to change states from a stand-by state (ST-C1) to a neutral state (ST-C2). From the neutral state, it is possible to immediately change modes among a still image photographing mode (ST-C3a), a TV telephoning mode (ST-C3b), and a dynamic image filming mode (ST-C3c). Thus, even when suddenly it is necessary to photograph a still image while talking in a TV telephoning mode, it is possible to immediately change modes without performing complicated operations.

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication terminal having a mode for capturing and recording an image using a camera and an image communication mode (particularly, a TV phone mode), and wireless communication for setting a camera according to each mode. Regarding terminals.

  Conventionally, in order to capture an image in a wireless communication terminal having a camera, the image capturing mode is selected by a key operation, and the camera is activated to shift to the capturing mode. Similarly, when a videophone call is executed, the camera is activated by selecting the TVphone mode, and the videophone mode is changed. When the camera is activated, the use of the camera is limited to image shooting or TV phone.

  In many cases, the wireless communication terminal is set to be turned off when the TV phone is terminated.

  As a result, when the camera is activated to try to execute the videophone, but the image projected on the camera is to be taken before the videophone, the videophone mode is temporarily terminated and then the image photographing mode is activated. There must be. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes a lot of operations and takes time. In addition, since it takes time to switch the mode, there is a possibility that a photo opportunity will be missed.

  Similarly, when the camera is activated as the image shooting mode, but the user thinks that the videophone call should be executed first, the shooting mode must be terminated once, which is troublesome.

  Furthermore, if the camera is turned off after the videophone call is finished, even if an attempt is made to take an image immediately, the operation must be started after the camera is started until the image can be taken. Many operating procedures are cumbersome.

  As described above, in order to activate the camera in a conventional wireless communication terminal with a camera, the shooting mode or the video phone mode must be selected in advance. Therefore, when another function is used while the camera is activated, there is a problem that it takes time since the currently activated function must be terminated.

  Also, the application is limited when the camera is activated, and it is impossible to select the camera mode after viewing the image taken by the camera. In addition, since the camera is always turned off after the videophone call and the image shooting, the camera must be restarted when using another function using the camera after the videophone call and the image shooting. There is a problem that the operation is troublesome.

  Therefore, in view of these conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication terminal that can immediately move to a desired operation state regardless of the operation state of the wireless communication terminal. To do.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, in a wireless terminal device connected to a base station by a wireless line, a camera for acquiring an image, a start control unit that starts the camera, and the start control unit After the camera is activated, the camera acquires an image by operating at least one of the first mode for acquiring a still image and storing it in the storage unit and the second mode for acquiring a moving image and storing it in the storage unit In addition, after acquiring an image using the one mode of the first mode or the second mode, the first mode is operated according to a predetermined key operation while maintaining the activated state of the camera. And a mode control means for switching to the other mode of the second mode and the second mode.

  According to the wireless communication terminal of the present invention, it is possible to immediately shift to a desired operation state regardless of the operation state of the wireless communication terminal.

  For example, after the camera is activated, the TV phone mode and the image shooting mode can be selected. Further, even when the videophone or image shooting is finished, it is possible to immediately select another mode and execute the mode without stopping the operation of the camera.

It is a functional block diagram which shows the electrical internal structure of the radio | wireless communication terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the external appearance of the radio | wireless communication terminal shown by FIG. 1, the camera mounted in a radio | wireless communication terminal, and a mode that a camera rotates. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the camera and a switch mechanism that turns the camera on and off, along a dotted line AB of the wireless communication terminal shown in FIG. 2. (A) It is a figure which shows the state in which the lens part of the camera mounted in the radio | wireless communication terminal shown by FIG. 2 is stored in the radio | wireless communication terminal. (B) It is a figure which shows the state which the camera mounted in the radio | wireless communication terminal shown by FIG. 2 rotates, and the lens part has appeared from the radio | wireless communication terminal. Until the camera mounted on the wireless communication terminal shown in FIG. 2 is rotated and set to one of the video phone mode, the still image shooting mode, and the moving image shooting mode via the neutral state. A flow diagram is shown. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a specific process of shifting to each mode shown in FIG. 5. It is a state diagram which shows the state of the radio | wireless communication terminal including the process before and behind shifting to each mode shown by FIG.

  A wireless communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a wireless communication terminal according to this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the radio communication terminal includes an antenna 11, a radio unit 12, a control unit 13, a received signal decoding unit 14, a transmission signal encoding unit 15, a display unit 16, a camera 17, a timer 18, a speaker 19, a memory 20, and a microphone. 21 and a key 22. As a characteristic configuration of the wireless communication terminal 1, a TV phone and a camera 17 used for photographing an image are provided.

  A wireless communication terminal 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a wireless unit 12 that transmits and receives wireless signals to and from a base station (BS) provided by a communication carrier. The wireless unit 12 is connected to the antenna 11, and wireless signals are transmitted and received through the antenna 11. The received radio signal is subjected to high-frequency amplification conversion and frequency conversion in the radio unit 12 and amplified with low noise. When the frequency conversion is performed, a frequency designation signal for designating a frequency is given from the control unit 13 to the radio unit 12. In the radio unit 12, the received radio signal is frequency-converted into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband signal based on the frequency designation signal. Thereafter, the frequency-converted radio signal is digitally demodulated.

  The control unit 13 executes control for establishing a communication channel with the base station according to the communication protocol. When the communication channel is established, the control unit 13 detects the establishment of the call channel and generates a ring tone generation signal. Then, the ring tone generation signal is output as a ring tone from a sounder (not shown), so that the user is notified of the incoming call. Note that, instead of the ring tone, a call alert may be made by vibrating a vibrator (not shown). It is also possible to notify the user of an incoming call by the light emitting diode (not shown) emitting light.

  A radio signal is input from the radio unit 12 on the established communication channel. Thereafter, when the user presses a predetermined key from the key 22, a call is established based on the call channel. Then, the demodulated signal digitally demodulated by the radio unit 12 is converted into an analog signal. An analog signal is output to the speaker 19, and sound or the like is output from the speaker 19.

  An operation during transmission in which a radio signal including audio information is transmitted from the antenna 11 will be described. The user operates the key 22, and the control unit 13 turns on the wireless communication terminal 1 based on a signal from the key 22. Then, the user operates the key 22 to input a telephone number scheduled to communicate. The control unit 13 generates a radio control signal including telephone number information. The generated control signal is output from the control unit 13 to the wireless unit 12. In the control unit 13, the communication protocol is controlled, and a communication channel is established with the base station. And it will be in the state which can communicate with a communicating party. In a communicable state, the voice input to the microphone 21 is converted into a voice signal. The audio signal is digitally modulated by the radio unit 12 and converted into a digitally modulated signal. Then, the digital modulation signal is transmitted to the base station via the antenna 11.

  When image data is transmitted / received, the description is omitted because it is the same as described above until a communication channel is established. After the communication channel is established, the received radio signal is detected by the control unit 13. When the detected wireless signal includes image data, the control unit 13 controls the interface to process the image data. When the interface is established, the control unit 13 outputs a digital reception signal including image data to the reception signal decoding unit 14. The received signal decoder 14 decodes (decodes) the image data signal in the received signal.

  In the reception signal decoding unit 14, the image data signal is decoded, and the decoded image data signal is D / A converted (digital-to-analog conversion) and converted into an analog image data signal. Image data of an analog signal is output to the display unit 16, and the image data is displayed on the display unit 16.

  When image data is transmitted, the image is converted into an image data signal by the camera 17. Instead of the camera 17, an image data signal may be input via an image input terminal to which an image input device such as a video is connected. The image data signal is input to the transmission signal encoding unit 15 and encoded, and converted into a digital image data signal including the image data. Then, an image data signal is output to the control unit 13. The image data signal is modulated in the wireless unit 12. An image data signal modulated from the antenna 11 is transmitted.

  The wireless communication terminal 1 is provided with a memory 20 for storing a telephone number, incoming call history, image data, voice data, and the like. Further, the wireless communication terminal 1 is provided with a timer 18 for monitoring the recording time and the duration of the no-operation state. Alternatively, an arbitrary image may be stored in advance in the memory, and the stored image may be displayed according to the user's preference. This image may be acquired from an image generation device such as a video, digital camera, or personal computer connected to an input terminal (not shown). Further, during a call, when a predetermined key 22 for requesting video display during reception is pressed, the received video signal is decoded and displayed. If the key 22 is not pressed, the wireless communication terminal A recorded video may be displayed.

    FIG. 2 is an image diagram when the camera 17 is activated. FIG. 2 is an example of a wireless communication terminal in which the camera 17 is mounted. In this embodiment, the camera 17 has a cylindrical shape as shown in FIG. 2, and a lens unit for photographing a subject is installed on the side surface. The camera 17 is attached to the wireless communication terminal 1 so as to be able to rotate about a straight line connecting the center of the upper surface and the lower surface of the cylinder. The lens unit can be stored in the wireless communication terminal main body by rotating the camera 17. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the wireless communication terminal 1 is installed on the surface where the antenna 11 is stored and above the display unit 16.

    3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AB of the wireless communication terminal 1 shown in FIG. The state in which the lens unit of the camera 17 is stored is shown. The camera 17 is set so that the switch of the switch mechanism 23 is turned on at the same time that the lens unit is stored in the wireless communication terminal. When the switch is turned on, a control signal indicating that the switch is turned on is output to the control unit 13. The control unit 13 stops the operation of the camera 17 based on the control signal indicating that it is turned on. On the other hand, when the lens unit of the camera 17 is moved by rotation from the state stored in the wireless communication terminal, the switch of the switch mechanism 23 is set to be turned off. When the switch is turned off, a control signal indicating that the switch is turned off is output to the control unit 13. The control unit 13 activates the camera 17 based on a control signal indicating that the control unit 13 has been turned off.

The switch mechanism 23 generates an on or off control signal based on a mechanical or electrical mechanism and outputs the control signal to the control unit 13. In the mechanical switch mechanism 23, for example, a concave portion or a convex portion is provided around the lens portion, and the convex portion or the concave portion is also provided in the switch mechanism 23 corresponding to the concave and convex portion. Then, when the concave and convex portions around the lens portion are fitted into the convex and concave portions of the switch mechanism 23, the switch is turned on as described above. When the switch is turned on, a control signal indicating that the switch is turned on is output to the control unit 13. In the electrical switch mechanism 23, for example, a detection circuit that detects the rotation angle of the camera 17 is incorporated in the switch mechanism 23. Since the rotation angle at which the lens unit is stored in the wireless communication terminal is determined to be, for example, 0, 360, 720 degrees, the rotation angle is detected at a specific value stored in the wireless communication terminal. If so, the switch is turned on. When the switch is turned on, a control signal indicating that the switch is turned on is output to the control unit 13.

  It is not limited to such a mechanical or electrical switch mechanism 23. When the lens unit is stored in the wireless communication terminal, the operation of the camera 17 is automatically stopped, and when the user emerges from the wireless communication terminal by rotating the camera 17, the camera 17 automatically Any switch mechanism 23 that starts operation may be used.

  In addition, even when the lens unit of the camera 17 is not stored in the wireless communication terminal, the camera 17 is automatically stopped after a certain period of time, and the shooting is temporarily stopped. Has been. The time is measured by the timer 18, and the operation of the camera 17 is stopped by a signal from the control unit 13 based on the measured time.

  Further, the camera 17 is set to be activated when the positional relationship between the camera 17 and the wireless communication terminal 1 changes. In the wireless communication terminal of this embodiment, as described above, a change in the positional relationship between the camera 17 and the wireless communication terminal 1 is detected by detecting the rotation of the camera 17.

    FIG. 4A shows a state where the lens unit of the camera 17 is stored in the wireless communication terminal. FIG. 4B shows a state in which the lens unit of the camera 17 appears from the wireless communication terminal. Further, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation in which the camera 17 rotates and is set to the neutral state, the video phone mode, the still image shooting mode, and the moving image shooting mode.

  When the lens unit of the camera 17 shown in FIG. 4A is stored in the wireless communication terminal, the camera 17 is not operating. When the user rotates the camera 17 (ST-A1), the above-described switch mechanism 23 is activated and the camera 17 is activated (ST-A2). The external appearance when the camera 17 rotates is shown in FIG. In this state, the camera 17 rotates and the lens portion appears from the wireless communication terminal.

  As soon as the camera 17 is activated, the camera 17 is set to a neutral state (ST-A3). The neutral state is a state in which the camera 17 is operating, and is a standby state in which the mode can be immediately switched to any of a plurality of uses using the camera 17. That is, when switching the operation mode of the camera 17, it is possible to omit a plurality of steps of turning off the power of the wireless communication terminal once, turning on the power again, and pressing a specific key to switch the mode. Become. For example, from the neutral state, the mode can be immediately changed to the video phone mode, the still image shooting mode, or the moving image shooting mode. Therefore, even when it becomes necessary to take a still picture suddenly during a call in the TV phone mode, the mode can be changed immediately without performing a complicated operation. Specific steps will be described later with reference to FIG.

  It is determined whether or not the still image shooting mode is set (ST-A4). If the shutter button 221 shown in FIG. 4B is pressed, it is considered that the still image shooting mode is set. That is, in step ST-A4, it is determined whether or not the shutter button 221 has been pressed. If the still image shooting mode is set, the camera 17 is set to the still image shooting mode, and preparations are made for shooting a still image (ST-A5). Thereafter, when transitioning to another mode, the step returns to the neutral state of ST-A3 once. If the still image shooting mode is not set, the process proceeds to the next step ST-A6.

  In step ST-A6, it is determined whether or not the moving image shooting mode is set. If the recording button 222 shown in FIG. 4B is pressed, it is considered that the moving image shooting mode is set. That is, in step ST-A6, it is determined whether or not the recording button 222 has been pressed. When the moving image shooting mode is set, the camera 17 is set to the moving image shooting mode and prepared so that moving image shooting can be performed (ST-A7). Thereafter, when transitioning to another mode, the step returns to the neutral state of ST-A3 once. If the moving image shooting mode is not set, the process proceeds to the next step ST-A8.

  In step ST-A8, it is determined whether the TV phone mode is set. If the dial button 223 shown in FIG. 4B is pressed, it is considered that the TV phone mode is set. That is, in step ST-A8, it is determined whether or not the dial button 223 is pressed. If the TV phone mode is set, the camera 17 is set to the TV phone mode and shooting is started (ST-A9). Thereafter, when transitioning to another mode, the step returns to the neutral state of ST-A3 once. If the TV phone mode is not set, the process returns to the neutral state of the next step ST-A3.

  Further, the communication state in the TV phone mode is terminated by storing the camera 17 in the wireless communication terminal. Of course, the communication state can also be terminated by pressing the predetermined key 22 without storing the camera 17. The key for ending the communication state can be arbitrarily set in advance by the user.

    FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the specific process of FIG.

  When the wireless communication terminal 1 is activated and in a standby state, whether or not the camera 17 has been rotated is monitored by the control unit 13 (ST-B1). When the camera 17 rotates, it is considered that the camera 17 has started, and the process proceeds to the next step ST-B2. If the camera 17 is not rotating, it is monitored whether the camera 17 continues to rotate.

  In step ST-B2, when the camera 17 is rotated and activated, an image acquired by the lens unit of the camera 17 is displayed on the display unit 16. This display state corresponds to the neutral state described above.

  In step ST-B3, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the shutter button 221 shown in FIG. If it is determined that the shutter button 221 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step ST-B4. If it is determined that the shutter button 221 has not been pressed, the process proceeds to step ST-B5.

  In step ST-B4, the still image shooting mode is selected. In this case, the image shown in the lens unit of the camera 17 is acquired as a still image at the moment when the shutter button 221 is pressed. The acquired still image is stored in the memory 20.

  In step ST-B5, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the recording button 222 shown in FIG. If it is determined that the recording button 222 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step ST-B6. If it is determined that the recording button 222 has not been pressed, the process proceeds to step ST-B7.

  In step ST-B6, the moving image shooting mode is selected. In this case, the image shown in the lens unit of the camera 17 is acquired as a moving image for a certain time. The acquired moving image is stored in the memory 20. Here, the shooting time is measured by the timer 18. The user can set the shooting time with the key 22.

  In step ST-B7, the control unit 13 determines whether or not the dial button 223 shown in FIG. If it is determined that the dial button 223 has been pressed, the process proceeds to step ST-B8. If it is determined that the dial button 223 has not been pressed, the process returns to step ST-B2.

  In step ST-B8, the TV phone mode is selected and the outgoing call by the TV phone is executed. In this case, an image shown in the lens unit of the camera 17 is acquired. The acquired image is transmitted to the communication partner and displayed on the display unit in the partner wireless communication terminal.

    FIG. 7 shows the transition to each mode and neutral state described above. That is, the flow shows an operation flow in which a TV phone or image shooting is executed from the neutral state after the camera 17 is activated, and then returns to the neutral state after the end.

  By moving the lens unit of the camera 17 and starting the camera 17 from the standby state of ST-C1, the state transitions to the neutral state of ST-C2. Note that when the camera 17 is waiting without being stored, the camera 17 is activated by operating the key 22 by the user.

  If the shutter button 221 is pressed in this state, a still image is shot with ST-C3a, and the state returns to the neutral state (ST-C7). Note that ST-C7 and ST-C2 are in the same state.

  Similarly, when the dial button 223 is pressed and a dial (telephone number) is input in the state of ST-C2, a transition is made to the ST-C3b call waiting state. If the call button is pressed here, the mode changes to the TV phone mode of ST-C6. Thereafter, when the end call button is pressed to end the videophone call, the state returns to the neutral state of ST-C7.

  If the predetermined key 22 for displaying the menu is pressed in the state of ST-C3b, the menu is displayed (ST-C4). If voice call transmission is selected from this menu, it is possible to change to the ST-C5 voice call mode and perform a voice call while the camera 17 is activated.

  Similarly, when the recording button 222 is pressed in the state of ST-C2, moving image shooting is executed in ST-C3c. When the stop key in the key 22 is pressed, or when the set recording time is measured by the timer 18 and timed out, the state returns to the neutral state of ST-C7.

  In the neutral state of ST-C7, when no operation is performed for a certain period of time, or when the camera 17 is housed, the state transits to the standby state of ST-C8. When the camera 17 is stored in the wireless communication terminal, the operation of the camera 17 is stopped. Note that ST-C8 and ST-C1 are in the same state.

  As described above, when the camera 17 is activated, the wireless communication terminal is set in a neutral state that does not limit whether the camera 17 takes a still image, a moving image, or a videophone. By subsequent button operations, it is possible to automatically select a still image shooting mode, a moving image shooting mode, or a videophone mode. In addition, after shooting a moving image or a still image, or after the videophone call is finished, it is possible to return to the neutral state immediately after the camera 17 is activated, so that it is possible to execute a photoshoot immediately after the videophone call is finished.

  In this embodiment, the lens unit of the camera 17 is rotated and stored in the main body, but the lens unit may be set so as to be stored by sliding.

  Further, the above-described TV phone mode may be used as an image communication mode for transmitting and receiving images. This mode may be added to the above three modes. The image communication mode is the same as the TV phone mode except that there is no sound in the TV phone mode and the image data is stored in the memory 20 or retrieved from the memory 20.

  In the present invention, as a means for selecting the usage of the camera 17 after the camera 17 is activated, a means for activating the camera 17 without selecting the usage is provided, and an image captured by the camera 17 is displayed on the display unit 16. It is characterized by having a neutral state that can only be displayed on the screen. The neutral state is an idle state (standby state) in the TV phone mode and the image shooting mode. In addition, after recording of a videophone, a still image, and a moving image is finished, the camera returns to a neutral state after activation of the camera 17 instead of a standby state.

According to the embodiment described above, the camera 17 is activated in order to perform a videophone call. However, if it is desired to take an image, the shooting mode can be immediately set.
Therefore, there is no key operation such as ending the previous mode and starting a new mode. It is also expected that the time required to exit or activate those modes can be saved. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling the stress caused by the operation that has been felt until now. Similarly, an operation for recording an image after the videophone call is finished can be simplified. As a result, when applied to a wireless communication terminal having a camera 17 such as a TV mobile phone, it is possible to provide a mobile phone with operability that is easy for the user to use.

  The camera 17 is set to transition to a neutral state where the camera 17 is set to a standby state. Therefore, the camera 17 can immediately shift the state to a desired shooting mode. As a result, it is possible to quickly move to the shooting mode with a simple operation.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be implemented with various modifications within the technical scope thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Wireless communication terminal 11 Antenna 12 Radio | wireless part 13 Control part 14 Reception signal decoding part 15 Transmission signal encoding part 16 Display part 17 Camera 18 Timer 19 Speaker 20 Memory 21 Microphone 22 Key 23 Switch mechanism 221 Shutter button 222 Recording button 223 Dial button

Claims (4)

In a wireless terminal device connected to a base station by a wireless line,
A camera for acquiring images,
An activation control unit that activates the camera;
After the camera is activated by the activation control unit, at least one of a first mode for acquiring a still image and storing it in the storage unit and a second mode for acquiring a moving image and storing it in the storage unit are operated. And the predetermined key while maintaining the activated state of the camera after acquiring the image using the one mode of the first mode or the second mode. A wireless communication terminal comprising: mode control means for switching to the other one of the first mode and the second mode according to an operation.   The mode control means operates in a third mode in which neither the first mode nor the second mode is executed after the camera is started by the start control unit, and an image acquired by the camera is displayed. In response to an operation of a first key corresponding to the first mode or a second key corresponding to the second mode. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the wireless communication terminal is operated in a second mode.   The mode control means further enables the camera to operate in a fourth mode in which a videophone call is executed using an image acquired by the camera after the camera is started by the start control unit. The wireless communication terminal according to claim 2. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein when a telephone number is input by a dial key while operating in the third mode, the mode control unit operates the camera in the fourth mode. Wireless communication terminal.

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