JP3058216B2 - Computer equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a computer device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a computer device having a pointing device for moving a pointer or a cursor on a display to an arbitrary position on the display.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as data input / output means in data processing, data such as a digitizer, a mouse, a light pen, a track pole and the like have been input in addition to a keyboard while displaying data of characters and graphics on a display screen of a computer CRT or the like. A method of creating data while performing an interactive operation through means is used. For example, it is widely used in CAD for performing data processing using graphics, in the field of simulation, and the like.

In recent years, in the field of data processing and OA,
As data input / output devices, OSs and application software that are processed by interactive operations that require the use of a pointing device in addition to a keyboard are increasing due to their excellent operability. For example, there are a window operation and an icon operation.

The use environment of the pointing device has been expanded, and it is required that the pointing device can be used not only by conventional desk-mounted operation but also as a portable device while the computer is placed on a lap or on a palm. ing. For this reason, the pointing device
It does not require an installation area like a conventional mouse, digitizer, and the like, and needs to be incorporated in a computer device. Since a portable computer needs to be lightweight, small, and low power consumption, a pointing device also needs to be lightweight, small, low power consumption, and good operability.

[0005]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a computer device having a conventional pointing device. This is a portable personal computer, which includes a device main body 2 having a keyboard 1 and a housing part 4 having a liquid crystal display 3 and the like, and a pointing device is provided in a part of the keyboard 1. Reference numeral 5 denotes a slider for operating the pointing device. By sliding the slider 5, the cursor or pointer on the display 3 can be moved to an arbitrary position according to the operation amount of the slider 5. ing.

[0006]

The keyboard of a computer device cannot ergonomically make its keys too small, so that the keyboard also needs to be of a certain size. However, in the computer device having the conventional pointing device, since the pointing device is provided on the keyboard, the size of the keyboard increases accordingly.
Accordingly, there is a problem that the size of the computer device is increased.

An object of the present invention is to realize a computer device equipped with a pointing device so as not to increase the size.

[0008]

According to the present invention, a key is provided.
The main unit with the board and the housing
Has a flat display so that the display surface is exposed
And a car on the flat display
Move the sol or pointer to any
A pointing device for moving to a position,
Device so that the flat display faces the keyboard
The end of the main unit and the end of the display are rotatably connected.
When the display is opened from the main unit with the
Portable computer device with keyboard
The pointing device comprises the cursor
Or, means for moving the pointer and operation of the means for moving
Detecting means for detecting the amount;
Equipped with a switch for determining the position of the
The moving means is on the front side of the housing part;
Provided on a side portion outside the flat display,
The switch is opposite to the front side of the housing part.
On the back side and on the side portion where the moving means is located
Provided on corresponding side portions, wherein the detecting means
A finger operation surface of the moving means provided in the jing portion;
Is exposed from the side surface of the front side, and the switch is
The finger operation surface of the switch is more exposed than the surface of the side portion on the back side.
It is characterized by being provided out .

In addition, the flat display is a liquid crystal display panel or a plasma display panel. In addition to that, the position determination
Switch means equivalent to mouse buttons for
Provided on the finger operation surface, which is the surface of the switch, with irregularities for identification.
It is characterized by having been provided. In addition, the plurality
Are arranged on a circumference having a radius equal to the length of the finger .

By adopting this configuration, a portable computer device having a pointing device mounted thereon so as not to increase the size can be obtained. Further, in the present computer device, the operator can operate while capturing the movement of the cursor or pointer on the display and the operation state of the pointing device in the same field of view, so that the pointing device on the keyboard can be used as in the related art. There is no need to change the line of sight with the cursor or pointer on the display, and a portable computer device with good operability and reduced eye fatigue can be obtained. And point
The moving means and switches of the
On the front and rear sides of the housing
The display section from the front and back
You'll have to operate the pointing device
In the operation, the computer device itself is turned over
Better operability, such as preventing such situations from occurring.
Computer device is obtained.

[0011]

[Action], as shown in Figure 5, the cursor or pointer
The operation of the slider 53 is easy as shown in FIG. 7 by providing the pointing device including the slider 53 as the moving means in the display housing section 52. Further, since the display housing has room for mounting the pointing device, the size is not increased, and the keyboard is not changed. Therefore, the size of the entire device is not increased.

[0012]

1 and 2 show a pointing device used in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an assembled sectional view and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view. In both figures, 10 is the cursor
Or a slider that is a means for moving the pointer ,
The slider 10 comprises an elastic member 11 and a dome-shaped member 12 having a hole 12a in the center. Reference numeral 13 denotes a housing for slidably supporting the slider 10, 14, 14 'magnetoelectric transducers, 15 a switch, 16 a key top of the switch, 17 a print on which the magnetoelectric transducers 14, 14' and a switch 15 are mounted. Substrate, 18 is slider 10
Is a permanent magnet provided in the device, and 19 is a case of the device.

The elastic member 11 of the slider 10 may be made of an elastic material, for example, rubber to improve the touch feeling of the finger. Elastic member 11 and dome-shaped member 12
Are connected, and a permanent magnet 18 is
Is embedded. The permanent magnet 18 may be made of a plastic magnet and integrally processed with the elastic member 11. The housing 13 has a dome shape and a large hole 1 in the center.
3a is opened, and the slider 10 is slidably supported. The magneto-electric conversion elements 14 and 14 'and the switch 15 are mounted on a printed circuit board 17, and are arranged and fixed below the slider 10. The elastic member 1 of the slider 10
FIG. 1 shows a diagram for improving the touch feeling of the finger.
As shown in (a), a crater-shaped depression 10a may be provided at the center.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of operation of the pointing device described above with a finger. FIG. 4A shows a case of thumb operation, in which the thumb 26 is moved to the depression 10 at the center of the slider 10.
a. FIG. 2B shows a case where a finger other than the thumb, for example, an index finger is used. The index finger 27 is placed in the depression 10a of the slider 10 as in the case of FIG. 2A, and the slider 10 is moved as shown in FIG. Manipulate.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the operation principle of the pointing device. In the figure, reference numeral 18 denotes slider 1
0 permanent magnet, N pole, S
It is magnetized so that the poles come. Below the permanent magnets 18, four magnetoelectric conversion elements 14 are mounted on a printed circuit board so as to be on the X axis and the Y axis. Then, the magnetoelectric conversion element 14 detects only the magnetic field in the vertical direction, and converts a change in the magnetic field density when the permanent magnet 18 moves according to the operation amount of the slider 10 into a voltage and outputs the voltage. The voltage change of the magnetoelectric conversion element 14 is converted into a cursor movement signal by a microprocessor module (MPU) to control the pointer or the cursor.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a computer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 51 denotes a flat display such as a liquid crystal display panel or a plasma display panel; 52, a volume for adjusting the brightness of the display and brightness of the backlight; and a display section 52a such as a power lamp, a battery lamp, and a disk driver lamp. Is provided with a pointing device at the lower right of the housing portion 52, and 53 is a housing .
This is a slider corresponding to the rider 10 . Reference numeral 54 denotes a keyboard provided on the main body 55.

The portable computer according to the present embodiment is
Generally, the keyboard is divided into a main body 55 and a display section 56, and when the display section 56 is opened, a keyboard 54 appears on the main body 55 side. A keyboard 54, a disk drive, a main board, and the like are mounted on the main body 55 side.
Since only an operation lamp, a volume, and the like 52 are mounted on the main body, there is more space in comparison with the main body. Therefore, in this embodiment, the pointing device is provided at the lower right of the housing section 52 of the display section 56. concrete
The slider 5 of the pointing device as shown in FIG.
3 is the front side of the housing part 52 from the display 51
It is provided on the outer side part.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the rear. In the figure, 55 is the main body portion, 56 Ru display portion der. On the back side of the display unit 56 and
Side part corresponding to the side part where slider 53 is located
Are provided with button switches 72, 73, and 74 corresponding to click buttons of a mouse, which are pointing devices . 75 of the click button first, to identify the second, third, irregularities set the finger operation surface is a switch surface
Have been killed. One or two button switches 72, 73, and 74 may be mounted according to the mouse, or three button switches may be mounted according to the three-button mouse. The button switches 72, 73, and 74 are shaped like a fan to fit the fingers of the hand, and are arranged on an arc whose radius is the length of the finger.

The present embodiment configured as described above is used as shown in FIGS. That is, when the cursor or the pointer is moved, as shown in FIG. 7, the thumb 26 of the right hand 57 is used to operate the finger operation surface which is the exposed surface of the slider 53 of the pointing device. Also, as shown in FIG.
, The button switches 72, 73, 74 on the back of the display unit are operated using the index finger 27 or the middle finger. Thus, to operate in a manner that grip the display portion 56 with a finger other than the thumb and the thumb can be used differences sum without feeling.

[0020]

According to the present invention the effect of the present invention, by disposing the pointing device to the housing of the display unit, miniaturization of the portable computer device can be achieved. Also,
In the computer device of the present invention, the operator can display
Cursor or pointer movement and pointing
Operate while capturing the operating state of the device within the same field of view
Point on the keyboard as before.
Pointing device and cursor or point on display
There is no need to change the line of sight to the
A portable computer device that can reduce eye fatigue etc.
Can be In addition, the moving means and the pointing device
The switch is on the front side of the display housing.
Is provided on the side part on the back side, so that the operator can
A pointing device that grabs the display from the front and back
You will need to operate the
Prevents situations in which the device itself is turned over
A portable computer with better operability.
Can be

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a pointing device used in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a pointing device used in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of operation of the pointing device of FIG. 1 with a finger;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the pointing device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the embodiment of the present invention is operated.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the embodiment of the present invention is operated.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer device having a conventional pointing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Slider 11 ... Rubber member 12 ... Dome-shaped member 13 ... Housing 14, 14 '... Magnetoresistance element 15 ... Switch 16 ... Switch key top 17 ... Printed circuit board 18 ... Permanent magnet 19 ... Case 26 ... Thumb 27 ... Index finger 51 ... flat display 52 ... housing part 53 ... slider 54 ... keyboard 55 ... body part 56 ... display part 72, 73, 74 ... button switch 75 ... unevenness

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] An apparatus body having a keyboard and a housing
Flat so that the display surface is exposed on the front side of the
A display unit having a display;
Move the cursor or pointer on the play
Point to move to any position on the spray
Device such that the flat display faces the keyboard.
The end of the main unit and the end of the display are rotatably connected.
When the display is opened from the main unit with the
Portable computer device with keyboard
The pointing device may be the cursor or the pointing device.
Detecting means for moving the moving means and the amount of operation of the moving means
Means for detecting the position of the cursor or pointer
A switch for determination, and wherein the moving means is on the front side of the housing part;
Provided on a side portion outside the flat display,
The switch is opposite to the front side of the housing part.
On the back side and on the side portion where the moving means is located
Provided on corresponding side portions, wherein the detecting means
A finger operation surface of the moving means provided in the jing portion;
Is exposed from the side surface of the front side, and the switch is
The finger operation surface of the switch is more exposed than the surface of the side portion on the back side.
A computer device characterized by being provided out . 2. The liquid crystal display panel according to claim 1, wherein the flat display is a liquid crystal display panel.
The computer device according to claim 1, wherein the computer device is a plasma display panel . 3. The switch means comprises a plurality of switches.
The switch is provided with identification irregularities on the finger operation surface thereof.
The computer system of claim 1, characterized in that there. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of switches define a finger length as a radius.
4. The arrangement according to claim 3 , wherein the arrangement is on a defined circumference.
Computer equipment.