JP3894449B2 - Mobile communication terminal and foldable mobile communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve operability of a communication terminal which can be folded by directing the display face to the outside. <P>SOLUTION: The terminal is provided with a thin type display cabinet 1 in which an operation face is formed, a thin type operation cabinet 2 in which a display face is formed, and a movable connection part 3 which connects the operation cabinet 1 and the display cabinet 2. It is a folding type portable communication terminal which can change from a normal open state expanding the both cabinets 1, 2 to a reverse closed state folding to face main frames of the both cabinets, and reversely change. The terminal is provided with a main multi-functional key 14 which is installed in the operation face, and possible to input two or more different operation inputs according to pressing parts, and a side multi-functional key 26 which is installed on a side face of the operation cabinet, and possible to perform the same operation input by performing the same operation to the main multi-functional key 14, and the main multi-functional key 14 and the side multi-functional key 26 respectively have a discrimination means which can discriminate the respective corresponding pressing parts. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&amp;NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable communication terminal and a portable communication terminal that can fold a casing. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improvement of a portable communication terminal that can be used in a reverse closed state in which a display surface is folded outward. About.

  Mobile phones are required to be smaller and lighter from the viewpoint of improving portability. However, considering the operability, there is a limit to downsizing the operation surface. In addition, the screen size of the main display screen is required to be increased. In order to reconcile such conflicting demands, in recent mobile phones, a display case provided with a main display and an operation case provided with operation keys are connected by a hinge, and the display surface and the operation surface are connected. Those that can be folded in opposition have become mainstream.

  Furthermore, not only the first rotating shaft for folding but also a two-axis hinge having a second rotating shaft orthogonal to the first rotating shaft, the operation housing or the display housing can be rotated around the second rotating shaft. Various mobile phones have been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). In such a mobile phone, the casing can be folded with the display surface facing outward, so that the user can view the main display screen even in a folded and miniaturized state.

However, when the display surface is folded outward, the operation surface is directed to the inside of the folded housing or the opposite side of the display surface, and the user cannot perform key operations. . For this reason, a mobile phone that can perform an operation input even in the folded state has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a mobile phone in which operation input means is provided in the display surface. Patent Document 3 discloses a mobile phone in which an operation input unit is provided on a side surface of an operation housing.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-30226 JP 2001-251406 A JP 2002-33809 A

  In the case of the mobile phone described in Patent Document 2, since the operation keys are arranged in the display surface, it is necessary to secure an operation key arrangement area in the display surface. In this case, in order to enable various operation inputs, there is a problem that the operation key arrangement area is widened, the size of the main display screen must be reduced, or the display housing must be enlarged.

  Further, in the case of the mobile phone described in Patent Document 3, the operation key is arranged on the side surface of the operation housing. However, since the operation key different from the operation key on the operation surface is provided, the housing The operation method is completely different from the time of deployment, and there is a problem that the operation method is difficult to understand.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve the operability of a portable communication terminal that can be folded with its display surface facing outward. In particular, it is an object to provide a mobile communication terminal that can perform the same operation input during folding and unfolding. It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobile communication terminal that can easily identify a corresponding key operation during folding and unfolding.

A foldable mobile communication terminal according to the present invention includes an operation housing having an operation surface on which a plurality of operation buttons are arranged on one main surface, a display housing having a display surface formed on one main surface, and an operation housing. It consists of a movable connecting portion for connecting the body and the display housing, the normal open state of being deployed both bodies toward the operation surface and the display surface in the same direction, toward the display surface on the outside, the main of the housings A foldable portable communication terminal capable of transitioning between a reverse closed state in which the surfaces are opposed to each other, the main multifunction key provided in the operation surface and capable of two or more different operation inputs depending on a pressed portion When provided on the end face of the operation housing, and the side multifunction key capable of performing the same operation input and the main multifunction key, it is disposed at the center of the main multifunction key, and the main multifunction key Is a main guide consisting of separate operation keys And a side guide key provided on an end surface of the operation casing and capable of performing the same operation input as the main guide key. The operation casing is a front casing on which the operation surface is formed. Each of the main multifunction key and the side multifunction key has identification means for distinguishing the corresponding pressing parts from each other. A part of the end surface of the front casing protrudes toward the back side, and the side multifunction key and the side guide key are formed on the protruding portion.

With such a configuration, the main multifunction key can be used in the normally open state, and the side multifunction key can be used in the reverse closed state, and the same operation input can be performed in each state. In particular, by providing multi-function keys capable of two or more different operation inputs according to the pressed part on the operation surface and the end surface, various operation inputs can be performed in each of the above states. Furthermore, by making it possible to identify the corresponding pressed parts of both multifunction keys, the user can easily understand the correspondence between user operations in both states.

  Further, in the folding portable communication terminal according to the present invention, in addition to the above configuration, the main multifunction key and the side multifunction key have pressing portions in each of four orthogonal directions, and the identification means includes the direction. It is a means for showing the correspondence relationship.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to make the user easily understand the correspondence between the pressed parts of the two multifunction keys each having four-way pressed parts. For example, when two multifunction keys are both operation keys called direction keys or cross keys, the corresponding directions of both operation keys can be easily identified, and when using any of the multifunction keys, The user can easily perform the same operation input.

  In addition to the above configuration, the foldable mobile communication terminal according to the present invention has a shape in which the identification means can identify the corresponding operation directions of the main multifunction key and the side multifunction key during operation. With such a configuration, even when a small side multifunction key is provided on the end face of the operation casing having a small area, the user can identify the pressing portion corresponding to the main multifunction key. Therefore, by providing the side multifunction key that can perform the same operation input as the main multifunction key, it is possible to suppress the operation casing from becoming thick.

Furthermore, folding portable communication terminal according to the present invention is disposed at the center of the main multifunction key, and the main guide key consisting of a separate operating key from the main multifunction key, provided on the end surface of the operation housing, the A side guide key that can perform the same operation input as the main guide key is provided. With such a configuration, the side multifunction key can be reduced in size and the operation casing can be reduced in thickness without significantly reducing operability.

A mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is a mobile communication terminal including a casing having an operation surface on which a large number of operation buttons are arranged on one main surface, and is provided in the operation surface according to a pressed part. a main multifunction key possible two or more different operation inputs, and a side multifunction key capable of performing the same operation input and the main multifunction key, is the main multifunction key and the side multifunction key Each of which has identification means that makes it possible to identify the pressing parts corresponding to each other, and the identification means has a shape capable of identifying the corresponding operation directions of the main multifunction key and the side multifunction key at the time of operation.

With such a configuration, even when the main multifunction key is difficult to use depending on the usage status of the mobile communication terminal, the side multifunction key can be used, so that the operability can be improved. At that time, the side multifunction key is a multifunction key that can perform the same operation input as the main multifunction key, and the corresponding pressing part of both multifunction keys can be identified. The operation method can be easily understood.

A mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is a mobile communication terminal including a casing having an operation surface on which a large number of operation buttons are arranged on one main surface, and is provided in the operation surface according to a pressed part. Two or more main multi-function keys capable of different operation inputs, a side multi-function key provided on an end face of the casing and capable of performing the same operation inputs as the main multi-function keys, and the main multi-function keys A main guide key that is arranged at the center of the key and is composed of operation keys that are separate from the main multi-function key, and a side guide that is provided on the end surface of the casing and can perform the same operation input as the main guide key. And the casing includes a front casing on which the operation surface is formed and a rear casing disposed on the back side of the front casing, and the main multifunction key and the side multifunction Keys are paired with each other It has an identification means for enabling identification of the pressed portion of each of the front housing projects a portion of the end face on the back side, the side multifunction key and the side guide key is formed on the projecting portion. According to such a configuration, the side multifunction key and the side guide key can be integrally assembled to one of the front casing and the rear casing, so that the structure of the mobile communication terminal is complicated. Can be suppressed.

In addition , since the side multifunction key and the side guide key are formed by projecting the end face of the housing to the back side, each side key can be appropriately arranged without increasing the thickness of the mobile communication terminal.

  Furthermore, in addition to the above configuration, the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention is configured such that the side multifunction key is larger in size than the side guide key and is arranged at the center of the protruding portion. . With such a configuration, an appropriately sized side multi-function key can be formed, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in operability compared to the main multi-function key at the time of operation input by the side multi-function key. Can do.

  According to the present invention, by providing the side multifunction key on the end surface of the operation casing, the operability of the portable communication terminal that can be folded with the display surface facing outward can be improved. In particular, in a foldable portable communication terminal that can transition between a state in which the operation surface and the display surface are expanded in the same direction and a state in which the display surface is folded outward, the same operation input is performed for both of these states. It can be performed. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a mobile communication terminal that can easily identify the corresponding key operation during folding and unfolding.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention, and shows an external appearance of a foldable mobile phone in a “normally open state”. The normal open state is the most basic terminal state when the mobile phone is used. (A) in the figure is a front view of the mobile phone in the normal open state as viewed from the user side. (B) It is the left view.

  This mobile phone includes an operation housing 1, a display housing 2, and a movable connecting portion 3. Both the operation casing 1 and the display casing 2 are thin casings each having a substantially rectangular flat plate shape, and have two main surfaces and end surfaces facing each other. One short side of each of the operation casing 1 and the display casing 2 is connected by a movable connecting portion 3. The movable connecting portion 3 can relatively rotate both housings 1 and 2 around the first rotation axis A1 and the second rotation axis A2.

  That is, if the operation housing 1 is fixed and the display housing 2 is rotated around the first rotation axis A1, the main surfaces of both housings 1 and 2 can be folded facing each other or expanded. be able to. Further, when the operation casing 1 is fixed and the display casing 2 is rotated by 180 ° about the second rotation axis A2, the display casing 2 can be turned over with respect to the operation casing 1. .

  A number of operation keys such as a numeric keypad 10, main guide keys 11 to 13, a main multifunction key 14, an off-hook key 15, an on-hook key 16 and a main clear key 17 are arranged on one main surface of the operation casing 1. The surface is used as an operation surface for a user to input an operation. Further, the call microphone 18 is disposed in the vicinity of the casing end on the opposite side to the movable connecting portion 3 within the operation surface. A main display screen 20 including a liquid crystal display panel is disposed on one main surface of the display housing 2, and the main surface is used as a display surface for performing display output to the user. Call receivers 21 and 22 and sub guide keys 23 and 24 are also arranged in the display surface.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an appearance of the mobile phone of FIG. 1 in the “normally closed state”. The normally closed state is the most basic terminal state when the mobile phone is stored. From the normally open state, the display housing 2 is rotated around the first rotation axis A1, and the display surface and the operation surface are both inside. It is the state folded so as to face each other. (A) in a figure is the front view which looked at the mobile telephone in a normal closed state from the user side, (b) is the left view. A sub display screen 51 smaller than the main display screen 20 is provided on the main surface opposite to the display surface of the display housing 2.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an appearance of the mobile phone of FIG. 1 in the “reverse open state”. The reverse open state is mainly a terminal state when the user himself / herself is photographed with a camera. From the normal open state, the display housing 2 is rotated by 180 ° around the second rotation axis A2, and the display surface and the operation surface are in opposite directions. It is a state of deployment towards In the reverse open state, the mobile phone is used in a state where the entire mobile phone is rotated 90 degrees to be horizontally long. (A) in a figure is the front view which looked at the mobile telephone in a reverse open state from the user side, (b) is the bottom view. A camera 52 and a mobile light 53 are provided on the main surface of the operation housing 1 opposite to the operation surface.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an appearance of the mobile phone of FIG. 1 in the “reverse closed state”. The reverse closed state is mainly a terminal state when the user himself / herself is photographed with a camera. From the reverse open state, the display housing 2 is rotated around the first rotation axis A1, the operation surface is on the inside, and the display surface is on the outside. It is in the state folded toward (A) in a figure is the front view which looked at the mobile telephone in a reverse closed state from the user side, (b) is the left view.

  Next, each component of the mobile phone shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described. The numeric keypad 10 is an operation key used for telephone number input, e-mail character input, and the like. The guide keys 11 to 13 are assigned with different functions depending on the usage situation, and the function assignments are operation keys that are displayed on the screen, and are also called soft keys or function keys.

  The main multi-function key 14 is an independent operation key capable of performing four types of operation inputs by pressing portions in four directions including up, down, left, and right. Therefore, it is suitable as a cursor or a focus movement key, and is generally called a direction key or a cross key. However, the main multi-function key 14 is not dedicated to moving the cursor, and can assign a different function to each pressed part depending on the usage situation. For example, when waiting in a normally open state, an incoming call history is assigned to the left operation, redial is assigned to the right operation, a message memo is assigned to the upper operation, and a shortcut menu display is assigned to the lower operation.

  The main multifunction key 14 has a ring shape, and a main guide key 12 which is a separate operation key is arranged at the center thereof. In general, among the operation keys 10 to 17, the main multifunction key 14 is the most frequently used, and the main guide key 12 used as the determination key is the most frequently used next. For this reason, the main guide key 12 is disposed in the center of the main multifunction key 14 in consideration of operability.

  The off-hook key 15 is an operation key operated at the start of a call, and the on-hook key 16 is an operation key operated at the end of the call. The main clear key 17 is an operation key to which a different function is assigned depending on the use situation, but is different from the guide keys 11 to 13 in that the function assignment is not displayed on the main display screen.

  The sub guide keys 23 and 24 provided in the display surface of the display housing 2 are operation keys corresponding to the main guide keys 11 and 13 and are used in the reverse open state and the reverse close state. In these terminal states, since the upper and lower sides of the main display screen 20 are used in the reverse direction, the lower side of the main display screen 20 in the reverse closed state, that is, the side opposite to the movable connecting portion 3 in the display surface (main display) Sub guide keys 23 and 24 are arranged on the front end side of the casing with respect to the screen 20.

  The call receiver 21 is a receiver that is normally used in a call in an open state, and is disposed on the opposite side of the display screen from the movable connecting portion 3 (at the front end of the housing from the main display screen 20). Yes. On the other hand, the call receiver 22 is a receiver used in a call in the reverse closed state, and is disposed on the movable connecting portion 3 side with respect to the main display screen 20 within the display surface.

  Side keys 25 to 27 are arranged on the end surface of the operation casing 1. These side keys 25 to 27 are arranged on the left side surface of the operation housing 1 and on the movable connecting portion 3 side on the operation housing 1.

  The side key 25 is a side guide key (so-called determination key) associated with the main guide key 12, and can perform the same operation input as the main guide key 12. The side key 27 is a side clear key associated with the main clear key 17, and can perform the same operation input as the main clear key 17.

  The side key 26 is a side multifunction key associated with the main multifunction key 14. Similar to the main multifunction key 14, the side multifunction key 26 is an independent operation key that can perform four types of operation inputs by pressing parts in four directions consisting of up, down, left, and right. The same function is assigned to the pressed portion of the main multifunction key 14. Therefore, if the user performs the same operation on the side multifunction key 26 as in the case of the main multifunction key 14, the same operation input can be performed.

  The main guide key 12 is arranged at the center of the main multifunction key 14, while the side guide key 25 is arranged around the side multifunction key 26. Since the side multi-function key 26 is disposed on the end face of the operation housing 1, the side guide key 25 is separated from the side multi-function key 26 and disposed in the vicinity thereof, so that the operability is not significantly reduced and the cost is reduced. And the operation casing 1 can be made thinner.

  A camera 52 and a mobile light 53 are provided on a main surface different from the operation surface of the operation housing 1. The camera 52 is an image pickup unit composed of a CCD or CMOS image sensor, and a subject is displayed on the main display screen 20 as a finder at the time of shooting. Therefore, when photographing other people or landscapes, it is normally used in the open state or reverse closed state, and when photographing the user himself, it is used in the reverse open state. The mobile light 53 is a flashlight composed of LEDs that are turned on when exposure is insufficient.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state during key operation in the normal open state and the reverse open state. The main guide key 12 and the main multi-function key 14 are normally used at the time of opening as shown in (a) in the figure, and are disabled in the reverse open state and the reverse close state. On the other hand, the side guide key 25 and the side multifunction key 26 are used in the reverse open state and the reverse close state, and are disabled at the time of normal opening. (B) in the figure shows a state during key operation in the reverse closed state. That is, the multi-function keys 14 and 26 and the guide keys 12 and 25 that can perform the same operation input are selectively used depending on the terminal state.

  Next, the correspondence between the pressed parts of the main multifunction key 14 and the side multifunction key 26 will be described. As described above, the main multifunction key 14 and the side multifunction key 26 each have a plurality of pressing parts, and the same functions are assigned to the corresponding pressing parts. However, since both the multifunction keys 14 and 26 are not provided in the same plane, it is necessary for the user to identify the corresponding pressing portions of both the multifunction keys 14 and 26.

  That is, the main multifunction key 14 is provided on the operation surface, while the side multifunction key 26 is provided on the end surface of the operation casing 1 orthogonal to the operation surface. For this reason, the identification means which shows the correspondence of the press part of both the multifunctional keys 14 and 26 is needed. However, since the side multifunction key 26 is provided on the narrow end face, it is difficult to display the correspondence with characters on the side guide key or the end face. The shapes of the main multifunction key 14 and the side multifunction key 26 are used.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the main multifunction key 14, the main guide key 12, the side multifunction key 26, and the side guide key 25 in FIG. The main multifunction key 14 shown in (a) in the figure has pressing portions 14a to 14d in four directions orthogonal to the center of the key, and can perform different operation inputs in each direction. It has a shape for allowing the user to identify at least one of the directions. Here, the shape of the pressing part 14c is different from the other pressing parts 14a, 14b, and 14d, and the direction in which the pressing part 14c in the main multifunction key 14 is arranged is recognized by the user through vision. Further, a protrusion 14e is provided in the direction 14c to allow the user to recognize it through a tactile sense during operation.

  Further, the side multifunction key 26 shown in (b) of the figure also has pressing portions 26a to 26d in four directions orthogonal to the center of the key, just like the case of the main multifunction key 14. Different operation inputs can be performed for each direction, and the shape of the pressing portion 26c is different from that of the other pressing portions 26a, 26b, and 26d, and the direction in which the pressing portion 26c in the side multifunction key 26 is arranged is visually recognized. Through the user. Furthermore, a protrusion 26e is provided in the direction 26c to allow the user to recognize it through a tactile sense during operation.

  In this way, the user can easily recognize that the pressing portion 14c of the main multifunction key 14 and the pressing portion 26c of the side multifunction key 26 are associated with each other through vision and touch. . Therefore, if each pressing part 14a-14d of the main multifunctional key 14 and each pressing part 26a-26d of the side function key 26 are arrange | positioned in the same order on each multifunctional key 14 and 26, it will be one. If the correspondence relationship can be identified for the pressing portions 14c and 26c, the correspondence relationships of all the pressing portions 14a to 14d and 26a to 26d can be identified. In other words, the shape of the two multi-function keys 14 and 26 allows the user to easily recognize the direction in which the multi-function keys 14 and 26 are arranged. It is possible to easily understand which operation of the multi-function key is supported.

  Further, the main guide key 12 shown in (a) in the drawing is arranged at the center of the main multifunction key 14. On the other hand, the side guide key 25 corresponding to the main guide key 12 is arranged in the vicinity of the side multifunction key 26 as shown in FIG. Is provided. Here, a groove for connecting the side multifunction key 26 and the side guide key 25 is provided. Therefore, the user can easily understand that the main guide key 12 and the side guide key 25 are the corresponding operation keys.

  Further, the main guide key 12 has a different color from other operation keys arranged on the operation surface, and the side guide key 25 has the same color as the main guide key 12. For this reason, the user can easily recognize that the operation keys 12 and 25 are the corresponding operation keys from the colors assigned to the operation keys.

  Next, the configuration of the operation casing 1 in which the side multifunction key 26 and the side guide key 25 are provided on the end surface will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a side view showing one end surface of the operation casing in the mobile phone of FIG. 1, and the side guide key 25, the side multifunction key 26 and the side clear key formed on the protruding portion 1 c of the operation casing 1. 27 is shown. The operation housing 1 includes a front housing (also referred to as a front cabinet) 1a on which an operation surface is formed, and a back housing (also referred to as a rear cabinet) 1b disposed on the back side of the front housing 1a.

  The side guide key 25, the side multifunction key 26, and the side clear key 27 may be formed on any of the front casing 1a and the rear casing 1b. Here, the side keys are provided on the front casing 1a side. Shall be formed. By forming each side key on one side of the two cabinets constituting the operation casing 1, each side key can be integrally assembled to the cabinet.

  One end surface (here, the left side surface) of the front casing 1a protrudes to the back side, and a side guide key 25, a side multifunction key 26, and a side clear key 27 are formed on the protruding portion 1c. Has been. That is, a part of the left side surface of the front housing 1a is enlarged in the thickness direction to provide an arrangement region for each side key, and each side key is formed in this arrangement region. A part of the protruding portion 1c protrudes to the back side from the back surface of the back housing 1b. In this way, by arranging each side key by projecting a part of the end face of the operation casing 1 to the back side, each side key can be formed without increasing the thickness of the mobile phone.

  Here, it is assumed that the width of the central portion is wider than the width of the end portion in the protruding portion 1c on the end surface of the front housing 1a in the direction perpendicular to the protruding direction. The size of the side multifunction key 26 is larger than the size of the side guide key 25. For this reason, the large side multifunction key 26 is arranged in the center of the protruding portion 1c. On the other hand, the small side guide key 25 is disposed at the end of the protruding portion 1c. Thereby, since the side multifunction key 26 of an appropriate size can be formed, it is possible to suppress a decrease in operability as compared with the main multifunction key 14 at the time of operation input by the side multifunction key 26. Can do.

  FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration example in the operation casing of FIG. 7 and shows the state of the end face on which each side key is formed. A flexible substrate 62, a resin frame 64, and a printed circuit board 65 are provided in the operation casing 1 including the front casing 1a and the rear casing 1b. The flexible substrate 62 is a flexible wiring substrate, and is provided with switches related to each operation key arranged on the operation surface.

  At one end of the flexible substrate 62, a protrusion is formed, and a plurality of push button type switches 63 constituting each side key are provided on the protrusion. Here, it is assumed that six switches are formed on the protruding portion of the flexible substrate 62 in association with the upper, lower, left, and right pressing portions of the side multifunction key 26, the side guide key 25, and the side clear key 27. A resin button cover 67 is disposed on the protrusion having the switch 63. Engagement holes 61 a to 61 c corresponding to the side guide key 25, the side multifunction key 26, and the side clear key 27 are formed in the protruding portion 61 on the end surface of the front housing 1 a. Each switch portion of the button cover 67 is exposed through the engagement holes 61a to 61c.

  The resin frame 64 is a substrate support member for supporting the flexible substrate 62 from the back side. Protrusions 64a projecting toward the back side are formed in the peripheral part of the resin frame 64, and the projecting parts of the flexible substrate 62 are arranged around the projecting part 64a by turning from the front side. That is, the flexible substrate 62 is accommodated in the front case 1a in a state where the portion where each switch 63 is provided is bent to the back side.

  The printed circuit board 65 is a wiring board having various semiconductor chips 66, and a circuit that performs operation control such as input control using operation keys, display control using the main display screen 20, imaging control using the camera 52, communication control, and the like. It is formed as. The semiconductor chips are formed on both main surfaces of the printed circuit board 65. The printed board 65 is a main board in the mobile communication terminal.

  Next, a procedure for assembling the operation casing 1 with the above-described members will be described. First, the resin frame 64 is disposed on the back surface of the flexible substrate 62, and the protruding portion of the flexible substrate 62 is bent so as to follow the side surface of the protruding portion 64a of the resin frame 64. In this state, the button cover 67 is disposed on the protruding portion, and the flexible substrate 62 and the resin frame 64 are accommodated in the front housing 1a. The flexible substrate 62 is attached to the resin frame 64 with a double-sided adhesive tape or the like.

  Next, when the printed circuit board 65 is arranged and the rear casing 1b is engaged with the front casing 1a, the operation casing 1 is completed. At this time, the protruding portion of the flexible substrate 62 is disposed so as to wrap around the end surface of the printed circuit board 65.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the details of the main part of the operation case of FIG. 8, and shows the state of the push button type switch 63. Terminal portions 71 and 72 are formed on the flexible substrate 62, and one terminal portion 71 surrounds the other terminal portion 72. That is, one terminal portion 71 is made of a conductive dome-shaped metal member, and the switch 63 is formed with the dome-shaped terminal portion 71 covering the terminal portion 72. By pressing near the top of the dome-shaped terminal portion 71, the inner surface of the terminal portion 71 comes into contact with the terminal portion 72, and the switch 63 is turned on.

  By configuring the operation casing 1 in this way, it is possible to prevent the structure of the mobile communication terminal from becoming complicated when each side key is provided on the end face of the operation casing 1. In particular, by arranging the protruding portion of the flexible substrate 62 so as to wrap around the end surface of the printed circuit board 65, the large-sized side multifunction key 26 can be appropriately disposed without increasing the size of the printed circuit board 65. .

  In this embodiment, an example in which each side key is provided in a foldable mobile phone has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the present invention can be applied to a mobile communication terminal that is not foldable.

  10 (a) and 10 (b) are diagrams showing another example of the portable communication terminal according to the present invention, in which a mobile phone comprising a thin casing in which an operation surface and a display surface are integrally formed on one main surface. The appearance of the phone is shown. (A) in a figure is the front view which looked at the mobile telephone from the user side, (b) in the figure is the left view.

  This cellular phone is constituted by a thin casing 81 having a rectangular flat plate shape, and has two opposing main surfaces and end surfaces. A number of operation keys such as a numeric keypad, main guide keys 82 to 84, a main multifunction key 85, an off-hook key, an on-hook key, and a main clear key are arranged on one main surface of the housing 81. Is used as an operation surface for performing operation input. Note that the call microphone 88 is disposed in the operation surface and in the vicinity of the end of the casing opposite to the main display screen 87.

  A main display screen 87 including a liquid crystal display panel is disposed on the main surface, and the main surface is also used as a display surface for performing display output to the user. Note that the call receiver 86 is disposed on the side opposite to the operation surface in the display surface. The casing 81 includes a front casing 81a and a rear casing 81b.

  A side guide key 90, a side multifunction key 91, and a side clear key 92 are disposed on the end surface (here, the left side surface) of the housing 81. Each of these side keys is formed on a protrusion 89 provided on the front casing 81a. In addition, a camera 93 and a mobile light are provided on the main surface of the housing 81 opposite to the operation surface.

  Here, it is assumed that self-photographing using a mobile phone and viewing of TV broadcasts are possible. In other words, the user can photograph himself / herself using the camera 93. At that time, the photographing conditions such as zoom magnification and brightness can be changed by operating each side key.

  In addition, the received video by the television broadcast is displayed on the main display screen 87, and the voice can be listened to by the call receiver 86 or the built-in speaker of the terminal. Usually, since the received video is horizontally long, it is displayed on the main display screen 87 by switching the screen display direction. That is, the user uses the terminal in a state where the terminal is tilted when viewing the television with the mobile phone.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to easily change the shooting conditions without changing the casing 81 during self-photographing, and various operation inputs can be performed with the side keys even during TV viewing. Can be improved.

It is the figure which showed an example of the mobile telephone by this invention, and the external appearance in a "normally open state" is shown. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the mobile phone of FIG. 1 in a “normally closed state”. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an appearance of the mobile phone of FIG. 1 in a “reverse open state”. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an appearance of the mobile phone of FIG. 1 in “reverse closed state”. It is the figure which showed the mode at the time of key operation in a normal open state and a reverse open state. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the main multifunction key 14, the main guide key 12, the side multifunction key 26 and the side guide key 25 of FIG. 1 in comparison. It is the side view which showed the end surface of the operation housing | casing in the mobile telephone of FIG. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration example in the operation casing of FIG. 7, and shows a state of an end surface on which each side key is formed. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the details of the main part of the operation casing of FIG. 8, and shows the state of a push button type switch 63. It is the figure which showed another example of the portable communication terminal by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operation housing | casing 1a, 81a Front housing | casing 1b, 81b Rear housing | casing 1c, 61, 89 Projection part 2 Display housing | casing 3 Movable connection part 11-13, 82-84 Main guide key 14,85 Main multifunction key 14a- 14d Pressing portion 14e Protruding portion 15 Off-hook key 16 On-hook key 17 Main clear key 20, 87 Main display screen 23, 24 Sub guide key 25, 90 Side guide key 26, 91 Side multifunction key 26a-26d Pressing portion 26e Protruding portion 27 , 92 Side clear keys 61a to 61c Engaging hole 62 Flexible substrate 63 Switch 64 Resin frame 65 Printed circuit board 71, 72 Terminal portions A1, A2 Rotating shaft

Claims (5)

In a mobile communication terminal composed of a casing formed with an operation surface on which a large number of operation buttons are arranged on one main surface,
  A main multi-function key provided in the operation surface and capable of two or more different operation inputs according to the pressed part;
  A side multifunction key that is provided on an end surface of the housing and is capable of performing the same operation input as the main multifunction key;
  A main guide key which is arranged in the center of the main multi-function key and includes operation keys separate from the main multi-function key;
  A side guide key provided on an end surface of the housing and capable of performing the same operation input as the main guide key;
  The case is composed of a front case on which the operation surface is formed and a rear case disposed on the back side of the front case,
  The main multi-function key and the side multi-function key each have identification means that makes it possible to identify the corresponding pressing parts,
  A part of an end surface of the front housing projects to the back side, and the side multifunction key and the side guide key are formed on the projecting portion.   The mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the side multifunction key has a size larger than that of the side guide key and is arranged at the center of the protruding portion.   An operation case having an operation surface on which a number of operation buttons are arranged on one main surface, a display case having a display surface on one main surface, and a movable connection for connecting the operation case and the display case In a normally open state in which both housings are deployed with the operation surface and display surface facing in the same direction, and a reverse closed state in which the display surfaces face outward and the main surfaces of both housings face each other A foldable mobile communication terminal capable of transitioning between
  A main multi-function key provided in the operation surface and capable of two or more different operation inputs according to the pressed part;
  A side multifunction key that is provided on an end surface of the operation casing and can perform the same operation input as the main multifunction key;
  A main guide key which is arranged in the center of the main multi-function key and includes operation keys separate from the main multi-function key;
  A side guide key provided on an end surface of the operation casing and capable of performing the same operation input as the main guide key;
  The operation casing includes a front casing on which the operation surface is formed, and a rear casing disposed on the back side of the front casing.
  The main multi-function key and the side multi-function key each have identification means that makes it possible to identify the corresponding pressing parts,
  The foldable portable communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein a part of an end surface of the front casing protrudes toward the back side, and the side multifunction key and the side guide key are formed on the protruding portion.   The main multifunction key and the side multifunction key have pressing portions in each of four orthogonal directions,
  4. The foldable portable communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein the identification means includes means for indicating a correspondence relationship between the directions.   4. The foldable portable communication terminal according to claim 3, wherein the identification means has a shape capable of identifying the corresponding operation directions of the main multifunction key and the side multifunction key during operation.

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