JPH09311737A - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily view a picture displayed on the display devices of various electronic units which can be carried by users. SOLUTION: The plural independent display parts 6a-6f and flexible joints 7a-7e connecting the plural display parts 6a-6f are provided. Thus, the plural display parts 6a-6f can be folded by the flexible joints 7a-7e so as to make the device small. One picture can be displayed on the whole display parts 6a-6f and the different pictures can be displayed on the display parts 6a-6f.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display device provided in electronic equipment, and is particularly suitable for application to a portable computer device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 11 shows an external view of a conventional portable computer device. In a conventional portable computer device 100 shown in this figure, an operation unit 102 such as a keyboard and a storage unit 103 for a recording medium such as a floppy disk are provided in a main body 101.
Is provided, and an arithmetic processing unit (CPU) and a memory are provided inside (not shown). Further, a display device 105 such as a liquid crystal display device for displaying an image is provided on the lid 104.
Such a portable computer device 100 has a main body 1
01 and the display device 105 such as a liquid crystal display are integrally configured, so that there is an advantage that they are more portable than a stationary computer device in which the main body and the display device are separately configured. .

[0003]

In recent years, the demand for the above-mentioned portable computer device 100 has been increasing along with the maintenance and expansion of the Internet, and the portable computer device 100 has a smaller size and a lighter weight with better portability. What is done is required. However, the portable computer device 1
In the case where the size of 00 is reduced, the screen size of the display device 105 provided on the cover 104 becomes small, and thus there is a problem that an image displayed on the screen becomes difficult to see.

[0004] In addition, although the amount of image information that can be displayed on the display device 105 has been greatly increased due to the increase in the speed of the CPU provided in the main body 101 of the portable computer device 100 and the increase in the memory capacity, Display device 1
The number of images that can be displayed at one time on the screen of 05 is limited, and even if a plurality of images can be displayed on the screen, there is a drawback that the images are difficult to see.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display device for various portable electronic devices capable of displaying an easily viewable screen.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a plurality of independent screen display means and a plurality of independent screen display means are developed in a display device provided in various portable electronic devices. In this case, a flexible joint means for connecting a plurality of screen display means is provided so that the display device can be betted and used.

Further, the screen display means is configured to have at least a display display section and a drive circuit section for driving the display display section. Furthermore, the plurality of screen display means can be folded by the flexible joint means, and the plurality of screen display means can be folded to be housed in the main body of various electronic devices. Further, the plurality of screen display means are configured to display one image on the plurality of screen display means as a whole when they are expanded, or to display different images on each screen display means. Further, a bus line for transmitting image data is formed on the flexible joint means.

According to the present invention, by connecting a plurality of independent screen display means to the display device by the flexible joint means, the plurality of screen display means can be folded by the flexible joint means to be miniaturized. Since it can be housed in the device body, the display device can be made highly portable. Further, it is possible to display one image on the entire plurality of screen display means or perform multi-display display in which different images are displayed on each screen display means.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is an external view of a portable computer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The portable computer device 1 according to the present embodiment shown in this figure is
The main body 2 and the display device 6 are provided with an operation unit 3 such as a keyboard and a storage unit 4 for a recording medium such as a floppy disk and the like. A unit (CPU) and a memory are provided. In addition, the main body 2 is provided with a connector 5 for connecting the display device 6 described later and the main body 2.

The display device 6 is composed of, for example, six liquid crystal display devices, and independent display portions 6a, 6b,
6c, 6d, 6e, and 6f, and the respective display portions 6a to 6f are flexible joints 7a.
Connected by ~ 7e. For example, the display unit 6a and the display unit 6b include the flexible joint 7a and the display unit 6b.
And the display unit 6c is a flexible joint 7b, the display unit 6
c and the display unit 6d are connected by a flexible joint 7c, the display unit 6d and the display unit 6e are connected by a flexible joint 7d, and the display unit 6a and the display unit 6f are connected by a flexible joint 7e. Further, bus lines, which will be described later, are formed in the flexible joints 7a to 7e so that the image data supplied from the main body 2 can be transmitted to the display units 6a to 6e.

Further, for example, the display section 6a of the display device 6 is provided with a PCB connector 8 connected to the connector section 5 provided on the main body section 2 as shown in FIG. The display device 6 is fixed to the main body 2 by joining the connector with the connector 5 provided on the main body 2. Also, the terminal 5a of the connector 5
The display device 6 and the main body 2 are electrically connected by the terminal 8a of the PCB connector 8.

The display portions 6a to 6f of the display device 6 as described above.
Is configured such that the flexible joints 7a to 7e can hold the display portions 6a to 6f in an unfolded state and can be folded to the size of each display portion. Hereinafter, a method for folding each of the display units 6a to 6f of the expanded display device 6 to the size of each display unit will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the first of the developed display devices.
FIG. 3 shows the folding method of FIG.
As shown in (a), a flexible joint 7a for connecting the display portions 6a and 6b of the display device 6 and the display portions 6c and 6
The flexible joint 7c for connecting d is the display device 6
Is formed on the display surface side.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the display portion 6b
And 6c, a flexible joint 7b for connecting the display portions 6d and 6e, and a flexible joint 7 for connecting the display portions 6a and 6f.
e is formed on the back side of the display device 6.

As described above, the display units 6a to 6 of the display device 6 are
When flexible joints 7a to 7e are formed on f,
FIG. 4 shows the display device 6 in a state where the display portions 6a to 6f are expanded.
As shown in (a), the back surface of the display unit 6a and the back surface of the display unit 6f can be folded together by a flexible joint 7e, and the display surface of the display unit 6a and the display surface of the display unit 6b can be flexible. Can be folded to fit. Similarly, the back surface of the display unit 6d and the back surface of the display unit 6e can be folded so as to be matched by the flexible joint 7d, and the display surface of the display unit 6c and the display surface of the display unit 6d are matched by the flexible joint 7c. Can be folded as

Then, by folding the back surface of the display portion 6b and the back surface of the display portion 6c so as to match with each other by the flexible joint 7b, the respective display portions 6a to 6f constituting the display device 6 are as shown in FIG. On the display 6e,
The display unit 6d, the display unit 6c, the display unit 6b, the display unit 6a, and the display unit 6f can be overlaid in this order.

Next, FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second folding method of the unfolded display device. In this case,
As shown in FIG. 5A, the flexible joint 10a and the display portions 6a and 6 for connecting the display portion 6d and the display portion 6e.
A flexible joint 10b for connecting f is formed on the display surface side, and as shown in FIG.
Flexible joint 10c for connecting a and 6b, and flexible joint 10 for connecting display portions 6b and 6c
A flexible joint 10e for connecting the d and the display portions 6c and 6d is formed on the back side. In this case, the display unit 6
The flexible joints 10c and 10e connecting the a and 6b and the display portions 6c and 6d are formed with a margin for the thickness of the display portion.

In this way, the display portions 6a to 6 of the display device 6 are
When flexible joints 7a to 7e are formed on f,
The display device 6 in a state where the display units 6a to 6f are expanded is shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), the display surface of the display unit 6d and the display surface of the display unit 6e can be folded so as to match each other, and
The display surface of the display unit 6c and the back surface of the display unit 6e can be folded so as to match each other. Although not shown, similarly, the display surface of the display unit 6a and the display surface of the display unit 6f can be folded so as to be matched by the flexible joint 10b, and the display surface of the display unit 6b and the display unit 6f can be similarly folded.
Can be folded to fit the back of the. Then, by folding the back surface of the display portion 6b and the back surface of the display portion 6c so as to match each other, the display portions 6a to 6f constituting the display device 6 are replaced by the display portion 6d, as shown in FIG.
The display unit 6e, the display unit 6c, the display unit 6b, the display unit 6f, and the display unit 6a can be overlaid in this order.

That is, since the display device according to the present embodiment is configured such that a plurality of independent display parts are connected by the flexible joint, the display device of the display device can be expanded by expanding the plurality of display parts. It is possible to increase the size of the screen, and by using a flexible joint to fold it, it is possible to reduce the size to the size of one display unit.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the display device group 2 is made compact by folding the display portions 6a to 6f of the display device 6.
0 can be stored in a dedicated protective case such as the display magazine 21 and carried separately from the portable computer device 1.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, a display storage unit capable of storing a display magazine 21 in a cover 22 for protecting an operation unit and the like provided in the main body 2 of the portable computer device 1. If the display device 21 is provided, the display magazine 21 in which the display device group 20 is stored can be stored, and the main body 2 and the display device 6 can be integrally carried.

Next, the display portion 6a of the display device 6 as described above.
The driving method of 6f will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a screen controller for displaying an image on the screen of the display unit provided in the display device 6. In this figure, the screen controller 30 is a screen number setting controller 31, a screen scan converter 32, and a distributor 3.
3. The screen number setting controller 31 is a controller that sets the number of screens (1 to 6) in which the images are displayed in the divided display units that configure the display device 6, and is set by a control signal from the microcomputer control unit 34. To be done.

At least one screen scan converter 32 is provided.
It is composed of a video memory for more than the number of frames and a scanning division converter for dividing the scanning signal of the input screen signal, and stores the screen signal input via the screen number setting controller 31 and sets the screen number. Scanning control is performed according to the number of screens set by the controller 31, and the image data displayed on the display unit set at the timing according to the scanning control is converted and output so as to be output.

For example, when the number of screens is set to "1", the video data is output without being converted, but when the number of screens is set to "6", the video data is doubled vertically and horizontally. Scanning control is performed so as to be expanded three times.
In this case, one display unit is converted so that ⅙ of the video data is output.

The distributor 33 divides the image data divided by the screen scan converter 32 according to the number of screens into bus lines 35.
And outputs a timing signal so that the divided image data is displayed on the screen of a predetermined display unit of the display device 6 while being output to the display device 6.

The microcomputer control section 34 is provided in the main body section 2 of the portable computer device 1 shown in FIG. 1 and performs various controls of the main body section 2 and, for example, the operation section 3 such as a keyboard by a user or the like. When the number of screens to be displayed among the display units constituting the display device 6 to be used is input, a control signal corresponding to this operation signal is supplied to the screen controller 30.

The display device 6 is composed of a plurality of independent display portions 6a to 6f as described above, and each of the display portions 6a to 6f is a flexible joint 7a.
The image data from the screen controller 30 is transmitted by the bus lines formed in 7e. Although not shown, each of the display units 6a to 6f is provided with a drive circuit for driving a screen (display), and image data supplied via the bus line 35 is displayed in a predetermined manner. A distributor is provided for distributing the image data to each of the display units 6a to 6f by the timing signal from the distributor 33 so as to be supplied to the units 6a to 6f.

The operation for displaying an image on the display device 6 will be described below with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. First, when the user inputs the number of units, which is the number of screens to be displayed on the display unit (hereinafter, also referred to as “display”) that constitutes the display device 6 to be used, from the operation unit 3 of the main body unit 2. A predetermined control signal from the microcomputer control unit 34 is supplied to the screen controller 30 based on the operation signal, and the screen number setting controller 31 of the screen controller 30 uses the display signal of the display unit of the display device 6 based on the control signal. Set (F101).

When the number of display units is set by the screen number setting controller 31, the screen scan converter 3
For No. 2, it is determined whether or not the number of set display units is "1" (F102). If the number of display units is not "1", the number of display units is determined in step F103. Here, for example, when it is determined that the number of display units is “6”, that is, when it is determined that the display units 6a to 6f of the display device 6 are all used to display an image, for example, As described above, the screen scan converter 32 expands the input screen signal to, for example, double it in the vertical direction and triple it in the horizontal direction, and sets the scanning timing according to the number of display units. The image data is divided according to (F104, F105). Then, the divided image data is transmitted from the distributor 33 to the display device 6 via the bus line 35 (F106), and the display unit 6a of the display device 6 is transmitted.
The image is displayed on the entire 6f (F107).

On the other hand, when the number of display units set by the screen scan converter 32 is determined to be "1",
That is, when it is determined that, for example, the image is displayed on the display unit 6b among the display units 6a to 6f configuring the display device 6, the normal screen scanning, that is, the input from the distributor 33 is performed. While transmitting the screen data as it is, a timing signal for selecting the screen to be displayed on the display device 6 is output, and an image is displayed on the selected display portion 6b of the display device 6 (F108, F109).

Therefore, the display unit 6 of the display device 6 is thus
The display unit 6 of the display device 6 is controlled by controlling a to 6f.
The image can be displayed on the entire a to 6f, or the image can be displayed by selecting the desired number of screens from each of the display units 6a to 6f constituting the display device 6.

Further, for example, the display units 6a to 6a of the display device 6
It is also possible to display different images on 6f, or to perform multi-display display in which different images are displayed on a plurality of display units with the number of screens set. In addition,
In the embodiment of the present invention, the case where the display device 6 is composed of six independent display parts has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, six or more display parts or less display parts. Of course, it can be configured with.

[0033]

As described above, since the display device of the present invention is composed of the plurality of independent screen display means and the flexible joint means, the image is enlarged on the whole of the plurality of screen display means. By displaying, even if the body of various portable electronic devices is downsized, the display screen can be made easier to see. Also,
Since the screen display means can be folded and downsized by the flexible joint means and the folded display device can be housed in the device body, the display device can be made highly portable.

Further, since the number of screens to be displayed can be arbitrarily set from a plurality of screen display means, when various portable electronic devices are operated by a battery, the number of screens to be displayed is reduced. The power consumption of the device can be reduced. Furthermore, there is an advantage that multi-display display can be performed in which different images are displayed on each screen display means.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a portable computer device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a joint portion between a main body portion and a display device of the portable computer device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a display device of the portable computer device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a folded view of the display device of the portable computer device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modification of the configuration of the display device of the portable computer device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a folded view of the display device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of storage of a display device.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a case where the display device is stored in the portable computer device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a screen controller according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation when an image is displayed on the display device.

FIG. 11 is an external view of a conventional portable computer device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 portable computer device, 2 main body part, 3 operation part, 4 floppy storage part, 5 8 connector part, 6
Display device, 6a to 6f Display unit, 7a to 7e Flexible joint, 20 Display device group, 21 Display magazine, 22 Lid unit, 23 Display storage unit, 30 screen controller, 31 screen number controller, 32 screen scan converter, 33 distribution vessel,
34 microcomputer control unit, 35 transmission bus line

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A display device provided in various portable electronic devices, wherein a plurality of independent screen display means are provided, and the plurality of screen display means can be used as the display device when expanded. A display device, comprising: a flexible joint means for connecting a plurality of screen display means. 2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the screen display unit includes at least a display display unit and a drive circuit unit for driving the display display unit. . 3. The plurality of screen display means are foldable by the flexible joint means, and the plurality of screen display means are configured to be able to be stored in the main body of various electronic devices by folding the plurality of screen display means. The display device according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of screen display means are configured to display one image on the entire plurality of screen display means when expanded. . 5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of screen display means are configured so that different images are displayed on the screen display means when expanded. 6. The flexible joint means includes:
The display device according to claim 1, wherein a bus line for transmitting image data is formed.