JPH0448309A - Electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely and automatically hold a display part at its open position as well as at its opening/closing turning position in accordance with each 'one- touch' input operation by controlling the drive of a step motor based on the number of driving pulses inputted by an operation input means being stored and also the result of detection of a detection means. CONSTITUTION:A touch switch 43 is connected to a control part 80 for inputting as instruction to open a display part. Then the part 80 controls the drive of a step motor 16 of a display part rotary mechanism based on the number of driving pulses inputted by an operation input means 2 and stored in a storage means 82 and also the result of detection of a detection means. Thus the display part is automatically held at the opening/closing turning position and the open position. Thus it is possible to carry out the opening/closing turning operations of the display with a 'one-touch' operation and to surely hold the display at its optional rotary position.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to electronic equipment, and in particular, between a closed position where the display section overlaps the main body of the electronic equipment almost horizontally and an open position where the display section stands at a predetermined angle close to perpendicular to the main body of the electronic equipment. This relates to an electronic device that is rotatably opened and closed.

[Prior Art] In electronic devices such as so-called laptop-type personal computers and workstations, there are two positions: a position where the display as a display section overlaps the main body of the electronic device almost horizontally, and a position where it stands at an angle of approximately +30° vertically. A structure that can be rotated between the two, that is, can be opened and closed, is widely used. In this case, a thin display such as a reflective liquid crystal display, a backlit liquid crystal display, or a plasma display is used as the display.

A conventional example (workstation) of such electronic equipment is shown in FIG. A display 101 incorporating the above-mentioned thin display is provided so as to be rotatable in the directions of arrows a and b with respect to bearing parts 102 and 103 of the workstation main body ioo, and is placed on the main body 100 of the device as shown in the figure. It is rotatable between a display position (open position) and a position indicated by a chain double-dashed line (closed position), which overlaps substantially horizontally so as to cover the keyboard 104 provided on the main body lOO of the device.

With this configuration, even if a large display device is used as the display 101, when the display 101 is closed, the entire device becomes compact and easy to carry.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] However, the weight of the display of this type of electronic device is 1K.
g is large, and the moment around the axis of rotation is quite large. Therefore, when the user closes the display, there is a risk of injury if the user gets his or her fingers caught between the display and the main body of the device. Therefore, each manufacturer has added a mechanism to reduce or eliminate the moment of the display using a spring or damper.

In addition, when working with the display open, it is necessary to freely set the rotation angle of the display to avoid reflections of indoor lighting on the display surface, and for this purpose, the above moment is set to 0. A mechanism is provided for holding the display at any rotation angle.

However, such a display holding mechanism has problems in its environmental dependence and durability, and its holding force may decrease depending on the temperature and the number of times the display is opened and closed, making it impossible to achieve its purpose. Furthermore, if there is a margin in the holding force, the force required for opening and closing increases, resulting in a device that is troublesome for the user to open and close.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to easily open and close the display in this type of electronic device with a single touch.
Moreover, the purpose is to ensure that the display can be held at any rotational position.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention, the display section can be positioned between a closed position where the display section overlaps the main body of the electronic device almost horizontally and an open position where the display section stands at a predetermined angle close to perpendicular to the main body of the electronic device. In an electronic device that is rotatably installed and opened and closed, the display part rotation mechanism uses a step motor as a drive source to rotate the display part to open and close the display part and hold the display part in the open position; an operation input means for instructing; a storage means for storing the number of drive pulses of the step motor required to rotate the display section from a closed position to an open position; a detection means for detecting, an input by the operation input means, the number of driving pulses stored in the storage means,
and a control means for controlling the drive of the step motor based on the detection result of the detection means to rotate the display section to open and close it and hold it at the open position.

[Function] According to such a configuration, the control section controls the display rotation mechanism based on the input by the operation input means, the number of drive pulses stored in the storage means, and the detection result of the detection means. By controlling the drive of the step motor, the display section is automatically rotated to open and close and held in the open position.

[Example] Hereinafter, details of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 and 2 show the overall exterior and interior of a workstation according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively.

Reference numeral 1 is a workstation body, and a keyboard 2 as an operation input means is provided at the front of the workstation body.
A reading/recording section 6 is provided at the rear for reading or recording (printout) an image on a document.

The configuration of the reading/recording section 6 is as shown in FIG. The conveyance roller 24.25, the reading platen roller 27, and the paper ejection roller 30.31 are rotated to feed the paper, and the paper is delivered to the reading sensor 2 on the reading platen roller 27.
6 reads the image information of the original by photoelectric conversion, or
Alternatively, recording (printing) is performed on paper using a thermal transfer recording head 28 on a recording platen 29.

After reading or recording, the paper is discharged onto a tray 36 as indicated by the symbol P in FIG. Note that the reference numeral 23 indicates a separation pad 34 which cooperates with the separation roller 22 to separate the paper.
35 is a paper sensor that detects the insertion of paper, and 35 is a paper edge sensor that detects the leading edge of the paper.

On the other hand, on the main body 1, a display 3, which is a display section consisting of, for example, a liquid crystal display with a cold cathode tube backlight, is rotatably provided (openable and closable). That is, the display 3 is rotatably mounted in the directions of arrows a and b by bearings 4 and 5 provided on the left and right sides of the main body 1 on both sides of its upper end in the figure, as shown in FIG. There are two positions: standing at a predetermined angle close to perpendicular to the keyboard 2 (open position), and a position almost horizontally overlapping the keyboard 2 (as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 2).
(closed position).

There is a transparent touch panel 1 on the display surface of the screen 1 screen 3.
4, which allows the user to input various operations on the display screen, such as printing text when used as a word processor, reading image information, compositing images, or instructing facsimile transmission. It is possible to perform input such as input and change of processing menu.

Incidentally, in this embodiment, the display 3 can be rotated to open and close automatically by driving a step motor. The configuration of the rotation mechanism for this purpose will be explained below.

3 and 4, the structure around each bearing portion 4.5 of the main body 1, which bears the display 3, is reduced in size.

On the side of the bearing portion 4 shown in FIG. 3, a rotating shaft 9 is fixed to the right side of the upper end of the cover 7 of the display 3 by a fixing metal fitting 9a, and a gear 8 is attached to the tip thereof. Also, on the main body 1 side is a bearing 1 made of oil-less metal.
0 is supported by a sheet metal 15, and rotatably bears the rotary shaft 9.

On the other hand, on the bearing part 5 side shown in FIG. 4, a hollow rotating shaft 11 is fixed to the left side of the lower end of the pedestal 7 by a fixing fitting 11a, and an oil-less bearing supported by a sheet metal 13 of one example of the main body. 12. Since the rotating shafts 9.11 are arranged coaxially, the display 3 rotates smoothly about both shafts 9.11 as fulcrums.

Note that power lines and signal lines for the display 3 and the touch panel 14 are passed through the hollow rotating shaft ll, and the power supply line (not shown) inside the main body 1 and the control circuit board shown with reference numeral 19 in FIG. It is connected to a control circuit (not shown) provided in the.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a step motor 16 is fixed to the metal plate 15 that supports the bearing 10 on the right side, and when the step motor 16 is fixed to the rotating shaft, the nion 17 meshes with a reduction gear 18. is adapted to mesh with gear 8. Driven by the step motor 16, the gear 8 is rotated via the pinion 17 and the reduction gear 18, the shaft 9 is rotated, and the display 3 is rotated.

Here, the step motor 16 has a step angle of 1, for example.
Assume that the angle is 0° and that the torque is driven at 200 pps as described later, and the torque at 200 pps is 240 g'Cm. Further, the reduction ratio of the pinion 17 to the gear 8 is set to 1150. Therefore, the driving torque of gear 8 by motor 16 is 12K.
It becomes g・Cm.

On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 5, the weight of the display 3 is 1 kg, and the distance between its center of gravity and the center of rotation is 10 cm.
The moment generated in the rotating part due to the weight is up to 10K.
g-cm, the driving torque of the gear 8 by the motor 16 is 12 kg-cm, which is greater than that, so the display 3 can be rotated sufficiently.

The driving of the step motor 16 is controlled by a control circuit provided on a control circuit board 19 disposed at the bottom of the main body l. The control system has a configuration as shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 80 is a control unit that controls the step motor 16. Although this control unit 80 may be used exclusively for the step motor 16, it may also be used for the motors 70, 71 in FIG. 2 or other components. It may also be controlled.

The control unit 80 is composed of a microcomputer, and includes a CPU 81 which is the main body of control, a ROM 82 that stores its control program, and a RAM 83 which is used as a working area, a buffer, and the like. Control unit 80
controls the drive of the step motor 16 via the motor drive circuit 84.

A touch switch 43 for inputting an instruction to open the display 3 is connected to the control 580 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the touch switch 43 is provided on the cover 7 on the back side of the display 3, and serves as an emblem with a logo, for example.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 80 includes a keyboard 2.
is connected. In the keyboard 2 shown in FIG. 1, key switches 40 and 41 at both ends of the front row detect whether the display 3 is in the closed position or not. That is, the cover 37 on the front side of the display 3 has protrusions 38 and 39.
is provided, and when the display 3 is closed, the protrusions 38, 39 simultaneously press the key switches 40, 41, it is detected that the display 3 is in the closed position, and the detection signal is sent to the control unit 8o in FIG. It is now entered into Note that the key switches 40 and 43 serve as sensors for performing the above-mentioned detection, and are also separately used as input I keys for predetermined calculations.

Furthermore, a touch panel 14 provided on the display surface of the display 3 is connected to the control unit 80.
When a touch operation No. 4 is performed, the control unit 80 can detect it.

Further, reference numeral 86 denotes a buzzer for outputting a single alarm, which will be described later, and is driven via a buzzer drive circuit 85 under the control of the control section 80.

Next, the control operation of the step motor 16 by the control section 8o will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the control processing procedure corresponding to the control program of the control section 80.

When the user touches the touch switch 43 to use the device of this embodiment and the signal is input to the control unit 80, the control unit 80 starts the process shown in FIG.

First, in step S1 in FIG. 7, the process waits for a time required for the user to release his/her finger from the touch switch 43, for example, 1 second. This is because if the display 3 starts rotating immediately after the touch, the user's hand will be pushed up by the display 3, resulting in a poor operating feel and causing the motor 16 to step out. It is desirable to wait at least 5 seconds before starting rotation.

Next, in step S2, the step motor 16 is driven by N pulses at, for example, 200 pps via the motor drive circuit 84. The number N of driving pulses mentioned above is stored in a predetermined storage area of the RAM 83 and is preserved even when the m source is turned off. The number N of driving pulses is set to, for example, 600 as a default value, and if the user wishes to change it, he or she can change it as described later by operating the keyboard 2 or the touch panel 14.

Here, if the number of pulses N is 600, the step motor 1
By driving with 600 pulses of 6, the display 3 becomes the second
From the closed position of the two-dot chain line in the figure, 10@X600X115
It rotates by 0=120° in the direction a and stops. The driving time is 3 seconds.

Assuming that the angle of the display 3 in the closed position is tilted 10 degrees below the horizontal as shown in FIG.
° Rotate to a tilted position. On the other hand, if the user wants to always use the display 3 at an angle 5 degrees tilted from the 20" angle, the user can use the keyboard 2 or touch panel 14 in advance to set the holding angle to 25 degrees as a mode for setting the holding angle when using the display 3. In response to this, the CPU 81 of the control unit 80 performs the calculation (25-20)X5+600=625 on the input value 25, corrects the number of drive pulses N to 625, and sets RA.
The data is stored in the aforementioned predetermined storage area of M83. Note that it is assumed that the angle can only be entered below the angle at which the cover of the main body 1 collides with the display.

By the way, if the step motor 16 is driven by the number N of drive pulses and then the power to the motor 16 is cut off, the display 3 will rotate until it collides with the cover of the main body 1 due to the moment due to its own weight. Therefore, in step S3, a holding current is applied to the step motor 16 in order to hold the display 3 so as not to rotate. In order to prevent the temperature of the step motor 16 from rising and to obtain sufficient holding power,
The holding current is approximately half that of driving. Of course, it is not limited to this value.

In this manner, the user can use the workstation with the display 3 tilted above the workstation main body 1, and can perform work by inputting information through key operations on the keyboard 2 and touch operations on the touch panel 14.

However, when the touch panel 14 is touched, a moment is applied to the display 3 due to the pressure of the touch. For example, if the touch pressure is 300 g, and as shown in FIG. 5, the maximum open angle of the open position when the display 3 is used is 120' from the horizontal, and the operating position at the top end of the touch panel 14 is the center of rotation of the display 3. 20 cm, the moment applied to the rotating shaft of the display 3 is 0.3 x 20 = 6 g-em (depending on operating pressure), l x 10 x sin60' = 5 Kg-cm (
(by weight) for a total of 11 kg-cm.

On the other hand, as an example, the holding torque due to half the holding current during driving as described above is 180 g-c at the output shaft of the motor 16.
rn, the rotation axis of the display 3 is 9 kg-cm, and although it is possible to hold the display 3 without any external force applied, it cannot withstand operation of the touch panel 14.

Therefore, the control unit 80 outputs a control signal to the motor drive circuit 84 in step S4 of FIG. cm)

Here, the change in holding torque due to change in holding current is approximately 50
This is done in 0 μSec. In contrast, the touch panel 14
There is a time delay before the operating force is transmitted to the rotating shaft of the display 3 due to distortion of the touch panel 14 and the cover of the display 3, etc.
sec is sufficiently short, so from the user's perspective, Display 3 does not move.

Note that, unless there is a concern about temperature rise of the step motor 16 or other problems, the holding current may always be set to the same value as when driving. In this case, the process of step S4.5 is unnecessary.

Next, the determination loop of step S6 in FIG. 7 waits for an input instructing the closing operation of the display 3.
For example, this can be done by the user touching an end icon displayed on the touch panel 14.

When an instruction for a closing operation is input, in step S7 the user waits for 1 second for the user to release his or her finger from the touch panel 14, and then in step S8 the step motor 16 is increased to 200pp.
A predetermined number of pulses n smaller than the number of drive pulses N described above in s.
, for example, by 400 pulses. As a result, the display 3 rotates in the direction shown in FIG. 1 and closes.

Next, in step S9, the step motor 16 is reversely driven by a predetermined number of pulses m, for example 100 pulses (m<N-n), while gradually lowering the frequency of the drive pulses to a predetermined value, for example 50 pps. As a result, the display 3 further rotates by a predetermined angle in the b direction while slowing down the rotation speed.

Next, in step 510, the step motor 16 is stopped for 1 second, for example, so that the user does not get his fingers caught between the display 3 and the keyboard 2 (display 3
), and also sounds the buzzer 86 to issue a warning.

Next, in a loop of steps Sll and S12, the step motor 16 is driven in reverse at a low speed (50 pps) until the key switches 40 and 41 are turned on at the same time, that is, until the display 3 rotates to the closed position 6 and the key switch 40 .41 turns on, step S
After stopping the step motor 16 at step 13, the backlight of the display 3 is turned off and the display enters a standby state.

can be maintained automatically.

In addition to the above configuration, this embodiment employs the configuration shown in FIG. 8 in order to brake the display 3 when the power to the apparatus is turned off with the display 3 open.

That is, the coil 16a of the step motor 16 shown in FIG.
-16d and a motor drive circuit 84 consisting of a transistor.
In between, coils 16a, 16b are connected to a relay 44, and coil 16c.

16d is connected to relay 45. Lillet 44.45
is connected to the power line, opens when the power is turned on, and closes when the power is turned off.

Then, when relays 44 and 45 close due to the power being turned off,
Coils 16a and 16b are short-circuited, and coils 16c and 16d are short-circuited. When the user tries to turn the display 3 in this state to close it, the rotating shaft 9 of the display 3 is braked by the counter electromotive force of the coils 16a to 16d of the motor 16 rotated thereby. In other words, the display 3 is braked and its closing speed is slowed down, thereby preventing the user from getting his or her fingers caught and getting injured.

Also, in order to brake when closing the display 3, the fourth
9 (A) on the bearing part on the left side of the display 3 shown in the figure.
) and (B) may be provided.

This mechanism uses a spring to apply a frictional load only in the b direction in which the display 3 is closed.

A coil spring 52 is wound around the rotating shaft 11 of the display 3, and one end of the coil spring 52 is fixed to the cover 7 of the display 3. Due to the winding direction of the spring 52, when the display 3 is rotated in the direction a to open it, the spring 52 is loosened and the frictional load between the spring 52 and the rotating shaft 11 is reduced, and when the display 3 is rotated in the direction b to close it, the spring 52 is tightened and becomes heavier. Become.

Here, the torque due to the frictional load when closing is set to 11 kg-cm as already shown in FIG.
If it is larger than 10 kg-cm at a rotation angle of 0°, then
Even if the power is turned off while the display 3 is between the vertical position and the closed position on the workstation body 1, the display 3 is held at the off position without being closed.

Note that the symbol a in Figure 10 is the difference between the torque b caused by the friction and the moment C caused by the weight, and its maximum value is 16 kg.
-cm (rotation angle of 120°). Therefore, the 1-rook required for the step motor 16 is 16 kg-cm or more, and a motor that exceeds this torque at 200 ppS is desirable.

As described above, by using the mechanisms shown in FIGS. 9(A) and 9(B), the brake can be applied when closing the display 3, and the risk of fingers being pinched can be prevented and safety can be improved. Note that the same effect is not limited to the structure shown in Fig. 8 and the mechanism shown in Fig. 9; for example, a mechanism that applies braking by the viscous load of oil or grease, or a spring arranged to act in a straight bend in the closed position, etc. Obtainable.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.

(a) By rotating the display 3 to open and close it by driving the step motor 16, the user's operation required for opening and closing is just a touch operation of a switch, which is simplified and eliminates the risk of pinching fingers. Also display 3
Since the opening angle during use can be controlled by the number of drive pulses of the step motor 16, and the rotational speed of opening and closing can be controlled by the frequency of the pulses, the degree of freedom in designing the opening and closing sequence is increased. Furthermore, even if the display 3 hits an obstacle during opening/closing operation, the torque of the step motor 16 is adjusted to an appropriate value (12 in this embodiment).
Kg-cm), the motor 16 will step out, so
This can prevent the display cover and obstacles from breaking. Furthermore, even if the motor 16 or the drive circuit breaks, the step motor requires less torque to turn the output shaft than a DC motor, and the motor will not be damaged even when turned, so the user can easily open and close the display 3 by hand. It can be carried out.

(b) A touch switch 43 is provided on the upper side when the display 3 is stored, and after the switch is turned on,
Since the display 3 starts opening after a second, the user does not have to lift his or her hand, and no large load is placed on the step motor 16.

(C) Storing the number of drive pulses input from the keyboard that corresponds to the angle of the holding position of the display 3 during display (when in use), and thereby setting the number of drive pulses for the step motor 16 when the display 3 is open. Accordingly, the angle of the holding position can be set as desired according to the user's individual preference.

(d) The display 3 can be held by applying a holding current to the step motor 16.

(e) By increasing the holding current of the motor 16 when the touch panel 14 provided on the display surface of the display 3 is operated, DISB! It is possible to prevent Noi 3 from moving.

(f) When Day or Play 3 closes from the display position, it slows down before closing completely, then pauses, and then sounds the buzzer! The risk of fingers getting caught can be further reduced.

(g) With the configurations shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 (A) and (B), the display 3 can be braked even when the power is turned off, and safety can be ensured.

(h) Since the key switches 40 and 41 of the keyboard are used to detect whether or not the display 3 is in the closed position, no dedicated sensor is used, so costs can be reduced accordingly.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the display unit can rotate between a closed position where it overlaps the main body of the electronic device almost horizontally and an open position where it stands at a predetermined angle close to perpendicular to the main body of the electronic device. In an electronic device that can be opened and closed with a step motor as a driving source, the display section rotation mechanism uses a step motor as a drive source to rotate the display section to open and close it and hold it in the open position, and a display section rotation mechanism that instructs opening and closing of the display section. operation input means; storage means for storing the number of drive pulses of the step motor required to rotate the display section from the closed position to the open position; and detecting whether or not the display section is in the closed position. a detection means for controlling the drive of the step motor based on the input by the operation input means, the number of drive pulses stored in the storage means, and the detection result of the detection means to rotate and close the display section; A configuration is adopted that includes a control means for holding the device in the open position. With this configuration, the display section is automatically and reliably rotated to open and close and held in the open position in response to a one-touch operation input, making the operation of the electronic device simple and convenient. It has the excellent effect of improving the functionality and reliability of electronic devices6.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of a workstation according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side sectional view showing the inside of the workstation, and Fig. 3 is a bearing on the right side of the display in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure around the left bearing part, Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the opening/closing angle of the display of the same workstation, the position of the center of gravity, etc., and Fig. 6 is the same. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system related to drive control of the step motor that opens and closes the display of the workstation; FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for controlling the step motor by the control unit in FIG. 6; FIG. Figure 9 (A) is a circuit diagram showing the circuit configuration for applying braking to the display when the power is turned off.
B) is a perspective view and a sectional view showing the structure of a braking mechanism that applies braking when the display is closed, respectively, and FIG. 10 shows the braking torque and display related to the same mechanism. 1.--Workstation body 2-..Keyboard 3.--Display 4.5-
・Bearing section 6...-Reading/recording section 9.1! ...Rotary axis 14...-Touch panel 16...Step motor 40.41-...Key switch 43-...Touch switch 44.45...Relay 80...Control unit 81...CPU82... R
OM83-...RAM86-...Buzzer

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) In an electronic device that is rotatably provided and opened and closed between a closed position in which the display section overlaps the main body of the electronic device almost horizontally and an open position in which it stands at a predetermined angle close to perpendicular to the main body of the electronic device. , a display section rotating mechanism that uses a step motor as a drive source to rotate the display section to open and close it and hold it in the open position; an operation input means for instructing opening and closing of the display section; and an operation input means for instructing opening and closing of the display section; storage means for storing the number of drive pulses of the step motor required to rotate the step motor from the open position to the open position; a detection means for detecting whether the display section is in the closed position; and an input by the operation input means. , a control means for controlling the drive of the step motor based on the number of drive pulses stored in the storage means and the detection result of the detection means to rotate the display section to open and close it and hold it in the open position; An electronic device characterized by being equipped with. 2) The control unit starts driving the step motor after a predetermined period of time has elapsed from the time when an operation input instructing opening/closing of the display unit is made by the operation input means. Electronics. 3) The number of driving pulses stored in the storage means is variably set according to an operation input.
The electronic device according to item 1 or 2. 4) A touch panel as an operation input means is provided on the display surface of the display section, and when an operation input is made on the touch panel while the display section is held at the open position, the control section controls the display section. 4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the holding force for holding the display section of the moving mechanism is increased. 5) When the control unit is rotated from the open position to the closed position, the control unit reduces the rotation speed or temporarily stops the rotation during the rotation. The electronic device according to any one of Items 1 to 4. 6) The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising means for short-circuiting the coils of the step motor when the electronic device is powered off. 7) The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a braking mechanism that applies braking to the display part in a rotational direction in which the display part is closed. Electronics. 8) A keyboard is provided as the operation input means, and a detection means for detecting whether or not the display section is in a closed position is configured by a predetermined key switch of the keyboard. The electronic device according to any one of paragraphs 7 to 7.