DE29817564U1 - Portable and highly integrated multimedia device - Google Patents

Description

Portable and highly integrated multimedia device

Multimedia activities such as using computer programs or video games, surfing the Internet, watching television and playing back video recordings, listening to the radio and playing back audio recordings, voice and video telephony, capturing and editing images using digital media (photography, video recording, scanning) but also conventional activities such as writing texts, making notes and sketches and reading and viewing print media have so far been carried out using various tools such as computers, television, radio, video and audio devices, telephones, writing utensils and paper, books, magazines, etc. Switching from one activity to another causes numerous media breaks with media-related changes of location.

The fundamental ability to convert these activities into electronic, computer-based forms is known and has been partially implemented. The technical requirements for combining the multimedia services described above via computer using appropriate plug-in cards, peripheral devices and software are already met or will at least be met in the foreseeable future.

However, the broad implementation of a high level of integration of multimedia activities has not yet been seen, since maintaining media discontinuities through specialized end devices is in the interest of the respective device manufacturers. Only partial integration through standardized interfaces (Internet capability, Firewire and USB interfaces, etc.) and in the form of combination devices (set-top boxes for television with Internet connection, multimedia monitors with speakers, microphone and video camera, laptop computers with speakers, microphone, video camera and touch-sensitive display) is taking place.

Each end device has its own control and display elements so that it can also function in isolation. Above all, however, the numerous end devices each only meet the user's specific ergonomic needs, require a relatively large amount of space and specially designed installation locations (separate devices for watching TV, listening to the radio, recording or playing back audio and video data, the telephone or the computer with monitor, keyboard, mouse, loudspeakers, etc.).

The numerous individual devices also consist of many identical or very similar components (housing, power supply, switch, display, cabling). The material, space and energy required for production and operation as well as the effort required to dispose of the devices lead to a strongly negative ecological balance.

The following deficiencies in existing media end devices must be remedied or reduced:

- media disruptions caused by device changes, often associated with a change of location

- media disruptions due to a lack of options for transmitting or linking the generated or reproduced information,

- the number and space requirements of the end devices,

- the spatial connection of the user to the location of individual end devices,

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Utility model application, Dr. W. Schmidt, Münster **»* »♦■· »·· ·· ·· *·· Description

- the strongly negative ecological balance for the production, operation and disposal of the end devices and

- the inadequate ergonomics and low user acceptance of some end devices.

Most of the deficiencies mentioned can be remedied or at least significantly reduced by the features of the invention listed in claims 1 to 7.

By integrating the input and output functions for audio and video information, for device control and for manual information input into a handy and portable device, in conjunction with a suitably equipped computer, all of the multimedia services mentioned can be used in the smallest of spaces without having to change location or media breaks:

- classic use of computer programs, video games and multimedia programs,

- Surfing the Internet and e-mail processing,

- Television, playback and editing of video recordings,

- Playback of radio programs and audio recordings,

- Telephony with and without image, fax processing,

- Voice input for sound recording or with subsequent speech recognition for program control or text input,

- User identification to enable licensed services, payment transactions, access control to sensitive data, etc.,

- Reproduction of "electronic print media" (books, magazines, illustrated books),

- Room monitoring (image and sound) and control of building electronics,

- audiovisual contact with assistants for disabled, sick and elderly people,

- Processing of "electronic" handwritten notes and sketches

- as well as numerous other activities.

The size and design of the device according to claim 1 combined with suitable building cabling allow it to be taken to the user's current location inside the building and in the nearby outdoor area. The connection via device cable to a socket in the associated building cabling establishes the signal connection with the computer and at the same time supplies the operating voltage.

The size of the work surface together with the high resolution of the display and sensor surface enable the device to be operated at a normal reading distance. The device can be placed on a work surface or in a holder, or held comfortably on the lap while sitting. It can even be used while standing, walking or in a wheelchair.

The arrangement of the frequently used control elements in recesses (10) on the left and right edges of the housing prevents accidental touching of the switching elements. At the same time, the device surface remains completely flat on the left, right and below the display area, which makes it much easier to enter handwritten notes and sketches and to place templates on the screen for tracing with the sensor pen.

The double presence of the controls in the recesses on both sides of the housing makes the device equally suitable for right-handed and left-handed users.

Utility model application, Dr. W. Schmidt, Münster **»* ti* ··· ·· ·'· ** Description

The spatial and functional combination of display, sensor surface with pen, control elements with multiple switches, loudspeaker and microphone or headset, video camera and identification module in one handy device fully replaces all of the previously mentioned individual media, provided the required quality of the components and the appropriate support from the connected computer. The space and energy requirements are reduced to a fraction of what is required for individual devices. The manufacturing and disposal costs are also reduced, and the ecological balance is far less negative. If all of the device's capabilities are used consistently, significantly lower acquisition and maintenance costs can be expected than for individual devices.

The convenient handling of the device as well as the fast and partly simultaneous availability of multimedia services lead to good user acceptance for both professional and private use.

The positive properties mentioned are also of particular importance for old, sick or disabled people, whose quality of life can be improved in many ways by such a multimedia device.

The reduced space requirement, the high level of mobility and the universal applicability of the device mean that massive savings in office space and furnishing requirements can be expected in view of teleworking or the emergence of telecenters. In the home, the space gain leads to more living space, which is also better used due to the increased mobility in the home: the user takes the device with them instead of going to the respective stationary individual device.

Figures 1 and 2 show a possible implementation of the invention schematically. The housing (21) made of reusable, elastic plastic has a surface area of approximately 42 x 26 cm and is less than 5 cm thick. It can be manufactured from just two parts: the housing frame with the side recesses (10) and a removable back plate. The frame contains recesses on the top for the display area (1), the optional camera (5), the microphone (6), the loudspeakers (7 and 8), the camera on/off switch (15) with status LED (17), the device on/off switch (16) with status LED (18), the status LED for the microphone (19) and the status LED for the loudspeakers (20). Plug contacts on each side of the frame (9) or an IR transmitter/receiver module allow the connection of a headset (headphones with a microphone on a band in front of the mouth; connection via cable or IR radio link) as an alternative to using the integrated microphone and loudspeaker components. The side recesses (10) each contain a holder (3) for the tip of the sensor pin (2), which is also held in place by two clamping cheeks (4) made of the housing material. Recesses are available for the microphone on/off switch (11), the loudspeaker on/off switch (12), the volume control (13) and the switch for displaying and switching a virtual keyboard (14). Optionally, the recesses in the upper part also contain a cutout for the multi-switch (32), which can be easily operated with the index finger in this position. The upper housing frame contains a cutout for the signal bus plug connection. Optionally, there can be an additional cutout for the identification module (e.g. chip card reader).

The switches, buttons, controls and LEDs, the plug connection for the signal bus, the microphone, the loudspeakers and the optional video camera and identification module components are mounted together with the control electronics on three or more circuit boards. These are attached to the inside of the housing recesses or to the inside of the housing front. The display with the sensor surface resting on it is elastically fixed to the inside of the housing front for shock absorption.

Utility model application, Dr. W. Schmidt, Münster * ».· ^! ··· ··· ·· ** ** Description

A virtual keyboard according to claim 5 can be implemented by displaying a character table on the display and selecting the characters by tapping with the sensor pen.

If the operating system of the external computer is active, this task can be performed by a driver program for virtual devices. The driver program runs on the external computer and is activated by pressing a special key (14) on the multimedia device. For this operating mode, no key codes need to be sent to the keyboard interface of the external computer.

Alternatively, if the control electronics of the multimedia terminal are designed accordingly, the character table can be displayed and the pen selection can be interpreted locally in the device. The device then supplies key codes to the keyboard interface of the external computer.

For special needs, it is also possible to connect a real keyboard to the multimedia device. This can be done via cable or IR radio link. The keyboard signals are passed on to the keyboard interface of the external computer.

The components used must be selected according to the available state of the art and from an economic point of view. This determines the structure of the circuit boards and the required control electronics. The latter also depends on the design of the signal transmission to the computer.

In the simplest case, the signal bus can be designed as conventional cabling, possibly with signal amplification. When using a LAN (Local Area Network) as a signal bus, the use of Gigabit Ethernet or ATM technology (ATM: Asynchronous Transfer Mode) combined with data compression is obvious given the high data rates. In the case of the LAN variant, a computer can address several multimedia end devices individually. For distances of 10 to 50 meters between the computer and the multimedia end device, a wireless LAN would be the ideal signal bus, but the transmission rates of the wireless LANs available today are still too low for this application.

Utility model application, Dr. W. Schmidt, Münster *»♦' ··· ···*·· ·· ** Description

Multiple switches for controlling the image section

Conventional arrangements of end devices for working with multimedia content usually consist of a computer with a screen, keyboard, mouse or graphics tablet or touch-sensitive screen surface. Navigation in large documents is done either using several special control keys (cursor up, down, left, right and page up or page down) or by controlling special graphic control fields on the edge of the software-generated display window on the screen. To do this, the cursor is moved to the control field using the pointing device (mouse, pen or finger) and the control signal is triggered by pressing a key on the pointing device or by touching the tablet or the screen surface. In all of the variants mentioned, the user must concentrate on using their eyes and hands to find the right key or control field. The posture and the extent of the movements required are also sometimes uncomfortable in continuous operation, and in the case of keys and control devices, the space required and material expenditure cannot be neglected.

The invention of a multiple switch mentioned in claim 2 is intended to solve the problem of triggering the switching signals that are necessary to move the image section when viewing a large document on the screen in as small a space as possible. At the same time, this should be possible for the user intuitively and with minimal movement, since this is probably the most frequent user action when using the multimedia terminal according to claim 1. The device required to solve the problem should also be inexpensive to manufacture and easy to assemble.

The problems described above are solved with the features listed in claim 2.

The switch's construction, which consists of only six easy-to-manufacture parts, allows for a small design (e.g. 4 cm long, 2 cm wide, 1 cm high), inexpensive production and robust operation.

The elongated shape of the switch knob (32) makes it possible to operate the switch with one finger. The mechanical movement of the switch knob (32) when pressed with a finger in the directions indicated by arrows in Figure 4, together with a noticeable restoring force, gives the user tactile feedback of his action and thus gives the feeling of actively influencing the control process.

The restoring forces of an elastic plate (36) terminate the effect of the user action immediately after releasing the switch knob (32) and return it to a neutral rest position.

An extension of the switch is provided according to claim 3 by attaching additional contact surfaces (e.g. 46 and 48) to the fixed contact plate (30) for larger translational and torsional movements. By appropriately shaping the elastic plate (36), the user can also feel when these switching positions have been reached by suddenly increasing the restoring force.

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Utility model application, Dr. W. Schmidt, Münster *»·* ··· · M ·· ** *

A possible embodiment of the invention of the multiple switch according to claims 2 and 3 is shown in the schematic figures 3 to 6. Figure 6 shows a cross section through the switch along a line from contact 43 to contact 44 and makes the assignment of the individual components to one another clear.

In addition to the described task within the framework of the multimedia terminal according to protection claim 1, the multiple switch according to protection claim 2 can also be used with a modified form if necessary for other multiple switching processes: e.g. for controlling the movement of tools, machines and vehicles.

Figure 3 shows the fixed contact plate (30) that forms the base of the switch. It is designed as a circuit board with open, metallic contact surfaces (41 to 49) and with conductor tracks protected by insulating varnish (shown as lines). Two contact surfaces are located close to each other, separated from each other by an insulating gap (e.g. 41 and 49). If a metallic contact (50) of the movable contact plate (31) bridges this gap, a current can flow between the contact surfaces (e.g. 41 and 49) and the arrangement acts as a switch.

The contacts of the fixed contact plate (30) are arranged on an oval surface so that they lie outside the oval surface of the movable contact plate (31) centered on it. Its four bridge contacts (50) are located on the edge of the plate at the end of the four semi-axes of the oval and face the contacts of the fixed contact plate (30) (see Figure 6). The movable contact plate (31) is rigidly connected to the round axis (33) of the switch knob (32).

The axis of the switch knob is guided by a cross-shaped recess (34) in the fixed contact plate (30) and a similar one in the housing cover. This means that the switch knob can only carry out the four translational movements indicated by arrows in Figure 4 and the two torsional movements around the knob axis (33). These switch knob movements move the movable contact plate (31) in such a way that, with a sufficiently wide movement, only one bridge contact (50) connects one of the contact surfaces (41 to 48) of the fixed contact plate (30) with a counter contact (49) and triggers a precisely defined switching process.

The return of the switch to a neutral starting position is effected by a plate made of elastic material (36) between the housing cover (35) and the movable contact plate (31). The elastic plate is fixed by the four side housing walls and by its position between the housing cover and the movable contact plate. It is in turn rigidly connected to the toggle axis (33), so that movements of the toggle result in compression, expansion or torsion of the elastic material due to the external fixation of the elastic plate and trigger forces in the material that are opposite to the toggle force and cause the switch to return.

The restoring forces can be precisely adjusted by selecting the appropriate elastic material and its shape. In particular, a defined contact pressure of the movable contact plate (31) against the fixed contact plate (30) can be generated in this way.

Claims (7)

Utility model application, Dr. W. Schmidt, Münster * 4 . - ··* ··· ·· ·· ·· Protection claims Protection claims: 1. Portable and highly integrated multimedia terminal with the individual components: Video output on flat display, transparent sensor surface with pen, loudspeaker, directional microphone, connection for headphones and external microphone (headset), on/off switch and button as well as power supply and signal lines for connection to a computer, and optional additional components: Video camera, identification module (chip card reader or fingerprint sensor), pen with function key and pressure-sensitive tip, switch for controlling the image section, marked by the spatial combination of all listed individual components in a light and portable flat housing with a maximum thickness of 5 cm with a flat work surface (display with sensor surface) of approximately A4 size and a weight including all installed components of less than 5 kg, a largely parallax-free arrangement of the transparent sensor surface on the flat display, the arrangement of all other components (loudspeaker, microphone, video camera, identification module, switch, button, headset connection and pen holder) in the housing or in the housing frame around the display, a smooth transition from the frame to the sensor surface above the display, the minimum requirement for the quality of the integrated components: Flat display with at least 780,000 pixels resolution at at least 75 dpi dot density, with at least 16 bit color depth and with a maximum response time of 40 milliseconds, Highly transparent and scratch-resistant pen sensor surface with approx. 780,000 point resolution and identical in size and shape to the display surface; Directional microphone with at least telephone quality, a functionally well-considered arrangement of all elements in the housing frame around the display area, so that the device can be held by the user with one or both hands and at the same time the pen and the controls can be used quickly and without fatigue. Utility model application, Dr. W. Schmidt, Münster * _tm ' _t l, ··· ·· ··· ·· Protection claims 2. Multiple switch for generating six or more electrical signals for moving the displayed image section on the display, consisting of a switch knob, housing with electrical connections and individually lockable contacts, characterized, that an elongated switch knob (32) with a central, round axis (33) can carry out four translational movements and two torsional movements in the plane through a guide cross (34) in the base plate (30) and in the housing cover (35) and this leads to at least six different switching operations, that the switching mechanism consists only of a fixed contact plate (30), a movable contact plate (31) and a plate made of elastic material (36), that sliding a bridge contact (50) of the movable contact plate (31) over the gap between the contact (e.g. 41) and the counter-contact (49) on the fixed contact plate (30) causes the contact to close, that all electrical connections are made on the fixed contact plate (30), which also forms the housing base, that after the switching force is removed, the switch immediately and automatically returns to a neutral rest position thanks to the elastic plate (36) in both translational and torsional movements. 3. Multiple switch for selecting between six or more electrical signals according to claim 2 characterized, that with correspondingly larger translational and torsional movements, additional switching contacts (e.g. 46 and 48) can be reached. 4. Portable and highly integrated multimedia terminal according to the protection claim characterized by that the frequently used buttons and switches, the pen holder and optionally the multiple switch according to claim 2 are present twice and arranged in recesses on the left and right sides of the frame. 5. Portable and highly integrated multimedia terminal according to the protection claim characterized by that the device displays character tables on the display above the image sent from the computer at the touch of a button, with the help of which the user can generate all the character codes on a keyboard by tapping with the pen. &Ggr;:!. If:. MX Utility model application, Dr. W. Schmidt, Münster *,,* _t , ₍ ··· ··> ·· ·♦ Protection claims 6. Portable and highly integrated multimedia terminal according to claim 1 characterized by that the device only contains the electronics required to process the video, audio and control signals generated by an external computer and to process the video, audio and control signals generated by the sensor surface, the buttons and switches, the identification module, the microphone and the video camera of the device and to send them to the external computer. that the electronics of the device are optionally able, without the involvement of an external computer, to display the character tables mentioned in claim 5 on the display and to send the character codes generated as a result as a data stream to the keyboard interface of the external computer. that a keyboard can be connected to the device if necessary. 7. Portable and highly integrated multimedia terminal according to claim 1 characterized by that the device is connected to an external computer via a signal bus and also receives the operating voltages via this bus. that the connection to the signal bus is made via plug contacts, thus enabling the device to be operated spatially separate from the computer.