Portable electronic device with display screen along several directions

PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH SEVERAL DIRECTIONS DISPLAY SCREEN

The invention relates to a portable electronic device comprising a display screen.

The invention applies to any device provided with a display screen and means for controlling this screen. One can cite by way of example calculators but also all portable interactive game devices.

The present invention makes it possible to provide a man-machine interface that is particularly suitable for small electronic devices commonly referred to as portable.

The subject of the invention is more particularly a portable electronic device comprising a display screen and means for controlling the display of said screen, characterized in that it comprises means for selecting a display direction from among several directions. predetermined capable of supplying information depending on the display direction to the display control means in order to obtain a display in the selected direction.

The means of selection are either automatic or manual.

In the case where the selection means are automatic, they comprise a detector of the position of use of the device.

In the case where the selection means are manual, they include a dedicated key for each of the display directions.

According to one embodiment, the device further comprises several groups of keys and combination means making it possible to associate each group of keys with position information thus giving each key a different function.

According to another aspect of the invention, the device comprises a memory containing one or more application program (s) and means for selecting an application from among the set of application programs provided.

According to another aspect, the application selection means comprise the combination means.

In a particular application, the device comprises means for converting a first item of information entered by means of one or two groups of keys and readable on the screen in the selected display direction, into second information readable on the screen. 'screen in the second display direction after selection of this second display direction.

The means of conversion can be, for example, means of converting euros-francs.

The display screen may be produced by a multipoint matrix and the number of display directions will be equal to two or greater.

The display screen may be produced by an LCD type character matrix and the number of display directions may then be equal to two.

According to another aspect of the invention, the electronic device comprises an integrated circuit card read-write interface and an insertion slot with dimensions adapted to that of a card.

The invention is particularly applicable to the production of a euro-franc converter.

The invention applies most particularly to the production of a smart card reader.

The invention also applies to the production of interactive game devices.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent on reading the description which is given by way of illustrative and non-limiting example and with reference to the figures in which:

- Figure 1 shows the block diagram of a device according to the invention.

- Figure 2 shows the diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention,

- Figure 3 shows a top view according to Figure 2,

FIG. 4 represents the diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a key, FIG. 5 represents a dynamic diagram illustrating the mode of use of the device,

- Figure 6 shows a functional diagram of the combination means,

- Figure 7 shows the diagram of a top view of the device according to the euro-franc converter application,

FIG. 8 represents the diagram of a top view of the device according to the smart card reader application.

The display screen 10 can be produced either by a multipoint matrix or by an LCD type character matrix.

FIG. 1 shows a multipoint matrix 100 by way of example.

In a known manner, the rows and columns of the matrix are respectively connected to a row decoder 110 and to a column decoder 120.

The decoders 110 and 120 of the screen 10 are connected to control means 20 comprising display control means 200, 210.

The control means are produced by a microprocessor type control unit implementing the display control program (s) (or driver in English terminology) recorded in its program memory 210.

According to the invention, a display control program is provided for each of the display directions.

Thus, a display control program will make it possible, for the same character, to activate the rows and columns which are suitable depending on whether the display will be done in the direction D1 or D2 or D3 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

For example to display the letter A in the direction Dl, these are rows and columns allowing to reach the block Zl which will be activated while to display this same letter in the direction D3, these are the lines and columns allowing to '' reach the Z2 keypad which will be activated.

To this end, the device further comprises means for selecting the display direction 30.

The information depending on the display direction delivered by these means is received by the processing unit which starts the execution of the display control program corresponding to this direction.

The device shown in this figure may further include, depending on the applications which will be described below, a physical and loqic interface IL of known type for reading and writing of a known smart card, this will be specified with regard to the application. illustrated in figure 7.

The physical interface is shown in dotted lines in this figure and bears the reference 240, and the logical interface corresponds to a program referenced IL, conventional, for reading / writing a smart card, loaded in the memory 230 or in the memory. memory 210.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 illustrate an embodiment of an electronic device according to the invention.

The circular shape will be advantageous for the realization of a euro-franc converter.

The appearance of the converter may be that of a coin with a diameter of about 5cm.

Such a shape may also be suitable in the case of producing a smart card reader as soon as the diameter of this device and its thickness are sufficient for the insertion of a smart card in the standard format.

The device may not have any keys. In this case, the user will only have the possibility of reading separate messages according to the display directions selected by the position of use adopted. This position is in this case detected automatically by a position detector constituted for example by a mercury bulb.

Such a device will advantageously be used for reading electronic purse cards.

On the contrary, there is shown in FIG. 2 a device comprising three groups of keys G1, G2, G3. The notion of group is only introduced to illustrate the distribution of the keys on the device, the whole forming a single man-machine interface.

By way of example each group comprises four keys, this is illustrated by FIGS. 3 and 4. A symbol (alpha-numeric character or function) will be represented on each facet of each key.

The key and information combination depending on the display direction makes it possible, as will be detailed below, to have different functions for each key (multifunction keys) and also to call up different application programs (Fl, F2, F3).

FIG. 5 illustrates a particular embodiment of the invention.

In this example, the device comprises three groups of keys G1, G2, G3 each comprising a key dedicated to the selection of the display direction referenced respectively SI, S2, S3.

For a first position of use selected by the SI key, the device will implement a first application program, for example the telephone directory.

For this, the non-volatile memory 230 comprises the

<td>numbers</td><td>To</td><td>display in response to</td><td> 1'</td><td colspan="2">support of each</td>

<td>hit.</td><td>The</td><td>group Tll key</td><td>G1</td><td>selected</td><td>the</td>

<td>number</td><td>of</td><td>the house, the touch</td><td>T14</td><td>selected</td><td>the</td>

<td>number</td><td>from</td><td>doctor touch</td><td>T31</td><td>of the group</td><td>G3</td>

<td colspan="2">selected</td><td>Peter's number.</td><td></td><td></td><td></td>

<td colspan="2">When</td><td colspan="2">The operator changes</td><td colspan="2">the position</td>

of use of the device by rotation as symbolized in the figure, he can select the display direction using the S2 key.

The device will then implement a second application program, for example the consultation of the numbers played in the lotto.

The Tll key of group G1 selects the display of character I. The T31 key selects the display of grid E.

The operator can still rotate the device according to a third position of use. The operator can then select the display direction using the S3 key.

The device will then implement a third application program for example: reading a chip card and banking transactions (or reading a telephone card).

The Tll key of the Gl group selects the display of the first transaction (Trans 1).

The T31 key of the G3 group selects the display of character 8.

It can therefore be seen that the device has a man-machine interface with a limited number of keys but which, combined with the display direction information (or position of use), gives it a range of possible functions.

The use of three groups of keys each comprising a selection key has been described in connection with this example. Of course, provision can be made to replace the manual selection function (selection keys) by an automatic function (position detector) without this changing the operating principle which has been described.

The diagram of FIG. 6 illustrates the combination function which has just been described. It is represented by an OR gate followed by a logic AND which gives access to the application Fl or F2 or Fi depending on whether the SI key (or position Pl) or the S2 key (or position P2) or the S3 key (or position P3) will have been selected.

In practice, this function will be provided by the processing unit which will receive from the decoding circuits 110 and 120 the signals generated by the key contacts T1, .. Tj of the groups Gl, ... Gi and the signal from the key selection or position detector.

FIG. 7 illustrates the smart card reader application of such a device.

In this application, the device also comprises, as has been said, an interface which is both physical and logical for reading a smart card. The interface is of a known type and commonly used in existing readers.

The smart card reader thus produced will be able to display information stored in the card. In the case where such a reader does not have a key allowing it to access various applications, it can be used for reading electronic purse cards.

Such a device could of course make it possible to perform any other function already described that is independent of the card, for example the euro-franc conversion function illustrated in FIG. 8.

However, groups of keys can be provided as has just been described with regard to FIG. 5 to access different applications. The course of reading and / or writing for these applications is carried out for the processing unit of the reader and of the associated application programs that it contains in non-volatile memory.

In all display cases, it is provided for reading digital characters from an LCD screen, a visual indicator 130 giving the direction of reading.

FIG. 8 illustrates a device according to the invention capable of implementing a function of converting a first piece of information readable in a first direction and of a second piece of information (conversion of the first) readable in a second direction.

The conversion function will preferably be a conversion for euros-francs.

A conversion program is provided for this purpose in the non-volatile memory of the device and the execution of this program will be started automatically for the operating program in ROM of the processing unit.

In this case, the device comprises two groups of keys G1, G2.

The euro amount will be entered using the appropriate keys of the group Gl and G2 and will be displayed on screen 10 according to indicator 130.

The zone indicated in euros in the figure may correspond to a display direction selection key in the absence of a position detector.

To obtain the value converted into francs, the operator will only have to turn over the device (press the Franc selection key if this key is present) and read the converted amount on the screen.

In all the cases presented in the description, the order to modify the selection of a display direction can come from the operator but also of course be provided for by the application programs.