KR101632209B1 - Mobile terminal with an led backlight unit and method for controlling thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal having a display unit using a light emitting diode backlight.

The mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention can locally control the light emission of the light emitting diode backlight unit to generate a predetermined visual effect on the display unit. In addition, the mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention can use at least a part of the light generated from the LED backlight of the display portion as illumination of the main body without using a light emitting element for separate illumination.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a mobile terminal having a light emitting diode backlight, and a control method thereof. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002]

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal having a display unit using an LED backlight.

The terminal can move And can be divided into a mobile / portable terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal can be divided into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether the user can directly carry the mobile terminal.

Such a terminal has various functions, for example, in the form of a multimedia device having multiple functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of a music or video file, reception of a game and broadcasting, etc. .

In order to support and enhance the functionality of such terminals, it may be considered to improve the structural and / or software parts of the terminal.

In recent years, a light emitting diode (LED) has been employed as a backlight for illumination of a display unit of a mobile terminal. In this case, more convenient and various functions of mobile terminals are emerging using such a backlight.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile terminal capable of operating as a transmitter of a visible light communication using only a light emitting diode backlight unit without a separate transmitter will be.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobile terminal capable of informing a user of various information by using information received through visible light communication.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, unless further departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It will be possible.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal including a housing and a liquid crystal display disposed on one side of the housing, and a backlight unit including a plurality of backlight light emitting diodes And a controller for controlling at least a part of the plurality of light emitting diodes to be blinked corresponding to the predetermined data so that predetermined data can be transmitted to the outside in a visible light communication (VLC) manner.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising: determining data to be transmitted through a visible light communication (VLC); converting the determined data into a predetermined pulse signal And emitting at least a part of a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) constituting a backlight unit (BLU) of the display unit to correspond to the pulse signal.

The mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above can operate as a transmitter of visible light communication using only a light emitting diode backlight unit without a separate transmitter.

Also, the mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention can inform the user of various information using information received through visible light communication.

The effects obtained by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description will be.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The suffix "module" and " part "for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role.

The mobile terminal described in this specification may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), navigation and the like. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may be applied to a fixed terminal such as a digital TV, a desktop computer, and the like, unless the configuration is applicable only to a mobile terminal.

[Overall configuration]

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an audio / video input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, A controller 170, a controller 180, a power supply 190, and the like. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, and a mobile terminal having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules for enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and the network in which the mobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, and a location information module 115 .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals and / or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may refer to a server for generating and transmitting broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information, or a server for receiving broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information generated by the broadcast management server and transmitting the generated broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information. The broadcast signal may include a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a data broadcast signal, and a broadcast signal in which a data broadcast signal is combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast-related information may refer to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or information related to a broadcast service provider. The broadcast-related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast-related information may exist in various forms. For example, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) or an ESG (Electronic Service Guide) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

For example, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), a Media Forward Link Only (DVF-H) And a Digital Broadcasting System (ISDB-T) (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be configured to be suitable for other broadcasting systems as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives radio signals to at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 113 is a module for wireless Internet access, and may be built in or externally attached to the mobile terminal 100. WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

The short-range communication module 114 refers to a module for short-range communication. Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as a short range communication technology.

The position information module 115 is a module for obtaining the position of the mobile terminal, and a representative example thereof is a Global Position System (GPS) module.

Referring to FIG. 1, an A / V (Audio / Video) input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame can be displayed on the display unit 151. [

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ Two or more cameras 121 may be provided depending on the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal through a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, and processes it as electrical voice data. The processed voice data can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. Various noise reduction algorithms may be implemented in the microphone 122 to remove noise generated in receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for a user to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 senses the current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as the open / close state of the mobile terminal 100, the position of the mobile terminal 100, the presence or absence of user contact, the orientation of the mobile terminal, And generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it is possible to sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. It is also possible to sense whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141.

The output unit 150 is for generating an output relating to visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a display unit 151, an acoustic output module 152, an alarm unit 153, a haptic module 154, 155, and the like.

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in the call mode, a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with a call is displayed. When the mobile terminal 100 is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed and / or received video or UI and GUI are displayed.

The display unit 151 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display display, and a 3D display.

Some of these displays may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This can be referred to as a transparent display, and a typical example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparent OLED) and the like. The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be of a light transmission type. With this structure, the user can see an object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display unit 151 of the terminal body.

There may be two or more display units 151 according to the embodiment of the mobile terminal 100. For example, in the mobile terminal 100, a plurality of display portions may be spaced apart from one another or may be disposed integrally with each other, or may be disposed on different surfaces.

(Hereinafter, referred to as a 'touch screen') in which a display unit 151 and a sensor for sensing a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as 'touch sensor') form a mutual layer structure, It can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in a pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor can be configured to detect not only the position and area to be touched but also the pressure at the time of touch.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. Thus, the control unit 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched or the like.

The proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is enclosed by the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or a nearby object without mechanical contact using the force of the electromagnetic field or infrared rays. The proximity sensor has a longer life span than the contact sensor and its utilization is also high.

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission type photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection type photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation type proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor. And to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field along the proximity of the pointer when the touch screen is electrostatic. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of recognizing that the pointer is positioned on the touch screen while the pointer is not in contact with the touch screen is referred to as "proximity touch" The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch. &Quot; The position where the pointer is proximately touched on the touch screen means a position where the pointer is vertically corresponding to the touch screen when the pointer is touched.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch movement state, and the like). Information corresponding to the detected proximity touch operation and the proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The audio output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160 in a call signal reception mode, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, The sound output module 152 also outputs sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. [ The audio output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events that occur in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, touch input, and the like. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in a form other than the video signal or the audio signal, for example, vibration. The video signal or the audio signal may be output through the display unit 151 or the audio output module 152 so that they may be classified as a part of the alarm unit 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154 is vibration. The intensity and pattern of the vibration generated by the hit module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may include a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to the contact skin surface, a spraying force or a suction force of the air through the injection port or the suction port, a touch on the skin surface, contact with an electrode, And various tactile effects such as an effect of reproducing a cold sensation using an endothermic or exothermic element can be generated.

The haptic module 154 can be implemented not only to transmit the tactile effect through the direct contact but also to allow the user to feel the tactile effect through the muscular sensation of the finger or arm. The haptic module 154 may include two or more haptic modules 154 according to the configuration of the portable terminal 100.

The projector module 155 is a component for performing an image project function using the mobile terminal 100 and is similar to the image displayed on the display unit 151 in accordance with a control signal of the controller 180 Or at least partly display another image on an external screen or wall.

Specifically, the projector module 155 includes a light source (not shown) that generates light (for example, laser light) for outputting an image to the outside, a light source And a lens (not shown) for enlarging and outputting the image at a predetermined focal distance to the outside. Further, the projector module 155 may include a device (not shown) capable of mechanically moving the lens or the entire module to adjust the image projection direction.

The projector module 155 can be divided into a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) module, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module and a DLP (Digital Light Processing) module according to the type of the display means. In particular, the DLP module may be advantageous for miniaturization of the projector module 151 by enlarging and projecting an image generated by reflecting light generated from a light source on a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) chip.

Preferably, the projector module 155 may be provided longitudinally on the side, front or back side of the mobile terminal 100. It goes without saying that the projector module 155 may be provided at any position of the mobile terminal 100 as occasion demands.

The memory unit 160 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 180 and temporarily store the input / output data (e.g., telephone directory, message, audio, For example. The memory unit 160 may also store the frequency of use of each of the data (for example, each telephone number, each message, and frequency of use for each multimedia). In addition, the memory unit 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns output when the touch is input on the touch screen.

The memory 160 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM A disk, and / or an optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path for communication with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or supplies power to each component in the mobile terminal 100 or transmits data to the external device. For example, a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio I / O port, A video input / output (I / O) port, an earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip for storing various information for authenticating the use right of the mobile terminal 100 and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM), a general user authentication module A Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") can be manufactured in a smart card format. Accordingly, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port.

When the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100, or various command signals input by the user to the cradle may be transmitted It can be a passage to be transmitted to the terminal. The various command signals or the power source input from the cradle may be operated as a signal for recognizing that the mobile terminal is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. The control unit 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the control unit 180 or may be implemented separately from the control unit 180. [

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing handwriting input or drawing input performed on the touch screen as characters and images, respectively.

The power supply unit 190 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

The various embodiments described herein may be embodied in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of a processor, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and other electronic units for performing other functions. In some cases, The embodiments described may be implemented by the control unit 180 itself.

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented with separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more of the functions and operations described herein. Software code can be implemented in a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software code is stored in the memory 160 and can be executed by the control unit 180. [

[Explanation of apparatus]

2A is a perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

The disclosed mobile terminal 100 has a bar-shaped terminal body. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various structures such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, and a swivel type in which two or more bodies are relatively movably coupled.

The body includes a case (a casing, a housing, a cover, and the like) which forms an appearance. In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 101 and a rear case 102. [ A variety of electronic components are embedded in the space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The cases may be formed by injection molding a synthetic resin, or may be formed to have a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti) or the like.

The display unit 151, the sound output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input units 130/131 and 132, the microphone 122, the interface 170, and the like may be disposed in the front body 101 have.

The display unit 151 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 101. A sound output unit 151 and a camera 121 are disposed in an area adjacent to one end of both ends of the display unit 151 and a user input unit 131 and a microphone 122 are disposed in an area adjacent to the other end. The user input unit 132 and the interface 170 may be disposed on the side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The user input unit 130 is operated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal 100 and may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132. The operation units 131 and 132 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates in a tactile manner.

The contents inputted by the first or second operation unit 131 or 132 may be variously set. For example, the first operation unit 131 receives commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 132 controls the size of the sound output from the sound output unit 152 or the size of the sound output from the display unit 151 To the touch recognition mode of the touch screen.

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal shown in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a camera 121 'may be further mounted on the rear surface of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 102. The camera 121 'may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to the camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 may have a low pixel so that the face of the user can be photographed and transmitted to the other party in case of a video call or the like, and the camera 121 ' It is preferable to have a large number of pixels. The cameras 121 and 121 'may be installed in the terminal body so as to be rotatable or pop-upable.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 are additionally disposed adjacent to the camera 121 '. The flash 123 illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera 121 '. The mirror 124 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to shoot himself / herself (self-photographing) using the camera 121 '.

An acoustic output 152 'may be additionally disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The sound output unit 152 'may implement the stereo function together with the sound output unit 152 (see FIG. 2A), and may be used for the implementation of the speakerphone mode during a call.

In addition to the antenna for talking and the like, a broadcast signal receiving antenna 116 may be further disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 116, which forms part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1), can be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the portable terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 190 may be built in the terminal body or may be detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

The rear case 102 may further include a touch pad 135 for sensing a touch. The touch pad 135 may also be of a light transmission type like the display unit 151. [ In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output time information on both sides, the time information can be recognized through the touch pad 135 as well. The information output on both sides may be all controlled by the touch pad 135. [ Alternatively, a display may be additionally mounted on the touch pad 135, and a touch screen may be disposed on the rear case 102 as well.

[Front Touch]

Hereinafter, a related operation of the display unit 151 and the touch pad 135 will be described with reference to FIG.

3 is a front view of a portable terminal for explaining an operation state of the portable terminal according to the present invention.

Various types of time information can be displayed on the display unit 151. [ These pieces of information can be displayed in the form of letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons.

At least one of the letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons may be displayed in a predetermined arrangement for inputting such information, thereby being implemented as a keypad. Such a keypad may be referred to as a so-called " virtual keypad ".

The display unit 151 may operate as an entire area or may be divided into a plurality of areas and operated. In the latter case, the plurality of areas can be configured to operate in association with each other.

For example, an output window 151a and an input window 151b are displayed on the upper and lower portions of the display unit 151, respectively. The output window 151a and the input window 151b are areas allocated for outputting or inputting information, respectively. In the input window 151b, a virtual keypad 151c is displayed in which a numeric character for inputting a telephone number or the like is displayed. When the virtual keypad 151c is touched, numbers and the like corresponding to the touched virtual keypad are displayed on the output window 151a. When the first operation unit 131 is operated, call connection to the telephone number displayed on the output window 151a is attempted.

On the other hand, in the operation of the touch screen, the "pointer" or "cursor" is commonly used as a word indicating an arrow pointing to a specific position. In the present specification, a figure or the like which is distinguished from a " pointer "and a" cursor " Further, a user's finger or a stylus pen used to physically apply a contact touch or a proximity touch to a specific point of the touch screen is referred to as a "pointer ".

 In general, a liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as "LCD") is used for the display portion 151 of the mobile terminal 100. LCD is a non-light emitting type electronic display device that does not emit light by itself, but requires a light source having extraordinary characteristics in order to realize sharp and natural natural color of a moving picture with good quality. Such a light source is called a backlight. A backlight unit (hereinafter, referred to as "BLU") is used as a backlight unit (hereinafter, referred to as "BLU"), which includes a light source itself and a power supply circuit for driving a light source, Quot;).

The BLU can be divided into a direct type and an edge type depending on the arrangement in relation to the LCD panel.

First we explain the direct type. The greatest structural feature of direct-type BLUs is that the light source that illuminates the LCD panel is located where it can illuminate directly from the back of the panel. The direct-type BLU may include a backlight lamp that is a light source, a reflector that reflects the light of the backlight lamp, and a diffusion plate that evenly distributes the reflected light.

Next, the edge type is explained. The greatest structural feature of the edge type BLU is that the position of the light source is located on the side of the LCD panel. Light emitted from a light source located on the side is irradiated on the LCD panel in the form of plane light through a light guide plate that transmits the light. It is BLU type which is advantageous for thinning compared with direct type.

A cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) has been mainly used as a backlight lamp, which is a core component of such a BLU. The cold cathode fluorescent lamp is coated with a fluorescent material on the inner wall of a glass tube, and electrodes are attached to both ends of the tube. A high-pressure mixed gas and a predetermined amount of mercury are sealed in the tube. In a cold cathode fluorescent lamp, when a power source is applied, an electron from an electrode collides with mercury to generate ultraviolet rays, and the ultraviolet rays react with fluorescent materials on the inner wall to generate visible light.

In recent years, a cold-cathode fluorescent lamp has been replaced by a light emitting diode (LED), which is a semiconductor element using an electroluminescence effect. The BLU using such an LED has advantages such as low consumption power, high color reproducibility and excellent response speed as compared with a BLU using a cold cathode fluorescent lamp.

The present invention provides a mobile terminal that provides various visual effects and a more convenient user environment using the same by providing a display unit using such an LED BLU.

In addition, the present invention discloses a mobile terminal capable of visible light communication using an LED BLU as a transmitter of a visible light communication.

First, various visual effects and a more convenient user environment using the various visual effects will be described below.

First Embodiment

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal and a control method thereof capable of locally controlling light emission of an LED BLU of a display unit to generate a predetermined visual effect.

First, visual effects using local emission control will be described.

4 shows an example of a visual effect using the local light emission control of a BLU LED as one embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 4 (a), the LEDs are arranged in a checkerboard shape to form a direct-type BLU. If the BLU structure is used, the brightness of each LED is individually controlled through the control unit 180, and a predetermined visual effect according to the difference in local contrast or light emission pattern is displayed on the display unit 151 located above the BLU .

For example, as shown in (b) of FIG. 4, the LEDs positioned directly under the touch area of the touch screen 151 by the pointer 10 are controlled to be brighter than the surroundings, Visual effects can be given. Further, for the larger difference in contrast, the LEDs corresponding to the portions other than the portion to which the touch is applied may be made to emit darker light than when the touch is not applied.

If the touch screen 151 distinguishes the touch from the proximity touch, it may be differentially set so that the brightness when the proximity touch is applied and the brightness when the touch is applied is different.

As another example, when a plurality of shortcut icons are displayed on the display unit 151 as shown in (c) of FIG. 4, the brightness or blinking period of LEDs corresponding to the icon in the order of decreasing preference . That is, the LEDs corresponding to the positions where the icon 710 having the highest preference is displayed are controlled to be brightest, and the icon 720 having a relatively high preference is displayed so as to be darker than the icons 710 having the highest preference, LED can be controlled. Also, for low preference icon 730, the LEDs can be locally controlled to appear darker than icons of normal preference. In this way, a method of locally applying contrast or blinking differently can be applied not only to icons but also to menus composed of texts.

5 shows another example of a visual effect using local light emission control of a BLU LED, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 (a) shows a direct-type BLU LED using a plurality of LEDs having a predetermined arrangement, and FIG. 5 (b) shows a display 151 of an LCD disposed on the LED BLU in FIG. ) State. Referring to (b) of FIG. 5, indicators (810) indicating the reception sensitivity and the battery status are disposed on the display (151). In addition, in the center portion of the display, a telephone icon indicating that the call status is activated according to use of the call function and information 820 of the call partner are displayed, and menus 830 related to the call function are displayed below.

At this time, by using the local brightness control of the LED BLU, only the LED corresponding to the portion where the indicator, the icon, and the menu text displayed on the display unit are brightly controlled, and the LED corresponding to the remaining portion is darkly controlled, This is possible. For example, the control unit 180 controls the LED 801 corresponding to the indicator 810, the LED icon 802 corresponding to the telephone icon and the information 820 about the communication partner, and the LED 803 corresponding to the menu 830 ). Only the information necessary for the user on the display 151 can be clearly displayed through a large difference in brightness, and the power saving effect can also be obtained by making the remaining LEDs dark or not illuminated.

The application of the local light emission control of the LED BLU as described above is not limited to the indicator, the icon and the menu but is applicable to any object which is displayed on the display 151 and needs to be emphasized as compared with other parts. Further, the relative brightness of the position and / or the controlled portion of the local light emission control may be customized by the user as the user needs.

Second Embodiment

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal capable of using at least a part of light generated from an LED BLU of a display unit as illumination of a main body without using a light emitting element for separate illumination, and a control method thereof.

LED BLUs are designed in such a way that the light emitted from the LEDs can be uniformly irradiated to the back of the LCD. At least a part of the light emitted from the LED BLU can be irradiated not only on the LCD but also on the inner wall of the outer case (i.e., the housing) of the mobile terminal. At this time, the inner wall irradiated with the light generated in the LED BLU may be formed of a light transmitting material that transmits at least a part of the light reaching the inner wall. In this way, the light emitted from the LED BLU can be used to generate a lighting effect outside the mobile terminal without a light emitting element for separate illumination. This will be described with reference to Figs. 6 to 7. Fig.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the illumination type using the light of the LED BLU in the outer case of the mobile terminal, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 (a), a part 910 of the side surface of the mobile terminal 100 or a display part 151 (see FIG. 6 A light transmitting material may be used for each of the edges 920 of the light emitting device. 6 (c), a light transmitting material may be used for the predetermined area 930 on the back side of the mobile terminal 100. [ In the present invention, the position of the light transmissive material for using the light generated from the LED BLU as external light is not limited to the position described in FIG. 6, and two or more of the positions may be combined.

Next, referring to FIG. 7, an example of a process in which light generated from the LED BLU reaches the outer case of a light-transmitting material will be described.

A prism 1000 as shown in FIG. 7A may be used to reach the inner wall of the light-transmitting material formed at a predetermined position of the outer case. The prism 1000 can refract light incident from the outside to change the traveling direction. If such a prism is arranged in an appropriate form in consideration of the relative positional relationship with the LED BLU inside the mobile terminal, a part of the light emitted from the LED BLU can reach the light transmitting material of the outer case so as to provide a lighting effect.

7B shows a case in which the outer case of the mobile terminal is composed of the upper plate 101 and the lower plate 102 and the LED BLU 1005 of the direct lower type with the backlight is arranged on the back surface of the LCD 151 do. The light generated from the LED 1010 located at the edge of the LEDs constituting the LED BLU 1005 is changed in the traveling direction through the prism 1000 to be transmitted to the light transmissive material 1030 around the LCD, The light-transmitting material 1040 can be reached. The LED BLU may be formed in a structure capable of directly or indirectly transmitting light of the LED in the opposite direction of the LCD. In this case, a light effect may be generated even through the light transmissive material 1050 located on the rear surface of the mobile terminal have.

In the present invention, the means for adjusting the direction of the light emitted from the LED BLU is not limited to the prism described above. The means for adjusting the direction of light emitted from the LED BLU may be a reflector, a diffusion plate, a light guide plate (LGP) Various means of changing the direction of travel may be used.

The external illumination using the backlight LED can generate various visual effects by interlocking with a predetermined function or event executed in the mobile terminal 100. [ This will be described with reference to FIG.

8 shows an example in which external light using light generated from the LED BLU is utilized as another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8A, the mobile terminal 100 may be formed of a light transmitting material such as a side portion 1120 and a rear portion 1120 so that light generated from the LED BLU may be used for external illumination. When a specific event occurs in the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal may change or blink the brightness of some of the LEDs of the LED BLU to give various visual effects to the external illumination.

For example, when a call is made to the mobile terminal 100, the controller 180 may control some of the LEDs of the LED BLU so that the phone shape 1130 may be displayed or blinked on the rear light-transmitting material portion.

As another example, if the mobile terminal 100 includes a sensing module 140 capable of detecting the state (orientation or inclination of the mobile terminal) of the mobile terminal 100, To give visual effects to external lighting. That is, through the sensing module 140, the controller 180 can sense that the back side of the mobile terminal is oriented upward as shown in FIG. 8 (a). In order to notify the user of this state, the controller 180 controls some of the LEDs of the LED BLU so that a predetermined figure, letter, or animation effect using the LEDs can be displayed on the rear light-transmitting material part 1120.

Next, referring to FIG. 8 (b), it is assumed that external light units 1160 and 1170 made of light transmitting materials using light generated from the LED BLU are provided at the edges of both sides of the display unit of the mobile terminal 100 do. At this time, the mobile terminal 100 executes the music reproduction mode, and accordingly, the display unit 151 may display a predetermined graph 1150 indicating the ratio of the volume of each band or the ratio of the left and right sounds in the stereo mode . The control unit 180 may cause visualization to be displayed according to the ratio or volume of the currently reproduced music band by interlocking the both outer illuminating units with the graph 1150.

In order to implement this, the controller 180 controls each of the LEDs directly or indirectly influencing the external illumination among the LED BLUs to change the intensity or the area of the light in consideration of the magnitude of the corresponding band or the left and right volume, Effect can be displayed.

For example, the control unit 180 can interlock the bass portion of the currently reproduced music with the left outside illuminance unit 1170 and the high-tone portion with the right outside illuminance unit 1160. That is, the control unit 180 controls the LEDs affecting the left outer illuminating unit 1170 in the LED BLU at a high moment of the bass portion of the music being reproduced, So that light emission can be performed. On the contrary, the control unit 180 may control the corresponding LEDs at a moment when the weight of the bass part of the currently reproduced music is weak, so that the light is weakened or the light is emitted only in a part of the area of the external illumination unit 1170.

The external illumination effect using the LED BLU according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be applied to various functions of the mobile terminal, for example, a game, a moving picture appreciation, Lt; / RTI >

In addition, the external illumination effect using the LED BLU according to the present invention can function as a transmitter of Visible Light Communication (VLC). Hereinafter, the application of the present invention to visible light communication will be described in detail.

Third Embodiment

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal capable of performing visible light communication using light generated from an LED BLU of a display unit, and a control method thereof.

First, the concept of Visible Light Communication (VLC) will be described.

Visible light communication technology is a communication technology that transmits information by using wavelength of visible visible light. It flickers the LED at an invisible speed and sends and receives data, so that high-speed data communication can be performed anywhere where LED light is will be. Such a visible light wireless communication uses a wavelength (380 nm to 780 nm) most similar to an infrared communication (IrDA) using a wavelength of 870 to 900 nm, but is characterized in that it can perform communication simultaneously with illumination. Another advantage of visible light communication is that it has little influence on the human body and equipment due to radio waves, and the reachable range of light is communication range, which is advantageous for security and easy to reuse frequency.

Since the visible light communication uses the LED as described above, if the LED BLU of the display unit is used as a light source, the mobile terminal can operate as a transmitter of visible light communication without an LED for visible light communication.

The structure of the visible light communication module capable of performing such visible light communication will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the transmission function of the visible light communication module will be described.

9, the protocol management unit 1201 controls the overall functions of the visible light communication module and receives data to be transmitted through the visible light communication from the controller 180, Techniques and so on.

A pulse generator 1202 may convert the data to be transmitted into a pulse signal according to a determined modulation and coding scheme. The pulse signal thus converted is transmitted to an optical driver 1203. The optical driver 1203 drives the transmission diode 1204 to emit light so as to satisfy the intensity of light corresponding to the transmitted pulse signal and a specific frequency. .

Next, the receiving function of the visible light communication module will be described.

The visible light signal can be converted into an electric signal through the reception front end 1214. [ At this time, the semiconductor light receiving element may be used as the receiving front end 1214. As an example of the semiconductor light-receiving element, an image sensor such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) may be used, or a light- A photodiode may be used.

The electrical signal converted at the receiving optical front end 1214 can be transmitted to the optical front end amplifier 1213 and amplified. The amplified electrical signal can be recovered in the form of digital data through a data / clock recovery unit 1212. [ The restored digital data may be transmitted to the protocol management unit 1201. The protocol management unit 1201 can transmit the received data to the control unit 180. [

When the visible light communication module described above is implemented in the mobile terminal 100, each part except for the transmission diode 1204 and the reception light front end 1214 may be included in the control unit 180. [ In addition, the function of the transmission diode 1204 can be replaced by the LED of the backlight unit (BLU) of the display unit 151. [ Even if the LED BLU is used as the transmitting end of the optical communication, since the LED flickers at a high speed that can not be determined by the user's eyes, it does not cause visual inconvenience to the user.

In this case, the mobile terminal 100 can operate as a transmitting terminal of visible light communication without a separate device, and can perform both the transmitting and receiving functions of the visible light communication if it is provided up to the receiving light front.

10 shows another embodiment of the present invention in which a mobile terminal operates as a transmitter of a visible light communication.

Referring to FIG. 10 (a), the mobile terminal 100 can directly perform visible light communication through the display unit 151.

10 (b), the mobile terminal 100 includes an external illumination unit 1301 of a light-transmitting material formed in an outer case in addition to the display unit 151 using the external illumination function described in the second embodiment, It is possible to perform visible light communication. When the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a folder hinged to the upper portion 1320 and the lower portion 1330 as shown in FIG. 10C, the outer light portion 1340 of a light transmitting material formed on the upper cover It is possible to perform visible light communication.

In this manner, the mobile terminal can perform communication with another mobile terminal or a fixed terminal without using an LED for visible light communication by using the LED BLU as a transmitting terminal of visible light communication. If the mobile terminal is provided with a receiving optical front, the mobile terminal can perform data exchange wherever there is an LED illumination for performing visible light communication.

For example, the mobile terminal can obtain information on the structure of the building through LED lighting in a building, or provide information on the state of a traffic light to a visually impaired person through a speaker or a vibration through an LED signal of a pedestrian crossing .

As another example, if the direction of the receiving front end of the vehicle is fixed in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the mobile terminal can obtain traffic information through the LEDs of the streetlight or the traffic lights, and inform the driver of the traffic information through the display unit or the speaker. In addition, the mobile terminal may acquire information on the driving state of the preceding vehicle (for example, a sudden stop) through the headlamp of the front vehicle using the LED (for example, the rear brake lamp) .

In the above-described embodiments, when the light generated from the LED BLU is used for external illumination of the mobile terminal, the intensity, area and position of the light emission as well as the hue can be controlled through the control unit 180. This is not a BLU using an LED that emits white light. The present invention can be applied to a BLU designed to emit white light in combination with each of red, green and blue (i.e., RGB) LEDs. In other words, the control unit 180 may control the blinking of the LEDs located at the positions related to the external illumination in the LED BLU according to the color so that a specific color appears in the external illumination.

However, in such a case, the LED of a specific color is biased to a specific position and may emit light to affect the color of the LCD. In order to solve this problem, this problem can be solved by controlling the color of the LCD corresponding to the biased portion of the LED of the specific color in a direction to compensate the color of the biased LED. For example, when a blue LED is strongly lit on a specific part of an LED BLU to light blue in an external light, the blue component of the color displayed on the LCD of the corresponding part is weakened or the complementary color of blue is strongly displayed It is possible to minimize the color change that the user perceives.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the above-described method can be implemented as a code that can be read by a processor on a medium on which the program is recorded. Examples of the medium that can be read by the processor include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, etc., and may be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (e.g., transmission over the Internet) .

The mobile terminal having the display unit using the LED backlight described above can be applied to a configuration of the embodiments described above. However, the embodiments are not limited to the above embodiments, Or some of them may be selectively combined.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2B is a rear perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a front view of a mobile terminal for explaining an operation state of the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

4 shows an example of a visual effect using the local light emission control of a BLU LED as one embodiment of the present invention.

5 shows another example of a visual effect using local light emission control of a BLU LED, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the illumination type using the light of the LED BLU in the outer case of the mobile terminal, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7 shows an example of a process in which light generated from an LED BLU reaches an outer case of a light-transmitting material as another embodiment of the present invention.

8 shows an example in which external light using light generated from the LED BLU is utilized as another embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of the visible light communication module.

10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a visible light communication performed in a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (12)

housing; A liquid crystal display device disposed on one side of the housing, and a backlight disposed on a rear surface of the liquid crystal display device, the backlight comprising a plurality of backlight light emitting diodes; A light transmitting region located in at least one of a periphery of the display portion of the housing, a side face of the housing, and the other face of the housing; A prism or reflector mounted inside the housing for transmitting light of the backlight light emitting diode to the light transmission region; And And a controller for controlling the flashing light emitting diode, which is at least part of the plurality of light emitting diodes, to blink according to the predetermined data so that predetermined data can be transmitted to the outside through a visible light communication (VLC) system. delete delete delete The method according to claim 1, Further comprising a receiver using an optical element for converting a blink signal of a visible light band received from the outside into an electric signal, Wherein, And controls the electric signal to be restored to digital data. 6. The method of claim 5, Wherein the optical element comprises: A charge coupled device (CCD), and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). 6. The method of claim 5, Further comprising an acoustic output section, Wherein, And controls the sound output corresponding to the restored digital data to be output through the sound output unit. 8. The method of claim 7, The blink signal of the visible light band is transmitted from the headlight of the vehicle, Wherein the digital data includes information on the running state of the vehicle, Wherein the sound effect is a warning message according to a driving state of the vehicle. delete delete The method according to claim 1, The plurality of backlight light emitting diodes are direct-type light sources that emit light in the front direction directly from the back surface of the liquid crystal display device, Wherein the flashing light emitting diode is a backlighting light emitting diode located at an outer portion of the plurality of backlighting light emitting diodes and adjacent to the prism or the reflection plate. The method according to claim 1, Wherein, Adjusting the color of the flashing light emitting diode, And controls the liquid crystal panel part corresponding to the flashing light emitting diode to be displayed in a color for compensating the adjusted color so that the color of the flashing light emitting diode is output to the display unit when the color of the flashing light emitting diode is other than white .

Images