KR101688945B1 - Mobile terminal and method for controlling input means thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method for an input means thereof, and a mobile terminal of the present invention detects a screen direction of a terminal through a sensing unit, and when the detected screen direction is inconsistent with a previous screen direction, The user can select a key arrangement to be provided to the user based on the selected key arrangement and selectively illuminate the selected key arrangement using the optical shutter to provide convenience to the user.

Description

[0001] MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING INPUT MEANS THEREOF [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile terminal for switching the direction of an input means in accordance with a screen direction of a terminal using an optical shutter, and a method of controlling an input means thereof.

A terminal such as a personal computer, a notebook computer, or a mobile phone has various functions, for example, a multimedia device having a complex function such as photographing or photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of music or a moving picture file, (Multimedia player).

A terminal can be divided into a mobile terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether the terminal is movable. 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.

For functional support and enhancement of the terminal, it may be considered to improve the structural and / or software part of the terminal.

In recent years, a smart phone and a tablet personal computer (PC) have become popular, and the function of switching the display direction according to the screen direction change of the terminal is provided. The direction of the input means built in the body of the terminal is fixed in one direction even when the screen direction of the terminal is changed.

The present invention provides a mobile terminal for switching the direction of an input means according to a screen direction of a terminal using an optical shutter, and a method of controlling an input means thereof.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal including a sensing unit for sensing a screen direction of a terminal, input means having at least two key arrangements, And a control unit for controlling to selectively display the key arrangement of any one of the at least two key arrangements.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling an input means of a mobile terminal, including the steps of sensing a direction of a terminal, detecting a screen direction change of the detected terminal, Selecting a key arrangement, and selectively illuminating and displaying the selected key arrangement using an optical shutter.

The mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above can change the direction of the input means according to the screen direction of the terminal using the optical shutter, thereby improving the convenience of use.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a rear perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a cross-sectional view of input means embedded in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a view showing a state in which the input means according to the embodiment of Fig. 4 is separated; Fig.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling input means of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7A is an exemplary diagram illustrating a state in which no illumination is applied to input means provided in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 7B is an exemplary view showing an input means displayed when the mobile terminal is in a portrait view state according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 7C is an exemplary diagram showing input means displayed in a landscape view state of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram illustrating input means applied in accordance with a screen direction of a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

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.

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 adapted to 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 sensing unit 140 may be implemented as a gyro sensor and senses the screen direction of the terminal. Here, the screen direction of the terminal includes a landscape view and a vertical view direction.

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

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.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is surrounded 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 an 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. At least two haptic modules 154 may be provided according to the configuration of the mobile terminal 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and temporarily store input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns outputted when a 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 controller 180 senses the screen direction of the terminal through the sensing unit 140 and determines the direction of the input means according to the screen direction of the sensed terminal.

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. [

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

The disclosed mobile terminal 100 includes 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 152 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 mobile 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 with a tactile impression.

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. The first operation unit 131 is an input unit including keys such as a search key, a home key, a menu key, a previous key (return key), and the like, and may be implemented as a touch pad. The input means comprises at least two key arrangements, each key arrangement comprising at least one key (s). The keys constituting each key arrangement are the same, but the direction of the key arrangement is different. For example, when the input means includes a first key arrangement and a second key arrangement composed of a search key, a home key, a menu key, and a previous key, the first key arrangement is arranged in the landscape view direction, Are arranged in the vertical viewing direction. The input unit selectively illuminates and displays at least one of two or more key arrangements (a key arrangement for portrait view and a key arrangement for landscape view) according to the control of the controller 180. The control unit 180 senses the screen direction of the terminal through the sensing unit 140 and selects (determines) a key arrangement to illuminate based on the direction of the sensed terminal.

3 is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 3, 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. 2), 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. 2) and may be used for the implementation of the speakerphone mode in a call.

In addition to the antenna for talking and the like, a broadcast signal reception antenna 116 may be additionally 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 mobile 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.

The touch pad 135 operates in correlation with the display portion 151 of the front case 101. The touch pad 135 may be disposed parallel to the rear of the display unit 151. The touch pad 135 may have a size equal to or smaller than that of the display unit 151.

4 is a cross-sectional view of an input unit included in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the input device 200 includes a substrate 210, a light emitting unit 220, a light guide unit 230, and a touch sensing unit 240.

The substrate 210 is implemented as a printed circuit board (PCB).

The light emitting unit 220 is attached to the upper surface of the substrate 210 and may be implemented as a light emitting diode (LED). The power supplied to the light emitting unit 220 may be cut off under the control of the controller 180 when a user input is not input for a predetermined time. In order to supply the power cut off by the light emitting unit 220, a predetermined input must be generated from the user input unit 130. The predetermined input includes an input by a key such as a screen unlocking key or a home key.

The light guiding part 230 is formed on the light emitting part 220 and is implemented as an electro-luminescence shutter (EL shutter). The light guiding unit 230 not only blocks or transmits light incident from the light emitting unit 220, but also acts as a conventional light guiding film. The light guiding unit 230 includes a key pattern and adjusts transmittance of light incident on the key pattern according to a voltage applied to the key pattern. In other words, the light guiding unit 230 blocks or transmits light incident from the light emitting unit 220 according to a voltage applied to each key region. The key pattern refers to pictographs and pictographs printed on key areas. For example, the pattern of the search key may be formed by a drawing character of a magnifying glass. When the light of the key region is illuminated by the light incident from the light emitting unit 220, the user can recognize the pictogram.

The touch sensing unit 240 is formed on the upper surface of the light guide unit 230 and activates the touch sensing area corresponding to the displayed key area under the control of the controller 180. [

5 is a view showing a state in which the input means according to the embodiment of FIG. 4 is separated.

The light emitting unit 220 is disposed on the substrate 210. The light emitting units 220 may be disposed at one or both ends of the substrate 210, and the light emitting units disposed at both ends of the substrate 210 may be positioned on a straight line. The illumination color of the light emitting unit 220 may be set by a user.

The light guiding unit 230 may include an EL shutter 232 that performs light blocking or light transmission according to a key pattern layer 231 on which a key pattern is printed and a voltage applied thereto. The key pattern layer 231 may be a film on which a pict pattern is printed or a layer printed on the upper surface of the EL shutter 232.

The key pattern layer 231 includes at least two key arrangements. For example, the key pattern layer 231 includes a vertical key layout KS1 and a horizontal key layout KS2. The number and type of keys constituting each key arrangement (set) are the same, but the directions in which key arrangements are arranged are different.

The EL shutter 232 selectively determines the light transmittance of the key region according to the applied voltage. For example, when a power of 5 V is applied to the S1 line of the EL shutter 232 and a power of 0 V is applied to the S2 line, an area corresponding to the key layout KS1 for portrait view transmits light, The region corresponding to the array KS2 blocks light. On the other hand, when a power of 5 V is applied to the S2 line of the EL shutter 232 and a power of 0 V is applied to the S1 line, light is transmitted through the area corresponding to the layout key arrangement, .

The touch sensing unit 240 activates the touch sensing area 241 under the control of the controller 180. The touch sensing area 241 overlaps with the key area of the light guide 230 and is disposed in a one-to-one correspondence with the vertical line. The touch sensing area 241 is implemented by a touch sensor such as a touch film. A glass substrate may be formed on the upper surface of the touch sensing unit 240. The glass substrate functions to protect the touch sensor.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling input means of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the sensing unit 140 of the mobile terminal 100 senses the screen direction of the terminal (S101). In other words, the controller 180 detects the inclination and the azimuth of the terminal through the sensing unit 140 and determines (recognizes) whether the screen direction of the terminal is a landscape view or a portrait view.

The controller 180 determines whether the screen direction of the detected terminal matches the previous screen direction (S102). That is, the control unit 180 determines whether the screen direction switching of the terminal has occurred.

If it is determined that the screen direction of the terminal matches the previous screen direction, the process returns to step S101 without performing a process operation. If it is determined that the screen orientation of the terminal does not match the previous screen orientation, the controller 180 recognizes that the screen orientation of the terminal has been changed.

When the screen direction of the terminal is changed, the controller 180 selects a key arrangement corresponding to the screen direction of the terminal detected in step S103. For example, when the screen direction of the terminal is changed from the portrait view direction to the landscape view direction, the controller 180 selects a key layout for the landscape view among the key layouts.

If the key arrangement is selected, the control unit 180 controls the light guide unit 230 of the input means 200 to illuminate the selected key arrangement (S104). That is, the control unit 180 displays the key arrangement in the direction coinciding with the screen direction of the terminal. The present invention has the effect of automatically switching the direction (placement direction) of the input means according to the screen direction of the terminal.

The controller 180 controls the touch sensing unit 240 to activate the touch sensing area 241 corresponding to each key area constituting the displayed key arrangement.

FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a state in which no illumination is applied to an input unit included in a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 7C is an exemplary diagram illustrating input means displayed in a landscape view state of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

First, when the input means 200 of the mobile terminal 100 is not used, the key arrangement is not displayed because the input means 200 is not illuminated as shown in FIG. 7A.

In order to use the input device 200, when a command to activate the terminal such as a screen unlock key of the mobile terminal 100 is input, the controller 180 controls the sensing unit 140 to change the screen direction of the terminal Detection. The sensing unit 140 senses the inclination and the azimuth of the terminal and transmits the sensed data to the controller 180.

The controller 180 selects a key arrangement to provide to the user based on the screen orientation of the sensed terminal. For example, if the screen orientation of the sensed terminal is a portrait view, the control unit 180 controls the light guide unit 230 of the input means 200 to illuminate the vertical key layout. The light guiding unit 230 applies power to the vertical key arrangement so that light emitted from the light emitting unit 220 can be transmitted. Therefore, the mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention displays a key arrangement for portrait view as shown in FIG. 7B.

On the other hand, if the screen direction of the sensed terminal is the landscape view, the controller 180 selects a key layout for the landscape view among the key arrangements. The control unit 180 controls the light guide unit 230 of the input unit 200 to illuminate the light guide unit 230 in a horizontal key arrangement. The light guiding unit 230 applies a signal with a key arrangement for landscape viewing so that internal light emitted from the light emitting unit 220 is transmitted. Accordingly, the mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention displays a key arrangement for landscape view as shown in FIG. 7C.

The controller 180 selectively activates the touch sensing area 241 of the touch sensing unit 240 according to the illuminated key arrangement. That is, the control unit 180 activates the touch sensing area 241 which is superimposed on each of the displayed key areas and is located on the vertical line.

In the present embodiment, the key arrangement for portrait view and the key arrangement for landscape view are arranged on the same straight line. However, as shown in FIG. 8, the key arrangement for portrait view and the key arrangement for landscape view And can be arranged in two rows in parallel with each other. In the case where the key arrangement is arranged in two rows, if the screen direction of the terminal is a vertical view, the controller 180 illuminates and displays the key arrangement of the first row (a). If the screen orientation of the terminal is a landscape view The control unit 180 illuminates and displays the key arrangement of the second row (b).

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the above-described method can be implemented as computer-readable code on a medium on which a program is recorded. The computer readable medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of the computer-readable medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like, and also implemented in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission over the Internet) . In addition, the computer may include a control unit 180 of the terminal.

The above-described terminal may be configured such that the configuration and method of the embodiments described above are not limitedly applied, but the embodiments may be configured such that all or some of the embodiments are selectively combined so that various modifications may be made. have.

100: mobile terminal 110: wireless communication unit
120: A / V input unit 130: user input unit
140: sensing unit 150: output unit
160: memory 170: interface section
180: control unit 190: power supply unit
200: input means 210: substrate
220: light emitting portion 230: light guiding portion
240: Touch sensing unit

Claims (8)

A sensing unit for sensing a screen direction of the terminal,
A light guide portion including a light emitting portion disposed on the substrate, a key arrangement for portrait view, and a key arrangement for landscape view, the light guiding portion transmitting or blocking light incident from the light emitting portion into each key arrangement, An input means composed of a touch sensing portion superimposed on the touch sensing portion; And
And a controller for selectively displaying one of the key arrays based on the screen orientation of the detected terminal,
The control unit
If the detected screen direction is a portrait view, a power of 5V is applied to the first line of the light guide unit and a power of 0V is applied to the second line to transmit the light illuminated by the vertical view key arrangement, Blocking light,
If the detected screen direction is a landscape view, a power of 5V is applied to the second line of the light guide unit and a power of 0V is applied to the first line to transmit light illuminated by the key arrangement for landscape view, So as to block light. 2. The method of claim 1,
A horizontal view, and a vertical view. The key distribution system according to claim 1,
And at least one key including a graphic character or a symbol character. delete delete The light-emitting device according to claim 1,
A key pattern layer on which a key pattern is printed,
And an optical shutter for adjusting a light transmittance according to an applied voltage. 7. The keypad according to claim 6,
Wherein the key pattern is a printed film of a key pattern or a key pattern layer printed on an upper surface of an optical shutter.







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