KR20120078816A - Providing method of virtual touch pointer and portable device supporting the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A virtual touch point operation method and a portable terminal supporting the same are provided to conveniently select an area where a user designates on a touch screen. CONSTITUTION: A display panel(141) has a specific direction, length, and size in case interval between a touch object and a touch panel is within specific range. The display panel outputs an image of a virtual touch pointer. A controlling unit(160) controls user function processes about an area. The area is indicated by at least one preparatory image of the virtual touch pointer.

Description

Provisioning Method of Virtual Touch Pointer And Portable Device supporting the same}

The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly, to a virtual touch pointer operating method capable of more clearly indicating or selecting in touch control of a portable terminal based on a touch screen, and a portable terminal supporting the same.

The portable terminal is a terminal that supports a call function based on mobility, and is used in a wide range of fields due to its convenience and ease of portability. Such portable terminals provide various input methods to provide user functions. For example, as a conventional portable terminal provides a touch screen including a touch panel and a display unit, the touch panel may process an operation performed by a user to select a specific image output on the display unit. The mobile terminal generates a touch event according to a corresponding user's operation and controls an application program corresponding to a user function based on the touch event.

On the other hand, the portable terminal has a feature that the display area is relatively smaller than other devices to support mobility and the like, and accordingly, the conventional portable terminal outputs a lot of information for supporting various functions on the small display area. . However, due to an environment in which a lot of information is output on a small display area, a user feels relatively inconvenient to instruct or operate specific information as compared to large screen portable terminals. For example, when a user wants to select a specific icon or a key button, a conventional portable terminal has a high probability of malfunction due to many cases in which peripheral icons or key buttons are pressed together. In addition, the conventional mobile terminal has a problem that the area to be selected is covered by a hand gesture for touch, so it is difficult to properly select the area just before the touch and thus has difficulty in selecting the correct area.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to make it easier and more convenient to select a region that a user wants to designate on a touch screen, and a virtual touch pointer operating method that can support a variety of functions based on this and a portable device supporting the same. In providing a terminal.

A virtual touch pointer operating method according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is a sensing process in which a mobile terminal performs a proximity sensing for a touch object, the result of the proximity sensing between the touch object and the touch panel And a preliminary image output process of outputting a preliminary image of the virtual touch pointer having a predetermined direction, length, and size to a display panel region corresponding to a position on the touch panel when a touch preliminary operation having a separation distance within a predetermined range is sensed. It features.

In addition, the mobile terminal supporting the operation of the virtual touch pointer of the present invention may include a touch panel sensing at least one of a touch preliminary operation and a touch operation according to the approach of a touch object, and when a certain point of the touch panel is touched, A real image of a virtual touch pointer that is output in a predetermined direction, length, and size is output based on a corresponding area, and when the distance between the touch object and the touch panel is within a predetermined range, the touch according to the corresponding touch preliminary operation. At least one of a display panel outputting a preliminary image of a virtual touch pointer that is output in a predetermined direction, length, and size with respect to an area corresponding to a point on the panel, a real image of the virtual touch pointer, and a preliminary image of the virtual touch pointer Control the processing of user functions for the area indicated by Is characterized in that it comprises a control unit.

According to a method of operating a virtual touch pointer and a portable terminal supporting the same according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides a more accurate and detailed description of a specific area to be indicated or selected by a user on a display area regardless of the size of the touch area. To be instructed and supported.

1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a view showing in more detail the configuration of the control unit of FIG.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a virtual touch pointer operating method according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is an exemplary screen illustrating a preliminary image and a real image output form of a virtual touch pointer according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a screen example for explaining a direction change of the virtual touch pointer according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a screen example for explaining a direction change of a virtual touch pointer according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
7 is an exemplary screen illustrating a user function operation using a virtual touch pointer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, only parts necessary for understanding the operation according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described, and the description of other parts will be omitted so as not to disturb the gist of the present invention.

The terms or words used in the specification and claims described below should not be construed as being limited to the ordinary or dictionary meanings, and the inventors are appropriate to the concept of terms in order to explain their invention in the best way. It should be interpreted as meanings and concepts in accordance with the technical spirit of the present invention based on the principle that it can be defined. Therefore, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configuration shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, and various equivalents may be substituted for them at the time of the present application. It should be understood that there may be water and variations.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention includes a radio frequency unit 110, an input unit 120, an audio processor 130, a touch screen 140, a storage unit 150, and a controller 160. It may include the configuration of.

The mobile terminal 100 of the present invention having such a configuration generates a virtual touch pointer corresponding to a touch preliminary operation or a touch operation on the touch screen 140 to more clearly identify a certain area to be indicated or selected by the user. Support instruction or selection. Hereinafter, functions and roles related to the provision of the virtual touch pointer will be described in detail with respect to each component of the portable terminal 100.

The radio frequency unit 110 performs a communication channel for a voice call, a communication channel for a video call, and a communication channel for data transmission such as an image or a message under the control of the controller 160. That is, the radio frequency unit 110 forms a voice call channel, a data communication channel, and a video call channel between mobile communication systems. To this end, the radio frequency unit 110 may include a radio frequency transmitter for upconverting and amplifying a frequency of a transmitted signal, and a radio frequency receiver for low noise amplifying and downconverting a frequency of a received signal. The user function based on the radio frequency unit 110 may be selected and activated by a touch event generated by the touch panel 143 or may be selected and activated according to an input signal generated by the input unit 120. have. The portable terminal 100 may output a keymap for inputting a specific icon or a phone number for the operation of the radio frequency unit 110, and in this process, selecting a specific key of the specific icon or the keymap. The virtual touch pointer may be output, and the virtual touch pointer may be used to indicate or select a specific key of the specific icon or the keymap.

The input unit 120 includes a plurality of input keys and function keys for receiving numeric or character information and setting various functions. The function keys may include a direction key, a side key, and an accelerator key set for performing a specific function. In addition, the input unit 120 generates a key signal related to user setting and function control of the portable terminal 100 and transmits the same to the controller 160. The input unit 120 may be implemented as a qwerty keypad including a plurality of keys, a 3 * 4 keypad, a 4 * 3 keypad, and the like. In addition, the input unit 120 may be implemented as a qwerty key map, a 3 * 4 key map, a 4 * 3 key map, a menu map, a control key map, and the like output on the touch screen 140. In addition, the input unit 120 may include only a side key formed at the side of the case of the portable terminal 100 when the touch screen 140 of the portable terminal 100 is supported in the form of a full touch screen. In particular, the input unit 120 of the present invention may be implemented by a virtual touch pointer. The virtual touch pointer may be output on the display panel 141 according to the user's touch operation to support the user's additional operation such as a moving operation, a clicking operation, an icon drag operation, or the like.

The audio processor 130 is a speaker (SPK) for playing audio data transmitted and received during a call, audio data included in a received message, audio data according to the playback of an audio file stored in the storage unit 150, and a call. A microphone (MIC) for collecting the user's voice or other audio signals. When the virtual touch pointer is output to the display panel 141, the audio processor 130 may output an effect sound corresponding to the virtual touch pointer, and output the corresponding sound while specific input signals are input according to the operation of the virtual touch pointer. Can be. Such a virtual touch pointer related sound effect may be omitted according to a user setting.

The touch screen 140 includes a display panel 141 and a touch panel 143. The touch screen 140 may have a structure in which the touch panel 143 is disposed on the front of the display panel 141. The size of the touch screen 140 may be determined as the size of the touch panel 143.

The display panel 141 displays various menus of the mobile terminal 100, information input by the user, or information provided to the user. That is, the display panel 141 may provide various screens according to the use of the mobile terminal 100, for example, a standby screen, a menu screen, a message writing screen, a call screen, and the like. The display panel 141 may be formed of a liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED), or the like. The display panel 141 may be disposed above or below the touch panel 143. In particular, the display panel 141 of the present invention may output a virtual touch pointer to one side of the screen according to a preset or user request while a screen related to various user functions is being output. The virtual touch pointer is output on the display panel 141 at a position corresponding to the expected touch point or the touch point when the user wants to touch the touch panel 143. The virtual touch pointer is configured in a shape having a predetermined length and size in a predetermined direction from the display panel 141 corresponding to the touch expected point or the touch point of the touch panel 143. Accordingly, the user may control to move one end of the virtual touch pointer by moving the touch object and the touch predicted point or touch point. Here, the virtual touch pointer may be composed of a touch effective area and a pointing area. The touch effective area may be one end of the virtual touch pointer having a predetermined shape, and the indication area may be an image in which adjacent areas are displayed to form an end. The virtual touch pointer may be output as a preliminary image form, for example, an image having a high transparency or a border of an image displayed as a dotted line at a touch predicted point according to a touch preliminary operation before a user touches a specific point. In addition, the virtual touch pointer may be output as an image in a form of a real image, for example, a form having a certain color without transparency or a border of the image as a solid line at a touch point according to a touch operation in which the user touches a specific point. Can be. For the above-described touch prediction point and touch point calculation, the mobile terminal 100 detects a change in capacitance according to the distance between the touch panel 143 and the touch object when the touch panel 143 is formed in a capacitive manner. For example, the touch sensor area of the touch panel 143 having the first constant capacitance change may be determined as the touch expected point according to the capacitance change. The mobile terminal 100 may include a touch panel 143 in which a second constant capacitance change occurs, for example, when a change in capacitance larger than a first predetermined capacitance occurs, for example, at a specific point of the touch panel 143. The touch sensor area of may be determined as a touch point. The mobile terminal 100 may provide at least two proximity sensors in a predetermined area of the mobile terminal 100, detect a position of a touch object, for example, a user's finger through proximity sensing, and predict a touch point according to the corresponding position. Alternatively, the touch point may be determined. The screen output according to the user function operation of the mobile terminal 100 based on the virtual touch pointer will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

The touch panel 143 may be disposed on at least one of upper and lower portions of the display panel 141, generate a touch event according to the contact of the object or the approach distance of the object, and transmit the generated touch event to the controller 160. . At this time, the sensors constituting the touch panel 143 are arranged in a matrix form, and the controller controls the corresponding position information on the touch panel 143 and information on the type of the touch event with respect to the touch event occurring on the touch panel 143. 160). The controller 160 checks the location information and the touch event type from the touch event transmitted from the touch panel 143, checks specific information of the display panel 141 mapped to the corresponding location, and then links the user to the specific information. It can be controlled to activate the function. In particular, the touch panel 143 may be configured as a capacitive touch method that can generate a capacitance change according to the distance to the touch object. As described above, the touch panel 143 may sense a value according to the first capacitance change and the second capacitance change, and transmit the corresponding value to the controller 160.

The storage unit 150 may store a key map or a menu map for operating the touch screen 140 as well as an application program required for operating a function according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Here, the key map and the menu map may be various types. That is, the key map may be a keyboard map, a 3 * 4 key map, a qwerty key map, or the like, or may be a control key map for operation control of an currently activated application program. In addition, the menu map may be a menu map for controlling the currently running application program. The storage unit 150 may largely include a program area and a data area.

The program area supports an operating system (OS) for booting the portable terminal 100 and an application program for playing various files, for example, a call function of the portable terminal 100. For example, a web browser for accessing an Internet server, an MP3 application for playing other sound sources, an image output application for playing pictures, and a video playing application may be stored. In particular, the program area of the present invention may store the virtual touch pointer program 151.

The virtual touch pointer program 151 generates an event according to an operation of a predetermined user function or a user request and the virtual touch pointer program is applied to the virtual touch pointer on the display panel 141 according to the position of the touch object. It supports to output preliminary image or real image. That is, the virtual touch pointer program 151 controls to activate the virtual touch pointer application setting when a specific user function is activated, an input signal for setting the virtual touch pointer application setting, for example, a virtual touch when a menu selection or a specific gesture occurs. It may include a routine that controls to activate the pointer application setting. The portable terminal 100 may further include an operation sensor, for example, an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor, for detecting a specific gesture based on the portable terminal 100.

In addition, the virtual touch pointer program 151 is a routine for outputting a preliminary image of the virtual touch pointer based on the expected touch point when the user's touch gesture is located at the touch predicted point. In this case, the method may include a routine for outputting a real image of the virtual touch pointer based on the touch point. In addition, the virtual touch pointer program 151 sets a certain portion of the virtual touch pointer, for example, one end thereof as a touch effective area, so as to perform a line drawing from the touch effective area, for example, a predetermined motion effect based on the corresponding area. Or select an icon located in the touch effective area, or drag a selected icon. Meanwhile, the virtual touch pointer program 151 may support to change the shape of the virtual touch pointer adaptively according to the position of the touch point on the display panel 141, and also to support the drawing operation by the virtual touch pointer. It can support image viewing function. The virtual touch pointer program 151 may support to remove the virtual touch pointer output from the display panel 141 when a specific input signal is generated.

The data area is an area in which data generated by using the mobile terminal 100 is stored, and may store phone book data, at least one icon according to a widget function, and various contents. In addition, the data area may store a user input input through the touch panel 143. In particular, the data area may store a user function list to which the virtual touch pointer is applied, information on an input signal or gesture for applying the virtual touch pointer, and an input signal for releasing the virtual touch pointer. Such information may be referred to by the virtual touch pointer program 151 and used for applying the virtual touch pointer.

The controller 160 controls the power supply to each component of the portable terminal 100 to support the initialization process. The controller 160 checks whether the operation of the portable terminal 100 performs a request for requesting a virtual touch pointer, and performs setting of applying a virtual touch pointer when a corresponding operation occurs. Thereafter, the controller 160 may control to output the preliminary image or the real image of the virtual touch pointer on the display panel 141 when a touch preliminary operation or a touch operation occurs according to a preset condition. To this end, the controller 160 may include a configuration as shown in FIG. 2.

2 is a view showing in more detail the configuration of the controller 160 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the controller 160 of the present invention may include a touch event collecting unit 161, a virtual touch pointer output unit 163, and a function performing unit 165.

The touch event collector 161 collects touch events generated from the touch panel 143. In particular, the touch event collector 161 detects a change in capacitance at a specific point of the touch panel 143, and an event according to the case where the change in capacitance at the point has a change of a predetermined amount or more, for example, a first change in capacitance. Occurrences can be collected. In addition, the touch event collector 161 may collect an event occurrence when a change in capacitance of a specific point of the touch panel 143 has a change according to the contact of the touch object, for example, the second constant capacitance change. The signal according to the first constant capacitance change and the second constant capacitance change, that is, a signal about the position information and the capacitance change amount of a specific point, may be transmitted to the virtual touch pointer output unit 163, and the second constant capacitance change and The location information of the corresponding point may be transmitted to the function performing unit 165 to perform the function of the portable terminal 100.

When the virtual touch pointer output unit 163 receives the first predetermined capacitance change signal from the touch event collection unit 161 while the virtual touch pointer is applied, the position of the touch panel 143 in which the corresponding capacitance change occurs. Support to output the preliminary image to the virtual touch pointer. When the virtual touch pointer output unit 163 receives the second constant capacitance change signal, the virtual touch pointer output unit 163 outputs the virtual touch pointer real image to the position of the touch panel 143 where the capacitance change occurs. The virtual touch pointer output unit 163 may set a predetermined area of the virtual touch pointer real image as a touch valid area, and set an image other than the predetermined area as an indication area for recognizing the touch valid area.

The function performing unit 165 is configured to support a specific user function at a specific point indicated by the virtual touch pointer. To this end, the function performing unit 165 may check information on the direction, length, and size of the output virtual touch pointer, and determine the location of the touch valid area of the virtual touch pointer based on the information. The function performing unit 165 may control to perform a user function according to the operation of the virtual touch pointer on the identified touch effective area. For example, when the touch valid area of the virtual touch pointer preliminary image indicates a certain icon, the user may control to change the shape or image of the icon so that the user can recognize that the icon is indicated. When the virtual touch pointer preliminary image is changed to the virtual touch pointer real image by performing a touch operation, the user may perform a function according to the icon selection, for example, to activate a user function linked to the icon. Alternatively, the function performing unit 165 may control to indicate an icon or the like when a real image is displayed regardless of whether the virtual touch pointer preliminary image indicates a specific region of the display panel 141. In addition, the function performing unit 165 generates a virtual touch pointer real image using an additional touch event, for example, an index finger to indicate a specific icon, and taps a certain area of the touch panel 143 using a middle finger. If a touch event is generated, the user may support a user function related to an icon indicated by the real image. Various user function operations associated with the function performing unit 165 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

As described above, the mobile terminal 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention outputs the virtual touch pointers separately on the display panel 141 according to the user's touch preliminary operation and the touch operation, thereby causing a finger or the like. It may be possible to indicate or select a certain area of the display panel 141 without covering the area. In addition, the preliminary image and the real image output of the virtual touch pointer can support the user's touch operation more accurately and delicately. Meanwhile, in the above description, the output of the preliminary image of the virtual touch pointer before the actual image output has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the preliminary image output may be omitted according to a user's setting.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a virtual touch pointer operating method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the virtual touch pointer operating method of the present invention, when power is first supplied to the portable terminal 100, the controller 160 supplies the supplied power to each component of the portable terminal 100 to perform an initialization process. And outputs a standby screen as in step 301 according to preset schedule information.

In operation 303, the controller 160 determines whether an input signal for activating the virtual touch pointer function is generated. That is, the controller 160 may determine whether an input signal for activating a specific user function for applying a virtual touch pointer or a signal input such as a specific input signal or gesture or menu selection for applying a virtual touch pointer is generated. have. In this process, if the generated input signal is not an input signal for activating the application of the virtual touch pointer, the controller 160 branches to step 305 to perform an operation for supporting a general touch function. In this case, the general touch function may be a function of collecting a touch event occurring in the display panel 141 without outputting a virtual touch pointer and activating a user function of the mobile terminal 100 according to a corresponding touch event operation.

Meanwhile, when an input signal for applying a virtual touch pointer is generated in step 305, the controller 160 branches to step 307 to determine whether an operation according to proximity sensing occurs. In this case, proximity sensing is performed by a user approaching a touch object, for example, a finger, to within a predetermined distance from the surface of the touch panel 143, so that the capacitance of the touch area located at a specific point of the touch panel 143 is a predetermined value, for example, the first. It may be a process of checking whether there is a constant dose change. In addition, in the proximity sensing, the mobile terminal 100 includes a plurality of proximity sensors, and when the application of the virtual touch pointer is set, the proximity sensors are activated to sense the position of the touch object from the surface of the touch panel 143 to increase the proximity distance. Within a certain range, for example, it may be a process of sensing whether it is within a first predetermined range.

When the touch object is located at a distance having a first predetermined capacitance change or within a predetermined range according to proximity sensing in step 307, the controller 160 branches to step 309 to correspond to the position of the touch panel 143. The preliminary image of the virtual touch pointer may be output on the display panel 141.

In addition, the controller 160 branches to step 311 to check whether touch sensing occurs. In this case, the touch sensing may be a process of inspecting whether the touch object has a constant capacitance value change, for example, a second constant capacitance change by contacting the surface of the touch panel 143. If no separate touch sensing occurs in this process, the controller 160 may branch to step 307 to perform the following process repeatedly. If touch sensing occurs in step 311, the controller 160 branches to step 313 to control to perform a function according to the application of the virtual touch pointer. Performing a function according to the application of the virtual touch pointer will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

Next, the controller 160 branches to step 315 to check whether there is an input signal generation for ending the corresponding function, for example, ending the user function or ending the application of the virtual touch pointer. When there is no input signal for applying the virtual touch pointer, the controller 160 branches to step 307 and may support to repeatedly perform the following process. On the other hand, if an input signal for ending the function is generated, the controller 160 branches to step 317 to check whether an input signal for terminal termination occurs, and if there is no input signal for terminating a separate terminal, proceeds to step 301. The following process can be controlled to perform again. If there is no operation related to proximity sensing in step 307, the controller 160 may control to immediately branch to step 315.

In the above description, the preliminary image and the real image of the virtual touch pointer have been described as being output. However, the preliminary image may be gradually changed to a real image according to the change of capacitance. That is, when the user touches the touch panel 143 using a finger, the degree of blur of the preliminary image is gradually changed according to the distance between the finger and the touch panel 143, and the finger contacts the touch panel 143. If so, the aforementioned real image may be output on the display panel 141.

4 is a view for explaining a preliminary image and a real image output of the virtual touch pointer according to an embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of description, an object performing a touch operation will be described with a finger as a representative. The shape of the preliminary image and the real image will be described using an image of a nib type as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the nib-shaped image may be any one of various other forms in which a certain portion may form a tip to indicate a specific region.

Referring to FIG. 4, when the user's finger approaches within a predetermined distance of the touch panel 143 as shown in 401, the mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention displays the preliminary image 51 of the virtual touch pointer as shown in screen 402. May be controlled to be output on the display panel 141. The portable terminal 100 may be a capacitive touch panel 143. When a finger is located at a specific point of the touch panel 143, the user's finger position is changed by changing the touch capacitance of the touch area of the corresponding point. It may be determined whether the position according to the touch preliminary operation. The virtual touch pointer preliminary image 51 may be displayed as a dotted line as shown. However, the present invention is not limited to the form shown on the 402 screen, and a variety of images, for example, high transparency, may be displayed in a specific color and a specific shape having a blurry shape. In this case, the preliminary image 51 of the virtual touch pointer may be output on the display panel 141 located directly below the user's finger position spaced a certain distance from the specific area of the touch panel 143. In this state, when the user's finger is separated from the surface of the touch panel 143 by a predetermined distance or more to remove the capacitance change, the preliminary image 51 of the virtual touch pointer may be removed from the display panel 141.

Meanwhile, when the user's finger touches the surface of the touch panel 143 as in 403, the mobile terminal 100 outputs the real image 50 of the virtual touch pointer on the display panel 141 as in the screen 404. Can support Here, the real image 50 of the virtual touch pointer may have a similar shape to the preliminary image 51 but may be displayed in a solid line or in a specific color having low transparency. Alternatively, the preliminary image 51 and the real image 50 may have different shapes depending on the intention of the designer. The real image 50 of the virtual touch pointer may appear in a form having a predetermined direction, a predetermined length, and a size with respect to the point where the user's finger is touched. For example, it may be illustrated in the form of a nib having a predetermined length in a diagonal direction of the upper left side with respect to the touch point where the finger is touched. The real image 50 of the virtual touch pointer may move in the same manner according to the movement of the touch point, and when the touch is released, the real image 50 is converted back into the preliminary image 51 according to the distance between the touch panel 143 and the finger. The display panel 141 may be removed from the display panel 141. Alternatively, the real image 50 may be removed from the display panel 141 at the time of touch release without a separate preliminary image 51 conversion process. The touch effective area of the real image 50 of the virtual touch pointer may be a part of an image of the nib image, for example, the tip of the nib, and the surrounding image only serves to support the touch effective area and is different from a separate touch operation. It can be an unrelated image.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an output form of a real image 50 of a virtual touch pointer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the real image 50 of the virtual touch pointer will be described. However, the preliminary image 51 may also be changed in direction depending on the area of the touch panel 143 similar to the real image 50. In the following description, for the convenience of description, the real image 50 will be described as a representative image of a pen tip.

Referring to FIG. 5, the mobile terminal 100 divides the entire area of the touch panel 143 into four areas, that is, 1, 2, 3, and 4 quadrant areas (I, II, III, and IV), and When a touch operation occurs on the touch panel 143 corresponding to the quadrant area, the display may change and display the touch effective area display direction of the real image 50 accordingly. For example, when a touch occurs in the first quadrant region I, the portable terminal 100 may output the real image 50 of the virtual touch pointer in a form in which the tip of the pen points to the right upper diagonal direction. Here, the opposite end of the nib may be a point where a touch is generated by a user's finger.

In addition, when a touch occurs in the touch panel 143 corresponding to the second quadrant area II, the mobile terminal 100 displays the real image 50 of the virtual touch pointer in a form in which the tip of the pen points to the left upper diagonal direction. When a touch occurs in the touch panel 143 corresponding to the three-quadrant region III, the real image 50 of the virtual touch pointer may be output in a form in which the tip of the pen points in the lower left diagonal direction. Can be. When the touch occurs in the touch panel 143 corresponding to the quadrant region IV, the portable terminal 100 forms a real image 50 of the virtual touch pointer in which the tip of the pen tip points in the lower right diagonal direction. Can be printed as

In addition, the portable terminal 100 may adjust the shape or size of the nib of the real image 50 differently according to its position within each quadrant. For example, when the touch for displaying the real image 50 is generated at the center point of each quadrant, the portable terminal 100 has a relatively long length or a larger nib than the case where the touch occurs at the edge of each quadrant. You can output

In addition, when a touch occurs in the boundary area of each quadrant, the portable terminal 100 may output the form of the real image 50 of the virtual touch pointer in the middle of both quadrants. For example, the mobile terminal 100 in which a touch is generated at the boundary line between the first quadrant region I and the second quadrant region II may support to output the real image 50 having the pen tip pointing upward. Similarly, the portable terminal 100 may support the tip of the pen tip to output the real image 50 having only a left direction, a right direction, and a downward direction according to the position of each boundary line.

Meanwhile, in the above description, the form of outputting the real image 50 so that the tip of the pen tip points to the edge or the edge direction of the mobile terminal 100 according to the quadrant direction is described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the portable terminal 100 may adjust the tip of the pen tip in each quadrant to point in different directions according to the designer's intention or the user's setting change. For example, when a touch occurs in the first quadrant region I and the real image 50 is output, the portable terminal 100 may output the tip of the pen tip to point at the right diagonal side. In addition, in the above description, an example in which the touch panel 143 is divided into four areas has been described. However, the mobile terminal 100 of the present invention has two areas including only an upper and lower area or a left and right area based on a center point. It is possible to divide the image and change the direction of the real image 50 accordingly, and to change the display form of the real image 50 to have more various directions, lengths, and sizes according to division of more regions.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for describing an output form of a real image 50 of a virtual touch pointer according to another exemplary embodiment. In the following description, the direction, size, and length of the real image will be described, but the real image direction, size, and length change of the following description can be equally applied to the preliminary image.

Referring to FIG. 6, the real image 50 of the virtual touch pointer of the present invention may have a different direction, size, and length of the real image 50 depending on a drawing direction. In more detail, when a user indicates a certain point on the touch panel 143, a specific real image 50 may be output on the display panel 141. For example, when the user's finger generates a touch in the upper region based on the center point of the portable terminal 100, the portable terminal 100 may be a certain image corresponding to the real image 50, for example, the tip of the pen tip. It can output in the form which points to this upward direction.

In this case, when the user performs a drag in the right direction on the touch panel 143 by designating the touch direction to the right, the real image 50 may be output in a form in which the tip of the pen tip points in the upper left diagonal direction. In addition, when the user drags the touch direction to the left and performs a drag on the touch panel 143 in the left direction, the real image 50 may be output in a form in which the tip of the pen tip points to the right upper diagonal direction.

On the other hand, in the opposite case, that is, when the user's finger generates a touch in the lower region based on the center point of the portable terminal 100, the portable terminal 100 has a lower end of the pen tip corresponding to the real image 50. It can be output in the form of a direction. Thereafter, when the drag is generated toward the user's left side, the portable terminal 100 may output the tip of the pen tip to point to the left lower side or the lower right diagonal direction. It can be output to point to the side or bottom left diagonal direction. And the tip shape of the nib can be adjusted according to the user's setting. That is, when the drag occurs in a predetermined direction, the tip direction of the pen tip may be changed according to a user setting.

That is, at least one of the preliminary image and the real image may include at least one of a direction, a length, and a size of the preliminary image and the real image, and a touch preliminary operation or a touch operation for outputting the preliminary image and the real image. It may be output differently according to the position of the image or the position of the touch point. In addition, at least one of a direction, a length, and a size of the preliminary image and the real image may be in a moving direction of the touch object, that is, in a state in which the touch panel 143 is moved at a predetermined distance or in contact with the touch panel 143. You can output differently depending on the drag direction of.

7 is a view for explaining a user function application example of the virtual touch pointer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the user may control to activate a drawing function by using the mobile terminal 100. In this case, when the drawing user function is a function of applying a virtual touch pointer or the user generates an input signal for applying a virtual touch pointer, the mobile terminal 100 displays a preliminary image and a real image according to a touch preliminary operation and a touch operation. 141 can be output. In more detail, when the user touches a certain point of the touch panel 143, the portable terminal 100 may output a nib corresponding to the real image 50 with respect to the touch point. In this case, the real image 50 in the form of the nib may support to perform a function corresponding to the user function, for example, a line drawing in the touch effective area corresponding to the tip of the nib.

If a user wants to draw a picture of "tree" shape as shown by operating the real image 50 in the form of the nib, a picture as shown may be drawn using the tip of the nib. In this case, when the user requests a detailed drawing of the corresponding picture, the portable terminal 100 may designate a predetermined area as the enlarged display area 70 based on the area where the real image 50 is output. The enlarged display area 70 may be a predetermined area centered on the area where the real image 50 is output. In addition, a predetermined area may be selected for the enlarged display area 70 based on the area where the preliminary image is output. That is, when the user moves the finger closer to the surface of the touch panel 143 by a predetermined distance and the touch panel 143 of the portable terminal 100 detects the first predetermined capacitance change, the portable terminal 100 is described above. As described above, the preliminary image may be output on the display panel 141. In this case, the portable terminal 100 may display a predetermined area as the enlarged display area 70 based on a point where the preliminary image is output according to a default mode or a user setting mode. Then, the user will be able to perform more detailed line joining operations or finer drawing operations in the drawing function.

In addition, the portable terminal 100 may output the entire view screen area 60 on one side of the screen so that the user can more easily determine which part of the drawing function he or she is drawing. The entire view screen area 60 may be output with transparency. Such a function may provide an indicator of the overall picture by showing the entire picture to the user when the user wants to describe a specific area in more detail by using a zoom-in function. The mobile terminal 100 down scales the screen currently being output to the display panel 141 to output the full view screen area 60, and displays the down scaled screen in the full view screen area 60. ) To be output to a predetermined area of the display panel 141.

Meanwhile, outputs of the enlarged display area 70 and the entire view screen area 60 may be removed from the display panel 141 according to a user's request. For example, when the user shakes a certain gesture, for example, the mobile terminal 100 by a certain number of times, inclines the predetermined angle, generates a certain touch event, or activates a specific menu, the mobile terminal 100 includes the above-mentioned enlarged display area. 70 and the entire view screen area 60 may not be applied. In addition, the mobile terminal 100 may remove the real image 50 or the preliminary image 51 of the virtual pointer output to the display panel 141 from the display panel 141 when a certain gesture occurs.

The enlarged display area 70 may be applied only when the preliminary image is output and removed from the display panel 141 when the real image 50 is output. Then, the user can clearly select the starting point of the drawing by using the preliminary image of the virtual touch pointer.When selecting the point, the user performs drawing while checking the entire picture when applying the real image 50 according to the touch. You can do it.

Meanwhile, in the above description, the output and utilization of the preliminary image and the real image of the virtual touch pointer based on the drawing function are described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the preliminary image and the real image output of the virtual touch pointer may be applied to various screens such as a menu screen, a standby screen, a file search screen, a keymap output screen when creating a message, and a file editing screen.

As described above, the virtual touch pointer output function of the mobile terminal 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention allows a user to easily process various tasks on the mobile terminal 100 having a small display area, for example, a hand. It can be supported for convenient operation without being affected by occlusion.

The above-described portable terminal 100 includes a short-range communication module for short-range communication, a camera module for capturing a still image / video of a subject, and data by wired communication or wireless communication method of the portable terminal 100 according to the provision form thereof. Configurations not mentioned above may be included, such as an interface for transmission and reception, an Internet communication module for communicating with an Internet network to perform an Internet function, and a digital broadcasting module for performing a digital broadcast reception and playback function. These components may not be enumerated because all variations vary according to the convergence trend of digital devices, but the mobile terminal 100 further includes components equivalent to those of the aforementioned components. Can be configured. In addition, the mobile terminal 100 of the present invention may be excluded from the above configuration or replaced by another configuration, depending on the form of the present invention. Which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

In addition, the portable terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include any type of device supporting a touch panel. For example, the portable terminal 100 includes all mobile communication terminals operating based on communication protocols corresponding to various communication systems, including a portable multimedia player (PMP), Digital communication player, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), music player (e.g. MP3 player), mobile game terminal, smart phone, notebook and handheld PC, and all information and communication devices and multimedia devices It may include an application device.

While the present invention has been described with reference to several preferred embodiments, these embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive. As such, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications may be made according to equivalents without departing from the spirit of the present invention and the scope of rights set forth in the appended claims.

50: Virtual Touch Pointer Real Image
51: Virtual Touch Pointer Spare Image
60: full view screen area 70: enlarged display area
100: portable terminal 110: radio frequency unit
120: input unit 130: audio processing unit
140: touch screen 141: display unit
143: touch panel 150: storage unit
160: control unit 161: touch event collection unit
163: virtual touch pointer output unit 165: function execution unit

Claims (19)

A touch panel configured to sense at least one of a touch preliminary operation and a touch operation according to the approach of the touch object;
When a certain point of the touch panel is touched, a real image of a virtual touch pointer that is output in a predetermined direction, length, and size is output based on an area corresponding to the touch point, and the touch object and the touch panel are separated from each other. A display panel having a predetermined direction, a length and a size and outputting a preliminary image of a virtual touch pointer based on an area corresponding to a point on a touch panel according to a corresponding touch preliminary operation when the separation distance is within a predetermined range;
And a controller configured to control user function processing of an area indicated by at least one of a real image of the virtual touch pointer and a preliminary image of the virtual touch pointer. The method of claim 1,
The control unit
And controlling at least one of a direction, a length, and a size of the real image to be displayed differently according to a touch point on the touch panel or a dragging direction after the touch. The method of claim 1,
And a real image of the virtual touch pointer and a preliminary image of the virtual touch pointer are distinguished from each other and output in a similar form. The method of claim 3,
The preliminary image
A portable terminal supporting virtual touch pointer operation, characterized by being displayed with a dotted line or having a certain transparency so as to be distinguished from the real image. The method of claim 1,
The preliminary image
A portable terminal supporting virtual touch pointer operation, characterized in that the change in capacitance of the touch area located at a specific point of the touch panel is output based on a point at which a change occurs by a predetermined value or more. The method of claim 5,
The control unit
And controlling at least one of a direction, a length, and a size of the preliminary image to be displayed differently according to a display panel region corresponding to a touch panel in which the capacitance change occurs. The method of claim 1,
Further comprising a plurality of proximity sensors for performing proximity sensing,
The display panel
Outputting a preliminary image of the virtual touch pointer distinguished from a real image of the virtual touch pointer when a touch object is positioned on a point of the touch panel according to proximity sensing of the proximity sensor; A portable terminal supporting virtual touch pointer operation. The method of claim 7, wherein
The control unit
And controlling at least one of a direction, a length, and a size of the preliminary image to be displayed differently according to a display panel area corresponding to a point where the proximity sensor senses. The method of claim 1,
The control unit
And controlling the display unit to display an enlarged display area on which the at least one of the real image and the preliminary image is output, the enlarged display area displayed by enlarging a predetermined range area on the display panel. Supported mobile terminal. The method of claim 1,
The control unit
When at least one of the real image and the preliminary image is output, the entire view screen area showing a screen down-scaled to a predetermined size of the entire screen being output on the display panel is controlled to output to a predetermined area of the display panel. A mobile terminal that supports virtual touch pointer operation. The method of claim 1,
The control unit
And a control unit configured to change the preliminary image form of the virtual touch pointer and to output the change according to a change in the distance between the touch object and the touch panel. The method of claim 1,
The control unit
Supporting the operation of the virtual touch pointer, characterized in that the control is controlled so that at least one of the direction, length and size of the real image of the virtual touch pointer and the preliminary image of the virtual touch pointer is changed according to the moving direction on the touch panel. Mobile terminal. A sensing process of performing proximity sensing on the touch object by the mobile terminal;
As a result of the proximity sensing, when a touch preliminary operation in which a distance between the touch object and the touch panel is within a predetermined range is sensed, a preliminary image of a virtual touch pointer having a predetermined direction, length, and size corresponds to a position on a touch panel. And a preliminary image outputting step of outputting to the region. The method of claim 13,
When a touch operation in which the touch object touches the touch panel is sensed, the preliminary image is removed from the display panel and a real image distinguished from the preliminary image is output on the display panel corresponding to a touch point on the touch panel. And a virtual image output process. The method of claim 14,
At least one of the preliminary image output process and the real image output process
Outputting at least one of a direction, a length, and a size of the preliminary image and the real image according to a position on the touch panel or a position of the touch point;
Outputting at least one of a direction, a length, and a size of the preliminary image and the real image differently according to a moving direction of the touch object; Virtual touch pointer operating method comprising the step of at least one of. The method of claim 14,
And a magnified display area output process of enlarged and displaying an adjacent predetermined area around at least one of the area where the preliminary image is output or the area where the real image is output. Way. The method of claim 14,
Downscaling an entire screen output on the display panel when the preliminary image or the real image is output;
And a full view screen area outputting step of outputting the down-scaled full screen to a predetermined area of the display panel. The method of claim 13,
The preliminary image output process
And an output form is changed according to a distance between the touch object and the touch panel. The method of claim 14,
The sensing process
Classifying the touch preliminary operation or the touch operation based on a change in capacitance according to a distance between the touch panel and the touch object;
Dividing the touch preliminary operation or touch operation by sensing a position of the touch object on the touch panel based on a plurality of proximity sensors provided in the portable terminal; Virtual touch pointer operating method comprising the step of at least one of.

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