KR101413472B1 - Apparatus for generating signal and portable terminal having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a mobile terminal having a signal generating device for generating a rotation signal and a displacement signal as the roller rotates about a rotation axis and is displaced along a displacement direction.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a signal generating apparatus and a mobile terminal including the signal generating apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable terminal having a roller-type signal generating device mounted on a body so as to be rotatable and displaceable.

A portable terminal is a portable electronic apparatus which is portable and has one or more functions of voice and video call function, information input / output function, and data storing function.

As the functions of the portable terminal are diversified, the portable terminal is implemented in the form of a multimedia device having complicated functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of music or video file, reception of a game, and reception of a broadcast.

In order to implement complex functions in multimedia devices, various new attempts have been made in terms of hardware or software.

For example, a user interface environment is provided that allows a user to easily and conveniently search for or select various functions while giving a simple image in appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a roller type signal generating apparatus and a portable terminal including the same.

Another object of the present invention is to generate a plurality of distinct signals in response to a user changing the manner of operation on one roller.

Another object of the present invention is to prevent the appearance of the portable terminal from becoming complicated by not providing any additional operation keys other than the roller as the roller generates a plurality of distinct signals.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a signal generating apparatus including a roller, a frame, a rotation sensing unit, and a displacement sensing unit.

The roller may have a shape extending along the longitudinal direction. The frame supports the roller so that it can rotate about the rotation axis or displace (move) along the displacement direction. The displacement direction may substantially coincide with a direction along the rotation axis. The rotation sensing unit senses the rotation of the roller to generate at least one rotation signal, and the displacement sensing unit senses that the roller is displaced in at least one of a pair of opposite directions along the longitudinal direction And generates a displacement signal.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the displacement detection unit is a contact switch disposed adjacent to the free end of the axial projection protruding from both ends of the roller and generating the displacement signal in contact with the axial projection, And may be a non-contact type sensor that detects the movement of the shaft projection while not contacting the shaft projection when the projection is moved.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the signal generating apparatus may further include a return unit for returning the roller to its original position upon displacement of the roller.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable terminal including a main body for performing a wireless communication function, the signal generator, and a controller for processing at least one signal generated in the signal generator.

The main body may further include a display unit for outputting time information. When the displacement signal is generated, the control unit may control the cursor displayed on the display unit to be moved in one of two directions along the longitudinal direction .

Since the signal generating device according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above is constituted so that the roller can be rotated and displaced, it is possible to generate four or more signals by only changing the operation mode for one roller do.

Further, as the signal generator generates the above-mentioned number of signals, an additional signal generator is not needed, so that the appearance of the portable terminal can be simplified.

Hereinafter, a portable terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, the same or similar reference numerals are given to different embodiments in the same or similar configurations.

1 is a perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The portable terminal of the present invention includes a first body 10 and a second body 20 that is slidable along at least one direction on the first body 10. The first and second bodies 10 and 20 may collectively be referred to as bodies.

The state in which the first body 10 is disposed in a state of being overlapped with the second body 20 may be referred to as a closed configuration and the first body 10 may be referred to as a second body 20 ) May be referred to as an open configuration.

The portable terminal operates mainly in the standby mode in the closed state, but the standby mode is also released by the operation of the user. In addition, the portable terminal operates mainly in a communication mode in an open state, but may be switched to a standby mode by a user's operation or a predetermined period of time.

A casing (a casing, a housing, a cover, etc.) constituting an outer appearance of the first body 10 is formed by a front case 11 and a rear case 12. Various electronic components are embedded in the space formed by the front case 11 and the rear case 12. [ At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 11 and the rear case 12. [ The cases may be formed by injection molding of a synthetic resin or may be formed of a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).

The display unit 13, the sound output unit 14, the first image input unit 15, or the first operation unit 16 may be disposed in the first body 10, specifically, the front case 11.

The display unit 13 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) module, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) module, and the like that visually express information. The display unit 13 may further include a touch screen to enable information input by a user's touch.

The sound output unit 14 may be implemented in the form of a receiver or a speaker. The first image input unit 15 may be implemented as a camera module for capturing an image or a moving image of a user.

The first operation unit 16 receives a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and may be referred to as a signal generator.

The front case 21 and the rear case 22 can form the case of the second body 20 as in the case of the first body 10.

The second operation unit 23 may be disposed on the front surface of the second body 20, specifically, the front case 21. [

The third operating unit 24, the first sound input unit 25, and the interface 26 may be disposed in at least one of the front case 21 and the rear case 22. [

The first to third operating portions 16, 23, 24 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.

For example, the operation unit may be implemented as a dome switch or a touch screen or a touch pad capable of receiving commands or information by a push or touch operation of a user, or may be a wheel, a jog type, a joystick, Or the like.

In terms of functions, the first operation unit 16 is for inputting commands such as start, end, and scroll, and the second operation unit 23 is for inputting numbers, letters, symbols, and the like. The third operation unit 24 may operate as a hot-key for performing a special function such as activation of the first image input unit 15. [

The first sound input unit 25 may be implemented in the form of a microphone, for example, to receive a user's voice, other sounds, and the like.

The interface 26 is a path through which the portable terminal related to the present invention can exchange data with an external device. For example, the interface 26 may be a wired or wireless connection terminal for connecting to an earphone, a port for short range communication (for example, an IrDA port, a Bluetooth port, a wireless LAN port a wireless Lan port), or power supply terminals for supplying power to the portable terminal. The interface 26 may be a card socket that accommodates an external card such as a subscriber identification module (SIM) or a user identity module (UIM), or a memory card for storing information.

A power supply unit 27 for supplying power to the portable terminal is mounted on the rear case 22 side. The power supply unit 27 may be detachably coupled to a rechargeable battery for charging or the like.

2 is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, a second image input unit 28 may be additionally mounted on the rear surface of the rear case 22 of the second body 20. The second image input unit 28 may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the first image input unit 15 (see FIG. 1), and may be a camera having different pixels from the first image input unit.

For example, the first image input unit 15 has low pixels so that it is easy to capture a face of a user in the case of a video call or the like and send it to the other party. The second image input unit 28 photographs a general object It is preferable to have a high pixel because it is often not transmitted.

A flash 29 and a mirror 30 are further disposed adjacent to the second image input unit 28. The flash 29 shines light toward the subject when the subject is photographed by the second image input unit 28. The mirror unit 30 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to take a picture of himself / herself (self-photographing) using the second image input unit 28.

The lower cover 22 may further be provided with a second sound output section 31. [ The second sound output unit 31 may implement a stereo function together with the first sound output unit 14 (see FIG. 1), and may be used for talking in a speakerphone mode.

In addition, an antenna 32 for receiving broadcasting signals may be disposed on one side of the lower cover 22, in addition to an antenna for communication. The antenna 32 may be installed to be detachable from the second body 20.

A portion of the slide module 33 that slidably couples the first body 10 and the second body 20 is disposed on the rear case 12 side of the first body 10. [ The other part of the slide module 33 is disposed on the side of the front case 21 of the second body 20 and may be in a form that is not exposed to the outside as in this figure.

In the above description, the second image input unit 28 and the like are disposed in the second body 20, but the present invention is not limited thereto. At least one of the configurations 28 to 32 described as being arranged in the lower cover 22, such as the second image input unit 28, may be mounted on the first body 10, mainly the lower cover 12, It is also possible to mount it. In such a case, there is an advantage that the configuration (s) arranged in the lower cover 12 in the closed state is protected by the second body 20. Further, the first image input unit 15 may be rotatably formed so that the second image input unit 28 can be photographed up to the second image input unit 28 even if the second image input unit 28 is not separately provided.

3 is a front view conceptually showing the operating portion 16 of Fig. For convenience of explanation, the operation unit 16 will be referred to as a signal generating apparatus 100 hereinafter.

The signal generating apparatus 100 includes a roller 110, a frame 120, a rotation sensing unit 130, and a displacement sensing unit 140.

The roller 110 may be arranged to expose a part of the through hole formed in the front case 11 and extend in the longitudinal direction L. [ The longitudinal direction L may coincide with a direction in which the rotation axis, which is a reference of rotation of the roller 110, is placed. At both ends of the roller 110, an axial projection 112 may be formed to protrude.

The frame 120 rotatably and displaceably supports the roller 110. The displacement direction of the roller 110 may substantially coincide with the axial direction. For this purpose, a pair of shaft holes 121 may be formed in the frame 120 to correspond to the shaft projections 112 of the roller 110.

The rotation sensing unit 130 generates two rotation signals in accordance with the rotation of the roller 110 in the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction about the rotation axis. The rotation detecting unit 130 includes a magnet 131 mounted on the shaft protrusion 112 and a Hall sensor 130 disposed in association with the magnet for detecting the rotational direction of the roller 110 in accordance with a change in magnetic flux, IC, 132).

The displacement sensing unit 140 senses that the roller 110 is displaced (or translationally moved) in one of two opposite directions along the longitudinal direction L, and generates a displacement signal. The displacement sensing unit 140 is disposed adjacent to the shaft projections 112 and is provided with a contact type switch for generating a displacement signal as it contacts the shaft projection 112 upon displacement of the roller 110, Lt; / RTI >

A dome switch may be disposed on the circuit board 160 disposed below the roller 110 as the pressing detection unit 150. Corresponding to the dome switch, a pushing protrusion 122 may be formed on the frame 120. The pressing detection unit 150 is pressed by the pressing protrusion 122 to generate a pressing signal when the pressing operation of the roller 110 is performed.

4 is a front view showing a state in which the roller 110 of FIG. 3 is displaced in one direction to generate one displacement signal.

Referring to this figure, the roller 110 is displaced to the left in the drawing along the longitudinal direction L by the user's operation. The left end of the roller 110 is moved so as to come into close contact with the adjacent end of the front case 11 and the right end of the roller 110 is opposite to the adjacent end of the front case 11 before operation (see Fig.

The left axial projection 112 comes into contact with the left-side unit of the displacement sensing unit 140. By the contact, the displacement sensing unit 140 generates one displacement signal.

When the roller 110 is displaced to the right in the figure, the right axial projection 112 contacts the displacement detection unit 140 on the right side. This contact causes another displacement signal that is different from the previous displacement signal.

5 is a front view showing a form in which the return unit 170 is added to the signal generator 100 of FIG.

The return unit 170 provides an elastic force to the roller 110 so that the roller 110 displaced to one side along the longitudinal direction L is in a state before the operation for the displacement, Let it return.

As the return unit 170, an elastic body such as a spring or the like may be employed for accumulating and exerting the elastic force. The spring is fitted to the shaft protrusion 112 so that both ends can be respectively supported by the frame 120 and the roller 110. The springs are disposed on both end sides of the roller 110 as a pair.

In this figure, as the roller 110 is displaced to the right in the figure, the displacement detection unit 140 on the right side generates a displacement signal, and in the process, the spring on the right side shows a compressed state. The spring on the left side is relaxed as the distance between the roller 110 and the frame 120 is increased.

When the force for displacing the roller 110 is removed in this state, the elastic force accumulated in the right spring is diverted and the roller 110 returns to its original state. As a result, there is an advantage that the roller 110 is prepared so that the user can perform another operation with respect to the roller 110 again after generating one displacement signal.

According to the above-described configuration, two rotation signals generated by the rotation sensing unit 130 by the rotation of the roller 110 and two rotation signals generated by the pressing sensing unit 150 by pressing the roller 110 And five displacement signals generated by the displacement sensing unit 140 as the roller 110 is moved along the longitudinal direction L are generated by the signal generating apparatus 100 .

Even though only one roller 110 is exposed to the outside of the portable terminal 10, since five signals can be generated using the five signals, the appearance of the portable terminal 10 is not complicated despite the easy control of the portable terminal 10 There is an advantage.

6 is a front view showing a signal generating apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The present embodiment is similar to the previous embodiment, but differs in the displacement sensing unit 240.

The displacement sensing unit 240 generates a displacement signal in a manner that does not directly contact the axial protrusion 122 of the roller 110.

To this end, the displacement sensing unit 240 includes a first element 241 disposed on the circuit board 250 and a second element 242 mounted on the shaft protrusion 122. The first element 241 interacts with the second element 242 magnetically or in an optical manner to detect the displacement of the axial protrusion 122 (or the roller 110). For example, if the first element 241 is a light emitting sensor, the second element 242 may be a light receiving sensor, so that the state is detected when the two elements are aligned so as to be substantially straight, and a displacement signal is generated.

The portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the slide type shown in Fig. 1 but can be applied to various structures such as a bar type, a folder type, and a swing type.

7 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according to the present invention.

7, a portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a wireless communication module 41, operation units 16, 23, and 24, image input units 15 and 28, an audio input unit 25, 13, sound output units 14 and 31, a sensing unit 46, an interface 26, a broadcast receiving module 45, a memory 44, a power supply unit 27 and a control unit 40.

The control unit 40 typically controls the overall operation of the portable terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. In addition to the normal function control, the control unit 40 controls the operation of the portable terminal related to the present invention.

The wireless communication module 41 transmits / receives a wireless signal to / from a mobile communication base station through an antenna. A transmission unit 42 for transmitting and receiving voice data, character data, video data, and control data under the control of the control unit 40 and for modulating and transmitting a signal to be transmitted for this purpose; 43).

The operation units 16, 23, and 24 are configured as shown in FIG. 1, and provide the control unit 40 with key input data or signals input by the user for operation control of the terminal. The operation units 16, 23, and 24 are composed of a dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

When the first operating unit 16 is configured as the above-described signal generating apparatuses 100 and 200, it is possible to generate four or five signals, which is useful. In response to the plurality of signals, the control unit 40 controls various functions of the portable terminal in response to the respective signals.

For example, when the rollers 110 and 210 are rotated, the controller 40 moves the cursor displayed on the display unit 13 in the upward or downward direction in accordance with the rotation signals in response to the two rotation signals (See Fig. 1).

When the rollers 110 and 210 are displaced in one direction of the two directions along the longitudinal direction L, the controller 40 moves the cursor displayed on the display unit 13 in the left or right direction in the figure corresponding to the displacement signals .

When the rollers 110 and 210 are pressed, the controller 40 can select or execute an icon or a menu in which the current cursor position corresponds to the push signal.

The image input units 15 and 28 process image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. Then, the processed image frame is converted into image data that can be displayed on the display unit 13 and output to the display unit 13. [ The image frames processed by the image input units 15 and 28 are stored in the memory 44 under the control of the control unit 40 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless transmission / reception unit 41.

The sound input unit 25 receives an external sound signal by 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 is converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the wireless communication module 41 in the communication mode, and is output to the wireless communication module. In the case of the recording mode, the processed voice data is output to be stored in the memory 44. The sound input unit 25 may be implemented with various noise reduction algorithms for eliminating noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The display unit 13 displays and outputs information processed in the portable terminal. For example, when the portable terminal is in the call mode, the control unit 40 displays and outputs a UI (User Interface) or GUI (Graphic User Interface) related to the call. When the portable terminal is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the control unit 40 displays and displays the photographed image, the UI, and the GUI. When the display unit 13 includes a touch screen, the display unit 13 is used as an input device in addition to the output device.

The sound output units 14 and 31 are connected to the sound data received from the wireless communication module 41 under the control of the control unit 40 in the call signal reception mode, the communication mode or the recording mode, the voice recognition mode, 44 and outputs the converted sound data to the outside. Also, the sound output units 14 and 31 output sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the portable terminal. These sound output units 14 and 31 include a speaker, a receiver, a buzzer, and the like.

The sensing unit 46 senses the current state of the portable terminal, such as the opening / closing state of the portable terminal, the position of the portable terminal, whether or not the user touches the portable terminal, and generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the portable terminal. For example, if the portable terminal is in the form of a slide phone, it senses whether the slide phone is opened or closed and outputs the sensing result to the controller 40 so that the operation of the terminal is controlled. And a sensing function related to whether or not the power supply unit 27 is powered on, whether the interface 26 is coupled to an external device, and the like.

The interface 26 may be connected to any external device such as a wired / wireless headset, an external charger, a wired / wireless data port, a card socket (for example, a memory card, a SIM / UIM card) It serves as an interface with the device. The interface 26 receives data from an external device or receives power from the external device, transfers the data to each component in the portable terminal, or transmits data in the portable terminal to an external device.

The memory 44 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 40 and may have a function for temporarily storing input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, . In addition, the memory 44 stores a program for controlling the operation of the portable terminal related to the present invention. The memory 44 includes the concept of a generally known hard disk, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), a flash memory, a RAM, a ROM, and the like.

The broadcast receiving module 45 receives broadcast signals transmitted through satellite or terrestrial waves and converts the received broadcast signals into broadcast data types that can be output to the sound output units 14 and 31 and the display unit 13 and outputs them to the control unit 40 . In addition, the broadcast receiving module 45 receives additional data (e.g., EPG (Electric Program Guide), channel list, etc.) related to broadcasting. The broadcast data and the additional data converted by the broadcast receiving module 45 may be stored in the memory 44. [

The power supply unit 27 receives external power and internal power under the control of the control unit 40 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

The above-described portable terminal is not limited to the configuration and method of the embodiments described above, but all or some of the embodiments may be selectively combined so that various modifications may be made to the embodiments.

1 is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a rear perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a front view conceptually showing the first operating portion of Fig. 1; Fig.

Fig. 4 is a front view showing a state in which the roller of Fig. 3 is displaced in one direction to generate one displacement signal. Fig.

Fig. 5 is a front view showing a form in which a return unit is added to the signal generating apparatus of Fig. 3; Fig.

6 is a front view showing a signal generating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Claims (8)

A main body for performing a wireless communication function; And a signal input device for inputting a signal to the main body, The signal input device includes: roller; A frame supporting the roller to rotate around a rotation axis, and supporting the roller in a displaceable manner along a displacement direction; A rotation sensing unit for sensing rotation of the roller and generating at least one rotation signal; A displacement sensing unit for sensing displacement of the roller and generating at least one displacement signal; A returning unit for elastically pressing the roller along the displacement direction; And And a control unit for processing at least one of the rotation signal and the displacement signal, Wherein said displacement direction coincides with a direction along said rotation axis, Wherein axial projections corresponding to the rotary shaft are formed on both sides of the roller so as to protrude in the displacement direction, The shaft protrusion is inserted into the shaft hole formed in the frame so as to be rotatable and slidable, Wherein the displacement sensing unit is a contact switch disposed adjacent to the free end of the shaft projection to generate the displacement signal in contact with the shaft projection provided on one side when the roller is displaced to one side, Wherein the return unit is an elastic body sandwiched between the shaft projections and having both ends supported by the frame and the roller, Wherein the elastic body is provided at both ends of the roller so as to return the roller from its displaced position to its original position. delete delete delete delete delete The method according to claim 1, Further comprising a push detection unit disposed adjacent to the frame for generating a push signal as the roller is pressed in a direction crossing the rotation axis direction. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the main body further includes a display unit, and the controller moves the cursor displayed on the display unit in either direction along the displacement direction corresponding to the displacement signal.

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