KR101437982B1 - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a portable terminal having a deformation restricting means formed on a cover that encloses an electronic element provided in a main body to restrict deformation of the electronic element.

Description

[0001] PORTABLE TERMINAL [0002]

The present invention relates to a portable terminal having a mechanism for preventing deformation of an electronic device.

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. In an embodiment, a user interface environment is provided for a user to easily and conveniently search for or select a function.

In addition, to protect the electronic device used for providing the environment from an impact caused by falling of the terminal or the like, it should also be considered for stably providing the above environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal having electronic element deformation restriction means of another type.

Another object of the present invention is to allow the electronic device to stably operate without being deformed or broken by impact or the like.

A portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above-mentioned problems includes a main body, a cover, and a deformation restricting portion. The body is provided with a plurality of electronic elements for inputting and / or outputting information. One or more of these electronic elements are combined with a cover surrounding it. The cover may be a metal plate. The cover is provided with a deformation restricting portion for restricting or relaxing the deformation of the electronic device that it encircles.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the deformation restricting portion is a reinforcing portion for reinforcing the bending strength of the cover, and is formed on one or both surfaces of the cover. The reinforcing portion includes at least one protrusion protruding from the upper surface.

The projecting portion may protrude as the surface opposite to the upper surface is depressed and concave. The protrusions are preferable for protection of electronic devices which are susceptible to deformation along the longitudinal direction of the electronic device along the longitudinal direction thereof.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the reinforcing portion is a reinforcing plate attached to one surface of the cover.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the electronic device is a display module, and the deformation restricting portion is formed in a region corresponding to the driving device of the display module to protect the driving device which is vulnerable to deformation.

The portable terminal according to the present invention having the above-described structure has a deformation restricting portion formed on the cover, thereby mitigating or preventing the occurrence of a failure due to deformation or breakage of the electronic device due to an external impact.

As the deformation restricting portion is constructed to reinforce the warpage strength of the cover, deformation of the cover is limited so that the electronic element or deformation to be wrapped is limited.

When the deformation restricting portion is formed so as to protrude from the cover, the deformation restricting portion can be machined together while the cover is being machined. This has the advantage of increasing the convenience of machining and eliminating the need for a separate member.

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.

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 accepts an external card such as a subscriber identification module (SIM) or a user identity module (UIM), a memory card for information storage, and the like.

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 an exploded perspective view showing the first body 10 of FIG. 1 in a disassembled state.

Between the front case 11 and the rear case 12, a display portion 13 and an operation circuit 16 'are disposed.

The display unit 13 includes a light-transmissive window 13a coupled to the front case 11, a glass 13b, a driving element 13c, and a driving element 13c, which generate time information as a display module, And a connection circuit 13d for connecting the connection circuit 13d and the connection circuit 13d.

The window 13a occupies an area corresponding to the glass 13b and protects the glass 13b from the outside while allowing time information displayed through the glass 13b to be recognized from the outside.

The glass (13b) and the driving element (13c) are covered by the cover (100). The cover 100 is preferably formed in a plate shape, and is formed of a metal material having a small thickness compared to a high strength.

The operation circuit 16 'receives a signal corresponding to the operation of the first operation unit 16 and is electrically connected to the internal circuit of the second body 20. [ The operating circuit 16 'is also electrically connected to the connecting circuit 13d.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the display unit 13 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the opposite side of the cover 100 of Fig.

The cover 100 accommodates the glass 13b and the driving element 13c and has a main surface 110 facing the main surface thereof. The side surface 120 is protruded from the edge of the main surface 110.

The deformation restricting portion 200 is formed on the main surface 110. The deformation restricting portion 200 is a reinforcing portion for reinforcing the bending strength of the cover 100. The cover 100 is not bent sufficiently by the reinforcing portion so that the electronic elements such as the driving element 13c and the glass 13b accommodated in the cover 100 are minimized or prevented from being deformed or damaged.

As one form of the deformation restricting part 200, the protruding part 220 is formed on the main surface 110. The protrusions 220 may form one or more lines. The lines formed by the protrusions 220 may be discontinuous, but a continuous one may be effective in terms of strength reinforcement for the cover 100.

The direction in which the protrusion 220 extends can coincide with the longitudinal direction of the driving element 13c. Since cracks are likely to occur in the driving element 13c in the longitudinal direction or in the vertical direction, the progress of the cracks will be more difficult if the protrusions 220 extend in the longitudinal direction.

The protrusions 220 may be formed by being attached to the main surface 110. The protrusions 220 may be formed by pressing the main surface 110 to form recesses 210 on one surface and protrusions 210 on the opposite surface, 220 to be formed will be simpler than attaching a separate member.

The deformation restricting portion 200 may be formed over the entire area of the main surface 110, but may be selectively formed only at a predetermined portion as necessary. Since the driving element 13c of the display module is weaker than the glass 13b and the degree of protection is required to be higher than that of the glass 13b, the deformation restricting portion 200 is formed only in the region 100A corresponding to the driving element 13c And the deformation restricting portion 200 may not be formed in the region 100B corresponding to the glass 13b.

Assuming that the glass 13b is protected to some extent by the cover 100 itself without the additional deformation restricting portion 200, this distinction is preferable because it prevents the deformation restricting portion 200 from being excessively formed.

6 is a perspective view showing a cover 100 'having a deformation restricting portion 200' according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the deformation restricting portion 200 'is a reinforcing plate attached to the main surface 110 of the cover 100'. The reinforcing plate 200 'may be a thin metal plate having the same material as the metal cover 100'.

The reinforcing plate 200 'may have a size suitable for the area corresponding to the driving element 13c (see FIG. 4) as in the previous embodiment.

It is possible to reduce the thickness of the area where the reinforcing plate 200 'is not provided, rather than to thicken the whole main surface 110 in consideration of the thickness of the reinforcing plate 200' There is an advantage.

The structure in which the reinforcing plate 200 'is laminated on the main surface 110 of the cover 100' is advantageous in terms of strength in that it is formed in a layer structure rather than integrally formed if the whole thickness is the same. Is more preferable in terms of reinforcement of the strength against the core 100 '.

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 that the user inputs for controlling the operation 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.

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 receive 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, 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 an exploded perspective view of the first body of FIG. 1; FIG.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the display unit of FIG. 3;

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the opposite side of the cover of Figure 4;

6 is a perspective view showing a cover having a deformation restricting portion according to another embodiment of the present invention.

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

Claims (8)

A main body having a display module; A cover mounted on the body and coupled to enclose at least a portion of the display module; And And a deformation restricting portion formed on the cover and reinforcing the warp strength of the cover to limit deformation of the display module housed therein, Wherein the cover has a main surface covering a back surface of the display module and a side surface protruding from an edge of the main surface to form a space for accommodating the display module, Wherein the deformation restricting portion includes at least one protrusion protruding from another major surface located on the opposite side of the one major surface as the one major surface is pressed and concaved, Lt; / RTI > Wherein the protrusion is formed to extend along a direction intersecting the one direction so as to restrict deformation of the cover in one direction. delete delete delete delete delete delete The method according to claim 1, Wherein the cover comprises a metal plate.

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