KR101561909B1 - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a display device comprising: a main body having a window and a window hole corresponding to the window; a stepped portion formed to define the window hole and at least a part of which forms a step, a first region coupled with the window, An electrode film on which a second region to be mounted is formed on the same plane, and a display module arranged to cover the electrode film.

Description

[0001] PORTABLE TERMINAL [0002]

The present invention relates to a portable terminal capable of touch input.

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.

Various new attempts have been made in terms of hardware or software to implement the complex functions of such multimedia devices. For example, a user interface environment is provided for a user to easily and conveniently search for or select a function.

In addition to the above attempts, a further improvement of the function of the hardware may be considered.

An object of the present invention is to provide a slim portable terminal.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal having a display unit with improved optical performance.

A portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above-mentioned problems includes a body, a step portion, an electrode film, and a display module. The body has a window and a window hole corresponding to the window. The stepped portion is formed to define the window hole, and at least a part of the stepped portion is formed to form a step. The electrode film has a first region coupled with the window and a second region mounted on the step portion on the same plane. The display module is disposed to cover the electrode film.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the stepped portion is formed to sequentially widen the window hole in a direction from the window toward the display module. The stepped portion may form the first and second stepped surfaces. An electrode film is mounted on the first stage surface, and a display module is mounted on the second stage surface.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the electrode film includes a glass and an electrode layer. The glass forms the base of the electrode film, and the electrode layer is formed on one side of the glass. The display module can be combined with the electrode film.

The portable terminal according to the present invention configured as described above can further reduce the thickness of the portion on which the window is mounted through the stepped portion. Thus, a slim mobile terminal is realized.

Further, the present invention further reduces the distance between the window and the display module as the electrode film is bonded to the step portion. Accordingly, the displayed screen is formed closer to the window, and the brightness of the screen is improved.

Hereinafter, a portable terminal according 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. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

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

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

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

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

A display unit 112, an audio output unit 113, a camera 114, user input units 115 and 116, a microphone 117, and an interface 118 may be disposed in the front body 101.

The display unit 112 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 101. The display unit 112 may be formed of a touch screen to enable input of information by a user's touch. In addition, the display unit 112 may be formed to generate various tactile effects that a user can feel at the time of touching. This can be realized by a haptic module interlocking with the display unit 112. [ A typical example of a haptic effect generated by a haptic module is vibration. The haptic module may be variously arranged according to the configuration of the portable terminal as well as the display unit 112.

A sound output unit 113 and a camera 114 are disposed in an area adjacent to one end of both ends of the display unit 112 and a user input unit 115 and a microphone 117 are disposed in an area adjacent to the other end. The user input units 115 and 116 and the interface 118 may be disposed on the side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102.

The user input units 115 and 116 are operated to receive commands for controlling operations of the portable terminal 100 and may include a plurality of operation units 115 and 116. [ The operation units 115 and 116 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates in a tactile manner.

The contents input by the first or second operation units 115 and 116 can be variously set. For example, the first operation unit 115 receives commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 116 controls the size of the sound output from the sound output unit 152, To the touch recognition mode of the touch screen.

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

Referring to FIG. 2, a camera 121 may be further mounted on the rear surface of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 102. The camera 121 may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the camera 114 (see FIG. 1), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera 114.

For example, the camera 114 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 transmit the face to the other party, and the camera 121 often does not directly transmit an image of a general object It is preferable to have a high pixel. The cameras 114 and 121 may be installed in the terminal body such that they can be rotated or pop-up.

A flash 122 and a mirror 123 are additionally disposed adjacent to the camera 121. The flash 122 illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera 121. The mirror 123 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like in the case where the user intends to photograph (self-photograph) himself / herself using the camera 121. [

The sound output unit 124 may further be disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The sound output unit 124 may implement a stereo function together with the sound output unit 113 (see FIG. 1), and may be used for implementing a speakerphone mode in a call.

In addition to the antenna for a call or the like, a broadcast signal receiving antenna 119 may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 119 constituting a part of the broadcast receiving module 161 (see FIG. 6) may be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 125 for supplying power to the portable terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 125 may be built in the terminal body or may be detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

The rear case 102 may further include a touch pad for sensing a touch. The touch pad may also be of a light transmission type like the display unit 112. [ In this case, if the display unit 112 is configured to output time information on both sides, the time information can be recognized through the touch pad. The information output on both surfaces may be controlled by the touch pad. Alternatively, the touch pad may be further equipped with a display, and the touch screen may be disposed in the rear case 102 as well.

The touch pad operates in correlation with the display portion 112 of the front case 101. [ The touch pad may be disposed parallel to the rear of the display unit 112. [ The touch pad may have a size equal to or smaller than that of the display unit 112.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the portable terminal 100 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a section taken along the line IV-IV of FIG.

Referring to these drawings, a window hole 112a is formed on one side of the front case 101, and a window 112b is arranged corresponding to the window hole 112a.

The window 112b is made of a material through which light can be transmitted, for example, a light transmitting synthetic resin, tempered glass, or the like. However, the window 112b may include a portion that can not transmit light. Such a portion is a material that can not transmit light or is a surface-treated region such that light can not be transmitted.

The window 112b may be formed with an acoustic hole 113a corresponding to the acoustic output unit 113 and an image window 114a corresponding to the first image input unit 114 (see FIG. 1). The image window 114a may be made of a material that can transmit light.

On the other side of the front case 101, an operation pad 115a, which is an object to be touched or pressed by the user, can be mounted.

A circuit board 160a, a speaker module 113b, a camera module 114b, a switch 115b, and the like may be mounted on the rear case 102.

The circuit board 160a may be configured as an example of a controller 160 (see FIG. 6) for operating various functions of the portable terminal. The speaker module 113b, the camera module 114b, the switch 115b, and the like may be mounted on the circuit board 160 as shown.

A speaker module 113b may be disposed to correspond to the acoustic hole 113a and a camera module 114b may be disposed to correspond to the image window 114a.

At least one switch 115b is mounted on the circuit board 160a so as to correspond to the operation pad 115a. Information can be input in accordance with the pressing operation of the operation pad 115a. The switch 115b and the operation pad 115a may be classified into a user input unit 115 (see Fig. 1). A microphone for inputting sound may be mounted on the lower side of the switch 115b.

The display module 112c is electrically connected to the circuit board 160a and is configured to display image information.

The display module 112c may be an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) module, or a TOLED (Transparent OLED) module for visually expressing information.

The window 112b and the display module 112c may be classified into the display portion 112 (see Fig. 1). The window 112b may have an area corresponding to the display module 112c and is arranged to cover the display module 112c. Accordingly, image information output from the display module 112c can be recognized from the outside.

Referring to FIG. 4, the window hole 112a is defined by the stepped portion 130. The step portion 130 is formed such that at least a part thereof forms a step.

The stepped portion 130 is formed to sequentially expand the window hole 112a in the direction from the window 112b toward the display module 112c. The step portion 130 is formed to have a plurality of steps. For example, the stepped portion 130 may form the first and second stepped surfaces 131 and 132.

The first and second step surfaces 131 and 132 are formed on the back surface of the front case 101, respectively. The first and second step surfaces 131 and 132 may be formed as a plane parallel to one surface of the electrode film 140, respectively. The first stage surface 131 may be a bezel of a window. The electrode film 140 is mounted on the first stepped surface 131.

The electrode film 140 is used as a means for calculating coordinates on the screen for sensing touch, and may be, for example, an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) electrode film.

The electrode film 140 includes a glass and an electrode layer. The glass forms the base of the electrode film and is formed of a glass material. The electrode layer is formed on one side of the glass. The electrode layer may be an electrode layer using ITO, for example, ITO is coated so as to form a pattern on one side of the glass.

Referring to FIG. 3, first and second regions 141 and 142 are formed on the same plane in the electrode film 140.

Referring to these drawings, the first region 141 may be formed at the center of the electrode film 140, and may be defined by the second region 142. The first region 141 is coupled to the window 112b and the second region 142 is mounted to the step 130, for example, the first stepped surface 131.

The first area 141 and the window 112b are coupled through, for example, laminating or adhesive bonding.

As the electrode film 140 is mounted on the step portion 130, the window 112b is engaged with the front case 101. Through this, the window 112b can be more firmly fixed. In addition, the thickness of the window bellows is further reduced, resulting in a slimmer portable terminal.

As shown in the figure, the display module 112c is mounted on the second stepped surface 132. For example, the edge of the display module 112c may be coupled to the second stepped surface 132 through an adhesive, double-sided tape, or the like.

The display module 112c is disposed so as to cover the electrode film 140. [ And the display module 112c can be coupled with the electrode film 140. [ For example, the edge of the display module 112c may be bonded to the edge of the electrode film 140 through an adhesive, a double-sided tape, or the like.

The window 112b, the electrode film 140 and the display module 112c can be simply coupled with the front case 101 as the electrode film 140 is attached to the first stepped surface 131 after being joined together . In this way, the distance between the window 112b and the display module 112c can be closer to each other, which improves the optical performance of the portable terminal and realizes a luxurious appearance.

The display module 112c can be directly mounted to the front case 101. [ To this end, the second stepped surface 132 may be formed on the same plane as the opposite surface of the electrode film 140 that is coupled to the first stepped surface 131.

The display module 112c can couple with the electrode film 140 and the second step face 132, respectively. Through this, a more rigid fixing structure is realized.

5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the portable terminal 200 according to the present invention.

The display module 212c is enclosed by the bracket 250 and the bracket 250 is mounted to the front case 201. [ The bracket 250 may be mounted on the second stepped surface 232.

Since the electrode film 240 and the bracket 250 are mounted on the first and second stepped surfaces 231 and 232 respectively after the window 212b, the electrode film 240 and the display module 212c are integrally coupled, (201).

An intermediate case 203 is disposed between the front case 201 and the rear case 202. The front case 201 on which the window 212b, the electrode film 240 and the display module 212c are mounted is engaged with the intermediate case 203. [ Accordingly, the window 212b, the electrode film 240, the display module 212c and the front case 201 can form one module, which improves the assembly and robustness of the portable terminal.

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

6, a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a wireless communication module 161, operation units 115 and 116, image input units 114 and 121, an acoustic input unit 117, a display unit 112, A sensing unit 166, an interface 118, a broadcast receiving module 165, a memory 164, a power supply unit 125, and a control unit 160. [ The illustrated components are not essential, and a mobile terminal having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The control unit 160 typically controls the overall operation of the portable terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. The control unit 160 may include a multimedia module for multimedia playback. The multimedia module may be implemented in the control unit 160 or separately from the control unit 160.

In addition to the normal function control, the controller 160 controls the operation of the portable terminal related to the present invention.

The wireless communication module 161 transmits / receives a wireless signal to / from a mobile communication base station through an antenna. A transmission unit 162 for transmitting and receiving voice data, character data, image data, and control data under the control of the control unit 160 and for modulating and transmitting a signal to be transmitted for this purpose; 163).

The wireless communication module 161 may include one or more modules for enabling wireless communication between the wireless terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the wireless terminal 100 and the network in which the wireless terminal 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication module 161 may include a broadcast receiving module, a mobile communication module, a wireless Internet module, a short distance communication module, and a location information module.

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

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

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

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module may be stored in the memory 164.

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

The wireless Internet module refers to a module for wireless Internet access, and may be built in or enclosed in the mobile terminal 100. Wireless Internet technologies such as WLAN (Wireless LAN) (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access) and HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) are available.

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

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

The operation units 115 and 116 are configured as shown in FIG. 1, and provide the control unit 160 with key input data that the user inputs for controlling the operation of the terminal. The operation units 115 and 116 include a dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The image input units 114 and 121 process image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame is converted into image data that can be displayed on the display unit 112 and output to the display unit 112.

The image frames processed by the image input units 114 and 121 are stored in the memory 164 under the control of the control unit 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless transmission /

The sound input unit 117 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 161 in the communication mode, and is output to the wireless communication module. In the record mode, processed voice data is output to be stored in the memory 164.

The sound input unit 117 may be implemented with various noise reduction algorithms for eliminating noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The display unit 112 displays and outputs information processed in the portable terminal. For example, when the portable terminal is in the call mode, the controller 160 displays a UI (User Interface) or GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with the call. When the portable terminal is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the control unit 160 displays and displays the photographed image, the UI, and the GUI.

The display unit 112 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display display, and a 3D display.

Some of these displays may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This can be referred to as a transparent display, and a typical example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparent OLED) and the like.

The display unit 112 has a mutual layer structure (hereinafter, referred to as a 'touch screen') and a sensor (hereinafter referred to as 'touch sensor' It is also used as a device. The touch sensor may have the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and then transmits the corresponding data to the controller 160. Thus, the control unit 160 can know which area of the display unit 112 is touched or the like.

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

The sound output units 113 and 124 receive sound data received from the wireless communication module 161 under the control of the control unit 160 in the call signal reception mode, the communication mode or the recording mode, the voice recognition mode, Converts the stored sound data and outputs it to the outside.

The sound output units 113 and 124 output sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the portable terminal. The sound output units 113 and 124 include a speaker, a receiver, a buzzer, and the like.

The sensing unit 166 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 160 so that the operation of the terminal is controlled. And a sensing function related to whether or not the power supply unit 125 is powered on, whether the interface 118 is coupled to an external device, and the like.

The interface 118 may include any type of external wireless headset, external charger, wired / wireless data port, card socket (e.g., memory card, SIM / UIM card) It serves as an interface with the device. The interface 118 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 164 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 160 and may store a function for temporarily storing input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, .

In the memory 164, a program for controlling the operation of the portable terminal related to the present invention is stored

Such memory 164 includes the concept of a generally known hard disk, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), flash memory, RAM, ROM, and the like.

The broadcast receiving module 165 receives broadcast signals transmitted through satellite or terrestrial waves, converts the received broadcast signals into broadcast data formats that can be output to the sound output units 113 and 124, and the display unit 112, and outputs the broadcast data formats to the controller 160. In addition, the broadcast receiving module 165 receives additional data (e.g., EPG (Electric Program Guide), channel list, etc.) related to the broadcast. The broadcast data and the additional data converted by the broadcast receiving module 165 may be stored in the memory 164.

The power supply unit 125 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 160, and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

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

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and other electronic units for performing other functions. In some cases, May be implemented by the control unit 160. [

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as procedures or functions may be implemented with separate software modules that perform at least one function or operation. The software code may be implemented by a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software codes are stored in the memory 160 and can be executed by the control unit 160. [

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

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

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is an exploded view of the portable terminal of FIG. 1;

4 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line (IV-IV) of Fig. 1;

5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the portable terminal according to the present invention.

6 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to the present invention;

Claims (5)

A front case having a window and a window hole corresponding to the window; A stepped portion formed to define the window hole, the stepped portion at least partially forming a stepped portion; An electrode film on which a first region to be coupled with the window and a second region to be mounted on the step portion are formed on the same plane; And And a display module disposed to cover the electrode film, Wherein the step portion includes first and second stepped surfaces formed on a back surface of the front case, Wherein the electrode film is mounted on the first stepped surface, the display module is mounted on the second stepped surface, Wherein the second stepped surface is formed on the same plane as the opposite surface of the electrode surface, Wherein the window, the electrode film, and the display module are coupled together, and the edge of the display module is coupled to the electrode film and the second stepped surface, respectively. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the step portion is formed to sequentially widen the window hole in a direction from the window toward the display module. delete The method according to claim 1, The electrode film may be, Glass forming the base; And And an electrode layer formed on one surface of the glass. The method according to claim 1, And the display module is coupled to the electrode film.

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