KR101604763B1 - Mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a mobile terminal including a body having a corner, an output unit, a touch sensing unit located at a corner portion, and a control unit. According to the present invention, it is possible to secure the space of other components of the terminal as much as possible and to perform accurate and intuitive touch input.

Description

[0001] MOBILE TERMINAL [0002]

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal having a touch sensing unit.

A terminal can be divided into a mobile terminal (mobile / portable terminal) and a stationary terminal according to whether the terminal can be moved. The mobile terminal can be divided into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether the user can directly carry the mobile terminal.

Such a terminal has various functions, for example, in the form of a multimedia device having multiple functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of a music or video file, reception of a game and broadcasting, etc. .

Accordingly, in order to accurately control the function, an input means having a complicated structure has been required.

In the case of the conventional button panel type key panel of the conventional mobile terminal, the number of necessary keys is increased due to diversification of function of the terminal, occupying a lot of additional use space, and there is a problem of durability and inconvenience.

In the case of the conventional touch pad, there is also a problem that it occupies a separate use space, accuracy problem due to wide contact, limitation of providing various and intuitive user interface, and high possibility of wrong touch.

In order to alleviate such a problem, there is a case that a touch screen is provided. However, there are problems such as deterioration of image quality due to the touch panel, blurring of view upon touch, screen contamination due to screen touch, and low accuracy due to a large contact area.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the key panel, the touch pad, or the touch screen, and it is an object of the present invention to minimize the space occupied by the touch sensing unit to maximize the space for other components such as the display unit, And it is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile terminal equipped with an input means capable of performing various intuitive inputs easily and accurately.

A portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a body having at least one corner, an output unit, a touch sensing unit disposed at a corner of the body, and a controller.

The mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above provides a touch sensing unit that utilizes a corner space having a low degree of use so that the use space of other components of the mobile terminal is maximized, Input can be made possible.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The suffix "module" and " part "for components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role.

The mobile terminal described in this specification may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), navigation and the like. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may be applied to a fixed terminal such as a digital TV, a desktop computer, and the like, unless the configuration is applicable only to a mobile terminal.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an audio / video input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, A controller 170, a controller 180, a power supply 190, and the like. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, and a mobile terminal having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules for enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and the network in which the mobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, and a location information module 115 .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals and / or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

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

The broadcast-related information may refer to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or information related to a broadcast service provider. The broadcast-related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

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

For example, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), a Media Forward Link Only (ISDB-T), and Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB-T). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be adapted to other broadcasting systems as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives radio signals to at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 113 is a module for wireless Internet access, and may be built in or externally attached to the mobile terminal 100. WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

The short-range communication module 114 refers to a module for short-range communication. Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as a short range communication technology.

The position information module 115 is a module for obtaining the position of the mobile terminal, and a representative example thereof is a Global Position System (GPS) module.

Referring to FIG. 1, an A / V (Audio / Video) input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes an image frame such as a still image or moving image obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame can be displayed on the display unit 151. [

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ Two or more cameras 121 may be provided depending on the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal through a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, and processes it as electrical voice data. The processed voice data can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. Various noise reduction algorithms may be implemented in the microphone 122 to remove noise generated in receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for a user to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch sensor (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like. In the context of the present invention, the touch sensor can be configured to convert a change in a pressure applied to a specific part or a capacitance occurring in a specific part into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor can be configured to detect not only the position and area to be touched but also the pressure at the time of touch. If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. Thus, the control unit 180 can know which area is touched or the like.

The sensing unit 140 senses the current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as the open / close state of the mobile terminal 100, the position of the mobile terminal 100, the presence or absence of user contact, the orientation of the mobile terminal, And generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it is possible to sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. It is also possible to sense whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141. A gravity sensor or a gyro sensor for sensing the direction of the mobile terminal may be used in connection with the present invention.

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

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in the call mode, a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with a call is displayed. When the mobile terminal 100 is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed and / or received video or UI and GUI are displayed.

The display unit 151 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display display, and a 3D display.

Some of these displays may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This can be referred to as a transparent display, and a typical example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparent OLED) and the like. The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be of a light transmission type. With this structure, the user can see an object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display unit 151 of the terminal body.

There may be two or more display units 151 according to the embodiment of the mobile terminal 100. For example, in the mobile terminal 100, a plurality of display portions may be spaced apart from one another or may be disposed integrally with each other, or may be disposed on different surfaces.

(Hereinafter, referred to as a 'touch screen') in which a display unit 151 and a sensor for sensing a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as 'touch sensor') form a mutual layer structure, It can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is surrounded by the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or a nearby object without mechanical contact using the force of an electromagnetic field or infrared rays. The proximity sensor has a longer life span than the contact sensor and its utilization is also high.

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission type photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection type photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation type proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor. And to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field along the proximity of the pointer when the touch screen is electrostatic. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of recognizing that the pointer is positioned on the touch screen while the pointer is not in contact with the touch screen is referred to as "proximity touch & The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch. &Quot; The position where the pointer is proximately touched on the touch screen means a position where the pointer is vertically corresponding to the touch screen when the pointer is touched.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch movement state, and the like). Information corresponding to the detected proximity touch operation and the proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The audio output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160 in a call signal reception mode, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, The sound output module 152 also outputs sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. [ The audio output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events that occur in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, touch input, and the like. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in a form other than the video signal or the audio signal, for example, vibration. The video signal or the audio signal may be output through the display unit 151 or the audio output module 152 so that they may be classified as a part of the alarm unit 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154 is vibration. The intensity and pattern of the vibration generated by the hit module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may include a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to the contact skin surface, a spraying force or a suction force of the air through the injection port or the suction port, a touch on the skin surface, contact with an electrode, And various tactile effects such as an effect of reproducing a cold sensation using an endothermic or exothermic element can be generated.

The haptic module 154 can be implemented not only to transmit the tactile effect through the direct contact but also to allow the user to feel the tactile effect through the muscular sensation of the finger or arm. The haptic module 154 may include two or more haptic modules 154 according to the configuration of the portable terminal 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and temporarily store input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns outputted when a touch is input on the touch screen.

The memory 160 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM A disk, and / or an optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path for communication with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or supplies power to each component in the mobile terminal 100 or transmits data to the external device. For example, a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio I / O port, A video input / output (I / O) port, an earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip for storing various information for authenticating the use right of the mobile terminal 100 and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM), a general user authentication module A Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") can be manufactured in a smart card format. Accordingly, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port.

When the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100, or various command signals input by the user to the cradle may be transmitted It can be a passage to be transmitted to the terminal. The various command signals or the power source input from the cradle may be operated as a signal for recognizing that the mobile terminal is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. The control unit 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the control unit 180 or may be implemented separately from the control unit 180. [

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

The power supply unit 190 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

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

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of a processor, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and other electronic units for performing other functions. In some cases, The embodiments described may be implemented by the control unit 180 itself.

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented with separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more of the functions and operations described herein. Software code can be implemented in a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software code is stored in the memory 160 and can be executed by the control unit 180. [

2A 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.

The display unit 151, the sound output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input units 130/131 and 132, the microphone 122, the interface 170, and the like may be disposed in the front body 101 have.

The display unit 151 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 101. A sound output unit 151 and a camera 121 are disposed in an area adjacent to one end of both ends of the display unit 151 and a user input unit 131 and a microphone 122 are disposed in an area adjacent to the other end. The user input unit 132 and the interface 170 may be disposed on the side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The user input unit 130 is operated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal 100 and may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132. The operation units 131 and 132 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates in a tactile manner.

The contents inputted by the first or second operation unit 131 or 132 may be variously set. For example, the first operation unit 131 receives commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 132 controls the size of the sound output from the sound output unit 152 or the size of the sound output from the display unit 151 To the touch recognition mode of the touch screen.

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the rear surface 310 of the portable terminal shown in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIG. 2B, the rear surface 310 of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 102, may further include a camera 121 '. The camera 121 'may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to the camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 has low pixels so that it is easy to capture a face of a user in case of a video call or the like and transmit the same to a counterpart. When the camera 121 ' It is preferable to have a high pixel. The cameras 121 and 121 'may be installed in the terminal body so as to be rotatable or pop-upable.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 are additionally disposed adjacent to the camera 121 '. The flash 123 illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera 121 '. The mirror 124 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to shoot himself / herself (self-photographing) using the camera 121 '.

A sound output 152 'may further be disposed on the rear surface 310 of the terminal body. The sound output unit 152 'may implement the stereo function together with the sound output unit 152 (see FIG. 2A), and may be used for the implementation of the speakerphone mode during a call.

In addition to the antenna for talking and the like, a broadcast signal reception antenna 116 may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 116, which forms part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1), can be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the portable terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 190 may be built in the terminal body or may be detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

The rear case 102 may further include a touch pad 135 for sensing a touch. The touch pad 135 may also be of a light transmission type like the display unit 151. [ In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output time information on both sides, the time information can be recognized through the touch pad 135 as well. The information output on both sides may be all controlled by the touch pad 135. [ Alternatively, a display may be additionally mounted on the touch pad 135, and a touch screen may be disposed on the rear case 102 as well.

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

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments can be used alone or in combination with each other. In addition, the embodiments described below may be used in combination with the above-described user interface (UI).

3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the corners of the terminal body. A corner is a point or part where two or more edges or two or more faces meet in an object. Or in a room, box, or similar space, where the edge or wall meets. It is applied to all types of polyhedrons, but for convenience of explanation, the description will be made on the basis of the box type terminal. In the case of the box-type terminal, the display unit 151 includes a front surface 300, a rear surface 310 facing the front surface 300, a left 350 and a right 330 between the front and rear surfaces 300 and 310, (330), and upper and lower (320) and lower (340) sides.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a corner refers to a point or portion where two or more edges meet, i.e., where three or more faces meet. For example, a portion where the front face 300, the right side face 330, and the upper side face 320 meet becomes a corner 380. [ In the case of the box shape, there are a total of eight corners including four corners with respect to the front face 300 and four corners with respect to the rear face 310. Each side does not have to be flat, but it can also be a curved surface.

Referring to FIG. 3B, the corners and vertices where two or more faces meet may be processed into a curved surface. In this case, the corner or vertex may not exist in the strict sense, but the corner or vertex that forms the corner may be recognized as the part where the face and the face meet (corner) and the part where the corner and the corner meet (vertex) Is sufficient, and can be regarded as a corner in relation to the present invention.

Figures 4A and 4B show the general shape of the terminal body. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a corner may refer to a portion where two sides intersecting the specific surface meet each other with respect to a specific surface that determines the dominant shape of the body. 4A shows a case where the distance between the front surface 300 and the rear surface 310 is relatively short as compared with the height and width of the front surface 300 and the rear surface 310, ≪ / RTI > shows a terminal having a box-shaped body. In the case of this type of body, the shape of the front face 300 (or the rear face 310), in which the display unit 151 occupies most, determines the dominant shape of the terminal, The front surface 300 is mainly used. The vertexes 380 of the front face 300 and the vertexes 381 of the rear face 310 as well as the corner portions between the two vertices and two sides (e.g., the upper side 320 and the right side 330) Parts can also be seen at corners. 4B, when the side surface is a perfect curved surface and the portion where the front surface 300 or the rear surface 310 is also processed as a curved surface, that is, when the front surface 300 (or the rear surface 310) Even if it is not clear, you can see the corner where the two sides meet. The corner where the two corners of the front face 300 (which is also the corner of the rear face 310) meet is seen when the front face 300 and the rear face 310 are so narrow that it is difficult to recognize the other side face have. Accordingly, in this case, there are four corners 410, 420, 430, and 440 with respect to the front surface 300 of the rectangle as a whole.

FIGS. 5A to 9C are views illustrating exemplary embodiments of the touch sensing unit according to the shape of a corner. The touch sensing part is located along a plurality of planes (or curved surfaces) and / or corners of the corner. In the following embodiments, for convenience of explanation, the description will be made with reference to a corner 410 formed by the front surface 300 and / or the rear surface 310 and the top surface 320 and the right surface 330 (not shown in the drawings A touch sensing portion of such a shape can be positioned at every corner of the body). Accordingly, the touch sensing portion is located at a corner of the front surface 300, the top surface 320, the right surface 330, and the rear surface 310 (including the corner where each surface meets) at the corner described above.

The touch sensing unit may sense only the touch or sense the touch position in at least one direction. For example, it can be configured as a one-dimensional position-sensitive touch sensor in the form of a stick-shaped touch strip, which detects touch positions in only one direction (eg, longitudinal direction) And can detect two-dimensional position-sensitive touch positions in two directions (eg, longitudinal and width directions). Further, the touch sensing unit may be configured to sense a touch pressure and sense a touch input (e.g., click) in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the touch sensing unit. And may also be configured to simultaneously sense two or more touch locations.

The touch sensing unit may be implemented as a capacitive overlay and / or a resistive overlay.

Further, the touch sensing units located on each side may be separated into separate areas by structural means and / or logical means (i.e., only by software control). For example, the touch sensing unit may be positioned adjacent to each other using a separate touch panel, or may be implemented as being separated in software while using one touch panel, so that the touch sensing unit located on each side or corner may be divided into two or more separate regions . For example, the touch sensing units located on the respective sides of the corner portion (front side 300, top side 320, right side 330, rear side 310) may be separated into separate regions with respect to the edge. Or each corner (a corner where the front side 300 and the right side face 330 meet, a corner where the front side 300 meets the top side 320, etc.) may be separated into separate regions based on the vertexes. Conversely, two adjacent touch sensing units structurally separated can be logically used as a single connected area.

The touch sensing part of the corner may be formed integrally with the touch sensing part of the other part. For example, the front touch sensing unit (touch screen) integrally formed with the display unit 151 of the front side 300 is integrally formed. The touch sensing unit is logically divided into separate areas, It is possible to receive input.

The touch sensing unit may be formed on the same plane as the outer surface of the body. If the surface of the touch sensing part and the other surface of the touch sensing part are positioned at the same height to form one surface, the user can smoothly operate the glide (touching and rubbing) on the touch sensing part, .

The touch sensing unit may include means for indicating that the touch sensing unit is positioned at the corner. For example, the surface on which the touch sensing unit is mounted may be implemented with a material or color different from that of the surrounding surface, or a light emitting diode (LED) or another type of light emitting device may be provided inside the housing. In addition, when the user touches the touch sensing part of a specific part, the LED of the specific corner part or the specific area part of the specific corner is illuminated and displayed or the sound or vibration is generated, It is possible to inform that the touch input is occurring in a specific area of the touch sensing unit. This makes it possible for the user to more accurately recognize the position of the touch sensing unit, the presence or absence of touch, and the touch point, thereby improving the industrial design.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the touch sensing unit may be positioned on the upper side 320 and the right side 330 at a corner 410 where the upper side 320 and the right side 330 meet.

The touch sensing unit may be configured to sense a position in a direction parallel to the front surface 300 or the rear surface 310 (hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the side surface) in sensing the touch position. Therefore, in the area of the upper side 320, the touch input in the vertical direction of the front side 300 is detected in the area of the right side face 330 in the horizontal direction of the front side 300. When the distance between the front face 300 and the rear face 310 is sufficient (hereinafter, the width of the side face), the position in the direction perpendicular to the front face 300 or the rear face 310 (Two dimensions). And may also be implemented to sense a touch input (pressure) in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the touch sensing portion.

When the touch sensing unit is positioned over the upper side 320 and the right side 330 on the corner, the corner between the front side 300 and the side surface and the side edge can accurately detect the position of the touch sensing unit visually And presents precise direction in performing a glide operation or the like by the user.

The corner at which the upper side 320 and the right side face 330 meet and the corner at which the corner meets the front side 300 and the rear side 310 allow the user to accurately distinguish each region Let's do it. Therefore, the touch sensing unit located on the upper side 320 and the right side 330 can be easily separated into the respective regions, and the touch input in each region can be treated as separate information or combined to perform a specific function. For example, in an embodiment implemented to sense the longitudinal position of the side surface, when the touch input is sensed at the upper side 320, the controller 180 moves the cursor of the display unit 151 in the horizontal direction , And when the touch input is detected on the right side 330, it can be moved in the vertical direction. In this case, it is possible to angle the corner where the top side 320 and the right side face 330 meet, or at least curved, so that the user perceives each area quickly and accurately.

Referring to FIG. 5C, a portion where the upper surface 320 and the right surface 330 meet may be a curved surface. The touch sensing unit 530 located on the upper side 320 and the right side 330 is formed as one area and each touch input is treated as the same type of information so that it is necessary to distinguish the upper side 320 and the right side 330 Processing of the touch sensitive portion with a gentle curved surface makes it more convenient for the user to perform operations such as glide from the top side 320 to the right side 330 (or vice versa) And the contact area between the touch sensing unit and the touch sensing unit is reduced, so that accurate touch input can be facilitated.

6A, when the upper surface 320 or the right surface 330 is processed into a curved surface, it is easier to touch compared to a planar side surface, the contact area between the user's finger and the touch sensing part is reduced, The effect of lengthening is possible, and it is possible to touch more precise and detailed position. In addition, the range of the accessible angle to the touch sensing unit is wider than the plane, so that the user can easily touch the touch sensing unit. FIG. 6B shows a terminal in which each side is a curved surface and the side where the sides meet also form a curved surface.

Referring to FIG. 7A, the touch sensing unit may include a corner 710 and a right side surface 300 where the upper side 320 and the front side 300 meet on the corner of the front side 300, the upper side 320 and the right side 330, 330 and the front surface 300 meet.

The touch sensing unit may be implemented as a touch strip to detect a position in a longitudinal direction of each of the corners 710 and 720 in sensing a touch position on a surface of the touch sensing unit. And may also be implemented to sense a touch input (pressure) in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the touch sensing portion.

When the touch sensing unit is installed along the two corners 710 and 720, the position of the touch sensing unit is accurately recognized by the visual or tactile sense due to the vertex at which the two edges 710 and 720 and the two edges 710 and 720 meet, The range of angle that can be touched is wide (plane -180 °, corner -270 °). Therefore, the user can easily and precisely touch with a relatively thin touch strip. In addition, the corner serves to present the correct direction in performing a glide operation or the like.

The vertex at which the two edges 710 and 720 meet allows the user to accurately distinguish each region even though the touch sensing unit is located at an adjacent corner. Accordingly, the touch sensing unit located at the two corners 710 and 720 can be easily separated into the respective regions, and the touch input in each region can be treated as separate information or combined to perform a specific function.

Referring to FIG. 7B, a portion where the two edges meet may be a curved shape 730. If the touch sensing unit located at each corner is made up of one area and each touch input is treated as the same kind of information so that it is not necessary to particularly distinguish each corner, if the touch sensing unit is processed with a gentle curve, It is more convenient to perform operations such as glide (or vice versa), and the area of contact between the user's finger and the touch sensing unit is reduced compared to the plane, so that accurate touch input can be facilitated.

8A to 9C illustrate various types of touch sensing units in addition to the two embodiments. The following embodiments can be easily understood by a combination of the touch sensing unit located on two sides of the corner described above or the touch sensing unit located across two corners.

8A, the touch sensing unit may be positioned on the right side 330 and the upper side 320, and on the corner where the front side 300 and the right side 330 and the top side 320 meet. And may further include an edge portion where the rear surface 310 meets the right side surface 330 and the upper side surface 320 (Fig. 8B). As described above, the touch sensing unit may be configured as one area or may be divided into respective areas.

8C, the touch sensing unit is further positioned at an edge portion 940 where the right side surface 330 and the upper side side 320 meet, in addition to the front side 300, the corner portion where the right side surface 330 and the upper side side 320 meet each other . The touch sensing unit may further be positioned at an edge portion where the front surface 300 and the right side surface 330 meet the rear side surface 310 and the right side surface 330 and the upper side surface 320 in addition to the corner portions where the right side surface 330 and the upper side surface 320 meet. As described above, the touch sensing unit may be configured as one area or may be divided into respective areas.

As described above, when the touch sensing unit is installed in various corners of the corner portion, the user can accurately recognize the position of the touch sensing unit due to the corner and the vertex, and can easily and accurately touch and manipulate the touch sensing unit And it is possible to easily and accurately distinguish various regions from each other even in the vicinity. Further, when the touch sensing unit is provided at the corner, it is possible to maximize the space of other components (for example, the display unit) by efficiently utilizing the corner area having a small area occupied by the touch sensing unit, .

The touch sensing unit located at the corner of the body can be used as input means for other devices having corners as well as mobile terminals.

The touch sensing unit may be located at all of the corners of the body, but may be positioned at a corner of a specific direction in consideration of convenience, necessity, production cost, and the like. Or a touch sensing unit located at a specific corner of the touch sensing unit or a specific area of the specific corner may be activated to sense the touch input of the user according to a setting of the user or a specific input of the user.

9A and 9B, it is possible to activate only the touch sensing unit located at a specific corner portion and deactivate the other touch sensing units according to the use state of the terminal (the direction of the terminal or the application program being executed). For example, when the terminal is in the vertical direction (FIG. 9A), the touch sensing units 410 and 420 located at upper corners along the direction are activated and the lower touch sensing units 430 and 440 are inactivated. 9B), the touch sensing units 420 and 430 located at upper corners in the horizontal direction are activated and the lower touch sensing units 410 and 440 are deactivated.

10 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a process for activating or deactivating a touch sensing unit located at a corner of a specific direction according to a direction (e.g., an up-down-left-right rotation direction) of a terminal sensed by a position sensor. For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the touch sensing portion is located at four corner portions with respect to the front surface 300. [

The sensing unit 140 senses the direction of the terminal when the terminal is powered on, a specific key is activated to activate the touch sensing unit to sense the touch input, or a specific operation is started according to another method. For example, the gravity sensor generates a signal related to the direction of the terminal with reference to the direction of gravity and transmits the signal to the controller 180.

The control unit 180 determines the direction of the terminal from the signal. The direction of the terminal determined by the control unit 180 may be at least two. In this embodiment, the controller 180 determines the direction of the terminal as one of the first direction to the fourth direction. The first direction is a direction in which the upper side 320 is upward, the second direction is a direction in which the right side surface 330 is upward, the third direction is a direction in which the lower side 340 is upward, Quot; means the direction in which the upper surface 350 faces upward.

After the controller 180 determines the direction of the terminal from the signal of the position sensor, the controller 180 activates the touch sensing unit at the corner of the specific direction according to the direction. The control unit 180 may include a touch sensing unit (the upper side 320 and the right side 330) positioned at the corner of the upper side 320 when the touch sensing unit is determined to be the upper direction based on the gravity direction, And the portion where the upper surface 320 and the left surface 350 meet). (The portion where the right side face 330 and the lower side face 340 meet and the portion where the right side face 330 and the upper side face 320 meet) positioned at the corner of the right side face 330 is activated .

The control unit 180 can activate the touch sensing unit at the corner of the specific direction and emit the LED so that the user can recognize the activated touch sensing unit.

When the control unit 180 determines that the direction of the terminal is changed from the signal of the position sensor in a state where the touch sensing unit of the corner of the specific direction is activated as described above, Activates the sensing unit and deactivates the other touch sensing unit. For example, when the terminal rotates in the second direction from the first direction, the controller 180 detects a direction change of the terminal from the signal of the position sensor, determines the direction of the new terminal, 330 and the lower side 340, and deactivates the touch sensing portion of the portion where the upper side 320 and the left side 350 meet.

Accordingly, it is possible to automatically activate only the touch sensing unit (for example, the upward direction in the direction of the user) in a specific direction according to the direction of the terminal, thereby reducing the possibility of touch error while conveniently using the direction of the terminal.

The touch sensing unit located at the corner of the specific direction may be activated according to the application program executed in the terminal. For example, when the direction of the image displayed on the display unit 151 of the front face 300 is different from the direction of the image displayed on the display unit 151 of the front face 300 , The touch sensing unit located at two corners located on the upper side is activated based on the direction of the displayed image.

Accordingly, the touch sensing unit in a specific direction can be activated or deactivated automatically or according to the user's operation according to the execution of the application program whose usage direction is determined.

The control unit 180 interprets the touch signals detected by the touch sensing unit located at one or more corners of the body individually or in combination with each other, and thereby performs a corresponding specific command in the application being executed. The touch signal detected by the touch sensing unit may include at least one of touch information, position information in one direction or two directions, and pressure. These commands may be associated with screen enlargement and reduction, panning, scrolling, page turning, rotation, resizing, and the like.

11 is a table exemplarily showing a touch signal to be detected and an instruction associated therewith. Two touch sensing portions of a corner where the upper side surface 320 meets the left side surface 350 and a corner portion where the upper side surface 320 meets the right side surface 330 are activated, .

When the touch input is detected only on the left side, the displayed image is scrolled left and right according to the touch input (for example, the glide direction and the moving distance). The touch input on the right alone corresponds to the up-down scrolling. When the touch inputs are detected at the left and right touch sensing units, the respective commands are determined by combining the touch inputs (the respective glide directions and the movement distances). If the glide direction is the same in the clockwise direction, the image is rotated clockwise, and if the glide direction is the same in the counterclockwise direction, the image is rotated in the counterclockwise direction. If the glide directions are opposite to each other, the left side is clockwise and the right side is counterclockwise, the image is reduced. If the left side is counterclockwise and the right side is clockwise, the image is enlarged.

In the case where the touch sensing units located at the same corner are separated into separate regions, the touch inputs detected in the respective regions can be interpreted individually or in combination with each other, thereby performing a specific command corresponding to the executed application.

The edge where the front surface 300 and the top surface 320 meet and the edge where the front surface 300 and the right side surface 330 meet are separated based on the vertex. When the touch input is detected only at the edge of the upper side 320, the displayed image is scrolled horizontally according to the touch input (for example, the glide direction and the moving distance). The touch input on the right side 330 corner only corresponds to the up-down scrolling. When the touch input is simultaneously detected at the edges of the upper side 320 and the right side 330, the respective commands are determined by combining the respective touch inputs (the respective glide directions and distances). If the glide direction is the same in the clockwise direction, the image is rotated clockwise, and if the glide direction is the same in the counterclockwise direction, the image is rotated in the counterclockwise direction. If the glide directions are opposite to each other, the left side is clockwise and the right side is counterclockwise, the image is reduced. If the left side is counterclockwise and the right side is clockwise, the image is enlarged.

The above is merely an example, and various functions can be performed according to the state of the terminal (for example, a call waiting state, a busy state, etc.) or an application being executed in the terminal. Further, when the touch sensing unit senses two or more directions, or when the touch sensing unit is divided into two or more regions, it can be mapped with far more functions. Accordingly, the touch sensing unit can provide a variety of yet more intuitive and accurate user interfaces to the user.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the above-described method can be implemented as a code that can be read by a processor in a medium in which the program is recorded. Examples of the medium that can be read by the processor include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, etc., and may be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (e.g., transmission over the Internet) .

The mobile terminal having the touch sensing unit described above can be applied to a configuration and a method of the embodiments described above in a limited manner, but the embodiments may be modified so that all or some of the embodiments are selectively As shown in FIG.

In the foregoing, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Here, the terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be construed as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the technical ideas of the present invention are described. Therefore, It should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be present.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective 310 view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

3A to 4B are diagrams showing the corners of the terminal body.

FIGS. 5A and 6B illustrate a touch sensing unit positioned at a side of a corner. FIG.

Figs. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing a touch sensing unit positioned at an edge in a corner; Fig.

8A to 8C are diagrams showing touch detection units at other positions in a corner;

9A to 9B are views showing directions of use of the terminal.

10 is a flow chart for activating a touch sensing unit at a specific position according to the direction of use of the terminal.

11 is an exemplary view of a function performed by the control unit according to a touch input;

Claims (17)

A body having front, rear, top, bottom, left, and right sides; An output providing various types of output; A touch sensing unit positioned at an intersection of at least two sides of a corner of the body and sensing a touch input input to the area; And And a controller for controlling an output provided through the output unit according to the touch input sensed by the touch sensing unit, The touch sensing unit Wherein the body is located on two sides except the front and rear sides of the body, or is positioned at an edge where at least two sides of the body cross each other. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch input A specific point touch or a touch in the longitudinal direction. The touch sensing apparatus of claim 1, Wherein the body is located at an edge where two surfaces except the front and rear surfaces of the body intersect with two surfaces of the body. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the output section includes a display section, Wherein the corner includes a portion where two faces intersect with each other except the front face and the rear face. The method of claim 1, At least a part of which is a curved surface. delete delete delete The touch sensing apparatus of claim 1, Wherein the touch sensing unit is located at a corner of a predetermined position of the body according to a change in the direction of the body, and is activated to sense the touch input. The touch sensing apparatus of claim 1, Wherein the touch sensing unit located at a corner of a predetermined position of the body is activated to sense touch input according to an application executed in the terminal. The apparatus of claim 1, And performs a predetermined function by combining signals input to the respective touch sensing units located at the other corners. 2. The touch sensing device of claim 1, Wherein the touch sensing unit is divided into areas for performing separate functions according to a face or an edge of the corner on which the touch sensing unit is located, Wherein, And performs a predetermined function by combining the touch signals input into the separated different regions. delete 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, Wherein the mobile terminal is at least one of a telephone call, a termination, a confirmation, a direction movement, a movement of an image displayed on a display unit, an enlargement, a reduction, a screen scrolling and a cursor movement. 13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, Wherein the mobile terminal is different depending on an application being executed in the terminal. The touch sensing apparatus of claim 1, And the surface of the body is the same as the surface of the body adjacent to the touch sensing unit. The touch sensing apparatus of claim 1, Wherein the controller is configured to be responsive to a change in at least one of capacitance, resistance, or pressure caused by a user's touch input.

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