KR101613551B1 - Mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a touch screen on which a virtual keypad including a plurality of virtual key buttons is displayed so that the position of a key button can be identified by only haptic information, a vibrator for generating vibration, When a contact touch is applied to any one of the plurality of virtual key buttons, a character corresponding to the key button to which the contact touch is applied is input, and when a proximity touch is applied to a specific position on the touch screen, And a controller for controlling the vibration to be generated.

Virtual key button, proximity touch, contact touch, proximity sensor

Description

[0001] MOBILE TERMINAL [0002]

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal for identifying a key button position among mobile terminals using a touch screen.

The terminal can move And can be divided into a mobile / portable terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal. 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. .

In order to support and enhance the function of such a terminal, it is considered to improve a structural part and / or a software part of the terminal, and in particular, a user input part for receiving input in various forms from a user is provided in the terminal. As a representative example, a touch screen using a sensor capable of recognizing a touch of a button by a simple touch rather than applying a constant pressure to the key button can be used.

When a touch screen is used, it is possible to operate the keypad with a light touch, thereby improving usability. However, only when the user touches the actual keypad, a touch signal such as vibration is generated, You should check.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal capable of identifying a position of a keypad in contact with tactile information on a touch screen.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal including a touch screen on which a virtual keypad including a plurality of virtual key buttons is displayed, a vibrator for generating vibration, When a contact touch is applied to any one of the plurality of virtual key buttons, a character corresponding to the key button to which the contact touch is applied is input, and when a proximity touch is applied to a specific position on the touch screen, And controlling the first pattern vibration to be generated.

Preferably, the specific location may be at least one of the plurality of virtual key buttons or a border area between the plurality of virtual key buttons.

Here, when touching the specific position, the control unit may control the vibrator not to generate vibration or generate a second pattern vibration. Alternatively, when touching the touch screen, the control unit may control the vibrator to generate no vibration or generate a second pattern vibration.

The mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above is capable of distinguishing between a proximity touch or a contact touch of a specific area of a virtual touch keypad on a touch screen, The tactile effect is generated so that the user can identify the position of the virtual key button based only on the tactile information, thereby facilitating the button operation.

In addition, when the finger is touched with a finger on the touch keypad, vibration is generated when the finger passes the specific region at a constant movement speed, thereby reducing power consumption due to vibration.

In general, when using a keypad of a method of pressing a button on a mobile terminal, unevenness exists at a boundary point between the buttons so that the user can grasp the position of a number or a character on the keyboard by only haptic information without visually checking the keypad Can be input.

On the other hand, in a mobile terminal using a touch screen, a tactile effect such as the same vibration is generated regardless of which key button is touched, without a device being distinguished between virtual key buttons. .

The present invention is for detecting a certain number or character of a key button to be touched using only tactile information on a touch keypad, and a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention described below can be modified into various other forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

The suffix "module" and " part "for the 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.

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 (DVF-H) And a Digital Broadcasting System (ISDB-T) (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial). 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 pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and 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 the power supply of the power supply unit 190, 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.

The output unit 150 is for generating an output relating to visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a display unit 151, an acoustic output module 152, an alarm unit 153, a haptic module 154, 155, and the like.

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.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in a pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 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 of the display unit 151 is touched or the like.

The proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is enclosed 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 mobile terminal 100. [

The projector module 155 is a component for performing an image project function using the mobile terminal 100 and is similar to the image displayed on the display unit 151 in accordance with a control signal of the controller 180 Or at least partly display another image on an external screen or wall.

Specifically, the projector module 155 includes a light source (not shown) that generates light (for example, laser light) for outputting an image to the outside, a light source And a lens (not shown) for enlarging and outputting the image at a predetermined focal distance to the outside. Further, the projector module 155 may include a device (not shown) capable of mechanically moving the lens or the entire module to adjust the image projection direction.

The projector module 155 can be divided into a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) module, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module and a DLP (Digital Light Processing) module according to the type of the display means. In particular, the DLP module may be advantageous for miniaturization of the projector module 151 by enlarging and projecting an image generated by reflecting light generated from a light source on a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) chip.

Preferably, the projector module 155 may be provided longitudinally on the side, front or back side of the mobile terminal 100. It goes without saying that the projector module 155 may be provided at any position of the mobile terminal 100 as occasion demands.

The memory unit 160 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 180 and may store temporary data of input / output data (e.g., telephone directory, message, audio, still image, And may perform functions for storage. The memory unit 160 may also store the frequency of use of each of the data (for example, each telephone number, each message, and frequency of use for each multimedia). In addition, the memory unit 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns output when the 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, you can connect a device with a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a device with an identification module, an audio input / 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. An audio 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 rear perspective view of the portable terminal shown in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIG. 2B, 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 the camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 may have a low pixel so that the face of the user can be photographed and transmitted to the other party in case of a video call or the like, and the camera 121 ' It is desirable to have pixels at a high level. 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 '.

An acoustic output 152 'may be additionally disposed on the rear surface 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 receiving antenna 116 may be further 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.

Hereinafter, a related operation of the display unit 151 and the touch pad 135 will be described with reference to FIG.

3 is a front view of a portable terminal for explaining an operation state of the portable terminal according to the present invention.

Various types of time information can be displayed on the display unit 151. [ These pieces of information can be displayed in the form of letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons.

At least one of the letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons may be displayed in a predetermined arrangement for inputting such information, thereby being implemented as a keypad. Such a keypad may be referred to as a so-called " virtual keypad ".

3 illustrates inputting of a touch applied to the virtual keypad through the front surface of the terminal body.

The display unit 151 may operate as an entire area or may be divided into a plurality of areas and operated. In the latter case, the plurality of areas can be configured to operate in association with each other.

For example, an output window 151a and an input window 151b are displayed on the upper and lower portions of the display unit 151, respectively. The output window 151a and the input window 151b are areas allocated for outputting or inputting information, respectively. In the input window 151b, a virtual keypad 151c is displayed in which a number for inputting a telephone number or the like is displayed. When the virtual keypad 151c is touched, numbers and the like corresponding to the touched virtual keypad are displayed on the output window 151a. When the first operation unit 131 is operated, call connection to the telephone number displayed on the output window 151a is attempted.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when a pointer such as a user's finger, a pen, or the like approaches the touch screen, the proximity sensor 141 disposed in or near the touch screen senses the proximity sensor, .

That is, the proximity sensor 141 described with reference to FIG. 1 may be configured to output a proximity signal when the distance between the pointer and the touch screen (hereinafter, referred to as 'proximity distance') is within a certain range.

That is, when the pointer is completely in contact with the touch screen, it is recognized as a contact touch, and when the pointer is positioned apart from the touch screen by less than a certain distance, it is recognized as a proximity touch of a proximity depth. When the pointer is positioned apart from the touch screen by a predetermined distance or more, it is recognized that the proximity touch is released.

Accordingly, the control unit 180 can recognize the proximity touch as various input signals according to the proximity depth of the pointer, the proximity position, and the like, and can perform various operation controls accordingly.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal capable of identifying a virtual key button through tactile information on a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4A to 6D. FIG.

The mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a touch screen, a vibrator for generating vibration, and a controller for controlling the vibrator to generate vibration when a proximity touch is applied to a specific position on the touch screen. Here, the controller may distinguish and recognize the proximity touch and the touch touch on the touch screen, and may control that the character corresponding to the key button to which the contact touch is applied when the contact touch is applied to any one of the plurality of virtual key buttons. Preferably, the touch screen uses a proximity sensor capable of detecting proximity of the pointer due to an electric field change along a proximity of the pointer.

The controller may control the character input corresponding to the key button to be touched only when the touched key button is touched to prevent a user from performing an unintended character input during the touched touch.

4A to 4C are front views illustrating an operation state of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the control unit 180 generates a tactile effect such as vibration when touching a specific region (for example, a key button " 5 ") of a virtual keypad composed of a plurality of virtual number keys on the touch screen .

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. The haptic module 154 can synthesize and output different vibrations in addition to the intensity and the pattern of the vibration. In addition, various tactile effects such as effects of stimulation such as spraying force or suction force of the air through the injection port or the suction port, touch of the pointer, touch of the electrode, electrostatic force, . In the following description of embodiments of the present invention, 'vibration' is used as a representative example of the tactile effect.

In general, the user recognizes the numerical arrangement of the touch keypad composed of the numeric key buttons, and can expect the numeric key buttons located up, down, left, and right based on the key button " 5 "

That is, when the pointer is moved at a distance less than a predetermined distance on the touch keypad, vibration occurs when the virtual key button corresponding to the specific area is moved while touching the virtual key button. At this time, the generated vibration pattern may be the same as or different from the vibration pattern generated in the vibrator when the other key buttons included in the touch keypad are touched or touched.

First, the controller 180 causes the vibrator to generate the first pattern vibration when touching the reference key button " 5 " among the plurality of virtual key buttons, and when the vibrator touches any key button, 2 pattern vibration can be generated. This is because when the user is close to the virtual key pad and receives a tactile effect such as vibration only in a specific area, it is possible to know what key button is included in the area.

Secondly, the control unit 180 controls the vibrator to oscillate only when the user touches the reference key button " 5 " among the plurality of virtual key buttons, and does not generate vibration when the user touches or touches the other key buttons. can do. Likewise, when the user is close to the virtual key pad, it is possible to identify the key button by receiving a tactile effect such as vibration only in a specific area.

Third, the control unit 180 controls the vibrator to generate the first pattern vibration when the proximity touch is performed to the reference key button '5' among the plurality of virtual key buttons, and to generate the second pattern vibration when the proximity touch to the arbitrary key button can do. At this time, since it is sufficient to identify only when a close touch is made to a specific area of the virtual keypad, it is irrelevant whether or not the vibration occurs when touching an arbitrary key button or a vibration generation pattern.

Here, the control unit may control the character input corresponding to the key button to be touched only when the touch button is touched with respect to an arbitrary key button, thereby preventing an unintended character from being input when the touched touch is performed.

FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a touch screen of a mobile terminal in which a specific area of a touch screen corresponds to a boundary between key buttons according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4B, a proximity sensor can be used to identify the proximity of a conductor to a boundary point between an arbitrary key button and another key button on a numeric virtual keypad. The specific area of the virtual keypad described above with reference to FIG. 4A may be a boundary area between the key buttons, not the reference key button, and the vibration generation mode may be configured as described above.

In this case, when the user moves the pointer while keeping a close distance on the keypad while keeping the close distance, the key button on the movement path or the movement path Can be identified.

That is, it is possible to grasp whether or not to move from an arbitrary keypad to another keypad based on a difference in vibration pattern or vibration occurrence, and a detailed description thereof will be described later with reference to FIG. 5B.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4C, the specific area of the touch screen may be a boundary point between the reference key button and any key button and the other key buttons.

4A and 4B, the control unit 180 determines whether the pointer is touched on the boundary point between the reference key button 701 and the key button or when touching another key button on the virtual keypad It is possible to control the vibration pattern to be different or to control whether the vibration is generated or not.

Here, the control unit 180 may control the vibration pattern generated when the reference key button 701 is touched in proximity to the vibration pattern generated when the boundary region between the key buttons is touched proximately. In this case, the user can distinguish the position of the boundary region between the reference key button and the key button by only haptic information, so that the user can more easily identify the key button and can easily perform the key button operation.

The positions and the numbers of the reference keypads on the touch screen are not limited as shown in Figs. 4A and 4C, and can be variously set. 5A to 5C, a description will be given of a method of identifying a key button based on tactile information by a user according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 5A through 5C illustrate operation states of a touch screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5A, when the mobile terminal according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention touches or touches an area other than a boundary point between a reference key button or a key button such as a key button " 7 " Or a vibration pattern set by default as in the conventional method may occur. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm the key button which the user touches with the naked eye to which number or which character corresponds to the character.

Referring to FIG. 5B, when a user who does not know which number or which character is touching touched the pointer on the keypad and moves below a predetermined speed, the reference keypad or the boundary point The controller 180 recognizes the proximity touch and determines the vibration pattern of the vibrator according to the proximity touch, thereby controlling the vibration to occur. Then, the user can determine the position of the key button that is in proximity to the touch through the tactile information transmitted by the vibration generated in the vibrator.

For example, when moving the finger horizontally to the right, the proximity touch sensor at the boundary point between the key button " 7 " and the key button " 8 " If the control unit controls the vibrator to generate vibration based on this, the user can recognize that there is a proximity touch movement on the keypad through the tactile information. In addition, when the movement path of the pointer that has been in proximity touch is shifted to the right by raising the angle of about 45 degrees from the horizontal direction as shown in Fig. 5B, the boundary point between the key button " 8 &Quot; 9 " and the key button " 6 ", the proximity touch sensor of the proximity touch sensor operates to output the touch signal, and the vibration of the vibrator causes the user to recognize that there are two key button movements. The key button that is being operated can be identified. That is, if the user knows the information that the originally touched key button is " 7 ", it can be recognized that the key button movement path is progressing from 7 to 8 and from 8 to 6, Quot; 6 ".

This is because the position of the numbers on the general numeric keypad is constant, so that the user of the general mobile terminal perceives the positions of the numeric key buttons from 0 to 9.

Here, when the pointer moves by touching on the virtual keypad in a proximity touch, the proximity sensor can sense the proximity touch pattern, the proximity touch direction, the proximity touch speed, the proximity touch movement speed, The oscillator can be controlled to generate vibration. This can reduce the battery consumption due to the vibration by preventing the vibration when the plurality of key buttons are moved by touching the key buttons at a high speed on the virtual keypad.

Preferably, the movement speed of the pointer generating the vibration may be set based on a speed at which the pointer moves between the key buttons on the keypad for the character input.

5C, when the user moves the point horizontally to the left in a state in which the key button " 6 " is touched, the user moves the pointer on the keypad through the vibration occurring at the boundary point between the key buttons. It can be recognized. Further, when the vibration pattern generated when the user touches the reference key button 5 is different from the vibration pattern generated when the other button is touched, the user can identify the left and right key buttons as " 4 " have. At this time, the user can determine the keypad before and after the movement based on the touch signal even if there is no information on the key button that was originally touched.

Next, another embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 6A to 6D.

6A and 6B illustrate a touch screen of a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6A, in the case of a touch screen using a virtual keypad having text input enabled characters, at least two reference key buttons may be provided.

Typically, users use both hands when using a character keypad, so you can specify one key key button on the left and right of the touch keypad. For example, when the key button 'f' 901 and the key button 'j' 902 are set as reference points, as described above with reference to FIG. 4A, It is possible to distinguish vibration patterns generated when a user touches a button or touches an arbitrary key button on the keypad. The description of the vibration occurrence and the vibration pattern is described above, and the following description is omitted.

6B, when two virtual key buttons are set as reference points on the touch screen, when the respective reference key buttons 901 and 902 are touched in proximity, the controller divides the vibration pattern generated in the vibrator Can be controlled. Also in this case, the vibration pattern generated when the reference keypad is touched proximately is different from the vibration pattern generated when the key button other than the reference key button is touched proximately or the vibration pattern generated when a certain key button is touched . That is, even if the user touches the keypad on the touch screen using only one hand, it is possible to detect three different types of vibration patterns, and it is possible to identify the key button that is in proximity to the touch based on the obtained tactile information.

Next, referring to FIG. 6C, it is possible to recognize whether a proximity touch is determined by setting a boundary point between virtual key buttons as a reference point.

As described above with reference to FIG. 4A, by dividing the vibration pattern generated when the proximity touch is performed at the boundary point between the key buttons from the vibration pattern generated when the other key buttons on the keypad are touched proximately or by touching any key button, The moving direction, or the position of the key button on the keypad being touched.

6D is a diagram illustrating a mobile terminal in which a vibration occurs at a boundary point between a key button and a key button which are reference points according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6D, the controller 180 of the mobile terminal according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention displays virtual key buttons 'f' (901) and 'j' (902) on the left and right sides of the touch screen , It is possible to control to generate a vibration pattern distinguishable from the vibration pattern generated by the vibrator when the other key button is touched at the boundary point between the reference key button and the key button.

Here, as described above with reference to FIG. 4C, the vibration pattern generated when the reference key button is proximately touched may be different from the vibration pattern generated when the boundary point between any keypad and the other keypads is touched. Alternatively, when the two reference key buttons 901 and 902 are touched proximately, vibrations of different patterns may be generated in the vibrator.

Similarly, in the case of the character keypad, the positions and the numbers of the reference key buttons are not limited to those shown in Figs. 6A to 6D, and can be variously set.

The description of the operation state in which the controller vibrates the vibrator when touching the character keypad on the character keypad according to the embodiment of the present invention is the same as the operation state of the number key button described above with reference to FIGS. 5A through 5C .

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.

It is to be understood that the configurations and methods of the above-described embodiments (mobile terminals) having the above-described (name) may not be limitedly applied, but the embodiments may be applied to all or a part of each embodiment Some of which may be selectively combined.

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

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

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

3 is a front view of a mobile terminal for explaining an operation state of the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

4A to 4C are views illustrating a touch screen of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5A through 5C are diagrams illustrating a moving state of a pointer on a touch screen according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

6A to 6D illustrate a touch screen of a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (5)

A touch screen on which a virtual keypad including a plurality of virtual key buttons is displayed; A vibrator that generates vibration; And And a control unit for separately recognizing the proximity touch and the touch touch on the touch screen and controlling the character corresponding to the key button to which the contact touch is applied when the contact touch is applied to any one of the plurality of virtual key buttons , Wherein, Recognizing a boundary point between any one virtual key button and any one virtual key button, Controlling the vibrator to generate a first pattern vibration when the proximity touch moves from the one virtual key button to a boundary point below a predetermined speed, And controls the vibrator so as not to generate the first pattern vibration when the movement exceeds the predetermined speed. delete delete The method according to claim 1, Wherein the controller controls to prevent the vibrator from generating vibration or to generate a second pattern vibration when touching any one of the virtual key buttons. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the control unit controls the vibrator to generate no vibration or generate a second pattern vibration when the touch point touches the boundary point.

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