KR101786545B1 - Mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a touch sensor assembly that is disposed in the seating portion and configured to sense a touch input, and a touch sensor assembly that is disposed inside the case A plurality of through holes formed in the seating portion, one end connected to the touch sensor assembly, the other end connected to the printed circuit board through the through hole, A flexible printed circuit board for electrically connecting the touch sensor assembly to the printed circuit board, and a sealing member formed to surround the flexible printed circuit board and arranged to seal the through hole.

Description

[0001] MOBILE TERMINAL [0002]

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal having a structure capable of sealing a through hole through which a flexible printed circuit board passes.

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

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

Various new attempts have been made in terms of hardware or software to implement the complex functions of multimedia devices. As the above attempts, a method of further improving the functions of the hardware and the like can be considered.

The mobile terminal is provided with a through hole so that the flexible printed circuit board can be connected to various electronic devices. Foreign matter, dust, or moisture may penetrate through the through hole depending on the use environment of the mobile terminal, thereby causing malfunction of the mobile terminal.

As one of the functional improvement measures of the hardware, it can be considered for a mobile terminal having a structure capable of sealing a through hole.

An object of the present invention is to propose a mobile terminal having a structure capable of sealing a through hole.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal having a structure capable of protecting a flexible printed circuit board from external environment.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal comprising: a casing forming an outer appearance of a mobile terminal; a seating part recessed from a surface of the casing; A printed circuit board disposed in an inner space formed by the case and configured to mount electronic components; a through hole formed in the seating portion; And the other end is connected to the printed circuit board through the through hole to electrically connect the touch sensor assembly and the printed circuit board, and a flexible printed circuit board formed to surround the flexible printed circuit board And a sealing member arranged to seal the through-hole.

According to an example of the present invention, a hole is formed in the flexible printed circuit board, the sealing member includes a body surrounding the outer surface of the flexible printed circuit board, and a body connected to the body, And a through-hole penetrating the hole so as to restrict movement of the hole.

A hole is formed in the flexible printed circuit board, and the sealing member is passed through the hole so that movement on the flexible printed circuit board can be restricted.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the mobile terminal further includes a coupling member formed by solidifying the sealing member between the sealing member and the flexible printed circuit board so that the sealing member is integrally coupled with the flexible printed circuit board Layer.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing member is formed of an elastically deformable material.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the periphery of the sealing member is formed longer than the perimeter of the through hole.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing member is disposed so as to cover the through-hole or fit into the through-hole.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the touch sensor assembly includes a window that is seated on the seating portion to cover the display, a first electrode film disposed on one surface of the window and configured to sense a touch input in one direction, And a second electrode film disposed on one surface of the first electrode film and configured to sense a touch input in a direction perpendicular to the one direction.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal including a first body, a second body connected to the first body so as to be slidable relative to the first body, First and second printed circuit boards disposed in the internal space of the body and configured to mount electronic components thereon, and first and second printed circuit boards, respectively, formed on portions of the first and second bodies adjacent to the first and second printed circuit boards, And a second through hole, wherein one end is connected to the first printed circuit board through the first through hole and the other end is connected to the second printed circuit board through the second through hole, 2 flexible printed circuit board for electrically connecting the printed circuit board to the printed circuit board, and a sealing member formed to surround the flexible printed circuit board and arranged to seal the first and second through holes.

According to an example of the present invention, a hole is formed in the flexible printed circuit board, and the sealing member is configured to penetrate the hole so that movement on the flexible printed circuit board can be restricted.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the mobile terminal further includes a coupling member formed by solidifying the sealing member between the sealing member and the flexible printed circuit board so that the sealing member is integrally coupled with the flexible printed circuit board Layer.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing member is formed of an elastically deformable material.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the sealing member is disposed so as to cover the first and second through-holes or fit into the first and second through-holes.

According to the present invention, the sealing member is formed so as to surround the flexible printed circuit board, and the sealing member is arranged to seal the through hole, thereby causing foreign matter, dust or moisture to penetrate through the through hole, Can be overcome.

Further, according to the present invention, the sealing member penetrates the hole formed in the flexible printed circuit board, so that it can be fixed at the correct position on the flexible printed circuit board.

Further, according to the present invention, since the sealing member covers the flexible printed circuit board, the flexible printed circuit board itself can be protected from the external environment. This has a great advantage especially in the protection aspect of the flexible printed circuit board disposed between the first and second cases in the slide type mobile terminal.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal according to the present invention. FIG.
3 is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 2; FIG.
5 is an exploded perspective view of the touch sensor shown in Fig.
Figure 6 is a rear perspective view of the touch sensor assembly shown in Figure 4;
FIG. 7 is a conceptual view showing that the sealing member shown in FIG. 4 is disposed so as to fit in the through hole. FIG.
8 is a conceptual view showing that the sealing member shown in Fig. 4 is arranged to cover the through-hole.
Fig. 9 is a conceptual view showing that the sealing member shown in Fig. 4 is coupled through a hole of a flexible printed circuit board. Fig.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another example of a mobile terminal according to the present invention. FIG.
11 is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in Fig.
FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 10; FIG.
Fig. 13 is an enlarged view of a portion A shown in Fig. 12; Fig.

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 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.

The mobile terminal described in this specification includes a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), an e-book, Navigation, and the like.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal 100 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 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 image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame 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 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.

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.

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.

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. At least two haptic modules 154 may be provided according to the configuration of the mobile 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. [

2 is a perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention.

The disclosed mobile terminal 100 includes 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 terminal body may include a display unit 151, an audio output unit 152, a camera 121, user input units 130/131 and 132, a microphone 122, and an interface 170.

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 mobile 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 input by the first or second operation units 131 and 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.

3 is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal 100 shown in Fig.

Referring to FIG. 3, 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 preferable to have a large number of pixels. 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 a call or the like, a broadcast signal reception antenna 124 may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 124 constituting a part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1) may be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the mobile 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.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the mobile terminal 100 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the touch sensor 240 shown in FIG.

4 shows the configuration of the display unit 151 in the mobile terminal 100 having the touch sensor 240. As shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, a printed circuit board 217 may be mounted on the rear case 102. The printed circuit board 217 may be configured as an example of a control unit 180 (see FIG. 1) for operating various functions of the mobile terminal 100. As shown in the figure, the audio output module 152, the camera 121, and the like can be mounted on the printed circuit board 217. The sound output module 152 may be, for example, a speaker, a receiver, or the like.

A display 210 electrically connected to the printed circuit board 217 may be mounted on one surface of the printed circuit board 217. The display 210 may have an area corresponding to a region through which the light of the window 250 is transmitted. Accordingly, the user can recognize the time information output from the display 210 from the outside.

The front case 101 may have a seating portion 290 recessed from one side thereof. The seating portion 290 may have an area corresponding to the touch sensor assembly so that the touch sensor assembly can be seated. Holes corresponding to the sound output module 152 and the camera 121 may be formed on the seating part 290, respectively.

A through hole 291 through which the flexible printed circuit board 270 can pass is formed in the seating part 290. The through hole 291 may be formed at one end of the seating portion 290, for example, at the bottom or side end of the seating portion 290. The flexible printed circuit board 270 is electrically connected to the touch sensor assembly disposed on one side of the seating portion 290 through the through hole 291 and the printed circuit board 217 disposed on the other side of the seating portion 290 electrically .

The touch sensor assembly includes a touch sensor 240 configured to sense a touch input and a window 250 disposed on one surface of the touch sensor 240. [

The touch sensor 240 is mounted on one surface of the window 250 and disposed on the upper surface of the display 210. The touch sensor 240 is configured to convert a change in the amount of charge or the like occurring in a specific portion of the window 250 into an electrical input signal. A region of the touch sensor 240 corresponding to a portion through which light is transmitted through the window 250 forms an input region. The touch sensor 240 is formed to sense a touch input and is made of light transmissive.

Referring to FIG. 5 together with FIG. 4, the touch sensor 240 includes first and second electrode films 220 and 230.

The first electrode layer 220 is disposed on the upper surface of the seating portion 290. The second electrode layer 230 is spaced apart from the first electrode layer 220 and covers the first electrode layer 220. The first and second electrode films 220 and 230 may be a light transmissive conductive film such as an indium tin oxide (ITO) film, a carbon nanotube (CNT) film, or the like.

A window 250 is coupled to the upper surface of the touch sensor 240. The window 250 is made of a material through which light can be transmitted, for example, a light transmitting synthetic resin, a tempered glass, or the like. The window 250 may be formed to include a portion that can not transmit light.

The touch sensor 240 measures changes in the amount of charge in one direction and the direction perpendicular thereto through the first and second electrode films 220 and 230. The touch sensor 240 is electrically connected to the printed circuit board 217 having the detection unit 218. The detection unit 218 is connected to the first and second electrode films 220 and 230 and detects a touch input to the input region using a change in the amount of the sensed electric charge.

For example, when a conductor such as a finger or a touch pen touches the window 250, the electrons in the window 250 are moved to the conductor, and the touch sensor 240 detects the change of the electrons, .

A touch film 260 may be disposed on the upper surface of the touch sensor 240. The touch film 260 may be formed of a light transmitting material, for example, a polycarbonate (PC) or a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material. The touch film 260 may be formed to include a portion that can not transmit light. As shown in the figure, the touch film 260 may be formed such that a central region corresponding to the display 210 is transparent and an edge region is opaque.

An acoustic hole corresponding to the acoustic output module 152 and an image window corresponding to the camera 121 may be formed at one end of the touch sensor 240, the window 250 and the touch film 260. [ The image window may be formed separately from the light-transmitting material, or may be integrated with the touch sensor 240, the window 250, and the touch film 260 to form a part thereof.

Although the mobile terminal 100 having the electrostatic touch sensor 240 has been described above, the mobile terminal 100 may be a mobile terminal 100 having a touch sensor 240 ' ').

In the case of the mobile terminal 100 'having the static pressure type touch sensor 240', the window 250 ', the first and second electrode films 220' and 230 'are included on the upper surface of the display 210' A touch sensor 240 ', and a touch film 260' are sequentially arranged.

When a point of the touch film 260 'is pressed through the user's hand or the touch pen, the corresponding touch sensor 240' is pressed. As a result, the first and second electrode films 220 'and 230' are brought into contact with each other at a pressing point, and the controller 180 senses the pressing point and generates a touch input corresponding to the pressing point.

The touch sensor 240 may be provided with a flexible printed circuit board 270 for electrically connecting the touch sensor 240 to the printed circuit board 217. One end of the flexible printed circuit board 270 may be connected to the touch sensor 240 and the other end may be connected to the detection unit 218 of the printed circuit board 217 through the through hole 291.

The flexible printed circuit board 270 is divided into first and second flexible printed circuit boards 271 and 272 that connect the first and second electrode films 220 and 230 and the printed circuit board 217, respectively. Each of the flexible printed circuit boards 271 and 272 may have terminals 273a and 273b connected to the detection unit 218, respectively.

A sealing member 280 is formed on the flexible printed circuit board 270 so as to surround the flexible printed circuit board 270. The sealing member 280 is arranged to seal the through-hole 291 so as to prevent foreign matter, dust, or moisture from penetrating through the through-hole 291.

Hereinafter, the mobile terminal 100 having a structure capable of sealing the through-hole 291 will be described in more detail.

6 is a rear perspective view of the touch sensor assembly shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 6, a flexible printed circuit board 270 is mounted on the touch sensor assembly to electrically connect the touch sensor assembly to the printed circuit board 217. The flexible printed circuit board 270 may be installed at the end of the corresponding touch sensor 240 so that the flexible printed circuit board 270 can be inserted into the through hole 291 formed at one end of the seating portion 290.

The flexible printed circuit board 270 is connected to the touch sensor 240, that is, the first and second electrode films 220 and 230. The flexible printed circuit board 270 senses a change in the amount of charges of the electrode films 220 and 230, .

Specifically, a part of the detection unit 218 is connected to the first electrode film 220 to sense one-directional touch input, and the other part is connected to the second electrode film 230, The coordinates of the touch point are calculated by sensing the input. The controller 180 controls various functions of the mobile terminal 100 through an input corresponding to a touch point.

The sealing member 280 is formed so as to surround the flexible printed circuit board 270 and is fitted in the through hole 291 or covers the through hole 291 to seal the through hole 291. The sealing member 280 may be formed to cover a portion of the sealing member 280 excluding both ends connected to the touch sensor 240 and the detecting unit 218 or a portion of the sealing member 280 inserted into the through hole 291. The sealing member 280 may be coupled to the flexible printed circuit board 270 in an insert injection manner by inserting the flexible printed circuit board 270 into a separate component or by assembling the flexible printed circuit board 270 in a separate structure.

The sealing member 280 may be formed of an elastically deformable material such as rubber, silicone or polyurethane. When the sealing member 280 is formed of an elastically deformable material, it has the advantage that three-dimensional wiring is possible together with the flexible printed circuit board 270 having flexibility.

According to the present invention, the sealing member 280 is formed so as to surround the flexible printed circuit board 270, and the sealing member 280 is disposed to seal the through hole 291, It is possible to overcome the problem that moisture penetrates and causes malfunction of the mobile terminal 100.

Figs. 7 and 8 are conceptual diagrams showing that the sealing member 280 shown in Fig. 4 is disposed so as to be fitted in the through hole 291 or cover the through hole 291, respectively.

Referring to Fig. 7, the sealing member 281 can be fitted into the through hole 291. Fig. A through hole 291 is formed in a bottom surface or a side surface of the seating part 290 and a flexible printed circuit board 270 connected to the touch sensor 240 passes through the through hole 291, Respectively. The sealing member 280 is fitted in the through hole 291 to protect the inner space formed by the case from the external environment.

The sealing member 281 is formed of an elastically deformable material and the periphery of the sealing member 281 is formed to be longer than the circumference of the through hole 291 so that the sealing member 281 is coupled to the through hole 291 in an interference fit . In this case, the sealing member 281 is deformed to conform to the shape and circumference of the through-hole 291 to seal the through-hole 291.

A locking step (not shown) may be formed at one end of the sealing member 281. The periphery of the portion where the latching jaw is formed is longer than the circumference of the portion to be inserted into the through hole 291. The sealing member 281 can be inserted into and fixed to the through hole 291 at a predetermined depth.

8, the sealing member 282 is formed to have a larger area than the through-hole 291, and is arranged to cover the through-hole 291. [ An adhesive layer may be formed on the surface of the sealing member 282 facing the surface on which the through hole 291 is formed so that the sealing member 282 is fixed to the surface on which the through hole 291 is formed.

According to the above structure, the assembly process is simplified compared with the structure in which the sealing member 281 is fitted in the through hole 291.

9 is a conceptual diagram showing that the sealing member 280 shown in FIG. 4 is coupled through the hole 275 of the flexible printed circuit board 270. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 9, a hole 275 may be formed in the flexible printed circuit board 270. The hole 275 is formed in an area other than the circuit area 274 formed in the flexible printed circuit board 270 so as to extend in one direction. The plurality of holes 275 may be formed to minimize the flow of the sealing member 280 on the flexible printed circuit board 270.

The sealing member 280 may be configured to penetrate the hole 275. The sealing member 280 may be configured to enclose the outer surface of the flexible printed circuit board 270 by insert injection, for example, and to penetrate the hole 275.

That is, the sealing member 280 includes a body 283 surrounding the outer surface of the flexible printed circuit board 270 and a penetrating portion 284 penetrating the hole 275. According to the above structure, the sealing member 280 can be restricted from moving on the flexible printed circuit board 270 because the penetrating portion 284 is formed. That is, the sealing member 280 can be fixedly installed at the correct position of the flexible printed circuit board 270.

Between the sealing member 280 and the flexible printed circuit board 270, a bonding layer (not shown) in which a sealing member 280 is solidified may be formed. The bonding layer can be formed by melting and then solidifying the sealing member 280 by, for example, insert injection. The bonding layer is formed on the outer surface of the flexible printed circuit board 270 and on the inner wall of the hole 275 so that the sealing member 280 can be integrally coupled to the flexible printed circuit board 270.

10 is a perspective view of another example of the mobile terminal 300 related to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the mobile terminal 300 includes first and second bodies 310 and 320 that are coupled to implement an open or closed state by sliding.

The first body 310 may be referred to as a closed configuration in which the first body 310 and the second body 320 are overlapped with each other and the first body 310 may be referred to as a second body 320 ) May be referred to as an open configuration.

The mobile terminal 300 operates mainly in the standby mode in the closed state, but the standby mode is also released by the user's operation. In addition, the mobile terminal 300 operates mainly in a communication mode in an open state, but may be switched to a standby mode by a user's operation or a predetermined period of time.

The casing (housing, housing, cover, etc.) constituting the outer appearance of the first body 310 is formed by the front case 311 and the rear case 312. Various electronic components are embedded in the space formed by the front case 311 and the rear case 312. At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 311 and the rear case 312. The cases may be formed by injection molding of a synthetic resin, or may be formed of a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).

The display unit 351, the sound output unit 352, the first image input unit 321, or the first operation unit 334 may be disposed in the first body 310, specifically, the front case 311.

The display unit 351 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) module, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) module, and a TOLED (Transparent OLED) module.

The display unit 351 may further include a touch screen to enable information input by a user's touch. In addition, the display unit 351 can be formed to generate various tactile effects that the user can feel when the touch is performed. This can be realized by a haptic module interlocking with the display unit 351. A typical example of a haptic effect generated by a haptic module is vibration. The haptic module may be variously arranged according to the configuration of the mobile terminal 300 as well as the display unit 351.

The sound output unit 352 may be implemented in the form of a receiver or a speaker.

The first image input unit 321 may be implemented as a camera module for capturing an image or a moving image of a user.

The first operation unit 334 receives a command for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 300.

The front case 321 and the rear case 322 can form the case of the second body 320, as in the case of the first body 310. [

The second operation unit 333 may be disposed on the front surface of the second body 320, specifically, the front case 321. [

The third operation unit 332, the first sound input unit 322, and the interface 370 may be disposed in at least one of the front case 321 and the rear case 322. [

The first to third operating portions 334, 333, and 332 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion, and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates in a tactile manner.

For example, the operation unit may be implemented by a dome switch or a touch screen, a touch pad, or a wheel, a jog type, a joystick, or the like, As shown in FIG.

In terms of functions, the first operation unit 334 may be for inputting commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 333 may be for inputting numbers, characters, symbols, . The third operation unit 332 may operate as a hot-key for performing a special function such as activation of the first image input unit 321. [

The first sound input unit 322 may be implemented in the form of a microphone, for example, in order to receive a user's voice, other sounds, and the like.

The interface 370 is a path for allowing the mobile terminal 300 to exchange data with an external device. For example, the interface 370 may be a wired or wireless connection terminal for connecting to an earphone, a port for short range communication (e.g., an IrDA port, a Bluetooth port, a wireless port, A power supply terminal for supplying power to the mobile terminal 300,

The interface 370 may be a card socket that accepts an external card such as a subscriber identification module (SIM) or a user identity module (UIM), a memory card for information storage, and the like.

A power supply unit 390 for supplying power to the mobile terminal 300 may be mounted on the rear case 322. The power supply unit 390 may be detachably coupled to a rechargeable battery for charging or the like.

11 is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal 300 shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 11, a second image input unit 321 'may be additionally mounted on a rear surface of the rear case 322 of the second body 320. The second image input unit 321 'may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the first image input unit 321 (see FIG. 10), and may be a camera having different pixels from the first image input unit 321.

For example, the first image input unit 321 has low pixels so that it is easy to capture a face of a user in the case of a video call or the like and transmit the image to the other party, and the second image input unit 321 ' It is preferable to have a high pixel because it is often not transmitted immediately.

A flash 323 and a mirror unit 324 are additionally disposed adjacent to the second image input unit 321 '. The flash 323 shines light toward the subject when the subject is photographed by the second image input unit 321 '. The mirror unit 324 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to photograph the user himself / herself (self-photographing) using the second image input unit 321 '.

The rear case 322 may be further provided with a second sound output section 352 '. The second sound output unit 352 'may implement a stereo function together with the first sound output unit 352 (see FIG. 10), and may be used for talking in a speakerphone mode.

An antenna 316 for receiving broadcast signals may be disposed at one side of the rear case 322 in addition to an antenna for communication. The antenna 316 may be installed to be detachable from the second body 320.

A part of the slide module 340 that slidably couples the first body 310 and the second body 320 is disposed on a rear surface of the rear case 312 of the first body 310.

The other part of the slide module 340 may be disposed on one side of the front case 321 of the second body 320 and may not be exposed to the outside as in the figure.

In the above description, the second image input unit 321 'and the like are disposed in the second body 320, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

For example, at least one of the configurations described as being arranged in the rear case 322, such as the second image input unit 321 ', may be mounted on the first body 310, mainly the rear case 312 Do. In such a case, there is an advantage that the configuration (s) arranged in the rear case 312 in the closed state is protected by the second body 320.

Further, even if the second image input unit 321 'is not separately provided, the first image input unit 321 may be rotatable so that the second image input unit 321' can be photographed up to the photographing direction.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the mobile terminal 300 shown in FIG. 10 separated by the first body 310 and the second body 320, and FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the portion A shown in FIG.

A slide module 340 is disposed between the first body 310 and the second body 320. The slide module 340 guides the first body 310 to slide relative to the second body 320.

The slide module 340 is formed so as to stop at a predetermined position when the mobile terminal 300 is opened in a closed state or when the mobile terminal 300 is in a closed state in an open state. Referring to this figure, the guide rail 341 is stopped at a predetermined position of the guide groove 342, and this state is closed.

The slide module 340 includes guide rails 341 and guide grooves 342 formed along the sliding direction of the first and second bodies 310 and 320, respectively. The guide rail 341 and the guide groove 342 are connected to each other so as to be slidable relative to each other. Referring to this figure, the guide rail 341 is inserted into the guide groove 342 and is slidable.

The slide module 340 may include an actuator (not shown) formed to apply an elastic force to the guide rail 341 by sliding. The actuator generates an elastic force to continuously move the first body 310 moved by a predetermined distance when the slide module 340 is slid. One end of the actuator may be fixed to the first body 310 and the other end may be fixed to the second body 320.

First and second printed circuit boards (not shown) are mounted on the inner spaces of the first and second bodies 310 and 320, respectively. The first and second printed circuit boards may be configured as an example of a controller 180 (see FIG. 1) for operating various functions of the mobile terminal 300.

First and second through holes 313 and 323 are formed on the opposite surfaces of the first and second bodies 310 and 320, respectively.

The flexible printed circuit board 360 is disposed between the first and second bodies 310 and 320 and penetrates through the first and second through holes 313 and 323 to electrically connect the first and second printed circuit boards to each other. . One end of the flexible printed circuit board 360 is connected to the first printed circuit board through the first through hole 313 and the other end is connected to the second printed circuit board through the second through hole 323.

Referring to FIG. 13 with reference to FIG. 12, a sealing member 380 is formed to surround the flexible printed circuit board 360. The sealing member 380 is disposed to cover the first and second through holes 313 and 323 or the first and second through holes 313 and 323, Lt; / RTI > The sealing member 380 may be coupled to the flexible printed circuit board 360 in an insert injection manner by inserting the flexible printed circuit board 360 into a separate component or by assembling the flexible printed circuit board 360 in a separate structure.

According to this structure, since the sealing member 380 is arranged to seal the first and second through holes 313 and 323, foreign matter, dust, or moisture penetrates through the first and second through holes 313 and 323 So that a malfunction of the mobile terminal 300 can be overcome.

The sealing member 380 may be formed of an elastically deformable material such as rubber, silicone, or polyurethane. When the sealing member 380 is formed of an elastically deformable material, it has an advantage that three-dimensional wiring is possible together with the flexible printed circuit board 360 having flexibility. In addition, the sealing member 380 prevents the flexible printed circuit board 360 from being damaged by contact with peripheral equipment during repetitive sliding operations.

Holes 362 may be formed on the flexible printed circuit board 360 in a region other than the circuit region 361 formed in the longitudinal direction. The plurality of holes 362 may be formed to minimize the flow of the sealing member 380 on the flexible printed circuit board 360.

The sealing member 380 may be configured to penetrate the hole 362. The sealing member 380 may be configured to enclose the flexible printed circuit board 360 by, for example, insert injection, and may be made to penetrate the hole 362. [

According to the above structure, the sealing member 380 can be restricted from moving on the flexible printed circuit board 360 due to the sealing member 380 passing through the hole 362. That is, the sealing member 380 can be installed and fixed at the correct position.

Between the sealing member 380 and the flexible printed circuit board 360, a bonding layer (not shown) in which a sealing member 380 is solidified may be formed. The bonding layer can be formed by melting and then solidifying the sealing member 380 by, for example, insert injection. The bonding layer is formed on the outer surface of the flexible printed circuit board 360 and the inner wall of the hole 362 so that the sealing member 380 can be integrally coupled to the flexible printed circuit board 360.

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

Claims (12)

delete A case constituting an appearance of the mobile terminal;
A seating part formed to be recessed from one surface of the case;
A touch sensor assembly disposed in the seating portion and configured to sense a touch input;
A printed circuit board disposed in an inner space formed by the case and adapted to mount electronic components;
A through hole formed in the seating portion;
A flexible printed circuit board (PCB) having one end connected to the touch sensor assembly and the other end connected to the printed circuit board through the through hole and electrically connecting the touch sensor assembly to the printed circuit board; And
A sealing member formed to surround the flexible printed circuit board and arranged to seal the through hole,
Wherein the sealing member comprises:
A body surrounding the outer surface of the flexible printed circuit board; And
And a penetrating portion connected to the body and penetrating a hole formed in the flexible printed circuit board so as to restrict movement of the body on the flexible printed circuit board. A case constituting an appearance of the mobile terminal;
A seating part formed to be recessed from one surface of the case;
A touch sensor assembly disposed in the seating portion and configured to sense a touch input;
A printed circuit board disposed in an inner space formed by the case and adapted to mount electronic components;
A through hole formed in the seating portion;
A flexible printed circuit board (PCB) having one end connected to the touch sensor assembly and the other end connected to the printed circuit board through the through hole and electrically connecting the touch sensor assembly to the printed circuit board;
A sealing member formed to surround the flexible printed circuit board and arranged to seal the through hole; And
And a coupling layer formed between the sealing member and the flexible printed circuit board so that the sealing member is solidified so that the sealing member can be integrally coupled to the flexible printed circuit board. The method according to claim 2 or 3,
Wherein the sealing member is formed of an elastically deformable material. The method according to claim 2 or 3,
And the periphery of the sealing member is formed longer than the perimeter of the through hole. The method according to claim 2 or 3,
And the sealing member is disposed so as to cover the through-hole or fit into the through-hole. The method according to claim 2 or 3,
The touch sensor assembly includes:
A window seated in the seating portion to cover the display;
A first electrode film disposed on one side of the window and configured to sense a touch input in one direction; And
And a second electrode film disposed on one surface of the first electrode film and configured to sense a touch input in a direction perpendicular to the one direction. delete delete delete delete delete

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