KR101821210B1 - Potable device - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly, to a portable terminal that can easily configure a user interface of the portable terminal and effectively improve appearance, durability, and cost.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an outer appearance member constituting an outer surface; An acoustic sensor provided in such a manner that a sound wave sensing surface is in close contact with the inside of the outer tubular member so as to sense a sound transmitted to the inside using the outer tubular member as a medium; And a control unit connected to the acoustic sensor and based on a signal transmitted from the acoustic sensor, for detecting a point of generation of the sound wave among the surfaces of the outer member.

Description

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly, to a portable terminal that can easily configure a user interface of the portable terminal and effectively improve appearance, durability, and cost.

The portable terminal refers to a device that is easily portable, and may mean a device capable of performing various functions such as a telephone, a computer, a camera, a PMP, and an MP3 player. Devices such as mobile phones, smart phones, tablet PCs, smart pads, and the like can also be called portable terminals.

Generally, a portable terminal has input means such as various buttons for a user interface. Accordingly, the user inputs an input to the portable terminal by operating the various buttons, and the portable terminal outputs the result according to the inputted input.

In many cases, the portable terminal is exposed to the Internet or a communication environment and is configured to respond to input through external communication such as various external inputs such as a telephone, a text alarm, a notification function, and a push function.

1 shows a general portable terminal.

First, a housing 11 having an outer shape and a display panel 12 may be provided on a front surface. Various input buttons 15 may be provided under the display panel 12. The buttons 15 may be provided for the user to select various functions such as camera selection, camera operation, home function, and return function.

Of course, one button may be provided to select a plurality of functions according to the current state of the portable terminal, for example, a program or a process executing the program.

Also, various buttons 13, 14, and 15 may be provided on the side surface of the housing. For example, the upper side of the housing may be provided with a lock button 13 for performing locking and unlocking operations, and a volume button 14 for performing volume control or the like may be provided on a side surface of the housing .

The buttons 13, 14, 15 basically assume a mechanical or mechanical mechanism. That is, it is presupposed that a user applies an input through such a button inevitably causes a displacement of the button. Therefore, an electrical signal is generated through such a mechanical displacement, and it can be seen through the signal that the control unit has an input.

Specifically, these buttons convert the mechanical input to electrical and electronic signals through the key module and transmit them to the control unit. Therefore, the configuration may be complicated and the manufacturing cost of the portable terminal as a whole increases due to the price of the key module.

Meanwhile, a separate shape or structure for providing the various buttons 13, 14, and 15 should be formed in the housing 11. Accordingly, there is a problem that the external appearance of the portable terminal is not improved due to the various buttons, and protrusions are formed outside the housing, so that the portable feeling and the grip feeling may be deteriorated.

In recent years, the display is implemented as a touch LCD or an LED panel, and a user interface is possible by touching the display. That is, the display itself can be used as an input key. However, the touch display must not only enable user input but also display an image. Specifically, user input is realized in accordance with information to be displayed. Therefore, it is costly to expand the touch display to user input that is irrelevant to the display information.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the problems of the conventional portable terminal.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal capable of realizing a beautiful appearance through the embodiments of the present invention.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal which is easy to manufacture and can save cost by omitting a key module configuration.

Through the embodiments of the present invention, the portable terminal housing can be formed with a simpler structure.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including: an outer member; An acoustic sensor provided in such a manner that a sound wave sensing surface is in close contact with the inside of the outer tubular member so as to sense a sound transmitted to the inside using the outer tubular member as a medium; And a control unit connected to the acoustic sensor and based on a signal transmitted from the acoustic sensor, for detecting a point of generation of the sound wave among the surfaces of the outer member.

The exterior member includes: a housing adapted to receive internal configurations of the portable terminal; And a window panel coupled to the housing to form an outer surface of a portion of the portable terminal.

The housing may form an outer surface of the sides and back of the portable terminal, and the window panel may define an outer surface for at least a portion of the surface of the portable terminal.

The acoustic sensor may be provided in close contact with the housing or the window panel. That is, it can be brought into close contact with the lower surface of the window panel or the inner surface of the housing. Such a contact method may be carried out through an adhesive film, and an acoustic sensor may be formed integrally with the housing through injection of inserts when the housing is formed.

The controller may analyze the type of a signal transmitted from each acoustic sensor to determine a generation point of the sound wave. Thus, the control unit can determine which input is generated. Then, the corresponding process can be performed based on the identified input.

The control unit may include a main board, and the main board may be connected to the acoustic sensor through a wire.

Preferably, the controller distinguishes between the valid signal and the noise signal by comparing the pre-stored information about the sound wave generated at a specific position on the surface of the outer member with the signal transmitted from each acoustic sensor.

The external appearance member may include an effective touch area where an effective signal due to generation of effective sound waves is generated. Preferably, the effective touch portion is visually distinguished from other regions of the outer appearance member. Specifically, the effective touch portion may be visually distinguished through the printing portion or the light emitting portion.

And an input key for activating the acoustic sensor may be provided. That is, the user can select the activation of the acoustic sensor through the input key having a mechanical mechanism. Here, activation may be performed through an external signal together with or separately from the input key.

Specifically, the portable terminal can be activated through communication means such as telephone reception, message reception, notification, push reception, or the like. In this case, the acoustic sensor is activated and the user can perform the corresponding input directly through the touch.

The acoustic sensors may be one, or a plurality of acoustic sensors may be provided.

The external appearance member may include an effective touch area where an effective signal due to generation of effective sound waves is generated. A plurality of the valid touch regions may be formed. Specifically, the effective touch region may be formed at a position of at least one of the front, bottom, and side surfaces of the portable terminal.

The external appearance member may include a plurality of effective touch areas where an effective signal due to generation of effective sound waves is generated, and a plurality of acoustic sensors corresponding to the respective areas may be provided.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of detecting a sound wave, the method comprising: sensing a plurality of different sound waves transmitted through an outer surface of the outer surface as a medium; A second step of separating a valid signal from a noise signal through the sensed sound wave; And a third step of performing a predetermined process according to the valid signal.

And activating the detection of the sound wave, wherein the first to third steps may be sequentially performed on the assumption of activation in the activation step.

Through the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide a portable terminal capable of realizing a beautiful appearance.

Through the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide a portable terminal which is easy to manufacture and can save cost by omitting the key module configuration.

Through the embodiments of the present invention, the portable terminal housing can be formed in a simpler structure.

Through the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to minimize the mechanical input means, thereby reducing the possibility of damage to the input means due to use and effective input despite the damage of the appearance.

1 shows a conventional portable terminal;
2 illustrates a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figs. 3 to 5 show embodiments of the position of the acoustic sensor in the portable terminal shown in Fig. 2;
Fig. 6 shows examples of visually distinguishing the input means or the effective touch region;
FIG. 7 illustrates a method of controlling a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 2, the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention may not be significantly different from the appearance of the conventional portable terminal. However, at least one of the input buttons 130, 140, and 150 shown in FIG. 2 may be omitted. Of course, such input buttons may not be omitted. However, according to the present embodiment, it may be possible to omit input buttons including at least a mechanical mechanism. That is, although the input buttons may be provided according to the present embodiment, it is possible to omit a key module for generating an input signal through mechanical displacement.

The present embodiment is characterized in that it implements input means, for example, an input button or an input key, through the acoustic sensor 160. Therefore, a separate mechanical key module is not required. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the position of the acoustic sensor 160.

As shown, the acoustic sensors may be provided at various locations. Such an acoustic sensor is a sensor for detecting a sound wave. Specifically, it is preferable that the acoustic sensor is provided so as to be able to grasp the position where a sound wave is generated. In addition, the acoustic sensor may be provided to detect whether or not the sound wave is generated at a specific position.

One acoustic sensor may be provided or a plurality of acoustic sensors may be provided. In the case where a plurality of sensors are provided, the acoustic sensors may be provided at various positions different from the positions shown in Fig.

Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The portable terminal according to the present embodiment includes an outer member constituting an outer surface. That is, the outer surface of the portable terminal may be implemented through one configuration or through a plurality of configurations.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which the outer member includes the housing 110 and the window panel 170.

The window panel 170 may be configured to form an appearance of a front surface of the portable terminal 100. Of course, it is also possible to configure the overall appearance of the front surface and to configure only some appearance. Also, the window panel 170 may be configured to form an appearance of a portion corresponding to the display panel 190.

The housing 100 may be configured to form an appearance of the rear and side surfaces of the portable terminal 100. Specifically, the housing 100 may include an upper housing 111 and a lower housing 112. Accordingly, the upper housing 111 and the lower housing 112 are coupled to each other to provide an appearance of the rear and side surfaces of the portable terminal 100. Between the upper housing 111 and the lower housing 112, various components such as a main board 200, a display panel 190, a pattern 220, and an OCA film 180 constituting a control unit may be accommodated .

As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 100 may form an appearance of a part of the front surface of the portable terminal 100. Particularly, a part of the upper housing 111 may form an appearance of a front edge portion of the portable terminal 110. The window panel 170 may be provided inside the frame.

Here, the outer member 110 and 170 refer to a configuration in which sound waves can be generated. That is, since the external surface of the portable terminal is configured, a force such as an impact or a touch (hereinafter referred to as "touch " for convenience) can be received from the outside through the surface.

Such a touch may correspond to a user's input via a conventional mechanical input key according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is because the sound waves are generated through the touch and these sound waves can propagate through various media. This is because it is possible to detect that a user's input has occurred by detecting such sound waves.

Specifically, the sound waves generated by touching the housing 100 can be transmitted to the interior of the portable terminal 100. That is, the housing 100 can be transmitted to the inside of the portable terminal 100 using the medium as a medium. Also, the sound waves generated by touching the window panel 170 can be transmitted to the inside of the portable terminal 100.

These sound waves are not surface waves propagated from the surface of the medium but are bending waves propagating through the medium. That is, it is a bending wave in which the vibration direction and the propagation direction are formed in a vertical form. Therefore, the sound wave can be effectively transmitted through the medium regardless of the surface state of the medium.

The acoustic sensor 160 may be provided at various positions according to the characteristic of the bending wave.

For example, the acoustic sensor 160 may be positioned to sense a sound wave by using at least one of the window panel 170 and the housing 110 as a medium, and may be positioned to sense a sound wave using the sound wave as a medium .

Here, the window panel 170 and the housing 100, particularly, the upper housing 111 are configured such that the continuity of the medium can be ensured. That is, a touch generated at one position can be transmitted to all positions. This means that a touch generated at a certain position can be effectively sensed through an acoustic sensor.

Specifically, the acoustic sensor 160 may include a sensing surface 161 for sensing sound, and the sensing surface 161 may be closely attached to the medium. Therefore, sound waves propagated through the medium can be sensed through the sensing surface 161. [

The user of the portable terminal 100 generally looks at the front of the portable terminal 100 as a whole. In some cases, the mobile terminal 100 may look at the side of the mobile terminal 100 in a specific case. Therefore, it is preferable that the input means for the user interface is basically provided on the front surface or the side surface of the portable terminal 100.

For this reason, in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the acoustic sensor 160 is provided at a position where the sound generated due to the touch on the front surface or the side surface of the portable terminal 100 can be effectively sensed.

Fig. 3 shows an example of the position of the acoustic sensor 160. Fig.

In more detail, the acoustic sensor 160 is placed in close contact with the lower surface of the window panel 170 to effectively sense the touch of the upper portion of the housing 160 or the window panel 170.

Basically, according to the present embodiment, a touch through the window panel 170 can be sensed effectively. That is, the sound wave 31 propagated through the window panel 170 can be sensed effectively. The sound wave 30 through the touch of the upper housing 111 surrounding the window panel 170 can be detected by the acoustic sensor 160 through the upper housing 111 and the window panel 170. Accordingly, the sound wave through the front touch of the portable terminal 100 can be easily detected through the acoustic sensor 160 attached to the window panel 170.

3, the window panel 160 may have a wider area than the display panel 180. Referring to FIG. Therefore, the acoustic sensor 160 may be provided on the outside of the display panel 180 and on the bottom surface of the window panel 160.

The display panel 180 may be attached to the lower surface of the window panel 160 through the OCA film. Accordingly, only the display panel 180 can be seen through the window panel 160, and the acoustic sensor 160 can not be seen.

Hereinafter, the principle of implementing the above-described touch, acoustic sensor and input means through the control unit will be described in detail.

The acoustic sensor is a structure for sensing a sound wave propagated through the medium as described above. As described above, the medium may be at least the window panel 170 and the housing 100. Here, in the case where the acoustic sensors are provided at the same position, the sound waves are transmitted to the acoustic sensors through the medium. Therefore, the distance of the medium through which the sound waves pass depends on the position where the sound waves are generated. Therefore, different types of sound waves can be detected depending on the position where the sound waves are generated.

Of course, the sound waves to be sensed may vary depending on the intensity of the touch, though the positions are the same. However, in this case, the magnitude of the amplitude of the sound wave will be different and the pattern of the sound wave will not change. In this way, it is possible to know at which specific position the touch occurred through the acoustic sensor.

On the other hand, the above description positively grasps the point where the touch occurs. However, from a different point of view, it is possible to grasp the point where the touch occurs passively. That is, it is possible to grasp whether or not a touch occurs at a predetermined position when a touch occurs.

Specifically, a specific position for user input can be designated to the appearance member 110, 170. Here, the grasp of the active touch means to grasp at which position the touch occurred through the sound wave received by the sound sensor. That is, it means to know whether a touch occurs at the specific position or at another position. In other words, it is determined which position the touch is generated and then whether or not the detected position is a specific position. The passive sensing of the touch means that it only needs to know whether or not the acoustic sensor has occurred at a specific position through the received sound wave, but it is not necessary to grasp the position when it occurs at another position.

This positively and positively locating has the following meaning.

The main board or the control unit 200 may be connected to the acoustic sensor 160 through the connector 210 and the wire 165. Accordingly, the control unit 200 analyzes the type of the signal transmitted from the acoustic sensor 160, and grasps the generation point of the sound wave.

Here, the controller can determine through the processor that the touch point is generated at the point of generation of the sound wave, i.e., at the position of the appearance member.

First, the controller 200 may have pre-stored information about a touch that may be generated at all positions of the appearance member. Accordingly, it is possible to compare the type of the signal transmitted from the acoustic sensor 160 with the stored information, and to know at which position the touch is generated. However, in this case, it is difficult to generate information on a touch that can be generated at all positions, and the occurrence of an error may be large. Then, it may be difficult to distinguish between the noise signal and the valid signal. Of course, such an active positioning can advantageously utilize all positions of the exterior member as input means. This is because the control unit can process the corresponding process by touching the touch at all positions and the corresponding input. However, it is also difficult for the user to recognize the input means.

Alternatively, the controller 200 may have pre-stored information about a touch that may be generated at a particular location of the exterior member. That is, it can have pre-stored information about a touch that can be generated in a predetermined area. In this case, the controller compares the pre-stored information with the type of the signal received through the sound sensor 160. If the type of the received signal and the previously stored information coincide with each other, it can be regarded as an effective signal, and it is possible to determine from which position the touch is generated. If the type of the received signal and the stored information do not match, it can be regarded as a noise signal and ignored. Therefore, an effective touch area in which an effective signal due to the generation of effective sound waves is generated can be provided in the external appearance member. Therefore, it is possible to realize effects such as database creation, distinction between valid signal and noise signal, and fast process of control section. In this case, there is a disadvantage that only the effective touch region can be used as the input means, but there is also an advantage that the user can easily recognize the input means.

The number of acoustic sensors may vary with regard to this location.

It is preferable that at least two acoustic sensors are provided in order to clearly grasp the generation point of sound waves. Of course, two or more acoustic sensors may be provided. In this case, acoustic sensors may be provided at various positions as shown in FIG.

A plurality of acoustic sensors can be used to locate the touch generated in all areas of the appearance member. And can also be used to grasp the position of a touch generated in a relatively wide effective touch area. This is because when one acoustic sensor is used, the touches at different positions can be grasped at the same position.

To be more specific, one acoustic sensor 160 may be provided at the center of the window panel 170. In this case, the touches at all positions having the same radius from the acoustic sensor are received by the same sound wave. Therefore, it is inevitably grasped as the same signal. Because it has the same medium distance as the same medium.

For this reason, a plurality of acoustic sensors may be provided. In the above example, when one acoustic sensor is further provided, the sensor recognizes all the touches as different signals. Accordingly, in this case, since each touch can be grasped by the different touch through the two acoustic sensors 160, the accurate touch position can be grasped.

However, a plurality of acoustic sensors need not necessarily be provided. This is because the acoustic sensor can be positioned such that the effective touch area is limited and is spaced apart from the effective touch area.

In this case, the effective touch region may be provided at a plurality of locations on the outer member of the portable terminal, and a plurality of acoustic sensors corresponding to the respective effective touch regions may be provided. Of course, in this case, each effective touch area may be configured such that the continuity between the media is interrupted. This is to reduce the interference of the touch in other areas. In addition, it is preferable that the distances of the acoustic sensors corresponding to the respective effective touch areas are relatively short.

For example, in FIG. 3, a portion indicated by reference numeral 130 is referred to as a valid touch region, and an acoustic sensor denoted by reference numeral 161 may be a sensor corresponding to the region, and a portion denoted by reference numeral 140 is referred to as a valid touch region The acoustic sensor referred to as reference numeral 162 may be a sensor corresponding to the area. When a portion referred to as reference numeral 150 is referred to as a valid touch region, an acoustic sensor denoted by reference numeral 163 may be referred to as a sensor corresponding to the region.

That is, it is possible to provide a plurality of effective touch areas on the outer member, and accordingly, a plurality of acoustic sensors 160 can be provided.

On the other hand, the portable terminal has a large display at normal operation. That is, the display is in a large state in the standby state or the locked state. At this time, it is not preferable to recognize the touch of the appearance member as an input. This is because the mobile terminal can be activated due to an operation mistake in the standby state, and unnecessary input can be applied thereto. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is necessary to provide at least one mechanical input means. Such mechanical input means may be provided in at least one of the areas 130, 140 and 150 shown in FIG. Of course, such a mechanical input means may be provided in other areas.

Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the location of the acoustic sensor 160. [

Specifically, the acoustic sensor 160 may be attached to the housing 110. More specifically, it can be attached to the inside of the upper housing 111.

And Figure 5 shows another embodiment of the attachment method. Specifically, the acoustic sensor 160 may be inserted into the housing 110. That is, it is possible for the acoustic sensor 160 to be more firmly coupled by forming the seating portion 113 in which the acoustic sensor 160 is seated in the interior of the housing 110, particularly, the upper housing 111.

Also, the acoustic sensor 160 may be provided inside the upper housing 111 by insert molding. In this case, no additional attachment means will be required.

4 and 5 illustrate an embodiment in which the acoustic sensor 160 receives sound waves through the housing 110. FIG. That is, the sensing surface 161 of the acoustic sensor 160 is attached to the housing 110 or is vertically contacted to the seating portion 113 of the housing 110. Therefore, it is possible to easily and accurately receive the sound waves through the housing 110. [

As described above, the entire exterior member may be the input means according to the present embodiment. That is, the user can make a desired input by touching a specific position of the appearance member. However, this has the advantage of implementing a specific input means as a whole, but it is not easy to replace various input means.

Specifically, the following description will focus on implementation of input means for increasing or decreasing the volume of the portable terminal 100 through the present embodiment.

The user can input an input for increasing or decreasing the volume of voice through a speaker or a speaker (not shown) of the portable terminal 100. If such an input is implemented through this embodiment, there is a problem that the user can not easily recognize whether the input is to increase or decrease the volume. That is, the user can not easily recognize which portion of the external member of the portable terminal 100 needs to be touched to reduce the volume of the volume.

For this reason, in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the region where the input is performed by the user, that is, the effective touch region is visually distinguished. That is, it is preferable that a specific area of the outer member of the portable terminal 100 is visually distinguishable as an effective touch area.

Specifically, as described above, it is preferable to divide the area indicated by reference numerals 130, 140, and 151 in FIG. 2 into valid touch areas. Of course, it is also possible to constitute the effective touch area visually in other areas besides these areas.

Fig. 6 shows an embodiment for visually presenting such a valid touch area.

Input means including a generally mechanical mechanism may be provided to adjust the sound or set the direction. Thus, Figure 6 shows a temporally distinct input means similar to this input means.

More specifically, FIG. 6A shows the printing unit 300 provided in the valid touch area. This printing unit 300 is not merely more or less the visual appearance of the appearance member, for example, the housing 110 or the window panel 160. This is because it is merely a print form that is visually displayed in a specific area. The printing unit 300 may function as an input unit by being formed in the effective touch region described above.

That is, the printing unit 300 may be configured to visually distinguish the effective touch region from the other portions in order to prevent misunderstanding of the user.

6B is a view for visually distinguishing the valid touch region and other portions visually similar to the printing unit 300. [ That is, the present embodiment is configured such that the effective touch region can be distinguished through the external member through the internal light emitting portion (not shown). And may be configured together with a printing unit. Therefore, it is preferable that the visual effect through the printing unit and the light emitting unit allows the user to easily know what input is made through the printing unit and the light emitting unit.

Specifically, arrows may be implemented to facilitate the input of functions to adjust the size of the volume or return to the previous screen. In addition, various forms of input means such as a home screen or a camera input can be implemented through various shapes.

The valid touch region may be visually distinguished from other regions in various forms in addition to the above-described embodiment. Of course, it may be constituted not simply as a mechanical input means, but simply as a partial region of the appearance member.

Hereinafter, a control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

Generally, an input signal is generated through a user input through an input means. The input signal is transmitted to the control unit, and the control unit proceeds to a process corresponding to the input signal.

Specifically, the input information is output to the display or a predetermined process is performed according to the inputted information. In the present embodiment, such an input can be replaced by generating a sound wave.

That is, the user can perform the input process by touching the appearance member. These inputs can be transmitted to the control unit through sound waves without being converted into electric and electronic signals on the assumption of mechanical displacement. Of course, an acoustic sensor is interposed.

The sound sensor 160 senses a signal generated by the touch of the outer member and transmits the sensed signal to the controller (S20). The control unit senses which input is generated based on the transmitted signal. Specifically, it is determined at which position of the outer member the input is applied. The specific position of the appearance member can be matched with a specific input, so that if the specific position is grasped, the control unit can grasp what input was applied. This process can be referred to as S30.

As described above, in step S30, it can be determined whether or not an input has occurred at a specific position, and it can be determined whether or not an input has occurred at all positions of the appearance member. Therefore, it is preferable that S30 first determine whether the input is a valid signal or a noise signal.

If the input signal is a noise signal, the control unit ignores it and waits to receive a new signal. If the input signal is an effective signal, the controller proceeds to the corresponding process. That is, the predetermined process corresponding to the input signal proceeds. For example, if the input signal is a signal related to volume control, the control unit adjusts the volume accordingly.

Meanwhile, it is preferable that the above-described processes are based on a specific process. That is, it is preferable that the above-described processes are performed through an assumption process that can be performed sequentially. For example, an input can be made by inadvertently touching the appearance member in a standby state or a locked state. Accordingly, the control unit may process the corresponding process irrespective of the user's intention.

In order to solve such a problem, it is preferable that the above-described processes are based on the process of activating the sound wave detection or the step S10. That is, when the sound wave detection is activated, it is preferable that the corresponding process can proceed through the input of the user.

Activation of the sound wave detection can be variously implemented. For example, mechanical input means may be provided. One of the various buttons shown in Fig. 1 can be used as this activation input means.

Activation may take place via inputs associated with communication, either independently or in parallel with such input means. That is, it is also possible that the sound wave detection is activated through reception of a telephone or message in a locked state or a standby state, or reception of various notification functions or push functions.

In FIG. 2, a plurality of buttons or keys 150a, 150b, and 150c are shown in the effective touch area 151. FIG. These buttons can dispense with a mechanical configuration. Therefore, it can be distinguished from other parts only through visual printing or the like.

These buttons can be displayed so that the user can recognize which button is for which input. However, it is not limited thereto. Because the information corresponding to these buttons can also be displayed on the display. That is, a screen equivalent to the buttons is visually displayed through a display in a process step requiring a user input, and the user can easily know which input can be performed by touching any of a plurality of buttons through the display.

According to the present invention through the above-described embodiments, it becomes possible to exclude mechanical input means through the acoustic sensor. Therefore, it is possible to omit the key module configuration, thereby realizing a cost-effective appearance. In addition, various types of input means can be easily implemented.

100: portable terminal 110: housing
111: upper housing 112: lower housing
130, 140, 150: input means (effective touch region)
160: acoustic sensor 170: window panel
180: OCA film 190: display panel
200: main board 210: connector
220: Battery

Claims (10)

An outer member forming an outer surface and including an effective touch area;
An acoustic sensor, which is provided at a point where a user touches the outer member, and is configured to closely contact a sound wave sensing surface inside the outer member so as to sense a sound transmitted through the outer member as a medium;
A memory for storing information on sound waves generated in the valid touch area; And
And a controller for comparing the signal transmitted from the sound sensor and the information about the sound wave generated in the effective touch area stored in the memory to determine whether the touch point is the valid touch area and outputting the valid signal and the noise signal, And a controller for controlling the operation of the portable terminal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
A housing adapted to receive internal configurations of the portable terminal; And
And a window panel coupled to the housing to form an outer surface of a portion of the portable terminal,
Wherein the sensing surface is closely attached to the housing or the window panel. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the housing forms an outer surface of a side surface of the portable terminal and a rear surface of the portable terminal, and the window panel forms an outer surface of at least a part of the front surface of the portable terminal. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the effective touch region is visually distinguished from other regions of the outer appearance member. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the at least two acoustic sensors are provided. The method according to claim 1,
And an input key for activating the acoustic sensor is provided. A first step of detecting a plurality of different sound waves generated at a point touched by an outer surface member constituting the outer surface and transmitted through the outer surface member as a medium;
And a second noise signal discriminating unit configured to discriminate between a valid signal generated in the valid touch region and a noise signal generated in a region other than the valid touch region through comparison of the sensed sound wave and the sound wave generated in the valid touch region, step;
And a third step of performing a predetermined process according to the valid signal. 10. The method of claim 9,
Further comprising an activation step of activating the detection of the sound wave, wherein the first step to the third step are sequentially performed on the assumption of activation in the activation step.

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