KR102029240B1

KR102029240B1 - Mobile terminal

Info

Publication number: KR102029240B1
Application number: KR1020120124067A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김태현; 이규호; 박종석; 오형훈
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2012-11-05
Filing date: 2012-11-05
Publication date: 2019-10-07
Also published as: KR20140057825A

Abstract

A case in which an electronic component is mounted therein and a button hole is formed on a front surface thereof; A top button inserted into a front surface of the case and including a light blocking unit through which light is not transmitted and a light transmitting unit formed around the light blocking unit; A front surface coupled to a rear surface of the top button, and a rear surface of the circuit board on which a hemispherical metal dome is mounted; An actuator coupled to the protruding surface of the metal dome and pressing the top button to press the protruding surface of the metal dome to change the shape of the metal dome; A circuit board on which one surface of the metal dome is seated and which generates a signal as the shape of the metal dome changes; And a light source mounted on the circuit board and emitting light, wherein the top button includes: an upper button reflecting light emitted from the light source to the light blocking part in a rear direction; An optical guide layer coupled to the rear surface of the upper button and uniformly dispersing the light emitted from the light source; and a lower button coupled to the rear surface of the optical guide layer and having the light source inserted in the center thereof; As the mobile terminal emits light around the button, the mobile terminal provides a user input unit using a metallic material, and thus the front design of the mobile terminal can be advanced.

Description

Mobile terminal

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal having a structure in which light can be emitted to a user input unit disposed in front of the mobile terminal.

Terminal can move It may be divided into a mobile terminal (mobile / portable terminal) and a stationary terminal depending on whether or not. The mobile terminal may be further classified into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether a user can directly carry it.

As the terminal functions are diversified, for example, such a terminal is a multimedia player having a complex function such as taking a picture or a video, playing a music or video file, playing a game, or receiving a broadcast. Is being implemented.

As mobile terminals are applied to a touch screen, keypads and various buttons are omitted. However, a user input unit may be provided to input a signal by applying physical pressure for the convenience of use or in case of a problem such as malfunction of the touch input.

An object of the present invention is to provide a structure in which light can be emitted to the user input unit disposed on the front of the mobile terminal.

The technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. Could be.

A case in which an electronic component is mounted therein and a button hole is formed on a front surface thereof; A top button inserted into a front surface of the case and including a light blocking unit through which light is not transmitted and a light transmitting unit formed around the light blocking unit; A front surface coupled to a rear surface of the top button, and a rear surface of the circuit board on which a hemispherical metal dome is mounted; An actuator coupled to the protruding surface of the metal dome and pressing the top button to press the protruding surface of the metal dome to change the shape of the metal dome; And a light source mounted on the circuit board and emitting light, wherein the top button includes: an upper button reflecting light emitted from the light source to the light blocking part in a rear direction; An optical guide layer coupled to the rear surface of the upper button and uniformly dispersing the light emitted from the light source; and a lower button coupled to the rear surface of the optical guide layer and having the light source inserted in the center thereof; Provides a mobile terminal.

The upper button may use a transparent acrylic sheet in which a reflective layer is laminated on a portion corresponding to the light shielding portion at the center of the rear surface.

A printed layer may be formed between the reflective layer and the acrylic sheet to block the light of the light source and implement the color of the entire top button.

The lower button may cover side surfaces of the upper button and the light guide layer, and may include a sidewall portion whose upper end is exposed on the front surface of the top button.

The lower button may include a stepped portion extending outwardly of the buttonhole and caught inside the buttonhole.

The lower button may be made of a metal material.

The light guide layer may use an optical guide film made of a transparent material having a fine light diffusion pattern.

The optical guide layer may use a transparent acrylic.

The lower button may include a reflective layer for reflecting light incident on the lower surface of the light guide layer, and the upper button may cover the light blocking part on the upper surface of the light guide layer and be made of a metal material.

It may further include a reflecting dome inserted into the center of the light guide layer and having a concave reflecting surface.

The reflective dome may include a light channel extending laterally from the concave reflective surface.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, while the light is emitted around the button, by providing a user input using a metal material, it is possible to improve the front design of the mobile terminal.

Since various states of the mobile terminal may be displayed according to the color of the user input unit, an additional indicator may be omitted.

The effects obtainable in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned above may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. will be.

1 is a front perspective view showing a mobile terminal according to an aspect of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing a home button of a mobile terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing a home button of a mobile terminal according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing a home button of a mobile terminal according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles from each other.

The mobile terminal 100 described herein may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), navigation, and the like. have. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may also be applied to fixed terminals such as digital TVs, desktop computers, etc., except when applicable only to the mobile terminal 100. .

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

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

The body of the mobile terminal 100 includes a case 101, 102, 103 forming the appearance. In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 101 and a rear case 102. Various electronic components are built in the space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102.

The front case 101 covers the front side of the mobile terminal, and the display unit 151 on the front side. The home button 131, the camera 121, the sound output unit 152, and the proximity sensor 141 are disposed. The display unit 151. An opening is formed in the front case 101 and a window glass 108 made of a transparent material covering the opening is disposed at a position where light must pass, such as the camera 121 and the proximity sensor 141.

The window glass 108 may cover all of the plurality of openings using a large size, or may use a separate transparent window glass 108 for each opening. In the present invention, the integrated window glass 108 may be used for a uniform front design.

In some cases, an electronic component may be mounted on the surface of the rear case 102. Electronic components mounted on the surface of the rear case 102 include a battery, a USIM card, a memory card, and the like, which the user needs to remove. In this case, the rear case 102 may further include a rear cover 103 for covering the surface thereof. The rear cover 103 is formed of a structure that is easily removable by the user, and when the rear cover 103 is removed, the surface of the rear case 102 is exposed.

When the rear cover 103 is coupled as shown in FIG. 1, only a part of the side surface of the rear case 102 may be exposed, and when the size of the rear cover 103 is reduced, the rear surface of the rear case 102 may be exposed. Some may be exposed. When the rear cover 103 covers the entire rear surface of the rear case 102, the rear cover 103 includes an opening 103 ′ for exposing the camera 121 ′ or the sound output unit 152 ′ to the outside.

The cases 101, 102, and 103 may be formed by injecting synthetic resin, or may be formed to have a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).

The terminal cases 101 and 102 may include a display unit 151, an audio output unit 152, a camera 121, a user input unit 130/131, 132, a microphone 122, an interface 170, and the like.

The display unit 151 occupies most of the front surface of the front case 101. The sound output unit 152 and the camera 121 are disposed in regions adjacent to one end of both ends of the display unit 151, and the home button 131 and the microphone 122 are disposed in regions adjacent to the other end. The side button 132 and the interface 170 may be disposed on side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102.

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in a call mode, the mobile terminal 100 displays a user interface (UI) or a graphic user interface (GUI) related to the call. When the mobile terminal 100 is in a video call mode or a photographing mode, the mobile terminal 100 displays a photographed and / or received image, a UI, and a GUI.

The display unit 151 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), and a flexible display (flexible). and at least one of a 3D display.

Some of these displays can be configured to be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen from the outside. This may be referred to as a transparent display. A representative example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparant OLED). The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be configured as a light transmissive structure. With this structure, the user can see the 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 implementation form of the mobile terminal 100. For example, a plurality of display units may be spaced apart or integrally disposed on one surface of the mobile terminal 100, or may be disposed on different surfaces, respectively.

When the display unit 151 and the touch sensor form a mutual layer structure or are integrally formed (hereinafter, referred to as a touch screen), the display unit 151 may be used as an input device in addition to the output device. For example, when the touch sensor has a form of a touch film, a touch sheet, or a touch pad, the touch sensor may be stacked on the display unit 151 to form a layer structure, and may be included in the configuration of the display unit 151 to be integrated. Can be made.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or capacitance generated at a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor may be configured to detect not only the position and area of the touch but also the pressure at the touch.

When there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to a touch controller (not shown). The touch controller processes the signal (s) and then transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. As a result, the controller 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched.

As described above, since the display unit 151 occupies most of the front surface, users are sensitive to the size, image quality, etc. of the display unit, and wires, a camera imaging device 121, or an acoustic module 152 around the display unit 151. The situation is required to reduce the size of the bezel 108 to cover the electronic components used in the mobile terminal 100, such as a receiver.

Reducing the size of the bezel 108 is not simple due to problems such as wiring and coupling force of each component, and above all, the smaller the size of the bezel 108 is, the more abnormally injected from the side of the display unit 151. Light leakage caused by light becomes a problem.

The display unit 151 of the present invention is characterized in that the structure of the display unit 151 is changed to prevent this, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 to 11.

The sound 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, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, and the like. The sound output module 152 may also output a sound signal related to a function (eg, a call signal reception sound, a message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. The sound output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video call mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame may 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 according to the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal by a microphone in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, etc., and processes the external sound signal into electrical voice data. The processed voice data may be converted into a form transmittable to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 and output in the call mode. The microphone 122 may implement various noise removing algorithms for removing noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 is manipulated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. When the user touches the touch terminal using a touch sensor, the user input unit 130 receives a command by applying a physical pressure to the key 134 input by the command. It may include a button 131, 132, 133 of the input method. The user input units 131, 132, and 133 may also be collectively referred to as manipulating portions.

The contents input by the buttons 131, 132, and 133 may be variously set. For example, the home button 131 receives a command such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the side button 132 receives a command such as adjusting a volume of a sound output from the sound output unit 152, and a reset button. 133 may receive a command to turn off and on the power of the mobile terminal 100.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a home button 131 of a mobile terminal according to an aspect of the present invention, a top button 310, a circuit board 350, a light source 357, a metal dome 355 and the actuator 356. Is shown.

The top button 310 is a portion exposed to the front surface of the case of the mobile terminal is inserted into the button hole formed in the window glass 109 on the front. Top button 310 of the present invention is characterized in that when the light is supplied from the back, the light is not emitted to the front in the light blocking portion (B) of the center portion is emitted to the front through the light transmitting portion (T) of the circumference.

The top button 310 has three layered structures. The light guide layer is coupled to the upper button 311, the back button of the upper button 311 reflects the light irradiated to the light blocking portion (B) in the rear direction and uniformly distributes the light emitted from the light source 357 315 and a lower button 313 coupled to the rear surface of the light guide layer 315, into which the light source 357 is inserted.

In the embodiment of Figure 2, the upper button 311 is made of a transparent material such as transparent acrylic, preferably may be made of a material similar to the front window glass 109. In this case, the reflective layer 312 ′ is formed at a portion corresponding to the light blocking portion B so that the light projected to the light blocking portion B is reflected by the reflective layer 312 ′ at the back of the upper button 311, that is, the light guide layer ( 315).

The reflective layer 312 ′ may be formed on both the front and rear surfaces of the upper button 311, but when formed on the front surface, the reflective layer 312 ′ may be removed by repeated use. It is preferable to form on the back of the).

At this time, before forming the reflective layer 312 ′ may further include a printed layer 312 to block the light of the light source 357 and implement the front color of the top button 310. In this case, when the printed layer 312 is the same color as the window bezel 108 may provide a uniform appearance design. If the color of the printed layer 312 is a bright color, it may be further printed with dark ink to block light.

The lower button 313 forms a lower portion of the top button 310 and an opening is formed to allow the light source 357 to be inserted in the center. The light source 357 is inserted into the opening to directly supply light to the light guide layer 315.

The lower button 313 is made of a metal material such as aluminum, and forms a lower portion of the top button 310. At this time, it may further include a side wall portion 313a extending forward to cover the upper side of the upper button 311 and the light guide layer 315, the top button (top) when viewed from the front 310 may be exposed around the front surface.

In addition, the lower button 313 may further include a step 313b that extends to the outside of the button hole formed in the window glass 109 and is caught inside the button hole. The stepped portion 313b is coupled to the case so that the top button 310 is not separated from the mobile terminal.

The light guide layer 315 coupled to the rear surface of the upper button 311 serves to diffuse light, and may use a color in which light is scattered, such as a transparent material or white. The light guide layer 315 may be made of transparent acrylic, or a light guide film having a fine light diffusion pattern may be used.

The light source 357 inserted into the central opening of the lower button 313 supplies light to the center of the light guide layer 315, and the light incident on the light guide layer 315 is reflected by the reflective layer of the upper button 311. 312 ′) and the lower button 313 of the metal material are reflected around the light guide layer 315. Since the reflective layer 312 ′ is formed only on the light blocking portion B, the upper button 311 is emitted to the front direction when light reaches the portion corresponding to the light transmitting portion T.

The circuit board 350 on which the light source 357 is mounted on the front surface and the metal dome 355 is mounted on the rear surface is coupled to the rear surface of the top button 310. That is, the light source 357 is inserted into the central opening of the lower button 313, covers the opening, and is coupled to the rear surface of the lower button 313. The circuit board 350 supplies power to the light source 357 and transmits a signal for controlling ON / OFF of the light source 357 from the controller.

The metal dome 355 located on the back of the circuit board 350 is a member made of a metal material of a dome shape with a protruding center, and when the top button 310 is pressed, its shape changes and generates an electrical signal. The signal is transmitted to the controller through the circuit board 350.

Since a signal is generated even with a small force only when the force is concentrated only at the center portion of the protruding surface of the metal dome 355, the actuator 356 may be attached to the protruding surface of the metal dome 355. When the top button 310 is pressed, only the center portion of the metal dome 355 is pressed by the actuator 356 and a signal is generated.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the home button of the printed circuit board 350 of the present invention, similar to the above-described embodiment of FIG. 2, but having a reflective dome 320 in the center of the light guide layer 315. It is characterized by being inserted.

The reflective dome 320 has a concave reflective surface 321 for dispersing light emitted from the light source 357 in the front direction to the lateral direction, that is, the light guide layer 315. A light channel 322 extending laterally as shown in FIG. 2 may be further included to allow the light reflected from the reflective dome 320 to be incident on the light guide layer 315.

When the top button 310 has a long shape in one direction (left and right directions according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1), the light channel 322 has a length of the home button 131 because more light is preferably supplied in the left and right directions. It is preferable to form in the direction corresponding to the direction.

4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a home button 131 of a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention, and is mounted on both surfaces of a circuit board 350 and a circuit board 350 that are coupled to the back of the top button 330. The light source 357 and the metal dome 355 are similar to the above-described embodiment. However, in the present embodiment, the upper button 331 and the lower button 333 of the top button 330 are different from the above-described embodiment.

The upper button 331 of the present embodiment is characterized in that made of a metallic material. In the case of a metal material, the light incident on the upper button 331 without the need for a separate reflective layer 332 is reflected back to the light guide layer 335. The upper button 331 forms the light blocking portion B of the top button 330, and the light of the light source 357 is emitted through the circumference of the upper button 331.

The light guide layer 335 is larger than the upper button 331 of the metal material, and the light of the light source 357 is emitted through a portion larger in the circumferential direction than the upper button 331. Although the light guide layer 335 has a height different from that of the upper button 331 in the drawing, the circumference may be further extended in the front direction to have the same height as the upper button 331.

The lower button 333 includes a reflective layer 332, and is reflected from the upper button 331 and the lower button 333 of a metal material, and the light supplied to the center of the light guide layer 335 is the light guide layer 335. Move around. In this case, the lower button 333 may use a metal material as in the above-described embodiment.

As described above, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, while the light is emitted around the button, it is possible to provide a home button using a metal material, thereby improving the front design of the mobile terminal.

It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential features of the present invention.

Accordingly, the above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in all aspects and should be considered as illustrative. The scope of the invention should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the invention are included in the scope of the invention.

100: mobile terminal 101, 102, 108: case
151: display unit 131: home button
310: top button 311, 331: upper button
312: reflective layer 312 ': printed layer
313, 333: lower button 314: non-conductive coating
315: light guide layer 320: reflective dome
312: printed layer 321 ': reflective layer
322: light channel
B: Light shielding part T: Light transmitting part
350: circuit board 355: metal dome
356: actuator 357: light source

Claims

A case in which an electronic component is mounted therein and a button hole is formed on a front surface thereof;
A top button inserted into a front surface of the case and including a light blocking unit through which light is not transmitted and a light transmitting unit formed around the light blocking unit;
A front surface coupled to a rear surface of the top button, and a rear surface of the circuit board on which a hemispherical metal dome is mounted;
An actuator coupled to the protruding surface of the metal dome and pressing the top button to press the protruding surface of the metal dome to change the shape of the metal dome; And
A light source mounted on the circuit board to emit light;
The top button is
An upper button reflecting light emitted from the light source to the light blocking part in a rear direction;
An optical guide layer coupled to a rear surface of the upper button and uniformly dispersing light emitted from the light source; and
It is coupled to the back of the light guide layer, and includes a lower button in which the light source is inserted in the center,
The lower button is
And a stepped portion extending outwardly of the buttonhole and caught inside the buttonhole.

The method of claim 1,
The upper button,
A mobile terminal comprising a transparent acrylic sheet in which a reflective layer is laminated on a portion corresponding to a light shielding portion at the center of the rear surface.

The method of claim 2,
A mobile terminal, characterized in that the printed layer is formed between the reflective layer and the acrylic sheet to block the light of the light source and implement the color of the front of the top button.

The method of claim 1,
The lower button is
A mobile terminal covering side surfaces of the upper button and the light guide layer and having a top portion exposed to a front surface of the top button.

delete

The method of claim 1,
The lower button is a mobile terminal, characterized in that made of a metal material.

The method of claim 1,
The light guide layer is a mobile terminal, characterized in that one of a light guide film or a transparent acrylic made of a transparent material having a fine light diffusion pattern.

The method of claim 1,
The lower button includes a reflective layer reflecting light incident on the lower surface of the light guide layer,
The upper button is a mobile terminal, characterized in that for covering the light shield on the upper surface of the light guide layer made of a metal material.

The method of claim 1,
And a reflective dome inserted into the center of the optical guide layer and having a concave reflective surface.

The method of claim 9,
And the reflective dome comprises a light channel extending laterally from the concave reflective surface.