KR102053198B1 - Mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention includes a terminal body having a front surface and a rear surface, a front display unit disposed on the front surface and configured to output visual information, and a rear input unit disposed on the rear surface and operable to receive a control command. The rear input unit is configured to be pressed in a case of the terminal body, and includes a frame having a seating portion, and mounted on the seating portion and outputting visual information based on an event generated from a mobile terminal toward the rear surface. It provides a mobile terminal comprising a rear display.

Description

Mobile terminal {MOBILE TERMINAL}

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal having a user input unit for receiving a control command.

Mobile terminals are portable electronic devices that are portable and have one or more functions such as voice and video calling, information input and output, and data storage.

As the functions are diversified, the mobile terminal is implemented in the form of a multimedia player having complex functions such as photographing a picture or video, playing a music or video file, receiving a broadcast, and playing a game.

Various new attempts have been applied in terms of hardware or software to implement the complex functions of such multimedia devices. For example, a user interface environment is provided for a user to search for or select a function easily and conveniently.

In addition, while the mobile terminal is regarded as a personal portable device for expressing its personality, various design forms are required. The design form includes structural changes and improvements for the user to use the mobile terminal more conveniently. As one of such structural changes and improvements, the user input unit may be considered.

For example, the user input unit may be implemented as a touch screen on a front surface or a key provided separately to receive a user input. However, the touch screen has a disadvantage in that the manipulation target is covered by a finger or a stylus pen. In order to eliminate this drawback, the key provided separately on the front or side of the terminal Darby inhibits the slimming and simple design of the terminal. Therefore, a new structure of user input that can solve these disadvantages can be considered.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile terminal capable of user input of a new type different from the conventional art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal to which a new design can be applied to the rear of the terminal.

Mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above object, a front body and a front display having a rear, disposed on the front and formed to output visual information, and disposed on the rear And a rear input unit which is formed to be operable to receive a control command, wherein the rear input unit is installed in a case of the terminal body so as to be pressed, and provided with a seating unit, and is mounted to the seating unit, And a rear display configured to output visual information based on the generated event toward the rear surface.

According to an example related to the present invention, visual information linked to the front display unit is output to the rear display.

According to another example related to the present invention, the visual information output from the front display unit is formed to be changed according to the pressing operation of the frame.

According to another example related to the present invention, the rear display is disposed to overlap the front display unit in the thickness direction of the terminal body.

According to another example related to the present invention, the frame is tilted when one side is pressed, and configured to press the side switch corresponding to the one side. The frame may be formed to generate different control commands according to the tilting direction. In addition, the side switch may be disposed corresponding to each corner or between two corners of the frame.

The rear surface of the frame may be formed to protrude a side actuator which is formed to press the side switch when the pressure of any one side.

Alternatively, the upper end of the side switch may be provided with a side actuator integrally with the side switch to press the side switch when the pressure of any one side. The frame may include a support part recessed at a rear surface facing the side switch to cover a portion of an outer side of the side actuator.

Further, the mobile terminal is disposed on the rear surface so as to be pressed and disposed to overlap with the front display unit in the thickness direction of the terminal body, and control corresponding to on / off of the front display unit by the pressing operation. The apparatus may further include a button unit configured to generate a command.

The mobile terminal may further include a flexible circuit board including a side switch pressed when the frame is tilted and a button switch pressed by a pressing operation of the button unit and mounted on a shield can installed on a circuit board. .

The camera module may further include a camera module disposed on the rear surface and configured to capture an image. When the camera module is operated, the rear display may include an image captured by the camera module. In addition, the camera module, the rear input unit and the button unit may be disposed along the longitudinal direction of the terminal body.

According to another example related to the present disclosure, the rear input unit may further include a window mounted on the frame to cover the rear display and being opaque except for a portion corresponding to the rear display. A touch sensor for sensing a touch input to the window may be provided between the window and the rear display.

If a touch on the window is detected by the touch sensor and a state change of the terminal body is detected by the sensing unit in a state in which visual information based on the event is output on the rear display, the controller is further configured to perform a function related to the event. It can be configured to execute.

The detector may be configured to detect a change in a state in which the terminal body is placed by using a proximity sensor, an illumination sensor, or a gyro sensor.

When the function related to the event is executed by the controller, the rear display may be turned off and visual information based on the event may be output to the front display.

In the state where the function related to the event is executed, when the multi-touch of the front display unit is detected, the window related to the event may be formed to pop up.

In addition, when a touch on the window is detected by the touch sensor, a pointer is displayed on the front display unit and may be configured to be movable according to a drag on the window.

The mobile terminal may further include a control unit for controlling a function of the mobile terminal, wherein the control unit may generate a control command corresponding to a touch input on the window with respect to the rear display and a pressing operation of the frame. have.

According to another example related to the present invention, the mobile terminal further includes a control unit for controlling a function of the mobile terminal, wherein the control unit controls the pressing operation of the frame according to an operation mode of the mobile terminal. Process as a control command.

According to another example related to the present invention, the visual information output from the rear display is formed to be changed according to the pressing operation of the frame.

According to another example related to the present disclosure, the front display unit is configured to detect a touch input, and a key is not placed on the front side.

According to the present invention having the above configuration, a user input unit is provided at the rear of the terminal body to implement a new type of user interface using the same. In addition, when the user input unit on the rear side replaces at least some functions of the keys provided on the existing front side and the key is not placed on the front side, the front display unit may be configured as a larger screen.

In addition, the rear input unit is configured to generate a push input by tilting, and is configured to output visual information based on an event generated in the mobile terminal through the rear display, so that various user interfaces using the same can be provided.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2a is a front perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal according to the present invention.
Figure 2b is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in Figure 2a.
3 is an exploded view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 2B;
4A and 4B are detailed exploded views and cross-sectional views of the rear input unit shown in FIG. 3, respectively.
Figures 5a and 5b is a conceptual view showing the configuration examples of the support provided on the inner surface of the shield can shown in Figure 4a.
6-11 are flowcharts and conceptual diagrams illustrating examples of operations implemented by the mobile terminal of FIG. 2B.
12 is an exploded view of a rear input unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In the present specification, the same or similar reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar configurations in different embodiments, and the description thereof is replaced with the first description. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, the suffixes "module" and "unit" for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles from each other.

The mobile terminal described herein includes a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), 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 A / V input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a detection unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, and an interface. The unit 170, the controller 180, and the power supply unit 190 may be included. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, so that the mobile terminal 100 may have more components or fewer components.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules that enable wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and a 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, a location information module 115, and the like. .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives a broadcast signal 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 mean a server that generates and transmits a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information or a server that receives a previously generated broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information and transmits the same to a terminal. The broadcast signal may include not only a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, and a data broadcast signal, but also a broadcast signal having a data broadcast signal combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast related information may mean information related to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or 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, it may exist in the form of Electronic Program Guide (EPG) of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) or Electronic Service Guide (ESG) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

The broadcast receiving module 111 may include, for example, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), Media Forward Link Only (MediaFLO), and Digital Video Broadcast (DVB-H). Digital broadcast signals can be received using digital broadcasting systems such as Handheld and Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB-T). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be configured to be suitable for not only the above-described digital broadcasting system but also other broadcasting systems.

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 a wireless signal with 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 according to transmission and reception of a voice call signal, a video call call signal, or a text / multimedia message.

The wireless internet module 113 refers to a module for wireless internet access and may be embedded or external to the mobile terminal 100. Wireless Internet technologies may include Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), Wireless Broadband (Wibro), World Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), and the like.

The short range communication module 114 refers to a module for short range communication. As a short range communication technology, Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like may be used.

The location information module 115 is a module for obtaining a location of the mobile terminal 100, and a representative example thereof is a GPS (Global Position System) module.

Referring to FIG. 1, the A / V 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 call mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame may be displayed on the front display unit 151 and / or the rear display unit 155.

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 generates input data for the user to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure / capacitance), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 is a mobile terminal 100 such as an open / closed state of the mobile terminal 100, a location of the mobile terminal 100, a presence or absence of a user contact, an orientation of the mobile terminal 100, an acceleration / deceleration of the mobile terminal 100, and the like. A sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100 is generated by detecting the current state. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it may sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. In addition, whether the power supply unit 190 is supplied with power, whether the interface unit 170 is coupled to the external device may be sensed. The detector 140 may include a proximity sensor 141, an illumination sensor 142, and a gyro sensor 143.

The output unit 150 is used to generate an output related to visual, auditory or tactile senses, and includes a front display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, and a haptic module 154. May be included.

The front 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 photographed and / or received images, a UI, and a GUI.

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

Some of these displays may be configured to be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through them. 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 front display unit 151 may also be configured as a light transmissive structure. By this structure, the user can see the object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the front display unit 151 of the terminal body.

When the front display unit 151 and a sensor for detecting a touch operation (hereinafter referred to as a touch sensor) form a mutual layer structure (hereinafter referred to as a touch screen), the front display unit 151 outputs the same. In addition to the device can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have, for example, a form of a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

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

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal 100 surrounded by the touch screen or near the touch screen. The proximity sensor 141 refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or an object present in the vicinity without using a mechanical contact by using an electromagnetic force or infrared rays. The proximity sensor 141 has a longer life and higher utilization than a contact sensor.

Examples of the proximity sensor 141 include a transmission photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor. When the touch screen is capacitive, the touch screen is configured to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field according to the proximity of the pointer. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor 141.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of allowing the pointer to be recognized without being in contact with the touch screen so that the pointer is located on the touch screen is referred to as a "proximity touch", and the touch The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch." The position where the proximity touch is performed by the pointer on the touch screen refers to a position where the pointer is perpendicular to the touch screen when the pointer is in proximity proximity.

The proximity sensor 141 detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (for example, a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, and a proximity touch movement state). Information corresponding to the sensed proximity touch operation and proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

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

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

In addition to vibration, the haptic module 154 may be configured to provide a pin array that vertically moves with respect to the contact skin surface, a jetting force or suction force of air through the jetting or suction port, grazing to the skin surface, contact of the electrode, electrostatic force, and the like. Various tactile effects can be generated, such as effects by the endothermic and the reproduction of a sense of cold using the elements capable of endotherm or heat generation.

The haptic module 154 may not only deliver the haptic effect through direct contact, but also may implement the user to feel the haptic effect through a muscle sense such as a finger or an arm. Two or more haptic modules 154 may be provided according to configuration aspects of the mobile terminal 100.

A rear display unit 155 corresponding to the front display unit 151 is provided at the rear of the mobile terminal 100. The rear display unit 155 has a smaller size than the front display unit 151 and may be formed to display relatively simple information.

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

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), RAM (Random Access Memory, RAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), Magnetic Memory, Magnetic It may include a storage medium of at least one type of disk, optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in connection with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 160 on the Internet.

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

The identification module is a chip that stores various types of information for authenticating the usage rights of the mobile terminal 100, and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identify module (SIM), and a universal user authentication module ( Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. A device equipped with an identification module (hereinafter referred to as an 'identification device') may be manufactured in the form of a smart card. Therefore, the identification device may be connected to the terminal 100 through a port.

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

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, perform related control and processing for voice calls, data communications, video calls, and the like. The controller 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for playing multimedia. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the controller 180 or may be implemented separately from the controller 180.

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing a writing input or a drawing input performed on the touch screen as text and an image, respectively.

The power supply unit 190 receives an external power source and an internal power source under the control of the controller 180 to supply power for operation of each component.

Various embodiments described herein may be implemented 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 include application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like. It may be implemented using at least one of processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing other functions. These may be implemented by the controller 180.

In a software implementation, embodiments such as procedures or functions may be implemented with separate software modules that allow at least one function or operation to be performed. The software code may be implemented by a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software code may be stored in the memory 160 and executed by the controller 180.

Referring to the user input unit 130 again, in the present invention, the user input unit 130 may be disposed at the rear of the terminal, and thus the front display may be formed into a larger screen. Hereinafter, the detailed structure in which the user input unit 130 is disposed on the rear surface and the operation implemented by the same will be described in more detail.

2A is a front perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal 200 according to the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal 200 shown in FIG. 2A.

The disclosed mobile terminal 200 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 terminal body includes a casing (casing, housing, cover, etc.) forming an external appearance. In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 201, a rear case 202, and a battery cover 203. Various elements are built in the space formed between the front case 201 and the rear case 202. At least one middle case may be further disposed between the front case 201 and the rear case 202.

The cases may be formed by injecting a synthetic resin, or may be formed to have a metal material such as stainless steel (STS), titanium (Ti), aluminum (Al), or the like.

The front display unit 251, the audio output module 252, the camera module 221, and the like may be disposed in the terminal body, mainly the front case 201. A microphone 222, a side input unit 232, an interface 270, and the like may be disposed on side surfaces of the front case 201 and the rear case 202.

The front display unit 251 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 201. That is, the front display unit 251 is disposed on the front surface of the terminal body to output visual information. The sound output module 252 and the camera module 221 are disposed in regions adjacent to one end of both ends of the front display 251, and the front input unit 231 is disposed in the region adjacent to the other end.

The front input unit 231 may include a plurality of manipulation units as an example of the user input unit 130 (see FIG. 1). The manipulation units may also be referred to collectively as a manipulating portion, and may be employed in any manner as long as the user is operating with a tactile feeling. In this embodiment, the front input unit 231 is configured with a touch key. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a push key may be added to the front input unit 231.

In addition, the front display unit 251 may form a touch screen together with a touch sensor. In this case, the touch screen may be the user input unit 130. Through this, the configuration without the front input unit 231 on the front of the terminal is also possible. In this case, the mobile terminal 200 may be configured such that an input operation to the terminal body is possible only through the front display unit 251 and the rear input unit 233 to be described later.

The side input unit 232 configured as another example of the user input unit 130 may provide a command such as adjusting the volume of the sound output from the sound output module 252 or switching to the touch recognition mode of the front display unit 251. You can receive input.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a camera module 221 ′ may be additionally mounted on the rear of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 202. The camera module 221 ′ has a photographing direction substantially opposite to the camera 221 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera module 221.

For example, the front camera module 221 has a low pixel so that it is easy to photograph the user's face and transmit it to the other party in case of a video call, and the rear camera module 221 'captures a general subject. It is desirable to have a high pixel because it is often not transmitted immediately. The camera modules 221 and 221 ′ may be installed in the terminal body in a rotatable or pop-up manner.

A flash 223 and a mirror (not shown) may be further disposed adjacent to the camera module 221 ′. The flash 223 emits light toward the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera module 221 ′. The mirror allows the user to see his / her face or the like when photographing (self-photographing) the user using the camera module 221 '.

The sound output module 252 'may be further disposed on the rear of the terminal body. The rear audio output module 252 ′ may implement a stereo function together with the front audio output module 252 (see FIG. 2A), and may be used to implement a speakerphone mode during a call.

The terminal body is equipped with a power supply unit 290 for supplying power to the mobile terminal 200. The power supply unit 290 may be built in the terminal body or may be directly detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

According to the illustration, the rear input unit 233 is disposed on the rear of the terminal body. The rear input unit 233 may be located adjacent to the camera module 221 ′, for example.

The rear input unit 233 is manipulated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 200, and the input content may be variously set. For example, commands such as power on / off, start, end, scrolling, adjusting the volume of sound output from the audio output modules 252 and 252 ', or switching to the touch recognition mode of the display module 251. You can get the same command.

The rear input unit 233 of the present invention is implemented in the form of a push input, and comprises a rear display unit 255 corresponding to the front display unit 251 including a rear display 233b. Hereinafter, the configuration of the rear input unit 233 will be described in more detail.

3 is an exploded view of the mobile terminal 200 shown in FIG. 2B.

Referring to FIG. 3, a circuit board (PCB) 280 is embedded in the terminal body. The circuit board 280 may be mounted to, for example, the front case 201 or the rear case 202, or may be mounted on a separate structure. The separate structure may be a middle case (not shown). Hereinafter, a structure in which the front case 201 and the rear case 202 are separately provided will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the cases 201 and 202 may be integrally formed.

The circuit board 280 is configured as an example of the controller 180 (see FIG. 1) for operating various functions of the mobile terminal 200. The circuit board 280 may be provided in plural, and may perform a function of the controller 180 by combining with each other. In order to perform this function, the circuit board 280 is equipped with various electronic devices.

The rear case 202 is formed with a battery accommodating portion 292 for accommodating the battery 291, the battery cover 203 is detachably configured to the rear case 202 to cover the battery accommodating portion 292. Unlike the above structure in which the battery 291 is detachable, the battery 291 may be built in the terminal body to be detachable.

According to the illustration, the camera module 221 ′ is electrically connected to the circuit board 280. The camera module 221 ′ includes a lens unit for capturing an image through a lens and is exposed to the rear side of the terminal body to capture an external image of the rear side.

The rear of the terminal body is provided with a rear input unit 233 that is operable to receive a control command. Through holes 202a and 203a corresponding to the rear input unit 233 may be formed in the rear case 202 and the battery cover 203, respectively.

The rear input unit 233 may be disposed to overlap the front display unit 251 of the front side in the thickness direction of the terminal body. For example, the rear input unit 233 may be disposed at the rear upper end of the terminal body to be easily manipulated using the index finger when the user grips the terminal body with one hand. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and the position of the rear input unit 233 may be changed.

Since the rear input unit 233 is provided on the rear side of the terminal body, a new type user interface using the same may be implemented. In addition, the rear input unit 233 replaces at least some functions of the keys provided in the existing front, and when the front input unit 231 is not placed on the front, the front display unit 251 on the front is larger than the large screen. It can be composed of).

Hereinafter, the detailed structure of the rear input unit 233 will be described in more detail.

4A and 4B are detailed exploded views and cross-sectional views of the rear input unit 233 shown in FIG. 3, respectively.

3, the rear input unit 233 includes a frame 233a and a rear display 233b.

The frame 233a is installed in a case of the terminal body, for example, in a rear case as shown in a push operation manner. The pressing operation includes an operation in which a central portion of the frame 233a is pressed to move the entire frame 233a downward, as well as an operation in which one side of the frame 233a is pressed and tilted. The outer circumference of the frame 233a may be formed to protrude the locking portion 233a-2 so that the frame 233a may be configured to be locked to the rear surface of the rear case 202. The frame 233a includes a seating portion 233a-1 forming a space for mounting the rear display 233b.

The visual information output from the front display unit 251 may be formed to be changed according to the pressing operation of the frame 233a. Accordingly, the user may change the visual information by controlling the front display unit 251 by pressing the rear frame 233a while viewing the visual information output from the front display unit 251.

In the present embodiment, it is shown that the frame 233a is tilted and configured to be pressed. Specifically, the frame 233a is configured to tilt when one side is pressed to press the side switch 233f corresponding to the one side. The side switch 233f may be disposed to correspond to each corner or between two corners of the frame 233a. In the drawing, the frame 233a is formed in a rectangular shape, and an edge portion corresponding to each side is configured to be tiltable, and the side switch 233f is disposed at each middle portion of each edge portion.

The frame 233a may be configured to generate different control commands according to the tilting direction. As shown in the drawing, when the frame 233a is formed in a quadrangular shape and the edge portion corresponding to each side is configured to be tiltable, the frame 233a may function as a volume key, direction keys for up, down, left, and right.

In addition, the controller 180 may process the pressing operation of the frame 233a as a control command having different functions according to the operation mode of the mobile terminal 200. For example, in the Internet search or document viewing mode, scrolling is performed when the frames 233a are tilted to both sides of the terminal body in the longitudinal direction, respectively, and the frames 233a are tilted to both sides of the terminal body in the width direction. If so, the page turning function may be performed. On the other hand, in the music and video playback modes, when the frame 233a is tilted to both sides of the terminal body in the longitudinal direction, a function related to volume control is performed, and the frame 233a is to both sides in the width direction of the terminal body. When tilting, a function related to the turning of the playlist may be performed.

The upper end of the side switch 233f may be equipped with a side actuator 233g configured to press the side switch 233f when the one side of the frame 233a is pressed. Since the side actuator 233g is integrally formed on the side switch 233f, a phenomenon in which the side switch 233f is not pressed when the frame 233a is not pressed is not pressed when the frame 233a is tilted. . The side actuator 233g is preferably formed of a material such as rubber, silicone, urethane, or the like so that slippage is prevented when the side actuator 233g comes in contact with the frame 233a.

When the side actuator 233g is pressed while the frame 233a is tilted, the side actuator 233g acts on the side actuator 233g as well as the vertical force that presses the side switch 233f. As a result, the durability of the side actuator 233g may be degraded by frequent tilting of the frame 233a. In order to solve this problem, the frame 233a may include a support part 233a-3 which is recessed at a rear surface facing the side switch 233f to cover an outer portion of the side actuator 233g. The support 233a-3 is configured to limit the side actuator 233g from being laterally deformed when the frame 233a is tilted.

The rear display 233b is mounted on the seating portion 233a-1, and is configured to output visual information based on an event generated in the mobile terminal 200 toward the rear of the terminal body. In addition, the rear display 233b has a smaller size than the front display and may be formed to display relatively simple information. For example, the rear display 233b may be configured to simply display information related to time, notification of an application, an incoming call, an incoming message, and the like. The rear display 233b includes a rear configuration 255 corresponding to the front display 251, including other components such as the window 233c.

Visual information linked with the front display unit 251 may be output to the rear display 233b. For example, some of the visual information displayed on the front display unit 251 may be output to the rear display 233b. For example, when a call is received, the front display unit 251 may be configured to output a phone number and corresponding information (name, picture, etc.) in some cases, and output only a name on the rear display 233b. .

The window 233c may be mounted to the frame 233a to cover the rear display 233b. The window 233c may be opaque except for a portion corresponding to the rear display 233b. For example, the opaque material may be formed to cover the rear surface of the window 233c except for a portion corresponding to the rear display 233b by printing or deposition.

The touch sensor 233d is disposed between the window 233c and the rear display 233b to detect a touch input on the window 233c with respect to the rear display 233b. The touch sensor 233d is electrically connected to the circuit board 280 by a connector and may be configured as a capacitive or positive pressure touch sensor.

The button unit 234 which is formed to be pushable on the rear surface of the terminal body may be disposed adjacent to the rear input unit 233. The button unit 234 is disposed to overlap the front display unit 251 in the thickness direction of the terminal body. The button unit 234 may be configured to generate a control command corresponding to on / off of the front display unit 251 by pressing. The button unit 234 may be formed to generate a control command corresponding to the on / off of the mobile terminal 200 when the pressing operation continues for a predetermined time or more.

The button portion 234 is exposed to the outside through the through holes 202b and 203b. The outer circumference of the button portion 234 is formed so that the locking portion 234a protrudes so that the button portion 234 can be locked to the rear surface of the rear case 202. On the back surface of the button portion 234, a button switch 234b pressurized by the button actuator 234c during the pressing operation of the button portion 234 is provided. The button switch 234b may be provided on the flexible circuit board 233e described above or a separate flexible circuit board.

The flexible circuit board 233e may be supported by a supportable internal structure or may be installed on a shield can 281 installed on the circuit board 280 as shown. The shield can 281 is disposed to cover at least one electronic device to shield the EMI, and serves to supplement the rigidity of the circuit board 280.

5A and 5B showing the inner surface of the shield can 281, the ends of the shield can 281 formed of a metal material are bent in the form of a wall 281a to be supported on the circuit board 280. do.

The shield can 281 may include support parts 281b and 281c that protrude from the inner side and are supported on the circuit board 280. Support portions 281b and 281c are configured to support side switch 233f and button switch 234b together with wall 281a. The support portions 281b and 281c may protrude in the form of a boss as shown in FIG. 5A or protrude in the form of a bar as shown in FIG. 5B. The support portions 281b and 281c may be disposed to overlap the side switch 233f disposed adjacent to the button switch 234b, and the wall 281a may be adjacent to the remaining side switch 233f and the button switch 234b. Can be arranged. According to this, each of the switches 233f and 234b may be firmly supported by the wall 281a or the support parts 281b and 281c.

The camera module 221 ′ may be disposed at a position adjacent to the rear input unit 233. As shown, the camera module 221 ′, the rear input unit 233, and the button unit 234 may be disposed along the longitudinal direction of the terminal body. According to this arrangement relationship, a more advanced rear design can be implemented with a sense of unity.

6 through 11 are flowcharts and conceptual views illustrating examples of operations implemented by the mobile terminal 200 of FIG. 2B.

First, referring to FIG. 6, the controller 180 uses a sensor (eg, a proximity sensor 241, an illuminance sensor 242, a gyro sensor 143, etc.) of the detector 140. The controller 200 may detect a state in which the 200 is placed, and turn on any one of the front display unit 251 and the rear display unit 255, and turn off the other one.

For example, when the mobile terminal 200 is placed in the state that the front is placed on the floor 10 and the rear is facing up (event occurs, S100), the controller 180 uses the sensor. By detecting the state in which the terminal body is placed (S200 and S300), the front display unit 251 may be configured to be turned off and to output visual information related to a telephone to the rear display unit 255 (S400 and S500).

Furthermore, when the user lifts the mobile terminal 200 to answer the call, the sensing unit 140 detects a change in the state in which the terminal body is placed (S600 and S700). This may be done by detecting whether the terminal body is rotated within a preset range using the gyro sensor 143. The controller 180 may be configured to turn on the front display unit 251 on the basis thereof, to output visual information related to the event, and to turn off the rear display unit 255 (S800 and S900).

According to this, when an event occurs, visual information related thereto is displayed only on a display unit which can be easily checked by the user, thereby minimizing power consumption.

Referring to FIG. 7, an image captured by the camera module 221 ′ may be output to the rear display 233b when the camera module 221 ′ is operated. According to this, in the case of self-taking using the camera module 221 ', the user sees the rear display 233b corresponding to the image frame F to be photographed and wants to take a picture in the image frame F. Can hold

In addition, the controller 180 may be configured to perform photographing when a touch operation on the window 233c or a pressing operation on the button unit 234 is detected. At this time, depending on the setting, after a predetermined time after the touch operation or the pressing operation may be configured to perform the shooting.

8A and 8B, when visual information based on an event is output on the rear display 233b, a touch on the window 233c is detected by the touch sensor 233d and the terminal is detected by the sensing unit 140. When a state change of the body is detected, the controller 180 may be configured to execute a function related to an event.

For example, referring to FIG. 8A together with FIG. 6, when the call signal is received while the mobile terminal 200 is disposed with the front face on the bottom 10 and the back face upward, the rear display 233b. ), Time information related thereto (eg, a call reception notification, a corresponding phone number, a name corresponding to the corresponding phone number, etc.) may be output. In this case, the front display unit 251 may be turned off using the control mechanism of the display unit using the sensing unit 140 described above with reference to FIG. 6.

When the user touches the window 233c (a) and lifts the terminal body with the front display unit 251 facing upwards, a function related to the event is executed and the screen executed on the front display unit 251 is output. (B). In this case, the rear display 233b may be turned off.

When a multi-touch on the front display unit 251 is detected while the function related to the event is executed, the window related to the event may be popped up.

For example, referring to FIG. 8B, when a multi-touch on the front display unit 251 is detected while a message received on the front display unit 251 is displayed, the keypad K is outputted to enable a reply to the message. Can be. This is when the user touches the window 233c and lifts the mobile terminal 200 with one hand (a), checks the message displayed on the front display unit 251 (b), and then responds to the mobile terminal ( (C) A user interface adapted to a series of natural user's actions of holding (200) with both hands, and the user's convenience can be increased according to the user interface.

Referring to FIG. 9A, when a touch on the window 233c is detected by the touch sensor 233d, a pointer P is displayed on the front display unit 251, and the pointer P is displayed on the window 233c. It may be configured to be movable according to the drag. In this case, when a single tap is applied to the window 233c, a corresponding application, a menu, etc. in which the pointer P is located may be manipulated. The control command generated according to the single tap may correspond to the control command generated when the front display 251 is directly touched.

Therefore, the user may control the mobile terminal 200 only by touching the window 233c on the rear side while looking at the whole without covering the front display unit 251.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 9B, when a double tap is applied to the window 233c, a control command different from that of the single tap may be generated. For example, when a home screen composed of weather, a frequently used application, or the like is displayed, when a double tap on the window 233c is applied, the application is switched to a screen in which the applications are arranged as illustrated, or the pointer P is displayed. ) May be configured to switch to the location modification mode of the corresponding application located.

Referring to FIG. 10, when a continuous touch on the window 233c of the rear input unit 233 is detected, the controller 180 captures and stores visual information output from the front display unit 251 in the memory 160. It can be formed to.

For example, when a continuous touch (drag) to the other side is made while one side of the window 233c is touched, the screen output from the front display unit 251 may be captured. In this case, the screen captured during scrolling may be set to give a visual effect (for example, formation of a scanning line) along the dragging direction.

Referring to FIG. 11, when a touch input to the front display unit 251 and a touch input to the rear input unit 233 are simultaneously performed, the controller 180 may be configured to generate a control command corresponding thereto.

For example, when the front display unit 251 and the window 233c of the rear input unit 233 are touched together, the 2D image output on the front display unit 251 may be configured to be converted into a 3D image. When the front display unit 251 and the window 233c of the rear input unit 233 are touched together while the 3D image is being output, the 3D image output to the front display unit 251 is converted into a 2D image. It may be configured to.

12 is an exploded view of the rear input unit 333 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The configuration of FIG. 12 is the same as or similar to that described above with reference to FIG. 4B. However, the side actuator 333a-4 may be formed to protrude from the rear surface of the frame 333a, not the structure provided in the side switch 333f. The side actuators 333a-4 may be formed of the same synthetic resin material as the frame 333a or may be integrally formed with the frame 333a by double injection of rubber, silicon, urethane, or the like.

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 some of the embodiments so that various modifications can be made.

Claims (20)

A terminal body having a front side and a rear side;
A front display unit disposed on the front surface and configured to output visual information; And
A rear input unit disposed on the rear surface and overlapping the front display unit in a thickness direction of the terminal body, the rear input unit being operable to receive a control command;
The rear input unit,
A frame provided to be pressed in a case of the terminal body and having a seating portion;
A rear display mounted on the seating unit and configured to output visual information based on an event generated in a mobile terminal toward the rear surface;
A window mounted to the frame to cover the rear display; And
A touch sensor disposed between the window and the rear display to sense a touch input to the window;
When the touch on the window is applied and the terminal body is rotated by a predetermined level or more while the visual information related to the event is output on the rear display, the controller executes a function related to the event.
When the function related to the event is executed by the control unit, the rear display is turned off and the front display unit outputs an execution screen of the event.
On the rear of the terminal body, a button unit is disposed adjacent to the rear input unit and pressed, and a button unit is disposed to overlap the front display unit in the thickness direction of the terminal body.
The button unit is a mobile terminal, characterized in that for generating a control command corresponding to the on / off of the front display unit by a pressing operation that lasts for a predetermined time. The method of claim 1,
And the visual information linked to the front display unit is output to the rear display. The method of claim 1,
And the visual information output from the front display is changed according to the pressing operation of the frame. The method of claim 1,
The frame is tilted when one side is pressed, and configured to press the side switch corresponding to the one side,
The side switch is a mobile terminal, characterized in that disposed correspondingly between each corner or between two corners of the frame. The method of claim 4, wherein
The rear surface of the frame is a mobile terminal, characterized in that the side actuator which is formed to press the side switch when the pressing of any one side is formed to protrude. The method of claim 4, wherein
Mobile terminal, characterized in that the upper end of the side switch is provided with a side actuator integrally formed with the side switch to press the side switch when the pressure of any one side. The method of claim 6,
The frame,
And a support portion recessed at a rear surface of the side switch facing the side switch to cover a portion of the outer side of the side actuator. The method of claim 1,
It further comprises a camera module disposed on the back and formed to shoot an image,
When the camera module is operated, the rear display is configured to output an image captured by the camera module. The method of claim 1,
In a state where a function related to the event is executed,
When the multi touch on the front display unit is detected,
And a window related to the event is popped up. The method of claim 1,
When a touch on the window is detected by the touch sensor,
The front display unit is characterized in that the pointer is displayed and configured to be movable according to the drag on the window. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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