KR20090006460A - Touch input device and portable terminal having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable terminal including a touch input device for inputting one or more signals according to touch pressure is provided to input a first signal according to the touch of a touch key. A first touch(50) is arranged to be exposed to the front side of the terminal body by outside. The first signal is generated. A second touch(60) is located under the first touch and non-conductive layer(70). If a user more suppresses the first touch, the first signal and the other signal are generated. One or more signal is generated according to the pressure of the first touch.

Description

TOUCH INPUT DEVICE AND PORTABLE TERMINAL HAVING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a portable terminal having a touch screen for inputting information by a touch method.

A portable terminal is a portable device that is portable and has one or more functions such as voice and video calling, information input and output, and data storage.

As the functions are diversified, for example, the mobile terminal has complex functions such as taking a picture or video, playing a music or video file, playing a game, and receiving a broadcast, and is realized in the form of a comprehensive multimedia player. It is becoming.

Many new attempts are being applied to these multimedia devices in terms of hardware or software to implement complex functions. 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 portable terminal is regarded as a personal portable product for expressing one's personality, various designs are required.

Currently, a mobile terminal is used as a method of inputting information such as a push type and a touch type, and among these, the touch type has been increasingly used in accordance with the trend of increasing the design of the terminal and increasing the size of the display.

The present invention is to provide a portable terminal having a touch input device for inputting information by a touch method.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a portable terminal having a touch input device that can input one or more signals according to the pressure to touch.

A portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above object is disposed to be exposed to the outside, the first touch unit for generating a first signal when the surface is touched, and the first touch unit below the first touch unit And a non-conductive layer, and when the first touch part is pressed, the second touch part is configured to be in contact with the first touch part and to generate a plurality of signals different from the first signal according to the pressure of the first touch part. There is a feature that can generate one or more signals.

A display unit displaying a touch key area may be installed on a bottom surface of the second touch unit.

The first touch unit may be configured as a touch pad that generates a signal by a capacitive method, and the second touch unit may be configured by a touch pad that generates a signal by a resistive pressure method.

The mobile terminal configured as described above implements a touch input device capable of inputting at least one signal according to the pressure to be touched, and when the touch key is touched, the first signal is input and the pressure to press the touch key is touched. Accordingly, a plurality of signals different from the first signal may be input, thereby making it convenient to use and reducing the number of touch keys.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

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

The portable terminal of the present invention includes a first body 10 and a second body 20 configured to be slidable in at least one direction on the first body 10.

A state in which the first body 10 is disposed to overlap the second body 20 may be referred to as a closed configuration, and as shown in the drawing, the first body 10 may be referred to as the second body 20. The exposed state of at least a portion of the N may be referred to as an open configuration.

The portable terminal operates mainly in the standby mode in a closed state, but the standby mode may be released by a user's operation. In addition, although the portable terminal operates mainly in a call mode or the like in an open state, the portable terminal may be switched to a standby mode by a user's operation or a lapse of a predetermined time.

The case (casing, housing, cover, etc.) forming the exterior of the first body 10 is formed by the front case 11 and the rear case 12. Various electronic components are embedded in the space formed by the front case 11 and the rear case 12.

At least one intermediate case may be further disposed between the front case 11 and the rear case 12.

The cases may be formed by injecting a synthetic resin or may be formed of a metal material, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).

The display unit 13, the audio output unit 14, the first image input unit 15, or the first manipulation unit 16 may be disposed on the first body 10, specifically, the front case 11.

The display unit 13 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) module, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) module, and the like that visually express information.

In addition, the display unit 13 may further include a touch screen to enable input of information by a user's touch.

The sound output unit 14 may be implemented in the form of a receiver or a speaker.

The first image input unit 15 may be implemented in the form of a camera module for capturing an image or a video of a user.

The first manipulation unit 16 receives a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Like the first body 10, the front case 21 and the rear case 22 may form a case of the second body 20.

The second manipulator 23 may be disposed on the second body 20, specifically, on the front face of the front case 21.

The third manipulation unit 24, the first sound input unit 25, and the interface 26 may be disposed on at least one of the front case 21 and the rear case 22.

The first to third manipulators 16, 23, and 24 may be collectively referred to as manipulating portions, and may be employed in any manner as long as the user is tactile in a tactile manner.

For example, the operation unit may be implemented as a dome switch or a touch screen that can receive a command or information by a user's push or touch operation, a touch pad, or a wheel or jog method that rotates a key, or a manipulation method such as a joystick. Or the like.

In functional terms, the first operation unit 16 is for inputting commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 23 is for inputting numbers, letters, symbols, and the like.

In addition, the third manipulation unit 24 may operate as a hot-key that performs a special function such as activation of the first image input unit 15.

The first sound input unit 25 may be implemented in the form of a microphone, for example, to receive a user's voice, other sounds, and the like.

The interface 26 serves as a passage for allowing a portable terminal related to the present invention to exchange data with an external device. For example, the interface 26 may be wired or wireless, and a connection terminal for connecting to an earphone, a port for short-range communication (for example, an infrared port (IrDA port), a Bluetooth port, a wireless LAN port ( wireless LAN port), or at least one of power supply terminals for supplying power to the mobile terminal.

The interface 26 may be a card socket for receiving an external card, such as a subscriber identification module (SIM) or a user identity module (UIM), a memory card for storing information.

On the rear case 22 side, a power supply unit 27 for supplying power to the portable terminal is mounted. The power supply unit 27 may be detachably coupled for charging, for example, as a rechargeable battery.

2 is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, a second image input unit 28 may be additionally mounted on the rear surface of the rear case 22 of the second body 20. The second image input unit 28 may be a camera having a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the first image input unit 15 (see FIG. 1) and having different pixels from the first image input unit.

For example, the first image input unit 15 has a low pixel so that the user's face is photographed and transmitted to the counterpart in case of a video call, and the second image input unit 28 immediately photographs a general subject. It is preferable to have a high pixel because it is not transmitted in many cases.

The flash 29 and the mirror 30 are further disposed adjacent to the second image input unit 28. The flash 29 emits light toward the subject when the subject is photographed by the second image input unit 28. The mirror unit 30 allows the user to see his / her own face or the like when the user wants to photograph himself (self-photographing) by using the second image input unit 28.

The second sound output unit 31 may be further disposed on the lower cover 22.

The second sound output unit 31 may implement a stereo function together with the first sound output unit 14 (see FIG. 1), and may be used for a call in a speakerphone mode.

In addition, an antenna 32 for receiving a broadcast signal may be disposed on one side of the lower cover 22 in addition to an antenna for a call or the like. The antenna 32 may be installed to be pulled out from the second body 20.

A portion of the slide module 33 that slidably couples the first body 10 and the second body 20 to the rear case 12 side of the first body 10 is disposed.

The other part of the slide module 33 may be disposed on the front case 21 side of the second body 20, and may not be exposed to the outside as shown in the drawing.

In the above description, the second image input unit 28 is disposed on the second body 20, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, at least one or more of the components 28 to 32 described as disposed on the lower cover 22, such as the second image input unit 28, may be disposed on the first body 10, mainly the lower cover 12. It is also possible to be mounted. If so, there is an advantage that the configuration (s) arranged in the lower cover 12 in the closed state are protected by the second body 20. In addition, even if the second image input unit 28 is not separately provided, the first image input unit 15 may be rotatably formed so that photography can be taken up to the photographing direction of the second image input unit 28.

3 is a cross-sectional view of a touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed on the surface of the display unit 13 and applied to a touch screen for inputting information by a touch method. However, the touch input device is not limited to the touch screen but may be applied to any input device capable of inputting information by a touch method such as a touch keypad.

The touch input device is disposed to be exposed to the outside of the front of the terminal body 10 to generate a first signal when the user touches the first touch part 50, the first touch part 50, and the non-conductive layer 70. When the first touch unit 50 is further pressed, the first touch unit 50 is contacted with the first touch unit 50 to generate a signal different from the first signal, and one or more signals according to the pressure of the first touch unit 50 are pressed. It is comprised including the 2nd touch part 60 etc. which generate | occur | produce.

The touch input device is disposed on the upper surface of the display unit 13 and touches a key region displayed on the display unit 13 to input information.

The first touch unit 50 is attached to the first touch pad 52 to which information is input by a user's touch operation and the upper surface of the first touch pad 52 to protect the first touch pad 52. It comprises a first protective film (54).

Here, the first touch pad 52 may be a capacitive type. In the capacitive method, when a part of a user's body, ie, a finger contacts a surface of the first touch pad 52, a static electricity flowing out of a finger is recognized to generate a signal corresponding to a touched portion.

The protective film 54 may be a PET film (Polyethylene Terephthalate Film).

When the second touch unit 60 is in contact with the first touch unit 50, the second touch pad 62 is electrically connected to the first touch unit 50 to generate a signal, and the second touch pad And a protective film 64 attached to the lower surface of the 62 to protect the second touch pad 62.

Here, the second touch pad 62 may be a resistive pressure method. The second touch pad 60 may generate one or more signals according to the strength of the pressure applied to the second touch pad 60.

In the resistive pressure method, when the touch pad is pressed by a hand or a pen, the touch pad is pressed while being directly contacted to change a voltage flowing in an electric circuit to generate a signal.

The non-conductive layer 70 has a predetermined space formed between the first touch unit 50 and the second touch unit 60, and is filled in the space so that the first touch unit 50 and the second touch unit 60 are filled. Keep the insulation insulated. The non-conductive layer 70 may be one of a method of filling air into a space, a method of filling a non-conductive liquid, and a method of filling a non-conductive viscous body.

When the non-conductive layer 70 uses a method of filling air into the space between the first touch unit 50 and the second touch unit 60, between the first touch unit 50 and the second touch unit 60. A plurality of separators may be installed to space the gaps. That is, separation foils having a predetermined height are installed in a space between the first touch unit 50 and the second touch unit 60 at a predetermined interval so that between the first touch unit 50 and the second touch unit 60. To maintain the spacing.

The non-conductive layer 70 insulates between the first touch unit 50 and the second touch unit 60 in addition to the above method, and when the first touch unit 50 is pressed, the first touch unit 50 and the second touch unit 50 are pressed. Any material that can be electrically connected to the touch unit 60 in contact with each other can be applied.

4 is an operation state diagram of a touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the operation of the touch input device configured as described above, when the user touches the surface of the first touch pad 52 mounted on the front of the terminal body, the static electricity flowing in the user's body in a capacitive manner is touched through the user's body. The first touch pad 52 recognizes the static electricity of the touched portion and generates a first signal corresponding thereto.

In addition, when the user presses by applying pressure while touching the first touch pad 52, the first touch pad 52 is elastically deformed downward and the first touch pad 52 is the second touch pad 62. Is in contact. Then, the voltage of the pressed portion of the second touch pad 62 is changed to generate a second signal corresponding thereto.

In addition, at least one or more signals may be generated according to the strength of the pressure for pressing the second touch pad 62.

When the user touches the surface of the touch input device, a first signal corresponding to the touched part is input, and when the user touches the surface of the touch input device while touching the surface of the touch input device, A second signal different from the one signal is input. In addition, one or more signals may be input according to the strength of the pressure for pressing the touch input device.

The touch input device described above is not limited to the slide type illustrated in FIG. 1, but may be applied to a portable terminal having various structures such as a bar type, a folder type, and a swing type.

5 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention outputs a wireless communication unit 41 for performing wireless communication with an external device, an input unit 42 for inputting data or control information, and audio or video information. An output unit 43, a memory 44 for storing information related to various programs or data, a broadcast receiving unit 45 for receiving a broadcast signal, and a control unit 40 for controlling each component. .

The wireless communication unit 41 performs wireless communication with an external terminal or server through a wireless communication network under the control of the control unit 40. Wireless communications may include voice, video and data communications. The wireless communication unit 41 includes a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving wireless signals for wireless communication.

The input unit 42 includes an operation unit 16, 23, 24, an image input unit 15, 28, a sound input unit 25, a sensing unit, or the like.

The operation units 16, 23, and 24 generate signals according to the user's operation and apply the signals to the control unit 40.

The image input unit 15 or 28 captures a still image or a moving image in a video call mode or a shooting mode, and the captured image data is applied to the controller 40.

The sound input unit 25 receives an external sound in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, generates a signal corresponding thereto, and applies the signal to the controller 40.

The sensing unit detects a current state of the terminal, such as an open / closed state of the terminal, a terminal position, or whether the body is in contact with the human body, and applies the detection result to the controller 40.

The output unit 43 includes a display unit 13, sound output units 14 and 31, a vibration unit, a light generation unit, and the like.

The display 13 displays an image output when various status information of a terminal and a function are performed under the control of the controller 40.

The sound output units 14 and 31 output sound signals received from the outside under the control of the controller 40 or sound signals related to various functions performed in the terminal.

The vibrator serves to vibrate the terminal by the control of the control unit 40, and the light generating unit emits light under the control of the control unit 40 and is used for lighting or as an indicator.

The memory 44 may store a program for controlling the function of each component or a user interface (UI) program for receiving a broadcast and accessing the Internet, or input / output data. This memory 44 includes a hard disk, card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory, etc.), flash memory, RAM, ROM, and the like.

The broadcast receiver 45 receives a broadcast signal transmitted through satellite or terrestrial wave under the control of the controller 40. In addition, the broadcast receiver 45 may receive additional information related to the broadcast (for example, an electronic service guide (ESG), a channel list, a time table, etc.) or URL information.

The interface 26 transmits a signal transmitted from an external device to the terminal under control of the controller 40 or transmits a signal output from the terminal to the external device.

The power supply unit 27 supplies power required for the operation of each component.

6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an application example of a touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6A, when the “1 / A” key of the touch keys 81 displayed on the touch screen 80 is touched, the touch key area touched by the first touch pad 52 corresponds to the touch key area. A signal is generated and the signal is input to the controller. And "1" is displayed on the touch screen 80.

As shown in FIG. 6B, when the "1 / A" key is touched and pressed, the first touch pad 52 is pressed and in contact with the second touch pad 62 so that the second touch pad 62 is touched. A signal is generated and the signal is input to the controller. Then, "A" is displayed on the touch screen 80.

7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating another application example of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As another application example of the touch input device, first, when one of a plurality of icons displayed on the touch screen 80 is touched as illustrated in FIG. 7A, an icon corresponding to the touched area of the first touch pad 52 ( 84) is selected. As shown in FIG. 7B, when the pressure applied while the selected icon 84 is touched is gradually increased, the pressure applied to the second touch pad 62 is gradually increased to increase the size of the icon 84. A signal that gradually increases is input.

8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating another application example of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 8A, when a plurality of pictures displayed on the touch screen 80 are dragged and dragged, any one of the pictures 82 is touched on the touched area of the first touch pad 52. The corresponding picture 82 is enlarged and displayed on the touch screen 80.

As shown in FIG. 8B, if the pressure to be pressed while the selected picture 82 is touched gradually is increased, the selected picture may be gradually enlarged, and if the pressure to be pressed again is gradually reduced, the picture is gradually reduced. Can be.

As another example, when the camera is photographed, the focusing function is performed by touching the shutter key, and the photographing function is performed by pressing the shutter key above the set pressure.

In addition to these functions, it is possible to apply to any function that can generate at least two signals using one touch key.

In the above described exemplary embodiments of the present invention by way of example, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments as described above, the general knowledge in the technical field belonging to the present invention within the scope described in the claims It can be changed appropriately by the one who has

1 is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

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

3 is a cross-sectional view of a touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an operation state diagram of a touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating an application example of a touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating another application example of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating still another application example of the touch input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (14)

A first touch unit disposed to be exposed to the outside and generating a first signal when the surface is touched; The first touch unit and the non-conductive layer are disposed below the first touch unit, and when the first touch unit is pressed, the first touch unit contacts the first touch unit and generates a plurality of signals different from the first signal according to the pressure of the first touch unit. Touch input device including a second touch unit to make. The method of claim 1, And a display unit displaying a touch key area on a lower surface of the second touch unit. The method of claim 1, The first touch unit is a touch input device, characterized in that consisting of a touch pad for generating a signal by the capacitive method. The method of claim 3, wherein The touch input device, characterized in that the protective film for protecting the touch pad is mounted on the front of the touch pad. The method of claim 1, The first touch unit is a touch input device, characterized in that formed in an elastically deformable form. The method of claim 1, The second touch unit is a touch input device, characterized in that the touch pad for generating a plurality of signals in accordance with the pressure applied to the second touch unit by the resistive pressure method. The method of claim 1, The non-conductive layer is a touch input device, characterized in that the space between the first touch portion and the second touch portion is filled with air or non-conductive liquid. A terminal body; A first touch part disposed to be exposed to the outside of the terminal body and generating a first signal when the surface thereof is touched; The first touch unit and the non-conductive layer are disposed below the first touch unit, and when the first touch unit is pressed, the first touch unit contacts the first touch unit and generates a plurality of signals different from the first signal according to the pressure of the first touch unit. A mobile terminal comprising a second touch unit to make. The method of claim 8, And a display unit for displaying a touch key area on a lower surface of the second touch unit. The method of claim 8, The first touch unit is a portable terminal, characterized in that consisting of a touch pad for generating a signal by a capacitive method. The method of claim 10, The front of the touch pad is a portable terminal, characterized in that a protective film for protecting the touch pad is mounted. The method of claim 8, The first touch unit is a portable terminal, characterized in that formed in an elastically deformable form. The method of claim 8, The second touch unit is a portable terminal, characterized in that the touch pad for generating a plurality of signals in accordance with the pressure applied to the second touch unit by the resistive pressure method. The method of claim 8, The non-conductive layer is a portable terminal, characterized in that the space between the first touch portion and the second touch portion is filled with air or non-conductive liquid.

Images