Hereinafter, a portable terminal according to 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 includes a first body 10 and a second body 20 configured to be slidable in at least one direction on the first body 10. The first and second bodies 10 and 20 may also be referred to as bodies.
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, and 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. 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. In this embodiment, the first operation part 16 is provided with the operation member 110, 210, FIG. 2, or FIG. 4 formed so that the part exposed to the exterior of the main body may have a semicircular cross section.
Referring back to FIG. 1, similar to the first body 10, the front case 21 and the rear case 22 may form a case of the second body 20.
The second manipulation unit 23 may be disposed on the front surface of the second body 20, specifically, 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 manipulation units 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 may be for inputting a command such as start, end, scroll, etc., and the second operation unit 23 may be for inputting numbers, letters, symbols, and the like. have. 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 unit 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.
Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation and reference numerals, the first operation unit 16 will be described in more detail with reference to the input device 100 or 200.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1 to describe the input device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Referring to this drawing, the input device 100 includes an operation member 110, a force transmission unit 120, a pressing unit 130, and a signal input unit 140.
The manipulation member 110 is operably mounted to the body. In this embodiment, the operation member 110 is rotatably mounted to the main body by the rotation shaft 120 which is a force transmission unit. The grooves 111 formed on the outer surface of the manipulation member 210 relieve or prevent the sliding of the user's finger to manipulate the manipulation member 210. The rotation shaft 120 may be installed on the base 150 installed on the bottom surface of the front case 11 to protrude toward the rear case 12.
The rotation shaft 120 allows the operation member 110 to be rotated by a force applied by the user to the operation member 110 along the first directions F1 and F1 ′, so that the pressing unit 130 is moved in the second direction F2. , F2 ') is referred to as a force transmission unit in that the force can be applied to the signal input unit 140.
The pressing unit 130 has a form of a pressing protrusion protruding from the operation member 110. The pressing protrusion 130 may be formed integrally with the operation member 110, or may be coupled to the operation member 110 as a separate member. The pressing protrusion 130 may also be formed in two or more as in this embodiment. In addition, the pressing protrusion 130 is disposed to be separated from the operation member 110, but is linked to the rotation of the operation member 110 to move along the second direction (F2, F2 ') to press the signal input unit 140. It may be configured to.
The signal input unit 140 is electrically connected to the circuit board 40 (also referred to as a control unit, see FIG. 7) and is disposed adjacent to the pressing protrusion 130. If the pressing protrusion 130 is formed of two, the signal input unit 140 may also be formed of two. Furthermore, even if formed as one, it is preferable that the signal input unit 140 has two or more input regions so as to correspond to the respective pressing protrusions 130, and receives two or more signals by the two pressing protrusions 130.
As the signal input unit 140, any type of switch or sensor that can generate a signal as it is pressed by the pressing protrusion 130 may be used. As an example, a dome switch (Dome S / W) or a pressure sensor may be employed as the signal input unit 140. In addition, the pressure pad may be a type that causes a change in capacitance depending on the degree of pressure, which will be described with reference to FIG. 3.
4 is an exploded perspective view of the pressure pad 140 ′ in the form of change in capacitance depending on the degree of pressure.
Referring to this figure, the pressure pad 140 'includes first and second electrode plates 141' and 142 'and a spacer 143'. The first and second pole plates 141 ′ and 142 ′ include conductive strips electrically connected to the circuit board 40. The strips formed on the first and second pole plates 141 'and 142' are arranged to cross each other, and the crossing points become sensing points. The gap between the first and second pole plates 141 'and 142' is maintained by the spacer 143 '. The spacer 143 ′ is a material that is elastically deformable, and as the second electrode plate 142 ′ is deformed, the spacer 143 ′ is deformed as the gap between the first and second electrode plates 141 ′ and 142 ′ decreases. Allow.
If, for example, a sinusoidal wave is transmitted from the circuit board 40 to the first and second pole plates 141 'and 142', the sensing points between the first and second pole plates 141 'and 142' Charge or discharge will occur. At this time, when the second electrode plate 142 'is pressed, the gap between the first and second electrode plates 141' and 142 'is reduced, thereby causing a change in capacitance. Since the capacitance is inversely proportional to the gap between the pole plates 141 'and 142', the larger the pressing force, the larger the change in capacitance. As a result, by using the pressure pad 140 'it is possible to receive two or more signals according to the magnitude of the force for pressing the pressure pad 140'.
According to this configuration, the user can push or pull the operation member 110 in the first direction (F1, F1 '). By the force of the user's operation, the operation member 110 is rotated about the rotating shaft 120 to allow the pressing projection 130 to press the signal input unit 140. As a result, the signal input unit 140 receives an input for controlling the portable terminal, and the input of the signal input unit 140 enables scrolling of menus as illustrated in FIG. 1. During scrolling, if the user pushes the operation member 110 in one first direction F1, the cursor scrolls up the menus, and the operation member 110 in the other first direction F1 ′. Pull to scroll down through the menus.
During such scrolling, the operation member 110 rotates only within a certain range and does not rotate without limitation to 360 degrees. As a result, when the scroll is continuously performed, the user only needs to keep pushing or pulling the finger on the operation member 110 once, and the finger is rotated several times as in the case in which the operation member 110 rotates indefinitely. You do not need to move once.
As it is possible to input a plurality of signals using the operation member 110 that is seen as one externally, there is an advantage that the appearance of the terminal is simpler than to arrange separate keys for each signal. In addition, when arranging a component sensitive to external shock in the lower space (between the two signal input units 140) of the operation member 110, the component is more secured by the operation member 110 in case of falling of the terminal. It can be protected and useful.
Furthermore, if a signal input unit capable of receiving a plurality of signals, such as the pressing pad 140 'described above, is employed, when the user operates the operation member 110 to a predetermined level, a scroll function is performed by the first signal and the When a level or more force is applied to the signal input unit 140 by the manipulation of the manipulation member 110, the execution function may be performed by the second signal. As a result, the user can immediately execute the menu by simply applying a greater force to the operation member 110 without releasing a finger from the operation member 110 to execute a selected menu during scrolling. There is a convenient advantage to being able.
5 is a perspective view illustrating an input device 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of FIG. 5.
Referring to these drawings, the input device 200 includes an operation member 210, a force transmission unit 220, a pressing unit 230 and a signal input unit 240.
The operation member 210 includes a portion having a semi-circular cross section exposed to the outside through the operation hole 11 ′ of the front case 11 and a portion extending into the front case 11. Grooves 211 may be formed in the former, and insertion grooves 212 may be formed in the latter. The support groove 260 is inserted into the insertion groove 212 to support the operation member 210 so as not to be separated from the operation hole 11 ′. At this time, the thickness of the support 260 is smaller than the width of the insertion groove 212 to allow the operation member 210 to flow to a certain degree in the direction perpendicular to the front case (11). The support part 260 may be coupled to the inner surface of the front case 11 while being inserted into the insertion groove 212.
The force transmission part 220 may be rotation links 221 and 222 rotatably installed on the base 250 while being in contact with the protrusion 213 protruding from the operation member 210. The base 250 may be coupled to protrude from the inner surface of the front case 11. The rotary links 221 and 222 may include a first link 221 linked to the protrusion 213 and a second link 222 linked to the first link 221. In this case, the interlocking of the protrusion 213 and the first link 221, and the first link 221 and the second link 222 is formed to be inclined at one of the protrusions 213 and the rotary links 221 and 222. By an inclined surface or the like. With this structure, even when the protrusion 213 is moved in parallel (f1 direction), the rotary links 221 and 222 receive moments to rotate in the respective rotation directions R1 and R2. The first rotary link 221 may be formed in an elliptic shape such that both ends thereof contact the inclined surfaces, respectively.
In this embodiment, two rotary links are illustrated as the force transmission unit 220, but it is also possible to adopt only one or two or more rotary links. If one rotary link 222 is employed, when a force is applied to the operating member 210 in the first direction F1 or F1 ′, the rotary link 222 rotates to press the signal input unit 240. Can be limited.
The pressing unit 230 has a form interlocked with or coupled to or integrated with the second rotary link 222 to press the signal input unit 240 by the rotation of the second rotary link 222. In this embodiment, the pressing unit 230 is illustrated in the end portion that is not in contact with the first rotary link 221 of the second rotary link 222.
The signal input unit 240 includes a switch, a sensor, a pressure pad 140 ′, and the like, capable of generating a signal as pressed by the pressing unit 230 as in the previous embodiment. The signal input unit 240 may include first and second signal input units 241 and 242 which are formed symmetrically with respect to the operation member 210, and the force transmission unit 220 is also symmetrically corresponding thereto. It is provided. The signal input unit 240 may be formed as one, but in such a case, the signal input areas should be formed at positions corresponding to the signal input units 241 and 242, respectively.
Apart from the signal input unit 240, the dome switch 270 as illustrated as another signal input unit may be disposed at one end of the operation member 210, that is, the lower end of the pressing end 214. The dome switch 270 elastically supports the pressing end 214 of the operating member 210 while being electrically connected to the circuit board 40, and also when the operating member 210 is pressed, the signal input unit 240. Receive a separate signal from the signal input from. The force for pressurizing the signal input unit 240 is transmitted differently from the direction in which the operation member 210 is pressed by the force transmission unit 220, so that the signal input unit 240 is not immediately adjacent to the operation member 210. Can be. This allows the dome switch 270 to be disposed adjacent to the lower side of the manipulation member 210 without interfering with the operation of the signal input unit 240. As a result, it is possible to generate three or more signals by pressing or pressing the operation member 210 which is one single key externally.
Side keys 280 (also refer to FIG. 1) may be rotatably coupled to both ends of the operation member 210 in the longitudinal direction. The side key 280 is pivoted by a user's pressing operation about a line parallel to the line A-A. By this turning, the side key 280 can press another signal input unit, for example, the dome switch 290 disposed below it.
According to this configuration, when the user presses the operation member 210 in the first direction F1, F1 ′ or f1, f2, the first rotary link 221 pressed by the protrusion 213 is in one direction ( The second rotary link 222 rotates in R1 and rotates in the opposite direction R2. By the rotation of the second rotary link 222, the pressing unit 230 presses the signal input unit 240 along the second direction (F2) to generate a constant signal.
Input of two or more signals by the signal input unit 240 is similar to the first embodiment described above, but in the input device 200, the operation member 210 is parallel in the first direction along the horizontal directions f1 and f1 ′. The moving unit 230 may press the signal input unit 240 along the second direction F2 even if it moves. In addition, the operation member 210 is substantially translated in the first direction (F1, F1 'or f1, f2) rather than the rotational movement. Thus, as in the previous embodiment, the user does not have to rotate the operation member 210.
In addition, since the operation member 210 is provided with the dome switch 270 and the operation member 210 is movable toward the rear case 12, the signal can be input by pressing the operation member 210 toward the rear case 12. have. It may also be input to the signal terminal upon pressing the side key 280.
If the signal input unit 240 is a dome switch capable of receiving only one signal, the menu scrolls up and down by manipulating the operation member 210 along the first direction F1, F1 'or f1, f2. This can be enabled, and scrolling in the left and right directions can be enabled by pressing the side keys 280. In addition, by pressing the operation member 210 toward the rear case 12, the execution of the selected menu can be made. When the manipulation member 210 is operated along one direction F1, f1 in the first direction F1, F1 ′ or f1, f2, the first signal input unit 241 reacts to move upward, and a scroll is made. When the operation is performed along different directions F1 'and f1', scrolls that move downward may be performed (see FIG. 1).
If the signal input unit 240 is the pressure pad 140 'described above, the execution signal can also be input by the pressure pad 140', so when the operation member 210 is pressed down the rear case 12, the other signal is different. For example, a cancellation signal may be input. Alternatively, as the operation member 210 is operated in a downward direction, an input for implementing a hotkey function of executing a specific function, such as playing a music, may be input to the dome switch 270.
The portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the slide type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and can be applied to various structures such as a bar type, a folder type, a swing type, and the like.
7 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 7, a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a wireless communication module 41, an operation unit 16, 23, 24, an image input unit 15, 28, an audio input unit 25, a display unit ( 13), the sound output unit 14, 31, the sensing unit 46, the interface 26, the broadcast receiving module 45, the memory 44, the power supply unit 27, and the control unit 40.
The controller 40 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, perform related control and processing for voice calls, data communications, video calls, and the like.
In addition to the normal function control, the controller 40 additionally controls the operation of the portable terminal related to the present invention.
The wireless communication module 41 transmits / receives a radio signal with a mobile communication base station through an antenna. For example, under the control of the controller 40, the transmitter 42 is responsible for transmitting and receiving voice data, text data, image data, and control data, and modulates and transmits a signal to be transmitted, and a receiver for demodulating the received signal. 43).
The operation units 16, 23, and 24 are configured as shown in FIG. 1 to provide the control unit 40 with key input data input by the user for controlling the operation of the terminal. The operation unit 16, 23, 24 may be configured as the input device (100, 200) as described above, as a result provides a different advantage than the form of rotating the operation member (110, 210) without limiting the range.
The image input units 15 and 28 process image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in a video call mode or a photographing mode. The processed image frame is converted into image data displayable on the display unit 13 and output to the display unit 13.
The image frames processed by the image input units 15 and 28 are stored in the memory 44 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless transceiver 41 under the control of the controller 40.
The sound input unit 25 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 is converted into a form transmittable to the mobile communication base station through the wireless communication module 41 and output to the wireless communication module in the call mode. In the recording mode, the processed voice data is output to be stored in the memory 44.
The sound input unit 25 may implement various noise removing algorithms for removing noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.
The display unit 13 displays and outputs information processed by the portable terminal. For example, when the mobile terminal is in the call mode, the control unit 40 displays and outputs a user interface (UI) or a graphic user interface (GUI) related to the call. When the mobile terminal is in a video call mode or a photographing mode, the mobile terminal displays and outputs the captured image, UI, or GUI under the control of the controller 40. When the display unit 13 includes a touch screen, the display unit 13 is used as an input device in addition to the output device.
The sound output units 14 and 31 are sound data or memory 44 received from the wireless communication module 41 under the control of the control unit 40 in call signal reception, call mode or recording mode, voice recognition mode, broadcast reception mode, and the like. ) Converts the sound data stored in) and outputs it to the outside.
In addition, the sound output units 14 and 31 output sound signals related to functions (eg, call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the portable terminal. The sound output units 14 and 31 include a speaker, a receiver, a buzzer, and the like.
The sensing unit 46 generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the portable terminal by detecting a current state of the portable terminal such as an open / closed state of the portable terminal, a location of the portable terminal, presence or absence of a user contact. For example, when the portable terminal is in the form of a slide phone, whether the slide phone is opened or closed is sensed so as to output a sensing result to the controller 40 to control the operation of the terminal. In addition, it is responsible for sensing functions related to whether the power supply unit 27 is supplied with power, whether the interface 26 is coupled to an external device, and the like.
The interface 26 may be connected to a mobile terminal such as a wired / wireless headset, an external charger, a wired / wireless data port, a card socket (eg, a memory card, a SIM / UIM card), or the like. It serves as an interface with the device. Such an interface 26 receives data from an external device or receives power and transmits the data to each component inside the mobile terminal or transmits the data inside the mobile terminal to the external device.
The memory 44 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 40, and provides a function for temporarily storing input / output data (for example, a phone book, a message, a still image, a video, etc.). It can also be done.
The memory 44 also stores a program for controlling the operation of the portable terminal according to the present invention.
This memory 44 includes the concepts of generally known hard disks, card type memory (eg SD or XD memory, etc.), flash memory, RAM, ROM, and the like.
The broadcast receiving module 45 receives a broadcast signal transmitted through a satellite or terrestrial wave, converts the broadcast signal into a broadcast data format that can be output to the sound output units 14 and 31 and the display unit 13 and outputs it to the control unit 40. . In addition, the broadcast receiving module 45 receives additional data related to the broadcast (for example, an EPG (electric program guide), a channel list, etc.). The broadcast data and additional data converted by the broadcast receiving module 45 may be stored in the memory 44.
The power supply unit 27 receives an external power source and an internal power source under the control of the control unit 40 to supply power for operation of each component.
The portable terminal 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.
