KR20090048956A - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable terminal in which a hearing aid and a portable terminal can be used without interfering with each other. And a reflecting unit disposed in and reflecting the radio waves to minimize the outflow of radio waves emitted from the inside or the surface of the case to the outside of the case. The reflection unit may reduce the influence that the hearing aid may receive from the radio wave by reflecting the radio wave coming from the portable terminal by a hearing aid near the receiver during the call.

Description

Mobile terminal {PORTABLE TERMINAL}

The present invention relates to a portable terminal in which the hearing aid and the portable terminal can be used without disturbing each other.

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

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

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.

Portable terminals used for wireless communication may generate radio waves in the process of transmitting and receiving signals. Such a radio wave may affect a human body or a direct exposure, or may interfere with a relationship with other components, and thus a structure for blocking the radio wave is required.

Furthermore, in general, a device such as a hearing aid (Hearing Aid) may be affected by the electromagnetic wave emitted by the portable terminal. In particular, when a hearing aid is close to a receiver for outputting a call sound or the like in the portable terminal, technical considerations are required for smooth operation and compatibility of the hearing aid and the portable terminal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above, and the present invention provides a method for smoothly using a mobile terminal and a hearing aid by minimizing the possibility that a device, such as a hearing aid, has a mutual effect in a relationship with a mobile terminal. Its technical purpose is to promote 'HAC'.

Another object of the present invention is to minimize the outflow of radio waves that can be emitted in the vicinity of the receiver of the mobile terminal of the present invention to the surrounding space where the hearing aid may be present.

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, the receiver (receiver) disposed in the inside of the sound hole and the terminal case and the sound hole, and the radio wave disposed in a predetermined area between the case and the receiver radiated from the inside or surface of the case A portable terminal including a reflection unit for reflecting is disclosed. The reflection unit may reduce the influence of the hearing aid by the radio wave by reflecting a radio wave coming from the portable terminal by a hearing aid near the receiver during a call.

The case may include a conductor layer in the vicinity of the receiver. The conductor layer may also be connected to the ground of the portable terminal, and radio waves may be radiated from the conductor layer to the air during a call or data transmission and reception. The surface current near the receiver is preferably suppressed so that such radiation can be minimized in the vicinity of the receiver.

The reflection unit is disposed in parallel with a ground layer disposed inside the conductor layer and insulated from the conductor layer, and unit cells in which the capacitance and inductance components are located inside the ground layer are combined. It may include an impedance layer. The impedance layer prevents transmission of radio waves from antennas or other components disposed inside the case and reflects in the opposite direction.

The conductor layer and the impedance layer may be electrically shorted by the connecting member so as to reduce radiation that may occur in the conductor layer. The conductor layer may be disposed at the outermost part of the case, and may be an electromagnetic interference (EMI) paint attached to the inner surface of the case. Therefore, the surface current flowing through the conductor layer is induced into the impedance layer, so that surface radiation can be reduced.

The ground layer and the impedance layer may be filled with a dielectric. The impedance layer can have various geometric patterns. For example, the impedance layer may be formed in a pattern of any one of a Jerusalem cross, a Uniplane Compact Photonic BandGap (UC-PBG), or a loop.

The reflective unit may be formed on the inner surface of the case in any one of a substrate (PCB), printing (printing) or in-mold (in-mold). A display unit for outputting visual information is provided below the receiver, and the reflection unit may be disposed above the display. The reflection unit may be arranged to be connected to the inside of the front and side of the case.

Such a reflection unit reflects the radio waves inside the case as it is without changing the phase, and thus may be referred to as an artificial magnetic conductor.

According to the portable terminal as described above, by placing a reflection unit inside the case near the receiver of the portable terminal to which the hearing aid or the like can be approached, it is possible to fundamentally reduce the influence of the hearing aid or the like due to the outflow of the radio wave to the outside of the case. Since the reflection unit operates as an artificial magnetic conductor, internal radio waves are reflected without change in phase so that the wireless characteristics of the portable terminal are not degraded.

According to another feature of the present invention, since the conductor layer of the case is short-circuited with the impedance layer of the reflecting unit, the surface current flowing through the case is induced into the reflecting unit, and as a result, the radiation of the case is reduced.

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

1 is a front view showing a grid for measuring HAC in a mobile terminal. According to FIG. 1, the portable terminal 1 has a sound in which a display unit 13 for outputting visual information on its front surface, a control unit 16 for input, and a receiver 14 for outputting a call tone, etc. communicate with each other. The holes 11a are formed, respectively.

The area near the sound hole 11a may be divided into several small areas by the grid G in order to measure the intensity of radio waves which may differ from location to location. For example, the measurement grid of the HAC of the United States of America divides nine areas around the receiver hole 11a at a position 1 cm from the surface of the mobile terminal. Therefore, the intensity of the radio wave received by the hearing aid close to the receiver hole 11a can be evaluated for each region.

2 is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the portable terminal 1 includes a first terminal body 10 and a second terminal body 20 configured to be slidable in at least one direction on the first terminal body 10.

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

Although the portable terminal 1 mainly operates in the standby mode in the closed state, the standby mode may be released by a user's operation. In the open state, the apparatus mainly operates in a call mode or the like, but 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 terminal body 10 is formed by the front case 11 and the rear case 12. Various electronic components are built 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 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 receiver 14, the first image input unit 15, or the first manipulation unit 16 may be disposed in the first terminal body 10.

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 receiver 14 may output not only the call sound but also various notification sounds of the system or the reproduction sound of the multimedia.

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.

Like the first terminal body 10, the second terminal body 20 may also include a front case 21 and a rear case 22.

The second manipulation unit 23 may be disposed on the front surface of the second terminal body 20, specifically, the front case 21.

At least one of the front case 21 and the rear case 22 may be provided with a third manipulation unit 24, a sound input unit 25, and an external interface 26.

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, a wheel that rotates keys, or a jog or a joystick. It can also be implemented as.

In functional terms, the first operation unit 16 is for inputting a command such as start, end, scroll, etc., 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 sound input unit 25 may be implemented in the form of, for example, a microphone to receive a user's voice, other sounds, and the like.

The external interface 26 serves as a passage for allowing the mobile terminal 1 according to the present invention to exchange data with an external device. For example, the external interface 26 may be wired or wireless, and a connection terminal for connecting to an earphone or a port for short-range communication (for example, an infrared port (IrDA port), a Bluetooth port, a wireless LAN port ( wireless LAN port).

The external 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 1 is mounted. The power supply unit 27 may be detachably coupled for charging as a rechargeable battery, for example.

3 is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 3, a second image input unit 28 may be additionally mounted on the rear surface of the rear case 22 of the second terminal body 20. The second image input unit 28 may be a camera having a photographing direction substantially opposite to the first image input unit 15 and having different pixels from the first image input unit 15. For example, the first video input unit 15 has a low pixel so that it is easy to photograph a user's face and transmit it to a counterpart in a video call, and the second video 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 speaker 31 may be additionally disposed on the rear case 12. The speaker 31 may implement a stereo function together with the receiver 14 and may be used for a call in the speakerphone mode. The receiver 14 and the speaker 31 may be collectively referred to as a sound output unit.

On one side of the second terminal body 20, an antenna 32 for receiving a broadcast signal may be disposed in addition to an antenna for a call. The antenna 32 may be installed to be pulled out of the second terminal body 20.

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

The other part of the slide module 33 may be disposed on the front case 11 side of the second terminal 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 or the like has been described as being disposed in the second terminal body 20, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, at least one or more of the components described as being disposed on the rear case 12, such as the second image input unit 28, may be mounted on the first terminal body 10, mainly the rear case 12. Do. If that is the case, there is an advantage that the configuration (s) arranged in the rear case 12 in the closed state are protected by the second terminal 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 configured to allow shooting up to the shooting direction of the second image input unit 28.

The portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the slide type shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and can be applied to various structures such as a folder type and a swing type.

4 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to the present invention. One example of the present invention is shown in the wireless communication module 41, the operation unit (16, 23, 24), the image input unit (15, 28), the sound input unit 25, the display unit 13, the sound output unit (14, 31) ), A sensing unit 46, an external interface 26, a broadcast receiving module 45, a memory 44, a power supply unit 27, and a 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.

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 43 is responsible for transmitting and receiving voice data, text data, video data, and control data, and modulates and transmits a signal to be transmitted, and a receiver for demodulating the received signal. 42).

The operation units 16, 23, and 24 are configured as shown in FIG. 2 to provide the control unit 40 with key input data inputted by the user for controlling the operation of the terminal.

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 under the control of the control unit 40 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication module 41.

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 a call signal reception, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a 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 the current state of the portable terminal such as the open / closed state of the portable terminal, the position of the portable terminal, the presence or absence of a user contact, and the like. 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 or whether the external interface 26 is coupled to an external device.

The external interface 26 connects a mobile terminal to a mobile terminal, such as a wired / wireless headset, an external charger, a wired / wireless data port, a card socket (for example, a memory card, a SIM / UIM card), and the like. It serves as an interface with external devices. The external interface 26 receives data or power from an external device 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. 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.

5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a case and a receiver of the portable terminal of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 5, a sound hole 11a for transmitting sound of the receiver 14 is formed at an upper end of the front case 11 of the first terminal body 10 in which the receiver 14 is installed.

Reflecting unit for reflecting the radio wave generated in the first terminal body 10 in the opposite direction of the sound hole 11a on the inner side of the front case 11 without being leaked outward of the sound hole 11a. 50 is provided.

Since the position of the receiver 14 may be disposed above the display unit 13 for a user's call, the reflection unit 50 is correspondingly formed in the upper region of the display unit 13.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the reflective unit 50 is formed in a patterned form by a patch or strip of the conductor. The reflective unit 50 is formed in the form of a laminated substrate (PCB), printed, or in-mold on the inside of the front and side surfaces of the front case 11. And may be formed as.

6 is a partial side cross-sectional view of the portable terminal of FIG. 2. As shown in the enlarged portion of FIG. 6, the conductor layer 60 may be formed near the receiver 14 on the outside of the front case 11, and the ground layer 51 and the impedance layer inside the conductor layer 60. 52 are situated respectively.

The conductor layer 60 may be formed by being a metallic decoration member separately attached to the non-conductive front case 11 or by making the material of the front case 11 itself into a metal. In addition, it may be an electromagnetic interference (EMI) coating applied to the inner wall of the non-conductive front case 11. In either case, the conductor layer 60 is disposed outside the reflective unit 50. That is, the conductor layer 60 disposed in the vicinity of the receiver 14 does not remove the conductor in the scan region (region where the grid G is located) for measuring the HAC.

The conductor layer 60 and the ground layer 51 are insulated from each other. According to FIG. 6, it is insulated by the non-conductive front case 11. To this end, the front case 11 may be formed to have a constant dielectric constant.

Between the ground layer 51 and the impedance layer 52 is filled with a dielectric 53 having a constant dielectric constant ε _r .

The impedance layer 52 is located inside the ground layer 51, and is formed by arranging unit cells in which capacitance and inductance components are combined in parallel. The impedance layer 52 prevents radio waves from the antenna or other components disposed inside the front case 11 from being transmitted and reflected in the opposite direction.

The surface current in the vicinity of the receiver 14 is suppressed to minimize the occurrence in the vicinity of the receiver 14 of the radio waves that may occur in the conductor layer 60. For this purpose, the conductor layer 60 and the impedance layer 52 are electrically shorted by the connecting member 54.

The connecting member 54 may include vias or through holes, inserted metal, or fastening screws that penetrate the front case 11 when the conductor layer 60 is disposed outside the front case 11. Or the like. Accordingly, the surface current flowing through the conductor layer 60 is forcibly induced by the impedance layer 52, thereby reducing the surface radiation of the conductor layer 60.

7 is a conceptual diagram for making a high impedance surface in the vicinity of the receiver. The structure shown in FIG. 7 is composed of a conductor impedance layer 52 and a ground layer 51 below, and is electrically connected therebetween. The equivalent circuit of this structure can be represented by the parallel structure of capacitance and inductance, and the surface impedance is expressed by the following equation.

This surface becomes theoretically infinite when the inductance at low frequency and the capacitance component at high frequency are dominant and ω ₀ becomes 1 / (LC) ^0.5 . Therefore, since artificially implemented perfect magnetic conductor (PMC) that existed only mathematically, it can be called an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC).

Since the phase of the reflection coefficient is 0, the artificial magnetic conductor does not cancel the direct wave and the reflected wave even when the antenna is located at a close distance (generally less than λ / 4), so that radio waves can be radiated in the vicinity of the receiver 14. High efficiency can be achieved without being delivered to devices such as hearing aids. Therefore, even if the antenna is mounted in the vicinity of the receiver 14 inside the case 11, a certain effect can be achieved in terms of HAC.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an impedance layer attached to a receiver of a case as an embodiment related to the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing phases of reflection coefficients measured using the impedance layer of FIG. 8.

In FIG. 8, the impedance layer 52 represents the structure of the Jerusalem cross and the reflection coefficient phase of the structure (D = 9mm, d = 8mm, w = 0.4mm, h = 0.4mm, g = 0.1mm). And the substrate used was Rogers TMM10 (ε _r = 9.2, thickness = 2.54 mm). As can be seen in Figure 9, the section operating as an artificial magnetic conductor ranges from 1.76 GHz to 1.85 GHz with a phase of reflection coefficient of ± 90 °. In the section below 1.76 GHz and above 1.85 GHz, it operates as a normal perfect electric conductor (PEC). That is, the reflection unit 50 generated inside the case 11 while operating in the portable terminal 1 reflects the phase without change. Furthermore, since the current flowing along the surface of the case 11 is forcibly induced to the impedance layer 52 of the reflection unit 50, surface radiation of the case 11 is also suppressed.

The section operating as the artificial magnetic conductor may vary according to the frequency band in which the mobile terminal 1 operates. For this purpose, each shape and size of the impedance layer 52 may be adjusted.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an impedance layer attached near a receiver of a case according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As an example, the GSM band (a = 4.5mm, b = 0.1mm, c = 0.2mm, d = 2.45mm, e = 0.75mm) and DCS band using the substrate FR4 epoxy (ε _r = 4.4, thickness = 1mm) An artificial magnetic conductor can be obtained that operates at (a = 2.475mm, b = 0.05mm, c = 0.1mm, d = 1.35mm, e = 0.4mm).

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an impedance layer attached near a receiver of a case according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 shows an artificial magnetic conductor formed in a square loop shape.

In addition, the pattern forming the impedance layer may be formed of a Peano structure, a Hilber structure, or the like. The larger the number of unit cells, the higher the impedance, but if more than two, a certain effect can be obtained.

The above described portable terminal is not limited to the configuration and method of the embodiments described above. The above embodiments may be configured by selectively combining all or some of the embodiments so that various modifications can be made.

1 is a front view showing a grid for measuring HAC in a mobile terminal

2 is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal of FIG.

4 is a block diagram of a portable terminal related to the present invention.

5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a case and a receiver of the portable terminal of FIG. 2;

6 is a partial side cross-sectional view of the portable terminal of FIG.

7 is a conceptual diagram for making a high impedance surface in the vicinity of a speaker

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an impedance layer attached to a receiver of a case as an embodiment related to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating phases of reflection coefficients measured by using the impedance layer of FIG. 8.

10 and 11 are other embodiments related to the present invention, a plan view showing an impedance layer attached near a receiver of a case

Claims (11)

A terminal case in which a sound hole is formed; A receiver disposed inside the sound hole; And And a reflection unit disposed in a predetermined area between the case and the receiver, the reflection unit reflecting radio waves emitted from the inside or the surface of the case. The method of claim 1, And the case includes a conductor layer in the vicinity of the receiver. The method of claim 2, wherein the reflection unit, A ground layer positioned inside the conductor layer and insulated from the conductor layer; And And an impedance layer positioned inside the ground layer, wherein the unit cells in which capacitance and inductance components are combined are collectively arranged in parallel. The method of claim 3, And the conductor layer and the impedance layer are electrically shorted by a connection member. The method of claim 3, The conductor layer is a portable terminal, characterized in that the electromagnetic interference (EMI) paint attached to the inner surface of the case. The method of claim 3, A portable terminal, characterized in that filled between the ground layer and the impedance layer by a dielectric. The method of claim 3, The impedance layer is a portable terminal, characterized in that formed in any one pattern of the Jerusalem cross, Uniplane Compact Photonic BandGap (UC-PBG) or loop (loop). The method of claim 3, The reflective unit is a portable terminal, characterized in that formed on the inner surface of the case of any one of a substrate (PCB), printing (printing) or in-mold (in-mold). The method of claim 1, And a display unit for outputting visual information under the receiver, and the reflection unit is disposed above the display. The method of claim 9, And the reflective unit is arranged to be connected to the inside of the front and side surfaces of the case. The method of claim 1, The reflection unit is a portable terminal, characterized in that formed of an artificial magnetic conductor (Artificial Magnetic Conductor).

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