KR20100067756A - Optical joy stick and portable electronic device having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is an illumination member for emitting illumination light including visible light; A cap-shaped cover unit in which an upper side to which a subject contacts the light is emitted by the illumination light, a hollow is formed in the inside thereof, and a bottom thereof is open; A substrate coupled to the bottom of the cover unit; A light source for emitting a subject detection light belonging to an infrared band for sensing a subject; An optical sensor mounted on a substrate; And an optical joystick, which is integrally packaged in a molding material, and includes an imaging guide for injecting a subject detection light reflected by a subject outside the cover into the cover to the optical sensor and a portable electronic device having the same. Initiate.

According to the present invention, the cover is emitted to improve the aesthetics of the appearance and at the same time it is possible to determine the position of the optical joystick in a dark place, the small size of the imaging guide alone or with a molding material, such as a light sensor or lighting guide Since it is packaged and assembled integrally, it is easy to assemble the optical joystick and minimize the impact and damage to the parts when assembling the optical joystick.

Description

Optical joy stick and portable electronic device having the same

The present invention relates to an optical joystick and an electronic device having the same, and more particularly, to an optical joystick applied to a user interface of an electronic device such as a portable terminal and a portable electronic device having the same.

In general, an electronic device such as a mobile terminal or a personal digital assistant (PDA) adopts a user interface using a keypad.

In more detail, a typical portable electronic device includes a keypad having a plurality of buttons for inputting numbers, letters, or symbols, and a user presses a button on the keypad to input desired data such as numbers or words. You can select the menu by typing in or by pressing the button cursor and select keys.

The portable electronic device includes a display unit to display data input by the user through the keypad and / or related information.

In recent years, in order to support communication services or Internet services using electronic devices, wireless Internet services such as WIBRO (Wireless Broadband) and wireless mobile communication services have been commercialized. ), Windows operating system such as Windows CE is adopted.

In addition, with the development of communication technology, the portable electronic device provides various additional services to the user, and the GUI-based Windows operating system facilitates the provision of the additional service by the portable electronic device.

A user interface for more convenient use of a general electronic device is a pointing device such as a mouse, a touchpad, a joystick, etc. Recently, a pointer such as a cursor is detected by detecting an optical signal that changes according to the movement of a finger, which is a subject. Optical joysticks that move or receive information and / or commands desired by the user have been developed and applied to electronic devices.

1 and 2, a general light joystick 10 may include a light source 11 and a cover 12, an illumination guide (not shown) for guiding light emitted from the light source to the cover 12, and an optical signal. An image sensor 15 for detecting the light, an imaging system 14 for guiding light to the image sensor 15, and a holder 13 for receiving components such as the illumination guide, the imaging system 14, and the light source. It is configured to include.

The optical joystick 10 may be provided separately from the electronic device 1 and may be connected by wire or wirelessly. In recent years, the optical joystick 10 may be directly mounted on the main body 2 of the electronic device such as a notebook or a mobile phone.

The outer surface (upper surface) of the cover is provided with an operation surface to contact the subject (P) such as a finger for the operation of the electronic device, the image sensor 15 is a PCB (not shown) for processing the input optical signal Is provided on).

Accordingly, when the finger, which is the subject P, moves on the operation surface, the optical signal input to the image sensor 15 changes according to the movement of the finger, and the electronic device is manipulated according to the movement of the finger. Can be.

In more detail, in the state where the subject P is not in contact with the upper side of the cover 12, more specifically, the operation surface, the light emitted from the light source 11 passes through the illumination guide. 12 is emitted to the outside of the cover 12 while penetrating.

On the other hand, when a subject such as a finger contacts the upper side of the cover 12, the light emitted from the light source 11 hits the subject P and is reflected, and then passes through the imaging system 14 to the image sensor. Incident at 15, the image of the subject is imaged with an optical signal.

Here, the imaging system 14 may include a plurality of components such as a prism and a lens made of a material such as glass or optical plastic, and condense the light reflected by the subject in a predetermined direction and at the same time to transmit the light to the image sensor. When the subject outside the cover 12 moves, the optical signal reflected by the subject 12 and sensed by the image sensor 15 also changes.

According to the change of the optical signal detected by the image sensor 15, the display unit 3 of the electronic device 1 displays the contents of the cursor movement or input information according to the movement of the subject, or the electronic Letters and / or numbers may be input to the device or a content menu desired by the user may be selected.

The detection method of the optical signal by the image sensor 15 and the control method of the image are similar to those of the optical mouse of the computer, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Since the above-described general optical joystick operates a portable electronic device by moving a cursor, that is, a pointer according to a movement of a subject, it is possible to implement a convenient operation as compared to a method of operating a portable electronic device by moving a cursor by a keypad.

On the other hand, the inventors of the present invention, the surface of the light joystick emits light, so that the user can accurately grasp the position of the light joystick even in a dark place to provide convenience for operation and at the same time, the light having aesthetics in harmony with the color or design of the portable electronic device Joystick was developed.

In the conventional optical joystick, the lighting guide and the imaging system 14 need to be manually assembled by the worker one by one in the holder 13 and assembled in the correct position. The lighting guide and the imaging system 14 Parts applied to the optical joystick, such as the size is very small, there is a problem that the assembly is inferior, and the operation of assembling the PCB and the holder on which the image sensor 15 is mounted is also a small size of the components to modularize the optical joystick There is a problem that the work process is cumbersome and takes a long time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical joystick and a portable electronic device having the same, the surface of which emits light, and the identification and aesthetics are improved.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical joystick having a structure in which an optical joystick is easily assembled and a portable electronic device having the same.

The present invention to solve the above object, the present invention comprises: a lighting member for emitting illumination light including visible light; A cap-shaped cover unit in which an upper side to which a subject contacts the light is emitted by the illumination light, a hollow is formed in the inside thereof, and a bottom thereof is open; A substrate coupled to the bottom of the cover unit; A light source for emitting a subject detection light belonging to an infrared band for sensing a subject; An optical sensor mounted on a substrate; And an optical joystick, which is integrally packaged in a molding material, and includes an imaging guide for injecting a subject detection light reflected by a subject outside the cover unit into the cover unit to the optical sensor. Provide electronics. Here, the cover unit; It includes an inner cover and an outer cover. The inner cover may include an inner frame surrounding the light source, the light sensor, and an imaging guide, and an inner plate forming an upper surface of the inner frame and transmitting the object detection light. In addition, the outer cover has an outer edge frame surrounding the inner edge frame and an outer plate provided on an upper side of the inner plate to form an upper side of the cover unit and emitted by the illumination light.

The inner plate is preferably configured to transmit only light substantially belonging to the infrared band.

The inner plate; It may be configured to include a base member and an infrared band pass filter coated on one side of the base member.

The inner plate may be partitioned into a light transmission area through which the subject detection light passes and a light blocking area blocking infrared and visible light.

The object detection light emitted from the light source may be guided to the bottom surface of the inner plate, and may further include an illumination guide packaged together of the imaging guide inside the molding material.

The light source is mounted on the substrate; The illumination guide and the imaging guide are packaged together inside the molding material to form an upper package; The upper package may be assembled by being mounted on the upper side of the substrate in which the optical sensor and the light source are integrally packaged.

Unlike the above, the light source is mounted on the substrate; The illumination guide, the imaging guide, the light source, and the optical sensor may be packaged together in the molding member to form an integrated package.

In addition, the imaging guide may be packaged in the molding member together with an optical sensor mounted on the substrate.

The light source may be electrically connected to the substrate by a flexible substrate to be spaced apart from the substrate in the cover unit.

The molding material preferably has a material capable of blocking external light. The imaging guide includes a green lens.

According to the optical joystick and the portable electronic device having the same according to the present invention has the following effects.

First, according to the present invention, since the upper surface of the light joystick may be emitted by the illumination light emitted from the lighting member, the discrimination of the light joystick is improved even in a dark place, and the light color is selected according to the design of the electronic device to greatly enhance the aesthetics. Can be increased.

Second, according to the present invention, since the cover unit emits light by illumination light including a visible light band and prevents visible light from flowing into the cover unit, malfunction of the optical joystick due to visible light can be prevented.

Third, according to the present invention, since at least some of the illumination guide, the imaging guide, the light sensor, and the light source are packaged and assembled into one, the assembly process may be simplified and workability may be improved.

Fourth, according to the present invention, the lighting guide, the imaging guide, the optical sensor and the light source as a whole packaged integrally with the molding material to assemble the inside of the cover, or the lighting guide and the imaging guide as a molding material to package the light sensor and the light source image Since they are assembled on top of the sensor and then assembled together, the size of the parts to be handled during the assembly operation is increased to prevent assembly defects due to incorrect assembly and to prevent damage to the components during assembly.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention can be specifically realized the object of the present invention. In describing the present embodiment, the same designations and the same reference numerals are used for the same components, and further description thereof will be omitted.

First, referring to FIGS. 3 to 6, a preferred embodiment of an optical joystick and a portable electronic device having the same according to the present invention will be described.

3 is an exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of the optical joystick according to the present invention, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the optical joystick shown in Figure 3, Figure 5 is a portable electronic device having an optical joystick according to the present invention 6 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of FIG. 6, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view and an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a finger as a subject contacts a light joystick shown in FIG. 3.

The first embodiment of the optical joystick of the present invention, the cover unit 100, the light source 210, the optical sensor 220, the substrate 230, the imaging guide 320 and the illumination member 400 It is configured by.

Here, the lighting member 400 emits the illumination light including the visible light. In addition, the cover unit 100 has an upper side is illuminated by the illumination light to emit light, the hollow is formed inside and has a cap shape with the bottom open.

The substrate 230 is coupled to the bottom of the cover unit 100 to shield the opened bottom of the cover unit 100. The substrate 230 is electrically connected to the optical sensor 220 and is formed of a printed circuit board (PCB).

The light source 210 emits a subject detection light for detecting a subject outside the cover unit 100. In this embodiment, the light source 210 emits a subject detection light belonging to an infrared band, and the optical sensor 220 emits the substrate. It is mounted on (230).

The imaging guide 320 injects the object detection light reflected by hitting the subject in contact with the upper surface of the cover unit 100 to the optical sensor 220, and the optical sensor 220 serves as an image sensor. The object detection light incident by the imaging guide 320 is sensed.

In the present invention, the upper surface of the cover unit 100 emits light by the illumination light, thereby improving the identification at night or in a dark place, thereby improving the ease of operation by the user, and the color of light emitted by the portable electronic device. By selecting a predetermined color according to the color or design of the aesthetics can be improved.

Since the illumination light may include light belonging to the visible light band, the illumination light may further include light other than visible light such as infrared rays.

The cover unit 100 may be set to selectively emit light in a dark place or at night. The lighting member 400 may be operated only in a dark place or at night so that the cover 100 may selectively emit light.

The emission color of the cover unit 100 is implemented according to the color of the light emitted from the illumination member 400, that is, the wavelength band of visible light included in the illumination light emitted from the illumination member 400, but the implementation of the emission color is It is not limited to the illumination light, it is possible to implement a desired color by applying a material of a predetermined color for color implementation on the surface, that is, the upper surface of the cover unit 100.

And as an example of the lighting member 400 may be used to emit a monochromatic light or white light LED, but the type of the lighting member 400 is not limited to this, a plurality of LEDs emitting different predetermined visible light is disposed The emission color of the cover unit 100 may be changed according to time by implementing colors mixed in the cover, or sequentially or alternately emitting light one by one. Since the illumination light emitted from the illumination member 400 may include light belonging to the visible light band that is visually recognizable, the illumination light may further include light other than the visible light band, for example, infrared rays.

In the present embodiment, the cover unit 100 includes an outer cover 110 and an inner cover 120 provided inside the outer cover 110.

In the present embodiment, the outer cover 110 includes an outer plate 111 and an outer border frame 112, and the inner cover 120 includes an inner plate 121 and an inner border frame 122. It is configured to include.

In more detail, both the outer cover 110 and the inner cover 120 are cap-shaped in which a bottom is opened and a hollow space is formed therein, and the inner edge frame 122 is connected to the light source 210. The optical sensor 220 and the imaging guide 320 are enclosed. The inner plate 121 forms an upper cross section of the inner frame 122, and transmits the object detection light emitted from the light source 210 upwards and transmits the object detection light reflected by the object downward. . Here, the inner plate 121 and the inner frame frame 122 may be integrally injection molded or double injection, and may be separately manufactured and assembled.

The outer frame 112 surrounds the inner frame 122, and the outer plate 111 is provided on the upper side of the inner plate 121 to form an upper side of the cover unit 100. When the illumination light is emitted from the illumination member 400, the outer plate 111 is emitted by the illumination light.

The upper side surface of the kebu unit 100, that is, the upper side surface of the outer plate 111 may be emitted by reflecting the illumination light emitted from the illumination member 400, in the present embodiment the illumination member 400 Since the emitted illumination light passes through the inner layer of the outer plate 111, a structure in which the upper surface of the outer plate 111 is emitted is disclosed. That is, the outer cover 110 forms the light guide path of the illumination light, and may be applied to the case or the housing of the light joystick.

The outer plate 111 transmits the object detection light emitted from the light source 210 to the outside, and all or part of the object detection light reflected by the object is retransmitted through the outer plate 111 to cover the cover unit ( As it is introduced into the inside of the 100, it is incident to the imaging guide 320. That is, the subject detection light passes through the outer plate 111 in the vertical direction.

The light joystick according to the present invention further includes an illumination guide 310 for guiding the light emitted from the light source to the ceiling of the cover unit 100, and more particularly, to the bottom surface of the inner plate 121. The illumination guide 310 may be accommodated in the cover unit 100 to form an optical path between the light source 210 and the inner plate 121.

In addition, a subject contact surface is formed on an upper surface of the outer plate 111, and the lyrics beam emitted from the lighting member 400 makes the upper surface of the outer plate 111 bright.

The outer plate 111 and the outer rim frame 112 may be integrally injection molded or double injection, and may be separately manufactured and then assembled.

In the present invention, the lighting member 400 may be disposed at various positions, but is provided in the outer cover 110 in the present embodiment. In more detail, the lighting member 400 is provided in the outer frame 112, and emits the illumination light to the outer frame 112. Accordingly, the illumination light flowing into the inner layer of the outer edge frame 112 passes upward while passing through the outer edge frame 112, and then reflects the surface 122a provided on the outer edge frame 112. After the reflection in the horizontal direction to proceed along the inside of the outer plate 111.

In addition to the above-described reflection and / or refraction patterns (not shown) so that the light emission intensity of the outer plate 111 is improved, the lower side of the outer plate, that is, between the outer plate 111 and the inner plate 121, For example, a reflective layer (not shown) may be formed on the bottom surface of the outer plate 111. This is well known as a technology applied for the surface light emitting of the backlight light guide plate or keypad backlight light guide film in the LCD field, so repeated description thereof will be omitted. However, the present invention is an additional feature that this technique can be applied to the optical joystick.

A flange 112a is formed at a lower end of the edge frame 112 to form a stepped protrusion radially. In this embodiment, the lighting member 400 is installed on the flange 112a, but is not limited thereto. .

In the present embodiment, the illumination member 400 is inserted into and fixed to the illumination member installation groove formed at the bottom of the flange 112a, and upwards so that the illumination light passes upward while passing through the outer frame 112. The illumination light is emitted.

The reflective surface 122a is formed along the upper circumference of the outer frame 112 and has an inclined cross section. Accordingly, at least a part of the light emitted from the lighting member 400 is reflected from the reflective surface 122a to the outer plate 111 and the rest is emitted to the outside of the cover unit 100 as it is. The upper surface of the outer plate 111 is emitted by the diffusion of the illumination light itself and the reflection at the boundary surface of the outer plate 111 or the aforementioned reflective layer or pattern.

The light source 210 is not limited, but in the present embodiment, as described above, the light source 210 is configured of an infrared light source emitting the object detection light belonging to the infrared band, and the infrared light source includes an infrared LED.

On the other hand, the light transmitted through the ceiling of the cover unit 100 upward and emitted upward or downward is transmitted to the interior space of the cover unit 100 is substantially in the infrared band It is preferable to be limited. The reason is that when the light band other than infrared rays is introduced into the cover unit 100 and enters the optical sensor 220, the operation performance of the optical joystick is reduced.

More specifically, in order to improve the operation precision of the optical joystick, the light incident on the optical sensor 220 is preferably limited to the infrared band, for this purpose, the outer plate 111 and the inner plate to transmit in the vertical direction The possible light is preferably limited to the infrared band.

In this embodiment, the inner plate 121 is configured to transmit only the light substantially belonging to the infrared band. That is, the inner plate 121 functions as an infrared band pass filter to block or weaken light outside the infrared band.

As an example, the inner plate 121 may be made of an optical plastic of a material that transmits only light belonging to the infrared band substantially, and a base on which the inner plate 121 is stacked below the outer plate 111. It may be configured to include an infrared band pass filter (not shown) coated on one side of the member and the base member.

The infrared band pass filter may be configured in such a manner that a material acting as an infrared band pass filter is coated on one side of the base member, in particular, a bottom surface thereof, or coated with a film or tape having the same function. .

For example, the infrared band pass filter may be a coating layer formed by alternately laminating and applying a high refractive material and a low refractive material among materials having high transmittance in an infrared band such as ZnS, ZnSe, Ge, SiO ₂ , and CaF ₂ on the bottom surface of the base member. Can be formed.

The infrared band pass filter may include a coating layer in which a high refractive material such as TiO ₂ and SiO ₂ or TiO ₅ and SiO ₂ and a low refractive material are laminated. The TiO ₂ and TiO ₅ are high refractive materials and the SiO ₂ is a low refractive material.

The coating of the infrared band pass material may be formed of a multilayer thin film layer having a multilayer thin film form by a vacuum deposition method using a vacuum deposition apparatus or the like.

Of course, the infrared band pass filter may be provided on the upper side of the base member, the base member may be made of a flat plate made of a material such as plastic or glass that can transmit visible light and infrared light. In addition, the inner cover 120 itself may be made of a material that transmits only light belonging to the infrared band. In this case, the inner cover 120 is blocked by the transmission of visible light and thus generally becomes an opaque material.

On the other hand, the outer plate 111 and the outer edge frame 112 may be integrally formed of a transparent material, for example, a transparent member, but is not limited thereto, and only the outer plate 111 is transparent. The outer edge frame 112 is made of a possible material and the blocking of the entire light, such as infrared rays and visible light may be made of an opaque member, the illumination member 400 is provided at the lower end of the outer frame 112 and upward In order for the outer frame 112 to serve as a light guide when emitting the illumination light, the outer frame 112 is preferably made of a material capable of transmitting visible light.

When the outer cover 110 is entirely made of a transparent member, the outer circumferential surface or the inner circumferential surface of the outer rim frame 112 is provided with an external light blocking unit (not shown) for blocking external light such as visible light and infrared light. good. For example, the external light blocking unit (not shown) may be configured in various ways such as coating a light shielding material or attaching a light shielding film of a thin film to the circumferential surface of the outer edge frame 112. In addition, the external light blocking unit functions as a reflective layer reflecting the illumination light so that the illumination light emitted from the illumination member can proceed upward along the inner layer of the outer frame.

 In addition, the ceiling of the cover unit 100 may be partitioned into light transmitting areas 111a and 121a through which the subject detection light is transmitted and light blocking areas through which the subject detection light does not pass. At this time, the object detection light emitted from the illumination guide 310 is concentrated to the lower side of the light transmission region (111a, 121a).

 As an example for forming the light transmitting regions 111a and 121a, a member made of a material blocking the light of the visible light and the infrared band and a material transmitting only the light belonging to the infrared band are used for the inner plate 121. By double-injection to form a light transmitting region on the inner plate itself and a portion corresponding to the light transmitting regions 111a and 121a on at least one side of the upper and lower surfaces of the inner plate 121. There is a method of forming a light blocking layer 123 for blocking visible light and infrared light in the remaining portion.

In the present embodiment, the light blocking layer 123 is provided on the bottom surface of the inner plate 121. The light blocking layer may be formed by various methods such as coating a light blocking material or applying a light blocking film or a tape. Can be.

In this case, the infrared band pass filter may be provided only in the remaining portion of the bottom surface of the inner plate 121 except for the light blocking area, but may be provided in a wider portion including the light blocking layer 123 to partially overlap the light blocking layer 123. It may be. In this case, although not indicated by reference numerals, a blank portion that is not hatched on the imaging guide 320 above the same horizontal line as the light blocking layer 123 becomes the infrared band pass filter.

The inner cover 120 is provided in the interior of the outer cover 110, they may be manufactured separately after being combined separately, but may be combined integrally in a double injection method.

When the inner edge frame 122 is made of a material that can transmit visible light, for example, a transparent plastic or glass, the illumination member 400 is disposed between the inner edge frame 122 and the outer edge frame 112. It is preferable that an illumination light reflection layer (not shown) for preventing the illumination light emitted from the inflow into the inner frame 122 and total reflection of the illumination light. The illumination light reflection layer may be integrally coated on the outer circumferential surface of the inner rim frame 122 or the inner circumferential surface of the outer rim frame 112.

On the other hand, the imaging guide 320 is packaged integrally inside the molding material 330, in this embodiment the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 by the molding material 330 The light joystick may be provided inside the optical joystick in a packaged and modularized state, and the light source 210 may be provided at various positions inside the cover.

In this embodiment, the light source 210 is packaged integrally with the optical sensor 220, the optical sensor 220 is electrically connected to the substrate 230 in a detachable or integrally coupled state, this embodiment In the example, the light source 210 is mounted on the substrate 230 together with the optical sensor 220 and packaged on the substrate 230 integrally with the optical sensor 220 to form part of the optical joystick. .

Here, the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 may be modularized as an integrated package by integrally packaging the whole of the molding material together with the light source 210 and the optical sensor 220, or the illumination guide. The upper package in which the 310 and the imaging guide 320 are integrally packaged by the molding material is seated on the lower package in which the light source 210 and the optical sensor 220 are integrally packaged on the substrate. The upper package and the lower package may be assembled.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the imaging guide 320 and the upper package 300 having the illumination guide 310 and the light source mounted on the substrate are integrally packaged by the illumination guide 310 and the molding material 330. An example of fabricating the lower package 200 having the optical sensor 220 packaged integrally with the light source 210 and then assembling them with each other will be described.

The optical sensor 220 and the light source 210 are mounted on a circuit board, for example, a PCB 230 through a process such as surface mount technology such as Surface Mount Technology (SMT).

In addition, the optical sensor 220 and the light source 210 may be viewed as being integrally packaged by being mounted on the substrate, and the optical sensor 220 and the light source 210 mounted on the substrate as in the present embodiment may be considered. There is a way to be integrally packaged inside the molding material by the molding material 240, the molding material 240, 330 is an epoxy molding compound (EMC) and the like.

In more detail, the light source 210 and the optical sensor 220 are mounted on the substrate 230 at a position spaced apart from each other, and then the light source 210 and the optical sensor are formed by the molding material 240. By applying and solidifying 220, these two configurations are packaged integrally. That is, after the mold (frame) of a predetermined shape is in close contact with the substrate 230 and the liquid EMC is filled in the mold (not shown) and the EMC is hardened, the lower package according to the present embodiment ( 200) is formed.

For convenience of description, the molding member 240 for integrally packaging the light source 210 and the optical sensor 220 is called a first molding member, and the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 are integrally packaged. The molding material 330 to be referred to as a second molding material.

As the first molding member 230, a transparent or transparent molding material, for example, Clear EMC, may be applied. In this case, a light blocking film for blocking light may be disposed between the light source 210 and the optical sensor 220. 250 is preferably provided, but is not limited to the transparent material. Accordingly, the infrared light emitted from the light source 210 is prevented from directly entering the optical sensor 220.

The light blocking layer 250 is a mask in which black EMC, which does not transmit light, or a shielding tape or film, which does not transmit light, or a hole into which the light source 210 and the light sensor 220 are fitted. It may be configured in a variety of ways.

The optical sensor 220 detects incident light and continuously photographs an image of a subject, and the change of the captured image screen is calculated as a displacement value. The optical sensor 220 has an imaging area including a plurality of pixels, and the image of the subject is picked up as light reflected from the subject is incident on the imaging area.

Apart from the lower package 200, the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 are formed by the second molding material 330 to correspond to the light source 210 and the optical sensor 220, respectively. The upper package 300 is formed inside the two molding materials.

In more detail, when the upper package 300 is seated on the lower package 200, the incidence side of the illumination guide 310 is positioned above the light source 210, and thus, of the imaging guide 320. The illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 are aligned and packaged integrally using the molding material 330 so that the emission side is positioned above the optical sensor 220.

In the present embodiment, the illumination guide 310 is configured to include a waveguide for guiding light by total reflection, but is not limited thereto. The light source 210 may be packaged in the second molding member 330. If it is an optical member that can guide the object detection light of the ()) to the ceiling of the cover unit 100 is sufficient. The illumination guide 310 is preferably coated with a high reflectance on the wall surface (inner wall surface and / or outer wall surface) so that the object detection light reaches the bottom surface of the light transmission area by total reflection.

The direction in which the illumination guide 310 is disposed may be disposed to be perpendicular to the substrate 230 or to be inclined at a predetermined angle. However, the arrangement of the illumination guide 310 is preferably configured to be inclined at a predetermined angle from the vertical direction with respect to the substrate.

In addition, the imaging guide 320 is for imaging the light reflected from the subject after being emitted from the light source 210 on the optical sensor 220, and includes a green lens, a convex lens, a high refractive lens, and the like. Various lenses for imaging light may be applied. In the present exemplary embodiment, the imaging guide 320 includes the green lens to adjust an image forming position according to a pitch, but an example of the imaging guide 320 is not limited.

The second molding material 330 may have the same material as the first molding material 240, and in the present embodiment, the second molding material 330 may have a material capable of blocking external light. An example of the second molding material 330 capable of blocking external light may include a black EMC, and the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 may be disposed in a pre-processed mold. The upper package 300 is formed by filling and solidifying the second molding material 330.

The illumination guide 310 may be parallel to or in parallel with the imaging guide 320, but in this case, only a part of the light emitted from the illumination guide 310 and reflected by the subject is the imaging guide 320. Since the amount of light incident on the optical sensor 220 is reduced, the performance of the optical joystick is reduced.

In other words, when both members are parallel to each other, such as when the illumination guide 310 is disposed vertically in the vertical direction and the imaging guide 320 is disposed vertically in the vertical direction, only a part of the light reflected by the subject is reflected. The amount of light flowing into the imaging guide 320 or flowing into the imaging guide may be zero (0).

In order to compensate for this problem, the intensity of the light source may be increased, but there is a problem in that power consumption is increased and cost is high. Therefore, the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 may be disposed to be closer to each other toward the top. For example, an extension line, for example, an axis line, of the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 may be disposed to cross each other. As a specific example, when the imaging guide 320 is vertically disposed in the vertical direction, the illumination guide 310 is inclined toward the imaging guide, that is, when the obliquely disposed, the most of the light emitted from the illumination guide 310. After being reflected by the subject, the light may enter the imaging guide 320.

The exit side of the illumination guide 310 and the incident side of the imaging guide 320 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other or may be arranged to contact each other. In addition, both the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 may be disposed to be inclined inclined.

As described above, when the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 are integrally packaged by the second molding material 330, a process of smoothly treating the surface of the upper package 300, in particular, the upper surface, may be performed. For example, a polishing process may be performed.

When the lower package 200 and the upper package 300 are completed, the upper package 300 is stacked on the upper side of the lower package 200. The lower package 200 and the upper package 300 may be combined with each other by forming protrusions and grooves 241 and 331 on the lower package 200 or the upper package 300, and for double-sided tape or adhesive bonding. These can be combined in various ways, such as by fixing them together using a resin or the like.

As such, when the lower package 200 is coupled to the upper package 300 and integrally modularized, the lower package 200 is coupled to the inside of the cover unit 100 to form the bottom of the cover unit 100.

When the subject comes into contact with the cover unit 100 of the optical joystick according to the present invention configured as described above, the light emitted from the light source 210 passes through the illumination guide 310 and then is transmitted to the subject.

In addition, the object detection light reflected by hitting the subject is introduced into the cover unit 100 and then enters the optical sensor 220 through the imaging guide 220.

The optical sensor 220 photographs the incident light, and compares the captured image screen in real time to calculate a displacement value resulting in a difference in the image screen, and the calculated displacement value is a microcomputer (not shown) of the portable electronic device. The movement of the cursor is displayed on the display screen 51 of the portable electronic device 50 by the microcomputer.

On the other hand, although not shown, when the light source 210 emits infrared rays as described above, the imaging guide 320 may be further provided with an infrared bandpass filter for blocking the inflow of light outside the infrared wavelength band. .

The infrared band pass filter may be provided at the entrance side and / or the exit side of the imaging guide 320, and may be configured in various ways such as a film, a tape, or an infrared band pass material.

6 shows a process of assembling the optical joystick of the present invention manufactured by the upper package 300 and the lower package 200, respectively.

First, the light source 210 and the optical sensor 220 are respectively installed on the substrate 230 by a SMT process at a predetermined distance from each other, and the substrate 230 on which the light source 210 and the optical sensor 220 are mounted. ) To install the mold and inject the liquid first molding material 240 into the mold to manufacture the lower package 200.

In addition, the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 are disposed at a predetermined position according to design conditions, and then integrated with the second molding material 330 to manufacture the upper package 300. Here, the protrusion 331 and the groove 241 is formed on the surface to which they are bonded so that the upper package 300 and the lower package 200 can be accurately coupled.

The manufacturing order of the upper package 300 and the lower package 200 does not matter, and the upper package may be manufactured first or may be manufactured at the same time. After the upper package 300 and the lower package 200 are coupled to each other, the upper package 300 and the lower package 200 are assembled inside the cover unit 100.

As an example of the portable electronic device 50 having the optical joystick having the above configuration, the mobile phone is illustrated in FIG. It is generally applicable to an electronic device that requires the use of a pointer as the provided electronic device.

In addition, the contents described in the first embodiment of the optical joystick according to the present invention may be equally applied to each of the other embodiments except for portions that conflict with or are different from those described in the other embodiments described below. The same reference numerals are used for the same configuration.

Referring to FIG. 8, as in the second embodiment of the optical joystick according to the present invention, the illumination guide 310a for guiding the object detection light emitted from the light source 210 to the inner side of the cover has an emission side thereof. In contact with the incidence side of the imaging guide 320 may be disposed to be inclined in a form supported by the imaging guide 320.

In this case, since the exit side of the illumination guide 310a and the incident side of the imaging guide 320 are adjacent to each other, the incident rate of the object detection light reflected from the subject to the imaging guide 320 can be improved, and the cover It can minimize the thickness.

On the other hand, part of the contents of the invention described in the above-described first embodiment except for the arrangement structure of the illumination guide 310a can be applied to the second embodiment of the present invention as a whole, and the repeated description thereof is omitted. The same reference numerals are used for the same configuration. In addition, the content described in the second embodiment may be equally applicable to other embodiments described below, and a repeated description thereof will be omitted.

9, the upper surface of the lower package 200a in which the optical sensor 220 and the light source 210 are integrated by the first molding member 240, and more specifically, the light source 210 and the light source 210. At least one installation grooves 241 and 242 for installing the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 are formed on the upper side of the optical sensor 220, and the illumination guides are installed in the installation grooves 241 and 242. Insert and align the incidence side of the 310 and the outgoing side of the imaging guide 320, install a mold for forming the upper package 300a, and fill the mold with the second molding material 330 to form the upper package. 330a may be formed.

The installation grooves 241 and 242 may be formed by removing an upper side of the light source 210 and an upper side of the light sensor 220 in a state where the lower package 200a is formed by the first molding material 240. In the packaging process by the first molding member 240, the forming member for forming the installation groove on the upper side of the light source 210 and the upper side of the optical sensor 220, and the molding after the lower package is completed When the member is removed, the installation grooves 241 and 242 are formed.

Of course, as in the above-described second embodiment, the illumination guide 310 may be disposed to be inclined in such a manner that its exit side is in contact with the incident side of the imaging guide 320 and is supported by the imaging guide 320. have.

Next, referring to FIG. 10, the optical joystick according to the present invention may adjust the height (or thickness) of the upper package 300b and the lower package from the substrate 230 to the upper surface of the upper package 300b. It may be configured to further include at least one spacer (500) provided between (200b).

The upper package 300 refers to the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 is integrally packaged, the lower package 200 is the light sensor 220 and the light source 210 is the substrate ( 230, packaged in one piece.

The optical joystick may be manufactured to be thin in accordance with the trend of slimming of portable electronic devices. However, when the optical joystick has to have a predetermined height or more from the substrate 230 to the upper surface of the upper package 300b, the upper package 300b may be used. And a spacer 500 such as a gasket of the lower package 200b may be placed, and the spacer 500 has a through hole penetrated in the vertical direction for installation of the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide. It is preferable to be made of a light-shielding material that blocks light such as light rays and infrared rays.

Of course, as in the above-described second embodiment, the illumination guide 310 may be disposed to be inclined in such a manner that its exit side is in contact with the incident side of the imaging guide 320 and is supported by the imaging guide 320. have.

As described above, the upper package 300, 300a, 300b and the lower package 200, 200a, 200b may be separately manufactured and then assembled, but as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12, the illumination guide 310 is illustrated. ), The imaging guide 320, the optical sensor 220, and the light source 210 may be integrated into the integrated package 600 by the molding material 610.

In more detail, the light source 210 and the light sensor 220 are mounted on the substrate 230, and the illumination guide 310 and the imaging guide correspond to the light source 210 and the light sensor 220. After placing 320, all of them are packaged in one piece using the molding material 610.

In other words, after the light source 210 and the light sensor 220 are mounted on the substrate 230 through a process such as SMT, the light guide 310 may correspond to the light source 210 and the light sensor 220. ) And the imaging guide 320, and a mold having a predetermined shape, for example, a rectangular frame shape, is disposed on the substrate and filled with the liquid EMC to solidify the mold. Is formed. The molding material 610 may be made of a material capable of blocking external light, for example, the above-described black EMC.

Of course, as in the above-described second embodiment, the illumination guide 310 may be disposed to be inclined in such a manner that its exit side is in contact with the incident side of the imaging guide 320 and is supported by the imaging guide 320. have.

Next, referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, a mask is stacked on the substrate 230 in which the light source 210 and the optical sensor 220 are mounted and integrated, and the mask 260. The light source 210 has an insertion hole 261 and 262 penetrated in the vertical direction to insert the light source 210 and the optical sensor 220, and the mask 260 is a light blocking material, for example, a light blocking plastic, glass, or a metal plate. The light emitted from the light source 210 may be prevented from entering the optical sensor 220.

In addition, when the mask 260 is stacked on the substrate 230 in which the light source 210 and the optical sensor 220 are integrated, the lower package 200c is formed. The lighting guide 310 and the imaging guide 320 are packaged as a whole by the second molding material 330, and then, the upper package 300c is seated on the upper side of the mask 260, and then coupled to the cover 100. The optical joystick is thereby assembled.

Meanwhile, the infrared band pass filter may not be provided in the cover unit 100 but may be provided on an upper side of the integrated package 600 or the upper package 300, 300a, 300b, or 300c.

Of course, as in the above-described second embodiment, the illumination guide 310 may be disposed to be inclined in such a manner that its exit side is in contact with the incident side of the imaging guide 320 and is supported by the imaging guide 320. have.

Next, the seventh to ninth embodiments of the optical joystick according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17.

Referring to FIG. 15, the optical joystick according to the seventh embodiment may include the cover 100, the substrate 230, the light source 210a, the optical sensor 220, and the molding material described in the first embodiment. The imaging guide 320 may be integrally packaged with the optical sensor 220 by 610a. That is, the imaging guide 320 is packaged together with the optical sensor 200 in the molding material 610a.

The light source 210a and the optical sensor 220 are installed on the substrate 230, and the imaging guide 320 is positioned above the optical sensor 220. 220 is applied to the outside of the imaging guide 320 and the optical sensor- imaging guide integrated package.

Here, the molding material 610a preferably has a material capable of blocking external light, and uses a molding material made of a material capable of blocking light, such as the black EMC, to form an optical sensor-imaging guide integrated package. The light source may include an infrared source.

16 and 17, the optical sensor (not shown) by the cover 100, the substrate 230, the light source 210b, the optical sensor 220 and the molding material 610a described in the first embodiment described above. An eighth and a ninth embodiment of an optical joystick configured to include the imaging guide 320 packaged integrally with 220 is shown.

In other words, the imaging guide 320 is packaged together with the optical sensor 200 in the molding member 610a to form an optical sensor-imaging guide integrated package. In addition, in the eighth and ninth embodiments of the optical joystick, the substrate 230 and the light source 210b emitting the object detection light are electrically connected to each other by the flexible substrate 231.

When the light source 210b and the substrate 230 are connected to each other by the flexible substrate 231 as described above, the degree of freedom of installation of the light source 210b is improved, so that the optimum position of the optical joystick is designed, for example, The light source 210b may be provided at an optimal position in consideration of a relationship with a component (such as a structure or position of an imaging guide and / or a structure of a cover).

In the optical joystick according to the eighth and ninth embodiments, the light source 210b is disposed inside the cover 100 in a state spaced apart from the substrate, and more specifically, the cover unit ( It is provided on one side of the inside, and is connected to the flexible substrate 231 to emit the subject detection light toward the ceiling of the cover unit, in particular toward the light transmission areas (111a, 121a).

Here, the light source 210b of the optical joystick according to the eighth embodiment is provided at one side of the optical sensor-imaging guide integrated package, and more specifically, the ceiling bottom of the cover unit 100, more specifically, the interior. It is arranged adjacent to the lower side of the plate. The light source 210b may be mounted on and supported by the molding material 610a.

The light source 210b of the optical joystick according to the ninth embodiment is connected to the flexible substrate 231 and is provided on the inner wall of the cover unit 100, more specifically, on the inner wall of the inner frame frame. The subject detection light is emitted in an upward direction of the imaging guide 320.

In the seventh to ninth embodiments of the optical joystick, the illumination guide described in the above embodiments is not provided, and the subject illumination light emitted from the light source 210b is an illumination guide such as a mirror, a reflector or a waveguide. After reaching directly to the ceiling of the cover unit 100, in particular, the light transmitting areas 111a and 121a without passing through, the light transmitting areas 111a and 121a are transmitted upwards and hit the subject.

Although not shown, the seventh to ninth embodiments of the light joystick may further include a separate lighting guide, which may be installed in consideration of the installation position of the light source or the intensity of the light source. Can be considered.

However, when the subject detection light emitted from the light sources 210a and 210b is emitted directly to the light transmission area without passing through the illumination guide, the manufacturing / installation cost of the illumination guide may be reduced.

3 to 6, the operation of the optical joystick will be described with reference to the first embodiment of the present invention.

When the illumination light is emitted from the illumination member 400, the illumination light passes upward through the outer frame 112, and at least a portion of the illumination light is emitted to the upper side of the outer cover 110. After being substantially reflected from the reflective surface 122a, the light is reflected, scattered, or diffused, and the upper surface of the cover unit 100 emits light.

Meanwhile, the subject detection light emitted from the light source 210 passes through the inner plate and the outer plate, which form the ceiling of the cover unit, through the illumination guide 310 and radiates upward in order. The cover unit 100 When the subject is located on the upper side of the), the light emitted from the illumination guide 310 is reflected by hitting the subject to enter the interior of the cover unit 100 and then enters the imaging guide 320, the imaging The guide 320 transmits the subject detection light reflected by the subject to the optical sensor 220.

The movement of the cursor or the pointer is implemented on the display screen 51 of the portable electronic device 50 according to the displacement value of the incident light of the optical sensor 220 that changes with time.

On the other hand, the cover unit 100, the imaging guide and the upper package (300, 300a, 300b, 300c) so that the light flowing into the optical sensor 220 through the imaging guide 320 is limited to the infrared band and At least one of the integrated package 600 and the optical sensor-imaging guide integrated package 600a may be provided with the above-described infrared band pass filter.

As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, and the fact that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms in addition to the above-described embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope thereof has ordinary skill in the art. It is obvious to them.

Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and thus, the present invention is not limited to the above description and may be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional optical joystick.

2 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a mobile phone in which a conventional optical joystick is mounted.

3 is an exploded perspective view showing a first embodiment of the optical joystick according to the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view of the light joystick shown in FIG. 3.

5 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a portable electronic device having an optical joystick according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view and an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a finger as a subject contacts a light joystick illustrated in FIG. 3.

7 is a process schematic diagram schematically showing a process of manufacturing a first embodiment of an optical joystick according to the present invention.

8 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the optical joystick according to the present invention.

9 is a sectional view showing a third embodiment of an optical joystick according to the present invention.

10 is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the optical joystick according to the present invention.

11 is a sectional view showing a fifth embodiment of an optical joystick according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a process schematic diagram schematically showing a process of manufacturing the optical joystick shown in FIG. 11.

13 is a sectional view showing a sixth embodiment of the optical joystick according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a process schematic diagram schematically showing a process of manufacturing the optical joystick shown in FIG. 13.

15 is a sectional view showing a seventh embodiment of an optical joystick according to the present invention.

16 is a cross-sectional view showing an eighth embodiment of an optical joystick according to the present invention.

17 is a cross-sectional view showing a ninth embodiment of an optical joystick according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100: cover unit 110: outer cover

120: inner cover 200: lower package

210: light source 220: light sensor

230: substrate 240: first molding material

250: light blocking film 300: upper package

310: lighting guide 320: imaging guide

330: second molding material 400: lighting member

600, 600a: all-in-one package

Claims (12)

An illumination member for emitting illumination light including visible light; A cap-shaped cover unit in which an upper side to which a subject contacts the light is emitted by the illumination light, a hollow is formed in the inside thereof, and a bottom thereof is open; A substrate coupled to the bottom of the cover unit; A light source for emitting a subject detection light belonging to an infrared band for sensing a subject; An optical sensor mounted on a substrate; And an imaging guide integrally packaged inside the molding material, and including an imaging guide for injecting a subject detection light reflected by a subject outside the cover unit into the cover unit and entering the inside of the cover unit. The cover unit is; An inner cover having an inner rim frame surrounding the light source, the light sensor, and an imaging guide, and an inner plate forming an upper surface of the inner rim frame and transmitting the object detection light; And an outer cover having an outer frame surrounding the inner frame and an outer cover provided on an upper side of the inner plate to form an upper surface of the cover unit and emitted by the illumination light. The light joystick of claim 1, wherein the inner plate transmits only light substantially belonging to an infrared band. The method of claim 2, The inner plate; Optical joystick comprising a base member and an infrared band pass filter coated on one side of the base member. The method of claim 3, The inner plate is divided into a light transmission region through which the subject detection light is transmitted and a light blocking region that blocks infrared rays and visible light. The method of claim 1, And a lighting guide for guiding a subject detection light emitted from the light source to a bottom surface of the inner plate and packaged together of the imaging guide inside the molding material. The method of claim 5, The light source is mounted on the substrate; The illumination guide and the imaging guide are packaged together inside the molding material to form an upper package; The upper package is an optical joystick is mounted on the upper side of the substrate in which the optical sensor and the light source is integrally packaged. The method of claim 8, The light source is mounted on the substrate; And the illumination guide, the imaging guide, the light source, and the optical sensor are packaged together in the molding material to form an integrated package. The method of claim 1, The imaging guide is an optical joystick packaged in the molding material together with an optical sensor mounted on the substrate. The method of claim 8, The light source is electrically connected to the substrate by a flexible substrate, the light joystick disposed in the cover unit spaced apart from the substrate. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, The molding material is an optical joystick having a material capable of blocking external light. The light joystick according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the imaging guide comprises a green lens. The portable electronic device which has the optical joystick of any one of Claims 1-12.

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