KR20110061235A - Mobile terminal and control for it - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A mobile terminal and a method for controlling the same are provided to reduce the error rate between a target position and an actual touch position by recognizing a finger shape and the location when the touch is not sensed. CONSTITUTION: A touch correcting module(182) determines an input touch position in which an input signal is applied by considering an air touch position and an actual touch position. The air touch operation senses the shape of a pointer without generating the input signal from a predetermined distance from the front side of the touch screen. The touch correcting module calculates a coordination of a virtual touch position from the air touch coordination and the actual touch coordination through a calculation process.

Description

Terminal and control method {Mobile terminal and control for it}

The present invention relates to a terminal, and more particularly, to a terminal for reducing an error occurring in a touch point recognition process.

The terminal can move And can be divided into a mobile / portable terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal may be further classified into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether a user can directly carry it.

Such a terminal has various functions, for example, in the form of a multimedia device having multiple functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of a music or video file, reception of a game and broadcasting, etc. .

In recent years, as the user input unit of the terminal is diversified, the use of a mobile terminal having a touch screen that the output unit can be used as an input unit is rapidly increasing. The touch screen recognizes a touch action of a 'pointer' such as a user's finger or a pen and views it as a user input signal. Therefore, in order to support and increase the function of the terminal such that a more accurate position is recognized with respect to the touched point on the touch screen, it may be considered to improve the structural part and / or the software part of the terminal.

In general, a terminal equipped with a touch screen recognizes a touch action of a 'pointer' such as a user's finger or a pen and views it as a user input signal. In the case of using a pointer such as a pen, since the area of the pen is smaller than the area where the finger contacts when the touch screen is in contact with the touch screen, the actual user can touch the target point without a large error.

However, in the case of using a pointer such as a finger, the thickness or length of the finger is different for each user, and the shape of the finger is curved, so that an error may occur between the target point to be touched and the actual touch point.

In addition, when a finger touches the capacitive touch screen, a structural shadow of a hand shape having a larger contact area than a pen occurs. Therefore, the touch point is recognized in the direction opposite to the movement direction of the hand on the touch screen, a problem that the point that is actually touched and the point recognized as touched by the proximity sensor does not match.

In addition, recently, multi-touch technology for simultaneously recognizing two or more different touch points on a single touch screen is widely used, and positions of touched points for each touch point are different from each other, and shadowing is further intensified, thereby increasing an error rate.

Accordingly, the present invention is to propose a terminal that can recognize the shape and location of the finger in the non-touch state to reduce the error rate between the target point and the actual touch point and perform the desired function without error. do.

Technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems not mentioned above will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. Could be.

Terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above object, the input signal is considered in consideration of the touch screen and the air touch point and the actual touch point by one pointer on the touch screen And a touch correction module configured to determine an applied input touch point, wherein the air touch action is a touch action that can detect the shape of the pointer without generating an input signal at a point away from the front portion of the touch screen. It is characterized by.

The air touch point may be a point of the distal end of the pointer.

The touch correction module may derive the coordinates of the virtual touch point through a preset calculation process from the coordinates of the air touch point and the coordinates of the actual touch point. The touch correction module may determine the virtual touch point as the input touch point when the coordinates of the virtual touch point and the coordinates of the actual touch point are inconsistent or out of a predetermined tolerance range.

The touch screen may generate a sensing signal that distinguishes the air touch from the actual touch. In this case, the sensing signal may include information regarding a shape, a position, and a moving direction of the pointer.

The actual touch may include at least one of a proximity touch and a touch touch.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal control method including a touch screen, the method including: detecting an air touch operation of a pointer at a predetermined height from a front surface of the touch screen; Detecting an actual touch motion of the pointer in a predetermined region on the screen; deriving coordinates of a virtual touch point from a sensing signal including information on the shape and position of a pointer generated by a touch sensor according to the virtual touch motion and the actual touch motion And comparing coordinates of the virtual touch point with coordinates of the point at which the actual touch operation is performed, and performing coordinate correction of the touch point.

The above embodiments are only some of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and various embodiments reflecting the technical features of the present invention are based on the detailed description of the present invention described below by those skilled in the art. Can be derived and understood.

The mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above may increase the accuracy of the recognized touch point by correcting an error between the point recognized as being touched on the touch screen and the point that the actual user tries to touch. have.

In addition, by increasing the accuracy of the recognized touch point, it is possible to reduce the error rate in performing various functions mounted in the terminal.

The effects obtainable in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned above may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. will be.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles from each other.

The mobile terminal described herein may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), navigation, and the like. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may also be applied to fixed terminals such as digital TVs, desktop computers, etc., except when applicable only to mobile terminals.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an A / V input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, and an interface. The unit 170, the controller 180, and the power supply unit 190 may be included. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, so that a mobile terminal having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules that enable wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and a network in which the mobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, and a location information module 115 .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

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

The broadcast related information may mean information related to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or a broadcast service provider. The broadcast related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast related information may exist in various forms. For example, it may exist in the form of Electronic Program Guide (EPG) of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) or Electronic Service Guide (ESG) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

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

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives a wireless signal with at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data according to transmission and reception of a voice call signal, a video call call signal, or a text / multimedia message.

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

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

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

Referring to FIG. 1, the A / V input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video call mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame may be displayed on the display unit 151.

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. Two or more cameras 121 may be provided according to the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal by a microphone in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, etc., and processes the external sound signal into electrical voice data. The processed voice data can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. The microphone 122 may implement various noise removing algorithms for removing noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

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

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

The output unit 150 is used to generate an output related to visual, auditory or tactile senses, which includes a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, a haptic module 154, and a projector module ( 155) may be included.

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in a call mode, the mobile terminal displays a user interface (UI) or a graphic user interface (GUI) related to the call. When the mobile terminal 100 is in a video call mode or a shooting mode, the mobile terminal 100 displays a captured image and / or a received image, UI, or GUI.

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

Some of these displays can be configured to be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen from the outside. This may be referred to as a transparent display. A representative example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparant OLED). The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be configured as a light transmissive structure. With this structure, the user can see the object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display unit 151 of the terminal body.

There may be two or more display units 151 according to the implementation form of the mobile terminal 100. For example, in the mobile terminal 100, a plurality of display portions may be spaced apart from one another, or may be disposed integrally with one another, and may be disposed on different surfaces, respectively.

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

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor may be configured to detect not only the position and area of the touch but also the pressure at the touch.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and then transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. As a result, the controller 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched.

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

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

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of allowing the proximity sensor to recognize that an object exists on or near the detection surface without touching the pointer on the touch screen is referred to as "air touch." It is called. Unlike the air touch, an action in which the pointer is recognized as performing a touch operation on the touch screen is referred to as "proximity touch," and an action in which the pointer is actually touched on the touch screen is referred to as "contact touch." Contact Touch ".

The 'air touch' is included in the user's proximity touch action on the touch screen, but no user input signal is generated according to the touch action, but only a pointer exists on the touch screen and the position of the pointer can be determined. It means to generate a degree of signal. For example, when the touch screen is capacitive, the 'air touch' behavior is an operation that can sense the electric field change and the generated position generated on the touch screen, although the proximity sensor does not recognize it as a touch behavior.

The 'air touch' is defined to distinguish it from 'contact touch' or 'proximity touch' that generates a user input signal for convenience of description.

A position recognized as an air touch and a proximity touch by the pointer on the touch screen means a position where the pointer is perpendicular to the touch screen when the pointer is close to the touch screen.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (for example, a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, and a proximity touch movement state). In addition, even if it is not recognized as being touched on the touch screen, it is possible to detect the shape of the object located near the detection surface. Information corresponding to the sensed proximity touch operation and proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The sound output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160 in a call signal reception, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, and the like. The sound output module 152 may also output a sound signal related to a function (eg, a call signal reception sound, a message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. The sound output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

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

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

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

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

The projector module 155 is a component for performing an image project function using the mobile terminal 100 and is similar to the image displayed on the display unit 151 in accordance with a control signal of the controller 180 Or at least partly display another image on an external screen or wall.

Specifically, the projector module 155 includes a light source (not shown) that generates light (for example, laser light) for outputting an image to the outside, a light source And a lens (not shown) for enlarging and outputting the image at a predetermined focal distance to the outside. Further, the projector module 155 may include a device (not shown) capable of mechanically moving the lens or the entire module to adjust the image projection direction.

The projector module 155 can be divided into a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) module, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module and a DLP (Digital Light Processing) module according to the type of the display means. In particular, the DLP module may be advantageous for miniaturization of the projector module 151 by enlarging and projecting an image generated by reflecting light generated from a light source on a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) chip.

Preferably, the projector module 155 may be provided longitudinally on the side, front or back side of the mobile terminal 100. It goes without saying that the projector module 155 may be provided at any position of the mobile terminal 100 as occasion demands.

The memory unit 160 may store a program for processing and controlling the controller 180, and temporarily stores input / output data (for example, a phone book, a message, an audio, a still image, a video, etc.). It can also perform a function for. The memory unit 160 may also store the frequency of use of each of the data (for example, each telephone number, each message, and frequency of use for each multimedia). In addition, the memory unit 160 may store data regarding vibration and sound of various patterns output when a touch input on the touch screen is performed.

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

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

The identification module is a chip that stores various types of information for authenticating the usage rights of the mobile terminal 100, and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identify module (SIM), and a universal user authentication module ( Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") can be manufactured in a smart card format. Accordingly, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port.

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

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, it performs related control and processing for voice calls, data communications, video calls, etc. The controller 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for playing multimedia. In addition, to distinguish the 'virtual touch', the 'close touch' and the 'contact touch' recognized by the proximity sensor 141, and to reduce the error generated between the point that the user wants to touch and the point that is recognized as actually touched. The touch correction module 182 may perform coordinate correction of the touch point.

The touch correction module 182 may recognize the presence and shape of a finger or a pen when an 'air touch' operation is performed. The touch direction and shape of the pointer are derived by combining the shape of the finger recognized by the air touch and the actual touch point coordinates, and the coordinates of the virtual touch points are derived by applying a preset calculation process thereto. Correct.

The multimedia module 181 and / or the touch correction module 182 may be implemented in the controller 180 or may be implemented separately from the controller 180.

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing a writing input or a drawing input performed on the touch screen as text and an image, respectively. That is, the sensing signal may be received from the sensing unit 140 so that the touch screen may be the user input unit 130 and the output unit 150, and may be recognized as an input signal.

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

Various embodiments described herein may be implemented in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware or a combination thereof.

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

According to the software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented as separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more functions and operations described herein. Software code can be implemented in a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software code may be stored in the memory 160 and executed by the controller 180.

2A is a front perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal according to the present invention;

The disclosed mobile terminal 100 has a terminal body in the form of a bar. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be applied to various structures such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, a swivel type, and two or more bodies are coupled to be movable relative to each other.

The body includes a casing (casing, housing, cover, etc.) that forms an exterior. In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 101 and a rear case 102. Various electronic components are built in the space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. At least one intermediate case may be further disposed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102.

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 151, the audio output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input units 130/131 and 132, the microphone 122, and the interface 170 may be disposed in the terminal body, mainly the front case 101. have.

The display unit 151 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 101. A sound output unit 151 and a camera 121 are disposed in an area adjacent to one end of both ends of the display unit 151 and a user input unit 131 and a microphone 122 are disposed in an area adjacent to the other end. The user input unit 132 and the interface 170 may be disposed on side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102.

The user input unit 130 is manipulated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal 100 and may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132. The manipulation units 131 and 132 may also be collectively referred to as manipulating portions, and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates the tactile manner with a tactile feeling.

Content input by the first or second manipulation units 131 and 132 may be variously set. For example, the first operation unit 131 receives commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 132 controls the size of the sound output from the sound output unit 152 or the size of the sound output from the display unit 151 To the touch recognition mode of the touch screen.

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a camera 121 ′ may be additionally mounted on the rear of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 102. The camera 121 'may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to the camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 has a low pixel so that the user's face is photographed and transmitted to the counterpart in case of a video call, and the camera 121 'photographs a general subject and does not transmit it immediately. It is desirable to have a high pixel because there are many. The cameras 121 and 121 'may be installed in the terminal body so as to be rotatable or pop-upable.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 are further disposed adjacent to the camera 121 '. The flash 123 shines light toward the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera 121 '. The mirror 124 allows the user to see his / her own face or the like when photographing (self-photographing) the user using the camera 121 '.

The sound output unit 152 'may be further disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The sound output unit 152 ′ may implement a stereo function together with the sound output unit 152 (see FIG. 2A), and may be used to implement a speakerphone mode during a call.

The antenna 116 for receiving a broadcast signal may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 116, which forms part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1), can be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the portable terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 190 may be embedded in the terminal body or may be directly detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

The rear case 102 may be further equipped with a touch pad 135 for sensing a touch. Like the display unit 151, the touch pad 135 may also be configured to have a light transmission type. In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output visual information from both sides, the visual information may be recognized through the touch pad 135. The information output on both surfaces may be controlled by the touch pad 135. Alternatively, a display may be additionally mounted on the touch pad 135, and a touch screen may be disposed on the rear case 102 as well.

Hereinafter, the operation of the display unit 151 and the touch pad 135 will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

3 is a front view of a portable terminal for explaining an operation state of a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

Various types of time information can be displayed on the display unit 151. [ These pieces of information can be displayed in the form of letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons.

At least one of the letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons may be displayed in a predetermined arrangement for inputting such information, thereby being implemented as a keypad. Such a keypad may be referred to as a so-called " virtual keypad ".

3 illustrates receiving a touch applied to the virtual keypad through the front of the terminal body.

The display unit 151 may operate in an entire area or may be operated in a divided manner. In the latter case, the plurality of areas can be configured to operate in association with each other.

For example, an output window 151a and an input window 151b are displayed on the upper and lower portions of the display unit 151, respectively. The output window 151a and the input window 151b are areas allocated for outputting or inputting information, respectively. In the input window 151b, a virtual keypad 151c is displayed in which a number for inputting a telephone number or the like is displayed. When the virtual keypad 151c is touched, numbers and the like corresponding to the touched virtual keypad are displayed on the output window 151a. When the first manipulation unit 131 is operated, a call connection to the telephone number displayed on the output window 151a is attempted.

In addition to the input methods disclosed in the above embodiments, the display unit 151 or the touch pad 135 may be configured to receive a touch input by scrolling. By scrolling the display unit 151 or the touch pad 135, the user may move an object displayed on the display unit 151, for example, a cursor or a pointer located at an icon. Further, when the finger is moved on the display portion 151 or the touch pad 135, the path along which the finger moves may be visually displayed on the display portion 151. [ This may be useful for editing an image displayed on the display unit 151.

One function of the terminal may be executed in response to a case where the display unit 151 (touch screen) and the touch pad 135 are touched together within a predetermined time range. In the case of being touched together, there may be a case where the user clamps the terminal body using the thumb and index finger. One function of the terminal may be, for example, activation or deactivation of the display unit 151 or the touch pad 135.

As such, the mobile terminal equipped with the touch screen recognizes a touch action of a 'pointer' such as a user's finger or a pen and views it as a user input signal. In this case, when the finger pointer is used, the shape of the finger is different for each user, and the area where the finger pointer contacts the touch screen is larger than the pen pointer, and thus, the user may not accurately touch the target point to be touched.

For example, when a finger touches the capacitive touch screen, the contact area is larger than a pen, and a structural shadow phenomenon occurs, and the proximity sensor 141 has a direction of movement of the hand on the touch screen. The touch point is recognized in the opposite direction. That is, there is a problem that a point that is actually touched and a point recognized by the proximity sensor do not coincide.

Accordingly, the present invention is to propose a mobile terminal capable of correcting touch coordinates by recognizing a shape of a finger in a non-touch state and collecting data of a target point and an actual touch point. In the following, touch points and touch coordinates are used in the same sense.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of performing touch point correction in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the touch correction module 182 that performs coordinate correction for a touch-recognized point in the mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is activated through the user input unit 130 (S10). When the finger approaches the front of the touch screen while the touch correction module 182 is activated, the proximity sensor 141 detects an air touch performed on the touch screen (S11). That is, in step S11, the shape of the finger pointer located within a predetermined height range from the front of the touch screen without being touched on the touch screen is recognized. In this case, the proximity sensor 141 may output different proximity signals according to the distance between the touch screen and the finger located above the touch screen to distinguish between the air touch and the proximity touch in the touch correction module 182. It can be configured to be. When the proximity sensor 141 transmits a proximity signal including the detected position information of the finger to the touch correction module 182, the touch correction module 182 determines the shape of the finger based on the transmitted proximity signal. To derive.

Thereafter, when a user performs an actual touch action for applying an input signal on the touch screen, the proximity sensor 141 senses a touch action actually performed on the touch screen (S12). The touch operation includes the above-described 'touch touch' and 'close touch' operations. The proximity sensor 141 generates a proximity signal by a touch operation and transmits the proximity signal to the touch correction module 141. The touch correction module 141 derives the coordinates of the recognized touch point from the applied proximity signal.

Then, the finger shape and position information transmitted in step S11 and the touch coordinate information derived in step S11 are combined to derive the 'virtual touch coordinates' through a preset calculation process. The 'virtual touch coordinate' becomes a target point that the user actually touches (S13).

The touch correction module 182 compares the 'real touch coordinates' derived in step S12 with the 'virtual touch coordinates' derived in step S13 to determine whether they match (S14). According to an embodiment of the present invention, the touch correction module 182 performs an actual touch at a target point that the user intends to touch when the 'virtual touch coordinate' and the 'actual touch coordinate' coincide with each other or fall within a predetermined tolerance range. It is recognized that the input signal of the user is generated at the actual touch point.

On the other hand, if the coordinates of the two points do not match or out of the tolerance range, the touch correction module 182 corrects the point that the user sees the touch from the coordinates of the actual touch point from the coordinates of the virtual touch point ( S15). The tolerance range may be preset by the user or an error range of information that may perform the same function even if the target point and the actual touch point do not coincide with each other.

As another example of coordinate correction, the touch correction module 182 reports an intermediate point between a predetermined point of a finger end recognized by air touch and an actual touched point as a virtual touch point, and an actual touch action is performed at the virtual touch point. Coordinate correction can be performed.

As described above, the correction between the touch point coordinates may reduce the error between the target point that the actual user intends to touch and the touched point.

5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining an example of touch coordinates recognized through the proximity sensor 141 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The proximity sensor 141 may be configured to output different proximity signals according to the distance between the proximity touched pointer and the touch screen.

5A and 5B illustrate, for example, a cross section of a touch screen on which a proximity sensor capable of sensing two proximity depths is disposed.

Referring to FIG. 5A, when the finger pointer completely contacts the touch screen (d ₀ ), it is recognized as a touch touch. When the finger pointer is positioned below the distance d ₁ on the touch screen, it is recognized as a proximity touch of a first proximity depth. The touch detected within the first proximity depth is regarded as a 'proximity touch' and generates a first proximity signal including the position of the recognized finger pointer. When the finger pointer is spaced apart from the distance d ₁ or more and less than d ₂ on the touch screen, the finger pointer is recognized as a proximity touch of a second proximity depth. In this case, the touch recognized at the second proximity depth may be regarded as the above-described 'air touch'. When recognized as the air touch, the proximity sensor 141 generates a second proximity signal including a shape, a position, and the like of the recognized finger pointer. When the finger pointer is spaced apart by more than a distance of d ₂ on the touch screen, the proximity of the finger pointer on the touch screen is recognized as being released.

Accordingly, the touch correction module 182 described in FIG. 1 may recognize the first proximity signal and the second proximity signal transmitted from the proximity sensor 141 as various input signals, and control various operations according to the various input signals. Can be performed.

In detail, the touch correction module 182 may derive the shape and position information of the finger from the second proximity signal generated by the proximity sensor 141 recognized as an 'air touch'. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, the coordinates of the point C corresponding to the vertical direction on the touch screen may be derived at a predetermined point of the distal end in the derived finger shape.

In addition, when the finger pointer touches the touch screen, the touch correction module 182 may determine a point B that is recognized as being touched from the position information included in the first proximity signal transmitted from the proximity sensor 141. Deduce the coordinates.

The touch correction module 182 recognizes the movement of the finger on the touch screen by combining the shape information of the finger and the coordinate information of the point C at which the distal end is located and the point B recognized as being actually touched. Accordingly, the virtual touch point coordinates A can be derived. The virtual touch point coordinates A are derived by a calculation program set in the touch correction module 182. As the touch accuracy increases in the mobile terminal of the present invention, the point A is closer to the point B.

As illustrated in FIG. 5A, when the point A and the point B do not coincide with each other or fall outside the tolerance range, the touch correction module 182 performs a correction operation of moving the actual touch point to the point A, which is a virtual touch point. Therefore, since the touch operation is performed at the point A, the controller 180 can perform an operation set at the corresponding point.

Another example of coordinate correction is shown in FIG. 5B.

Referring to FIG. 5B, even when a proximity touch occurs at the first proximity depth, coordinates of the virtual touch point A are combined by combining coordinate B information of a touch point recognized by the proximity touch and shape information of a finger. Can be derived. And, as point A described above in FIG. 5A, when point A and point B do not coincide or are outside the tolerance range, coordinate correction for moving point B to point A can be performed. In addition, the coordinate correction may be performed to a specific point near the point A and the point B in consideration of the shape and the moving direction of the finger.

However, the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B is merely an example for explaining that the 'air touch' and the 'close touch' are recognized and distinguished through the proximity sensor. Proximity sensors can also be implemented. The first proximity depth section recognizing the proximity touch may be divided into two or more sections to generate different proximity signals according to the proximity depth and the proximity position of the pointer.

6A and 6B are front perspective views illustrating an example of a mobile terminal having a touch correction module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, when the 'virtual keypad' is implemented in front of the display unit 151 of the mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, an example in which a touch input is applied to any virtual keypad is shown.

Referring to FIG. 6A, when a user's finger pointer attempts to touch the number pad '5' among the numbers, letters, and shape pads constituting the virtual keypad 151c, simultaneously touches other number pads in addition to the number pad '5'. Accordingly, an error may be recognized that the touch operation is performed on the number pad '8' according to the area ratio to be touched. Alternatively, the actual mobile terminal may not specify a virtual keypad to receive a touch input signal for two or more numeric pads and output them to the output unit 151a.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the touch is activated while the touch correction module 182 is activated, the shape of the finger is first recognized by the user's air touch operation. The coordinates of the virtual touch point A, which the user intends to touch, are derived by combining the information about the point B actually touched. The touch correction module 182 compares whether the coordinates of the touch point B included in the '8' number pad recognized as being in actual contact with the virtual touch information on the A point match. At this time, even if point A and point B do not completely coincide, if the point B is located within the tolerance range from the point A, the correction operation may not be performed. However, as illustrated in FIG. 6B, when the points A and B are located on different virtual keypads, the touch correction module 182 coordinates for moving the actual touch point B to the virtual touch point A. FIG. Calibration can be performed. That is, the actual touched point is point B, but the input signal input to the controller of the present invention is point A on the number pad '5'.

Alternatively, when an error occurs because two or more touch inputs occur in one pointer, it may be specified that one keypad is touched based on the position information on the virtual touch point A. FIG.

7 is a front perspective view showing another example of a mobile terminal having a touch correction module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, an example of the case where the multi-touch is performed is shown.

Referring to FIG. 7, a plurality of images are arranged in a predetermined region on the display unit 151, and some of the plurality of images may be simultaneously selected in a multi-touch manner.

For example, the user may select predetermined image files 20, 21, 22 from among a plurality of images arranged on the front of the display unit 151, and transmit the predetermined image files 20, 21, 22 to another user or configure a video. In this case, since two or more touch actions are simultaneously performed on the touch screen, the touch recognition accuracy becomes worse due to the shadowing phenomenon when the finger pointer is used. As shown in FIG. 7, other images of the surroundings may be selected instead of the specific images 21 and 22 to be touched.

Therefore, the touch correction module 182 according to an embodiment of the present invention uses the virtual touch point based on the information by the air touch and the actual touch generated at each touch pointer during the multi-touch as shown in FIG. 4. The correction operation may be performed by deriving the coordinates of (A) and comparing the coordinates with the actual touch point (B). Coordinate correction may be performed to move the touch recognized point to the virtual touch point A. FIG.

8A and 8B are front perspective views illustrating still another example of a mobile terminal having a touch correction module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, another example in the case where multi-touch is performed is shown.

Referring to FIG. 8A, two or more images are arranged in a predetermined area on the display unit 151. The images 30 and 31 are examples of graphic tools for performing a specific function set in the image when a touch on a corresponding region such as an icon or a widget is recognized. At this time, the positions of the images 30 and 31 may be simultaneously moved by using multi-touch, or both images 30 and 31 may be combined to be combined into one image.

In this case, when the finger pointer is used, since the target point to be touched by the user may be different from the actual touch point, the images 30 and 31 may not move to the desired target point.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the positions of the images 30 and 31 are to be implemented as a combined image, a point B that is substantially touch-recognized with respect to one of the images 30 is provided. This may not be included in the desired image graphics area 30. At this time, even if the proximity sensor 141 detects that the touch operation is performed at two different positions on the front of the display unit 151, the controller 180 touches the touch panel to perform a function set in one image 31. That is, the controller may be configured to display a window for outputting information on the current time by recognizing a touch action on the clock widget image 31.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 8B, the mobile terminal detects an error between the virtual touch point A and the actual touch point B derived from the touch correction module 182 according to the process described above with reference to FIG. 4. You can correct it. Therefore, even if the actual touch point corresponds to the boundary or the outer portion of the area of the weather widget image 30, the position of the image can be moved by moving the actual touch point A to the virtual touch point B through coordinate correction. have.

Touch coordinate correction method in the mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention is optimal in the above-described correction method according to the terminal implementation form, such as the size of the terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, the image graphics displayed on the touch screen The correction method can be applied.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the above-described method can be implemented as a code that can be read by a processor on a medium on which the program is recorded. Examples of processor-readable media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like, and may be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission over the Internet). Include.

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

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

3A and 3B are front views of a mobile terminal for explaining an operation state of the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process of performing touch point correction in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining an example of touch coordinates recognized through the proximity sensor 141 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6A and 6B are front perspective views illustrating an example of a mobile terminal having a touch correction module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a front perspective view showing another example of a mobile terminal having a touch correction module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8A and 8B are front perspective views illustrating still another example of a mobile terminal having a touch correction module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (8)

touch screen; And And a touch correction module that determines an input touch point to which an input signal is applied in consideration of an air touch point and an actual touch point by one pointer on the touch screen. The air touch operation is a terminal, characterized in that the touch operation that can detect the shape of the pointer without generating an input signal at a point away from the front portion of the touch screen. The method of claim 1, And the air touch point is a point at the distal end of the pointer. The method of claim 1, The touch correction module is configured to derive the coordinates of the virtual touch point from a coordinate of the air touch point and the coordinates of the actual touch point through a predetermined calculation process. The method of claim 3, And the touch correction module determines the virtual touch point as the input touch point when the coordinates of the virtual touch point and the coordinates of the actual touch point are inconsistent or out of a predetermined tolerance range. The method of claim 1, The touch screen is a terminal, characterized in that for generating a sensing signal for distinguishing between the air touch and the actual touch. The method of claim 5, The sensing signal is characterized in that it comprises information on the shape, location and direction of movement of the pointer. The method of claim 1, And the actual touch comprises at least one of a proximity touch and a touch touch. In the terminal control method provided with a touch screen, Detecting an air touch operation of the pointer in a predetermined height section from the front of the touch screen; Detecting an actual touch operation of the pointer in a predetermined area on the touch screen; Deriving coordinates of a virtual touch point from a sensing signal including shape and position information of a pointer generated in a touch sensor according to the virtual touch operation and the actual touch operation; And comparing coordinates of the virtual touch point with coordinates of the point at which the actual touch operation is performed, and performing coordinate correction of the touch point.

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