KR20110134068A - Display/input device for mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A display and input apparatus of a portable terminal is provided to prevent the decrease of definition in a display apparatus by including a capacitance pressure sensing apparatus. CONSTITUTION: When a display module(10) is pressured, the display module is sloped to different angle according to the pressure location. A sensing point is pressured by the sloped display module. A distance between the upper board(21) and lower board(23) of the sensing point is changed in order to change the capacitance between the upper and lower board. An input signal is created by detecting the size and location of the pressure from a capacitance change pattern.

Description

Display / Input Device for Mobile Terminals

The present invention relates to a display / input device of a portable terminal, and more particularly, to display / input of a portable terminal installed in various portable terminals such as a mobile phone and to display contents related to the operation of the terminal and to input necessary operations and contents. It relates to an input device.

Liquid crystal display (LCD) has traditionally been widely used as a display device of a mobile phone, which is a representative mobile terminal, and recently, OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) has been applied to replace LCD.

OLED display device (organic light emitting diode display device) is a display device that applies 'self-emitting organic material' that emits itself by using electroluminescence which emits light when electric current flows to fluorescent organic compound. It is possible to produce thin film, thin viewing angle, wide viewing angle and fast response speed. Unlike ordinary LCD, the image quality does not change even when viewed from the side and afterimage remains on the screen. Depending on the material of the substrate, there are various advantages, such as being able to produce hard (eg, glass) as well as soft (eg, plastic film), and having a favorable price competitiveness due to the simple manufacturing process.

On the other hand, portable terminals have become more versatile as input menus are diversified and functions are integrated. In particular, mobile phones, which are representative portable terminals, have been continuously connected to the internet and computers. The trend toward the so-called 'smart phone' that integrates various functions such as functions is becoming one of the trends.

Due to the expansion of functions of mobile phones, the conventional dome switch keypads, which have been widely used as input devices, have limitations. Therefore, touch input devices represented by touch screens have been applied, and touch screens have been applied as input devices. Mobile phones are called 'touch phones', and touch screens are widely applied not only to touch phones but also to various other portable devices such as PMPs and MP3s.

As is widely known, the touch screen is stacked on the display device, and inputs the content displayed on the display device below when a finger is touched. In the case of a touch screen applied to a touch phone, a resistive screen is initially used. This is mainly used, and recently, the proportion of the capacitive method is increasing.

Capacitive input devices that can be applied as touch screens can be classified into a 'touch sensor' method for detecting contact (approach) of a conductor (for example, a finger) and a 'pressure sensor' method for detecting an applied pressure.

The former touch sensor is a structure in which a pole plate (electrode, for example, a transparent conductive film such as Indume Tin Oxide (ITO)) is laminated (coated) in a predetermined pattern on a substrate (e.g., synthetic resin). When contacting (or approaching) a pole plate at a specific position, the parasitic capacitance generated between the pole plate and the conductor is measured to detect which pole plate has been touched (coordinates) to detect an input signal corresponding to that touch position. It works on the principle of generating.

In electronic touch sensors, 'touch' means that the conductor approaches the electrode (pole) within a distance that can produce parasitic capacitance. In general, the touch sensor is a cover panel of an insulator (eg, tempered glass or hard plastic) on the electrode. ) Is stacked and the conductor is brought into contact with the cover panel, resulting in the conductor being approached by the electrode, thus the concept of 'touch' includes both contact and access.

The latter pressure sensor is a structure in which a pair of upper and lower pole plates arranged at a predetermined distance are arranged in a predetermined pattern, and when a pressure is applied to the surface cover panel, the static electricity generated while the distance between the upper and lower pole plates at the corresponding position varies depending on the amount of pressure applied. It operates on the principle of generating an input signal corresponding to the pressure position and the pressure level by measuring the change in capacity and detecting the magnitude of the pressure together with the corresponding pressure position (coordinate).

In the case of a touch screen constructed of an electronic capacitive touch sensor, the input is not performed with the non-conductor but only by touching a conductor (for example, a finger). Therefore, the touch screen cannot be stacked below the display device. Since the touch screen covers the display device, and thus the light transmittance from the display device may be reduced, the sharpness of the content displayed on the display device may be lowered. Therefore, the display device may be formed of a transparent material. There is a need for measures to overcome the deterioration of the sharpness of the device.

In the case of the touch screen constructed with the latter capacitive pressure sensor, since the pressure can be applied, the pressurizing object does not have to be a conductor, and it can generate different input signals according to the pressure applied as well as the touch position. There is a characteristic. In addition, since the pressure sensor touch screen may be stacked below the display device rather than on the display device, the touch screen may be stacked below the display device, thereby preventing the display screen from being degraded by the touch screen. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a display / input device of a portable terminal.

An object of the present invention is to provide a display / input device for a portable terminal in which a hard display module is applied as a display device and a capacitive pressure sensor is applied as an input device in a display / input device for a portable terminal.

It is an object of the present invention to prevent the problem of deterioration of the sharpness of a display device by the input device covering the surface of the display device by stacking a capacitive pressure sensor as the input device under a hard display module as the display device. An object of the present invention is to provide a display / input device for a portable terminal.

An object of the present invention is to apply a hard display module as a display device, and to place the capacitive pressure sensor as an input device on the outer edge of the bottom surface of the display module so that the display module can be connected to each other according to the magnitude and position of the pressure applied to the display module. Another object of the present invention is to provide a display / input device of a portable terminal that generates a corresponding input signal from a capacitance change pattern of a capacitive pressure sensor under a change in the tilt of the display module.

According to the present invention, a display / input device of a portable terminal is provided.

The display / input device of a portable terminal according to the present invention comprises a hard display module for displaying contents related to the operation of the portable terminal, and a predetermined distance between a bottom of an outer edge of the display module and a support of the portable terminal. It includes a capacitive pressure sensor in which a plurality of sensing points are stacked.

In the display / input device of the present invention, each of the sensing points may include an upper electrode plate stacked on a bottom surface of an outer edge of the display module, an elastic layer stacked on a bottom surface of the upper electrode plate, and a bottom surface of the elastic layer and the support part. It includes a lower electrode plate laminated on.

In the display / input device of the present invention, when the display module is pressed, the display module is inclined at different angles according to the pressing position and the magnitude of the pressure, and each sensing point is pressed by the inclined display module. In this case, the distance between the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate is reversibly changed, so that a capacitance change occurs between the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate of each sensing point, and the capacitance measured at the sensing points. The pressure position and the magnitude of pressure are detected from the pattern of changes to produce a corresponding input signal.

Preferably, the display module is an LCD display module or an OLED display module.

Preferably, the display module includes a cover panel of a hard material that does not cause bending deformation by pressing and an OLED stacked on a bottom surface of the cover panel.

Preferably, the display module includes a substrate, an OLED stacked on the substrate, and a cover panel stacked on the OLED, and at least one of the substrate and the cover panel is a hard material that does not cause bending deformation by pressing.

Preferably, each of the upper electrode plate, the elastic layer, and the lower electrode plate of each of the sensing points is independently formed, and four or more sensing points are disposed.

Preferably, a tolerance is formed between the housing of the portable terminal and the apparatus of the present invention so that the display module does not prevent the inclination of the display module from being resiliently elastically changed on the capacitive pressure sensor.

The display / input device of a portable terminal according to the present invention has a structure in which a capacitive pressure sensor (input device) is stacked below a hard display module (display device), and the input device covers the surface of the display device. The problem of deterioration of the sharpness of the display device does not occur.

The display / input device of a portable terminal according to the present invention has a structure in which a capacitive pressure sensor (input device) is stacked on the bottom of an outer edge of a hard display module (display device), and the magnitude of the pressure applied to the display module. According to the position, the display module is inclined at different angles, and if the inclination of the display module is different, the pressure corresponding to the pressure position and the magnitude of the pressure is generated by using the principle that a change in capacitance of different patterns occurs at the sensing points below the display module. Since the input signal is generated, the sensitivity deterioration of the input device, which may occur in a structure in which the input device is stacked below the display device, may be minimized.

1 is a schematic diagram of a cellular phone to which a display / input device according to the present invention is applied;
2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of an exemplary display / input device in accordance with the present invention;
3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary display / input device in accordance with the present invention;
4 is a schematic plan view of an exemplary display / input device in accordance with the present invention;
5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an operation principle of a display / input device according to the present invention;
6 is a view showing a principle of generating an input signal in the display / input device according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a display / input device of a portable terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following specific examples merely illustrate the display / input device of the portable terminal according to the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

The display / input device 1 of the portable terminal according to the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1, is installed in a portable terminal 2 such as a touch phone to display contents related to the operation of the touch phone 2 and It is a display / input device that inputs operation and content.

The display / input device 1 according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, includes a plate-shaped upper display module 10 and a capacitive pressure sensor 20.

Preferably, as the display module 10, a known display module suitable for application to the present invention, such as an LCD display module or an OLED display module, may be applied. In the illustrated embodiment, an example in which the OLED display module is applied as the display module 10 is shown. Is not limited thereto.

In the illustrated embodiment, the display module 10 includes a substrate 11, an OLED 12 stacked on the substrate 11, and a cover panel 13 stacked on the OLED 12.

The substrate 11 is a plate-like member for supporting the OLED 12, and may be a conventional substrate used as a substrate in various display devices. For example, a plate glass or a plastic film may be applied.

The OLED 12 is a light emitting device including a known self-luminous organic material applied to an OLED display device, and is stacked in a predetermined pattern on the upper surface of the substrate 11 in accordance with a desired display function.

The cover panel 13 is a plate-like member in which an object such as a finger is directly pressed when an input operation is performed with respect to the display / input device 1 of the present invention, for example, a glass or a plastic plate (for example, a window). It is a member, and also serves to protect the OLED 12 below it.

According to a feature of the present invention, the display module 10 is formed to have hard physical properties, not soft. In the present invention, that the display module 10 is hard means that when the display module 10 is pressed by a finger or the like for input operation, the display module 10 has sufficient strength so that bending deformation does not occur in the display module 10. it means.

In order to harden the display module 10, at least one of the substrate 11 and the cover panel 13 may use a hard material such as tempered glass that does not cause bending deformation due to pressure.

In addition, when the cover panel 13 is formed of a rigid hard material such as tempered glass, since the hard property of the display module 10 is provided by the cover panel 13, the substrate 11 may be omitted. In this case, the OLED 12 is structurally maintained between the bottom of the cover panel 13 and the top of the capacitive pressure sensor 20.

In addition, in the description of the present invention, the cover panel 13 is part of the configuration of the display module 10 for convenience, but the cover panel 13 protects a device stacked below the various input devices or display devices. Since the transparent window is a normal window, it may be understood that the cover panel 13 is a separate configuration instead of a part of the display module 10.

The capacitive pressure sensor 20 applied as an input device is composed of a plurality of sensing points S, and is stacked on the bottom surface of the outer edge of the display module 10. That is, the capacitive pressure sensor 20 is not disposed over the entire bottom surface of the display module 10, but is disposed only on the bottom surface of the edge of the outer periphery of the display module 10. 3) is stacked and supported on.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 4, the support portion 3 is formed only under the capacitive pressure sensor 20 to illustrate a ring shape having a predetermined thickness, but the capacitive pressure stacked thereon If the sensor 20 can be supported, it is sufficient to form, for example, only partially below the sensing point S, as shown in Fig. 3, and to form a flat plate to cover the entire apparatus of the present invention ( Other shapes) are not excluded. Preferably, the support part 3 is firmly formed so as not to cause any deformation when pressure is received via the capacitive pressure sensor 20 by pressing the display module 10 with a finger or the like for input operation.

The capacitive pressure sensor 20 is composed of two or more sensing points S arranged at regular intervals. Preferably, the sensing points S are arranged at four or more. 2 and 4 illustrate an example in which a total of 12 and 10 sensing points S are arranged at regular intervals along a rectangular outer border of a general shape of a touch screen of a mobile phone, respectively. The specific example is the example which arrange | positioned four in total, one in each side of a rectangle.

Each of the sensing points S may include an upper electrode plate 21 stacked on the bottom surface of the outer edge of the display module 10, an elastic layer 22 stacked on the bottom surface of the upper electrode plate 21, and an elastic layer 22. And a lower electrode plate 23 laminated between the bottom surface of the substrate and the support part 3.

The upper electrode plate 21 is a plate-shaped electrode plate which is one of two electrodes applied to a conventional capacitive input device. The upper electrode plate 21 is formed of a conductive material such as a copper plate, and is laminated on the bottom surface of the outer edge of the display module 10. do.

The elastic layer 22 is laminated and attached to the bottom of the upper electrode plate 21. The elastic layer 22 is located between the upper electrode plate 21 and the lower electrode plate 23 and acts as a kind of dielectric, and at the same time, its thickness d is resiliently and elastically changed by the applied pressure so that the positive electrode plate 21, The distance d between the two sides 23 is elastically variable, and as a result, a change in capacitance is generated between the upper electrode plate 21 and the lower electrode plate 23 due to the pressure.

The elastic layer 22 is not particularly limited as long as it can resiliently and elastically vary the distance (d) between the upper electrode plate 21 and the lower electrode plate 23, for example, polyolefin, PVC, polystyrene-based It is possible to apply well-known elastic materials such as polyesters, polyurethanes, polyamides, and the like, in particular, elastic silicones, for example, by molding to a certain shape such as blocks.

The lower electrode plate 23 is a plate-shaped electrode plate, which is one of two electrodes applied to a conventional capacitive input device, is formed of a conductive material such as a copper plate, and is laminated on the bottom of the elastic layer 22. It is supported by the support part 3 below it.

2 and 3 illustrate an example in which the upper electrode plate 21, the elastic layer 22, and the lower electrode plate 23 are individually formed for each sensing point S. Although not, the one pole plate (eg, the upper pole plate) of the upper electrode plate 21 and the lower electrode plate 23 in the entire sensing point (S) is formed separately for each sensing point, and the other pole plate (eg, the lower plate) Pole plate) can be formed from a common electrode plate.

This means that in the capacitive pressure sensor 20, the upper electrode plate 21 and the lower electrode plate 23 constituting each sensing point are one plate plate or the other plate plate, if one pole plate of two pole plates is an independent pole plate. In either case, different capacitance changes occur at each sensing point.

Of course, the elastic layer 22 may also be separately formed for each sensing point, and may be formed in common over the entire sensing points S.

As a result, the display / input device 1 according to the present invention is mounted in a space corresponding to, for example, the touch screen of the touch phone 2, and the cover panel 13, the OLED 12, or the LCD from top to bottom. The display device 10 and the substrate 11 are sequentially stacked to form the display module 10, and between the bottom of the outer edge of the display module 10 and the support 3 of the touch phone 2, from top to bottom. A plurality of sensing points (S) consisting of a stack of the upper substrate 21, the elastic layer 22 and the lower substrate 23 is arranged at a predetermined interval to form a capacitive pressure sensor 20.

That is, in the display / input device 1 according to the present invention, a plurality of sensing points S whose thickness d is resiliently and elastically changed by the action of the elastic layer 22 are arranged along the outer rim. A plurality of sensing points cover the entire capacitive pressure sensor 20 with the hard and plate-shaped display module 10 so that the thickness d of the outer edge of the display module 10 is resiliently and elastically variable. It is a structure supported by (S).

As shown in FIG. 5, the display / input device 1 according to the present invention having such a structure, for example, presses the upper surface of the display module 10, that is, the upper surface of the cover panel 13, with a finger. , The hard display module 10 is inclined at different angles and angles asymmetrically according to the pressure position and the magnitude of the pressure on the resilient height variable sensing points (S), the inclination of the display module 10 Due to this, the distance d between each of the upper electrode plates 21 and the lower electrode plates 23 constituting the sensing points S thereunder is changed elastically so as to be restored by the elastic layer 22. The capacitance between the upper and lower pole plates of the sensing point S is changed.

That is, due to the inclination of the display module 10, the distance d between the upper electrode plate 21 and the lower electrode plate 23 of the sensing points S beneath it is variable, and the change of the distance d is changed. This results in a capacitance change corresponding to the formula C = μA / d, where C is the capacitance, μ is the dielectric constant, A is the area, and d is the width between the plates.

In this case, since the inclination of the plate-shaped and hard display module 10 occurs asymmetrically depending on the pressure position and the magnitude of the pressure, the vertical displacement of the inclined display module 10 is the position of the display module 10. The sensing point S located under the display module 10 at a position where the vertical displacement is relatively large, and the capacitance change is relatively large because the distance change between the upper and lower pole plates is relatively large. The sensing point S located below the display module 10 at a position where the vertical displacement amount is relatively small has a relatively small change in distance between the upper and lower pole plates, so that the capacitance change is relatively small.

In the display / input device 1 according to the present invention, since the display module 10 should be able to be resiliently variable on the sensing points S of the capacitive pressure sensor 20, the portable terminal 2 In installing the apparatus 1 of the present invention, a tolerance 5 is provided between the peripheral housing 4 of the portable terminal 2 so as not to disturb the inclination of the display module 10 of the housing 4. It is desirable to.

In the display / input device 1 according to the present invention, the position and pressure pressed from the pattern of capacitance change occurring at each sensing point S according to the pressure of any size applied to the arbitrary position of the display device 10. Is measured to generate a corresponding input signal.

For example, when the position of the pressing point P is pressed at a specific pressure F in FIG. 6, due to the asymmetrical inclination of the display module 10, the upper electrode plates 21 and the lower portions of the four sensing points S1 to S4 are lowered. The change of the distance d between the pole plates 23 is different from each other, and accordingly, the magnitudes of the forces f1 to f4 measured at the sensing points S1 to S4 and their capacitance change according to the position of the pressure point P and the magnitude of the pressure. There will be a difference.

For reference, the mounting structure of the display module 10 by the housing 4 of the portable terminal 2 is a structure in which the display module 10 in the normal position is allowed to move upward, and the display module 10 by pressing. In the case where the inclination change of) is a change in inclination, such as a seesaw, at the position of the sensing point far from the pressing position, the display module 10 rises upward and the distance d between the upper electrode plate 21 and the lower electrode plate 23. May rather increase, in which case a negative capacitance change will occur as opposed to a decrease in distance d.

As described above, the display / input device 1 of the present invention is based on the fact that the patterns of capacitance change of each sensing point (four in FIG. 6) show different aspects according to the position and magnitude of pressure being applied. The pressure position and the magnitude of the pressure are detected inversely from the measured pattern of capacitance change of each sensing point to generate a corresponding input signal.

Therefore, if the number of sensing points constituting the display / input device 1 of the present invention is too small, the capacitance change pattern of the sensing points may be simple, and thus the accuracy of detecting the pressure position and the magnitude of the pressure may be low. On the contrary, if the number of sensing points is too large, the capacitance change pattern is too complicated, which makes operation difficult.

The principle of measuring the pressure position and the magnitude of the pressure in the display / input device 1 of the present invention is 'Capacitive touch screen' of the Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-0943989 (registered Feb. 17, 2010) of the applicant Reference may be made to the contents of the description thereof, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

When the pressure on the display module 10 disappears, the upper electrode plate 21 returns to its original position by the elastic restoring force of the elastic layer 22, and the display module 10 thereon also returns to its original position (for example, horizontal).

In the display / input device 1 according to the invention, the capacitance change measured from the pressure sensor 20 is processed by a predetermined circuit to generate a corresponding input signal, and the generated input signal is subjected to the apparatus of the invention. It is not directly related to the present invention, such as transmitting to the touch phone is installed, the content displayed on the display module 10 and the input content of the pressure sensor 20, and the like in the art Since it can be suitably applied according to the present invention, description thereof is omitted.

In addition, in the accompanying drawings, an example in which the overall shape of the display / input device 1 of the present invention has been described as a quadrangle, it is obvious that the shape may be formed in other shapes such as circular.

1: Display / Input Device of the Present Invention 2: Portable Terminal (Touch Phone)
3: support part 4: housing
5: tolerance 10: display module
11: substrate 12: OLED
13: cover panel 20: capacitive pressure sensor
21: upper electrode plate 22: elastic layer
23: lower electrode plate

Claims (4)

Between the hard display module 10 for displaying the contents related to the operation of the portable terminal 2, the bottom surface of the outer edge of the display module 10 and the support 3 of the portable terminal 2. A capacitive pressure sensor 20 in which a plurality of sensing points S are stacked at regular intervals;
Each of the sensing points S may include an upper electrode plate 21 stacked on a bottom surface of the outer edge of the display module 10, an elastic layer 22 stacked on the bottom surface of the upper electrode plate 21, and the elastic layer. A lower electrode plate (23) laminated between the bottom of the (22) and the support part (3);
When the display module 10 is pressed, the display module 10 is inclined at different angles according to the pressing position and the magnitude of the pressure, and each sensing point pressed by the inclined display module 10. In S, the distance d between the upper electrode plate 21 and the lower electrode plate 23 is reversibly changed, so that the upper electrode plate 21 and the lower electrode plate of each of the sensing points S are changed. 23) a capacitance change occurs, and the pressure position and the magnitude of the pressure are detected from the pattern of the capacitance changes measured at the sensing points S to generate a corresponding input signal. Display / input device of a portable terminal. The display module 10 of claim 1, wherein the display module 10 includes a cover panel 13 made of a hard material and a OLED 12 stacked on a bottom surface of the cover panel 13, which does not cause bending deformation due to pressure. A display / input device for a portable terminal. The display module 10 of claim 1, wherein the display module 10 includes a substrate 11, an OLED 12 stacked on the substrate 11, and a cover panel 13 stacked on the OLED 12. At least one of the substrate (11) and the cover panel (13) is a hard material which does not cause bending deformation due to pressure. The portable terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the display module 10 does not prevent the inclination of the display module 10 from being elastically variable in a resilient manner on the upper portion of the capacitive pressure sensor 20. A display / input device for a portable terminal, characterized in that a tolerance (5) is formed between the housing (4) of 2).

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