KR20120008395A - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A portable terminal is provided to expand the method of input or control by diversifying a unit for touch sense and to enhance the convenience of a user. CONSTITUTION: A main body(101) has a front surface capable of touch input of a portable terminal. A transparent flip(110) is formed to cover the front side. The transparent flip is connected to be opened to the main body. The flip includes a first display and a touch sensitive layer. The touch sensitive layer is formed to sense touch applied to flip.

Description

Mobile terminal {PORTABLE TERMINAL}

The present invention relates to a portable terminal which can be input by touch.

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

As the functions are diversified, the mobile terminal may have complicated functions such as photographing a picture or video, playing a music or video file, receiving a game, or receiving a broadcast. These features can be integrated at once to create a comprehensive multimedia player.

In order to implement complex functions, various new attempts have been applied to mobile terminals in terms of hardware or software. In addition, a user interface environment is provided for a user to search for or select a function easily and conveniently.

In order to provide a simpler and slimr appearance and a convenient user interface, a touch input method is applied.

An object of the present invention is to expand the method of input or control and increase the user's convenience by diversifying the means for touch sensing.

In order to solve the above problems, the portable terminal according to the present invention, the main body having a front surface (touch surface) capable of touch input; And a translucent flip formed to cover the front surface and openably connected to the main body, wherein the flip includes: a translucent first display; And a touch sensing layer formed to sense a touch applied to the flip.

As an example related to the present invention, the touch sensing layer may include a first touch sensing layer positioned on a first surface of the first display; And a second touch sensing layer positioned on a second surface opposite to the first surface.

As an example related to the present disclosure, a main body touch sensing unit may be further provided inside the front of the main body to detect a second display and a touch applied to the front of the main body.

As an example related to the present disclosure, only one of the first touch sensing layer to the main body touch sensing unit may be configured to be activated while the transparent flip is closed.

As an example related to the present invention, the touch sensing layer may be configured to be activated in a state where the transparent flip is opened.

As an example related to the present invention, a second display may be further included on a front surface of the main body, and the second display may be configured to output an image related to the first display.

As an example related to the present invention, in a particular mode, the first display may be configured to output a keypad composed of a plurality of keys, and the second display may be configured to output content input from the keypad.

As an example related to the present invention, the second display may be configured by the second touch sensing layer at the same time as the first touch sensed by the first touch sensing layer and the time sensed by the first touch sensing layer. And may output a result by the sensed second touch.

As an example related to the present invention, the light transmissive flip may be connected to one side of the main body by a hinge so as to be openable and openable.

As an example related to the present disclosure, the apparatus may further include a rear flip formed to cover the rear surface of the main body.

As an example related to the present invention, the back flip may be configured to maintain the body at an angle.

As an example related to the present invention, the back flip may further include touch sensing means configured to sense a touch applied to the back flip.

According to the portable terminal related to the present invention, the translucent flip not only serves to protect the front surface of the main body but also enables input by touch, thus contributing to the variety of input means. In addition, the transmissive display mounted on the transmissive flip may provide various UIs to the user in addition to the display of the main body.

1 is a perspective view showing a front surface of a mobile terminal related to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an open state of a light transmissive flip of the portable terminal of FIG. 1.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1.
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of a key input device mounted on a main body in relation to FIG. 4.
6 is a plan view showing a first use state of a mobile terminal according to the present invention;
7 is a plan view showing a second use state of the mobile terminal according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view illustrating a concept of inputting using a touch applied to a rear surface of a translucent flip.
9 is a schematic plan view illustrating a concept of inputting using touch applied to both sides of the translucent flip.
10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a mobile terminal according to another example related to the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the use state of FIG. 10.
12 is a block diagram of a portable terminal according to the present invention.

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

1 is a perspective view showing the front of a portable terminal according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the transparent flip of the portable terminal of Figure 1 open.

According to these drawings, the portable terminal 100 includes a main body 101 and a flip 110 connected to the main body 101 so as to be opened and closed. In the present disclosure, the portable terminal 100 refers to a portable electronic device, and includes, for example, an e-book, a portable computer (palmtop, tablet PC, laptop, PDA, etc.), a mobile communication device, a game machine, It may be implemented in the form of an audio or video player (MP3 player, portable media player (PMP)), a navigator and the like.

The body 101 may be embodied in a substantially bar shape, the front surface of which is provided with input and output means for the user interface. In terms of shape or structure, the main body 101 may be applied to various structures, such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, a swivel type, in which two or more bodies are coupled to be relatively movable. In this case, the flip may be mounted on one of two or more bodies, or may be mounted on a plurality of bodies, respectively.

The main body 101 includes a case (casing, housing, cover, etc.) forming an external appearance. The front case and the rear case may be divided, or may be configured to include at least one intermediate case between the front case and the rear case. 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 front surface of the main body 101 may include a sound output unit 122, a display unit 121, a first key input unit 124, an image input unit 123, and the like.

The sound output unit 122 is mainly configured to output call sounds, various system notification sounds, or multimedia playback sounds. The sound output unit 122 may be configured in the form of a dynamic speaker, or may be configured in a bone conduction method.

The display unit 121 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, a user interface (UI) or a graphical user interface (GUI) related to various modes of a portable terminal is displayed. The display unit 121 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) module, an organic light emitting diodes (OLED) module, an e-paper, and the like, which visually express information. In addition, the display unit 121 may include a main body touch sensing unit 130 (see FIG. 3) to be input by a touch method. In this case, the display 121 may be referred to as a “touch screen,” and when a touch is applied to any place on the display 121, contents corresponding to the touched position are input. The content input by the touch method may be letters or numbers or menu items that can be indicated or designated in various modes. The main body touch sensing unit 130 is formed to be translucent so that the display unit 121 can be seen, and may include a structure for increasing the visibility of the touch screen in a bright place. Furthermore, the body touch sensing unit 130 includes a window structure for protecting the translucent touch sensing unit.

The image input unit 123 may be implemented in the form of a camera that can take a picture or video. Since the image input unit 123 located at the front of the main body 101 mainly photographs the user himself, it is suitable to be used for a video call or the like, and may be additionally disposed at the rear of the terminal.

The first key input unit 124 generates input data for the user to control the operation of the terminal. The first key input unit 124 may be configured of a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure / capacitance), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like. In particular, the first key input unit 124 disposed on one side of the display unit 121 implemented as a touch screen has useful functions such as on / off, lock / unlock, selection, etc. of the terminal by a few simple key combinations. Convenience can be attained by taking charge of input.

The sound input unit 125, the interface unit 127, the second key input unit 128, and the antenna 126 may be disposed on the side of the main body 101.

The sound input unit 125 may be implemented in the form of, for example, a microphone to receive a user's voice, other sounds, and the like.

The interface unit 127 serves as a passage for allowing the mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention to exchange data with an external device. For example, the interface unit 127 may be a wired or wireless connection terminal for connecting to an earphone, a port for short-range communication (for example, an infrared port (IrDA port), a Bluetooth port, a wireless LAN port ( Wireless LAN Port) and the like, or at least one of power supply terminals for supplying power to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 127 may be implemented in the form of a socket for receiving an external card such as a subscriber identification module (SIM) or a user identity module (UIM), a memory card for storing information.

The second key input unit 128 may be collectively referred to as an operation unit together with the first key input unit 124, and may receive a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal 100. The second key input unit 128 may be adopted in any manner as long as it is a tactile manner in which the user operates while having a tactile feeling. The content input by the second key input unit 128 may be variously set. For example, the second key input unit 128 controls the image input unit 123, adjusts the volume of the sound output from the audio output unit 122, or switches the display unit 121 to the touch recognition mode. You can receive a command.

The antenna 126 for receiving a broadcast signal may be additionally disposed on the side of the main body 101 in addition to the antenna for the call. The antenna 126 may be installed to be pulled out of the main body 101.

The main body 101 is equipped with a power supply unit (not shown in detail) for supplying power to the portable terminal 100. The power supply unit may be built in the terminal body or may be configured to be directly detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the translucent flip 110 formed to cover the entire surface of the main body 101 is connected to the main body 101. The translucent flip 110 protects the magnified display 121 or the touch screen from an external impact or blocks foreign matter from being buried. In the present invention, the transparent flip 110 provides a screen and a touch input. The translucent flip 110 may have a translucent or semi-translucent so that at least the area of the display 121 may be seen by the display unit 121 therein, and partially includes an opaque or semi-transparent region in consideration of a design. can do.

The translucent flip 110 has a structure that can be opened and closed to use the touch screen 121 and the first key input unit 124 disposed on the front surface of the main body 101. As an example for this purpose, one end of the translucent flip 110 is connected by the main body 101 and the hinge 115. However, the hinge 115 may be replaced by a structure that can be deformed by a flexible material, in addition to the structure supporting the rotation.

The transmissive flip 110 may include a translucent display 111 and at least one touch sensing layer. 3 illustrates a translucent display 111 having a translucent flip 110 disposed therebetween, a first touch sensing layer 112 disposed on a closed inner surface of the translucent flip 110, and an outer side of the translucent flip 110. An example of the second touch sensing layer 113 positioned at the side surface is shown.

The transmissive display 111, the first touch sensing layer 112, and the second touch sensing layer 113 may all be manufactured in a flexible form, and in this case, the transmissive flip 110 may be embodied in a deformable form. do. The translucent display 111 may be in the form of a paper, an ink, a transparent LCD, a transparent OLED, or the like. The first touch sensing layer 112 and the second touch sensing layer 113 may be implemented in a form in which a transparent electrode is deposited on the transparent base material.

The translucent display 111, the first touch sensing layer 112, and the second touch sensing layer 113 may be integrally bonded to each other, and may further include mounting means for supporting them along the edge.

In order to detect opening and closing of the transmissive flip 110, as shown in FIG. 3, a flip open / close detection unit 141 may be provided inside the main body 101. The flip open / close detection unit 141 may be implemented in the form of a proximity sensor, a magnetic sensor, or the like, and the transparent flip 110 may be provided with a permanent magnet.

In order to provide various user interfaces according to the posture of the main body 101, the main body 101 may include a posture detection unit 142 that detects a posture of the main body 101. The posture detection unit 142 may use a form such as an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor.

As shown in FIG. 4, as an example related to the present invention, the first key input unit 124 may be disposed in a region where the transparent flip 110 is covered so that the transparent flip 110 can be used in an open state. For example, the first key input unit 124 may include a dome switch 146 and a circuit board 145 having excellent click feeling. The upper surface of the first key input unit 124 is at least flush with the surface of the main body 101 so that the transparent flip 110 is not lifted by the first key input unit 124 while the transparent flip 110 is completely closed. It can be implemented in a form that is made or even higher.

In FIG. 5, a touch input is possible as another example of the first key input unit. That is, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the key input device mounted on the main body in relation to FIG. 4, wherein the first key input unit is implemented by a touch key 124 ′ and a circuit board 145 ′.

Hereinafter, the use state of the portable terminal according to the above configuration will be described. 6 is a plan view showing a first use state of the mobile terminal according to the present invention, FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a second use state of the mobile terminal according to the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the mobile terminal according to the present invention. It is also.

Since the translucent flip 110 has a translucent display 111 by itself, it can provide various modes that can be executed simultaneously with the display 121 of the main body 101.

As an example, when it is detected that the transparent flip 110 is closed from the flip open / close detection unit 141, the controller 180 controls the body touch sensing unit 130 and the first touch sensing layer 112 of the transparent flip 110. ) Or by selecting one of the second touch sensing layers 113 and activating only one of them, it is possible to save power by reducing resource utilization. The first touch sensing layer 112 and the second touch sensing layer 113 of the main body touch sensing unit 130 and the transmissive flip 110 may be implemented capacitively or statically. As a preferred example, some of the first touch sensing layer 112 and the second touch sensing layer 113 of the main body touch sensing unit 130 and the transparent flip 110 are implemented electrostatically, and the rest of the main touch sensing unit 130 and the transmissive flip 110 are implemented statically. Can be. In this case, both the advantages of the electrostatic method, which is easy to use the stylus, and the capacitive method, which is easy to apply the multi-touch, can be utilized. The controller 180 may use appropriate means in the first touch sensing layer 112 and the second touch sensing layer 113 of the main body touch sensing unit 130 and the transparent flip 110 according to the mode of the portable terminal 100. Can be configured to select. As a result of selecting the first touch sensing layer 112 and the second touch sensing layer 113 of the main body touch sensing unit 130 and the transmissive flip 110 according to the mode, a previously stored lookup table may be used.

With regard to which screen is to be provided when the transparent flip 110 is closed, the controller 180 can select any one of the display 121 of the main body 101 and the transparent display 111 of the transparent flip. . Furthermore, it is also possible to utilize both the display 121 of the main body 101 and the light transmissive display 111 of the light transmissive flip 110. In this case, when the display 121 of the main body 101 is outputting a specific screen, the translucent display 111 outputs auxiliary information in the form of text, graphics, icons, or the like to implement more abundant information or state. So-called 'augmented reality' can be seen as a structure to implement.

Even when the light transmissive flip 110 is closed, various functions including a call, etc., of the mobile terminal 100 may be implemented. The translucent flip 110 may include a through hole 116 to allow the sound of the sound output unit 122 to pass therefor. Also in the surface of an input, as shown in FIG. 1, a user can make a required input by touching the translucent flip 110. FIG.

The controller 180 is configured through various output means, for example, the display unit 121 or the translucent display 111 of the main body 101, and the sound output unit 122 based on the detection result of the posture detection unit 142. It can be configured to provide various results.

Even when the transparent flip 110 is open, the body touch sensing unit 130 and the first touch sensing layer 112 and the second touch sensing layer 113 of the transparent flip 110 may be selectively activated.

6 and 7 show an example of using the transparent flip 110 in an open state. FIG. 6 shows a QWERTY keypad being output on the transparent display 111 of the transparent flip 110, and the user transmits the transparent flip 110. FIG. ), The result is displayed on the display 121 of the main body 101. That is, the opening of the translucent flip 110 means, in itself, the provision of input means enabling various inputs (meaning that the screen provided by the transmissive display 111 is diverse).

In FIG. 7, the QWERTY keypad is output on the display 121 of the main body 101, and when the user touches the display 121 of the main body 101, the result is the output of the translucent display 111. The output is shown. It is useful in the case of holding and using the relatively heavy body 101.

Unlike FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, the light transmissive display 111 of the light transmissive flip 110 may be operated in an inactive state. In this case, by using only one of the first touch sensing layer 112 or the second touch sensing layer 113, it is possible to save power for driving the display by operating in the form of a so-called 'touch pad'.

The display 121 of the main body 101 and the light transmissive display 111 of the light transmissive flip 110 are combined with each other to provide more various user interfaces. The translucent display 111 may output an image related to an image output from the display 121 of the main body 101.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view illustrating a concept of inputting using a touch applied to a rear surface of a translucent flip. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, since the transparent flip 110 has a relatively thin thickness, the touch T applied to the rear surface of the transparent flip 110 is the first touch sensing layer 112 or the second touch sensing layer ( And the input operation is executed. In this case, the front of the transparent flip 110 is not covered in the process of the touch input, convenience is enhanced.

FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view illustrating a concept of inputting using touches applied to both sides of the translucent flip.

Although relatively thin, the translucent flip 110 having translucency enables more various input operations by utilizing a double-sided touch. As such an example, the display 121 of the main body 101 is at the same time as the time detected by the first touch T1 and the first touch sensing layer 112 detected by the first touch sensing layer 112. It may be configured to output a result by the second touch (T2) sensed by the second touch sensing layer 113. Referring to FIG. 9, when the first touch T1 applied to the front surface of the transparent flip 110 and the second touch T2 applied to the rear surface of the transparent flip 110 are collected (gesture), FIG. 1 illustrates that the screen M1 output on the display 121 is output in a reduced form M2. The function of the double-sided touch may be implemented to be expanded to yield more diverse results.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a mobile terminal according to another example related to the present disclosure, and FIG. 11 is a state diagram of use of FIG. 10.

This example mobile terminal 200 is shown that the rear flip 250 is formed to cover the back of the main body 201 in addition to the front flip 210 is additionally mounted. The back flip 250 or the front flip 210 may be configured to maintain the body 201 at an angle. The back flip 250 may also include touch sensing means to sense a touch applied to the back flip 250.

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

Claims (12)

A main body having a front surface capable of touch input; And
It is formed to cover the front surface, and includes a translucent flip connected to the main body so as to open and close, the flip,
Translucent first display; And
And a touch sensing layer formed to sense a touch applied to the flip. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch sensing layer,
A first touch sensing layer on the first surface of the first display; And
And a second touch sensing layer on a second surface opposite to the first surface. The method of claim 1,
And a main body touch sensing unit configured to detect a second display and a touch applied to the front surface of the main body, inside the front of the main body.
The method of claim 3,
And only one of the first touch sensing layer and the main body touch sensing unit is configured to be activated while the transparent flip is closed. The method of claim 1,
And the touch sensing layer is activated while the transparent flip is open. The method of claim 2,
And a second display on a front surface of the main body, wherein the second display is configured to output an image related to the first display. The method of claim 6,
In a particular mode, the first display is configured to output a keypad composed of a plurality of keys, and the second display is configured to output content input from the keypad. The method of claim 6,
The second display is a result of the first touch detected by the first touch sensing layer and the second touch sensed by the second touch sensing layer at the same time as the time detected by the first touch sensing layer. A mobile terminal, characterized in that configured to output. The method of claim 1,
The translucent flip is a mobile terminal, characterized in that connected to one side of the main body by a hinge rotatably open and close. 10. The method of claim 9,
And a back flip formed to cover the back of the main body. The method of claim 10,
The rear flip is a portable terminal, characterized in that configured to maintain the body at a predetermined angle. The method of claim 10,
The back flip further comprises a touch sensing means configured to sense a touch applied to the back flip.

Images