KR20130016705A - Mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A portable terminal is provided to include a more improved structure in a waterproof structure of the sealing of a terminal. CONSTITUTION: A terminal body includes a mounting space for arranging various devices. A plurality of covers forms the outer tube of the terminal body. The covers are combined. Sealing units(210,220) include a first body and a second body. The sealing unit is arranged along a side of the terminal body for sealing the mounting space in one or more covers.

Description

[0001] MOBILE TERMINAL [0002]

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a sealing structure between the cases forming the appearance of the terminal.

As the functions are diversified, the terminal is implemented in the form of a multimedia device having a complex function of, for example, taking pictures or moving pictures, playing music or moving picture files, receiving games and receiving broadcasts have.

The terminal can move And may be divided into a mobile terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal. A portable terminal is a portable device having one or more functions capable of performing voice and video communication, capable of inputting / outputting information, and storing data, which can be carried while being portable.

In order to support and enhance the functionality of such terminals, it may be considered to improve the structural and / or software parts of the terminal.

In particular, the case of the mobile terminal is combined with the front case and the rear case to form the appearance of the terminal. Due to the characteristics of the mobile terminal, the internal space of the terminal in which the electrical elements are disposed should not introduce foreign substances, so that a sealed structure of the case may be considered.

One object of the present invention is to provide a terminal having a more improved structure in a sealed or waterproof structure of the terminal.

In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, the terminal body having a mounting space so that various elements can be disposed therein, and forms the appearance of the terminal body A plurality of covers coupled to each other and at least one of the covers, a sealing portion disposed along a side end of the terminal body to seal the mounting space, wherein the sealing portion is coupled to one surface of the cover. A first body and a second body extending from the first body and spaced apart from the one surface, wherein a gap formed with one surface of the cover and the second body spaced apart from each other toward the outside of the terminal body It is formed to be open.

According to an example related to the present invention, the covers include first and second covers disposed to face each other, the first body is coupled to one surface of the first cover, and the second body is the second body. It may extend towards the cover.

According to an example related to the present disclosure, the second body may be elastically deformable and may be deformed to closely adhere to the second cover according to a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the terminal body.

According to an example related to the present disclosure, the second cover may further include a groove portion recessed from one surface in response to a sealing portion protruding from the first cover at a predetermined interval.

According to an example related to the present invention, one end of the second body may be coupled to the first body, and may be formed to taper from one end to the other end.

According to an example related to the present invention, one side surface of the groove portion close to the other end of the second body may be formed to be curved toward the inside of the second cover.

According to an example related to the present invention, in a state in which the second body is in close contact with the groove portion, the second body may extend from the first body to be in contact with one side of the groove portion.

According to an example related to the present invention, at least a part of the second body is in close contact with the main surface of the groove part by a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the terminal body, and the close part is in close contact by the pressure outside the terminal body. This can be supported.

According to an example related to the present invention, a waterproof layer may be formed on at least a portion of the second body that is in contact with the second cover.

In addition, in order to realize the above object, embodiments of the present invention, between the first cover and the second cover, and the first cover and the second cover, which form an appearance of the terminal body and are coupled to each other; A sealing portion disposed along a side end of the first cover and a groove portion formed on the second cover corresponding to the sealing portion so as to cover a gap of the sealing portion, wherein the sealing portion is coupled to the first and second covers; At least a portion is in close contact with the groove portion, and one surface of the contacted groove portion extends in a direction crossing the direction pressed by the outside of the terminal body, and is formed to increase adhesion to the groove portion by pressing. Initiate a mobile terminal.

The mobile terminal according to the present invention configured as described above does not require a separate manufacturing and assembling process for sealing the terminal, and by combining the cases together, it is possible to seal the internal space of the terminal at the same time as the assembly. In addition, the terminal can be sealed to waterproof the terminal.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the inlet is formed to pressurize the sealing portion in contact with the case by switching the inflow direction of the inflow flowing into the gap between the case, it is possible to maintain a sufficient waterproof effect even at a certain external pressure have.

1 is a front perspective view showing a front view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1; FIG.
FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal of FIG. 2 with the rear case removed;
5 is a perspective view of a portion A of FIG. 4.
6A to 6B are cross-sectional views taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2, respectively, before and after coupling between the second case and the battery cover.
7A and 7B are conceptual views illustrating the operation of a sealing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The suffix "module" and " part "for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role. In the present specification, the same or similar reference numerals are given to different embodiments in the same or similar configurations. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The mobile terminal described in this specification may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), and navigation. However, the technical idea described herein may be applied to fixed terminals such as digital TVs and desktop computers.

1 is a front perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention.

The disclosed mobile terminal 100 has a bar-shaped terminal body. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various structures such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, and a swivel type in which two or more bodies are relatively movably coupled.

The body includes a case (a casing, a housing, a cover, and the like) which forms an appearance. In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a first case 101 and a second case 102. Various electronic components are embedded in the space formed between the first case 101 and the second case 102. At least one intermediate case 103 may be further disposed between the first case 101 and the second case 102 (eg, a battery 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 display unit 151, the audio output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input units 131 and 132, the microphone 122, and the interface 170 may be disposed in the terminal body, mainly the first case 101. .

The display unit 151 occupies most of the main surface of the first 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 first case 101 and the second case 102.

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in the call mode, a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with a call is displayed. When the mobile terminal 100 is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed and / or received video or UI and GUI are displayed.

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 may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This can be referred to as a transparent display, and a typical example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparent OLED) and the like. The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be of a light transmission type. By 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.

According to an implementation form of the mobile terminal 100, two or more display units 151 may exist. 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 the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The interface 170 may be connected to a mobile terminal using a wired / wireless headset, an external charger, a wired / wireless data port, a card socket (eg, a memory card, a SIM / UIM card), or the like. It serves as an interface with the device. The interface 170 receives data from an external device or receives power and transfers the data to each component inside the mobile terminal or transmits data within the mobile terminal to the external device.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in a pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor can be configured to detect not only the position and area to be touched but also the pressure at the time of 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. As a result, the controller may determine which area of the display unit 151 is touched.

The user input unit is manipulated to receive a command for controlling an operation of the mobile terminal 100 and may include a plurality of manipulation 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.

The contents inputted by the first or second operation unit 131 or 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.

2 is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal 100 shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, a camera 121 ′ may be additionally mounted on the rear surface of the terminal body, that is, the second case 102. The camera 121 ′ has a photographing direction substantially opposite to the camera 121, and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 may have a low pixel so that the face of the user can be photographed and transmitted to the other party in case of a video call or the like, and the camera 121 ' It is preferable to have a large number of pixels. The cameras 121 and 121 'may be installed in the terminal body so as to be rotatable or pop-up.

A flash 129 and a mirror 124 may be further disposed adjacent to the camera 121 ′. The flash illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera 121 '. The mirror 124 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to shoot himself / herself (self-photographing) using the camera 121 '.

The sound output unit may be additionally disposed at the rear of the terminal body. The sound output unit may implement a stereo function together with the sound output unit 152 and may be used to implement a speakerphone mode during a call.

An antenna (not shown) for receiving a broadcast signal may be additionally disposed on the side surface of the terminal body in addition to an antenna for a call or the like. An antenna constituting a part of the broadcast receiving module can be installed to be drawable from the terminal body.

The terminal body is equipped with a power supply for supplying power to the mobile terminal (100). The power supply unit may be built in the terminal body, or may be configured to be directly removable from the outside of the terminal body. The power supply unit may be built in by the battery cover 190.

The second case 102 may additionally be equipped with a touch pad (not shown) for sensing a touch. Like the display unit 151, the touch pad may also be configured to have a light transmissive type. In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output visual information from both sides, the visual information can be recognized through the touch pad. Information output on both surfaces may be controlled by the touch pad. Alternatively, a display may be additionally attached to the touch pad, and the touch screen may be disposed on the second case 102.

The touch pad operates in association with the display unit 151 of the first case 101. The touch pad may be disposed parallel to the rear of the display unit 151. The touch pad may have a size equal to or smaller than that of the display unit 151.

The terminal body is equipped with a power supply unit 150 for supplying power to the mobile terminal 100. The power supply unit 150 may be built in the terminal body or may be directly detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of a rear case in which the rear case is removed from the mobile terminal of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of part A of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the display module 153 is mounted on one surface of the first case 101, and the circuit board 160 is the display module 153. ) Is arranged to cover.

Various electronic devices may be mounted on one surface of the circuit board 160, and a shield member (not shown) for protecting the electronic devices may be mounted on one surface of the circuit board 160. The shield member may be electrically connected to the circuit board 160 to extend the ground of the circuit board 160.

The circuit board 160 may be configured as an example of a controller for operating various functions of the mobile terminal 100. The circuit board 160 may be provided in plural and may perform a function of the controller by a combination of the circuit boards 160. In addition, the circuit board 160 is electrically connected to the antenna device 180, and is configured to process radio signals (or radio electromagnetic waves) transmitted and received by the antenna device 180. For the processing of the wireless signal, a plurality of transmission and reception circuits may be formed or mounted on the circuit board 160.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the battery 191 is disposed as an example of the power supply unit in the terminal, and the battery 191 is accommodated in a metal seating member forming a seating space. The mounting member may be electrically connected to the circuit board 160 to serve to extend the ground of the circuit board 160. In addition, the seating member, the shield member, and the ground layer of the circuit board 160 may be electrically connected to form a ground of the terminal.

In addition, the antenna device 180 may be partially fused or compressed to a case (ie, an intermediate case), a battery cover (ie, a second case), or the carrier 181 of the terminal body (the plastic carrier 181 having an appropriate shape). It refers to the press-mounted conductive metal plate to be a radiator), or may be formed by printing or film type attached to any one surface.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sealing parts 210, 220, and 230 are formed in the intermediate case 103 (hereinafter, referred to as a first cover) to be close to the side ends of the terminal body. That is, the sealing parts 210, 220, and 230 are formed along the terminal body side end to cover the gap between the cases and seal the inside of the terminal body when the cases are combined.

The first cover is formed to be covered by the second case 102 (hereinafter referred to as a second cover).

The second cover 102 is coupled to a hook into a groove formed in the first case 101 or the first cover 103. In this case, water or moisture may penetrate into the gap between the first cover 103 and the second cover 102 due to careless use by the user. Various electrical elements mounted in the terminal body do not operate normally when moisture is exposed or in direct contact with water, and thus a structure capable of preventing this is required. That is, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a structure for sealing the internal space of the terminal. As such, the sealing parts 210, 220, and 230 may be an example of the waterproof structure of the terminal.

The sealing parts 210, 220, and 230 may include the first cover 103 facing the first case and the first sealing part 210 formed on one surface of the first cover 103 facing the second cover 102. It may include a second sealing portion 220 formed on the other surface of the. In addition, the third sealing part 230 may be formed to seal the peripheral area of the camera 121 ′, the flash 129, and the mirror 124. The third sealing part 230 may be formed to have the same shape as the first sealing part 210. One embodiment of the present invention is related to the first sealing portion 210.

Hereinafter, the first sealing unit 210 will be described with reference to the drawings. 6A to 6B are cross-sectional views taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2, respectively, before and after coupling between the second case and the battery cover, respectively, and FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an embodiment of the present invention. It is a conceptual diagram for showing the operation of the sealing unit according to.

6A to 7B, the first sealing part 210 (hereinafter referred to as a sealing part) includes a first body 211 and a second body 212.

The sealing unit 210 including the first body 211 and the second body 212 may be integrally formed together with the first cover 103 by double injection. The first cover 103 may be formed of a synthetic resin having a certain rigidity, and the sealing part 210 may be formed of a rubber material so as to be elastically deformed with respect to the groove part 240. In addition, the first body 211 and the second body 212 may be formed to have different elastic modulus.

The first body 211 extends with a predetermined width or more and is coupled to the first cover 103. At one end of the first body 211, a second body 212 extends toward the second cover 102. The second body 212 is formed to be spaced apart from the first cover 103 to which the first body 211 is coupled.

As a result, a gap 10 is formed between the second body 212 and the first cover 103. This gap is formed to open out of the terminal body. That is, the opening portion of the gap does not face the inside of the terminal body.

Due to the gap formed in this way, the inflow flowing at a predetermined pressure from the outside of the terminal body is able to apply a pressure toward the second cover 102 while supporting the second body 212, the second body 212 ) And the adhesion between the second cover 102 can be improved. This will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings (FIG. 7B).

Since the first body 211 is fixed to the first cover 103 and the second body 212 can move freely up and down, the first body 211 becomes a fixed end and the second body 212 is free. It can be a stage.

When the first cover 103 and the second cover 102 are coupled to each other, the second body 212 formed to be elastically deformable at a free end may be in close contact with the second cover 102. As a result, a gap formed between the first cover 103 and the second cover 102 may be sealed. In order to facilitate elastic deformation, the second body 212 may be formed to taper toward the end.

For easy elastic deformation, the second body 212 may be formed by coupling a plurality of members to each other. These members may be formed to have different elastic modulus or rigidity. For example, when the first member 212a is bent better than the second member 212b, the direction of bending of the second body 212, that is, the direction of elastic deformation may be determined.

A groove portion 240 may be formed on the second cover 102 facing the first cover 103 to correspond to the sealing portion 210. The groove portion 240 is a groove recessed to a certain depth from one surface of the second cover 102. The groove part 240 may include a main surface 241 and both side surfaces 242 and 243 corresponding to the bottom surface.

When the first and second covers 103 and 102 are coupled, a part of the second body 212 may be in close contact with the main surface of the groove portion 240.

The side surface 242 of the groove portion 240 facing the end of the second body 212 may be curved toward the inside of the case. As a result, the second body 212 may slide along the curved shape to be in close contact with the groove portion 240. In this case, as compared with the case where the side is not curved, the adhesion between the second body 212 and the cover may be reduced by reducing the spaced apart from each other.

Herein, although the sealing part 210 and the groove part 240 have been described as being formed in the first cover 103 and the second cover 102, the sealing part 210 and the groove part 240 are different from each other. It may be formed on the second cover 102 and the first cover 103.

FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of the sealing unit 210 and its periphery in FIG. 6A, and corresponds to an enlarged view of the sealing unit 210 and its periphery in FIG. 7B.

As shown in FIG. 7A, before the first cover 103 and the second cover 102 are coupled to each other, the second body 212 of the sealing portion 210 is formed to have a predetermined slope. As shown in FIG. 7B, when the first cover 103 and the second cover 102 are coupled to each other, the second body 212 is elastically deformed to be in close contact with the groove portion 240. As a result, foreign matters that may be introduced from the outside, in particular, it is possible to prevent the inflow of water to exhibit a waterproof function.

The waterproof layer 213 may be formed on one surface of the second body 212 in close contact with the second cover 102. The effect of sealing the inside of the terminal may be enhanced by the waterproof layer 213. For example, the waterproof layer 213 may be formed by filling voids in the second body 212 or applying an insoluble substance to one surface of the second body 212.

In detail, a method of applying beeswax or paraffin to one surface of the second body 212 in contact with the second cover 102 may be used, and at least a part of the second body 212 may be formed using a waterproof resin. How to do this. In addition, a method of processing the second body 212 using a silicon-based silicon resin or applying a rubber to one surface of the second body 212 may be mentioned.

Looking at Figure 7b in more detail, it can be seen that due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the terminal body, the sealing force of the sealing unit 210 is enhanced. A gap 10 is formed from the outside of the terminal body to the inside of the terminal body. The gap between the first cover 103 and the second cover 102 extends between the second body 212 and the first cover 103. Due to the engagement between the first cover 103 and the second cover 102, the gap is formed to open out of the terminal body. That is, the opening portion of the gap does not face the inside of the terminal body.

Due to the gap formed in this way, the inflow flowing from the outside of the terminal to a predetermined pressure (P2) can be applied to the second cover 102 while supporting the second body 212, the second body ( The adhesion between the 212 and the second cover 102 can be improved. In this case, a predetermined pressure P1 is also formed inside the terminal. That is, when a predetermined pressure is applied through the gap between the first cover 103 and the second cover 102, the pressure acts in the direction from the second body 212 to the second cover 102, so that the sealing portion ( It can be seen that the sealing force of 210 is improved.

In addition, the second body 212 may be formed to have a length extending to the point where the main surface and the side surface of the groove portion 240 meet. With this length, most of the external pressure is applied to the opposite surface (pressing surface) of the contact surface on which the second body 212 is in close contact with the second cover 102. That is, the pressure applied to the pressing surface in the direction of the second cover 102 from the second body 212 is greater than the pressure applied to the gap between the second body 212 and the contact surface.

The mobile terminal described above can be applied not only to the configuration and method of the embodiments described above but also to the embodiments described above so that all or some of the embodiments may be selectively combined have.

Claims (15)

A terminal body having a mounting space for placing various elements therein;
A plurality of covers which form an appearance of the terminal body and are coupled to each other; And
At least one cover of the cover, including a sealing portion disposed along the side end of the terminal body to seal the mounting space,
The sealing portion
A first body coupled to one surface of the cover; And
A second body extending from the first body and spaced apart from the one surface;
And a gap in which one surface of the cover and the second body are spaced apart from each other is formed to be opened toward the outside of the terminal body. The method of claim 1,
The covers include first and second covers disposed to face each other,
The first body is coupled to one surface of the first cover, wherein the second body is characterized in that it extends toward the second cover. The method of claim 2,
The second body is elastically deformable, the mobile terminal, characterized in that the second body is in close contact with the second cover in accordance with the pressure difference in the inside and outside of the terminal body. The method of claim 2,
The second cover further includes a groove portion recessed from one surface in response to a sealing portion protruding from the first cover at a predetermined interval. 5. The method of claim 4,
One end of the second body is coupled to the first body, characterized in that the mobile terminal is formed to gradually become thinner toward the other end. The method of claim 5,
One side surface of the groove portion adjacent to the other end of the second body is formed to be curved toward the inside of the second cover. The method of claim 5,
And the second body is in close contact with the groove portion, and the second body extends from the first body to be in contact with one side of the groove portion. 5. The method of claim 4,
At least a part of the second body is in close contact with the main surface of the groove part by a pressure difference inside and outside the terminal body,
The close contact portion is a mobile terminal, characterized in that the close contact is supported by the pressure outside the terminal body. The method of claim 2,
A mobile terminal, characterized in that the waterproof layer is formed on at least a portion of the second body in contact with the second cover. Terminal body;
A first cover and a second cover which form an exterior of the terminal body and are coupled to each other;
A sealing part disposed along a side end of the first cover to cover a gap between the first cover and the second cover; And
A groove portion formed in the second cover corresponding to the sealing portion;
The sealing portion
When the first and the second cover is coupled, at least a part is in close contact with the groove portion,
One surface of the groove portion to be in close contact,
And extending in a direction intersecting with a direction pressed by the outside of the terminal body to increase adhesion to the groove of the sealing part by pressing. The method of claim 10,
The sealing portion
A first body coupled to one surface of the first cover; And
And a second body extending from the first body toward the second cover and in close contact with the groove portion. The method of claim 11,
The second body is elastically deformable, the mobile terminal, characterized in that the second body is in close contact with the second cover in accordance with the pressure difference in the inside and outside of the terminal body. The method of claim 11,
The second body, one end is coupled to the first body, characterized in that the mobile terminal is formed to gradually become thinner toward the other end. The method of claim 13,
One side surface of the groove portion adjacent to the other end of the second body is formed to be curved toward the inside of the second cover. The method of claim 13,
And the second body is in close contact with the groove portion, and the second body extends from the first body to be in contact with one side of the groove portion.

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