KR20130051725A - A touch panel and a mobile terminal having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A touch panel and a portable terminal including the same are provided to reduce interference on the transmission and reception of radio wave signals by forming an antenna in a touch panel. CONSTITUTION: A circuit board(300) includes a control unit. A touch panel(200) includes a transparent substrate, a sensor electrode, and an electrode wire. The touch panel includes one or more antennas supplied to the circuit board. The touch panel senses the touch of a user. The antenna is formed as a flat shape on the touch panel.

Description

A touch panel and a mobile terminal having the same

The present invention relates to a touch panel and a mobile terminal having the same. More specifically, by forming an antenna on the touch panel, the distance between the antenna and the metal material mounted inside the terminal can be increased, thereby improving the radiation performance of the antenna. The present invention relates to a touch panel and a mobile terminal having the same.

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 can be divided into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether the user can directly carry the mobile terminal.

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 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.

An antenna is a device that performs a function of encoding or decoding an electric signal as a radio wave, and an antenna used in a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone can be largely divided into an external type and an internal type.

In the case of the external antenna, the antenna protrudes out of the mobile terminal, which is inconvenient for the user and the volume of the mobile terminal increases due to the internal space occupied by the antenna. Due to the shortcomings of the external antenna, an internal antenna including an antenna inside the mobile terminal has been developed.

However, the conventional built-in antenna has the advantage that the size is small, but there is a problem that the transmission and reception of radio waves by the metal material such as the circuit board or the battery is interrupted by being installed adjacent to the circuit board for feeding the antenna. As a result, it is difficult to miniaturize the mobile terminal when the separation distance from the metal parts is provided for the radioactivity of the antenna.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel capable of miniaturizing a mobile terminal and having a high radiation performance of an antenna, and a mobile terminal having the same.

In order to solve the conventional problems as described above, the mobile terminal according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is a circuit board on which the controller is mounted and at least one antenna that is fed from the circuit board is formed and the touch panel for sensing the user's touch And the antenna is formed in a flat shape on the touch panel.

The touch panel may include a transparent substrate partitioned into a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area, a sensor electrode formed on the display area, and one or both sides of the sensor electrode to be connected to the non-display area. And an electrode wiring, wherein the antenna is formed in the non-display area spaced apart from the sensor electrode and the electrode wiring.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the antenna is formed at the corner of the non-display area.

In addition, the electrode wiring is characterized in that one end is connected to the sensor electrode, the other end is extended to one side of the non-display area, the antenna is formed on the other side of the non-display area.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the antenna comprises a radiation patch and at least one feeder connected to the circuit board.

The touch panel may include at least one first hole, and the feeder may be connected to the circuit board through the first hole.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the antenna further comprises a ground portion connected to the circuit board.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the touch panel includes a second hole, the ground portion is connected to the circuit board through the second hole.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the radiation patch has a meander (meander) shape.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the antenna is formed of the same material as the electrode wiring.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the antenna is formed at a time by the same process as the electrode wiring.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the transparent substrate is a panel (panel) form or film form.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a touch panel includes a transparent substrate partitioned into a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area, a sensor electrode formed on the display area, and one or both sides of the sensor electrode. And at least one antenna formed in an area of the electrode wiring, the sensor electrode, and the electrode wiring spaced apart from each other.

Here, the present invention is characterized in that the antenna is formed at the corner of the non-display area.

In addition, the electrode wiring is characterized in that one end is connected to the sensor electrode, the other end is extended to one side of the non-display area, the antenna is formed on the other side of the non-display area.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the antenna comprises a radiation patch and at least one feeder.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the antenna further comprises a ground.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the radiation patch has a meander (meander) shape.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the antenna and the electrode wiring is formed of silver (Ag).

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the antenna is formed at a time by the same process as the electrode wiring.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that the sensor electrode is formed of ITO.

According to the present invention, by forming the antenna on the touch panel which is spaced apart from the metal parts inside the terminal, it is possible to reduce the interference of the radio wave transmission and reception due to the metal.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to design the mobile terminal in consideration of the separation distance between the antenna and the metal parts, thereby miniaturizing the mobile terminal.

In addition, according to the present invention, the length of the ground portion of the antenna connected to the ground plate of the circuit board is increased, thereby increasing the bandwidth (BW) of the antenna, the gain (Gain) increases.

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.
3 is an exploded perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an enlarged front view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 to 7 are plan views illustrating modified examples of the touch panel of FIG. 3.
8 is an enlarged view of an antenna portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 and 10 are cross-sectional views of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a graph showing the efficiency (%) for each frequency (Mhz) of the mobile terminal antenna according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal related 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.

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, 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 audio / video input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, A controller 170, a controller 180, a power supply 190, and the like. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, and 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 for enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and the 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 refer to a server for generating and transmitting broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information, or a server for receiving broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information generated by the broadcast management server and transmitting the generated broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information. The broadcast signal may include a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a data broadcast signal, and a broadcast signal in which a data broadcast signal is combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast-related information may refer to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or information related to 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).

For example, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), a Media Forward Link Only And a Digital Broadcasting System (ISDB-T) (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be adapted to other broadcasting systems as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

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 radio signals to 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 depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 113 is a module for wireless Internet access, and may be built in or externally attached 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. Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as a short range communication technology.

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

Referring to FIG. 1, an A / V (Audio / Video) 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 can 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 depending on the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal through a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, and processes it as 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. Various noise reduction algorithms may be implemented in the microphone 122 to remove noise generated in receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for a 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 senses the current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as the open / close state of the mobile terminal 100, the position of the mobile terminal 100, the presence or absence of user contact, the orientation of the mobile terminal, And generates 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. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor.

The output unit 150 is for generating output related to the visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, and a haptic module 154 .

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. With this structure, the user can see an 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 embodiment 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 the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

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 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.

In addition, a proximity sensor may be disposed in the inner region of the mobile terminal or by the touch screen, which is covered by 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 a nearby object without mechanical contact using the force of an electromagnetic field or infrared rays. The proximity sensor has a longer life span than the contact sensor and its utilization is also high.

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. And to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field along the proximity of the pointer when the touch screen is electrostatic. 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 pointer to be recognized without being in contact with the touch screen so that the pointer is located on the touch screen is referred to as a "proximity touch", and the touch The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch." The position where the pointer is proximately touched on the touch screen means a position where the pointer is vertically corresponding to the touch screen when the pointer is touched.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch movement state, and the like). Information corresponding to the detected proximity touch operation and the 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 also outputs sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. [ The audio output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events that occur in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, touch input, and the like. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in a form other than the video signal or the 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 may be classified as a part of the alarm unit 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154 is vibration. 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 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 can be implemented not only to transmit the tactile effect through the direct contact but also to allow the user to feel the tactile effect through the muscular sensation of the finger or arm. At least two haptic modules 154 may be provided according to the configuration of the mobile terminal 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and temporarily store input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns outputted when a touch is input on the touch screen.

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), a RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM A disk, and / or an optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path for communication with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or supplies power to each component in the mobile terminal 100 or transmits data to the 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 for storing various information for authenticating the use right of the mobile terminal 100 and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM), a general user authentication module A 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. The various command signals or the power source input from the cradle may be operated as a signal 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, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. The control unit 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the control unit 180 or may be implemented separately from the control unit 180. [

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing handwriting input or drawing input performed on the touch screen as characters and images, respectively.

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.

The various embodiments described herein may be embodied 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 may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and other electronic units for performing other functions. In some cases, May be implemented by the control unit 180.

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as procedures or functions may be implemented with separate software modules that perform at least one function or operation. The software code may be implemented by a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software codes are stored in the memory 160 and can be executed by the control unit 180. [

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

The disclosed mobile terminal 100 has a terminal body having a bar shape. 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 front case 101 and a rear case 102. [ A variety of electronic components are embedded in the space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. At least one intermediate case may be additionally 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 sound output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input units 130/131 and 132, the microphone 122, the interface 170, and the like may be disposed in the front body 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 the side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The user input unit 130 is operated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the mobile 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.

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.

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

Referring to FIG. 2B, a camera 121 'may be further mounted on the rear surface 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 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-upable.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 are further disposed adjacent to the camera 121 '. The flash 123 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 '.

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

In addition to the antenna for a call or the like, a broadcast signal reception antenna 124 may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 124 constituting a part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1) may be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the mobile 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 further include a touch pad 135 for sensing a touch. The touch pad 135 may also be of a light transmission type like the display unit 151. [ In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output time information on both sides, the time information can be recognized through the touch pad 135 as well. The information output on both sides may be all 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.

The touch pad 135 operates in association with the display unit 151 of the front case 101. The touch pad 135 may be disposed parallel to the rear of the display unit 151. The touch pad 135 may have a size equal to or smaller than that of the display unit 151.

The mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention has been described in terms of components according to functions and arrangement of the components. Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 3, the mobile terminal related to the present invention will be further described in terms of components according to appearance.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, a bar type mobile terminal having a front touch screen is described as an example among various types of mobile terminals such as a folder type, a bar type, a swing type, a slider type, and the like. However, the present invention is not limited to the bar type mobile terminal, but may be applied to all types of mobile terminals including the above-described type, and the same or similar components as those described with reference to FIGS. Reference numerals are given, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

3 is an exploded perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the configuration of a mobile terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The mobile terminal of the present invention includes a circuit board 300 on which a controller (not shown) is mounted and a touch panel 200 for sensing a user's touch formed with at least one antenna 270 fed from the circuit board 300. Include. In this case, the antenna 270 is formed in a flat shape on the plane of the touch panel 200. The present invention has the advantage of improving the radiation performance of the antenna 270 by reducing the size of the mobile terminal by forming the antenna 270 on the touch panel 200 located above the inside of the mobile terminal.

In detail, the mobile terminal is sequentially assembled from the front case 101 to the touch panel 200, the display module 151, and the circuit board 300 between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. Although not shown in the drawings, a metal frame or a protective film may be inserted between the parts to protect the internal parts of the mobile terminal, and an adhesive layer may be used to bond the parts.

As described above, the touch panel 200 of the present invention serves to sense a user's touch, and includes a resistive type, a capacitive type, an electro-magnetic type, and a sow. SAW type (Surface Acoustic Wave Type) and Infrared Type (Infrared Type) can be used. In this case, preferably, considering the problem of signal amplification, difference in resolution, difficulty of design and processing technology, optical characteristics, electrical characteristics, mechanical characteristics, environmental characteristics, input characteristics, durability, and economics, It is preferable to use the method.

In the touch panel 200 of the present invention, the antenna 270 is integrally formed with a flat plate. Since the touch panel 200 is assembled directly under the front case 101 of the mobile terminal, as shown in FIG. 4, the antenna 270 is located outside the terminal. Therefore, since it is relatively close to the outside air and there is no interference between other components in the radio transmission and reception of the antenna 270, it is possible to improve the radiation performance of the antenna 270.

In addition, in the present invention, the display module 151 or the other protective film is positioned between the power supply unit and the antenna 270 located in the circuit board 300 or the rear case 102 on which the metal parts are mounted. Accordingly, since the distance between the antenna 270 and the metal increases, the interference caused by the metal is reduced, so that setting of the resonance frequency of the antenna 270 is not disturbed.

In addition, since the antenna 270 is formed on the touch panel 200 to sufficiently secure the separation distance from the metal parts, the space between the antenna 270 and the other metal parts need not be considered separately. Miniaturization is possible.

The circuit board 300 of the present invention is mounted with a controller (not shown) for controlling various components of the mobile terminal. In addition, the power supplied from the power supply unit through the circuit board 300 is supplied to all the components of the mobile terminal.

In this case, the circuit board 300 may include at least one feeding pad 301 for feeding the antenna 270. In addition, when the antenna 270 of the mobile terminal is a type of inverted F antenna 270 (PIFA), the circuit board 300 may include a ground plate connected to a ground portion 275 of the antenna 270. 303) may be further included. The feed pad 301 and the ground plate 303 of the circuit board 300 are electrically connected to the feed part 273 and the ground part 275 of the antenna 270, respectively.

The touch panel of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

As shown in FIG. 5, the touch panel 200 is formed in the transparent substrate 210 and the display area A, which are divided into a display area A and a non-display area B surrounding the display area A. FIG. The sensor electrode 230 and an electrode wiring 250 connected to one side or both sides of the sensor electrode 230 are included. In this case, the antenna 270 is formed in the non-display area B while being spaced apart from the sensor electrode 230 and the electrode wiring 250.

Here, the display area A of the touch panel 200 is a portion through which an image from the display module 151 passes, and the non-display area B is covered with an opaque material and is not visible to the user. It can be called an area.

The antenna 270 is formed in a flat shape on the plane of the touch panel 200, and may be preferably formed at the edge E of the non-display area B. FIG. Here, the edge E of the non-display area B refers to an edge portion of the touch panel 200, and the sensor electrode 230 made of metal when the antenna 270 is formed at the edge E is formed. Alternatively, the distance to the electrode wiring 250 can be maximized. In addition, the antenna 270 is located adjacent to the upper end of the rear of the front case 101 in the assembled state of the terminal. Accordingly, the radiation performance of the antenna 270 may be increased, and a short circuit between the sensor electrode 230 and the electrode wiring 250 may be prevented in the manufacturing process of the touch panel 200.

More specifically, the antenna 270 is formed at the other side opposite to one side of the non-display area B where the electrode wiring 250 is collected. One end of the electrode wiring 250 is connected to the sensor electrode 230 and the other end thereof extends to one side of the non-display area B. The electrode wiring 250 is connected to the FPCB (not shown) and connected to the controller. The antenna 270 may be formed on the other side facing one side of the touch panel 200 to eliminate the fear of short-circuit with the electrode wiring 250 and for radioactivity.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a plurality of antennas 270-1 and 270-2 may be formed in the touch panel 200. In this case, the sizes of the plurality of antennas 270-1 and 270-2 may be different from each other, and thus may be used to transmit and receive radio waves of different frequency bands.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the antenna 270 may be formed by being spaced apart from the electrode wiring 250 on one side of the non-display area B where the electrode wiring 250 is collected.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the antenna will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.

The antenna 270 includes a radiation patch 271 and at least one feeder 273 connected to the circuit board 300.

In the radiation patch 271, when power is supplied from the circuit board 300 through the feeder 273, the radiation patch 271 may radiate radio waves or receive radio waves from the outside.

Here, the radiation patch 271 may be variously patterned, such as meander (spiral), spiral (step) or step (loop) shape. Preferably, it may be formed in a meander shape as shown in FIG. 8. The meander shape can be formed by extending the length of the radiation patch 271 in a small area, contributing to the miniaturization of the antenna 270. In this case, various resonance frequencies may be realized by adjusting the width of the patterned radiation patch 271 line. For example, as the line width of the meander shaped radiation patch 271 is reduced and the total line length is increased, the resonance frequency of the antenna 270 may be reduced.

The feeder 273 functions to supply power to the radiation patch 271. The feeder 273 may be integrally connected to a part of the radiation patch 271 and extend in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the radiation patch 271. In addition, the antenna 270 may include one or more feed units 273.

In addition, the antenna 270 may further include a ground portion 275 connected to the circuit board 300. That is, when there is only one feed line, when the monopole antenna is a monopole antenna, but the ground portion 275 is formed in the antenna 270, the same operation as that of the inverted F antenna 270 (PIFA) is performed. That is, the current supplied from the feeder 273 is transmitted to the radiation patch 271, and is again transmitted to the circuit board 300 through the ground 275, thereby forming a circuit transmission line. In this case, when the current is supplied by the feeder 273, the radiation patch 271 resonates with the ground plane of the circuit board 300 to function as a radiation element. The ground portion 275 may be integrally connected to a part of the radiation patch 271 and extend in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the radiation patch 271.

Meanwhile, the touch panel 200 includes a first hole 212 formed at a position of the feeding part 273 of the antenna 270. As shown in FIG. 9, the power feeding unit 273 is directly connected to the feeding pad 301 of the circuit board 300 (see FIG. 3) through the first hole 212, thereby supplying power to the radiation patch 271. Can be supplied. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the power supply unit 273 may be in the form of a C-clip or a pogo pin.

When the antenna 270 further includes a ground portion 275, the touch panel 200 may further include a second hole 214 at the position of the ground portion 275. As shown in FIG. 10, the ground portion 275 is connected to the ground plate 303 of the circuit board 300 (see FIG. 3) through the second hole 214.

The bandwidth (BW), gain, resonant frequency, etc. of the antenna 270 may vary depending on the height, width, and length of the radiation patch 271, the feeder 273, and the ground 275 of the antenna 270. Can be adjusted.

Since the antenna 270 according to the present invention is integrally formed on the plane of the touch panel 200, the distance between the antenna 270 and the circuit board 300 increases. Therefore, the lengths of the feeding portion 273 and the grounding portion 275 of the antenna 270 connected to the feeding pad 301 (see FIG. 3) and the ground plate 303 (see FIG. 3) of the circuit board 300 respectively increase. As a result, the bandwidth BW of the antenna 270 may be increased. Therefore, the antenna 270 of the present invention has an advantage of transmitting and receiving radio waves in a wide range of bandwidths. In addition, as shown in FIG. 11, the gain (Gain) of the antenna 270, that is, the efficiency (%) of the antenna 270 is increased as compared with the conventional PIFA antenna.

In addition, the antenna 270 of the present invention may be formed of the same material as that of the electrode wiring 250 using the same conductivity material. Preferably, the antenna 270 may be formed of gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), or the like. More preferably, the antenna 270 is formed of silver (Ag) having excellent conductivity and easy processing. By forming the antenna 270 with the same material as the electrode wiring 250, the antenna 270 and the electrode wiring 250 can be patterned on the touch panel 200 by the same process, thereby shortening the manufacturing process time. This has the advantage of saving costs. At this time, the antenna 270 is a dry process such as sputtering, evaporation, dip coating, spin coating, roll coating, spray coating, or the like. It may be formed by a wet process or a direct patterning process such as screen printing, gravure printing, inkjet printing, or the like.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above, and the antenna 270 of the present invention may be formed on the opposite side of the surface on which the sensor electrode 230 and the electrode wiring 250 are formed. In addition, the present invention may be formed on the side of the surface on which the sensor electrode 230 and the electrode wiring 250 is formed. In addition, when the mobile terminal includes two touch panels 200 positioned so that the surfaces on which the sensor electrodes 230 are formed face each other, the antenna 270 may be formed on all or one of the touch panels 200. will be.

Here, the antenna 270 applied to the present invention includes an antenna having a frequency band of 1.56 GHz or more, such as BT, global positioning system (GPS), and Wi-Fi (WiFi), global system for mobile communications (GSM), and CDMA ( It can be applied to all antennas such as main antennas such as code division multiple access (WDDMA) and wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), and diversity antennas.

On the other hand, the sensor electrode 230 is a portion where an electrical change occurs when there is a user's touch. The sensor electrode 230 is formed in the display area A of the touch panel 200, and may be patterned to form a plurality of sensor electrodes 230. On the other hand, in the case of the resistive film method, the sensor electrode 230 may be in the form of a transparent conductive film. The sensor electrode 230 may be formed of a transparent conductive oxide such as indium tin oxide (ITO) and antimony-tin oxide (ATO), or a conductive material having transparency such as a transparent conductive polymer. . Preferably, it is formed of ITO having excellent conductivity and easy processing.

The electrode wiring 250 serves to transfer an electrical signal generated from the sensor electrode 230. One end of the electrode wiring 250 is connected to one side or both sides of the sensor electrode 230 and is formed in the non-display area B of the touch panel 200. As described above, the electrode wiring 250 is made of the same material as the antenna 270 and may be formed at the same time by the same process as the antenna 270.

The transparent substrate 210 is made of a material having transparency. The transparent substrate 210 may be formed in the form of a panel or a flexible film. As the transparent substrate 210, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyether sulfone (PES), cyclic olefin polymer (COC) , Triacetylcellulose (TAC) film, Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film, Polyimide (PI) film, Polystyrene (PS), Biaxially oriented polystyrene (K resin-containing biaxially oriented PS; BOPS), glass or Tempered glass can be used.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention described above are disclosed for purposes of illustration, and those skilled in the art having various ordinary knowledge of the present invention may make various modifications, changes, and additions within the spirit and scope of the present invention. And additions should be considered to be within the scope of the following claims.

101: Front Case 102: Rear Case
200: touch panel 210: transparent substrate
230: sensor electrode 250: electrode wiring
270: antenna 271: radiation patch
273: feeding part 275: grounding part
300: circuit board

Claims (21)

A circuit board on which the control unit is mounted; And
A touch panel on which at least one antenna fed from the circuit board is formed and which senses a user's touch; / RTI >
The antenna is a mobile terminal, characterized in that formed in the flat panel on the touch panel. The method of claim 1,
The touch panel
A transparent substrate partitioned into a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area;
A sensor electrode formed on the display area; And
An electrode wiring connected to one or both sides of the sensor electrode and formed in the non-display area,
The antenna is formed in the non-display area spaced apart from the sensor electrode and the electrode wiring. The method of claim 2,
And the antenna is formed at an edge of the non-display area. The method of claim 2,
One end of the electrode wiring is connected to the sensor electrode, the other end extends to one side of the non-display area, and the antenna is formed on the other side of the non-display area. The method of claim 1,
The antenna comprises a radiation patch and at least one feeder connected to the circuit board. The method of claim 5, wherein
The touch panel includes at least one first hole, and the feeding part is connected to the circuit board through the first hole. The method of claim 5, wherein
The antenna further comprises a ground connected to the circuit board. The method of claim 7, wherein
The touch panel includes a second hole, wherein the ground portion is connected to the circuit board through the second hole. The method of claim 5, wherein
The radiation patch is a mobile terminal, characterized in that the meander (meander) shape. The method of claim 2,
The antenna is a mobile terminal, characterized in that formed of the same material as the electrode wiring. 11. The method of claim 10,
The antenna is a mobile terminal, characterized in that formed in the same process at the same time as the electrode wiring. The method of claim 1,
The transparent substrate is a mobile terminal, characterized in that the panel (panel) form or film form. A transparent substrate partitioned into a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area;
A sensor electrode formed on the display area;
An electrode wiring connected to one or both sides of the sensor electrode and formed in the non-display area; And
At least one antenna spaced apart from the sensor electrode and the electrode wiring in a planar shape in the non-display area;
And a touch panel. The method of claim 13,
And the antenna is formed at an edge of the non-display area. The method of claim 13,
One end of the electrode wiring is connected to the sensor electrode and the other end extends to one side of the non-display area, and the antenna is formed on the other side of the non-display area. The method of claim 13,
The antenna includes a radiation patch and at least one feed unit. 17. The method of claim 16,
The antenna further comprises a ground unit. 17. The method of claim 16,
The radiation patch is a touch panel, characterized in that the meander (meander) shape. The method of claim 13,
The antenna and the electrode wiring is a touch panel, characterized in that formed of silver (Ag). The method of claim 19,
The antenna is a touch panel, characterized in that formed in the same process at the same time as the electrode wiring. The method of claim 13,
The sensor electrode is formed of ITO.

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