KR20130081362A - Mobile terminal and method for controlling thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A mobile terminal and a control method of the same are provided to divide a touch screen into more than two virtual areas and to perform a specific function when a touch is inputted according to each of the virtual areas. CONSTITUTION: A control unit (180) executes a first application when a touch is inputted in a first area of a touch screen. The control unit executes a second application when the touch is inputted in a second area of the touch screen. The first application and the second application provide information used for a currently executed application. The touch is inputted by dragging after touching the touch screen. The control unit displays an application to be executed according to each area with a preview format in a third area of the touch screen while the touch is inputted. [Reference numerals] (110) Wireless communication unit; (111) Broadcast receiving module; (112) Mobile communication module; (113) Wireless internet module; (114) Local area communication module; (115) Position information module; (120) A/V input unit; (121) Camera; (122) Microphone; (130) User input unit; (140) Sensing unit; (141) Proximity sensor; (150) Output unit; (151) Display unit; (152) Sound output unit; (153) Alarm unit; (154) Haptic module; (155) Projector module; (160) Memory; (170) Interface unit; (180) Control unit; (181) Multimedia module; (190) Power supply unit

Description

[0001] MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THEREOF [0002]

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal capable of implementing various functions according to a touch area and a control method thereof.

Terminals may be divided into mobile / portable terminals and stationary terminals according to their mobility. The mobile terminal may be further classified into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether a user can directly carry it.

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

In 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 object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal and a control method for dividing a touch screen into two or more virtual regions and performing a specific function when a touch is input according to the region.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, unless further departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It will be possible.

A first technical aspect of the invention, a touch screen; And a controller configured to execute a first application when a touch is input to the first area of the touch screen and to execute a second application when the touch is input to the second area of the touch screen. Is to provide a mobile terminal which is intended to provide information to be used for the currently running application.

The touch input may be performed by touching and dragging the touch screen, and the controller may display an application to be executed according to each area in the preview form on the third area of the touch screen while the touch input continues. have.

In addition, execution screens of the first application and the second application may be displayed overlapping at least a portion of the screen on which the currently running application is displayed.

A second technical aspect of the present invention, a touch screen; And a screen related to a first Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) when a touch is input to a first area of the touch screen, and related to a second USIM when the touch is input to a second area of the touch screen. It includes a control unit for switching to the screen, to provide a mobile terminal for switching the connection to the communication network corresponding to the USIM associated with the screen to be switched from the currently connected communication network when switching the screen.

The touch input may be performed by touching and dragging the touch screen, and the controller may display a screen to be switched according to each area in the preview form on the third area of the touch screen while the touch input continues. Can be.

The mobile terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above may provide increased user convenience by performing a specific function according to the touch area.

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

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing the appearance of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a front view of a portable terminal for explaining an operation state of the portable terminal according to the present invention;
4 is a diagram for explaining a proximity depth of a proximity sensor.
5 is a view for explaining a touch area and page switching according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view for explaining that an offset is applied to a touch area and page switching according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view for explaining the operation of the touch area and thereby the mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a case where a preview is applied to the embodiment described in FIG. 7; FIG.
9 is a view for explaining the operation of the touch area and the mobile terminal according to another embodiment of 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.

Overall configuration

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

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an A / V input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensor unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, and an interface. The unit 170, the controller 180, and the power supply unit 190 may be included. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, 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 sensor unit 140 detects a current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as an open / closed state of the mobile terminal 100, a position of the mobile terminal 100, presence or absence of a user contact, orientation of the mobile terminal, acceleration / deceleration of the mobile terminal, and the like. To generate a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it may sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. In addition, whether the power supply unit 190 is supplied with power, whether the interface unit 170 is coupled to the external device may be sensed. The sensor unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141.

The output unit 150 is for generating an output relating to visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a display unit 151, an acoustic output module 152, an alarm unit 153, a haptic module 154, 155, and the like.

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 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display display, and 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.

The proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is enclosed 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. The haptic module 154 may include two or more haptic modules 154 according to the configuration of the portable terminal 100.

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

Specifically, the projector module 155 includes a light source (not shown) that generates light (for example, laser light) for outputting an image to the outside, a light source And a lens (not shown) for enlarging and outputting the image at a predetermined focal distance to the outside. Further, the projector module 155 may include a device (not shown) capable of mechanically moving the lens or the entire module to adjust the image projection direction. The projector module 155 can be divided into a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) module, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module and a DLP (Digital Light Processing) module according to the type of the display means. In particular, the DLP module may be advantageous for miniaturization of the projector module 151 by enlarging and projecting an image generated by reflecting light generated from a light source on a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) chip. Preferably, the projector module 155 may be provided longitudinally on the side, front or back side of the mobile terminal 100. It goes without saying that the projector module 155 may be provided at any position of the mobile terminal 100 as occasion demands.

The memory unit 160 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 180 and temporarily store the input / output data (e.g., telephone directory, message, audio, For example. The memory unit 160 may also store the frequency of use of each of the data (for example, each telephone number, each message, and frequency of use for each multimedia). In addition, the memory unit 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns output when the 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 that stores various types of information for authenticating the use authority of the mobile terminal 100. The identification module includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identification module (SIM), and a universal user authentication module ( Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") can be manufactured in a smart card format. Accordingly, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port.

When the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100, or various command signals input by the user to the cradle may be transmitted It can be a passage to be transmitted 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 include application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like. It may be implemented using at least one of processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing other functions. The described embodiment may be implemented by the controller 180 itself.

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

Description

2 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2A, the disclosed portable terminal 100 includes a terminal body in 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 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 front case 101. have.

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

The user input units 131 and 132 are manipulated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal 100, and may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132. The operation units 131 and 132 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates in a tactile manner.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The rear case 102 may 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.

Touch input

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The display unit 151 or the touch pad 135 may be configured to receive a touch input by scrolling, as well as the input method described in the above embodiments. The user can move a cursor or a pointer located on an object displayed on the display unit 151, for example, an icon or the like, by scrolling the display unit 151 or the touch pad 135. [ Further, when the finger is moved on the display portion 151 or the touch pad 135, the path along which the finger moves may be visually displayed on the display portion 151. [ This will be useful for editing the image displayed on the display unit 151. [

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

Proximity Touch

The proximity sensor 141 described with reference to FIG. 1 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 4.

4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a proximity depth of a proximity sensor.

As shown in FIG. 4, when a pointer such as a user's finger or pen approaches the touch screen, the proximity sensor 141 disposed in or near the touch screen detects this and outputs a proximity signal.

The proximity sensor 141 may be configured to output different proximity signals according to the distance between the proximity-touched pointer and the touch screen (hereinafter referred to as "proximity depth").

In FIG. 4, for example, a cross section of a touch screen on which three proximity sensors capable of sensing three proximity depths is disposed is illustrated. Of course, proximity sensors that detect less than three or more than four proximity depths are also possible.

Specifically, when the pointer is completely in contact with the touch screen (d0), it is recognized as a contact touch. If the pointer is located on the touch screen at a distance less than the distance d1, it is recognized as a proximity touch of the first proximity depth. If the pointer is located on the touch screen at a distance d1 or less and less than the distance d2, the pointer is recognized as a proximity touch of the second proximity depth. When the pointer is spaced apart from the d2 distance by more than d3 distance on the touch screen, it is recognized as a proximity touch of a third proximity depth. When the pointer is located at a distance greater than or equal to d3 on the touch screen, the proximity touch is recognized as released.

Accordingly, the controller 180 may recognize the proximity touch as various input signals according to the proximity depth and the proximity position of the pointer, and perform various operation control according to the various input signals.

Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. When the above-described parts and names of the parts mentioned in the following description overlap, it may be understood that the corresponding parts further include the technical idea described below in the above-described technical idea. In addition, the application hereinafter refers to software installed in the mobile terminal to perform a specific function in the mobile terminal. The background screen may be understood as a screen displayed on the display unit of the mobile terminal in an idle state in which the specific application is not executed in the mobile terminal. In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, the mobile terminal may perform a multitasking function capable of simultaneously driving two or more applications.

Example  One

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a touch area and page switching according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5A, the desktops # 1, # 2, # 3... Displayed on the touch screen 151 of the mobile terminal 100 are virtually divided into two areas 200a and 200b. It may be. Here, being divided means that the controller is configured to process different inputs according to regions even though the same touch input exists. In addition, although the touch screen 151 is illustrated as being divided into two regions in FIG. 5A, this is exemplary and may be divided into more regions according to implementation. When the user applies a specific touch input 300 to the first area 200a of the touch screen 151 on which the first desktop # 1 is displayed, the control unit currently displays the first desktop displayed on the touch screen 151. (# 1) may be controlled to change to the second background screen # 2 of the following sequence. In this case, the specific touch input 300 may be an input in which the user touches the touch screen 151 with a finger or a touch pen and then drags to the right as shown. However, the specific touch input 300 is not limited thereto, and may be set in various ways such as a long-touch in which the user touches the touch screen 151 for a predetermined time or more.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 5B, when the user applies a specific touch input 300 to the second area 200b instead of the first area 200a, the controller may preset the first desktop #. You can control it to change to the nth desktop. Here, the n-th desktop may be the third desktop (# 3) as shown in FIG. 5 (b) or may be the last desktop.

In summary, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, when the first area 200a is touched, the currently displayed first desktop # 1 is switched from the currently displayed first desktop # 1 to the second desktop # 2. If the second area 200b is touched, the n-th background screen may be changed.

6 is a view for explaining that an offset is applied to a touch area and page switching according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6A, when a touch input 300 is specific to the first area 200a that is virtually preset on the touch screen 151 of the mobile terminal 100, the controller may include a current touch screen ( The first wallpaper # 1 displayed on 151 may be changed to the second wallpaper # 2 which is the next wallpaper. If there is a touch input 300 specific to the first area 200a in the second desktop # 2, the second desktop # 2 may be changed to the third desktop # 3. That is, in FIG. 6A, when there is a specific touch input 300 in the first area 200a, it may be understood that the offset of the change of the background screen is set to 1.

6 (b), when there is a specific touch input 300 in the second area 200b, the controller may display the first background screen # 1 currently displayed on the touch screen 151 for the third time. Can be changed to wallpaper (# 3). When the touch input 300 specific to the second area 200b is changed from the third desktop screen # 3, the third desktop screen # 3 may be changed to the fifth desktop screen # 5. That is, in FIG. 6B, it can be seen that the offset of the change of the background screen for the specific touch input 300 is set to 2. FIG.

Example  2

7 is a view for explaining the operation of the touch area and the mobile terminal 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the background screen displayed on the touch screen 151 of the mobile terminal 100 may be virtually divided into two regions 200a and 200b as in the case of the above-described embodiment. In this case, when the user applies a specific touch input 300 to the first area 200a as shown in FIG. 7A, the controller may display the background screen related to the first Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM). You can switch to the screen. As illustrated in FIG. 7B, when the user applies a specific touch input 300 to the second area 200b, the controller may change the background screen into a screen related to the second USIM. Herein, the specific touch input 300 may be understood as the same as described above with reference to FIG. 5, and when the mobile terminal 100 uses two USIMs, the first USIM may be a USIM that is in use before the screen switching.

In addition, while switching to a screen related to the USIM, the controller may switch a communication network corresponding to the USIM. In detail, when the background screen is related to the first USIM before the screen switching, the mobile terminal 100 may be connected to the first communication network (a base station capable of receiving a service from the first operator). In this case, when the user applies a specific touch input 300 to the second area 200b and changes to a screen related to the second USIM, the mobile terminal 100 may be configured to have a second communication network (the second operator—where the first operator and the second operator). May be the same operator).

As described above, according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when the user uses two or more USIMs, the USIM can be easily selected through screen switching according to an area.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing a case where a preview is applied to the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 8, when the user applies a specific touch input 300 to the second area 200b, the controller may provide a portion 800 of the background screen to be used when the screen is switched by touching the second area 200b. Indicates that you provide a preview.

Due to the above configuration, the user can predict the USIM to be converted into the touch input according to the region. In this case, the preview is provided as an example and may be provided in various ways, such as the color of the status display window at the top of the desktop is changed 810.

Example  3

9 is a view for explaining the operation of the touch area and the mobile terminal 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Unlike the case of the first and second embodiments described above, it is assumed that a specific application is running. For example, the short message application is driven.

Referring to FIG. 9A, a user may apply a specific touch input 300 to the first area 200a of the virtually divided areas (S910). In this case, the touch input may be an input in which the user touches the touch screen 151 with a finger or a touch pen and drags to the right as shown. In this case, the controller may drive the phone book application 913 according to the specific touch input 300 of the user. The controller may provide a preview 911 of the phonebook application 913 during dragging 910 to provide the user with predictability of what application is being driven by the particular touch input 300. There is (S913). Subsequently, when the phonebook application 913 is driven 913 with the termination of the specific touch input 300, the user may select (915) by touching the other party to which the short message is to be transmitted (S915). In this case, the control unit may register the phone number information of the counterpart selected by the user in the receiver field 917 of the short message application, and then terminate the phone book application 913 (S917).

In addition, referring to FIG. 9B, when the user applies a specific touch input 300 to the second area 200b (S930), the controller may drive an application that can provide an attached file. Here, the application that can provide the attachment may be a photo album related application 935. While the user continuously applies a specific touch input 300 to the second area 200b (910), the controller may display a preview 931 of the photo album related application 935 (S933). When the touch input 300 is completed, the photo album related application 935 is driven (S935). In this case, the user may select a picture to be attached (935), and the controller may register the selected picture in the content input box 937 of the short message application (S937).

In this manner, when a specific application is already driven, an application providing information to be input to the specific application can be driven through a specific touch input according to an area, thereby maximizing user convenience. The short message application, the phone book application and the photo album application are illustrative and can be applied to various applications without departing from the scope of the embodiment.

In addition, although the above embodiments are separately described for convenience of description, when the first embodiment and the third embodiment are simultaneously applied in one mobile terminal and two or more USIMs are used, the second embodiment and the third embodiment may not be described. It may be implemented such that all parts of each embodiment are applied, such as applied at the same time.

Meanwhile, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the above-described embodiments can be implemented as code that can be read by a processor in a medium in which a program is recorded. Examples of the medium that can be read by the processor include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, etc., and may be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (e.g., transmission over the Internet) .

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

100: mobile terminal 110: wireless communication unit
120: A / V input unit 130: user input unit
140: sensor unit 150: output unit
160: memory 170: interface unit
180: control unit 190: power supply unit

Claims (5)

touch screen; And
A controller configured to execute a first application when a touch is input to a first area of the touch screen and to execute a second application when the touch is input to a second area of the touch screen;
Including;
Wherein the first application and the second application are for providing information to be used for the currently running application. The method of claim 1,
The touch input is made by touching and dragging the touch screen.
The controller is configured to display an application to be executed according to each area while the touch input continues in a preview form in a third area of the touch screen. The method of claim 1,
The execution screens of the first application and the second application are displayed overlapping at least a portion of the screen on which the currently running application is displayed. touch screen; And
A screen related to a first Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) when a touch is input to a first area of the touch screen, and a screen related to a second USIM when the touch is input to a second area of the touch screen A control unit for switching to;
Including;
And switching the connection to the communication network corresponding to the USIM related to the screen to be switched from the currently connected communication network when the screen is switched. 5. The method of claim 4,
The touch input is made by touching and dragging the touch screen.
The control unit displays a screen to be switched according to each area while the touch input continues in a preview form in the third area of the touch screen.

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