KR20140135050A - Weight measuring device and method for mobile communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device and a method for detecting the weight of an object which is placed on a battery housing cover or on a display screen by installing multiple pressure sensors inside a battery housing of a mobile communication terminal and using the vertically movable battery housing cover. The mobile communication terminal of the present invention comprises: multiple pressure sensors (60) which are installed inside a battery housing (70); a pressure plate (40) which transmits the weight of an object to be measured to the multiple pressure sensors (60); a data processing unit (80) which converts an electrical signal of the multiple pressure sensors (60) into weight; and a display unit (81) which displays the weight by receiving the signal from the data processing unit (80).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a weight measuring device and a method for measuring a weight using a mobile communication terminal,

The present invention relates to a weight measuring apparatus and a weight measuring method using a mobile communication terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for sensing weight by placing an object on a cover or a liquid crystal portion using a battery housing cover capable of vertically flowing with a plurality of pressure sensors mounted inside a battery housing of the mobile communication terminal, .

The mobile communication terminal provides various functions by combining the GPS function and the Internet function beyond simple communication means. It also provides a myriad of software services through the provision of vast applications. This is possible because the infrastructure such as hardware, software, and GPS service installed in the mobile communication terminal are provided in balance with each other. This is only possible to the extent that hardware, software, and social infrastructure are provided in a balanced manner.

In the case of the weight measurement using the mobile communication terminal, a sufficient function can be exhibited if only the hardware and software of the mobile communication terminal are provided. However, the reason for not being realized is due to spatial limitations. Measuring the weight by using a mobile communication terminal is not a part that can be easily promoted from the standpoint of a manufacturer who has to produce a compact terminal despite the many demands of consumers. This is because it is difficult to secure the hardware space and system configuration necessary for the weight measurement.

In order to measure the weight, a pressure sensor is required and a system that can load the entire weight of the object to be measured is absolutely necessary. In addition, it is necessary to process the electrical signal from the pressure sensor in software. Currently, the software part is easy to implement and it is not difficult to provide an application to run it.

There have been many attempts to measure the weight by using a portable terminal, but it is true that the methods that have not overcome the space constraints or lack realism have been proposed. In the present invention, a weight measuring apparatus and a measuring method using a portable terminal that can be easily implemented while overcoming spatial limitations will be presented.

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for measuring weight using a mobile communication terminal. A problem to be solved for this is to construct a system capable of measuring the weight while overcoming the space limitation of the mobile communication terminal inside the terminal. In addition, the present invention provides a method by which a user can easily measure a weight using a mobile communication terminal.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is characterized in that a pressure sensor is mounted at four corners inside a square battery housing for mounting a battery of a mobile communication terminal, and a pressure plate covering a battery housing capable of flowing vertically is mounted The plurality of pressure sensors support the pressure plate, and the plurality of pressure sensors senses a pressure of an object applied to the pressure plate to send an electrical signal to the data processing unit. The data processing unit converts the electrical signal into a weight and sends it to the display unit or voice generation unit to display the weight of the object.

The weight measuring apparatus and method using the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention have the effect of not significantly increasing the volume of the existing terminal but also the appearance of the existing terminal. That is, there is an advantage that miniaturization pursued by the mobile communication terminal and design change do not need to be changed greatly. In addition, there is a method in which the object to be measured is placed on the battery cover and the weight is indicated by the voice signal and the method in which the object is displayed on the liquid crystal and the weight is indicated by the image signal, .

1 is a front perspective view of a mobile communication terminal to which the present invention is applied.
2 is a rear perspective view of a mobile communication terminal to which the present invention is applied.
3 is a perspective view of a rear portion of the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention in which the pressure plate is separated.
4 is a perspective view of a rear portion of a mobile communication terminal to which a pressure plate and a battery are separated.
5 is a rear view of a mobile communication terminal to which the present invention is applied, with a pressure plate and a battery removed.
6 is a rear perspective view and a partial enlarged view of a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a pressure plate and a battery are removed.
7. A block diagram of a method of measuring weights of the present invention.
8. Fig. 8 is a flow chart of the weight measuring method of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front part of a mobile communication terminal to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rear part of a mobile communication terminal to which the present invention is applied. As shown in the figure, the appearance of the mobile communication terminal to which the present invention is applied is difficult to find a part different from a normal mobile communication terminal.

1 and 2, a mobile communication terminal to which the present invention is applied includes a liquid crystal 20, an operation button 30, and a pressure plate 40 on the outer surface of the back surface. The pressure plate 40 serves as a cover for covering the battery housing 70 formed in the frame 10 and at the same time transmits the pressure applied by the object for measuring the weight to the plurality of pressure sensors 60. The pressure plate (40) protrudes from the frame (10) in the outward direction as a whole. The reason for this is that an object to be measured may be placed on the pressure plate 40 and the weight may be measured or may be placed on the liquid crystal 20 so that the weight can be measured.

If the pressure plate 40 is not protruded from the rear surface of the frame 10, the weight is measured by placing the object on the pressure plate 40 with the liquid crystal 20 facing downward, shall. In this case, it is impossible to check the weight of the object displayed on the liquid crystal 20 in real time, and the weight of the object can be confirmed only through the voice signal.

This is because the pressure plate 40 protrudes from the rear surface of the frame 10 so that the object to be measured can be placed on the liquid crystal 20 of the terminal and the weight can be measured. That is, when the pressure plate 40 faces downward, the weight of the terminal is concentrated on the pressure plate 40. When a zero point is set in this state and an object is placed on the liquid crystal 20, a load equivalent to the weight of the object can be transmitted to the pressure plate 40. That is, since the pressure plate 40 protrudes from the rear surface of the frame 10, the object to be measured is placed on the liquid crystal 20 and the weight of the object displayed on the liquid crystal 20 in real time It can be checked by the user.

The pressure plate 40 transmits a load applied by an object to be measured to a plurality of pressure sensors 60 inserted into the terminal. To this end, the pressure plate 40 must have a clearance capable of moving vertically, and at the same time, be rigid enough to transmit the load to the pressure sensor 60. That is, the pressure plate 40 should be made of a rigid material, and it should be possible to secure a clearance capable of moving vertically while being mounted on the frame 10. This is not solved by the pressure plate 40 itself but by securing clearance between the portion of the battery housing 70 where the pressure plate 40 is mounted and the portion where the pressure plate 40 is bonded.

Generally, the lid of the battery housing 70 of the mobile communication terminal is not secured so as to be vertically movable in a mounted state. The mobile communication terminal to which the present invention is applied requires the pressure plate 40 to function as a cover of the battery housing 70 but at the same time to transmit the load of the object to the plurality of pressure sensors 60, . If the load applied by the object is large and the pressure plate (40) and the pressure sensor (60) are beyond the limits supported by the pressure plate (40), the pressure plate (40) In this situation it is impossible to measure the weight of the object anymore. Therefore, the size of the clearance is determined by the measurement range and displacement of the pressure sensor 60 and the weight range of the object to be measured.

The measurement range of the object is determined by the measurement range and the quantity of the pressure sensor (60). That is, if four pressure sensors (60) capable of measuring up to 500 g are installed, the maximum measurable weight will be 2 kg. In this case, if the displacement of the pressure sensor 60 is 0.5 mm, the clearance of the pressure plate 40 should be at least 0.5 mm. Preferably, in order to prevent a situation in which the load is not transmitted to the pressure sensor 60 due to the deformation of the pressure plate 40, it is necessary to set the displacement of the pressure sensor 60 to the minimum value of the clearance of the pressure plate 40 desirable. That is, when an object is placed on the pressure plate 40, any portion of the pressure plate 40 except the portion contacting the pressure sensor 60 should not touch the other portion. If the pressure plate 40 is difficult to have sufficient rigidity or the weight to be measured exceeds the rigidity that the pressure plate 40 can support, a metal plate (not shown) is inserted into the pressure plate 40, May be increased.

When a portion of the pressure plate 40 other than where the plurality of pressure sensors 60 are contacted reaches the battery housing 70 or the battery 50, the load received by the pressure plate 40 is directly transmitted to the pressure sensor 60 It is not distributed. Eventually, the weight of the object will be smaller than it actually is. Therefore, the pressure plate 40 should secure a clearance capable of moving vertically with respect to the rigidity so that a load can be transmitted only to the pressure sensor 60 when a measurable object having the largest weight is placed. The ensuring of the clearance will be described in detail below.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of a mobile communication terminal in which a pressure plate and a battery are separated, FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view and a partially enlarged view of a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a pressure plate and a battery are removed. FIG.

3 to 6, the pressure plate 40 serves as a cover for covering the battery housing 70 of the frame 10. On both side surfaces of the pressure plate 40 which are oriented toward each other, a protruding step 41 is formed. In addition, grooves 71 are formed in the frame 10 at both sides of the battery housing 70 that are oriented toward each other and at a portion where the battery housing 70 contacts the protruding jaws 41. The projecting step 41 is inserted into the groove 71 so that the pressure plate 40 serves as a cover of the battery housing 70. The height of the grooves 71 formed in the frame 10 of the battery housing 70 is set larger than the height of the protrusions 41 formed on the pressure plate 40 to secure the vertical movement of the pressure plate 40 You can do it.

As shown in the figure, the pressure sensor 60 is inserted into four corners of the battery housing 70 in addition to the portion where the battery 50 is mounted. The pressure sensor 60 is protruded as shown in FIG. 6, so that it can receive all the loads applied to the pressure plate 40. In an embodiment, it is preferable that the arrangement and the number of the pressure sensors 60 are four at the four corners of the battery housing 70, as shown in the figure. However, the number or arrangement of the pressure sensors 60 may vary depending on the shape of the mobile communication terminal or the shape and size of the battery housing 70.

When the object is placed on the pressure plate 40 or placed on the liquid crystal 20, the load additionally received by the object is transmitted to the pressure plate 40, and the load transferred to the pressure plate 40 is again transmitted to the pressure plate 40 And is transmitted to the sensor 60. The load received by the pressure sensor 60 is transmitted to the data processing unit 80, which will be described below.

As shown in the drawings, the present invention provides a system capable of measuring weight without significantly changing the appearance or size of a conventional mobile communication terminal. In addition, the weight of the object can be measured by placing the object on the pressure plate 40 with the terminal turned upside down, or placing the object on the liquid crystal 20 with the terminal placed upright. Whether the object is placed on the pressure plate 40 or the weight is measured or the object is placed on the liquid crystal 20 and the weight is measured, the weight value of the object can be known by the user through the visual display or voice information through the liquid crystal 20 .

7 is a block diagram of a method for measuring weights of the present invention. The loads received by the pressure plate 40 are all transmitted to the plurality of pressure sensors 60. As shown in the figure, the electrical signals of the plurality of pressure sensors are transmitted to the data processing unit 80. The data processor 80 sums the electrical signals of the plurality of pressure sensors and converts them into a weight. Then, the signal is transmitted to the display unit 81 and the voice generator 82. The display unit 81 displays the weight value of the object on the liquid crystal 20 in terms of numerical values and pictures. In addition, the voice generating unit 82 expresses the weight value of the object through the speaker included in the terminal by voice.

The diagram shows the most basic signal processing system. If you apply the application here, you can manage the history using the measured weight value or provide various services. Since various services using the application are outside the scope of the present invention, detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.

8 is a flowchart showing a method for measuring a weight of the present invention. As shown in the figure, a method of measuring the weight of an object using the mobile communication terminal in the present invention is as follows. First, a program for driving the pressure sensor is executed (S1). The program executed in the above step may be software of the terminal or may be an application.

Then, the pressure sensor module is initialized to obtain a zero point (S2). The above step is a step to be performed whether the measurement is performed by placing the terminal upside down and placing the weight on the pressure plate 40 or placing the terminal upright and placing the weight on the liquid crystal 20. That is, in any case, an initialization process is required in which a signal from the pressure sensor 60 is defined as a zero point in the state in which no object is placed.

Then, it is determined whether or not the measurement mode of recognizing the increase of the signal of the pressure sensor 60 based on the zero point as the weight measurement state (S3). That is, whether or not the signal of the pressure sensor 60 is increased is grasped and it is determined whether or not it is the measurement mode. When the signal value of the pressure sensor 60 does not change with respect to the zero point, the program is automatically terminated.

If the signal of the pressure sensor 60 increases, it is determined that the mode is the measurement mode and the measured value is displayed (S4). In this step, voice signals can be exported together, which can be set in advance through program setting. That is, the display step for the measured values includes both the image representation using the liquid crystal and the voice expression using the speaker. Further, when the signal value of the pressure sensor 60 fluctuates within a predetermined time, the user is notified of this fact as a voice signal.

When the signal value of the pressure sensor 60 does not change for a predetermined time, the measurement value is displayed and it is asked whether to store the measured value (S5). Then, it goes to a step S6 for storing a measured value or to step S7 for asking whether another weight is to be measured by skipping this step. If another weight is to be measured, the process proceeds to step S2 of initializing the module of the pressure sensor again. If you do not measure another weight, terminate.

That is, in the present invention, a method for measuring the weight of an object using a mobile communication terminal includes the steps of executing a pressure sensor driving program (S1), initializing a module of a pressure sensor (S2) A step S6 of displaying a measurement value, a step S5 of inquiring whether to store the measurement value, a step S6 of storing a measurement value, and a step S7 ).

10 ... frame 20 ... liquid crystal
30 ... Operation button 40 ... Pressure plate
41 ... protruding chin 50 ... battery
60 ... Pressure sensor 70 ... Battery housing
71 ... groove 80 ... data processor
81 ... display unit 82 ... voice generation unit

Claims (6)

1. A mobile communication terminal including a battery housing in which an individual is portable and capable of inserting a liquid crystal and a battery,
A plurality of pressure sensors (60) mounted inside the battery housing (70);
A pressure plate (40) which is a cover of the battery housing (70) and secures a clearance that can move vertically with respect to the mobile communication terminal frame (10) to transmit a load of an object to be measured to a plurality of pressure sensors (60);
A data processor 80 for converting the electrical signals of the plurality of pressure sensors 60 into a weight; And
And a display unit (81) for receiving a signal from the data processing unit (80) and displaying the weight. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pressure plate (40) is mounted higher than a rear surface of the terminal frame (10) so that the weight of the object can be measured by placing the terminal straight. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pressure plate (40) has a metal plate inserted therein or a metal plate attached to the bottom of the pressure plate to increase rigidity. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit (81) comprises a voice generator (82) for expressing the weight of an object through a speaker. 1. A mobile communication terminal including a battery housing in which an individual is portable and capable of inserting a liquid crystal and a battery,
(S1) executing a pressure sensor driving program using software or an application of the mobile communication terminal;
(S2) initializing a module of a pressure sensor (60) based on a signal of the pressure sensor (60) as a zero point without placing an object on it;
(S3) whether or not a measurement mode for recognizing an increase in a signal of the pressure sensor (60) as a weight measurement state of an object is determined;
(S4) displaying the measured value on the screen of the liquid crystal display 20 of the terminal;
When the signal value of the pressure sensor 60 is not changed for a predetermined time, inquiring whether to store the measured value (S5);
Storing a measured value (S6); And
Determining whether to measure the weight of another object (S7);
And measuring the weight of the mobile communication terminal. 6. The method of claim 5,
(S4) of displaying a measured value through a screen of the liquid crystal display (20) of the terminal includes both a liquid crystal image expression and a loudspeaker expression.

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