KR20150059470A - Mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal. Provided is the mobile terminal which includes a terminal body which has a display unit on the front side thereof and a rear input unit which is exposed to the rear side of the terminal body and includes a power button part which supplies power. The rear input unit is arranged on the inner side of the power button part and includes a fingerprint recognition sensor which is integrated with the power button part.

Description

[0001] MOBILE TERMINAL [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, and relates to a structure improvement of a rear input unit of a mobile terminal.

A terminal can be divided into a mobile / portable terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether the terminal is movable or not. 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. .

Various new attempts have been made in terms of hardware or software to implement the complex functions of such multimedia devices. For example, a user interface environment is provided for a user to easily and conveniently search for or select a function.

In addition, mobile terminals are regarded as personal items for expressing their individuality, and various design forms are required. The design form also includes structural changes and improvements for the user to use the mobile terminal more conveniently. One such structural change and improvement can be considered for the operating unit.

However, the present back key structure is implemented by a touch method, and there is no separate light emitting structure. When a fingerprint sensor is used for a button, there is a problem of minimizing or reducing the space for accommodating additional components. Therefore, a new structure input method that can solve this problem can be considered.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile terminal capable of user input of a new type which is different from the conventional one.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal having a fingerprint recognition sensor on a rear input unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a mobile terminal includes a rear input unit including a terminal body having a display unit formed on a front surface thereof and a power button unit exposed to a back surface of the main unit, And a fingerprint recognition sensor which is disposed inside the finger and is integrally formed with the power button unit.

The power button unit may include a sensor cover surrounding the fingerprint recognition sensor and a molding unit integrally formed with the sensor cover while surrounding the sensor cover.

The rear input unit includes a transparent sheet disposed on a back surface of the power button unit and having a protrusion formed on a front surface thereof at a position corresponding to the power button unit, a dome switch disposed at a lower portion of the transparent sheet, A plate formed between the transparent sheet and the flexible circuit board; a light guide formed to cover at least a part of the dome switch; a light source disposed on at least one side of the light guide; And a light shielding member disposed on one side of the upper portion of the light guide.

The flexible circuit board may be bent so that one side thereof is connected to the fingerprint recognition sensor. The light guide may include a light guide plate (LGP) and a light guide film (LGF) .

A pad for supporting the light guide may be further provided under the power button unit, and a reinforcing member for supplementing the rigidity of the flexible circuit board may be further provided at a lower portion of the flexible circuit board.

The transparent sheet, the plate, the flexible circuit board, and the reinforcing member may be formed with through holes at corresponding positions to be fixed by the fixing member, and the molding may have grooves formed at portions corresponding to the through holes. have.

A pattern may be formed on the light guide film, and an elastic member provided under the power button unit and supporting the molding unit may be included.

The fingerprint recognition sensor recognizes the fingerprint by a sliding method. The flexible circuit board may have a through hole formed in the folded and stacked portion so that the power button portion is electrically connected to the dome switch. A hole can be formed so that the portion can be fixed by the fixing member.

The plate may be formed with an air path connecting the through holes formed at positions corresponding to the protrusions. The dome switch is also formed on a portion corresponding to the volume button unit provided on both sides of the power button unit, The flexible circuit board may be formed with a groove so as not to cover the dome switch corresponding to the volume button portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a surface light emitting structure is provided in the back surface key structure, and space efficiency can be enhanced.

In addition, it is possible to implement a fingerprint sensor mounting structure optimized for the back key structure and to drive the back key in various ways.

Furthermore, when the fingerprint recognition structure is applied to the backside key, the FPCB space can be minimized and an optimized FPCB mounting space can be realized.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figures 2A and 2B are conceptual diagrams illustrating operations implemented in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 3B is a rear plan view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 3A. FIG.
4 is a rear perspective view of a rear case of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a cross-sectional view of a rear input of a mobile terminal in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
6 is an exploded perspective view of a rear input portion in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of a flexible circuit board in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
8 is a front view of a configuration in which a power button portion is coupled to a flexible circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention;
9 is an exploded view of a flexible circuit board placed on a transparent sheet in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a block diagram of a fingerprint recognition apparatus according to an 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.

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 broadcast signals 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, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) or an ESG (Electronic Service Guide) 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. WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

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 communication mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame can be displayed on the front display part 151 and / or the rear display part 155. [

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 / static), 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 is possible to sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. It is also possible to sense whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141.

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

The front 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 front 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, 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 front display part 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 front display unit 151 of the terminal body.

There may be two or more front display units 151 according to the embodiment of the mobile terminal 100. For example, in the mobile terminal 100, a plurality of display modules may be spaced apart or integrally arranged on one surface, and may be disposed on different surfaces, respectively.

(Hereinafter, referred to as a 'touch screen') in which a front display unit 151 and a sensor (hereinafter, referred to as a 'touch sensor' It can also be used as an input device in addition to the 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 part of the front display part 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific part of the front display part 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. Thus, the control unit 180 can know which area of the front display unit 151 is touched or the like.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is surrounded 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 type photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection type photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation type 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 recognizing that the pointer is positioned on the touch screen while the pointer is not in contact with the touch screen is referred to as "proximity touch & The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch. &Quot; 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 audio 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 mode, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, 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 front 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 the vibration generated by the hit module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may include a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to the contact skin surface, a spraying force or suction force of the air through the injection port or the suction port, a touch on the skin surface, contact with an electrode, And various tactile effects such as an effect of reproducing a cold sensation using an endothermic or exothermic element can be generated.

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.

And a rear display unit 155 corresponding to the front display unit 151 is provided on the rear surface of the mobile terminal 100. [ The rear display unit 155 has a smaller size than the front display unit 151 and can be formed to display relatively simple information.

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.

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 external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

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. [

Referring again to the user input unit 130, in the present invention, the user input unit 130 is disposed at the rear of the terminal, so that the front display can be formed as a larger screen. Hereinafter, the detailed structure in which the user input unit 130 is disposed on the rear side and the operations performed thereby will be described in more detail.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are conceptual diagrams illustrating operations implemented by the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the terminal includes a display unit 251 disposed on one side of the main body, for example, the front side. A graphic user interface (GUI) of an application currently being executed may be output to the display unit 251. The display unit 251 may be provided with a touch sensor for sensing a touch input have. The display unit 251 outputs time information implemented in the form of images, texts, and icons, such as the GUI, but may be switched to a disabled state after a predetermined period of time or by input of a specific control command. The state of FIG. 2A is such a state, and illustrates a state in which the display portion 251 is inactivated during execution of the music reproduction application.

On the other surface of the main body, for example, the rear surface, a rear input unit 300 is disposed. A control command for the display unit 251 is received from the rear input unit 300. More specifically, when a push input is applied to the button 310 of the rear input unit 300, the display unit 251 is switched to the activated state. That is, the rear input unit 300 may be a power key that turns the display unit 251 on and off. Therefore, the on-off of the terminal itself can also be performed by the button 310. [ In the illustrated example, the display unit 251 is activated to output the GUI of the music playback application.

2B, when a push input is applied to another button 305 of the rear input unit 300 in the state of FIG. 2A, the volume bar VB is output, . However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above process, and the push input to the other button 305 of the rear input unit 300 may be an input to the volume control in the state of FIG. 2A.

According to the above example, the user can input a control command in the form of a push on the rear surface of the terminal while looking at the display unit 251. As a result, the rear input unit 300 on the rear side of the terminal can receive the push input, and can act as a power key and a volume key of the terminal.

Hereinafter, the hardware configuration of the terminal performing the operations of FIGS. 2A and 2B will be described in detail. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 3A.

The disclosed mobile terminal 200 has a bar-shaped mobile phone body. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various structures such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, and a swivel type in which two or more bodies are relatively movably coupled.

The body includes a case (a casing, a housing, a cover, and the like) which forms an appearance. In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 201 and a rear case 202. [ Various electronic components are embedded in the space formed between the front case 201 and the rear case 202. At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 201 and the rear case 202. [

The cases may be formed by injection molding a synthetic resin, or may be formed to have a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti) or the like.

The display unit 251, the sound output unit 252, the camera module 221, and the like may be disposed in the terminal body, mainly the front case 201. The interfaces 270 and the like may be disposed on the side surfaces of the front case 201 and the rear case 202.

The display unit 251 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 201. That is, the display unit is disposed on the front surface of the terminal and is configured to display time information. An acoustic output unit 252 and a camera module 221 are disposed in an area adjacent to one end of the display unit 251 and a front input unit 231 and a microphone 222 are disposed in an area adjacent to the other end.

The front input unit 231 may include a plurality of operation units as an example of the user input unit 130 (see FIG. 1). The operating units may also be referred to as manipulating portions and may be employed in any manner as long as the user is operating in a tactile manner with a tactile impression. In this embodiment, the front input unit 231 is configured as a touch key. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the front input unit 231 may be provided with a fusible unit.

In addition, the display unit 251 may form a touch screen together with the touch sensor. In this case, the touch screen may be a user input unit. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a configuration without a front input unit on the front surface of the terminal. In this case, the mobile terminal can be configured such that the input operation to the main body of the mobile terminal can be performed only through the display unit 251 and the rear input unit 300 to be described later.

Referring to FIG. 3B, a camera module 221 'may be further mounted on the rear surface of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 202. The camera module 221 'may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the camera 221 (see FIG. 3A), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera module 221.

For example, the camera module 221 has low pixels so that it is easy to capture a face of a user in the case of a video call or the like and send it to the other party, and the camera module 221 ' It is preferable to have a high pixel. The camera modules 221 and 221 'may be installed in the terminal body such that they can be rotated or pop-up.

A flash and a mirror may be additionally disposed adjacent to the camera module 221 '. The flash illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera module 221 '. The mirror enables the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to take a picture of himself / herself (self-photographing) using the camera module 221 '.

An acoustic output unit (not shown) may be further disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The rear audio output unit may implement the stereo function together with the front audio output unit 252 (see FIG. 3A), and may be used for the implementation of the speakerphone mode in a call.

A power supply unit 290 for supplying power to the mobile terminal 200 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 290 may be built in the terminal body or may be detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

The rear input unit 300 is disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The rear input unit 300 may be located, for example, below the camera module 221 '.

The rear input unit 300 is operated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 200, and input contents may be variously set. For example, a command such as a command such as power on / off, start, end, scrolling and the like, adjustment of the size of sound outputted from the sound output unit 252, or switching to the touch recognition mode of the display module 251 Can receive.

The rear input unit 300 of the present invention is implemented as a push input type. More specifically, the rear input 300 may comprise mechanical or physical buttons that are relative to the touch screen.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In general, a terminal body includes a printed circuit board (PCB). The printed circuit board may be mounted on the front case 201 or the rear case 202, for example, or may be mounted on a separate structure. The separate structure may form an intermediate case. Hereinafter, the front case 201 or the rear case 202 is separately described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the cases 201 and 202 may be integrally formed.

The printed circuit board is configured as an example of a controller 180 (see FIG. 1) for operating various functions of the mobile terminal. A plurality of the printed circuit boards may be provided, and the functions of the controller 180 may be performed by a combination of the printed circuit boards. Various electronic devices are mounted on the printed circuit board to perform these functions.

Also, the printed circuit board is electrically connected to an antenna (not shown), and is configured to process a radio signal corresponding to radio electromagnetic waves transmitted and received by the antenna. The antenna is disposed between the structure and the printed circuit board and mainly transmits and receives radio signals through the rear case 202.

The printed circuit board may be electrically connected to the camera module 221 '. The rear case 202 is provided with a battery accommodating portion for accommodating the battery, and a battery cover for covering the battery accommodating portion is mounted on the case.

A through hole is formed in the rear case 202, and the camera module 221 'is disposed so as to face the outside through the through hole. The camera module 221 'is adapted to photograph an external image through the rear surface of the terminal.

Referring to the rear input unit 300, the rear input unit 300 is exposed to the rear surface, not the side surface, overlapping the display unit 251 in the thickness direction of the main body. Hereinafter, the detailed structure of the rear input unit 300 and the side structure of the terminal will be described in order.

The rear input unit 300 may be disposed between the camera module 221 'and the battery. The position of the rear input unit 300 may be overlapped with the display unit 251 (see FIG. 3A). Thus, a feeling of use in which the input device is disposed on the rear surface of the display unit 251 can be realized. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the position of the rear input unit 300 may be changed.

4 is a rear plan view of a rear case 202 of a mobile terminal 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, a camera module 221 'is provided in a rear case 202, A rear input unit 300 is formed on one side of the camera module 221 '. The rear input unit 300 may include a power button unit 310 for turning the power on and off and a volume button unit 305 for adjusting the size of the sound.

5 is a cross-sectional view of a rear input unit 300 of the mobile terminal 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a cross-sectional view of the power input unit 310 taken along line AA 'of FIG. 4, / RTI > is an exploded perspective view of a rear input 300 associated with one embodiment of the < RTI ID = 0.0 >

Hereinafter, a configuration of a mobile terminal 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGs. 5 and 6. FIG.

First, a mobile terminal 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body having a display unit formed on a front surface thereof and a rear input unit 300 (not shown) including a power button unit 310, ). The back input unit 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a fingerprint recognition sensor 312 disposed inside the power button unit 310 and formed integrally with the power button unit 310, The power button unit 312 includes a sensor cover 313 surrounding the fingerprint sensor 312 and a molding unit 311 formed integrally with the sensor cover 313 to cover the sensor cover 313. [ .

The sensor cover 313 is made of SUS material and the molding part 311 is integrally formed with the fingerprint recognition sensor 312 and the sensor cover 313. At this time, the rear input unit 300 may include a volume button unit 305.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a molding unit 311 is positioned above the fingerprint recognition sensor 312, and a light emitting unit is provided below the rear input unit 300.

At this time, the rear input unit 300 is disposed on the back of the power button unit 310 in addition to the power button unit 310, and a protrusion 333 is formed on the front surface at a position corresponding to the power button unit 310 A flexible circuit board 350 disposed below the transparent sheet 330 and formed with a dome switch 355 for pressing the protrusion 333 and a dome switch 355 connected to the dome switch 355 A light source 325 disposed on at least one side of the light guides 316 and 318 and a light shielding member 320 disposed on an upper side of the light guides 316 and 318, .

The transparent sheet 330 functions to prevent the foreign material from being prevented by the dome switch 355 and the flexible circuit board 350 is required to control light emission. In an embodiment of the present invention, One side of the flexible circuit board 350 is connected to the fingerprint recognition sensor 312 and the other side is bent to be connected to the printed circuit board. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the fingerprint recognition sensor 312 is connected to the fingerprint recognition sensor 312 while covering parts disposed between the fingerprint recognition sensor 312 and the flexible circuit board 350.

In general, fingerprint sensors are classified into optical type, heat sense type, and semiconductor type. In the case of mobile terminals, semiconductor type sensors are mainly installed because of space limitation. The semiconductor sensor can be further classified into a space type and a slide type. In the embodiment of the present invention, the fingerprint recognition sensor 312 uses a slide type fingerprint recognition sensor 312 having a small space.

The slide type fingerprint recognition sensor 312 reads a local fingerprint image in a sliding manner and then matches a local fingerprint image to one image to obtain a complete fingerprint image to perform fingerprint recognition. To this end, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a partial fingerprint can be acquired by sliding a finger while the user touches the power button unit 310, and the partial fingerprint can be obtained in consideration of the sliding speed, . It is possible to prove the validity of the user by comparing it with the complete fingerprint and the fingerprint already registered.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a fingerprint recognition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, a fingerprint recognition sensor 312 for obtaining a fingerprint image, a fingerprint sensor 312 A sliding information extracting unit 30 for extracting relative sliding information between the partial fingerprint images from the fingerprint image processing unit 20, a fingerprint image extracting unit 30 for extracting the relative sliding information between the partial fingerprint images from the fingerprint image processing unit 20, A memory unit 40 for storing partial fingerprint images and respective pieces of sliding information, a corrector 50 for performing a correction for fingerprint image matching using the partial fingerprint images and the sliding information stored in the memory unit 40, A matching unit 60 for composing one fingerprint image using the corrected fingerprint images, and a fingerprint recognition unit 60 for recognizing the fingerprint image using the registered fingerprint image 70).

The fingerprint image processing unit 20, the sliding information extraction unit 30, the memory unit 40, the correction unit 50, the matching unit 60, and the fingerprint recognition unit 70 are performed by the control unit 180 .

In an embodiment of the present invention, light guides 316 and 318 are provided to emit light at the rear input unit 300 at a uniform intensity, and the light guides 316 and 318 may include a light guide plate (LGP) 316, And a light guide film (LGF) 318. Particularly, the pattern 319 having a specific shape is formed on the light guide film 318, so that light can be uniformly spread. When the thickness of the light guides 316 and 318 is thin, the light guide film 318 is sufficient. However, when the thickness of the light guide plates 316 and 318 is thick, the light guide plate 316 is required.

In addition, in an embodiment of the present invention, when the power button unit 310 is strongly pressed or used for a long time, a crack may be generated in the flexible circuit board 350, A reinforcing member 360 for reinforcing the rigidity of the flexible circuit board 350 is provided. The elastic member 314 and the optical guide plate 314 may be provided at the lower portion of the molding part 311. The elastic member 314 may be provided with a rubber elastic member 314 for supporting the molding part 311 and buffering the elastic part, An adhesive member 315 for attaching the elastic member 314 and the light guide plate 316 may be provided between the light guide plate 316 and the elastic member 314.

The transparent plate 330, the plate 340, the flexible circuit board 350, and the flexible circuit board 350 may be fixed to the rear input unit 300, particularly the molding unit 311, Through holes (331, 341, 351, 361, 371) are formed on both sides of the reinforcing member (360) and the adhesive film (370) so that a shaft fixing member such as a boss can be fitted.

A plate 340 is provided between the transparent sheet 330 and the flexible circuit board 350 to connect the through holes 340a, 340b, and 340c formed at positions corresponding to the protrusions 333 An air path 343 is formed to move the air generated at the time of pressing the dome switch 355 to the adjacent empty space so that the dome switch 355 is easily pressed. At this time, the reinforcing member 360 may be provided under the reinforcing member 360 with an adhesive film 370 for contact with other components.

A pad 322 supporting the light guides 316 and 318 and having a buffer function is provided under the power button unit 310. The pads 322 are formed in a pair and are formed on the flexible circuit board 350 to be bent so that the dome switch 355b corresponding to the power button unit 310 can be fully pressed.

 The light source 325 may be disposed on one side or both sides of the light guides 316 and 318, and may be an LED, for example. More specifically, it may be an RGB LED, and various colors can be implemented using the LED. This can be used to display the operating status. For example, when the blue light is turned on, it indicates that the camera is in operation. When the yellow light is turned on, the message indicates that the message has arrived. The red light indicates that the battery is low, Can be used as an indication that a call has been received from the other party. The above examples are only a part of the embodiment of the present invention, and various operating states can be displayed in various colors.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a flexible circuit board 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a flexible circuit board 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Front view.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, it can be seen that the flexible circuit board 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention is bent. This is because the fingerprint recognition sensor 312 is disposed below the power button unit 310 and a flexible circuit board 350 for controlling the fingerprint recognition sensor 312 is required. In the embodiment of the present invention, the two flexible circuit boards 350 are integrated into one. For this purpose, the flexible circuit board 350 is bent, and the bent portion covers the dome switch 355b corresponding to the power button unit 310, so that a through hole 352 is formed in the folded and stacked portion, So that the button portion 310 can be electrically connected to the dome switch 355b.

By bending the flexible circuit board 350 in this manner, only two of the flexible circuit boards 350 are required to be formed, so that the cost can be reduced and the thickness of the mobile terminal can be minimized.

The dome switch 355 may be formed on a portion corresponding to the volume button unit 305 provided on both sides of the power button unit 310. The flexible circuit board 350 may include a volume button unit 305 A groove 353 is formed so as not to cover the corresponding dome switch 355a.

8, grooves 310b are formed at portions corresponding to the through holes 331, 341, 351, 361 and 371 of the molding portion 311, and a lower end portion 310a of the molding portion 311 is connected to the through- And has a plate shape so as to be pressed by the cover.

9, a dome switch 355 and a fingerprint recognition sensor 312 are arranged on a flexible circuit board 350 in an exploded view of a flexible circuit board 350, It can be seen that after being mounted on the other side, it is located on the same plane through the folding structure. At this time, a line BB 'is a line for folding the flexible circuit board 350, and a hole 353 is formed for fixing a fixing member such as a boss to be inserted and fixed in order to prevent the folding of the flexible circuit board 350 .

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

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention .

Claims (16)

A terminal body having a display unit formed on a front surface thereof; And
And a rear power input unit including a power button unit that is exposed to the rear surface of the main body to supply power,
The back-
And a fingerprint recognition sensor disposed inside the power button unit and formed integrally with the power button unit. The method according to claim 1,
The power button unit,
A sensor cover covering the fingerprint sensor, and a molding unit integrally formed with the sensor cover while surrounding the sensor cover. 3. The method of claim 2,
The back-
A transparent sheet disposed on a back surface of the power button unit and having a protrusion formed on a front surface thereof at a position corresponding to the power button unit;
A flexible circuit board disposed below the transparent sheet, the flexible circuit board having a dome switch for pressing the protrusion;
A plate formed between the transparent sheet and the flexible circuit board;
A light guide formed to cover at least a part of the dome switch;
A light source disposed on at least one side of the light guide; And
And a light shielding member disposed on an upper side of the light guide. The method of claim 3,
The flexible circuit board includes:
And one side is bent to be connected to the fingerprint recognition sensor. The method of claim 3,
The light guide
A light guide plate (LGP), and a light guide film (LGF). 5. The method of claim 4,
And a pad for supporting the light guide is further provided at a lower portion of the power button unit. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the flexible circuit board further comprises a reinforcing member for reinforcing the rigidity of the flexible circuit board. 8. The method of claim 7,
The transparent sheet, the plate, the flexible circuit board,
And a through hole is formed at a corresponding position to be fixed by the fixing member. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein a pattern is formed on the light guide film. The method according to claim 1,
And an elastic member provided below the power button unit and supporting the molding unit. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the fingerprint recognition sensor recognizes the fingerprint by a sliding method. 5. The method of claim 4,
The flexible circuit board includes:
And a through hole is formed in the folded and laminated portion so that the power button portion is electrically connected to the dome switch. 13. The method of claim 12,
The flexible circuit board includes:
And a hole is formed so that the bent portion can be fixed by the fixing member. The method of claim 3,
The plate may comprise:
And an air path connecting the through holes formed at a position corresponding to the protrusion is formed. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the dome switch is formed in a portion corresponding to a volume button portion provided on both sides of the power button portion, and the flexible circuit board is formed with a groove so as not to cover the dome switch corresponding to the volume button portion. 9. The method of claim 8,
The molding unit may include:
And a groove is formed in a portion corresponding to the through hole.

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