KR101398137B1 - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The keypad of the portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can utilize the vividness of various output characters or graphics as keys of the keypad by using an electronic paper that electronically displays each key, Since the thin and flexible nature of the e-paper is applied to the portable terminal, a slim portable terminal can be obtained.

Description

[0001] PORTABLE TERMINAL [0002]

The present invention relates to a portable terminal having an electronic paper.

A portable terminal is a portable device that is portable and has one or more functions such as voice and video call function, information input / output function, and data storing function.

As the functions are diversified, the mobile terminal has complicated functions such as photographing and photographing of movies, playing music or moving picture files, receiving games, broadcasting, etc. These devices are integrally mounted and are equipped with a multimedia player .

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

Development of a portable terminal capable of providing various designs while being regarded as a portable personal item for expressing the personality of the portable terminal is also required.

Traditionally, input devices and other accessories mounted on portable terminals provide a fixed limited key, so that there is a lack of coping with various input environments. That is, since each key shows only a fixed number of characters or symbols, there is a problem that several menu moves are required to input different contents. In addition, a number of letters, numbers, or symbols are engraved on one key, which can hinder the appearance.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to change the display of a key guided by a keypad, thereby facilitating input according to a mode.

To do this, the keypad needs to be able to obtain a distinctive image of the key, regardless of its surroundings, by providing a distinct image.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a slimmer portable terminal through such a keypad.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a keypad of a portable terminal, including: an electronic paper for displaying each key electronically; An illumination unit disposed in front of the e-paper, for illuminating the e-paper; And a touch sensing unit disposed in front of the illuminating unit and sensing the touch applied to each key to generate an input signal.

The illuminating unit may be configured to include an EL sheet which is illuminated so as to illuminate each key and is formed in a lattice shape to partition each key. In this case, it is possible to utilize the thin and flexible property of the EL sheet, and to obtain various lighting effects of the paper with low power.

The EL sheet can be cut so that a hollow is formed in each predetermined area corresponding to each key, and the display of the key output from the paper through the hollow part can be made clearer. In this case, the hollow can have a geometric shape so that the light of the EL sheet can better illuminate the key.

The hollow portion may be provided with a light guiding portion for guiding light emitted from the EL sheet so as to obtain an even brightness when illuminated with respect to the key. A plurality of It is also possible that the lens shape portion is provided.

The e-paper can be formed so as to change the mark of the key according to the input mode. Accordingly, since the contents that the user can input are displayed by the keypad as it is, the need to move a large number of menus to receive the available keys is reduced.

As another example, it is possible for the illumination unit to include an organic OLED sheet that is configured to be transmissive and disposed to cover the front of the paper. In this case, characteristics such as low power and high brightness of the organic EL sheet can be utilized, and a function as a display or a lighting effect of an e-paper can be obtained.

Through the e-paper with flexible properties, the keypad can be formed to extend integrally from the front side of the terminal body to the side. Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem by using a single keypad without needing a separate substrate or switch for the side key.

In the portable terminal according to the present invention configured as described above, the sharpness of characters or graphics output by the e-paper is utilized as a key of the keypad, and since the thin and flexible nature of the e-paper is applied to the portable terminal, .

According to an aspect of the present invention, since the e-paper can change the key according to the input mode, it is not necessary to inscribe a plurality of e-paper, thereby reducing the complexity of the appearance of the keypad.

In addition, even in a dark place, the key output by the e-paper can be more easily identified by the lighting unit.

Hereinafter, a portable terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the portable terminal 1 includes a first body 10 and a second body 20 which is configured to be slidable in at least one direction on the first body 10.

The state in which the first body 10 is disposed in a state of being overlapped with the second body 20 may be referred to as a closed configuration and the first body 10 may be referred to as a second body 20 ) May be referred to as an open configuration.

The portable terminal 1 mainly operates in the standby mode in the closed state, but the standby mode is also released by the user's operation. Then, the mobile terminal 1 operates mainly in a communication mode in the open state, but is also switched to the standby mode by the user's operation or a predetermined period of time.

The casing (casing, housing, cover, etc.) constituting the outer appearance of the first body 10 is composed of a front case 11 and a rear case 12. [ Various electronic components are embedded in the space formed by the front case 11 and the rear case 12. [ At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 11 and the rear case 12. [ 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 13, the sound output unit 14, the first image input unit 15, or the first keypad 16 may be disposed in the first body 10, specifically, the front case 11. [

The display unit 13 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), and the like, which visually represent information. The display unit 13 may further include a touch screen to enable information input by a user's touch.

The sound output unit 14 may be implemented in the form of a receiver or a speaker.

The first image input unit 15 may be implemented in the form of a camera module for capturing an image or a moving image of a user.

The first keypad 16 receives commands for controlling various operations.

The front case 21 and the rear case 22 can form the case of the second body 20 as in the case of the first body 10.

A second keypad 23 for inputting numbers, characters, and the like may be disposed on the front face of the second body 20, specifically, the front case 21. The side key 24, the first sound input unit 25, and the external interface 26 may be disposed in at least one of the front case 21 and the rear case 22. [

In terms of functions, the first keypad 16 is for inputting commands such as start, end, scrolling, etc., and the second keypad 23 can be used for inputting numbers, letters, symbols and the like.

The side key 24 may operate as a hot-key for performing a special function such as activation of the first image input unit 15 or the like.

The first sound input unit 25 is configured to receive a user's voice, other sounds, etc., and may be implemented in the form of a microphone.

The external interface 26 is a path through which the portable terminal related to the present invention can exchange data with an external device. For example, the external interface 26 may be a wired or wireless connection terminal for connecting to an earphone, a port for short-range communication (an IrDA port, a Bluetooth port, a wireless LAN port ) Or the like), or power supply terminals for supplying power to the portable terminal 1. [ The external interface 26 may be a card socket that accommodates an external card such as a subscriber identification module (SIM) or a user identity module (UIM), a memory card for information storage, and the like.

A power supply unit 27 for supplying power to the portable terminal 1 is mounted on the rear case 22 side. The power supply unit 27 may be detachably coupled, for example, for charging, as a rechargeable battery, for example.

2 is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, a second image input unit 28 may be additionally mounted on the rear surface of the rear case 22 of the second body 20. The second image input unit 28 may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the first image input unit 15 (see FIG. 1), and may be a camera having different pixels from the first image input unit 15. For example, the first image input unit 15 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. The second image input unit 28 photographs a general object It is preferable to have a high pixel because it is often not transmitted.

A flash 29 and a mirror 30 are further disposed adjacent to the second image input unit 28. The flash 29 shines light toward the subject when the subject is photographed by the second image input unit 28. The mirror unit 30 allows 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 second image input unit 28.

And the second sound output section 31 may be additionally disposed in the rear case 22. [ The second sound output unit 31 may implement a stereo function together with the first sound output unit 14 (see FIG. 1), and may be used for talking in a speakerphone mode.

On one side of the rear case 22, an antenna 32 for reception of broadcasting signals may be disposed in addition to an antenna for communication. The antenna 32 may be installed to be capable of being drawn out from the second body 20.

A portion of the slide module 33 that slidably couples the first body 10 and the second body 20 is disposed on the rear case 12 side of the first body 10. [ The other part of the slide module 33 is disposed on the side of the front case 21 of the second body 20 and may be in a form that is not exposed to the outside as in this figure.

In the above description, the second image input unit 28 and the like are disposed in the second body 20, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, at least one of the configurations 28 to 32 described as being arranged in the rear case 22, such as the second image input unit 28, is connected to the first body 10, mainly the rear case 12 It is also possible to mount it. In such a case, there is an advantage that the configuration (s) arranged in the rear case 12 in the closed state is protected by the second body 20. Further, even if the second image input unit 28 is not separately provided, the first image input unit 15 may be rotatably formed so that the second image input unit 28 can be photographed up to the photographing direction.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in Fig. 1, showing a cross section of the second keypad 23. Fig. The first keypad 16 may also be formed in a shape similar to that of the second keypad 23, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted for the description of the second keypad 23.

3, the second keypad 23 may be installed in a seat 21a extending from the front case 21, and may include an electronic paper 50, a lighting unit 60, (70) and a protection window (80).

The e-paper 50 is capable of displaying each key 51 electronically. The e-paper 50 can be understood as an electronic device that can feel the feel of paper as it is and can function as a paper.

The e-paper 50 displays each key 51 electronically, so that the display of the key 51 according to the input mode can be changed and various visual effects of the keypads 16 and 23 can be achieved have.

The e-paper 50 is manufactured by methods such as a method in which ink is effected by using a known small ball or a capsule or a method in which a flat panel display such as a conventional liquid crystal display (LCD) is thinned to produce a paper effect Can be used. Particularly, the effect derived from the present invention is high when the e-paper 50 can not emit light by itself.

In general, the e-paper 50 is made thin and has flexibility. Therefore, the second keypad 23 can be formed to have a curved surface by using such a property.

In front of the e-paper 50, a lighting unit 60 for illuminating the e-paper 50 is provided. The illumination unit 60 can help identify the key 51 or obtain a pleasant decoration effect when the surroundings are dark when the e-paper 50 does not spontaneously emit light.

4, the illuminating unit 60 is provided with an EL sheet 61 which is illuminated so as to illuminate each key 51 and which is formed in a lattice form so as to partition each key 51. In addition, The EL sheet 61 refers to a light emitting member using electroluminescence. When an AC voltage is applied to a light emitting layer composed of a phosphor powder, electrons are accelerated in the phosphor to generate high energy electrons, will be.

The EL sheet 61 can be manufactured in the form of a thin film having flexibility, and can be cut and used in various forms with low power consumption. 5, the EL sheet 61 is cut so that a hollow 61a is formed in a predetermined area corresponding to each key. Thus, the EL sheet 61 divides each key and provides light for illumination in the vicinity of the key. 5, the hollow 61a has a rectangular shape, but may have various geometric shapes such as a triangle, a circle, and the like. 8 shows an example in which the shape of the hollow portion 161a is cut into a saw-tooth shape. In this case, light emitted from the EL sheet 161 is diffused at various angles at the periphery of the key 151, thereby obtaining a uniform brightness.

4, the light guide portion 63 is provided at each hollow portion 61a of the gel sheet 61. As shown in Fig. That is, the light guiding unit 63 receives the light emitted from the EL sheet 61 from the side and guides the light horizontally, thereby uniformly transmitting light emitted from the periphery of each key 51, thereby obtaining uniform brightness. The light guiding portion 63 may be disposed on the same or different layer as the gel sheet 61 and may be formed in the form of a sheet which is transparent in the vertical direction so that the image of the inner e-paper 50 can be seen .

4 and 5, a plurality of lens-shaped portions 62 are further provided on the inner wall of the hollow 61a so as to concentrate the light emitted from the EL sheet 61. As shown in FIG. The lens shape portion 62 can concentrate the light of the eel sheet 61 into the key region, thereby reducing the power consumption of the eel sheet 61. [ The lens shape portion 62 can be obtained by scattering a transparent fluid droplet so that the fluid droplet sticks to the inner wall of the hollow 61a and then hardens the fluid droplet.

A touch sensing unit 70 and a protection window 80 are provided in front of the illumination unit 60 to generate an input signal by sensing a touch applied to each key 51. The touch sensing part 70 may be formed of a transparent conductive film such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or carbon nanotube (CNT) in the form of a thin film . The number of the conductive films constituting the touch sensing unit 70 can be adjusted according to the touch method such as a resistance film type sensing using a pressure or a capacitance type sensing a change in a capacitance.

With this configuration, the key 51 output from the e-paper 50 can be changed in accordance with the mode. On the other hand, when the surrounding environment of the portable terminal 1 is dark, The paper 50 is illuminated. The EL sheet 61 cut in a lattice shape emits light in the peripheral region of each key 50 to brighten the key 51 in the center. The light guiding portion 63 and the lens-shaped portion 62 reduce bias of light of the EL sheet 61 and obtain uniform brightness.

Meanwhile, the portable terminal according to an example of the present invention is not limited to the slide type shown in FIG. 1 but can be applied to various structures such as a bar type, a folder type, and a swing type. FIG. 9 shows an example of the bar type.

3 is a block diagram of a portable terminal 1 according to the present invention.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a wireless communication module 41, operation units 16, 23 and 24, image input units 15 and 28, an acoustic input unit 25, a display unit 13, A sensing unit 46, an external interface 26, a broadcast receiving module 45, a memory 44, a power supply unit 27, and a control unit 40.

The control unit 40 typically controls the overall operation of the portable terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. In addition, the control unit 40 receives an input signal by touching the first keypad 16 and the second keypad 23, and outputs the input signal to the display unit 13 or executes the corresponding function.

The wireless communication module 41 transmits / receives a wireless signal to / from a mobile communication base station through an antenna. A transmitter 43 for receiving and transmitting voice data, character data, video data, and control data under the control of the control unit 40 and for modulating and transmitting a signal to be transmitted for this purpose; 42).

The image input units 15 and 28 process image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. Then, the processed image frame is converted into image data that can be displayed on the display unit 13 and output to the display unit 13. [ The image frames processed by the image input units 15 and 28 are stored in the memory 44 under the control of the control unit 40 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication module 41. [

The sound input unit 25 receives an external sound signal by 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 is converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the wireless communication module 41 in the communication mode, and is output to the wireless communication module. In the case of the recording mode, the processed voice data is output to be stored in the memory 44. The sound input unit 25 may be implemented with various noise reduction algorithms for eliminating noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The display unit 13 displays and outputs information processed in the portable terminal. For example, when the portable terminal is in the call mode, the control unit 40 displays and outputs a UI (User Interface) or GUI (Graphic User Interface) related to the call. When the portable terminal is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the control unit 40 displays and displays the photographed image, the UI, and the GUI. When the display unit 13 includes a touch screen, the display unit 13 is used as an input device in addition to the output device.

The sound output units 14 and 31 receive sound data received from the wireless communication module 41 under the control of the control unit 40 in the call signal reception mode, the communication mode or the recording mode, the voice recognition mode, And outputs the converted sound data to the outside.

Also, the sound output units 14 and 31 output sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the portable terminal. These sound output units 14 and 31 include a speaker, a receiver, a buzzer, and the like.

The sensing unit 46 senses the current state of the portable terminal, such as the opening / closing state of the portable terminal, the position of the portable terminal, whether or not the user touches the portable terminal, and generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the portable terminal. For example, if the portable terminal is in the form of a slide phone, it senses whether the slide phone is opened or closed and outputs the sensing result to the controller 40 so that the operation of the terminal is controlled. And a sensing function related to whether or not the power supply unit 27 is powered on, whether the external interface 26 is connected to an external device, and the like.

The external interface 26 may include a wired / wireless headset, an external charger, a wired / wireless data port, a card socket (for example, a memory card, a SIM / UIM card) It serves as an interface with external devices. The external interface 26 receives data from an external device or receives power from the external device, transfers the data to each component in the portable terminal, or transmits data in the portable terminal to an external device.

The memory 44 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 40 and may have a function for temporarily storing input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, .

The memory 44 also stores an output program such as a symbol or graphic to be output to the e-paper 50 constituting the first keypad 16 or the second keypad 23 related to the present invention. Such memory 44 includes the concept of a generally known hard disk, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), flash memory, RAM, ROM, and the like.

The broadcast receiving module 45 receives broadcast signals transmitted through satellite or terrestrial waves and converts the received broadcast signals into broadcast data types that can be output to the sound output units 14 and 31 and the display unit 13 and outputs them to the control unit 40 . In addition, the broadcast receiving module 45 receives additional data (e.g., EPG (Electric Program Guide), channel list, etc.) related to broadcasting. The broadcast data and the additional data converted by the broadcast receiving module 45 may be stored in the memory 44. [

The power supply unit 27 receives external power and internal power under the control of the control unit 40 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

The power supplied from the power supply unit 27 is transmitted to the EL sheet 61 via the control unit 40. [ The control unit 40 adjusts the power supplied to the EL sheet 61 according to an input signal of the keypad 16, 23 or the side key 24 or according to a predetermined program. Accordingly, the brightness or blink time of the sheet 61 is controlled.

The control unit 40 changes the key displayed on the e-paper 50 constituting the first keypad 16 or the second keypad 23 according to the mode. That is, the control unit 40 controls all or a part of the keys output to the e-paper 50 for various input modes such as a telephone dialing mode, a text message input mode, and a case of selecting from listed-up items, And changes the setting of the corresponding key value.

7A and 7B are operational states of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. 7A, when the portable terminal 1 is in the telephone dialing mode, the first keypad 16 and the second keypad 23 are controlled by the e-paper 50 (see FIG. 3) (51).

FIG. 7B shows a case of inputting a character. In this case, various languages can be provided. The e-paper 50 (see FIG. 3) outputs an alphabet of the corresponding language under the control of the control unit 40, and when there is a touch of an alphabetical key, And receives the key value for the input signal.

9 is a cross-sectional view of a keypad according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9, the keypad 223 includes an e-paper 250, an organic electro luminescence sheet 260, a touch sensing unit 270, and a protection window 280 from the bottom.

In the present embodiment, the organic EL sheet 260 is used as a means for illuminating the e-paper 250. The organic EL sheet 260 is configured to have a light transmitting property and is disposed so as to cover the entire surface of the paper 250. The organic < RTI ID = 0.0 >

The organic EL sheet 260 is a display using an organic luminescent phenomenon in which an external electric field is applied to an organic luminescent material to combine electrons and holes in the organic material to emit light. In this embodiment, however, (Not shown). As an example, it is preferable to use a form in which the anti-reflection film is removed from a conventional organic EL sheet having a reflection preventing film on the lower surface of the organic EL sheet 260.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a portable terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the portable terminal of FIG.

In this embodiment, it is shown that a keypad 323 having a curved surface shape is realized by taking advantage of the flexibility of the e-paper 350. The side key 324 is implemented in one e-paper 350 and the illumination unit and the touch sensing unit 370 are disposed on the extended surface of the keypad 323 disposed on the front side.

The EL sheet 361 constituting the illumination unit is formed to the same degree as the curvature of the e-paper 350. The keypad 323 is integrally formed to extend integrally from the front surface of the terminal body to the side surface.

Accordingly, the EL sheet 361 and the touch sensing unit 370, which are flexible, can be easily combined with the e-paper 350 shaped to have a curved surface, 324 can be obtained.

The above-described portable terminal is not limited to the configuration and method of the above-described embodiments, but the embodiments may be configured such that all or some of the embodiments are selectively combined so that various modifications can be made. It is possible.

1 is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a rear perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in Fig.

4 is a plan view of a keypad according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is an exploded perspective view of a keypad according to an embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

7A and 7B are operational states of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a plan view of a keypad according to another embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a cross-sectional view of a keypad according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a perspective view of a portable terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention;

11 is a sectional view of the portable terminal of FIG. 10;

Claims (9)

And a keypad mounted on the terminal body for inputting information, the keypad comprising: An electronic paper for electronically displaying each key; A lighting unit disposed in front of the e-paper, for illuminating the e-paper; And And a touch sensing unit disposed in front of the illumination unit and sensing a touch applied to each key to generate an input signal. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, And an EL sheet which is illuminated so as to illuminate each of the keys and is formed in a lattice shape so as to divide the keys. 3. The method of claim 2, Wherein the EL sheet is cut so that a hollow is formed in a predetermined area corresponding to each of the keys. The method of claim 3, Wherein the hollow portion further comprises a light guide portion for guiding light emitted from the EL sheet. The method of claim 3, And a plurality of lens-shaped portions arranged on the inner wall of the hollow so as to concentrate light emitted from the EL sheet. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the e-paper is formed so as to change a mark of the key according to an input mode. The lighting apparatus according to claim 1, And an OLED sheet which is configured to have a light transmittance and is disposed to cover a front surface of the e-paper. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the keypad is integrally formed to extend from a front surface of the terminal body to a side surface thereof. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the keypad extends in a curved shape.

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