KR101495180B1 - Display assembly and portable terminal having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The display unit includes a first area and a second area surrounding the first area. The display unit includes a case having an opening formed in one portion thereof and a display unit coupled to the case to expose a portion of the opening through the opening. A display module facing the first area and having a display part for displaying time information and a frame part facing the second area and surrounding the display part; And a joining member coupled to the second region while being disposed to be positioned between the second region and the frame portion, the joining member being capable of being formed thinner than the case, and a portable terminal having the same.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION [0002] DISPLAY ASSEMBLY AND PORTABLE TERMINAL HAVING THE SAME [0003]

The present invention relates to a portable terminal having a display assembly for displaying visual information.

A portable terminal is a portable electronic apparatus which is portable and has one or more functions of voice and video call function, information input / output function, and data storing function.

As the functions of the portable terminal are diversified, the portable terminal is implemented in the form of a multimedia device having complicated functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of music or video file, reception of a game, and reception of a broadcast.

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

In order to improve portability, which is a basic characteristic of the portable terminal, consideration for slimming the portable terminal can not be overlooked.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal having a display assembly different from the conventional one.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a display module and a window corresponding to the display area of the display module, which are disposed closer to each other than the conventional one, so that the display assembly can be made slimmer.

A display assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above-described problems comprises a case having an opening formed in a part thereof and a display part coupled to the case to expose a part through the opening. The display unit includes a window, a display module, and a coupling member. The window has a first area and a second area surrounding the first area. The display module includes a display unit facing the first area and displaying time information, and a frame unit facing the second area and surrounding the display unit. The engaging member is coupled to the second region while one portion is coupled to the case and the other portion is disposed to be positioned between the second region and the frame portion. And the engaging member has a material which is thinner than the case. The coupling member may be formed of, for example, a metal material.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the first region and the display portion are in contact with each other. They can be contacted in such a way that faces facing each other by an adhesive material are bonded to each other.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the frame portion may have a lower height than the display portion to form a space in which the engagement member is disposed. Meanwhile, a recess may be formed in the second region of the window to receive the coupling member.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable terminal including the above-described display assembly, a second case coupled to the case to form an internal space in which the display module is received, A wireless communication module, and a controller arranged in the internal space and selectively controlling the time information received through the wireless communication module to be outputted through the display unit.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a support disposed in the inner space to support an opposite surface of a portion of the engagement member that faces the case.

The display assembly and the portable terminal having the display assembly according to the present invention configured as described above may include a display unit coupled to the case, wherein a coupling member for coupling the window to the case is disposed between the first area of the window and the display unit of the display module . Thereby, the spacing between the first region and the display portion can be minimized or brought into contact therewith, so that the display assembly can be made slim. Further, the engaging member disposed between the second region surrounding the first region of the window and the frame portion surrounding the display portion of the display module is also formed to be made of a material thinner than the case, thereby enhancing the slimming down.

Hereinafter, a portable terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, the same or similar reference numerals are given to different embodiments in the same or similar configurations.

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

The portable terminal of the present invention includes a first body 110 and a second body 120 that is slidable along at least one direction on the first body 110. However, the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and can be applied to various types of portable terminals such as a bar type, a folder type, a swing type, and a swivel type.

The first body 110 may be referred to as a closed configuration in which the first body 110 and the second body 120 are overlapped with each other and the first body 110 may be referred to as a second body 120 ) May be referred to as an open configuration.

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

A casing (a casing, a housing, a cover, etc.) constituting an outer appearance of the first body 110 is formed by a front case 111 and a rear case 112. Various electronic components are installed in the space formed by the front case 111 and the rear case 112. At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 111 and the rear case 112. The cases may be formed by injection molding of a synthetic resin or may be formed of a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).

The display unit 113, the sound output unit 114, the first image input unit 115, or the first operation unit 116 may be disposed in the first body 110, specifically, the front case 111. [

The display unit 113 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) module, and a TOLED (Transparent OLED) module for visually expressing information.

The display unit 113 may further include a touch screen to enable information input by a user's touch. In addition, the display unit 113 may be configured to generate various tactile effects that a user can feel at the time of touch. This can be realized by a haptic module interlocked with the display unit 113. [ A typical example of a haptic effect generated by a haptic module is vibration. The haptic module may be variously arranged according to the configuration of the portable terminal as well as the display unit 113. [

The sound output unit 114 may be implemented in the form of a receiver or a speaker.

The first image input unit 115 may be implemented as a camera module for capturing an image or a moving image of a user.

The first operation unit 116 receives a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The front case 121 and the rear case 122 may form the case of the second body 120, as in the case of the first body 110. [

The second operation unit 123 may be disposed on the front surface of the second body 120, specifically, the front case 121.

The third operation unit 124, the first sound input unit 125, and the interface 126 may be disposed in at least one of the front case 121 and the rear case 122. [

The first to third operating portions 116, 123, and 124 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates in a tactile manner.

For example, the operation unit may be implemented as a dome switch or a touch screen or a touch pad capable of receiving commands or information by a push or touch operation of a user, or may be a wheel, a jog type, a joystick, Or the like.

In terms of functions, the first operation unit 116 is for inputting commands such as start, end, and scrolling, and the second operation unit 123 is for inputting numbers, characters, symbols, and the like. Also, the third operation unit 124 may operate as a hot-key for performing a special function such as activation of the first image input unit 115 or the like.

The first sound input unit 125 may be implemented in the form of a microphone, for example, to receive a user's voice, other sounds, and the like.

The interface 126 allows the portable terminal related to the present invention to exchange data with an external device. For example, the interface 126 may be a wired or wireless connection terminal for connecting to an earphone, a port for short range communication (for example, an IrDA port, a Bluetooth port, a wireless LAN port a wireless Lan port), or power supply terminals for supplying power to the portable terminal.

The interface 126 may be a card socket that accepts 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 127 for supplying power to the portable terminal is mounted on the rear case 122 side. The power supply 127 may be detachably coupled to a rechargeable battery for charging, for example.

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

Referring to FIG. 2, a second image input unit 128 may be additionally mounted on the rear surface of the rear case 122 of the second body 120. The second image input unit 128 may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the first image input unit 115 (see FIG. 1), and may be a camera having different pixels from the first image input unit.

For example, the first image input unit 115 has low pixels so that the face of the user can be photographed and transmitted to the other party in case of a video call or the like, and the second image input unit 128 photographs a general object, It is preferable to have a high pixel because it is often not transmitted.

A flash 129 and a mirror 130 are further disposed adjacent to the second image input unit 128. The flash 129 illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the second image input unit 128. The mirror unit 130 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 128.

And the second sound output unit 131 may be further disposed in the rear case 122. [

The second sound output unit 131 may implement a stereo function together with the first sound output unit 114 (see FIG. 1), and may be used for talking in a speakerphone mode.

On one side of the rear case 122, a broadcast signal receiving antenna 132 may be arranged in addition to an antenna for communication. The antenna 132 may be installed to be able to be drawn out from the second body 120.

A part of the slide module 133 which slidably couples the first body 110 and the second body 120 is disposed on the rear case 112 side of the first body 110.

The other part of the slide module 133 may be disposed on the front case 121 side of the second body 120 and may not be exposed to the outside as in this figure.

In the above description, the second image input unit 128 and the like are disposed in the second body 120, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, at least one of the configurations 128 to 132 described as being arranged in the rear case 122, such as the second image input unit 128, is connected to the first body 110, mainly the rear case 112 It is also possible to mount it. In such a case, there is an advantage that the configuration (s) arranged in the rear case 112 in the closed state is protected by the second body 120. In addition, the first image input unit 115 may be rotatably formed so that the second image input unit 128 can be photographed up to the second image input unit 128 even if the second image input unit 128 is not separately provided.

3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a portable terminal taken along line III-III of FIG. 1 to illustrate a display assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The display assembly includes a case 111 and a display unit 113. The case 111 may be the front case 111 described previously and an opening 111a is formed at the center of the case 111. [ The case 111 is engaged with the second case 112 to form an internal space. The second case 112 may be the rear case 112 described above. The circuit board 117 may be disposed in the upper space. The display unit 113 is coupled to the case 111 such that one portion of the display unit 113 is exposed to the outside through the upper opening 111a and the other portion is disposed in the upper internal space.

The display unit 113 includes a window 1131, a display module, and a coupling member 1137.

The window 1131 may be divided into a first area 1132 that occupies a substantially central portion and a second area 1133 that surrounds the first area 1132 and occupies a peripheral area. The display module includes a display portion 1135 disposed to correspond to the first region 1132 and a frame portion 1136 covering the display portion 1135 and partially corresponding to the second region 1133. One end side of the engaging member 1137 is coupled to the case 111 and the other end side is engaged with the second region 1133 and / or the frame portion 1136. For this purpose, the engaging members 1137 may be bent to be rotated along one direction at the adjacent points at both ends. One end side of the engaging member 1137 can be supported or attached to the other surface in contact with the inner circumferential surface forming the opening 111a of the case 111. [ A stepped portion 111b for receiving one end side of the engaging member 1137 may be formed on the upper surface of the case 111. [ The opposite surface of the one end side of the engagement member 1137 facing the step portion 111b can be supported by the support stand 1138. [ The support base 1138 may be disposed on the circuit board 117 and may have an elastically deformable material.

The window 1131 is formed of a light-transmissive material so that the time information output from the display unit 1135 of the display module can be recognized from the outside. The frame portion 1136 is a member on which the display portion 1135 is mounted, and also mechanically protects the display portion 1135. The engaging member 1137 is formed of a thinner material than the case 111. For example, if the case 111 is a plastic injection, the engaging member 1137 may have a metal material.

The engaging member 1137 extends only between the second region 1333 and the frame portion 1136 and does not extend between the first region 1132 and the display portion 1135. [ Thereby, the first region 1132 and the display portion 1135 can be arranged such that faces facing each other are in contact with or close to each other. This is a factor in reducing the thickness of the display assembly.

An adhesive layer 1134 may be formed between the first region 1132 and the display portion 1135 for the combination of the window 1131 and the display module. It is preferable that the adhesive layer 1134 can be formed thin and light permeable so as to maintain the slim property without interfering with the visibility information output from the display portion 1135 through the window 1131 . As an example, as the adhesive layer 1134, optically clear adhesive (OCA) may be used.

A part of the engaging member 1137 is disposed between the window 1131 and the display module in a state in which the first region 1132 and the display portion 1135 abut or come into contact with each other (including a state where they are engaged by the adhesive layer 1134) The frame portion 1136 of the display module may have a lower height than the display portion 1135. [ Thereby, a space in which a part of the engaging member 1137 can be disposed is formed. This allows the window 1131 and the display module to be placed closer together with the shape of the coupling member 1137.

Since the engaging member 1137 is also formed of a material having a thin thickness, it becomes an additional factor contributing to the slimming of the upper display module. In other words, since the protruding portion having a thickness greater than that of the engaging member 1137 is not required to support the window 1131 on the inner circumferential surface forming the opening 111a of the case 111, .

4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a display assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is similar to the previous embodiment, but the relationship between a part of the coupling member 1137 and the window 1131 is different.

A recess 1131 'is formed in the second region 1133 of the surface facing the engaging member 1137 of the window 1131 constituting the display portion 113'. The recess 1131 'may be formed to have a depth corresponding to the thickness of the engaging member 1137. When the engaging member 1137 is attached to the recess 1131 'using an adhesive, at least two adjacent surfaces of the engaging member 1137 are brought into contact with the window 1131. This lowers the possibility of the adhesive leaking between the window 1131 and the engaging member 1137.

Unlike the previous embodiment, if the frame 1136 'has the same height as the display portion 1135, the window 1131 and the display portion 1131' 1135 are not influenced by the thickness of the engaging member 1137. [

By this arrangement, it is also possible that a constant spacing space 1134 'is formed between the first region 1132 and the display portion 1135. In this case, the engaging member 1137 can be engaged not only with the window 1131 but also with the frame portion 1136 '.

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

5, a portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a wireless communication module 161, operation units 116, 123 and 124, image input units 115 and 128, an acoustic input unit 125, a display unit 113, A sensing unit 166, an interface 126, a broadcast receiving module 165, a memory 164, a power supply unit 127, and a control unit 170. [

The control unit 170 typically controls the overall operation of the portable terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like.

In addition to the normal function control, the control unit 170 further controls the operation of the portable terminal related to the present invention.

The wireless communication module 161 transmits / receives a wireless signal to / from a mobile communication base station through an antenna. A transmission unit 162 for transmitting and receiving voice data, character data, video data, and control data under the control of the control unit 170 and for modulating and transmitting a signal to be transmitted for this purpose; 163).

The operation units 116, 123, and 124 are configured as shown in FIG. 1, and provide the control unit 170 with key input data that the user inputs for controlling the operation of the terminal. The operation units 116, 123, and 124 include a dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The image input units 115 and 128 process 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 is converted into image data that can be displayed on the display unit 113 and output to the display unit 113.

The image frames processed by the image input units 115 and 128 are stored in the memory 164 under the control of the control unit 170 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless transmission /

The sound input unit 125 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 161 in the communication mode, and is output to the wireless communication module. In the record mode, processed voice data is output to be stored in the memory 164.

The sound input unit 125 may be implemented with various noise reduction algorithms for eliminating noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The display unit 113 displays and outputs information processed in the portable terminal. For example, when the portable terminal is in the call mode, the control unit 170 displays 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 170 displays and displays the photographed image, the UI, and the GUI. When the display unit 113 includes a touch screen, the display unit 113 is used as an input device in addition to the output device. The display unit 113 may output the time information received through the wireless communication module 161 under the control of the control unit 170. [

The sound output units 114 and 131 receive sound data received from the wireless communication module 161 under the control of the control unit 170 in the call signal reception mode, the communication mode or the recording mode, the voice recognition mode, Converts the stored sound data and outputs it to the outside.

In addition, the sound output units 114 and 131 output sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the portable terminal. The sound output units 114 and 131 include a speaker, a receiver, a buzzer, and the like.

The sensing unit 166 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 170 to control the operation of the terminal. And a sensing function related to whether or not the power supply 127 is powered on, whether the interface 126 is coupled to an external device, and the like.

The interface 126 may be any type of interface card such as a wired / wireless headset, an external charger, a wired / wireless data port, a card socket (e.g. a memory card, a SIM / UIM card) It serves as an interface with the device. The interface 126 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 164 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 170 and may have a function for temporarily storing input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, .

In the memory 164, a program for controlling the operation of the portable terminal related to the present invention is stored

Such memory 164 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 165 receives broadcast signals transmitted through satellite or terrestrial waves and converts the received broadcast signals into broadcast data formats that can be output to the sound output units 114 and 131 and the display unit 113 and outputs them to the controller 170. Further, the broadcast receiving module 165 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 165 may be stored in the memory 164.

The power supply unit 127 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 170 and supplies power required for operation of the respective components.

The above-described display assembly and the portable terminal having the same are not limited to the configurations and methods of the embodiments described above, but the embodiments may be modified so that all or part of the embodiments are selectively combined .

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 partial cross-sectional view of a portable terminal taken along line III-III of FIG. 1 to illustrate a display assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a display assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention;

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

Claims (8)

A case having an opening formed in a portion thereof; And And a display unit coupled to the case to expose a portion thereof through the opening, The display unit includes: A window having a first area and a second area surrounding the first area; A display module facing the first area and displaying time information, and a frame part facing the second area and surrounding the display part; And And a coupling member which is coupled to the second region while being disposed to be positioned between the second region and the frame portion, the coupling member being made of a material that is thinner than the case, the one portion being coupled to the case and the other portion being disposed between the second region and the frame portion. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the first region and the display portion are in contact with each other. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the first region and the display portion are bonded to each other with faces facing each other by an adhesive material. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the frame portion has a lower height than the display portion to form a space in which the engagement member is disposed. The method according to claim 1, Wherein a recess is formed in the second region of the window to receive the engagement member. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the engaging member is formed of a metal material. A display assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6; Wherein the display module is coupled with the case, A second case forming the first case; A wireless communication module disposed in the internal space and performing a wireless communication function; And And a controller arranged in the internal space for selectively controlling the time information received through the wireless communication module to be output through the display unit. 8. The method of claim 7, And a support member disposed in the inner space to support an opposite surface of a portion of the coupling member facing the case.

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