KR101600803B1 - Touch type key input bar - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a light emitting device comprising: a light supplier for directly generating light or indirectly transmitting light; A light guiding part which totally reflects the light emitted from the light supplying part and incident on the light guiding part to the remaining part through a waveguide inside; A touch substrate formed on the light guide portion and including at least one touch portion that is in contact with an outer surface of the light guide portion corresponding to the arbitrary portion by a pressure so that the amount or wavelength of the total reflection light changes in an arbitrary portion of the waveguide; And at least one optical sensor formed on a side or bottom of the light guide unit and sensing the amount or wavelength of the changed light. As a result, it is possible to configure a conventional button-type input device located on the side of a mobile phone, a display device, and an electronic product by touching and to perform illumination, thereby improving aesthetic appearance, Thereby significantly improving the quality.

Touchpad, LED, Sensor, Total

Description

Touch type key input bar {TOUCH TYPE KEY INPUT BAR}

The present invention relates to a key input bar. More particularly, the present invention relates to a touch screen display apparatus and a touch screen display apparatus, which can constitute a touch-type touch screen input device located on the side of an existing mobile phone, a display device and an electronic product, The present invention relates to a touch-type key input bar capable of remarkably improving the quality by removing foreign matter.

In the modern world, like a touch-type mobile phone, a technique of inputting a key with a touch without pushing a button mechanically is becoming common. In order to input a key in this manner, a touch pad must be included in the electronic device.

Here, the touch pad may be referred to as a touch screen panel (TSP), and is a pointing device for operating a mouse pointer by putting a flat-shaped optical sensor with a finger. More specifically, the touch screen is transparent to the front of the display, and is used for a display input of a mobile phone, an ATM or the like, and a resistance film type, an electrostatic type, an infrared type, an ultrasonic type, and a pressure sensor type are used.

Depending on the manufacturer, it is also referred to as a slide pad or trackpad. Although it is adopted in many notebook computers, it is widely used in products such as digital audio players and mobile phones. There is also a touch pad function added to the keyboard used in personal computers. It occupies less space than other pointing devices such as a mouse, joystick, trackball, etc., and is popular with some users, but may vary depending on the user environment.

However, most electronic devices are equipped with a touch-type keypad only on the front side.

1 is an external perspective view of a conventional mobile phone in which a touch-type keypad is mounted on a front surface.

Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile phone has a keypad and a menu button for inputting telephone numbers and characters on the front side, and buttons for additional functions such as volume control, camera shutter, and the like are located on the side portion 100. The buttons of the additional function located in the side part 100 have a smaller space and are less frequently used than the function of the front part.

On the other hand, in the case of applying the touch pad of the side portion 100 to the front portion, a complex and expensive structure such as a matrix method or a capacitive shunt method is required, .

Further, as the function of the input part of the side part 100 formed by the mechanical type (signal transmission by the change of electric signal by contact) button is increased, the number of parts increases, and the button is protruded upward, so that foreign substances such as moisture and dust penetrate It is easy to do. As a result, there is a high possibility that malfunctions or malfunctions are caused due to foreign matter that has been infiltrated. In addition, the number of components and the number of processes are large, which is disadvantageous in that manufacturing costs such as labor costs are high.

Therefore, there is a need for a technique for improving the appearance of the side surface and preventing malfunction and malfunction of the electronic device by constituting the input button of the side portion 100 in a simpler and more economical manner than the conventional touch pad.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been conceived in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for converting a mechanical input method formed on a side surface of a conventional electronic apparatus into a touch method, thereby improving aesthetics, will be.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a touch-type key input bar comprising: a light supplier for directly generating or indirectly transmitting light; A light guiding part which totally reflects the light emitted from the light supplying part and incident on the light guiding part to the remaining part through a waveguide inside; A touch substrate formed on the light guide portion and including at least one touch portion that is in contact with an outer surface of the light guide portion corresponding to the arbitrary portion by a pressure so that the amount or wavelength of the total reflection light changes in an arbitrary portion of the waveguide; And at least one optical sensor formed at a side end or a bottom end of the light guide unit and sensing the amount or wavelength of the changed light, thereby converting the side portion of the electronic part into a touch type.

Further, the light supply unit may include at least one of a color LED, an RGB LED, and an optical fiber to select a light source that matches the user's taste.

In particular, the at least one touch part may include a fluorescent material that emits light in response to a light wavelength emitted from the light supplying part, and may change the amount or wavelength of the total internal reflection light by emitting a fluorescent material upon touching.

In addition, the at least one touch portion may be formed of a concave-convex pattern formed by embossing or engraving, or a combination thereof. Particularly, the convex-concave pattern formed by the embossing or embossing or a combination thereof may be a sphere, lens, prism, pyramid , An ellipse, a cone, and a cylindrical shape, and the amount of total internal reflection light can be changed by adjusting the pattern shape.

In addition, the at least one optical sensor may detect an increase in the total reflection light formed at the lower end of the light guide unit to sense which key button is touched.

In addition, the one or more touch units may have fluorescent materials of different densities so that the total amount of increase of the total reflection light differs, thereby controlling the density of the fluorescent material to change the amount of total internal reflection light.

In particular, the at least one optical sensor may detect an increase in the amount of total reflection light formed on the side of the light guide unit, thereby controlling the density of the fluorescent material, thereby detecting which key button is touched.

In addition, the at least one touch part may have a fluorescent material that emits light of a different wavelength so that the wavelength of the total reflection light is different, so that the wavelength of the total internal reflection light can be changed by controlling the type of the fluorescent material.

In particular, the at least one optical sensor may be formed at a side of the light guide unit to sense the wavelength of the total reflection light, and to control the kind of the fluorescent material to detect which key button is touched.

The at least one optical sensor may be formed at a lower end of the light guide unit to detect a decrease in the total reflection light to detect which key button is touched.

In addition, the at least one touch portion may vary the amount of total internal reflection light by controlling the pattern shape by having the concavo-convex pattern having different densities or different shapes so that the amount of reduction of the total reflection light is different.

In particular, the at least one optical sensor may be formed at a side of the light guide unit to sense a reduction amount of the total reflection light and adjust a pattern shape to sense which key button is touched.

The at least one light emitting portion emits the total reflection light to the outside of the light guiding portion in at least a part of the light guiding portion so as not to touch the key button Even if I call it, I can add a display function to show the user a signal such as characters.

In addition, the at least one light-emitting portion may be formed of a concave-convex pattern formed by embossing or engraving, or a combination thereof. Particularly, the convex-concave pattern formed by embossing or embossing or a combination thereof may be a sphere, lens, prism, pyramid, , A cone, and a cylindrical shape, and the amount of light emitted can be adjusted by adjusting the pattern shape.

The at least one light emitting portion may have a concavo-convex pattern having a different density or different shape so that the amount of light emitted to the outside of the light guiding portion is different, so that the amount of light emitted from each light output portion Can be adjusted.

In addition, a coating film for blocking external light is formed on the touch substrate. In particular, the color of the coating film is black, thereby minimizing noise due to external light.

According to the present invention, a conventional mobile phone, a display device, and a button-type input device located on a side of an electronic product can be configured in a touch manner, and a display function can be performed, thereby improving aesthetics, It removes the foreign substances and improves the quality remarkably. In addition, by simplifying the structure, the manufacturing cost is lowered and the economical efficiency is improved.

Hereinafter, a touch-type key input bar according to a preferred embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the subject matter of the present invention.

In the description of the embodiments, the terms " on "and" under "all include being formed" directly "or" indirectly "through another element. In addition, the upper or lower reference of each component is described with reference to the drawings. The size of each component in the drawings may be exaggerated for the sake of explanation and does not mean the size actually applied.

2 is an external perspective view of a touch-type key input bar according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the touch-type key input bar includes a light source 210 and a light guide unit 220. More specifically, the light emitted from the light source 210, for example, LED, totally propagates from one end of the waveguide inside the light guiding unit 220 to the other end.

The light guiding portion 220 may have a thickness ranging from 0.1 mm to 30 mm, and the material may be a transparent total reflection material, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

3 is an external perspective view of a mobile phone equipped with a touch-type key input bar according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the touch-type key input bar is formed on a side surface of the mobile phone body 230, and replaces a conventional mechanical key input unit.

Here, the light source 210 includes various means for indirectly transmitting light from other light sources as well as means for emitting light directly.

FIG. 4 illustrates various light supply units attached to a touch-type key input bar according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, a light supplier for directly generating and supplying light includes, for example, a color LED and an RGB LED, and a light supplier indirectly transmitting light from another light source includes, for example, an optical fiber However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and includes all light supplying means (for example, OLED, White LED, and CCFL or a combination thereof) capable of emitting light in a physical and chemical reaction. Also, while various light sources are shown attached to the side surfaces of the light guide portion in the drawings, they may also be attached to other portions where total internal reflection can occur. In this case, the emitted light is totally reflected to the remaining portion.

5 is a perspective view showing a total reflection principle of a touch-type key input bar according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

5, the touch type key input bar includes a light source 210, a light guide unit 220, a touch substrate 250, and touch units 242, 244, 246, and 248. 4, and the light emitted from the light source 210 travels to the remaining portion of the waveguide inside the light guide unit 220 through the waveguide in the light guide unit 220.

Here, the principle of total reflection indicates that light is reflected 100% on a specific plane. For example, if the incident angle of the light hitting the glass is greater than the critical angle, the light can not pass through the glass and is reflected 100%. That is, when light is incident from a medium (a substance having a high refractive index) to a medium (a substance having a small refractive index) that is optically dense, if the incident angle is greater than a certain angle, the light is totally reflected at the boundary and no refracted ray exists. This is total reflection, and the minimum value of the incident angle at which total reflection can occur is called critical angle. Therefore, it can be seen that the angle &thetas; shown in the figure is not less than the critical angle.

Since the total reflection light is not emitted to the outside of the light guiding portion 220, the light can not be visually detected outside the light guiding portion 220. Accordingly, the intensity of the light is the same in all portions inside the light guide portion 220, regardless of the distance from the light source 210, as shown in the figure.

The touch substrate 250 is formed on the light guiding portion 220 and includes touch portions 242, 244, 246, and 248. Here, the touch portions 242, 244, 246, and 248 are portions for touching with the hand or other pressing means and inputting respective functions. For example, the touch portion 242 is a screen brightness up, the touch portion 244 is a screen brightness down portion, the touch portion 246 is a speaker volume up portion, and the touch portion 248 is a speaker volume down portion. The touch portions 242, 244, 246, and 248 are printed with a fluorescent material or have a physical pattern formed thereon. Therefore, when pressure is applied to the light guiding portions 220 by applying pressure to the touch portions 242, 244, 246, and 248 (for example, by touching with a finger) The amount of the liquid is changed. More specifically, in the case of reacting with a fluorescent substance by pressure, the amount of total reflection increases due to light emitted from a fluorescent substance (for example, RGB fluorescent substance, yellow fluorescent substance, etc.). In addition, when reacting with the physical pattern, the total reflection light is emitted to the outside, and the total internal reflection light is reduced.

5 is a state in which the touch substrate 250 is formed on the light guiding portion 220 but the pressure is not applied to the touch portions 242, 244, 246, and 248 Is not applied. The amount of total internal light in the light guiding unit 220 is not changed even when the touch substrate 250 and the light guiding unit 220 are spaced apart from each other. Therefore, it is preferable that the touch substrate 250 is contacted to such a degree that no pressure is applied to the light guiding portion 220.

In addition, the touch substrate 250 may be a film or a plate, and is preferably made of a flexible material so that the original shape can be recovered after being bent to a portion subjected to pressure.

In addition, a coating film may be formed on the touch substrate 250 in order to prevent the external light from penetrating into the light guide panel when the touch substrate 250 is touched and thereby affecting the sensitivity of the sensor. Particularly, such a coating film is preferable for blocking external light by selecting a black coating film.

6A shows an operation principle when a fluorescent material is printed on a touch portion.

In this case, there is at least one photosensor 262, 264, and 266 below the light guiding portion 220. In addition, fluorescent materials reactive to the wavelength of the light source 210 are printed on the respective touch parts 242, 244, 246, and 248 at the same density. When the user presses the touch portion 244, i.e., the screen brightness button, the touch portion 244 applies pressure to the portion on the light guide portion 220 corresponding thereto. Thereafter, the fluorescent material emits light in response to the wavelength of the light source 210, and the optical sensor 264 located below the touch portion 244 senses the intensity of the increased light. Thereafter, the circuit (not shown) receiving the signal from the optical sensor 268 tracks the portion totally reflected by the optical sensor 264, recognizes that the screen brightness up button is pressed, and increases the screen brightness.

6B shows an operation principle in the case where a fluorescent material is printed such that the amount or wavelength of light emitted from the touch part is different from each other.

First, a case where the amount of total reflection is different will be explained. In this case, the light sensor 268 is present on the side surface of the light guiding portion 220. In addition, a fluorescent material responsive to the wavelength of the light source 210 is printed on each of the touch portions 242, 244, 246, and 248. In particular, each fluorescent material is printed to emit different amounts of light in response to the wavelength of the light source 210, respectively. For example, light having a light emission amount of 10 (relative value) is emitted in the touch portion 242, light is emitted in the light amount 20 in the touch portion 244, light is emitted in the light amount 30 in the touch portion 246, The touch unit 248 prints the light having the light emission amount 40 to emit light. This is possible by controlling the density of the fluorescent material.

Accordingly, when the user presses the touch portion 244, the touch portion 244 applies pressure to the portion on the corresponding light guide portion 220 corresponding thereto. Thereafter, when the fluorescent material of the touch portion 244 emits light of 20 in response to the wavelength of the light source 210, the light sensor 268 located on the side of the light guiding portion 220 senses the light. Then, the circuit (not shown) receiving the signal from the optical sensor 268 analyzes the amount of light sensed by the optical sensor 268, recognizes that the screen brightness up button is pressed, and increases the screen brightness.

Second, the case where the wavelength of total reflection is different will be explained. In this case, the light sensor 268 is present on the side surface of the light guiding portion 220. In addition, a fluorescent material responsive to the wavelength of the light source 210 is printed on each of the touch portions 242, 244, 246, and 248. In particular, each fluorescent substance is printed so as to emit light of a different wavelength in response to the wavelength of the light source 210, respectively. For example, red light is emitted in the touch portion 242, blue light is emitted in the touch portion 244, green light is emitted in the touch portion 246, and the touch portion 248 ), Light of a wavelength other than visible light is emitted. This can be achieved by controlling the type of fluorescent material.

Accordingly, when the user presses the touch portion 244, the touch portion 244 applies pressure to the portion on the corresponding light guide portion 220 corresponding thereto. Thereafter, when the fluorescent material of the touch portion 244 emits the fluorescent light in response to the wavelength of the light source 210, the light sensor 268 located on the side of the light guiding portion 220 senses the fluorescent material. Then, the circuit (not shown) receiving the signal from the optical sensor 268 analyzes the wavelength sensed by the optical sensor 268, recognizes that the screen brightness up button is pressed, and increases the screen brightness.

7A shows the operation principle when a physical pattern is formed on the touch portion.

In this case, there is at least one photosensor 262, 264, and 266 below the light guiding portion 220. In addition, a physical pattern is formed on each of the touch portions 242, 244, 246, and 248. [ The physical pattern may be embossed or engraved or a combination of the two. A more detailed uneven pattern is shown in Fig.

Figure 8 shows various forms of the relief pattern according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Various patterns such as a spherical shape, a lens, a prism, a pyramid, an ellipse, a cone, and a cylindrical shape can be formed. In particular, it is preferable that the embossed portion of the relief pattern shape is directed to the light guiding portion 220. In addition, the light emitted in the shape of the pattern is emitted according to the color of the light emitted from the light source.

Referring again to FIG. 7A, when the user presses the touch portion 244, the touch portion 244 applies pressure to a portion on the corresponding light guide portion 220 corresponding thereto. In this case, the concave-convex pattern shaped relief portion applies pressure to the light guiding portion 220 so that the light incidence angle totally reflected by the concave-convex pattern portion is out of the total reflection threshold value. Accordingly, the light directed toward the corresponding portion can not be totally reflected, but is emitted to the outside of the touch substrate 250 through the contact portion 244. As a result, the intensity of the light reflected from the surface of the light guiding part 220 in close contact with the touch part 244 decreases as shown in the figure.

Accordingly, the light sensor 266 located below the light guiding portion 220 senses the intensity of the reduced light. Then, the circuit (not shown) receiving the signal from the optical sensor 266 tracks the portion totally reflected by the optical sensor 266, recognizes that the screen brightness up button is pressed, and increases the screen brightness.

7B shows an operation principle in the case where a concave-convex pattern is formed such that light amounts emitted from the touch portion are different from each other.

In this case, the light sensor 268 is present on the side surface of the light guiding portion 220. Further, the shape of the uneven pattern is formed in each of the touch portions 242, 244, 246, and 248. For example, in the touch portion 242, a concave-convex pattern is formed so that the amount of light output is 10 (relative absolute value), a concave-convex pattern is formed in the touch portion 244 so that the amount of light output is 20, And an uneven pattern is formed in the touch portion 248 such that the amount of emitted light is 40. [ This can be achieved by controlling the density or shape of the concavo-convex pattern.

More specifically, when the amount of light emitted from the light source 210 is 100, the theoretical total reflection reaches 100 to the light sensor 268 without loss. However, practically, an amount of 100 on the space or material of the light guide portion 220 does not reach the photosensor 268 as it is. In this case, if the natural loss is assumed to be 10, the amount of light reaching the optical sensor 268 by total reflection becomes 90. In this case, when the touch part 242 is pressed, 10 is lost due to the concavo-convex pattern, and naturally, 10 is lost, so that the light amount of 80 reaches the light sensor 268. Likewise, when the touch part 244 is pressed, 20 is lost due to the concave / convex pattern and naturally, 10 is lost, so that the amount of light reaches 70 in the photosensor 268.

This operation principle is applied to the other touch portions 246 and 248 as well. That is, when the touch part 246 is pressed, the light sensor 268 senses the amount of light of 60, and when the touch part 248 is pressed, the light sensor 268 senses the amount of light of 80. [ As a result, the amount of light reaching the final photosensor varies, and by identifying this loss of light, it is possible to identify which portion is touched.

It is also possible to input the numeric keys on the front side using one or more of the principles of Figs. 6A to 7B. In this case, the failure rate can be reduced as compared with the conventional mechanical input method. In addition, compared to the conventional complex internal touchpad method, the key input is simple.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a light guide portion formed with a concave-convex pattern.

Referring to Fig. 9, a concavo-convex pattern is formed on the light guide portion itself. In this case, even when no pressure is applied by a finger or the like, the light totally reflected in the light guiding portion is always output to the portion where the concavo-convex pattern is formed. Therefore, by controlling the light source, the display display can be apparently adjusted.

Particularly, when the concavo-convex pattern formed on the light guide portion itself is applied to a cellular phone, an excellent effect can be obtained not only in terms of function but also in terms of beauty.

The foregoing detailed description of the invention has been presented for specific embodiments. However, various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. The technical spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments of the present invention, but should be determined by the claims and equivalents thereof.

1 is an external perspective view of a conventional mobile phone in which a touch-type keypad is mounted on a front surface.

2 is an external perspective view of a touch-type key input bar according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3 is an external perspective view of a mobile phone equipped with a touch-type key input bar according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates various light supply units attached to a touch-type key input bar according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view showing a total reflection principle of a touch-type key input bar according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

6A shows an operation principle when a fluorescent material is printed on a touch portion.

6B shows an operation principle in the case where a fluorescent material is printed such that the amount or wavelength of light emitted from the touch part is different from each other.

7A shows the operation principle when a physical pattern is formed on the touch portion.

7B shows an operation principle in the case where a concave-convex pattern is formed such that light amounts emitted from the touch portion are different from each other.

Figure 8 shows various forms of the relief pattern according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a light guide portion formed with a concave-convex pattern.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

100: side portion of a conventional mobile phone 210: light source

220: light guiding portion 230: mobile phone body

242, 244, 246, 248: touch part 250: touch substrate

262, 264, 266, 268: Light sensor

Claims (19)

A light supplier directly generating or indirectly transmitting light; A light guiding part which totally reflects the light emitted from the light supplying part and incident on the light guiding part to the remaining part through a waveguide inside; A touch substrate formed on the light guide portion and including at least one touch portion that is in contact with an outer surface of the light guide portion corresponding to the arbitrary portion by a pressure so that the amount or wavelength of the total reflection light changes in an arbitrary portion of the waveguide; And And at least one optical sensor formed at a side or bottom of the light guide unit and sensing the amount or wavelength of the changed light, Wherein the at least one touch portion comprises: And a fluorescent material that emits light in response to a light wavelength emitted from the light supply unit, or a relief pattern formed of embossed or depressed or a combination thereof. The method according to claim 1, The light- A color LED, an RGB LED, and an optical fiber. delete delete The method according to claim 1, The concavo-convex pattern formed by embossing or embossing or a combination thereof, Wherein the at least one of the at least one of the at least one of the at least two of the at least two of the at least one of the at least one of the at least two of the at least one of the at least one of the plurality of touch keys. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the at least one optical sensor comprises: Wherein the light guide part is formed at a lower end of the light guide part to sense an increase in total reflection light. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the at least one touch portion comprises: Wherein the fluorescent material has a different density so that the amount of total reflection increases. 8. The method of claim 7, Wherein the at least one optical sensor comprises: Wherein the touch-type key input bar is formed at a side of the light guide unit and detects an increase amount of the total reflection light. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the at least one touch portion comprises: And a fluorescent material that emits light of different wavelengths so that the wavelengths of the total reflection light are different from each other. 10. The method of claim 9, Wherein the at least one optical sensor comprises: Wherein the touch panel is formed on a side of the light guide unit to sense the wavelength of the total reflection light. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the at least one optical sensor comprises: Wherein the touch panel is formed at the lower end of the light guide unit to sense the reduction of the total reflection light. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the at least one touch portion comprises: Wherein the light source has a concavo-convex pattern of different density or different shape so that the amount of reduction of the total reflection light is different. 13. The method of claim 12, Wherein the at least one optical sensor comprises: And detects a reduction amount of the total reflection light formed on a side of the light guide unit. The method according to claim 1, And at least one light-emitting portion formed on at least a portion of the light-guiding portion, Wherein the at least one light- Wherein the total reflection light is emitted from the at least one portion of the light guiding portion to the outside of the light guiding portion. 15. The method of claim 14, Wherein the at least one light- A concave-convex pattern formed by embossing or embossing, or a combination thereof. 16. The method of claim 15, The concavo-convex pattern formed by embossing or embossing or a combination thereof, Wherein the touch-type key input bar is formed by a combination of at least one of a spherical shape, a lens, a prism, a pyramid, an ellipse, a cone, and a cylindrical shape. 16. The method of claim 15, Wherein the at least one light- And has a concavo-convex pattern of different density or different shape so that the amount of light emitted to the outside of the light guide portion is different. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 5 to 17 Wherein a coating film for blocking external light is formed on the touch substrate. 19. The method of claim 18, Wherein the color of the coating film is black.

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