KR101442541B1 - Mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable terminal including a body, a numeric key region provided with a plurality of numeric keys arranged in a predetermined form in the body, and a wheel installed on the numeric key region for inputting information by rotational operation So as to diversify or streamline the arrangement of components mounted on the portable terminal.

Description

[0001] PORTABLE TERMINAL [0002]

The present invention relates to a portable terminal equipped with a wheel for inputting information by a rotation operation.

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 of the portable terminal are diversified, for example, the portable terminal has complicated functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of music or video file, reception of a game and broadcasting, and is implemented as a multimedia device .

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.

In addition, a portable terminal is regarded as a personal portable product for expressing its own personality, and various designs are required.

As the functions of the terminal are diversified as described above, various attempts have been made to arrange the components to be mounted on the terminal in terms of increasing the number of parts mounted on the terminal and the terminal design.

The present invention is intended to diversify or streamline the arrangement of other components mounted on a portable terminal through a new arrangement of a wheel and a number key.

In addition, the present invention maximizes a mounting space of a display of a portable terminal, thereby providing a convenient multimedia function to a user.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable terminal including a body, a numeric key region in which a plurality of numeric keys arranged in a predetermined form on the body are installed, And a wheel for inputting information.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the wheel may include a wheel key formed in a ring shape and rotating, and a sensing unit disposed in the body and the wheel key to sense rotational motion of the wheel key.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the numeric keys include a plurality of numeric key buttons, and switches that are mounted in the body corresponding to the numeric key buttons and pressed by the numeric key buttons, The key buttons may constitute a wheel key receiving portion to receive the wheel key.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the sensing unit may include a magnet disposed on a rear surface of the wheel key, and a hall sensor disposed inside the body and sensing a relative motion of the magnet.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the wheel key may be configured to be operable as a numeric key of a part of the numeric keys.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a spring for returning the wheel key when the wheel key is rotated may be mounted between the wheel key and the body.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the wheel key includes a translucent area, and a number printed surface fixed to the body may be disposed on a rear surface of the wheel key.

In one embodiment of the present invention, one of the numeric keys may be disposed at the center of the wheel key.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the wheel includes a wheel key operated by a touch; And a touch pad mounted on a rear surface of the wheel key for sensing a touch applied to the wheel key.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the numeric key and the wheel may be selectively activated by a user's selection.

The present invention places the wheel in the numeric key area to save mounting space of the mounting parts, thereby enabling efficient or diversification of the placement of the other parts.

Further, the present invention can provide a more convenient multimedia function to the user by maximizing the mounting space of the mounting parts, in particular, the display.

In addition, according to the present invention, the numeric key and the wheel are selectively activated according to the user's selection, so that the function of the numeric key and the wheel can be performed simultaneously in a limited space.

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 body 100 constituting an appearance of a terminal.

A casing (a casing, a housing, a cover, etc.) constituting the external appearance of the body 100 is formed by the front case 110 and the rear case 120. Various electronic components are embedded in the space formed by the front case 110 and the rear case 120. [

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 111, the first sound output unit 112, the first image input unit 113, and the first and second operation units 200 and 300 may be disposed in the body 100, specifically, the front case 110 .

The display unit 111 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) module, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) module, and the like, which visually represent information.

The display unit 111 may further include a touch screen to enable information input by a user's touch.

The first sound output unit 112 may be implemented in the form of a receiver or a speaker.

The first image input unit 113 may be implemented in the form of a camera module for capturing an image or moving image of a user.

At least one of the front case 110 and the rear case 120 may include a third operating unit 114, an acoustical input unit 115, and an interface 116.

The first to third operating portions 200, 300 and 114 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 by a dome switch or a touch screen, a touch pad, or a wheel, a jog type, a joystick, or the like, As shown in FIG.

In terms of functions, the first operation unit 200 is for inputting numbers, letters, symbols, and the second operation unit 300 is for inputting commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like. In addition, the third operation unit 114 may operate as a hot-key for performing a special function such as activation of the first image input unit 113 or the like.

The sound input unit 115 may be implemented in the form of a microphone, for example, to receive a user's voice, other sounds, and the like.

The interface 116 allows the portable terminal related to the present invention to exchange data with an external device. For example, the interface 116 may be a wired or wireless connection terminal for connecting to an earphone, a port for short range communication (for example, an infrared port (IrDA port), a Bluetooth port, a wireless LAN port, etc.), or power supply terminals for supplying power to the portable terminal.

The interface 116 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 unit 121 for supplying power to the portable terminal is mounted on the rear case 120 side. The power supply unit 121 may be detachably coupled to a rechargeable battery for charging or the like.

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

Referring to FIG. 2, a second image input unit 122 may be additionally mounted on a rear surface of the rear case 120. The second image input unit 122 may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the first image input unit 113 (see FIG. 1), and may be a camera having different pixels from the first image input unit 113.

For example, the first image input unit 113 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 transmit the same to a counterpart. The second image input unit 125 photographs a general object It is preferable to have a high pixel because it is often not transmitted.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 are additionally disposed adjacent to the second image input unit 125. The flash 123 illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the second image input unit 122. The mirror unit 124 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to photograph the user himself / herself by using the second image input unit 122 (self-photographing).

The rear case 120 may further include a second sound output unit 125.

The second sound output unit 125 may implement a stereo function together with the first sound output unit 112 (see FIG. 1), and may be used for a call in a speakerphone mode.

In addition, on one side of the rear case 120, a broadcast signal receiving antenna 126 may be disposed in addition to an antenna for communication. The antenna 126 may be installed to be able to be drawn out from the body 100.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a line IV-IV of the portable terminal of FIG.

The portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a number key region formed in the body 100 and a wheel 300 installed in the number key region. Hereinafter, the first operation unit 200 described with reference to FIG. 1 will be referred to as a numeric key 200, and the second operation unit 300 will be referred to as a wheel 300. FIG.

The numeric key region refers to an area in which a plurality of numeric keys 200 are arranged in a certain form.

The numeric keys 200 include a plurality of numeric key buttons 210 arranged to leak to the outside of the body and switches 220 disposed inside the body 100.

The numeric key buttons 210 are respectively displayed with numbers for inputting numerical information.

A printed circuit board 150 is mounted in a space between the front case 110 and the rear case 120 and electronic parts for operating various functions of the terminal are mounted on the printed circuit board 150 Respectively.

On the front surface of the printed circuit board 150, switches 220 to which numeric information is inputted according to a pressing operation are mounted.

In the front case 110, there is formed a hole-shaped key button mounting portion 116 corresponding to the number key buttons 210. The numeric key buttons 210 are mounted on the key button mounting portion 116 and the numeric key buttons 210 are pressed so that the numeric key buttons 210 press the switch 220 to input the corresponding numeric information to the terminal do. For this, the pushing protrusions 211 for pressing the switches 220 may be formed on the rear surface of the numeric key buttons 210.

The wheel 300 is for inputting information by a rotation operation, and is disposed on the numeric key region.

The wheel 300 includes a wheel key 310 formed in a ring shape and sensing units 321 and 322 disposed on the body 100 and the wheel key 310.

The wheel key mounting portion 330 is formed in the key button mounting portion 116 formed in the front case 110 and the wheel key mounting portion 330 is fixed to the front case 110 by the support member 340. Here, the support member 340 is disposed in the front case 110 so as not to interfere with the pressing operation of the numeric key button 210. The wheel key mounting portion 330 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the wheel key 310, that is, a ring shape.

The numeric key buttons 210 constitute a wheel-shaped receiving portion 230 of a round hole shape to receive the wheel key 310. The wheel key receiving portion 230 may be formed in a circular hole shape having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the wheel key 310 so that the wheel key 310 can be rotated.

The wheel key 310 is mounted on the wheel key mounting portion 330 and is operated by rotational motion. Plastic or metal may be used as the material of the wheel key 310.

A guide slot 331 for guiding the rotational movement of the wheel key 310 may be formed in the wheel key mounting portion 330 and a guide protrusion 311 inserted into the guide slot 331 may be formed on the rear surface of the wheel key 310, Can be formed. The distal end of the guide protrusion 311 may be formed to have a width greater than the width of the guide slot 331 so that the wheel key 310 is not detached from the wheel key mounting portion 339. [

The sensing unit may include a magnet 321 attached to the rear surface of the wheel key 310 and a hall sensor 322 disposed on the printed circuit board 150.

The magnet 321 is formed in a ring shape and attached to the rear surface of the wheel key 310 and the Hall sensor 322 can be mounted on the printed circuit board 150 in the rotational movement section of the magnet 321. The Hall sensor 322 is a sensor for sensing a magnetic field generated from the magnet 321. The Hall sensor 322 detects the rotational position of the wheel 321 as the wheel key 310 to which the magnet 322 is attached is rotated.

The wheel key 310 can be configured to be capable of inputting information not only by a rotational motion but also by a pressing operation. The push member 312 may be disposed on the rear surface of the wheel key 310 so that the pressing operation of the wheel key 310 can be performed. A wheel switch 350 may be mounted at a position where the wheel 300 is disposed on the printed circuit board 150 and a pushing protrusion 313 may be formed at the pushing member 312 to press the wheel switch 350. The arrangement of the wheel switch 350 may be mounted in the up, down, left, and right directions of the wheel key 310 as in the present embodiment, and the corresponding area on the wheel key 310 may be pressed to input information.

One of the number keys 210 may be disposed at the center of the wheel key 310. For example, as in the present embodiment, the number key 215 having the number '5' may be disposed at the center of the wheel key 310.

The number key 215 having the numeral '5' may function not only to input numeric information but also to operate the menu selected by the rotation of the wheel key 310.

As the wheel key 310 rotates, the selection of the menu may be displayed on the display unit 111. The selected menu may be operated, or the numeric key 215 may be depressed to move to a submenu of the selected menu. The function of inputting the number and the function of operating the selected menu may be manually performed by operating the third operation unit 114, or may be configured to be performed automatically in the specific mode.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a portable terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the portable terminal of FIG.

The portable terminal according to the present invention includes a body 100, a numeric key region where a plurality of numeric keys 200 are installed on the body 100, and a wheel 300 installed on the numeric key region.

The remaining configuration of the portable terminal of the present embodiment is the same as that of the previous embodiment except for the wheel 300, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components.

The wheel 300 includes a wheel key 310 formed in a ring shape and a sensing unit disposed on the body 100 and the wheel key 310. The wheel key 310 includes a numeric key 210, (210). ≪ / RTI >

The wheel key mounting portion 330 fixed to the body 100 is disposed on the key button mounting portion 116 formed on the front case 110. A guide slot 331 for guiding rotational movement of the wheel key 310 is formed on the wheel key mounting portion 330. The number-of-prints surface 335 for inputting numerical information is formed in the wheel-key mounting portion 330. [ Numerals '2, 4, 6, 8' may be displayed on the numbered print surface 335 as in the present embodiment.

The support member 340 for supporting the wheel key mounting portion 330 can be configured to move the wheel key mounting portion 330 in the forward and backward directions of the body 100 so that the wheel key 310 can be pressed. The support member 340 may be formed of an elastic material, for example, a metal material.

The wheel key 310 is formed with a guide protrusion 311 (see FIG. 4) in the same manner as the previous embodiment. The guide protrusion 311 is inserted into the guide slot 331 and is moved so that the wheel key 310 rotates. The wheel key 310 has a translucent area so that the number displayed on the numeric printed surface 335 can be seen, and can be made of, for example, a transparent material.

Switches 220 for inputting numeric information are provided on the printed circuit board 150 and numeric information is input by pressing the switches 220 as the numeric key buttons 210 are pressed. Here, some of the switches 220 for inputting numerical information may be pressed by the wheel key 310. [ For example, as in the present embodiment, numerals corresponding to '2, 4, 6, 8' can be inputted by pressing the wheel key 310.

In the present embodiment, since the wheel key 310 has the light transmitting region, the numbers (2,4,6,8) printed on the numbered print surface 335 remain fixed even when the wheel key 310 is rotated . Accordingly, information corresponding to the rotational position of the wheel key 310 can be input to the switch 120 mounted on the printed circuit board 150.

Meanwhile, the number keys 200 and the wheel 300 in the present embodiment can be selectively activated according to the user's selection. The activation of the numeric keys 200 and the activation of the wheel 300 may be performed by the operation of the third operation unit 114, ≪ / RTI >

When the user desires to input numerical information, the third operation unit 114 is operated to activate the numeric key mode, and then the numeric keys 200 are pressed to input numeric information. When the menu displayed on the display unit 111 is selected or operated, the function may be performed by rotating the wheel key 310 after activating the wheel mode.

7 is an exploded perspective view of a portable terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The portable terminal of the present embodiment includes a body 100, a number key region in which the number keys 200 are arranged, and a wheel 300 installed on the number key region, as in the previous embodiments.

The wheel key 310 may be configured to be operable as a numeric key button 210 of some of the numeric key buttons 210, as in the embodiment described in FIGS.

A plurality of numbers may be displayed on the wheel key 310, for example, numbers '2, 4, 6, 8' may be displayed as in the present embodiment. In this embodiment, numbers are directly displayed on the wheel key 310, unlike the embodiments described in FIGS.

A spring 350 may be mounted between the wheel key 310 and the wheel key mounting portion 330 fixed to the body 100 to return the wheel key 310 to its original position as the wheel key 310 is rotated. The wheel key 310 in the present embodiment may be configured such that the wheel key 310 is returned to the original position in order for the switch 220 to input predetermined information since the number is directly displayed on the wheel key 310. [

8 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a structure for returning the wheel key 310 to the home position.

First and second locking projections 361 and 362 are formed on the rear surface of the wheel key 310. In FIG. 8, the illustration of the wheel key 310 is omitted for convenience of description, and only the first and second locking protrusions 361 and 362 are shown.

As shown in FIG. 8 (a), the first and second springs 351 and 352 are mounted on the wheel key mounting portion 330. The first and second springs 351 and 352 may be formed in the form of a wire having a parabolic shape, and the first and second locking protrusions 361 and 362 are disposed so as to be respectively engaged.

8 (b), when the wheel key 310 is rotated in direction A, the first locking projection 361 is engaged with the first spring 351, so that the first spring 351 is rotated in the A direction Deformation occurs. The first spring 351 is deformed again to its original position by the elastic force of the first spring 351, so that the first locking protrusion 361 is moved back to the original position while being caught by the first spring 351. Accordingly, if the wheel key 310 is rotated in the direction A and the rotational force is not applied after the wheel is rotated in the direction A, the wheel key 310 is rotated back to its original position by the elastic force of the first spring 351.

As shown in FIG. 8C, when the wheel key 310 is in the B direction, the structure in which the second locking projection 362 is engaged with the second spring 352 is the same as that of FIG. 8B, Will be omitted.

Although the wheel 300 of the above-described embodiments has been described based on the case where the wheel key 310 is directly rotated to input information, the wheel 300 related to the present invention may be configured to be rotated by a touch. The wheel 300 may include a wheel key rotated by a touch, and a touch pad mounted on a rear surface of the wheel key, that is, a printed circuit board, for sensing a touch applied to the wheel key.

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

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 the portable terminal of FIG. 1;

3 is an exploded perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a sectional view of the portable terminal of Fig. 1 taken along line IV-IV.

5 is a front view of a mobile terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the portable terminal of FIG. 5;

7 is an exploded perspective view of a portable terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a structure for returning the wheel key to the home position;

Claims (13)

body; A keypad provided on the body so as to be able to be pressed, and having a plurality of keys arranged in a predetermined form; And A ring-shaped wheel installed in an area of the keypad for inputting information by a rotation operation, Wherein the keypad is provided with a ring-shaped receiving portion for receiving the wheel so as to be rotatable. 2. The wheel according to claim 1, A wheel key formed in a ring shape and rotating; And And a sensing unit disposed in the body and the wheel key for sensing rotational motion of the wheel key. 3. The method of claim 2, And a switch installed in the body corresponding to the keypad and pressed by the keypad. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sensing unit comprises: A magnet disposed on a rear surface of the wheel key; And a hall sensor disposed inside the body and sensing a relative motion of the magnet. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the body is provided with a switch mounted on the keypad and pressed by the keypad and a board on which the hall sensor is fixed. 6. The method of claim 5, Wherein the wheel key is configured to be pressed, and a wheel switch is mounted on the substrate, the wheel switch being pressed by the wheel key to input information. 3. The method of claim 2, Wherein the wheel key is operable as a key of a part of the plurality of keys provided on the keypad. 8. The method of claim 7, Switches for inputting information of the keypad are installed in the body, And wherein some of the switches are pressed by the wheel key. 8. The method of claim 7, And a spring for returning the wheel key when the wheel key is rotated is mounted between the wheel key and the body. 8. The method of claim 7, Wherein the wheel key has a light transmitting region, And a printed surface that is fixed to the body and is illuminated through the transmissive area is disposed on a rear surface of the wheel key. 3. The method of claim 2, And a part of the keypad is disposed at the center of the wheel key. The wheel according to claim 1, A wheel key operated by a touch; And And a touch pad mounted on a rear surface of the wheel key for sensing a touch applied to the wheel key. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the keypad and the wheel are selectively activated by a user's selection.

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