Hereinafter, a mobile terminal according 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 assigned to the same or similar configurations in different embodiments, and the description thereof is replaced with the first description. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
The mobile terminal described herein may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), navigation, and the like.
1 is a perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The main body 110 of the mobile terminal 100 (hereinafter referred to as a “body”) includes a first body 110 and a second body 120 configured to be slidable in at least one direction on the first body 110. Include. However, the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and may be applied to various types of mobile terminals such as a bar type, a folder type, a swing type, a swivel type, and the like.
A state in which the first body 110 is disposed to overlap the second body 120 may be referred to as a closed configuration, and as shown in the drawing, the first body 110 may be referred to as the second body 120. The exposed state of at least a portion of the N may be referred to as an open configuration.
The mobile terminal mainly operates in a standby mode in a closed state, but the standby mode may be released by a user's operation. In addition, although the mobile terminal operates mainly in a call mode or the like in an open state, the mobile terminal may be switched to a standby mode by a user's manipulation or a lapse of a predetermined time.
The case (casing, housing, cover, etc.) forming the exterior of the first body 110 is formed by the front case 111 and the rear case 112. Various electronic components are embedded in the space formed by the front case 111 and the rear case 112. At least one intermediate case may be further disposed between the front case 111 and the rear case 112. The cases may be formed by injecting a synthetic resin or may be formed of a metal material, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).
The display body 113, the sound output unit 114, the first image input unit 115, or the first manipulation unit 116 may be disposed on the first body 110, specifically, the front case 111.
The display unit 113 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) module, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) module, a transparent OLED (TOLED) module, and the like, which visually express information.
In addition, the display unit 113 may further include a touch pad to enable input of information by a user's touch. In addition, the display 113 may be formed to generate various tactile effects that a user can feel when touched. This may be implemented by a haptic module linked to the display 113. Vibration is a representative example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module. The haptic module may be variously disposed according to the configuration aspect of the mobile terminal as well as the display 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 in the form of a camera module for capturing an image or a video of a user.
The first operation unit 116 receives a command for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. The first manipulation unit 116 may be formed as a touch screen together with the display 113.
Like the first body 110, the front case 121 and the rear case 122 may form a case of the second body 120.
The second manipulation 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 on at least one of the front case 121 and the rear case 122.
The first to third manipulation units 116, 123, and 124 may be collectively referred to as manipulating portions, and may be employed in any manner as long as the user is tactile in a tactile manner.
For example, the operation unit may be implemented as a dome switch or a touch pad that may receive a command or information by a user's push or touch operation, or may be operated by a wheel or jog method that rotates a key or a joystick. Can be implemented.
In functional terms, the first operation unit 116 is for inputting a command such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 123 is for inputting numbers, letters, symbols, and the like. In addition, the third manipulation unit 124 may operate as a hot-key that performs a special function such as activation of the first image input unit 115.
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 serves as a passage for allowing a mobile terminal related to the present invention to exchange data with an external device. For example, the interface 126 may be wired or wirelessly, and a 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 ( wireless Lan port), or at least one of power supply terminals for supplying power to the mobile terminal.
The interface 126 may be a card socket that accommodates an external card such as a subscriber identification module (SIM) or a user identity module (UIM) and a memory card for storing information.
The proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal surrounded by the display unit 113 or near the display unit 113. The proximity sensor 141 may be disposed to face in a direction perpendicular to the front surface of the front case 111 in which the display unit 113 displaying image information is formed.
2 is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal of FIG. 1.
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 be a camera having a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the first image input unit 115 (refer to FIG. 1) and having different pixels from the first image input unit.
For example, the first image input unit 115 has a low pixel so that the user's face is photographed and transmitted to the counterpart in case of a video call, and the second image input unit 128 immediately photographs a general subject. It is preferable to have a high pixel because it is not transmitted in many cases.
The flash 129 and the mirror unit 130 are further disposed adjacent to the second image input unit 128. The flash 129 emits light toward the subject when the subject is photographed by the second image input unit 128. The mirror unit 130 allows the user to see his / her own face or the like when photographing (self-photographing) the user by using the second image input unit 128.
In the above description, the second image input unit 128 is disposed on the second body 120, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, at least one or more of the components 128 to 131 described as disposed in the rear case 122, such as the second image input unit 128, may be disposed in the first body 110, mainly the rear case 112. It is also possible to be mounted. In such a case, there is an advantage that the configuration (s) arranged in the rear case 112 in the closed state are protected by the second body 120. In addition, even if the second image input unit 128 is not separately provided, the first image input unit 115 may be rotatably configured to allow shooting up to the shooting direction of the second image input unit 128.
The second sound output unit 131 may be further disposed on the rear case 122.
The second sound output unit 131 may implement a stereo function together with the first sound output unit 114 (refer to FIG. 1), and may be used for a call in a speakerphone mode.
The terminal body may be provided with an antenna unit for a call, Bluetooth communication, or GPS communication. The rear case 112 may include an antenna 132 for receiving a broadcast signal in addition to the antenna unit. The antenna 132 may be installed to be pulled out of the terminal body 110.
A portion of the slide module 133 that slidably couples the first body 110 and the second body 120 to the rear case 112 side of the first body 110 is disposed. The other part of the slide module 133 may be disposed on the front case 121 of the second body 120 and may not be exposed to the outside as shown in the drawing.
The power supply unit 127 is configured at the rear case 122 to supply power to at least one component of the mobile terminal 100. The power supply unit 127 may include a rechargeable battery or the like to supply power. The battery may be detachably coupled for charging or the like.
3A is an exploded view of the first body 110 of FIG. 1, FIG. 3B is an exploded view of the second body 120 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a pattern of the antenna of FIG. 3B. It is an enlarged view.
Referring to FIG. 3A, a sound hole 114a corresponding to the sound output unit 114 and an image window 115a corresponding to the image input unit 115 (see FIG. 1) are formed at one side of the front case 111. Can be. The image window 115a may be formed of a material through which light can pass.
The circuit board 118a may be mounted on the rear case 112. The circuit board 118a may be configured as an example of the controller 180 (see FIG. 8) for operating various functions of the mobile terminal. As illustrated, the speaker 114b, the camera 115b, the display module 113a, and the like may be mounted on the circuit board 118a.
The speaker 114b may be disposed to correspond to the sound hole 114a, and the camera 115b may be disposed to correspond to the image window 115a.
The window 113b is coupled to one surface of the front case 111 to cover the display module 113a. The window 113b is made of a material through which light can pass, for example, a transparent synthetic resin, tempered glass, or the like.
The first body 110 is equipped with a proximity sensor 141 to detect a sensing object approaching. Referring to this figure, a proximity sensor 141 may be mounted on the circuit board 118a.
The proximity sensor 141 refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or an object present in the vicinity without using a mechanical contact by using an electromagnetic force or infrared rays. Examples of the proximity sensor 141 may be a transmission photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, an infrared proximity sensor, or the like.
The sensing window 142 is formed at a position corresponding to the proximity sensor 141 at the front case 111. The proximity sensor 141 and the sensing window 142 may be configured as an example of the sensing unit 140 (see FIG. 8).
The mobile terminal includes an antenna 150 (see FIG. 3B) embedded in the first or second bodies 110 and 120. The antenna 150 may be mounted in an area adjacent to one end of the terminal body. Referring to FIG. 3B, an antenna 150 is mounted at the end of the second body 120.
The antenna 150 is electrically connected to a controller 180 (refer to FIG. 8) that processes a signal corresponding to wireless electromagnetic waves transmitted and received. The controller 180 may be formed of a circuit board 118b, and the antenna 150 is electrically connected to the circuit board 118b.
Referring to FIG. 4, the antenna 150 includes an auxiliary circuit board 151, an antenna pattern 152, and a switch 153.
The auxiliary circuit board 151 is embedded in the second body 120. The auxiliary circuit board 151 may be mounted on the rear case 121 as shown. The auxiliary circuit board 151 may be, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB), a flexible circuit board (FPCB), or the like. Referring to FIG. 3B, in order to control the switch 153 from the circuit board 118b, the auxiliary circuit board 151 may be electrically connected to the circuit board 118b. Specifically, for example, if the auxiliary circuit board 151 is a printed circuit board, it can be connected to each other by the auxiliary circuit board 151 and the flexible circuit board.
First and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b are formed on one surface of the auxiliary circuit board 151.
The first and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b are disposed to be spaced apart from each other, and are made of a conductive material to transmit and receive wireless electromagnetic waves. The first and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b are formed in a narrow and long pattern, and are made of, for example, a metal thin plate of gold or copper. The first and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b may have the same width.
Hereinafter, the description is based on the first and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b formed on the auxiliary circuit board 151, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the first and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b may be formed on the surface of the carrier or in a specific pattern on the surface of the case.
The switch 153 is mounted on the auxiliary circuit board 151 so as to be connected to the first and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b, respectively. The switch 153 is switched to turn on and off electrical connections of the first and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b. The switch 153 may be, for example, an RF switching element.
Referring to the drawings, one end of the first antenna pattern 152a is connected to the switch 153 and the other end of the circuit board 118b to feed the first antenna pattern 152a to the circuit board 118b. ).
A feed terminal 154 and a ground terminal 155 may be formed at one end of the first antenna pattern 152a. The auxiliary circuit board 151 is formed with a through hole through which the first antenna pattern 152a penetrates. The feed terminal 154 and the ground terminal 155 passing through the through hole are electrically connected to the circuit board 118b. Through this, the first antenna pattern 152a may be an antenna pattern of a planar inverse F antenna. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and the first antenna pattern 152a may constitute a monopole, dipole, loop antenna, or the like.
When the proximity sensor 141 senses the proximity of the sensing object, the circuit board 118b switches the switch 153 such that the frequency of wireless electromagnetic waves transmitted and received is shifted.
The sensing object may be a human body or an object that changes the dielectric constant of the antenna 150. For example, the terminal may be a hand of a human body accommodating the terminal or a head of the human body approaching the terminal during a wireless call. When the proximity of the sensing object is detected, the circuit board 118b controls the switch 153 to turn off the first and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b.
Hereinafter, the control of the switch 153 will be described by way of example. When the terminal is in free space, the length of the first and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b is the length of the antenna pattern. If a person brings the terminal close to the head of the human body for a wireless call, the proximity sensor detects the proximity of the head, and the switch 153 disconnects the electrical connection between the first and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b. Controlled to break. In this case, the first antenna pattern 152a is the length of the antenna pattern. Through this, the shift of the transmit / receive frequency according to the change of permittivity around the terminal may be compensated.
Referring to FIG. 4, the antenna 150 may include an auxiliary antenna unit 156 connected to the second antenna pattern 152b such that the transmission / reception frequency is moved in a plurality of steps.
The auxiliary antenna unit 156 includes a third antenna pattern 156a and an auxiliary switch 156b.
The third antenna pattern 156a is disposed adjacent to the second antenna pattern 152b and is made of a conductive material to transmit and receive wireless electromagnetic waves. The third antenna pattern 156a is formed to have the same width as the first and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b, and is made of, for example, a metal thin plate of gold or copper.
The auxiliary switch 156b is connected to the second and third antenna patterns 152b and 156a, respectively, and is controlled by the circuit board 118b. The auxiliary switch 156b is switched to turn on and off electrical connections of the second and third antenna patterns 152b and 156a. The first to third antenna patterns 152a, 152b, and 156a are linearly connected to each other, and the length of the sum of the first to third antenna patterns 152a, 152b, and 156a is such that the terminal is in free space. In this case, it may be the length of the corresponding antenna pattern.
The current supplied from the circuit board 118b is transmitted to the first antenna pattern 152a through the feed terminal 154, and the current circulated to the end of the third antenna pattern 156a is again passed through the ground terminal 155. As it enters the circuit board 118b, a transmission line for transmitting and receiving wireless electromagnetic waves in the air is formed.
Hereinafter, the operation of the antenna 150 of FIG. 3B will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C and 6A to 6C. 5A to 5C are operation diagrams illustrating a change of an antenna according to the operation of the switches 153 and 156b, and FIGS. 6A to 6C are graphs illustrating a shift of a transmission / reception frequency according to the operation of the switches 153 and 156b. to be. 6A to 6C show voltage standing wave ratios for frequency bands transmitted and received.
5A illustrates operations of the switches 153 and 156b when the sensing object is not detected by the proximity sensor 141 (see FIG. 3A). The switches 153 and 156b are all controlled in an on state, and the antenna pattern transmits and receives wireless electromagnetic waves having a wavelength corresponding to four times the length of the sum of the first to third antenna patterns 152a, 152b, and 156a. To be done. 6A shows the resonance frequency of the antenna when the switches 153 and 156b are both on.
5B illustrates the operation of the switches 153 and 156b when the sensing object is detected by the proximity sensor 141. The proximity sensor 141 detects that the sensing object is close to within the first predetermined range, the switch 153 is in an on state, and the auxiliary switch 156b is controlled to be in an off state. Through this, the antenna pattern is configured to transmit and receive wireless electromagnetic waves having a wavelength corresponding to four times the length of the sum of the first and second antenna patterns 152a and 152b. FIG. 6B shows the resonance frequency of the antenna when the switch 153 is on and the auxiliary switch 156b is off, and shows a higher resonance frequency than that of FIG. 6A.
5C illustrates the operation of the switches 153 and 156b when the sensing object is closer than the first range. The switches 153 and 156b are both controlled to be in an off state, and the antenna pattern is configured to transmit and receive wireless electromagnetic waves having a wavelength corresponding to four times the length of the first antenna pattern 152a. Referring to FIG. 6C, it can be seen that the resonant frequency is shifted to a higher frequency than that of FIG. 6B.
When the proximity sensor 141 senses the sensing object as described above, the resonance frequency may move as the length of the antenna is changed.
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 7, antenna performance is improved as the resonance frequency moves. 7 is a graph illustrating resonant frequency shift when the head of the human body is close to the terminal and the length of the antenna is changed.
Referring to this figure, the terminal forms a transmit and receive frequency band of 900 Mhz to 1000 Mhz. The frequency band is set experimentally or computationally based on the case where the terminal is in free space. The lengths of the first to third antenna patterns 152a, 152b, 156a (see FIG. 4) of the terminal are set to correspond to the frequency band.
If the head of the human body is close to the terminal, the dielectric constant is changed around the terminal, and thus the resonance frequency is changed as compared to the case where the terminal is in free space. Referring to this figure, the transmission and reception frequency band of the terminal by the proximity of the head is moved from 780 Mhz to 880 Mhz. This degrades the transmission and reception performance of the antenna.
When the proximity sensor 141 (see FIG. 3A) detects proximity of the human head and controls the switches 153, 156b and FIG. 4 to be turned off, the transmit / receive frequency band of the terminal moves from 900 MHz to 1000 MHz. Done. Therefore, the terminal may be configured to always transmit and receive the same frequency band even if the dielectric constant around the antenna changes.
In the above description, although the proximity sensor 141 is mounted near the display unit and mainly detects the proximity of the head, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the proximity sensor 141 may be mounted near the power supply unit 127 and may be an antenna that compensates the frequency by changing the antenna length with respect to the hand effect (frequency shift represented by the user's hand, etc.). .
8 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 8, a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a wireless communication module 181, an operation unit 116, 123, 124, an image input unit 115, 128, an audio input unit 125, a display unit 113, and an audio output. The unit 114, 131, the sensing unit 140, the interface 126, the broadcast receiving module 185, the memory 184, the power supply unit 127, and the controller 180 are included.
The control unit 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, perform related control and processing for voice calls, data communications, video calls, and the like.
In addition to the normal function control, the controller 180 additionally controls the operation of the mobile terminal related to the present invention.
The wireless communication module 181 transmits / receives a radio signal with a mobile communication base station through an antenna. For example, under the control of the controller 180, the transmitter 182 is responsible for transmitting and receiving voice data, text data, image data, and control data, and modulates and transmits a signal to be transmitted, and a receiver for demodulating the received signal. 183).
The operation units 116, 123, and 124 are configured as shown in FIG. 1 to provide the controller 180 with key input data input by the user for controlling the operation of the terminal. The operation units 116, 123, and 124 are composed of a dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure / capacitance), 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 a video call mode or a photographing mode. The processed image frame is converted into image data displayable 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 184 under the control of the controller 180 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless transceiver 181.
The sound input unit 125 receives an external sound signal by a microphone in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, etc., and processes the external sound signal into electrical voice data. The processed voice data is converted into a form transmittable to the mobile communication base station through the wireless communication module 181 in the communication mode and output to the wireless communication module. In the recording mode, the processed voice data is output to be stored in the memory 184.
The sound input unit 125 may implement various noise removing algorithms for removing noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.
The display 113 displays and outputs information processed by the mobile terminal. For example, when the mobile terminal is in a call mode, the control unit 180 displays and outputs a user interface (UI) or a graphic user interface (GUI) related to the call. When the mobile terminal is in the video call mode or the photographing mode, the mobile terminal displays and outputs the captured image, UI, or GUI under the control of the controller 180. 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 sound output units 114 and 131 may receive sound data or memory 184 received from the wireless communication module 181 under the control of the controller 180 in a call signal reception, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, and a broadcast reception mode. The stored sound data is converted and output to the outside.
In addition, the sound output units 114 and 131 output sound signals related to functions (eg, call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal. The sound output units 114 and 131 may include a speaker, a receiver, a buzzer, and the like.
The sensing unit 140 generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal by detecting a current state of the mobile terminal such as an open / closed state of the mobile terminal, a location of the mobile terminal, presence or absence of a user contact, and the like. For example, when the mobile terminal is in the form of a slide phone, whether the slide phone is opened or closed is sensed so as to output a sensing result to the controller 180 to control the operation of the terminal. In addition, it is responsible for sensing functions related to whether the power supply unit 127 is supplied with power, whether the interface 126 is coupled to an external device, and the like. The sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141.
The interface 126 may be connected to a mobile terminal using a wired / wireless headset, an external charger, a wired / wireless data port, a card socket (eg, a memory card, a SIM / UIM card), or the like. It serves as an interface with the device. The interface 126 receives data from an external device or receives power and transfers the data to each component inside the mobile terminal or transmits data within the mobile terminal to the external device.
The memory 184 may store a program for processing and controlling the controller 180, and provides a function for temporarily storing input / output data (for example, a phone book, a message, a still image, a video, etc.). It can also be done.
In addition, the memory 184 stores a program for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal according to the present invention.
This memory 184 includes the concepts of generally known hard disks, card type memory (eg SD or XD memory, etc.), flash memory, RAM, ROM, and the like.
The broadcast receiving module 185 receives a broadcast signal transmitted through a satellite or a terrestrial wave, converts the broadcast signal into a broadcast data format that can be output to the sound output units 114 and 131 and the display unit 113, and outputs the broadcast signal to the controller 180. In addition, the broadcast receiving module 185 receives additional data related to the broadcast (for example, an EPG (electric program guide), a channel list, etc.). The broadcast data and additional data converted by the broadcast receiving module 185 may be stored in the memory 164.
The power supply unit 127 receives an external power source and an internal power source under the control of the controller 180 to supply power for operation of each component.
The mobile terminal is not limited to the configuration and method of the above-described embodiments, but the embodiments may be configured by selectively combining all or some of the embodiments so that various modifications can be made.
