KR101529922B1 - Terminal and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a terminal and a control method thereof for controlling the operation of a touch screen during a phone call, and more particularly, State, and determines whether the touch input is an input for controlling the terminal or a simple touch. If the touch input is a simple touch according to the determination, the touch screen is deactivated again. If the touch input is an input for controlling the terminal, an operation corresponding to the touch input is performed.

Description

[0001] TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME [0002]

The present invention relates to a terminal and a control method thereof for controlling the operation of a touch screen during a telephone call.

The terminal can move And can be divided into a mobile / portable terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal can be divided into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether the user can directly carry the mobile terminal.

Such a terminal has various functions, for example, in the form of a multimedia device having multiple functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of a music or video file, reception of a game and broadcasting, etc. .

In order to support and enhance the functionality of such terminals, it may be considered to improve the structural and / or software parts of the terminal. Recently, handsets equipped with touch screens are increasing. Accordingly, there is a problem in that an arbitrary body part of a telephone conversation is brought into contact with the touch screen, so that an unintended touch operation can be performed by the user.

The present invention provides a terminal capable of controlling the operation of a touch screen during a phone call using a terminal equipped with the touch screen and a control method thereof.

The present invention also provides a terminal capable of controlling the operation of the touch screen using the contact area of the touch screen and a control method thereof.

The present invention also provides a terminal capable of controlling the operation of the touch screen by using the distance between the contact points and the internal area when two or more contact points of the touch screen are used, and a control method thereof.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a terminal related to the present invention includes a touch screen and a touch screen, wherein the touch screen is activated when the touch is input in a deactivated state of the touch screen and when the touch input is an input for controlling the terminal, Determining whether the touch input is a touch input for controlling the touch or the touch input if the touch input is a simple touch and deactivating the touch screen if the touch input is a simple touch; And a memory for storing an algorithm.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a touch screen, the method comprising the steps of: disabling a touch screen when the phone is in a busy state; changing the touch screen to an active state when the touch is input; Or whether it is a simple contact. If the touch input is a simple touch according to the determination, the touch screen is deactivated again. If the touch input is an input for controlling the terminal, an operation corresponding to the touch input is performed.

The terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above determines whether the touch input is a simple touch or an input for controlling the operation of the terminal when a touch screen is touched during a telephone call, In the case of contact, the touch screen is deactivated, so that the user can prevent unwanted touch input.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The suffix "module" and " part "for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role.

The mobile terminal described in this specification may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), and navigation. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may be applied to a fixed terminal such as a digital TV, a desktop computer, and the like, unless the configuration is applicable only to a mobile terminal.

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

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an audio / video input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, A controller 170, a controller 180, a power supply 190, and the like. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, and a mobile terminal having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules for enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and the network in which the mobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, and a location information module 115 .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals and / or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may refer to a server for generating and transmitting broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information, or a server for receiving broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information generated by the broadcast management server and transmitting the generated broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information. The broadcast signal may include a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a data broadcast signal, and a broadcast signal in which a data broadcast signal is combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast-related information may refer to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or information related to a broadcast service provider. The broadcast-related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast-related information may exist in various forms. For example, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) or an ESG (Electronic Service Guide) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

For example, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), a Media Forward Link Only And a Digital Broadcasting System (ISDB-T) (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be adapted to other broadcasting systems as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives radio signals to at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal, or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 113 is a module for wireless Internet access, and may be built in or externally attached to the mobile terminal 100. WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

The short-range communication module 114 refers to a module for short-range communication. Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as a short range communication technology.

The position information module 115 is a module for obtaining the position of the mobile terminal, and a representative example thereof is a Global Position System (GPS) module.

Referring to FIG. 1, an A / V (Audio / Video) input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes 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 can be displayed on the display unit 151. [

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ More than one camera 121 may be provided depending on the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal through 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 can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. Various noise reduction algorithms may be implemented in the microphone 122 to remove noise generated in receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for a user to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 senses the current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as the open / close state of the mobile terminal 100, the position of the mobile terminal 100, the presence or absence of user contact, the orientation of the mobile terminal, And generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it is possible to sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. It is also possible to sense whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141.

The output unit 150 is for generating output related to the visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, and a haptic module 154 .

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in the call mode, a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with a call is displayed. When the mobile terminal 100 is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed and / or received video or UI and GUI are displayed.

The display unit 151 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display display, and a 3D display.

Some of these displays may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This can be referred to as a transparent display, and a typical example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparent OLED) and the like. The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be of a light transmission type. With this structure, the user can see an object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display unit 151 of the terminal body.

There may be two or more display units 151 according to the embodiment of the mobile terminal 100. For example, in the mobile terminal 100, a plurality of display portions may be spaced apart from one another or may be disposed integrally with each other, or may be disposed on different surfaces.

(Hereinafter, referred to as a 'touch screen') in which a display unit 151 and a sensor for sensing a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as 'touch sensor') form a mutual layer structure, It can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in a pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor can be configured to detect not only the position and area to be touched but also the pressure at the time of touch.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. Thus, the control unit 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched or the like.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is surrounded by the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or a nearby object without mechanical contact using the force of an electromagnetic field or infrared rays. The proximity sensor has a longer life span than the contact sensor and its utilization is also high.

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission type photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection type photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation type proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor. And to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field along the proximity of the pointer when the touch screen is electrostatic. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of recognizing that the pointer is positioned on the touch screen while the pointer is not in contact with the touch screen is referred to as "proximity touch & The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch. &Quot; The position where the pointer is proximately touched on the touch screen means a position where the pointer is vertically corresponding to the touch screen when the pointer is touched.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch movement state, and the like). Information corresponding to the detected proximity touch operation and the proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The audio output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160 in a call signal reception mode, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, The sound output module 152 also outputs sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. [ The audio output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events that occur in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, touch input, and the like. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for informing occurrence of an event in a form other than a video signal or an audio signal, for example, vibration. The video signal or the audio signal may be output through the display unit 151 or the audio output module 152 so that they may be classified as a part of the alarm unit 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154 is vibration. The intensity and pattern of the vibration generated by the hit module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may include a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to the contact skin surface, a spraying force or suction force of the air through the injection port or the suction port, a touch on the skin surface, contact with an electrode, And various tactile effects such as an effect of reproducing a cold sensation using an endothermic or exothermic element can be generated.

The haptic module 154 can be implemented not only to transmit the tactile effect through the direct contact but also to allow the user to feel the tactile effect through the muscular sensation of the finger or arm. The haptic module 154 may include two or more haptic modules 154 according to the configuration of the portable terminal 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and temporarily store input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns outputted when a touch is input on the touch screen.

The memory 160 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM A disk, and / or an optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path for communication with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or supplies power to each component in the mobile terminal 100 or transmits data to the external device. For example, a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio I / O port, A video input / output (I / O) port, an earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip for storing various information for authenticating the use right of the mobile terminal 100 and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM), a general user authentication module A Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. A device equipped with an identification module (hereinafter referred to as "identification device") may be manufactured in a smart card format. Accordingly, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port.

When the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100, or various command signals input by the user to the cradle may be transmitted It can be a passage to be transmitted to the terminal. The various command signals or the power source input from the cradle may be operated as a signal for recognizing that the mobile terminal is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. The control unit 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the control unit 180 or may be implemented separately from the control unit 180. [

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing handwriting input or drawing input performed on the touch screen as characters and images, respectively.

The power supply unit 190 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

The various embodiments described herein may be embodied in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of a processor, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and other electronic units for performing other functions. In some cases, The embodiments described may be implemented by the control unit 180 itself.

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented with separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more of the functions and operations described herein. Software code can be implemented in a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software code is stored in the memory 160 and can be executed by the control unit 180. [

2A is a perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

The disclosed mobile terminal 100 has a bar-shaped terminal body. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various structures such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, and a swivel type in which two or more bodies are relatively movably coupled.

The body includes a case (a casing, a housing, a cover, and the like) which forms an appearance. In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 101 and a rear case 102. [ A variety of electronic components are embedded in the space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

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 151, the sound output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input units 130/131 and 132, the microphone 122, the interface 170, and the like may be disposed in the front body 101 have.

The display unit 151 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 101. A sound output unit 151 and a camera 121 are disposed in an area adjacent to one end of both ends of the display unit 151 and a user input unit 131 and a microphone 122 are disposed in an area adjacent to the other end. The user input unit 132 and the interface 170 may be disposed on the side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The user input unit 130 is operated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal 100 and may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132. The operation units 131 and 132 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.

The contents inputted by the first or second operation unit 131 or 132 may be variously set. For example, the first operation unit 131 receives commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 132 controls the size of the sound output from the sound output unit 152 or the size of the sound output from the display unit 151 To the touch recognition mode of the touch screen.

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal shown in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a camera 121 'may be further mounted on the rear surface of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 102. The camera 121 'may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to the camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 may have a low pixel 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 camera 121 ' It is preferable to have a large number of pixels. The cameras 121 and 121 'may be installed in the terminal body so as to be rotatable or pop-upable.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 are additionally disposed adjacent to the camera 121 '. The flash 123 illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera 121 '. The mirror 124 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to shoot himself / herself (self-photographing) using the camera 121 '.

An acoustic output 152 'may be additionally disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The sound output unit 152 'may implement the stereo function together with the sound output unit 152 (see FIG. 2A), and may be used for the implementation of the speakerphone mode during a call.

In addition to the antenna for talking and the like, a broadcast signal reception antenna 116 may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 116, which forms part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1), can be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the portable terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 190 may be built in the terminal body or may be detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

The rear case 102 may further include a touch pad 135 for sensing a touch. The touch pad 135 may also be of a light transmission type like the display unit 151. [ In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output time information on both sides, the time information can be recognized through the touch pad 135 as well. The information output on both sides may be all controlled by the touch pad 135. [ Alternatively, a display may be additionally mounted on the touch pad 135, and a touch screen may be disposed on the rear case 102 as well.

The touch pad 135 operates in correlation with the display portion 151 of the front case 101. The touch pad 135 may be disposed parallel to the rear of the display unit 151. The touch pad 135 may have a size equal to or smaller than that of the display unit 151.

Hereinafter, a related operation of the display unit 151 and the touch pad 135 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.

3A and 3B are front views of a portable terminal for explaining an operation state of the portable terminal according to the present invention.

Various types of time information can be displayed on the display unit 151. [ These pieces of information can be displayed in the form of letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons.

At least one of the letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons may be displayed in a predetermined arrangement for inputting such information, thereby being implemented as a keypad. Such a keypad may be called a so-called " soft key ".

FIG. 3A shows a touch input to a soft key through a front surface of a terminal body.

The display unit 151 may operate as an entire area or may be divided into a plurality of areas and operated. In the latter case, the plurality of areas can be configured to operate in association with each other.

For example, an output window 151a and an input window 151b are displayed on the upper and lower portions of the display unit 151, respectively. The output window 151a and the input window 151b are areas allocated for outputting or inputting information, respectively. In the input window 151b, a soft key 151c in which a number for inputting a telephone number or the like is displayed is output. When the soft key 151c is touched, a number corresponding to the touched soft key is displayed on the output window 151a. When the first operation unit 131 is operated, call connection to the telephone number displayed on the output window 151a is attempted.

FIG. 3B shows the input of a touch applied to the soft key through the rear surface of the terminal body. FIG. 3A shows a case where the terminal body is vertically arranged, and FIG. 3B shows a case where the terminal body is arranged horizontally. The display unit 151 may be configured to convert the output screen according to the arrangement direction of the terminal body.

3B shows that the text input mode is activated in the portable terminal. The display unit 151 displays an output window 151a 'and an input window 151b'. In the input window 151b ', a plurality of soft keys 151c' displayed with at least one of letters, symbols, and numbers may be arranged. The soft keys 151c 'may be arranged in the form of a QWERTY key.

When the soft keys 151c 'are touched through the touch pad 135 (see FIG. 2B), characters, numbers, symbols corresponding to the touched soft keys are displayed on the output window 151a'. As described above, the touch input through the touch pad 135 is advantageous in that the soft key 151c 'can not be blocked by the finger when the touch is input, compared with the touch input through the display unit 151. [ In the case where the display unit 151 and the touch pad 135 are formed to be transparent, the fingers located on the rear side of the terminal body can be visually confirmed, thereby enabling a more accurate touch input.

The display unit 151 or the touch pad 135 may be configured to receive a touch input by scrolling, as well as the input method described in the above embodiments. The user can move a cursor or a pointer located on an object displayed on the display unit 151, for example, an icon or the like, by scrolling the display unit 151 or the touch pad 135. [ Further, when the finger is moved on the display portion 151 or the touch pad 135, the path along which the finger moves may be visually displayed on the display portion 151. [ This will be useful for editing the image displayed on the display unit 151. [

One function of the terminal may be executed in response to a case where the display unit 151 (touch screen) and the touch pad 135 are touched together within a predetermined time range. In the case of being touched together, there may be a case where the user clamps the terminal body using the thumb and index finger. The one function may be activation or deactivation of the display unit 151 or the touch pad 135, for example.

The proximity sensor 141 described with reference to Fig. 1 will be described in more detail with reference to Fig.

4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the proximity depth of the proximity sensor.

As shown in FIG. 4, when a pointer such as a user's finger, a pen, or the like approaches the touch screen, the proximity sensor 141 disposed in or near the touch screen senses the proximity sensor and outputs a proximity signal.

The proximity sensor 141 may be configured to output different proximity signals according to the distance between the proximity-touched pointer and the touch screen (hereinafter referred to as "proximity depth").

In FIG. 4, for example, a cross-section of a touch screen having proximity sensors capable of sensing three proximity depths is illustrated. Of course, proximity sensors that detect less than three or more than four proximity depths are also possible.

Specifically, when the pointer is completely in contact with the touch screen (d0), it is recognized as a contact touch. If the pointer is located on the touch screen at a distance less than the distance d1, it is recognized as a proximity touch of the first proximity depth. If the pointer is located on the touch screen at a distance d1 or less and less than the distance d2, the pointer is recognized as a proximity touch of the second proximity depth. If the pointer is located on the touch screen at a distance d2 or more and less than the distance d3, it is recognized as a proximity touch of the third proximity depth. If the pointer is located at a distance d3 or more on the touch screen, it is recognized that the proximity touch is released.

Accordingly, the controller 180 can recognize the proximity touch as various input signals according to the proximity depth and proximity position of the pointer, and perform various operation control according to the various input signals.

Hereinafter, embodiments related to a control method that can be implemented in the terminal configured as above will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments can be used alone or in combination with each other. In addition, the embodiments described below may be used in combination with the above-described user interface (UI).

5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling an operation of a touch screen of a terminal according to the present invention.

As shown, the user operates the terminal for telephone conversation (S101).

For example, when a call is received, the user enters a call button (for example, the Send button). When transmitting a call, the user inputs the caller's telephone number and the call button. Then, after waiting for several seconds, when the telephone is connected, the user can start the call.

The control unit 180 controls the display function and the touch function of the screen during a time period in which the phone is connected.

For example, after a button (e.g., a call button) for operating the terminal is finally input, the display function and the touch function of the screen are normally operated until a predetermined specific time elapses (NO in S102) ). When the specified time has elapsed (YES in S102), the screen display function and the touch function are deactivated (S103).

The touch function can be operated in two steps.

For example, the first step of operating the touch function with a simple switching function and the second step of operating the touch function with a function capable of detecting the coordinates to which the touch is inputted can be operated. Accordingly, disabling the touch function means operating the touch screen only in the first step.

If the touch is input in the first step, the second step may be activated.

When the second step is activated, the screen display function is turned on and various information displayed on the screen can be controlled by the touch input method. That is, when the second step is activated during a phone call, a touch that the user does not desire can be inputted.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for preventing an unwanted touch input by a user when the second step is activated in a specific operation state of the terminal (e.g., a state of a telephone conversation). The algorithm for preventing unwanted touch input by the user is stored in the memory 160.

When the touch function is deactivated as described above, the touch screen operates in the first step (S103). However, when a touch is input to the touch screen operated in the first step (YES in S105), the controller 180 activates the touch screen to the second step. As described above, in the second step, the display function of the screen is turned on and the coordinate inputted with the touch can be detected. As described above, the coordinate of the touch point must be detected before manipulation such as input, drag, or click of the software button becomes possible.

Then, the purpose of the input touch is determined (S106). That is, it is determined whether the touch input is an input for controlling the terminal or a simple touch. For example, a simple touch that may occur on a touch screen in a particular operating state of the terminal (e.g., in a phone call state) is that a portion of the body (e.g., ear, face) is touched. Methods for distinguishing touch input and simple touch for the control will be described in detail with reference to other drawings.

If the touch input is input by simple touch according to the determination (YES in S107), the touch screen is operated again to the first step (S108). However, if the touch input is an input for controlling the terminal (NO in S107), the touch screen is operated to the second step (S109).

If it is determined that the touch input is a control object for a terminal other than a simple touch in the state where the touch screen is operated in the second step as described above, the operation corresponding to the touch input is performed immediately.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are exemplary views illustrating an example of methods for determining the purpose of a touch input in a terminal according to the present invention. That is, it is determined whether the touch input has a purpose for controlling the terminal or a simple contact without any special purpose.

Typically, when a touch is input for the purpose of controlling a terminal, the terminal is input using a sharp point or finger such as a pen for more accurate touch. Therefore, the touch area is less than a specific pixel.

Accordingly, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6A, an area of a touch input for controlling the terminal can be set to a specific pixel (for example, 10 pixels) 310 or less. Then, it is judged that the touch inputted by the area smaller than the specific pixel is input for the control of the terminal, and it is judged that the touch inputted by the area (for example, 13 pixels) 320 larger than the touch area is a simple touch .

In addition, at least two touch points generally occur when the terminal is brought into close contact with a part of the body (e.g., ear, face, palm) for telephone conversation. The area of each touch point is generally larger than the area of the touch point input for the purpose of control as described above.

Accordingly, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6B, the distance or the area between the widely distributed touch points is determined. If the distance or the area is greater than or equal to a predetermined distance or a specific area,

At this time, a line can be formed by connecting the touch points, and the area can be calculated as an area even if the inner space of the line is not touched. At this time, even if the line is not a closed curve, it can be divided into an inside and outside if it can be formed into a virtually elliptical shape, a circular shape, or a polygonal shape. The shape does not necessarily have to be a perfect shape.

For example, when the touch screen touches the face, the entire contact surface is touched without an empty space. However, as shown in FIG. 6B, when touching the ear, a touch point occurs only in the outer portion of the ear, This is because there is an untouched empty space inside one line.

In order to determine the distance or area, the coordinates of the center of each touch point (e.g., X-axis coordinate and Y-axis coordinate) can be used. For example, when the coordinates of the first touch point 340 are "4,2", the coordinates of the second touch point 340 are "3,7", the coordinates of the third touch point 350 are " Quot; and the coordinates of the fourth touch point 360 is " 7,5 ", the number of pixels between the coordinates can be calculated to determine the distance between the touch area and the specific pixel. That is, it can be calculated that the distance between the first touch point and the Y axis of the second touch point is 5 pixels.

Further, as shown in Fig. 6C, when the touch screen is simply contacted in a specific operation state (e.g., a state in a telephone conversation), when the touch input is compared with the touch input for controlling the terminal, It is common.

In addition, it is general that multi-touch occurs even if the touch point does not form a line as described above. The multi-touch point may be changed when the user changes the phone call posture. However, when compared with the touch input for controlling the terminal, the time for which the touch is held is relatively much longer.

Accordingly, when the multi-touch is input, the touch holding time is detected (S201). If the holding time of the multi-touch is maintained for a predetermined time or more (YES in S202) ). If the retention time of the multi-touch is smaller than a predetermined time (NO in S202), it is determined that the touch input is for terminal control (S204).

In order to explain the present embodiment, the grid shown in the drawings is only shown in enlarged form to facilitate understanding of the calculation method of the distance or area using the pixels of the screen, and the grid is not displayed on the actual screen.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to the purpose of inputting a touch according to the present invention.

If the touch input is input by simple touch (YES in S302), the touch screen is operated to the first step (S303) according to the determination result of the purpose of the touch input as described above (S301). That is, the display function of the screen is turned off and the touch function is disabled (S304), so that only the touch input is detected without detecting the coordinates of the touch.

However, if it is determined that the touch input is an operation for controlling the terminal (No in S302), the touch screen is operated to the second step (S305). That is, the display function of the screen is turned on and the touch function is activated (S306). As described above with reference to FIG. 5, after the button for operating the terminal is finally input, the touch screen is operated to the second step until a predetermined specific time elapses, and when the predetermined time elapses, Is changed to the first step and operated.

As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the above-described method can be implemented as a code that can be read by a processor on a medium on which a program is recorded. Examples of the medium that can be read by the processor include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, etc., and may be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (e.g., transmission over the Internet) .

The mobile terminal described above can be applied to not only the configuration and method of the embodiments described above but also all or some of the embodiments may be selectively combined so that various modifications may be made to the embodiments It is possible.

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

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

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

3A and 3B are front views of a portable terminal for explaining an operation state of the portable terminal according to the present invention.

4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the proximity depth of the proximity sensor;

5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of controlling the operation of a touch screen of a terminal according to the present invention.

6A to 6C are views illustrating an example of methods for determining a purpose of a touch input in a terminal according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process according to an object in which a touch is input according to the present invention. FIG.

Claims (12)

A touch screen; Wherein the control unit activates the touch screen when a touch is input in the inactive state of the touch screen and determines whether the touch input is an input for controlling the terminal or a simple contact and deactivates the touch screen if the touch input is a simple contact, ; And a memory for storing an algorithm for determining whether the touch input is a simple touch or a touch input for controlling the terminal and controlling an operation according to the determination, Wherein, A coordinate value corresponding to a plurality of touch points is given, a number of pixels between the plurality of touch points is calculated based on the coordinate value, If the calculated number of pixels is greater than a predetermined number of pixels, judges that the contact is a simple contact. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein deactivation of the touch screen comprises: Wherein the terminal is in a state in which the display function of the screen is turned off and only the detection of whether or not the touch is input is established. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein deactivation of the touch screen comprises: Wherein the terminal is set to be executed after a predetermined specific time has elapsed after the operation of the terminal is finally inputted. 2. The method of claim 1, And a state in which the display function of the screen is turned on and the touch coordinates are detected. The apparatus of claim 1, If the touch input is an input for controlling the terminal, performs an operation corresponding to the touch input. The apparatus of claim 1, Detecting an area of the input touch point, And if the detected area is wider than the predetermined area, it is judged as a simple contact. The apparatus of claim 1, A virtual shape connecting the touch points is formed, Detects an internal area of the virtual shape, and judges that the contact is a simple contact if the detected area is wider than a predetermined area. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, Detects the time at which the touch input is held, When the detected time of the touch is longer than a preset specific time, determines that the touch is simple. Deactivating the touch screen when the phone is in a busy state; Changing the touch screen to an active state when a touch is input in the inactive state, and determining whether the touch input is an input for controlling the terminal or a simple touch; And if the touch input is a simple touch, deactivating the touch screen again according to the determination, and if the touch input is an input for controlling the terminal, performing an operation corresponding to the touch input, Wherein the determining step comprises: A coordinate value corresponding to a plurality of touch points is given, a number of pixels between the plurality of touch points is calculated based on the coordinate value, And if the calculated number of pixels is greater than a predetermined number of pixels, the simple touch is determined. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step of determining whether the touch input is a simple contact comprises: Detecting an area of the input touch point, And if the detected area is wider than the predetermined area, it is determined to be a simple contact. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step of determining whether the touch input is a simple contact comprises: A virtual shape connecting the touch points is formed, Detecting an internal area of the virtual shape, and determining that the contact is simple if the detected area is wider than a preset area. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the step of determining whether the touch input is a simple contact comprises: Detects the time at which the touch input is held, And if the detected time of the touch is longer than a preset specific time, it is determined to be a simple contact.

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