KR101660739B1 - Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal having a sub display portion of at least one transparent and flexible electronic paper type in addition to a main display portion in a terminal and capable of displaying indicator information in the sub display portion and a control method thereof .

Description

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

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, in which usage of a terminal can be realized by further considering convenience of a user.

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.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a display unit of a terminal has been widely released as a touch screen capable of recognizing a touch, and it is required to provide various UI (User Interface) functions according to the operation of the touch screen.

Indicator icons representing various states of the terminal are displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal. The user can report the indicator icon, the antenna reception sensitivity of the current terminal, the message reception fact, the sound / The battery remaining amount, the current time, and the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal having a sub display unit of at least one transparent and flexible electronic paper type in addition to a main display unit and capable of displaying indicator information on the sub display unit, The purpose is to provide.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal including: a main display unit provided on a front surface of a main body of a mobile communication terminal; At least one electronic paper type sub-display portion; And a control unit displaying an idle screen on the main display unit and displaying at least one indicator information indicating an operation state of the terminal on the sub display unit.

At this time, the sub-display unit may be provided at a position of at least one of a rear portion, an upper portion, a lower portion, a left portion, and a right portion of the main body.

At this time, at least one of the upper side, the lower side, the left side, and the right side of the main body may be curved, and the sub-display may be disposed on the curved surface.

In addition, the sub-display unit may be disposed on an edge surface where an upper portion, a lower portion, a left portion, and a right portion of the main body and a front portion of the main body are connected to each other.

In addition, the sub-display unit may be disposed on an edge surface where an upper side, a lower side, and a rear side of the main body are connected to each other.

Meanwhile, the sub-display unit is an electronic paper including a touch pad, and the controller may display the indicator icon by driving the electronic paper when the electronic paper is touched.

At this time, when the electronic paper is touched again, the controller may turn off the driving of the electronic paper. In addition, the controller may display detailed information of the indicator information on the electronic paper when the electronic paper is touched again. In addition, the controller may sequentially scroll and display the detailed contents of the indicator information on the electronic paper. In addition, the controller may display detailed information of the indicator information on the main display unit when the electronic paper is touched again.

In addition, the controller may display at least one indicator information set by the user among the indicator information on the sub-display unit, and if the number of the sub-display unit and the indicator information is more than one, And the indicator information may be classified and displayed in each of the display units.

Also, the controller may not display the indicator information displayed on the sub-display unit in the idle screen displayed on the main display unit.

In addition, the controller may determine whether the indicator information can be displayed on the sub-display unit, and if not, display the indicator information sequentially.

In addition, the controller may display the indicator information displayed in the idle screen of the main display unit on the sub-display unit when the driving of the main display unit is off.

When the indicator information displayed on the touch screen is flicked in the direction in which the sub-display unit is disposed, the controller displays the indicator information on the touch screen, And display the flickered indicator information on the sub-display unit.

The mobile terminal further includes a motion sensor for detecting tilting of the main body of the mobile terminal, wherein the sub-display unit includes at least one of an upper portion, a lower portion, and at least one of a left portion and a right portion of the terminal. And the controller may display at least one indicator information on a sub-display unit arranged in a tilting direction of the main body detected through the motion sensor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a mobile terminal, the method including: providing a main display unit provided on a front surface of the terminal main body; Comprising the steps of: providing a sub-display portion of at least one electronic paper type; Displaying an idle screen on the main display unit; And displaying at least one indicator information indicating an operation state of the terminal on the sub-display unit.

A mobile terminal and a control method thereof according to the present invention are characterized by including a sub display unit of a transparent and flexible electronic paper type on an upper / lower end or left / right side of a terminal, Thereby, there is an effect that the user can see the indicator information through the sub-display unit without looking at the main display unit.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cell section and a display driving circuit of an electronic paper type sub-display unit according to the present invention.
3 to 6 are views showing respective positions of the sub-display unit according to the present invention.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of setting a sub-display unit to display an indicator icon in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.
8 is a screen state diagram illustrating a process of setting a sub-display unit for displaying an indicator icon in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.
9 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on a sub-display unit in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.
10 to 13 are flowcharts illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on a sub-display unit in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.
15 and 16 are flowcharts illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.
17 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.
18 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on a sub-display unit in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.
20 and 21 are flowcharts illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.
FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.
23 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on a sub-display unit in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

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), navigation and the like. 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.

Before describing the present invention, the indicator information referred to in the present invention may be any one of a text, an image, a moving picture, and an animation in which the state of the mobile terminal 100 can be recognized by the user, It can be an icon form combining two or more.

That is, the indicator information includes at least one of an antenna reception sensitivity of the terminal 100, a battery remaining amount, a current time, an alarm setting status, a ringing / vibration mode, The size of the terminal 100, the size of the ringtone, and the like. In the following description, it is assumed that the indicator information is in the form of an icon.

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 A digital broadcasting system such as DVB-CB, OMA-BCAST, or Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB-T). 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. According to the current technology, the GPS module 115 calculates distance information and accurate time information from three or more satellites, and then applies trigonometry to the calculated information to obtain a three-dimensional string of latitude, longitude, The location information can be accurately calculated. At present, a method of calculating position and time information using three satellites and correcting an error of the calculated position and time information using another satellite is widely used. In addition, the GPS module 115 can calculate speed information by continuously calculating the current position in real time.

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. [ Two or more cameras 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 and a motion sensor 142. This will be discussed later in connection with touch screens.

The motion sensor 142 senses the movement and inclination of the mobile terminal 100 and outputs the sensed result to the controller 180. For example, the motion sensor 142 may be implemented as a tilt sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like.

The output unit 150 generates an output related to a visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a main display unit 151, an audio output module (not shown), an alarm unit 152, a haptic module 153, A module 154, a sub-display unit 155, and the like.

The main 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 main 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, and a 3D display.

In addition, the sub-display unit 155 may be provided in the form of an electronic paper on at least one of an upper end portion, a lower end portion, a rear portion, and a left side and a right side of the terminal 100 according to the present invention.

At this time, the sub-display unit 155 has a smaller screen size than the main display unit 151, and at least one indicator icon is displayed according to the present invention.

On the other hand, a touch sensor is mounted on the main and sub display units 151 and 155, and may be provided as a touch screen.

As described above, when the main and sub display units 151 and 155 are provided in the form of a touch screen, the main and sub display units 151 and 155 may be used as an input device in addition to the output device.

The touch sensor converts a change in a pressure applied to a specific portion of the main and sub display portions 151 and 155 or a capacitance generated at a specific portion of the main and sub display portions 151 and 155 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 (not shown). 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 main and sub display units 151 and 155 is touched.

The proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal 100 or in the vicinity of the main display unit 151, which is surrounded by the main display unit 151.

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.

For convenience of explanation, the pointer is positioned on the main and sub display portions 151 and 155 without touching the pointer on the main and sub display portions 151 and 155 of the touch screen type Quot; proximity touch ", and the act of actually touching the pointer on the main and sub display portions 151 and 155 is called "contact touch. &Quot; The position where the pointer is proximately touched on the main and sub display units 151 and 155 means that the pointer corresponds vertically to the main and sub display units 151 and 155 when the pointer is touched Position.

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).

Hereinafter, the sub-display unit 155 according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6. FIG.

First, with reference to Fig. 2, a description will be given of the cell section and the display driving principle of the image display element used in the electronic paper 155, which is the sub display part according to the present invention.

2A shows a state in which negative (-) charged particles 155e and positive (+) charged particles 155f are disposed between opposing substrates (a transparent substrate 155a and an opposing substrate 155b) .

In this state, when a voltage is applied so that the side of the display electrode 155c at the low potential opposite electrode 155d is at a high potential, as shown in Fig. 2B, the positive chargeable particles 155f And the negative (-) charged particles 155e move to the opposite electrode 155d side. In this case, the display surface viewed from the transparent substrate 155a side appears as the color of positive (+) charged particles 155f.

Then, when a voltage is applied so that the potential is on the display electrode 155c side by switching the potential and the voltage on the side of the counter electrode 155d is low, as shown in Fig. 2C, (-) charged particles 155e emerge toward display electrode 155c side, and positive (+) charged particles 155f emerge toward counter electrode 155d. In this case, the display surface viewed from the side of the transparent substrate 155a is seen as the color of the negative (-) charged particles 155e.

Between Fig. 2B and Fig. 2C, it is possible to repeatedly display only by reversing the potential of the power source, and the color can be reversibly changed by inverting the potential of the power source. At this time, the color of the particles can be freely selected.

For example, when negative (-) charged particles 155e are made white, positive (+) charged particles 155f are made black, negative charged particles 155e are made black, and positive (+ ) When the charged particles 155f are white, the display is reversible between white and black. In this way, since each particle is once attached to the electrode by the ordinary force, the display state of the image is maintained even after the power is turned off.

As described above, the electronic paper 155 is a reflective display, and has excellent visual characteristics such as high resolution, wide viewing angle, and bright white background as in conventional paper and ink.

That is, the electronic paper 155 can be implemented on any substrate such as plastic, metal, and paper, and the image is maintained even after the power is turned off, and the battery life of the terminal 100 is maintained for a long time .

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 below, the electronic paper 155, which is a sub-display unit as described above, may be provided in the mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention to display indicator icons.

3, the main display unit 151 is mounted on the front portion 10A of the terminal 100 according to the present invention, and the upper portion 20A and the right side 30A of the terminal 100 Electronic paper 155 can be mounted, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 4, the electronic paper 155 may be mounted on the rear portion 10B of the terminal 100. FIG.

The electronic paper 155 is mounted on the upper surface 20A of the terminal 100 and the lower surface 20B of the terminal 100. The surface of the electronic paper 155, The upper portion 20A and the lower portion 20B and any one of the surfaces of the left side portion 30B and the right side portion 30A, And may be mounted on an edge surface where the rear portion 10B of the main body is connected to each other.

5 shows that the electronic paper 155 is mounted on an edge surface where the front portion 10A of the terminal and the top portion 20A are connected to each other.

6, at least one of the upper side 20A, the lower side 20B, the left side 30B and the right side 30A of the terminal 100 is formed to be bent, The electronic paper 155 may be mounted on the curved surface.

5 (a) shows that the electronic paper 155 is mounted in the upper end portion 20A formed to be bent, and FIG. 5 (b) And is mounted in the right side surface 30A formed in a curved shape.

The sub-display unit 155 according to the present invention has been described above with reference to Figs. 2 to 6. Fig.

Next, the components of Fig. 1 will be described.

The audio output module (not shown) 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 (not shown) outputs sound signals associated with functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, and the like) performed by the mobile terminal 100. The audio output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm module 152 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 module 152 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. In this case, the main display unit 151 and the audio output module (not shown) may be connected to the alarm module 152 (not shown). The main display unit 151 and the audio output module ). ≪ / RTI >

The haptic module 153 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 153 is vibration. The intensity and pattern of the vibration generated by the haptic module 153 are controllable. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 153 may be configured to perform various functions such as 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 153 can be implemented not only to transmit the tactile effect through direct contact but also to allow the user to feel the tactile effect through the muscular sense of the finger or arm. The haptic module 153 may include two or more haptic modules 153 according to the configuration of the mobile terminal 100.

The projector module 154 is a component for performing an image project function using the mobile terminal 100 and is similar to the image displayed on the main display unit 151 in accordance with a control signal of the controller 180 Or at least partly display another image on an external screen or wall.

Specifically, the projector module 154 includes a light source (not shown) that generates light (for example, laser light) for outputting an image to the outside, a light source And a lens (not shown) for enlarging and outputting the image at a predetermined focal distance to the outside. In addition, the projector module 154 may include a device (not shown) capable of mechanically moving the lens or the entire module to adjust the image projection direction.

The projector module 154 can be divided into a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) module, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module, and a DLP (Digital Light Processing) module according to the type of the display means. In particular, the DLP module may be advantageous in downsizing the projector module 154 in a manner that enlarges and projects an image generated by reflecting light generated from a light source on a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) chip.

Preferably, the projector module 154 may be provided longitudinally on the side, front or back side of the mobile terminal 100. It goes without saying that the projector module 154 may be provided at any position of the mobile terminal 100 as occasion demands.

The memory 160 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 180 and may store programs for inputting / outputting data (e.g., telephone directory, message, audio, still image, electronic book, It may also perform functions for temporary storage. The memory unit 160 may also store the frequency of use of each of the data (for example, each telephone number, each message, and frequency of use for each multimedia). In addition, the memory unit 160 may store data related to vibrations and sounds of various patterns that are output upon touch 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. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") can 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. [

The process of controlling the main and sub display units 151 and 155 of the control unit 180 and displaying the indicator icon on the sub display unit 155 according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Explain.

7 and 8, a process of setting a sub-display unit to display an indicator icon in a state where a plurality of sub-display units according to the present invention are provided will be described in detail.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a process of setting a sub-display unit to display an indicator icon in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

8 is a screen state diagram illustrating a process of setting a sub-display unit for displaying an indicator icon in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

7 and 8, when the indicator display position setting menu 10 according to the present invention among the setting menus of the mobile terminal 100 is selected (FIG. 8 (a)), the controller 180 selects The indicator display position setting menu 10 is displayed on the main display unit 151 (S71) (Fig. 8 (b)).

At this time, the setting menu 10 includes an indicator setting window 20 for selecting the type of the indicator icon and a sub-display setting window 30 for selecting the type of the sub-display portion.

8 (b), when the setting menu 10 is selected, the controller 180 displays the indicator icons 21 provided in the mobile terminal 100 in the indicator setting window 20, ~ 27) are listed and displayed.

8 (b), when the setting menu 10 is selected, the control unit 180 controls the sub-display unit setting window 30 to display a plurality of sub- And displays and displays the display units 31 to 33.

If at least one indicator icon is designated through the indicator setting window 20 and the subdisplay setting window 30 and the subdisplay unit for displaying the designated indicator icon is designated in step S73, The designated indicator icon and the sub-display unit are mapped to each other and stored in the memory 160] S74].

Hereinafter, Table 1 will be described by way of example.

 No Specified Indicator Type A sub display unit for displaying the designated indicator One Time, Message, and Out of Office indicator The uppermost sub- 2 Battery and antenna indicators The lower- 3 Sound volume indicator The right sub-

Table 1 shows an example of the mapping table stored in the memory 160 by the processes of FIGS. 7 and 8.

Indicator icons indicating the status of the message 22, absence 23 and time 24 among the indicator icons 21 to 27 may include a sub display unit 31 provided at the upper end of the mobile terminal 100, And the indicator icons indicating the state of the message 22, absence 23 and time 24 are displayed on the sub-display unit 31 at the upper end.

The indicator icons indicating the states of the battery 21 and the antenna 25 among the indicator icons 21 to 27 are mapped to the subdisplay unit 32 provided at the lower end of the mobile terminal 100, Indicators icons indicating the state of the battery 21 and the antenna 25 are displayed on the sub-display unit 32 at the lower end.

As another example, an indicator icon indicating the sound volume size (not shown) among the indicator icons 21 to 27 is mapped to the sub-display unit 33 provided on the right side of the mobile terminal 100, An indicator icon indicating the sound volume size (not shown) is displayed on the sub-display unit 33 on the right side.

7 to 8 show a plurality of sub-displays according to the present invention, but the sub-display setting window 30 may be omitted when the sub-display units are provided as a single unit.

7 and 8, a process of setting a sub-display unit for displaying an indicator icon in a state where a plurality of sub-display units according to the present invention are provided has been described in detail.

Hereinafter, each embodiment for displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit 155 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 9 to 23. Fig.

≪ Embodiment 1 >

The first embodiment of the present invention is configured such that an indicator icon displayed within the screen of the main display unit 151 is displayed on the sub display unit 155 in a state in which the main display unit 151 and the sub display unit 155 are driven together, On the display screen.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on a sub-display unit in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

10 to 13 are flowcharts illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

9 and 10, when the mobile terminal 100 is deactivated and the main and sub display units 151 and 155 are turned off, the controller 180 determines whether the mobile terminal 100 is turned off, The main and sub display units 151 and 155 are driven (S91).

At this time, the inactive state of the mobile terminal 100 indicates that the mobile terminal 100 has been switched to a sleep state because the user's operation or internal operation with respect to the mobile terminal 100 has not been performed for a preset time do.

The control unit 180 displays a screen including at least one indicator icon 21, 22, 24 and 25 on the main display unit 151 driven in step S92 and displays the at least one driven sub display unit 155 , The indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 are displayed (S93).

10 shows that the sub display unit 155 according to the present invention is mounted on the upper end 20A of the mobile terminal 100. The controller 180 displays the indicator icons 151 displayed on the display unit 151, (21, 22, 24, 25) are displayed on the sub-display unit 155 in a redundant manner.

At this time, even if the activated mobile terminal 100 is again turned off and the main and sub display units 151 and 155 are turned off again, the sub display unit 155 is an electronic paper, The indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 may remain as a residual image.

Therefore, even if the main display unit 151 is turned off due to the mobile terminal 100 being in an inactive state, the user can easily access the indicator icons 21, 22, 24 , 25) can always be recognized.

At this time, when the state of the indicator icons 21, 22, 24, 25 displayed on the sub-display unit 155 is changed while the sub-display unit 155 is off, According to the setting, the sub display unit 155 may be driven to display the indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 to which the changed state is applied.

When the state of the indicator icons 21, 22, 24, 25 displayed on the sub-display unit 155 is changed while the sub-display unit 155 is turned off, According to the setting, the after-image of the screen displayed on the sub-display unit 155 can be removed.

Although not shown in the drawing, when at least one of the indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 displayed in the sub-display unit 155 is selected, the controller 180 displays detailed information of the information represented by the selected indicator icon Contents can be displayed on the main display unit 151 or the sub-display unit 155. [

In this case, when the details of the selected indicator icon are displayed on the sub-display unit 155, the controller 180 determines whether the entire contents of the indicator icon can be displayed on the sub-display unit 155 If the determination result is NO, the sub-display unit 155 may sequentially scroll the detailed contents of the indicator icon to display the entire contents.

11, the controller 180 does not display the indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 on the screen of the main display unit 151 according to the menu function setting of the user, The indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 may be displayed only on the sub-display unit 155. FIG.

12, if the indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 are not completely displayed in the screen of the sub-display unit 155, As shown in the figure, some indicator icons 22 and 25 are first displayed on the sub-display unit 155 and the remaining indicator icons 21 and 24 are sequentially displayed as shown in FIG. 12 (b) Can be scrolled.

Next, referring to FIG. 13, if the mobile terminal 100 includes a plurality of sub-display units 155, the indicator icons can be classified and displayed in each of the sub-display units.

13 shows that the sub display unit 155 is provided in the upper end 20A and the right side 30A of the mobile terminal 100. The control unit 180 controls the upper end 20A and the sub display unit 155, Display icons previously set by the user in Table 1 can be displayed on each of the sub-display units 155 arranged on the left side and the right side 30A.

The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to Figs.

Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 14 to 16. Fig.

≪ Embodiment 2 >

The second embodiment of the present invention turns off the sub display unit 155 when the main display unit 151 is driven and drives the sub display unit 155 when the main display unit 151 is off, And displays the indicator icons displayed on the main display unit 151 on the driven sub-display unit 155.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on a sub-display unit in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

15 and 16 are flowcharts illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

14 and 15, the controller 180 drives the main display unit 151 and turns off the sub display unit 155 when the mobile terminal 100 is activated (S141) (FIG. 15 (A) of FIG.

The control unit 180 displays a screen including at least one indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 on the driven main display unit 151 (S142).

At this time, when the mobile terminal 100 is switched from the active state to the inactive state, the control unit 180 turns off the driving of the main display unit 151 (S143) and drives the sub-display unit 155 S144].

Next, the control unit 180 displays the indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 displayed on the main display unit 151 to the driven sub-display unit 155 (S145) (B) of FIG.

Although not shown in the drawing, when at least one of the indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 displayed in the sub-display unit 155 is selected, the controller 180 displays details of the information represented by the selected indicator icon Contents can be displayed on the main display unit 151 or the sub-display unit 155. [

In this case, when the details of the selected indicator icon are displayed on the sub-display unit 155, the controller 180 determines whether the entire contents of the indicator icon can be displayed on the sub-display unit 155 If the determination result is NO, the sub-display unit 155 may sequentially scroll the detailed contents of the indicator icon to display the entire contents.

If the indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 are not completely displayed in the sub-display unit 155, the controller 180 displays the indicator icons 22, 25, and the remaining indicator icons 21, 24 can be sequentially scrolled and displayed.

Next, referring to FIG. 16, if the mobile terminal 100 includes a plurality of sub-display units 155, the indicator icons can be classified and displayed in each of the sub-display units.

16 shows that the sub display unit 155 is provided on the upper end portion 20A and the right side portion 30A of the mobile terminal 100. The control unit 180 controls the main display unit 151 are turned off to drive the subdisplay unit 155 disposed at the upper end 20A and the right side 30A and display icon icons preset by the user in Table 1 on each of the subdisplay units 155 Can be displayed.

As described above, the second embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to Figs.

Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 17 and 18. Fig.

≪ Third Embodiment >

The third embodiment of the present invention displays indicator icons on the subdisplay unit 155 when the subdisplay unit 155 is touched while the subdisplay unit 155 is off, When the sub-display unit 155 is touched again, the sub-display unit 155 is turned off.

17 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

18 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

17 and 18, when the driving of the sub-display unit 155 provided in the mobile terminal 100 is off (S171), the controller 180 controls the sub- (S171) (Fig. 18 (a)) when the touch panel 155 is touched (S172).

At this time, the main display unit 151 may be driven or turned off. That is, the third embodiment of the present invention displays the indicator icons on the sub-display unit 155 according to the user's touch, irrespective of whether the main display unit 151 is driven or not.

The sub-display unit 155 may be a touch-screen type or a thermal sensor (not shown) may be provided around the sub-display unit 155 to control the sub- 155 can be detected.

The controller 180 displays at least one indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 on the driven sub-display unit 155 when the touched sub-display unit 155 is operated [S174] 18 (b)).

At this time, the indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 may be icons preset by the user or icons displayed on the main display unit 151 according to the procedures of FIGS.

If it is not possible to display all of the indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 in the screen of the sub-display unit 155, the controller 180 displays a part of the indicator icons on the sub- The indicator icons 22 and 25 may be displayed first, and the remaining indicator icons 21 and 24 may be sequentially scrolled and displayed.

The control unit 180 displays the indicator icons 21, 22, 24, and 25 on the sub display unit 155 as described above, and when the sub display unit 155 is touched again by the user (S175) (Fig. 18 (b)), the driving of the sub display unit 155 is turned off (S176) (Fig. 18 (c)).

17 and 18, the third embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail.

Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 19 to 21. FIG.

<Fourth Embodiment>

The fourth embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that an indicator icon displayed on the main display unit 151 in the mobile terminal 100 has a plurality of subdisplay units 155 at different positions, and provides the function of displaying the flicked indicator icon on the sub-display unit 155 arranged in the flicking direction when flicking.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on a sub-display unit in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

20 and 21 are flowcharts illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

19 and 20, the control unit 180 drives the first main display unit 151 (S191), and the controller 180 controls the main display unit 151 to display at least one indicator icon And displays the screen including the images 21, 24, and 25 (S192) (FIG. 20 (a)).

At this time, if at least one icon 21 of the indicator icons 21, 24, 25 is flicked-touched in a specific direction by the user on the main display unit 151 (S193) 20 (a)], the sub-display unit 155 arranged in the flicking direction among the plurality of sub-display units 155 provided in the mobile terminal 100 is driven (S194).

The control unit 180 displays the indicator icon 21 flicked on the main display unit 151 on the driven sub-display unit 155 (S195) (FIG. 20 (b)).

20A shows a state in which the sub display unit 155 is disposed on the upper end portion 20A and the right side portion 30A of the mobile terminal 100 and the battery indicator icon Display unit 21 is flicked in the direction of the sub-display unit 155 located at the upper end 20A of the terminal 100. [

The control unit 180 drives the upper display unit 20A disposed in the flicking direction when the battery indicator icon 21 is flickered in the direction of the upper end 20A, The battery indicator icon 21 is displayed on the sub display unit 155 of the display unit 20A.

21, in the fourth embodiment of the present invention, even if the area where the indicator icons 21, 24, 25 are arranged in the main display unit 151 is flicked, And all the indicator icons 21, 24, and 25 in the flicked area may be displayed on the sub-display unit 155 located in the direction of the arrow.

As described above, the fourth embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to FIGS. 19 to 21. FIG.

Hereinafter, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 22 and 23. Fig.

<Fifth Embodiment>

The fourth embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a mobile terminal having a plurality of subdisplay units 155 at different positions in the mobile terminal 100 and a tilting direction of the terminal 100 sensed by the motion sensor 142 And displays the indicator icons displayed on the main display unit 151 on the sub display unit 155 disposed in the main display unit 151. [

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on the sub-display unit in the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

23 is a flowchart illustrating a process of displaying an indicator icon on a sub-display unit in a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

22 and 23, the control unit 180 drives the first main display unit 151 (S221), and displays at least one indicator icons 21, 24, and 25 on the driven main display unit 151 ) (S222) (Fig. 23 (a)).

The control unit 180 drives the motion sensor 142 and displays the motion sensor 142 on the screen including the indicator icons 21, 24 and 25 on the main display unit 151 And detects the inclination of the main body of the terminal 100 (S224).

When the tilting direction of the main body 100 of the terminal 100 is sensed through the motion sensor 142 at step S225, the controller 180 controls the sub-display unit 155 disposed at the tilted direction And displays the indicator icons 21, 24 and 25 displayed on the main display unit 151 on the driven sub-display unit 155 (S227) (FIG. 23B) .

23 (a) shows a state in which the sub display unit 155 is disposed on the upper end portion 20A and the right side portion 30A of the mobile terminal 100, respectively, As shown in Fig.

When the main body of the terminal 100 is detected to be tilted in the right direction through the motion sensor 142 as described above, the control unit 180 controls the sub-display unit 155 to move in the tilting direction, And displays the indicator icons 21, 24, and 25 displayed on the main display unit 151 on the upper display unit 20A.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

The present invention described above can be embodied as computer-readable codes on a medium on which a program is recorded. The computer readable medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of the computer-readable medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like, and also implemented in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission over the Internet) . Also, the computer may include a control unit 180 of the terminal.

Accordingly, the above description should not be construed in a limiting sense in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by rational interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the scope of equivalents of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

The above-described mobile terminal and its control method are not limited to the configuration and method of the above-described embodiments, but the embodiments may be modified such that all or some of the embodiments are selectively And may be configured in combination.

100: mobile terminal 110: wireless communication unit
111: broadcast receiver 112: mobile communication module
113 wireless Internet module 114 short-range communication module
115: Position information module 120: A / V input section
121: camera 122: microphone
130: user input unit 140: sensing unit
141: proximity sensor 142: motion sensor
150: output unit 151: main display unit
152: Alarm module 153: Haptic module
154: Projector module 155: Sub-display section
160: memory 170: interface section
180: control unit 181: multimedia module
190: Power supply

Claims (19)

A main display unit provided on a front portion of the terminal main body;
At least one electronic paper type sub-display; And
And a controller for displaying an idle screen on the main display unit and displaying at least one indicator icon on the subdisplay unit to indicate an operation state of the terminal,
Wherein the indicator icon indicates at least one of an antenna reception sensitivity, an alarm setting status, and a message reception notification. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least one sub-display unit is provided on a rear surface of the main body. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sub-display unit is provided at at least one of an upper portion, a lower portion, and a left portion and a right portion of the main body. The method of claim 3,
Wherein at least one of an upper side portion, a lower side portion, a left side portion and a right side portion of the main body is formed to be bent,
And the sub-display unit is disposed on the curved surface. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sub display unit is disposed on an edge surface where an upper side portion, a lower side portion, a left side portion, and a right side portion of the main body and a front portion of the main body are connected to each other. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sub-display unit is disposed on an edge surface where an upper side, a lower side, and a rear side of the main body are connected to each other. The method according to claim 1,
The sub-display unit is an electronic paper including a touch pad,
Wherein the control unit displays the indicator icon by driving the electronic paper when the electronic paper is touched. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the controller turns off the driving of the electronic paper when the electronic paper is touched again. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the controller displays detailed information on the operation state indicated by the indicator icon on the electronic paper when the electronic paper is touched again. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the control unit sequentially scrolls and displays the entire detailed contents of the indicator icon on the electronic paper. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the control unit displays detailed information of the operation state indicated by the indicator icon on the main display unit when the electronic paper is touched again. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the controller displays at least one indicator icon set by a user among the at least one indicator icons on the sub-display unit. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit classifies and displays the two or more indicator icons in each of the sub display units according to the setting of the user when the sub display unit and the indicator icons are two or more. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit does not display an indicator icon displayed on the sub display unit in an idle screen displayed on the main display unit. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit judges whether or not all of the two or more indicator icons can be displayed on the sub-display unit when the indicator icons are two or more, and if not, the two or more indicator icons are sequentially scroll- Wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control unit moves the indicator icon displayed in the idle screen of the main display unit to the sub-display unit when the main display unit is turned off. The method according to claim 1,
The main display unit is a touch screen,
At least one indicator icon is displayed on the touch screen,
Wherein the control unit displays the flicked indicator icon on the sub-display unit when the indicator icon displayed on the touch screen is touched and flicked in the direction in which the sub-display unit is disposed. terminal. The method according to claim 1,
And a motion sensor for detecting tilting of the terminal body,
The sub-display unit includes at least one of an upper portion, a lower portion, and a left portion and a right portion of the terminal,
Wherein the control unit displays at least one indicator icon on a sub-display unit arranged in a tilting direction of the main body detected through the motion sensor. A main display unit provided on a front surface of the terminal main body;
Providing a sub-display portion of at least one electronic paper type; And
Displaying an idle screen on the main display unit; And
And displaying at least one indicator icon indicating an operation state of the terminal on the sub-display unit,
Wherein the indicator icon indicates at least one of an antenna reception sensitivity, an alarm setting status, and a message reception notification.

Images