Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same
AssigneeLG Electronics Inc.
InventorsHongjo Shim, Sungho Woo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mobile terminal includes: a display unit for outputting an image and receiving a touch input; a virtual home key unit overlapped with a specific region of the display unit, and for generating a control command for executing a specific function; and a controller for forming the control command, wherein the virtual home key unit includes: a vibration output unit for outputting vibrations of a specific pattern based on a touch input applied to the specific region and a peripheral region; and a pressure sensor disposed between the vibration output unit and the display unit, and for sensing a touch pressure, and wherein the controller executes the specific function when the touch pressure is sensed.
Claims16
A mobile terminal, comprising:
- a display configured to display an image;
- a touch sensor included in the display and having one or more regions maintained in an active state while the display is in a deactivated state;
- a key unit located to overlap a specific region of the display, wherein the specific region includes a button region which is less than an entire portion of the specific region, wherein the key unit provides an output for executing a specific function, wherein the key unit includes:
- a vibration unit configured to provide vibration of a specific pattern;
- and
- a pressure sensor located between the vibration unit and the display, wherein the pressure sensor is configured to sense touch pressure of the touch input when activated;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- activate the vibration unit to provide the vibration of the specific pattern, and activate the pressure sensor to permit the pressure sensor to sense the touch pressure of the touch input, when the touch sensor senses the touch input as being received at a position that corresponds to being within the button region of the display;
- not activate the pressure sensor, when the touch sensor senses the touch input as being received at a position that does not correspond to being within the button region of the display;
- and
- execute the specific function when the touch pressure of the touch input is sensed by the activated pressure sensor while the display is in the deactivated state, wherein the specific function includes causing the display to display specific screen information.
A method for controlling a mobile terminal having a display, vibration unit, touch sensor and pressure sensor, the method comprising:
- maintaining one or more regions of the touch sensor in an active state while the display is in a deactivated state
- sensing, via the touch sensor, a touch input received at the display, wherein the display includes a specific region, and wherein the specific region includes a button region that is less than an entire portion of the specific region;
- activating the vibration unit to provide vibration of a specific pattern, and activating the pressure sensor to permit the pressure sensor to sense touch pressure of the touch input, when the touch sensor senses the touch input as being received at a position that correspond to being within a button region of the display;
- not activating the pressure sensor, when the touch sensor senses the touch input as being received at a position that does not correspond to being within the button region of the display;
- and
- executing a specific function when the touch pressure of the touch input is sensed by the activated pressure sensor while the display is in the deactivated state, wherein the specific function includes causing the display to display specific screen information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.