Patent Application
20120061571
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0090495, filed on Sep. 15, 2010, entitled “LASER NAVIGATION MODULE”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into this application.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laser navigation module.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a personal mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone or a smart phone includes a user interface using a keypad. The keypad is provided with input buttons used to input information regarding numerals, characters and directions.
Recently, with the commercialization of wireless internet service such as Wireless Broadband (WIBRO), a personal mobile communication terminal has come to adopt a windows operating system which supports a Graphical User Interface (GUI).
In response to the above-mentioned adoption of the operating system of the GUI for the user interface of the personal mobile communication terminal and the demand for the development of an input device which is suitable for the mobile communication terminal and convenient and easy for a user to use, a touch key, a joy stick and an optical pointing device used to perform sequential input on a keypad displayed on the display screen of the mobile communication terminal has been developed. One such device is a laser navigation module including a window and a lid.
However, the laser navigation module is problematic in that it is not provided with an additional illuminator, so that it is difficult to use the laser navigation module in dark places.
In greater detail,
The window 110 allows laser light emitted by a light source to pass therethrough and be reflected on a user's body, for example, the hand, and blocks the entry of visible light. Further, the window 110 is accommodated in the housing 120.
The lid 130 is positioned below the window 110, serves as a blocking unit for blocking the entry of spill light, and includes a stepped part 131, a circular hole 132, and a rectangular through part 133. The stepped part 131 allows the lid 130 to come into closer contact with the housing 120, the circular hole 132 allows laser light emitted by the light source to pass therethrough, and the rectangular through part 133 allows laser light which is reflected and refracted by a user's body in contact with the window 110 and is then recovered to pass therethrough.
The control IC chip 140 includes a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) 141 that is the light source of laser light, functions to calculate the displacement value of the laser light which is reflected and refracted on the window 110 and is then recovered, and is combined with the PCB 150. Further, the dome switch 160 is provided below the PCB 150. The dome switch 160 functions to detect the pressing action of a user and to transmit a user's selection signal to a control unit (not shown) which is located below the dome switch 160.
The conventional laser navigation module is problematic in that it is not provided with an additional illuminator, so that it is inconvenient to use the laser navigation module in a dark place. Further, even though an illuminator may be provided outside the laser navigation module, it is very difficult to install the illuminator in the laser navigation module which is manufactured in a very small size, and it is impossible to uniformly emit light from the internal illuminator to a desired area.
The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a laser navigation module, to in which an illuminator is provided in a housing of the laser navigation module, and the housing includes a transparent or semi-transparent part, and an opaque part or a blocking layer for selective blocking, thus enabling light to be emitted to a desired area of the housing, therefore making it convenient to use even in a dark place.
In a laser navigation module according to an embodiment of the present invention, a light source emits laser light. An IR window allows the laser light emitted by the light source to pass therethrough and be reflected thereon, and prevents the entry of visible light. A housing is equipped with the IR window and includes a transparent or semi-transparent part. An illuminator is provided in the housing to emit light to the outside of the housing.
The housing may further include an opaque part for blocking light from going out or coming in, the transparent or semi-transparent part may be provided on an upper portion and a side portion of the housing, and the opaque part may be provided on a lower portion of the housing.
The housing may further include an opaque part for blocking light from going out or coming in, the transparent or semi-transparent part may be provided on an upper portion, a side portion, and a lower portion of the housing, and the opaque part may be provided on an edge of the lower portion of the housing.
The housing may further include an opaque part for blocking light from going out or coming in, the transparent or semi-transparent part may be provided on an upper portion, a side portion, and a lower portion of the housing, and the opaque part may be provided on an edge of the lower portion of the housing.
The housing may further include a blocking layer for blocking light from going out or coming in, the transparent or semi-transparent part may be provided over an entirety of the housing, and the blocking layer may be provided on an outer surface of a side portion of the transparent or semi-transparent part.
The housing may further include a blocking layer for blocking light from going out or coming in, the transparent or semi-transparent part may be provided over an entirety of the housing, and the blocking layer may be provided on outer surfaces of a side portion and a lower portion of the transparent or semi-transparent part.
The housing may further include a blocking layer for blocking light from going out or coming in, the transparent or semi-transparent part may be provided over an entirety of the housing, and the blocking layer may be provided on outer surfaces of a side portion, a lower portion, and a lower edge of the transparent or semi-transparent part other than an upper portion thereof.
The housing may further include a blocking layer for blocking light from going out or coming in, the transparent or semi-transparent part may be provided over an entirety of the housing, and the blocking layer may be provided on an inner surface of the transparent or semi-transparent part other than an upper portion thereof.
The laser navigation module may further include a light diffusion member for emitting the light of the illuminator to the outside. The light diffusion member may include a protrusion which is formed to correspond to the illuminator and change a direction of the light emitted by the illuminator.
The laser navigation module may further include a lid which is positioned below the window, serves as a blocking unit to block entry of spill light, and has a circular hole and a rectangular through part, a control IC chip which has a VCSEL and calculates a displacement value of laser light that is reflected and refracted on the window and is then recovered, a PCB to which the control IC chip is connected, and a dome switch which is provided below the PCB.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The terminology or words used in the description and the claims of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited merely to common or dictionary meanings. On the contrary, they should be interpreted based on the meanings and concepts of the invention in keeping with the scope of the invention on the basis of the principle that the inventor(s) can appropriately define the terms in order to describe the invention in the best way.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Herein, the same reference numerals are used throughout the different drawings to designate the same components. Terms including “first”, “second”, “one surface”, and “the other surface” may be used to distinguish one component from another component, but the components should not be limited by the terms. Further, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known art related to the present invention may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.
Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Parts of the laser navigation module according to the present invention are layered in the following order. That is, the PCB 270 is placed above the dome switch (not shown), and the control IC chip 240, the VCSEL (not shown) and the illuminator 250 are mounted on the PCB 270. Further, the lid 230 is provided above the VCSEL and the illuminator 250. Further, the light diffusion member 260 is provided above the lid 230, and the housing 220 equipped with the IR window 210 is coupled to the upper portion of the light diffusion member 260.
In greater detail, the lid 230 is a blocking unit for blocking the entry of spill light, and includes a circular hole (not shown) which allows laser light emitted by the VCSEL that is the light source to pass therethrough, a rectangular through part, and a through hole 231 which allows light emitted by the illuminator 250 to pass therethrough.
The control IC chip 240 includes the VCSEL, and calculates the displacement value of laser light which is reflected and refracted on the IR window 210 and is then recovered. Further, the VCSEL is the light source that emits laser light, and the IR window 210 allows laser light emitted by the VCSEL to pass therethrough and be reflected thereon, and blocks the entry of visible light.
Further, the illuminator 250 functions to emit light to the outside of the housing 220.
The light diffusion member 260 includes a protrusion 261 which changes the direction of light emitted by the illuminator 250 and diffuses the light, and an opening (not shown) through which laser light emitted by the VCSEL pass.
According to an embodiment, the illuminator 250 may comprise an LED.
The housing 220 of the laser navigation module according to the present invention comprises a transparent or semi-transparent member so as to emit light from the illuminator 250 to the outside.
As described above, the present invention provides a laser navigation module, in which an illuminator is provided in a housing of the laser navigation module, and the housing includes a transparent or semi-transparent part, and an opaque part or a blocking layer for selective blocking, thus enabling light to be emitted to a desired area of the housing, therefore making it convenient to use even in a dark place.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1020100090495 | Sep 2010 | KR | national |
