KR20090039286A - Keyboard using el sheet and manufacturing method of keyboard using el sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

A keyboard using an EL sheet and a manufacturing method thereof are provided to display a character and a sign with different colors by adding various pigment to a luminous body. A keyboard includes a plurality of key buttons(22), a case(21), an EL(Electro-Luminescence) sheet(10) and an inverter. A plurality of key buttons are mounted on the case. The EL sheet is formed inside the case. The inverter supplies the power to the EL sheet. The EL sheet includes a base film, a transparent electrode, a fluorescent layer, a dielectric layer, a back electrode and a protective layer. The transparent electrode is formed on the base film layer. The fluorescent layer is formed on the transparent electrode. The dielectric layer is formed on the fluorescent layer. The back electrode is formed on the dielectric layer by corresponding to the fluorescent layer. The protective layer is formed on the back electrode.

Description

Keyboard using EL sheet and manufacturing method of keyboard using EL sheet {Keyboard using EL sheet and manufacturing method of keyboard using EL sheet}

The present invention relates to a keyboard including an EL sheet on which a fluorescent layer is formed, and more particularly to a keyboard capable of emitting a specific portion of each key button of the keyboard.

In general, a keyboard is an input device mounted on a computer, typewriter, etc., in which key buttons are arranged according to a predetermined rule, and each function of Hangul, English, Japanese, etc. is composed on one key button, and then various function keys are used. Most of them are configured for optional input.

However, since a conventional keyboard does not have a special light emitting device for such a key button, an older person or a person who does not usually use the keyboard usually has a relatively poor identification function for the characters printed on each key button. Esau feels inconvenient to input characters or symbols.

In recent years, in order to eliminate such inconveniences, it is possible to fluoresce the characters written on the key buttons of the keyboard, or to install a chip LED (Light Emitting Diode) under the keyboard and to install the reflector on the metal dome sheet to diffuse the light to the front. Keyboards using so-called back-light devices are commercially available. This backlit keyboard has the advantage of displaying brighter letters, numbers, symbols, etc. printed on the key button surface of the keyboard, while the brightness of the LED is not the same in all positions, so the contrast varies according to the position. The disadvantage is that power consumption is high. In addition, there are many cases of working with the keyboard for a long time, but the LED heats up, causing the keyboard to heat up, which causes a decrease in work efficiency.

In order to solve the disadvantage of the backlighting keyboard using the LED light source, a backlight keyboard using an EL (Electroluminescent) sheet instead of using the LED light source has been developed. An example of a keyboard of the backlight type using such an EL sheet is shown in FIG.

1 is a commonly used keyboard, and an upper surface of a backlit keyboard using an EL sheet is composed of a keyboard case 210 and a plurality of key buttons 220. Although not shown in FIG. 1, an EL sheet is mounted below the keyboard case 210. The configuration of this EL sheet 100 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the EL sheet 100 is equipped with a transparent electrode 120 such as an ITO electrode on a base film 110 such as PET to form a transparent conductive film of an ITO-PET film, and a fluorescent layer thereon. An EL sheet in which the 130, the dielectric layer 140, and the back electrode 150 are laminated, respectively, is formed, and the protective layer 160 has a configuration in which the EL sheet is laminated. In addition, a keyboard case 210 and a plurality of key buttons 220 are mounted on the EL sheet, and a printed circuit board 300 is formed below the EL sheet. As shown in FIG. 2, the EL sheet having the above structure is disposed on the front of the keyboard in a film form at the bottom of the keypad case 210 to illuminate key buttons such as letters, numbers, and symbols of the keyboard. By the way, in the case of the keyboard using such a conventional EL sheet, since the EL sheet is formed in a single structure inside the keyboard, there is no choice but to illuminate various key buttons at the same time. Therefore, especially for those who are not familiar with the layout of the keyboard, the English, Korean, and numeric keys are illuminated at the same time, which does not help to find the desired character. Cause.

The present invention solves the problems of such a conventional keyboard, in particular, a keyboard using an EL sheet, and may be said to be a person unfamiliar with the seat plate by configuring the EL sheet to emit light by English, Korean, and other characters or symbols. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a keyboard for easily finding a desired letter, number, or symbol.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard that can reduce the eyestrain and have a sense of unity by automatically emitting only the corresponding characters during a specific character work.

A keyboard using an EL sheet according to the present invention for achieving the above object is:

A plurality of key buttons, a case to which the plurality of key buttons are mounted, an EL sheet formed inside the case, and an inverter to supply power to the EL electrodes,

The EL sheet includes a base film, a transparent electrode formed on the base film layer, a plurality of fluorescent layers formed on the transparent electrode and separated for at least some of the respective keybuttons, a dielectric layer formed on the fluorescent layer, A plurality of back electrodes formed on the dielectric layer at positions corresponding to the fluorescent layers

Characterized in that it comprises a.

Further, it is preferable that the EL sheet further includes a protective layer formed on the plurality of back electrodes.

In addition, the keyboard preferably further includes a switching element for controlling power supplied to the plurality of rear electrodes.

In addition, the transparent electrode is preferably an ITO electrode or an IZO electrode.

In addition, the base film is preferably at least one of PET, PEN and PC film.

The fluorescent layer is preferably a color fluorescent layer in which at least one pigment is mixed.

In addition, the plurality of key buttons mounted on the keyboard may emit light in different colors according to consonants or vowels, types of characters, or positions of the key buttons.

Moreover, the manufacturing method of the keyboard using the EL sheet | seat according to this invention is:

A method for manufacturing a keyboard using a EL sheet including a plurality of key buttons, a case in which the plurality of key buttons are mounted, an EL sheet formed inside the case, and an inverter for supplying power to the EL electrode.

The EL sheet forming a base film; Forming a transparent electrode on the base film; Separating and forming a plurality of fluorescent layers on at least some of each key button on the transparent electrode; Forming a dielectric layer on the plurality of fluorescent layers; And forming a plurality of back electrodes at positions corresponding to the plurality of fluorescent layers on the dielectric layer.

In addition, the method may further comprise forming a protective layer on the plurality of back electrodes.

In addition, the method preferably further comprises the step of forming an auxiliary film under the base film.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, the keyboard includes all kinds of input devices used to control various electronic products such as a remote controller, in addition to the keyboard generally used as an input means for a computer or a typewriter.

The keyboard according to the present invention is configured so that the EL sheet can emit light for each of English, Korean, and other characters or symbols, so that even a person unfamiliar with the seat can easily find his or her desired letters, numbers, and symbols.

In addition, the keyboard according to the present invention can reduce the eyestrain and have a sense of unity by automatically emitting only the corresponding character when a specific character work.

In addition, the keyboard according to the present invention, by adding a variety of pigments to the luminous body, for example, to emit light in a different color according to the consonants and vowels of the Hangul / English, or different colors depending on the type of characters, such as Hangul and English, the position of the characters, etc. Because it can emit light, even those who are not familiar with the arrangement of the keyboard can easily find the corresponding letter or symbol.

Next, a keyboard using an EL sheet according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. For reference, in order to clarify the features of the present invention, the techniques already known in the art to which the present invention belongs will not be described in detail.

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross sectional view of a keyboard using an EL sheet according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and more precisely, a sectional view taken along line A-A of the keyboard shown in FIG. As shown in Fig. 3, the EL sheet 10 according to the present embodiment is first mounted with a transparent electrode 12 as a transparent electrode on a base film 11 such as PET, thereby forming a transparent conductive film. In addition, on the transparent conductive film, the fluorescent layer 13 is separated and formed according to the position of English / Korean or numbers / symbols for each key button mounted on the keyboard. In addition, a dielectric layer 14 is formed on the fluorescent layer 13, and the rear electrode 15 is formed at a position corresponding to the fluorescent layer 13, that is, a fluorescent light formed separately for each key button as shown in FIG. 3. The upper portion of the layer 14 is formed to have the same cross-sectional shape as the fluorescent layer 13, and finally, the protective layer 16 is stacked on the rear electrode 15.

In addition, a keyboard case 21 and a keyboard key button 22 are formed on the EL sheet 10, and a printed circuit board 30 is formed below the EL sheet 10. The configuration of the keyboard case 21, the keyboard key button 22, and the printed circuit board 30 is a technique well known in the art to which the present invention pertains as described above with reference to FIG.

Next, the EL sheet 10 shown in FIG. 3 can be manufactured through a process such as that shown in FIG. 5, for example.

That is, as shown in Figure 5, first to prepare a base film 11 having a thickness of 5㎛ 30㎛. The base film 11 is not limited as long as it is a film usually used to form an EL sheet such as a PET film, a PEN film, and a PC film. Moreover, it is preferable that it is a film of the dual structure which integrated the base film on the auxiliary film (not shown). In this case, both the auxiliary film and the base film may use the same kind of film, and the thickness of the auxiliary film is preferably 50 μm to 150 μm. By using such an auxiliary film, the curling phenomenon of the base film can be prevented in a subsequent process. Subsequently, the transparent electrode 12 is formed on the base film 11. The transparent electrode 12 preferably uses indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO). For example, the transparent electrode 12 may be deposited on the base film 11 by a sputtering method.

Subsequently, the fluorescent layer 13 is formed on the transparent electrode 12 using a screen printing method or the like. According to the present embodiment, the fluorescent layer is formed to be separated in accordance with the position of the English / Korean or numbers / symbols for each key button. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, in the case of a conventional Korean 2-key type 101-key keyboard, an English letter “W” and a Korean letter “” and “ㅉ” are printed on one key button. Therefore, after dividing the key button into quadrants, the fluorescent layers 13a to 13d are formed at positions of the respective English letters and Korean letters. In the case of the key button, an area indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 4 is an area in which respective fluorescent layers 13a to 13d are formed. In addition, the fluorescent layer 13 may be composed of a color fluorescent layer in which a predetermined dye is mixed in the phosphor so as to emit light in various colors. In addition, the dye may be used in various colors using two or more kinds of pigments. It can also be implemented. Since a technique of realizing various colors by adding a dye to the fluorescent layer of the EL sheet is a known technique, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The addition of such a color allows the light to be emitted in different colors according to the consonants and vowels of Korean / English, or in different colors depending on the type of characters such as Korean and English, and the position of the letters. Even if you're not familiar with arrays, you can easily find them.

Subsequently, the dielectric layer 14 is formed on the plurality of fluorescent layers 13 (in this embodiment, separated into four) and the back electrode 15 is formed thereon. In this case, the back electrode 15 is formed at a position corresponding to the plurality of fluorescent layers 13. That is, as will be described in detail later, the present embodiment uses the transparent electrode 12 as a cavity electrode, and forms the back electrode in a plurality of channels (four according to FIG. 4) in accordance with each fluorescent layer in accordance with an external signal. It was configured to allow selective light emission. Next, a protective layer 16 for protecting the device is formed on the back electrode 15. Next, in the case of forming the auxiliary film under the base film 11 at the time of manufacturing the EL substrate, it is preferable to form the protective layer 16 and then to remove it.

In addition, although not shown in the figure, a hole terminal for power connection is formed in the protective layer, and optionally, an antistatic layer for preventing static electricity may be further formed.

Next, a circuit configuration of a keyboard according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6. As shown in Fig. 6, the keyboard according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an inverter 40 for supplying power to the EL sheet, switching elements SW1, SW2, SW3, SW4, a transparent electrode 12 functioning as a common electrode, and It consists of several back electrode 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d. Specifically, the inverter 40 applies power to the EL sheet in accordance with an external signal. According to this embodiment, the "EL-" terminal is connected to the transparent electrode 12 of the EL sheet, and the "EL +" terminal is the rear side. It is connected to the electrodes 15a, 15b, 15c, and 15d so that the fluorescent layer therein emits light by these electrodes. That is, the transparent electrode 12 is used as a common electrode, and the back electrode 15 is formed at a position corresponding to the fluorescent layer 13 which is separated and formed according to the positions of English / Korean or numbers / symbols as described above. Accordingly, the fluorescent layers 13a to 13d selectively emit light by the switching elements SW1, SW2, SW3, and SW4 connected to the inverter 40. Although not shown in the drawings, for example, a control device such as a microcomputer is connected to the inverter and mounted inside the keyboard. When the user presses a selection button on the keyboard such as the "Korean / English" conversion key or the "Shift" key, the microcomputer controls the switching element accordingly so that only part of the back electrode is supplied with power, so that each key button selectively emits only a part of it. Function to do it.

7 is a diagram illustrating an example of implementing a keyboard according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a case in which the English is selected from the keyboard seat, and shows a state in which only the English letter and the numeric key part emit light. Next, FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating a case in which Korean is selected from the keyboard seat, and shows a state in which only Korean letters and numeric keys are emitted. In addition, Figure 7 (c) is a view showing a state in which the "Shift" key is pressed in the state of Figure 7 (b), the Hangul characters show the state in which the light portion is emitted and special symbols instead of numbers.

The configuration and manufacturing method of the keyboard using the EL sheet according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations of the embodiments are possible. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is limited only by the claims which will be described later.

1 is a diagram schematically showing the appearance of a keyboard using a conventional EL sheet.

2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A of FIG.

3 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of a keyboard according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a plan view showing the configuration of one key button of the keyboard shown in FIG.

5 is a flow diagram illustrating a process of manufacturing an EL sheet of a keyboard according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

6 shows a circuit configuration of a keyboard according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

7 (a) to 7 (c) are diagrams showing an example of implementing a keyboard according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A plurality of key buttons, a case to which the plurality of key buttons are mounted, an EL sheet formed inside the case, and an inverter to supply power to the EL electrodes, The EL sheet is: With base film, A transparent electrode formed on the base film layer; A plurality of fluorescent layers formed on the transparent electrode and separated from at least a portion of each key button; A dielectric layer formed on the fluorescent layer and a plurality of back electrodes formed on the dielectric layer at positions corresponding to the fluorescent layer; Keyboard using an EL sheet, characterized in that it comprises a. The keyboard using an EL sheet according to claim 1, wherein said EL sheet further includes a protective layer formed on said plurality of back electrodes. The keyboard using an EL sheet according to claim 1, wherein said keyboard further comprises a switching element for controlling power supplied to said plurality of back electrodes. The keyboard using an EL sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the transparent electrode is an ITO electrode or an IZO electrode. The keyboard using an EL sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the base film is at least one of PET, PEN, and PC films. The keyboard using an EL sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fluorescent layer is a color fluorescent layer in which at least one pigment is mixed. The EL sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of key buttons mounted on the keyboard emit light of different colors according to consonants or vowels, types of characters, or positions of the key buttons. Keyboard used. A method of manufacturing a keyboard using an EL sheet including a plurality of key buttons, a case in which the plurality of key buttons are mounted, an EL sheet formed inside the case, and an inverter for supplying power to the EL electrode. Sheet is: Forming a base film; Forming a transparent electrode on the base film; Separating and forming a plurality of fluorescent layers on at least some of each key button on the transparent electrode; Forming a dielectric layer on the plurality of fluorescent layers; And And forming a plurality of back electrodes at positions corresponding to the plurality of fluorescent layers on the dielectric layer. The method of manufacturing a keyboard using an EL sheet according to claim 8, wherein the method further comprises forming a protective layer on the plurality of back electrodes. The method of manufacturing a keyboard using an EL sheet according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising forming an auxiliary film under the base film.

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