JP2010252242A - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the sense of click of an operation button while preventing the abrasion of printing applied to the back face of an operation button section in a portable terminal. <P>SOLUTION: A resin sheet 10 is uniformly formed with an operation button section 7 expanded to the surface side with thickness which is thicker than that of the periphery, and formed to be depressed in the case of inputting a signal. Printing showing the function of a signal is applied to the back face of the operation button section 7. A protection sheet 11 for protecting printing is arranged on the back face of the resin sheet 10. A dome-shaped movable contact 14 formed with a protrusion 13 for pressurization to be depressed by the operation button section 7 and a substrate 12 for operation having a fixed contact arranged corresponding to the movable contact 14 are arranged at the center just under the operation button section 7 of the back face of the protection sheet 11. The substrate 12 for operation is made to adhere to the metallic board 17. Then, a protection sheet 11 is formed with a through-hole 20 at a position avoiding the protrusion 13 for depression in the neighborhood of the protrusion 13 for depression. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile terminal having an operation unit for inputting signals, such as a mobile phone.

  Conventionally, a key sheet in which a plurality of push buttons are formed in a housing having an upper case and a lower case, and an opening that exposes an operation portion of the plurality of push buttons while incorporating a printed circuit board are formed in the upper case. Such portable terminals are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this type of portable terminal, a button portion made of resin is pasted on a rubber-like key sheet, and a pressing projection for pressing the metal dome is formed on the back side of the key sheet. This ensures a reasonable click.

JP 2002-341995 A

  However, in the conventional portable terminal, although an appropriate click feeling can be obtained, the thickness of the button portion is increased.

  In addition, when the button part is lifted by transmitting the light of the backlight, printing for displaying the function of the button part is usually performed on the back side, but it is also necessary to protect this printing surface.

  The present invention has been made in view of this point, and an object of the present invention is to improve the click feeling of the operation button while preventing the wear of printing applied to the back surface of the operation button portion.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a through hole is formed in the protective sheet on the back side of the resin sheet in which the operation button portion is bulged.

Specifically, in the first invention, on the premise of a portable terminal having an operation unit for performing signal input,
The mobile device
The operation button that bulges to the front side and is thicker than the surroundings, and is integrally formed with the operation button that is pressed when the signal is input, and the back of the operation button is printed to indicate the function of the signal. A resin sheet,
A protective sheet disposed on the back surface of the resin sheet to protect the printing;
A dome-shaped movable contact that is disposed directly under the operation button portion on the back surface of the protective sheet and has a pressing projection that is pressed against the operation button portion at the center, and a fixed portion that is provided corresponding to the movable contact. An operation board having contacts;
A metal plate to which the operation substrate is attached. In the protective sheet, a through hole is formed in the vicinity of the pressing protrusion and at a position avoiding the pressing protrusion.

  According to the above configuration, the click feeling is likely to be lowered due to the protective sheet arranged to protect the printing on the back surface of the resin sheet, but the protective sheet is rigid around the pressing protrusion by forming a through hole. The click feeling can be prevented from being lowered. Also, in the resin sheet, the operation button portion is made thicker than the surroundings, and a pressing protrusion is provided on the movable contact side to ensure the operability of the operation button, so a conventional rubber-like key sheet is provided. This eliminates the need for the mobile terminal and makes it thinner. In addition, since the protective sheet is left directly above the pressing protrusion, the effect of alleviating abnormal noise and protecting the printing by the operation button unit is not reduced.

In the second invention, in the first invention,
The operation button unit includes a circular center button, and a ring-shaped annular button surrounding the center button with a predetermined gap from the center button,
The through hole is formed between the pressing protrusion and a region directly below the annular button.

  That is, such an operation button section called a determination key is widely used in portable terminals, but with this determination key, the operation button section is more than the other operation button sections so that the position can be easily confirmed by groping. Therefore, the resin sheet needs to be thick. In such a case, it becomes more difficult to obtain a click feeling. However, according to said structure, a click feeling does not fall by the through-hole provided in the protective sheet.

In the third invention, in the first or second invention,
The protective sheet is composed of a base material made of PET and silicon coated on the surface of the base material.

  According to said structure, while being able to ensure moderate rigidity with PET, the effect of relaxation of the abnormal sound of an operation button part and printing wear prevention is acquired by apply | coating silicon.

In a fourth invention, in any one of the first to third inventions,
The metal plate is molded integrally with the cabinet,
The inner periphery of the cabinet is provided with a recess to which the resin sheet is attached,
In a state where the resin sheet is attached to the cabinet, the surface of the cabinet and the surface of the resin sheet are on the same plane.

  According to said structure, while the thickness of the whole portable terminal becomes thin, since there is no level | step difference, appearance and touch comfort improve. Here, “on the same plane” does not mean completely the same, but there may be a slight difference in elevation.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the resin sheet is thickly built and the operation button portion is integrally formed, printing is performed on the back surface, and a protective sheet for protecting this printing is disposed on the back surface, Furthermore, by providing a through-hole so as to avoid pressing protrusions on the movable contact on this protective sheet, the click feeling of the operation button part can be improved while preventing the wear of the printing applied to the back surface of the operation button part. Can do.

It is a front view which shows the open state of the mobile telephone concerning embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the 2nd case from the surface side. It is an exploded perspective view of the 2nd case. It is an enlarged front view of a set of resin sheets, protective sheets, and operation substrates. It is an enlarged rear view of a set of resin sheet, protective sheet, and operation substrate. It is the VI-VI sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a front view of a protection sheet. It is a front view of the protection sheet concerning the modification 1. It is a front view of the protection sheet concerning the modification 2. It is a front view of the protection sheet concerning the modification 3.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a mobile phone 1 as a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. The mobile phone 1 includes a first housing 3 having a display unit 2 having a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and an operation unit 4. Is provided on the front surface side, and a hinge portion 6 that connects the first housing 3 and the second housing 5 so as to be folded and opened and closed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 4 of the second housing 5 is provided with a plurality of operation button units 7 that exhibit various functions of the mobile phone 1. The operation button unit 7 is used, for example, for inputting numbers and characters and for calling various functions.

  In the upper center of the operation unit 4, as an operation button unit called a so-called determination key, a circular center button 8 and a ring-shaped annular button 9 surrounding the center button 8 with a predetermined gap from the center button 8. And are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, these operation button portions 7 (hereinafter, including the center button 8 and the annular button 9) are swollen on the surface side in the resin sheet 10 made of UV resin (ultraviolet curable resin). It is formed to be thicker than the surroundings. Each operation button unit 7 is pressed when various signals are input, and printing (not shown) indicating the function of the signal is performed on the back surface thereof.

  A protective sheet 11 that protects the printing is attached to the back surface of the resin sheet 10. The protective sheet 11 is made of a base material made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and silicon coated on the surface of the base material. With PET, moderate rigidity can be ensured, and by applying silicon, it is possible to obtain an effect of alleviating abnormal sounds of the operation button portion 7 and preventing printing wear. The protective sheet 11 is provided with a sticking portion 11 a at the top and bottom and the middle of the top and bottom, and the sticking portion 11 a is adhered to the back surface of the resin sheet 10. In other words, it is not adhered to the back surface of the resin sheet 10 except for the pasting part 11a.

  On the back side of the protective sheet 11, an operation substrate 12 made of a flexible substrate is provided. Specifically, the operation substrate 12 is arranged directly below each operation button portion 7, and a dome-shaped movable contact 14 provided with a pressing projection 13 to be pressed against the operation button portion 7 in the center. , And a fixed contact 15 provided corresponding to the movable contact 14. That is, when the operation button portion 7 is pressed, the pressing protrusion 13 is pressed, the movable contact 14 is deformed, and the fixed contact 15 is brought into conduction, whereby various functions of the mobile phone 1 are exhibited. Yes.

  The operation substrate 12 is affixed to a metal plate 17 that is molded in the front-side cabinet 16 that constitutes the second housing 5. Moreover, the inner periphery of the front side cabinet 16 is provided with a recess 16a in a frame shape, and the resin sheet 10 is attached to the recess 16a with a double-sided tape (not shown) or the like. In a state where the resin sheet 10 is attached to the front surface side cabinet 16, the surface of the front surface side cabinet 16 and the surface of the resin sheet 10 are substantially on the same plane. As a result, the thickness of the entire mobile phone 1 is reduced, and the level difference is eliminated, so that the appearance and touch comfort are improved.

  A main board 18 that controls basic functions of the mobile phone 1 is fitted on the back side of the front cabinet 16. The operation substrate 12 is connected to the main substrate 18 and is covered with a back surface side cabinet 19 from the back surface side in this state.

  As a feature of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, the protective sheet 11 has a pressing protrusion 13 positioned in the vicinity of and in the center of the pressing protrusion 13 positioned immediately below the central button 8. A through hole 20 is formed at a position avoiding the above. By providing the through hole 20 of the present embodiment between the pressing protrusion 13 and the region directly below the annular button 9, the base material remains in the swirl type, and the rigidity is intentionally provided directly below the central button 8. Has been lowered.

  In the mobile phone 1 configured as described above, the click feeling is likely to be lowered due to the protective sheet 11 arranged to protect the printing on the back surface of the resin sheet 10. In particular, the center button 8 tends to be higher than the other operation button portions 7 so that the location can be found immediately by groping, and the resin sheet 10 is also thicker. In such a case, it becomes more difficult to obtain a click feeling. However, in this embodiment, since the through-hole 20 is formed in the protective sheet 11 and the rigidity is reduced around the pressing protrusion 13, the click feeling is not reduced. On the other hand, since the protective sheet 11 is left immediately above the pressing protrusion 13, the effects of alleviating abnormal noise and protecting the printing by the operation button unit 7 are not reduced.

  Further, in the resin sheet 10, the operation button portion 7 is made thicker than the surroundings, and the pressing protrusion 13 is provided on the movable contact 14 side to ensure the operability of the operation button portion 7. This eliminates the need to provide a key sheet and reduces the thickness.

  Therefore, according to the mobile phone according to the present embodiment, the resin sheet 10 is thickly built and the operation button portion 7 is integrally formed, printing is performed on the back surface thereof, and the protective sheet 11 for protecting this printing is provided on the back surface. The operation button portion is disposed while preventing the wear of printing applied to the back surface of the operation button portion 7 by providing the through hole 20 in the protective sheet 11 so as to avoid the pressing protrusion 13 on the movable contact 14. The click feeling can be improved.

-Modification 1 of embodiment-
In the above embodiment, the shape of the through hole 20 is formed so that the base material remains in the swirl type, but in this modification, the through hole is formed so that the base material remains in the cross shape as shown in FIG. 120 is provided between the pressing protrusion 13 and the region directly below the annular button 9. Also in this modified example, the rigidity is intentionally reduced at a portion directly below the center button 8 as in the above embodiment.

-Modification 2 of embodiment-
In this modification, as shown in FIG. 9, four straight slits are arranged in a quadrangular shape between the pressing protrusion 13 and the region directly below the annular button 9 as the through hole 220. Also in this modified example, the rigidity is intentionally reduced at a portion directly below the center button 8 as in the above embodiment.

—Modification 3 of Embodiment—
In the present modification, as shown in FIG. 10, four arc-shaped slits are provided as through-holes 320 between the pressing protrusion 13 and the region directly below the annular button 9. Also in this modified example, the rigidity is intentionally reduced at a portion directly below the center button 8 as in the above embodiment.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention may be configured as follows with respect to the above embodiment.

  That is, in the above embodiment, the mobile phone 1 is a mobile phone, but it may be a PHS, PDA, PC, mobile tool, electronic dictionary, calculator, game machine, or the like.

  In addition, the above embodiment is an essentially preferable illustration, Comprising: It does not intend restrict | limiting the range of this invention, its application thing, or a use.

1 Mobile phone (mobile terminal)
7 Operation buttons 8 Center button (operation buttons)
9 Ring button (operation button part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Resin sheet 11 Protection sheet 12 Operation board 13 Pressing protrusion 14 Movable contact 15 Fixed contact 16 Surface side cabinet 16a Recessed part 17 Metal plate 20,120,220,320 Through-hole

Claims (4)

In a portable terminal having an operation unit for inputting a signal,
The operation button that bulges to the front side and is thicker than the surroundings, and is integrally formed with the operation button that is pressed when the signal is input, and the back of the operation button is printed to indicate the function of the signal. A resin sheet,
A protective sheet disposed on the back surface of the resin sheet to protect the printing;
A dome-shaped movable contact that is disposed directly under the operation button portion on the back surface of the protective sheet and has a pressing projection that is pressed against the operation button portion at the center, and a fixed portion that is provided corresponding to the movable contact. An operation board having contacts;
A metal plate to which the operation substrate is attached,
A portable terminal, wherein a through hole is formed in the protective sheet in the vicinity of the pressing protrusion and at a position avoiding the pressing protrusion. The mobile terminal according to claim 1,
The operation button unit includes a circular center button and a ring-shaped annular button surrounding the center button with a predetermined gap from the center button,
The portable terminal, wherein the through hole is formed between the pressing protrusion and a region directly below the annular button. The mobile terminal according to claim 1 or 2,
A portable terminal, wherein the protective sheet comprises a base material made of PET and silicon coated on the surface of the base material. The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The metal plate is molded integrally with the cabinet,
The inner periphery of the cabinet is provided with a recess to which the resin sheet is attached,
A portable terminal, wherein the surface of the cabinet and the surface of the resin sheet are on the same plane in a state where the resin sheet is attached to the cabinet.

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