KR100467871B1 - Key button for portable radiotelephone - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a key button device of a portable wireless terminal, which rotates on one side and performs a scroll function and simultaneously presses a key button device for performing a selection function by pressing, wherein the key button device is inside the terminal. A fixed body having a metal dome fixed in place and drawn out from the flexible printed circuit of the terminal, and a fluid that is guided in the direction in which the key button is pressed in the fixed body and selectively contacts the metal dome of the flexible printed circuit. And a housing capable of self-rotation having at least one elastic means for supporting the fluid, and a circular seating portion on which one side of the fixing body, the fluid and the elastic means is supported and intermittently opened, and fixed to an outer circumferential surface of the housing. Is installed, a part of the circular key button protruding out of the terminal and according to the rotation of the key button Rotation detection means for detecting the position.

Description

Key button device of portable wireless terminal {KEY BUTTON FOR PORTABLE RADIOTELEPHONE}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a side key button device used in various portable wireless terminals, such as a mobile phone and a PD. In particular, the present invention relates to a key button device of a portable wireless terminal, which has a scroll function on the side of the terminal and is easy to operate. will be.

Recently, due to the development of the information and communication industry, portable wireless terminals having various functions and forms are being released. In the form of the terminal, a general bar type terminal, a flip type terminal having a flip cover, and a folder type having a sub body installed to be opened and closed at a predetermined angle on the main body. Terminals are typical.

In addition to the basic functions of transmitting and receiving voice with the other party, the terminals have various functions. For example, functions such as e-mail or character transmission, information data download, internet game, and text transmission are added. Also, in recent years, with the introduction of the CDMA 1x EVDO technology, video communication between terminal users has become commonplace.

Therefore, in order to accommodate the above functions, various key buttons are installed on the terminal. As a result, various key buttons are being raced to develop key buttons that are convenient to operate at the same time as the functions are not reversed. .

As described above, in order to move the data, characters, characters, and menu bars displayed on the terminal up and down or to the left and right, the user operates the up and down buttons separately installed on the side of the terminal, or is installed on the main body. It is common to perform the scroll function by manipulating the seesaw key.

However, as described above, the side keys separated or integrally formed on the side merely function to move the displayed menu bar up, down, left or right, and other buttons (for example, to execute a selected icon or menu). For example, an uncomfortable problem of pressing an execution or confirmation button) is generated, and for this purpose, it is replaced with a seesaw key, but this also causes a problem that it becomes difficult to secure a space that is gradually miniaturized.

The present invention is to provide a key button device of a portable wireless terminal is configured to simplify the operation as described above.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a key button device of a portable wireless terminal configured to simultaneously perform a scroll function and an execution function.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a key button device of a portable wireless terminal configured to add a scroll function to a side key button.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a key button device of a portable wireless terminal configured to easily search for contents by using a scroll structure.

1 is a perspective view of a portable wireless terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a key button device of a portable wireless terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention,

3 is a perspective view showing a ground plate applied to the key button device according to an embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 4 is a front view showing the assembled state of the key button device according to an embodiment of the present invention,

5 is an operation diagram showing a state in which the key button is pressed in the key button device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of Major Symbols in Drawing>

10: key button device 20: fixed body

30: fluid 40: roller

50: housing 60: ground plate

70: contact plate 80: key button

91: flexible printed circuit

The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving the above problems and the above, the present invention can be achieved by claim 1, the portable wireless terminal according to the present invention by performing a scroll function by rotating on one side and pressing at the same time By installing a key button device that can perform a selection function. Therefore, the user can easily find, select and execute the desired content by operating the scroll key button installed on the side of the terminal.

Further details can be achieved by claim 2 of the present invention, wherein the key button device is fixed to the internal location of the terminal and having a metal dome that is drawn out of the flexible printed circuit of the terminal, and the high The fluid is guided in the direction in which the key button is pressed in the stagnation, and the fluid to selectively contact the metal dome of the flexible printed circuit, at least one elastic means for supporting the fluid, and the fixing body, fluid and elastic means And a self-rotating housing having a circular seating portion open at one side to control the opening, and fixedly installed at an outer circumferential surface of the housing, and part of the circular key button protruding to the outside of the terminal and the rotation of the key button accordingly. Rotation detection means for detecting the position.

At this time, when the user rotates the key button protruding part of the terminal, only the key button and the housing is rotated, the operation is performed only by pressing the key button rotated to the desired position by the rotation detecting means. .

As the rotation detecting means, an encoder or a rotary encoder as known in the art may be used.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a portable wireless terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the terminal includes a main body 110 consisting of an upper casing frame 111 and a lower casing frame 112, and the main body 110. The sub body 120 is installed to be opened or closed automatically or manually according to the user's selection on the) and the hinge device for opening and closing the sub body 120 on the main body 110.

The main body 110 is composed of an upper casing frame 111 and a lower casing frame 112, and although not shown, the antenna device is installed on the uppermost side of the main body 110. In addition, the earpiece portion 140 is located on the surface in contact with the main body 110 on the sub-body 120, the LCD module (LCD module) (a display device below the earpiece 140) ( 150) is installed. The keypad 160 for inputting data by the user is installed on the main body 110, and the microphone device 170 is sequentially positioned below the main body 110.

At this time, a predetermined key button device 10 having a scroll function is installed on one side of the main body 110. The user operates the key button device 10 in the ① direction of FIG. 1, and selects a desired content or menu and presses the direction in the ② direction of FIG. 1 to complete the selection. That is, the key button device 10 is implemented to implement a scroll function and an execution function for executing a selected menu on the terminal.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a key button device of a portable wireless terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a ground plate applied to the key button device according to an embodiment of the present invention 4 is a front view illustrating an assembled state of a key button device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the key button device 10 according to the present invention is fixed to an internal location of the terminal and is drawn out from the flexible printed circuit (FPC) 91 of the terminal. a fixed body 20 having a metal dome 23 and a direction in which the key button device 10 is pressed in the fixed body 20 (2 direction in FIG. 1) and the flexible printed circuit. A fluid 30 selectively contacting the metal dome 23 of 91, at least one elastic means 36 supporting the fluid 30, the fixture 20, the fluid 30 and An elastic means 36 is supported and fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the housing 50 having a self-rotating housing 50 having a circular seating portion 51 of which one side is opened to control it, and the part of the terminal It detects the position according to the rotation of the circular key button 80 and the key button 80 protruding outward (protrude in the state of Figure 1) It includes a rotation detection means for.

The upper side of the fluid 30 is installed so that the predetermined roller 40 to rotate idle. At this time, the roller guide groove 34 for guiding the shaft 41 of the roller 40 is formed on the upper side of the fluid (30). Accordingly, the outer circumferential surface of the protruding roller 40 contacts the inner surface 52 of the housing 50 so that the housing 50 rotates when the housing 50 rotates together with the key button 80.

The fluid 30 is composed of a body 31, and guide bars 32 protruding to a predetermined length on both lower ends of the body 31, respectively. In addition, since a predetermined contact protrusion 33 is formed on the lower surface of the body 31, when the fluid 30 is pressed by the operation of the key button 80, the contact protrusion 33 is the fixed body ( The metal dome 23 installed in the flexible printed circuit 91 of FIG. 20 is contacted to implement electrical connection.

The fixed body 20 also has a predetermined body 21 for receiving the fluid 30 and guide grooves formed on both sides of the body 21 to guide the guide bar 32 of the fluid 30. It consists of 22. The guide groove 22 not only accommodates the guide bar 32 but also has a predetermined elastic means 36 interposed therebetween. By using a predetermined compression coil spring as the elastic means 36, it normally serves to space the contact projection 33 of the fluid 30 and the metal dome 23 of the fixed body 20 at regular intervals. At the same time, by pressing the fluid 30 in the direction of the inner surface 52 of the housing 50, thereby maintaining the state that the roller 40 can always be in contact with the inner surface 52 of the housing 50 give.

Thus, the fixture 20 is fixed on the terminal, the fluid 30 is installed to be movable on the fixture 20, according to the rotation of the housing 50 and the key button 80 You will have a configuration that does not rotate together.

The rotation detecting means is fixed to an outer surface of the housing 50, and a ground plate 60 (shown in FIG. 3) having a plurality of ribs 61 formed on one surface thereof, and ribs of the ground plate 60. It has a plurality of contact balls 71 in contact with 61, and consists of a contact plate 70 fixed on the terminal. Therefore, as the position of the contact ball 70 of the contact plate 70 changes as the housing 50 rotates, the rotation position of the key button 80 can be detected. The contact ball 71 may use a known ball plunger, which, when in contact with the rib 61, has a constant elasticity and may retract slightly backwards. At this time, at least one of the contact plate 70 or the ground plate 60 may be electrically connected to the main PCB (not shown) of the terminal to electrically detect the rotation position. Here, the flexible printed circuit 91 having the metal dome 23 may be integrally drawn out on the main PCB.

On the other hand, although not shown, the rotation sensing means may be a plate having a plurality of perforated slits, and a rotary encoder having a photo coupler detected through the slit of the plate, and other known rotation sensing means Can also be used.

The key button 80 may be a rubber or silicone or synthetic resin material having an elasticity to wrap the outer peripheral surface of the housing 50, and may be an injection molding or molding of any other material that can be rotated together with the housing. have.

5 is an operation diagram showing a state in which the key button 80 of the key button device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is pressed, except for a portion of the fluid 30, the fixture 20 ) And the fluid 30, and the elastic means 36 interposed therebetween are not in contact with the inner surface 52 of the housing 50. However, when the roller 40 rotating idling on the fluid 30 is applied, the fluid 30 also does not contact the inner surface of the housing, and only the outer circumferential surface of the roller 40 is the inner surface of the housing 50. 52). This means that when the user rotates the housing 50 and the key button 80, the fixed body 20 fixed to the terminal and the fluid 30 installed to flow in one dimension on the fixed body 20 are the This is to prevent the rotation of the key button 80.

Therefore, when the user rotates the key button 80 of the terminal in the direction of ① of FIG. 5 to select a desired content or menu, only the housing 50 fixed to the key button 80 is rotated. Although not shown, in this case, the ground plate (60 in FIG. 3) fixed to the housing 50 also rotates together. Thereafter, when the rotational position of the key button 80 is detected by the contact plate (70 of FIG. 2) which faces the ground plate 60 and is fixed on the terminal, the user can find a desired function smoothly. It will be possible. Then, when the key button 80 is pressed in the direction ② of FIG. 5, the guide bar 32 of the fluid 30 is fixed by the elastic means 36 along the guide groove 22 of the fixed body 20. It is pushed while being supported. Therefore, the contact projection 33 of the fluid 30 is to perform the electrical connection by pressing the metal dome 23 of the fixed body 20.

On the contrary, when the user releases the key button 80, the key button 80 is moved to the original position together with the fluid 30 by the restoring force of the elastic means (36). Therefore, the contact protrusion 33 of the fluid 30 and the metal dome 23 of the fixed body 20 are in a state of being spaced apart at regular intervals again, thereby becoming an initial state.

Apparently, there are many ways to modify these embodiments while remaining within the scope of the claims. In other words, there may be many other ways in which the invention may be practiced without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Since the key button device according to the present invention is configured to perform a scroll function and an execution function at the same time, the user can easily find and execute a desired menu or content.

Claims (8)

delete In a portable wireless terminal, A fixed body fixed to an internal location of the terminal and having a metal dome drawn from the flexible printed circuit of the terminal; A fluid that is guided in the direction in which the key button is pressed in the fixture, and selectively contacts the metal dome of the flexible printed circuit; At least one elastic means for supporting the fluid; A housing having a circular seating portion in which the fixed body, the fluid body, and the elastic means are supported and open at one side to control the housing; A circular key button fixedly installed at an outer circumferential surface of the housing and partially protruding to the outside of the terminal; By installing and rotating a key button device including a rotation detecting means capable of detecting the position according to the rotation of the key button on one side of the terminal to perform a scroll function and press at the same time to perform a selection function Key button device of a portable wireless terminal, characterized in that the configuration. The method of claim 2, The upper side of the fluid is installed so that the predetermined roller to rotate the idle portion, and the outer peripheral surface of the protruding roller is in contact with the inner surface of the housing, characterized in that the contact rotation when the housing rotates with the key button Key button device of a portable wireless terminal. The method of claim 2, The fluid is composed of a body having a predetermined contact protrusion on the lower surface, and a guide bar protruding to a predetermined length on the lower end of the body; The fixed body is composed of a body in which the metal dome is installed at a position corresponding to the contact projection of the fluid, and guide grooves formed on both sides of the metal dome to accommodate the guide bar and the elastic means of the fixed body, respectively. Key button device of a portable wireless terminal characterized in that. The method of claim 2, The rotation detection means, A ground plate fixed to an outer surface of the housing and having a plurality of ribs formed on one surface thereof; A contact plate having a plurality of contact balls in contact with the ribs of the ground plate and fixed on the terminal; The key button device of the portable wireless terminal, characterized in that for detecting the rotation position of the key button by changing the position of the contact ball of the contact plate in accordance with the rotation of the housing. The method of claim 2, The rotation detecting means is a key button device of a portable wireless terminal, characterized in that the rotary encoder having a plate having a plurality of perforated slits, and a photo coupler detected through the slit of the plate. The method of claim 2, The elastic means is a key button device of a portable wireless terminal, characterized in that using a compression coil spring. The method of claim 2, The key button is a key button device of a portable wireless terminal, characterized in that the rubber or silicone or synthetic resin material having an elasticity to surround the outer peripheral surface of the housing.