KR100717523B1 - Keypad and manufacture method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a keypad and a method of manufacturing the same, wherein the first step of acquiring an electroplated product of electrodeposited metal through electroplating and a translucent decorative film to support the electroplated product of the first step The second step to be provided, the third step to the array / attached to the top surface of the translucent decoration film to support the translucent decoration product, the laminating by laminating the transparent film to the upper side of the decoration film is attached A first step of processing / forming a key input member for keyword input including a fourth step of forming a film layer; And a second process of assembling the key input member, the dome switch member, and the backlight member formed by the first process to complete the keypad. The electro-printed product is nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), or copper (Cu). It is composed of any one selected from) and is formed in a thickness of 0.02mm ~ 0.10mm, the decoration film is composed of any one of a light translucent film selected from PET or metal deposited PET, PC, acrylic, urethane and 0.05mm ~ 0.15mm It is formed to a thickness of, the laminating film layer is characterized in that the keypad is formed of any one of the transparent film selected from PET or PC, acrylic, urethane and formed with a thickness of 0.01mm ~ 0.05mm.

Description

Keypad and its manufacturing method {KEYPAD AND MANUFACTURE METHOD THEREOF}

1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a keypad according to the prior art.

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a keypad according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is an assembled state cross-sectional view of a printed circuit board to which the keypad of FIG. 2 is applied.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a keypad according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a view showing to help understand the Jeonju design products applied to the present invention.

Figure 6 is a block flow diagram illustrating a keypad manufacturing method according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100: keypad 110: key input member

111: decoration film 112: Jeonju products

113: laminating film layer 120: dome switch member

130: backlight member

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a keypad used for inputting a keyword and a method for manufacturing the same, which are provided in information and communication devices, electronic devices, and the like. More particularly, the metallic key input unit is formed by forming a pattern by electric pole processing. And a method for manufacturing the keypad to minimize the overall thickness and weight of the keypad, to avoid direct contact of the metallic key input part with the user's skin, and to improve the visibility of the backlight. will be.

In general, a keypad is a switching device that is applied to an information communication device such as a mobile phone, a PDA or a telephone, and an electronic device such as a remote controller or a keyboard and performs a switching function for signal generation, and prints or sprays color ink on the upper surface of a silicon pad. After that, laser is used to engrave letters and coating UV ink on its surface, and it is molded using a silicone pad or TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) film, and the upper side of the keypad is plastic-injected to color ink on the surface. After spraying, laser is used to engrave letters and to coat UV ink on it, to use metallic metal plates to enhance the image of the keypad, and to mount LEDs or electroluminescent (EL) on printed circuit boards. A method of stacking sheets to use as a backlight light source of a keypad has been proposed.

Herein, in the structure of a conventional keypad using a metallic metal plate for reinforcing an image of a keypad, as shown in FIG. 1, letters, numbers, and partition lines are formed by etching holes 11 to form a key input unit 12. The metal plate 10 is formed, the urethane pad 20 protruding letters, numbers, and partition lines at positions corresponding to the etching holes 11 of the metal plate 10, and the backlight function of the keypad. The electroluminescent sheet 30 is configured to include a dome switch sheet 40 for generating a switching signal through a PCB side contact according to a key input of the metal plate 10.

That is, in the related art, by engraving the metal plate member itself of the metal plate 10 by etching (etching) or by using laser and marking engraving methods, an engraved pattern such as numbers, letters, and pictures is formed to form a key input unit 12. ) Is provided.

In addition, all of the existing keypad manufacturing method is to be provided with a key input unit by the stamping method to inscribe a pattern on the keypad itself to form a pattern in the keypad.

By the way, according to the manufacturing of the keypad according to the prior art, because the pattern is formed by stamping on the metal plate or silicon pad and urethane film, there is a problem that the process is difficult or cumbersome, and the size of the key input part side pattern is too small. When the backlight light source is applied, there is a problem in that visibility of the backlight falls.

In particular, the metallic metal plate is not only thick because the thickness of the individual itself is usually 0.4mm or more, but also made of metal, but the weight of the plate member is heavy, which makes it difficult to reduce the weight and weight of the keypad. In addition, the existing keypad using silicon pad and urethane film also had a problem of thick thickness.

Furthermore, the metallic metal plate is usually made of nickel or chromium plating, but the structure of the uppermost layer of the keypad is such that the metallic material (especially nickel) may be in direct contact with the user's skin, thereby causing a metal allergic reaction (dermatitis). Problems are emerging.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems described above, the object of the present invention is to provide a metallic key input unit for luxury and image reinforcement, but the pattern by electroforming (galvanoplastic) processing By applying the formation method, the pattern can be formed largely, the visibility of the backlight can be improved, and the metallic key input part can be improved to avoid direct contact with the user's skin to prevent metallic allergic reactions. The present invention provides a keypad and a method of manufacturing the same.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a keypad and a method of manufacturing the same to have a metallic key input portion formed by electroforming, to minimize the overall thickness and weight of the keypad and to simplify the process.

The keypad of the present invention for achieving the above object is a key input member for keyword input, a dome switch member for transmitting a switching signal corresponding to the keyword input by the key input member to the printed circuit board side of the terminal; A keypad comprising a backlight member which is responsible for a backlight function according to the key input; The key input member attaches the electrodeposited pattern of the electrodeposited metal formed by electroforming (galvanoplastic) processing onto a light-transmissive decoration film and laminating the transparent film on the upper side thereof to form a laminating film layer. The basic features of the technical configuration to be made of a configuration to be formed.

In addition, the keypad manufacturing method of the present invention is to complete the keypad by assembling the first step of processing / forming the key input member for the keyword input, the key input member, the dome switch member and the backlight member formed by the first process In the keypad manufacturing method comprising a second step of; The first process for forming the key input member comprises: a first step of acquiring an electroplated glyph product of electrodeposited metal through electroplating; A second step of having a light-transmissive translucent decoration film for supporting the first-order glyph product of the first step; A third step of arranging / attaching the jeonju product on the top surface of the translucent decoration film to support it; It is a basic feature of the technical configuration to make a fourth step to form a laminating film layer by laminating a transparent film to the upper side of the decoration film is attached to the Jeonju design products.

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

2 is an exploded perspective view showing a keypad according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is an assembled state sectional view including a printed circuit board to which the keypad of Figure 2 is applied, Figure 4 is a keypad according to another embodiment of the present invention 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a view illustrating to help understanding of the pre-order product applied to the present invention, and FIG.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the keypad 100 according to the present invention is a translucent decoration film 111 of the electroform pattern 112 of the electrodeposited metal formed by electroforming (galvanoplastic) processing And a switching signal corresponding to the keyword input by the key input member 110 and the key input member 110 formed on the upper side thereof and laminating with a transparent material to form the laminating film layer 113. Is arranged between the dome switch member 120 and the key input member 110 and the dome switch member 120 or the printed circuit board of the terminal. 1) it is configured to include a backlight member 130 of the electroluminescent (EL) sheet or light emitting diode (LED) mounted on the keypad to serve the backlight function.

The key input member 110 is a configuration in which the decoration film layer 111, the electro-ordering layer 112 and the laminating film layer 113 is integrally formed.

At this time, the decoration film 111 is composed of a light transmissive semi-transparent material, but is preferably composed of a PET (Poly Ethylene Terephthalate) film or a deposited PET film with excellent environmental friendliness, and is formed to a thickness of 0.05mm ~ 0.15mm In order to transmit the switching signal according to the key input, the key input protrusion 111a matching the dome switch 121 of the dome switch member 120 is formed. Here, the deposited PET film is a vacuum deposition of a metal such as aluminum on the PET film.

In addition, the decoration film 111, as shown in Figure 4, to form a printed layer (P) on the PET film itself so that the pattern (pattern) corresponding to the various patterns and key input arrangement on the upper surface or PET The printing layer P may be formed by pressing a patterned paper (printing paper) having a pattern formed on the film.

Further, the decoration film 111 may be made of any one selected from PC (Poly Carbonate), acrylic, or urethane, not PET, and sometimes may be made of a selective combination thereof.

The electroplating pattern 112 is a metallic material of an electrodeposited metal electrodeposited and blanked by electroplating as shown in FIG. 5, and the electroplating process has a feature of easily adjusting the thickness of a metal to be electrodeposited. In this case, it is preferable to form a thickness of 0.02mm ~ 0.10mm. Here, the electroforming of the present invention is a model plate after electrodepositing a metal such as nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), or copper (Cu) onto a model board to which a peeling coating is applied. Separation from the processing method to obtain a product having a concave-convex and opposite surface of the model plate, the Jeonju products 112 has a certain shape but the surface conductivity of the model plate into the electrolytic cell to flow the current to the surface of the model plate After the electrodeposition is made according to the action, the electrodeposited metal layer formed on the surface of the model plate is separated and punched out.

The laminating film layer 113 is coated by coating any one transparent film selected from PET or PC or acrylic and urethane on the decoration film 111 to which the electric pole pattern 112 is attached, and 0.01 mm to 0.05 mm. It is preferred to be formed to a thickness of. Here, the laminating film layer 113 is responsible for the main function to effectively prevent the skin troubles caused by metal allergic reactions by not contacting the user's skin with the metal electro-optic pattern 112 when using the terminal. In addition, it is possible to provide a beautiful luster and to cover the metallic electroform pattern 112 constituting the key input portion to prevent the deformation of the shape due to long-term contact of the electroform pattern 112 and to extend the service life of the keypad (100). To be able.

The manufacturing method and operation of the keypad according to the present invention having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

First, the key input member 110 of the keypad 100 is formed to be processed (S10).

By using electroforming (electro forming, galvanoplastic) processing method to process the electro-deposited product 112 of the electrodeposited metal into letters, numbers, and pictures necessary for key input of the terminal (S11).

At this time, the present invention is provided with a model plate engraved in a specific shape engraved and embossed, and the surface of the other, including the release agent and masking (masking) the other surface, and then a metal such as nickel, chromium or copper The electrodeposition layer is placed in the electrolytic cell containing the solution so that the electrodeposition layer is electrodeposited onto the corresponding surface of the model plate according to the electrolytic action. Through the processing method, the electrodeposited metal products 112 of the electrodeposited metal are individually obtained. Here, the total order product is to be formed to a thickness of 0.02mm ~ 0.10mm.

It is to be provided with a light-transparent translucent decoration film 111 to attach and support the individual obtained jeju jeokje 112 (S12). At this time, the decoration film 111 is provided with any one of the translucent film selected from PET or deposited PET, PC, acrylic or urethane, and is formed to a thickness of 0.05mm ~ 0.15mm, the lower surface of the switching signal according to the key input The key input protrusion 111a is formed for easy delivery.

Here, the decoration film 111 may be formed with a printing layer P such that a pattern or other background pattern corresponding to a key input arrangement appears, such that a printing layer is formed on the film itself or a pattern is formed on the film. The paper may be pressed to form a printed layer.

The punched out product design 112 obtained by the electric pole processing is arranged on the decoration film 111 and attached to be supported (S13).

Coating the transparent film selected from PET, PC, acrylic or urethane through the laminating process to the upper side of the decoration film 111 to which the Jeonju-designed product 112 is attached. By forming the laminating film layer 113 by the processing to form a key input member 110 having a metallicity integrally decorating the decoration film 111, the pre-order product 112 and the laminating film layer 113 ( S14). At this time, the laminating film layer is to be formed to a thickness of 0.01mm ~ 0.05mm.

When the key input member 110 is provided in this manner, the dome switch member 120 is placed on the printed circuit board 1 side of the terminal so that a switching signal corresponding to the keyword input by the key input member 110 is generated. Arranged to be connected to the contact point, the backlight member 130 is disposed to give a backlight function to the keypad 100 so that the keypad 100 having an illumination function is configured (S20). In this case, when the backlight member 130 is an electroluminescent (EL) sheet, the backlight member 130 may be disposed between the key input member 110 and the dome switch member 120, and the backlight member 130 may include a light emitting diode. In the case of (LED), the configuration is mounted on the printed circuit board 1 of the terminal.

Accordingly, the keypad 100 manufactured by the manufacturing method according to the present invention is formed by punching the electroplated products 112 of the electrodeposited metal in a single letter, but is attached to the decoration film 111 to be supported. The laminating film layer 113 is formed on the upper side to configure the key input unit, and the key input unit can be formed with a thickness of at least 0.08 mm to a maximum of 0.30 mm, so that a metal plate having a thickness of 0.40 mm or more (key input) Significant reduction of the thickness of the member), and from the existing type of plate member to the type of attachment of the individual individual Jeonju pattern 112, the peripheral connection that connects the patterns for forming the key input unit with each other Since the weight of the keypad 100 is removed, the weight of the keypad 100 is greatly reduced, and the visibility of the backlight is greatly increased by the formation of an open space. It provides yongham.

In addition, in the imprinting method of engraving a very small pattern through etching or laser and marking, the keypad 100 side is applied by applying a method of attaching the Jeonju pattern product 112 to the decoration film 111 through the electric pole processing. Not only can the pattern of the key input portion be largely formed, but also the usefulness of the process can be simplified.

Furthermore, by forming the laminating film layer 113 on the electroformed pattern 112, it is possible to enhance the image of the keypad 100 and to avoid direct contact between the user and the electroplated pattern 112, which is an electrodeposition metal. By providing a metal allergic reaction to be prevented in advance, it provides the usefulness to prevent the shape deformation of the pre-order pattern 112 due to long-term use of the keypad (100).

On the other hand, the keypad according to the present invention and its manufacturing method have been described with reference to the specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings as described above, but is not particularly limited to this, various modifications carried out by those skilled in the art Will be attributed to the detailed description and interpretation of the claims.

As described above, according to the keypad according to the present invention and a method for manufacturing the same, the electroplating product of the electrodeposition metal is formed by punching in a single letter, but is attached / supported to the decoration film, and the laminating film layer is formed thereon. The key input unit is configured to not only make the pattern of the key input unit larger than the conventional one, but also provides the usefulness of minimizing the overall thickness and weight of the keypad by eliminating unnecessary space on the metal plate side. It is possible to greatly improve the visibility and to avoid the metallic key input part in direct contact with the user's skin, thereby preventing metallic allergic reactions, and simplifying the process and reducing the manufacturing cost of the keypad. To be exercised.

Claims (8)

A key input member for inputting a keyword, a dome switch member for transmitting a switching signal corresponding to the keyword input by the key input member to the printed circuit board side of the terminal, and a backlight member which is responsible for a backlight function according to the key input A keypad comprising a; The key input member attaches the electrodeposited pattern of the electrodeposited metal formed by electroforming (galvanoplastic) processing onto a light-transmissive decoration film and laminating the transparent film on the upper side thereof to form a laminating film layer. Keypad characterized in that the configuration is made to form. The method of claim 1, The decoration film is a keypad characterized in that it is composed of any one of the translucent film selected from PET or metal-deposited PET, PC, acrylic, urethane, to form a thickness of 0.05mm ~ 0.15mm. The method of claim 1, The electroplating pattern of the electrodeposited metal by the electroplating process is to be made of any one selected from nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr) or copper (Cu), characterized in that the keypad is formed to a thickness of 0.02mm ~ 0.1mm. The method of claim 1, The laminating film layer keypad, characterized in that consisting of any one of the transparent film selected from PET, PC, acrylic, urethane, characterized in that formed to a thickness of 0.01mm ~ 0.05mm. A method for manufacturing a keypad comprising a first step of processing and forming a key input member for keyword input, and a second step of assembling a key input member, a dome switch member, and a backlight member formed by the first step to complete a keypad. To The first process for forming the key input member comprises: a first step of acquiring an electroplated glyph product of electrodeposited metal through electroplating; A second step of providing a translucent translucent decoration film to support the first order-form product; A third step of arranging and attaching the jeonju product on a translucent decoration film to be supported; And a fourth step of forming a laminating film layer by laminating a transparent film to an upper side of the decoration film to which the electro-precious products are attached. The method of claim 5, Jeonju pattern products according to the first step is made of any one selected from nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr) or copper (Cu), the keypad manufacturing method characterized in that formed to a thickness of 0.02mm ~ 0.10mm . The method of claim 5, The decoration film according to the second step is to be composed of any one of a light translucent film selected from PET or metal deposited PET, PC, acrylic, urethane, keypad characterized in that formed to a thickness of 0.05mm ~ 0.15mm Manufacturing method. The method of claim 5, The laminating film layer according to the fourth step is to be composed of any one of the transparent film selected from PET, PC, acrylic, urethane, keypad manufacturing method characterized in that formed to a thickness of 0.01mm ~ 0.05mm.

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