KR100752772B1 - Keypad structure for personal portable device - Google Patents

Abstract

A new key mold structure and a backlight structure are disclosed to disclose a keypad structure capable of constructing a thin personal handheld terminal. The personal mobile terminal is provided with a light emitting unit that illuminates from the back of the keypad unit. The light emitting unit is partially inserted into the insertion hole formed in the printed circuit board to illuminate the existing LED mounting space. In addition, the key molding and the actuator portion formed on the back of the key molding may be integrally formed to form a thin thickness. In this way, the thickness of the terminal can be reduced by changing the position of the backlight to reduce the mounting space, and by presenting a new structure of the actuator protrusion that presses the metal domes of the key mold and the dome sheet, It can contribute to a thin structure.

Keypad, Light Guide Panel, Double Injection

Description

KEYPAD STRUCTURE FOR PERSONAL PORTABLE DEVICE}

1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a conventional personal portable terminal.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing the keypad structure of the present invention.

3 is an exploded perspective view of the keypad structure of the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a light emission path of light in a light guide plate.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

100: keypad unit 110: key molding part

120: Actuator part 130: Body case

200: printed circuit board 210: dome

220: Terminal part 230: Insertion opening

400: light emitting unit 410: light emitting unit

420: light guide plate 430: light guide plate protrusion

The present invention relates to a keypad structure of a personal handheld terminal, and more specifically, to change the position and structure of the keypad backlight to realize the ultra-thin thickness of the personal handheld terminal, and also to provide a new structure and manufacturing method of the keypad unit keypad It's about structure.

In general, a personal portable terminal is a communication device that allows a user to easily carry and carry with the other party from anywhere. In recent years, such personal portable terminals have been developed in addition to simple audio transmission / reception functions.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a conventional personal portable terminal. As shown therein, the main body 1 and the folder 2 are hinged to open and close, and the folder 2 has a display unit 3 for displaying text and other video information and a speaker unit for displaying audio information. (11) is provided. On the other hand, the personal portable terminal, in addition to the form in which the folder 2 is coupled by a hinge, there are various forms such as sliding the folder 2 up and down, and rotating the folder (2).

The main body 1 has a side key 9 for inputting a tone or other information during a call on its side, a battery 4 mounted on the rear thereof to supply electrical energy, numbers and letters. The upper cover 5 having a plurality of exposure pad holes 5a formed therein so that the keypads 8 for inputting information and the like can be exposed to the outside and the upper cover 5 are combined with various components. Printed circuit board is installed in the lower cover (6) to form a certain space that can be mounted, the upper cover (5) and the space formed by the lower cover 6 and the components for processing the input and output of information ( 7) and the dome sheet 10 installed on the upper surface of the printed circuit board 7 and provided with a plurality of metal domes 11 to transmit information input through the keypad 8 to the printed circuit board 7. And the like. The conventional personal portable terminal configured as described above opens the folder 2 and presses the keypad 8 with a finger to input information when a user transmits or receives or uses a function of various portable terminals such as a game.

The above-mentioned personal portable terminals are being researched and developed to be compact in addition to miniaturization in order to make the user easy to carry, but the conventional terminals of such a structure have a considerable thickness.

In detail, the keypad 8 may have a key mold formed thereon, and the thickness thereof is about 0.9 mm. This thickness may be the minimum injection condition at the state of the art. In addition, a rubber pad keypad rubber may be inserted under the key mold to improve a feeling of contact. In general, the thickness of the keypad rubber is about 1.5 mm. The sum of the thicknesses of the key mold and keypad rubber alone is already about 2.4 mm.

In addition, the metal dome 11 formed on the dome sheet 10 has a thickness of about 0.3 mm, which is considered to be the minimum thickness necessary for a terminal developer. In addition, the thickness of the printed circuit board 7 is about 1 mm.

In addition, in order for the keypad 8 to be accurately touched by the user even at night or in a dark place, there is a need for illumination by a backlight such as an LED, and the backlight is mounted on the upper side of the printed circuit board 7 so that the keypad 8 Illuminated from the back. That is, about 0.8 mm is required also for mounting space of backlight, such as LED.

As such, there is an essential part to form the thickness of the terminal, but research to reduce the unnecessary space is urgently needed to manufacture a slim terminal desired by the consumer. In addition, it is time to study the keypad touch structure that does not harm the existing keypad touch feeling while slimming.

One object of the present invention for solving the above problems is to provide a keypad structure of a personal portable terminal that can reduce the thickness of the terminal by reducing the mounting space by changing the position of the backlight, such as LED.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a keypad structure of a personal portable terminal that can contribute to the thin structure of the personal portable terminal by presenting a new structure of the actuator projection for pressing the metal dome of the key mold and the dome sheet.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a keypad structure of a personal handheld terminal, which realizes a compact structure by introducing a double injection technology, without falling contact feeling of the keypad compared to the conventional structure.

In addition, to illuminate the keypad, it is to provide a keypad structure of a personal portable terminal that can improve the light transmittance and uniformity.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above objects of the present invention, the present invention includes a light emitting unit and a keypad unit. The keypad unit includes a key molded part protruding from the main body case, and an actuator part integrally formed under the key molded part and formed of an elastic material, and the key molded part and the actuator part using double injection. It is preferable to form integrally.

The light emitting unit includes a light emitting part, a light guide plate connected to the light emitting part, mounted on a rear surface of the printed circuit board, and a light guide plate protrusion extending from a surface of the light guide plate and inserted into the insertion hole. The light guide plate is formed with a scattering pattern for scattering light and emitting light therein, and the scattering pattern is densely formed at the protrusion of the light guide plate so as to shine brighter than other parts of the light guide plate. A heat sink for dissipating heat may be attached to the light emitting unit.

It is preferable that the material of the key molding part is plastic, and among them, polycarbonate (PC) is preferably formed. In addition, the actuator portion is preferably made of a rubber material.

In this way, the thickness of the terminal can be reduced by changing the position of the backlight such as the LED and reducing the mounting space thereof. In addition, by presenting a new structure of the actuator protrusion pressing the metal dome of the key mold and the dome sheet, it is possible to contribute to the thin structure of the personal mobile terminal. In addition, since the scattering pattern formed on the light guide plate and the light guide plate protrusion can be freely designed, there is an effect of improving light transmittance and uniformity in illuminating the keypad.

In the present specification, a personal portable device (Personal Portable Device) is a PDC (Personal Digital Cellular) phone, PCS (Personal Communication Service) phone, PHS (Personal Handyhphone System), CDMA-2000 (1X, 3X) phone, WCDMA (Wideband) Mobile communication devices such as CDMA) phones, Dual Band / Dual Mode phones, Global Standard for Mobile (GSM) phones, Mobile Broadband System (MBS) phones, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) phones, mobile phones, etc. Personal digital assistants (PDAs), hand-held PCs, notebook computers, WiBro terminals, smart phones, MP3 players, and international roaming services and extensions A portable electric and electronic device, which means all kinds of handheld-based wireless communication devices including an International Mobile Telecommunication-2000 (IMT-2000) terminal for providing a mobile communication service, comprising: a code division multiplexing access (CDMA) module, Blue To Module, an infrared communication module (IrDA), a wired / wireless LAN card, and a predetermined communication module such as a wireless communication device equipped with a GPS chip to enable location tracking through GPS, and a predetermined communication module for performing a multimedia playback function. By mounting a microprocessor, it can be used as a general term for a terminal having a predetermined computing power.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited or limited by the embodiments.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a keypad structure of the present invention, Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the keypad structure of the present invention. As shown therein, the keypad structure includes a keypad unit 100 and a light emitting unit 400.

The keypad unit 100 is located above the dome 210 mounted on the printed circuit board 200. The keypad unit 100 includes a key molding unit 110 which a user can press by hand, and the key molding. It consists of an actuator unit 120 located inside the unit 110.

The actuator part 120 protrudes from the inside of the key mold part 110 to a certain height, and deforms when the user presses the key mold part 110 so that the actuator part 120 presses the dome 210. do.

The printed circuit board 200 is accommodated in the main body case 130 of the personal portable terminal, and a plurality of circuit components such as components necessary for communication are mounted thereon. A terminal portion 220 is formed on a surface of the printed circuit board 200, and a dome 210 having a hemispherical shape is covered thereon. When the user presses the key molding part 110, the dome 210 comes into contact with the terminal part 220 positioned on the printed circuit board 200, thereby pressing the user's pressing on another circuit component of the printed circuit board 200. Will be delivered.

The key molded part 110 is made of plastic, and among them, it is preferable to use polycarbonate (PC), which is excellent in heat resistance, transparent, and strong and resistant to impact. In addition, the actuator unit 120 may use rubber to improve a user's feeling of contact.

Keypad unit 100 configured as described above is preferably formed using a double injection. In more detail, first, the material of the key mold part 110 is sprayed on the mold and discharged, and then solidified. Next, the material of the actuator part 120 is sprayed onto the key mold part 110 to be solidified to manufacture the keypad unit 100. By configuring in this way, the thickness can be formed to be about 0.9 to 1.2 mm.

That is, the conventional keypad rubber can be removed, so that about 1.5 mm or more, which is the thickness of the keypad rubber, can be removed, thereby making it compact. In other words, the thickness can be reduced by removing the keypad rubber and directly attaching the actuator part 120 made of a material capable of forming a good contact sensitivity of the user to the key mold.

In the periphery where the dome 210 is formed, an insertion hole 230 having a hole shape formed through the printed circuit board 200 is formed. The insertion hole 230 may be configured in an arc shape, and may be configured in various shapes. For example, as shown in Figure 3, it may be formed in some arc shape, it may be formed in a polygonal shape such as a triangle or a square or in the shape of a circle.

The light guide plate protrusion 430 is inserted into the insertion hole 230, and the light guide plate protrusion 430 is formed in a shape corresponding to the light guide plate insertion hole 230. The light guide plate protrusion 430 protrudes from the surface of the light guide plate 420.

The light guide plate 420 may be formed using glass or plastic made of a transparent material to allow light to pass therethrough. The light guide plate 420 has a flat plate shape, and the light guide plate protrusion 430 is formed on a surface thereof.

The light guide plate 420 is provided with a light emitting part 410 formed of a light emitting diode for emitting light to one side thereof. The light emitting unit 410 receives a constant current and emits light, and the light is transmitted to the light guide plate 420. In addition, a heat sink (not shown) may be provided integrally with the light emitting unit 410 to emit heat generated from the light emitting unit 410. In the heat sink, a plurality of fins may be formed on the opposite side of the heat sink 410 opposite to the surface where the light emitting unit 410 is in contact with the printed circuit board 200, thereby providing more effective heat dissipation.

The light guide plate 420 is formed using glass or plastic of a transparent material, and includes a scattering pattern therein. The scattering pattern is formed inside the light guide plate 420 and serves to scatter and emit light. The scattering pattern includes concave dots or penetrates the hemispherical shape, the slit shape, and the light guide part for more effective light scattering. Various shapes may be provided in a hole shape.

A path through which light is transmitted along the light guide plate 420 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a light emission path of light in a light guide plate.

When light is produced by the light emitter 410, light is scattered along the light guide plate 420 to emit light. Accordingly, the light guide plate protrusion 430 inserted into the insertion hole 230 formed in the printed circuit board 200 emits light, thereby illuminating the rear surface of the key molding part 110. The user may recognize letters or numbers engraved on the front of the key molding unit 110 by illuminating the back of the key molding unit 110. In this case, since the light guide plate protrusion 430 shines brighter than other portions, the scattering pattern may be densely arranged on the light guide plate protrusion 430 so that the light guide plate protrusion 430 may be scattered to brighten the light.

That is, it is not necessary to mount a light emitting device such as an LED on the surface of the printed circuit board 200 adjacent to the key molding part 110 to illuminate the key molding part 110. Therefore, the LED mounting space is reduced, thereby contributing to the compactness of the personal portable terminal. In addition, since the scattering pattern formed on the light guide plate can be designed in various ways, it is easy to design such that the light transmittance or uniform light is illuminated.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the terminal by reducing the mounting space by changing the position of the backlight, such as LED.

In addition, by presenting a new structure of the actuator protrusion pressing the metal dome of the key mold and the dome sheet, there is an effect that can contribute to the thin structure of the personal mobile terminal.

In addition, there is an effect of providing a compact structure by introducing a double injection technology, without a drop in the touch of the keypad compared to the conventional structure.

In addition, in illuminating the keypad, there is an effect that can improve the light transmittance and uniformity.

As described above, although described with reference to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art various modifications and variations of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described in the claims below I can understand that you can.

Claims (18)

delete delete delete delete delete A key molded part protruding from the main body case of the personal portable terminal and having a printed circuit board; And A light guide plate coupled to a light emitting unit and partially inserted into an insertion hole formed in the printed circuit board to illuminate a rear surface of the key molding unit to transmit illumination of the light emitting unit; Keypad structure of the personal mobile device comprising a. The method of claim 6, The light guide plate is located below the printed circuit board, the keypad structure of the personal mobile terminal, characterized in that the light guide plate protrusion formed to protrude from the surface of the light guide plate is inserted into the insertion hole. The method of claim 7, wherein The insertion hole is formed in the shape of an arc, the light guide plate projecting portion of the keypad structure of the personal mobile terminal, characterized in that formed in a shape corresponding to the insertion hole. The method of claim 8, The light guide plate is formed with a scattering pattern for scattering light to emit light therein, the scattering pattern is densely formed in the projection of the light guide plate, the keypad structure of the personal mobile terminal, characterized in that shining brighter than the other parts of the light guide plate . The method of claim 6, The light emitting unit is a keypad structure of a personal portable terminal, characterized in that the heat sink for attaching heat is attached. The method of claim 6, The key mold portion is formed integrally protruding from the lower side and further comprises an actuator portion made of a material having elasticity, wherein the actuator portion of the keypad structure of the personal mobile terminal, characterized in that composed of a material having elasticity. The method of claim 11, The key mold part and the actuator part of the keypad structure of the personal portable terminal, characterized in that formed integrally by using a double injection. The method of claim 11, The key molded part is a plastic material, the actuator unit is a keypad structure of a personal handheld terminal, characterized in that the rubber material. A keypad unit having a portion protruding outward from the main body case of the personal portable terminal to provide a pushing operation of the user, and a protrusion unit protruding into the inner side of the main body case to transmit the push operation signal to a printed circuit board; And A light emitting unit that illuminates a rear surface of the keypad unit and partially emits light through an insertion hole formed in a printed circuit board embedded in the main body case; Keypad structure of the personal mobile device comprising a. The method of claim 14, The keypad unit is A key mold part protruding from the main body case; And An actuator part integrally formed under the key mold part and formed of an elastic material; Keypad structure of the personal mobile terminal comprising a. The method of claim 15, The key mold part and the actuator part of the keypad structure of the personal portable terminal, characterized in that formed integrally by using a double injection. The method of claim 14, The light emitting unit Light emitting unit; A light guide plate connected to the light emitting part and mounted on a rear surface of the printed circuit board; And A light guide plate protrusion extending from a surface of the light guide plate and inserted into the insertion hole; Keypad structure of the personal mobile terminal comprising a. The method of claim 17, The light guide plate is formed with a scattering pattern for scattering light to emit light therein, the scattering pattern is densely formed in the projection of the light guide plate, the keypad structure of the personal mobile terminal, characterized in that shining brighter than the other parts of the light guide plate .

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