KR100911120B1 - Rollable Flexibility Keyboard - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention can be connected to and disconnected from a data input port of a conventional personal handheld information terminal or a portable information processing device, and a flexible keyboard portion made of a flexible material that can be bent, bent or wound in a rolled form is stored or rolled out as a keyboard. A scroll type flexible keyboard to be used, comprising a keyboard panel part having a flexible keyboard part, and a keyboard driver configured to be rolled up and stored in a rolled shape or to be unfolded when used and connected to and detachable from a data input port. The present invention can be detachably attached and connected to a portable information processing device such as a mobile phone or a PDA or a portable information processing device such as an electronic notebook or a notebook. By configuring the scroll type so as to provide convenience for inputting information such as letters, numbers, and symbols.

Description

Rollable Flexibility Keyboard {Rollable Flexibility Keyboard}

The present invention can be detachably attached and connected to a portable information processing device such as a mobile phone or a PDA or a portable information processing device such as an electronic notebook or a notebook. The present invention relates to a scroll-type flexible keyboard that provides an interface in pursuit of convenience for information input such as letters, numbers, and symbols.

1 is a schematic diagram showing information input and output devices 11 to 15 of a conventional notebook computer and a mobile phone. With the recent development of IT / NT, the size of the information processing element is getting smaller. In particular, as shown in Figure 1, while the size of the mobile phone, PDA, notebook, etc., downsizing, the information processing speed is getting faster, the storage capacity is significantly increased, while the information input that is the user interface device of the terminal, notebook And the output device has a limit in reducing the size for user convenience.

In order to solve this problem, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-0026989 combines two independent portions of a keyboard in an information device to a personal mobile device information processing device, thereby expanding the size of alphabetic and numeric keyboards for inputting data. A possible structure has been proposed. In addition, Korean Patent Publication No. 2006-0122201 discloses a portable personal information terminal capable of accommodating a keyboard having a plurality of keyboard keys for receiving a user manipulation inside an information processing terminal.

However, since the technologies are configured to be housed inside the personal information terminal in a folded form of a hard keyboard, the terminal system is bulky and not easy to move, and inconveniences occur when users input information due to the discontinuity line of the folding part. Can be.

Therefore, the present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and can be detachably connected to a portable information processing device such as a mobile phone or PDA, or a portable information processing device such as an electronic notebook or a notebook and stored when carrying. And it is easy to move and configured to be rolled up so that it can be expanded to a size independent of the size of the terminal, by providing a scroll-type flexible keyboard that provides convenience for information input such as letters, numbers, symbols, etc. have.

In addition, the present invention has a further object to provide a scroll-type flexible keyboard having a feeling that the user presses the keyboard input key by configuring each keyboard input key has a convex shape by the internal air in configuring the keyboard portion. .

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention can be connected to and disconnected from a data input port of a conventional personal portable information terminal or a portable information processing device, and wound in a rolled form of a flexible keyboard made of a flexible material that can be bent, bent or wound. A scroll-type flexible keyboard that can be stored or extended out to be used as a keyboard. A keyboard panel with a flexible keyboard, and a keyboard driver configured to be rolled up in a rolled form for storage or to be unfolded when used. Characterized in that it comprises a.

The keyboard panel portion of the present invention is coupled to the outer side of the flexible keyboard portion in the width direction of the user to hold and use when the flexible keyboard portion is unfolded or rolled up, and furthermore a holder that acts as a stopper so that the flexible keyboard portion is no longer wound on the keyboard driver. It may include.

The keyboard panel portion of the present invention may further include a support coupled to the longitudinal outer periphery of the flexible keyboard portion so as to be unfolded without bending when it is wound and rolled together with the flexible keyboard portion.

The flexible keyboard portion of the present invention adheres to each other a keyboard film having a keyboard input key arranged on the surface thereof, a film disposed below the keyboard film, and a lower surface of the keyboard film and an upper surface of the film at positions that partition the keyboard input keys from side to side. And a compressed air distributor for uniformly supplying compressed air to the air reservoir, wherein the keyboard panel unit uniformly supplies compressed air to the air reservoir or supplies compressed air to the air reservoir through the compressed air distributor. It may further include an air compression discharge unit for discharging to the outside.

The film of the present invention has an upper conductive coating film disposed below the keyboard film, and a lower space disposed at an upper interval with the upper conductive coating film by a space dot disposed at a position for partitioning the keyboard input keys from side to side. Conductive coating film consists of a flexible keyboard, the touch screen is applied to a specific keyboard input key, as the upper conductive coating film is pressed, the electrode resistive touch type touch information as the electrode film is in contact with each other lower conductive coating film Can be.

The present invention may be made of a silicone rubber material capable of expanding and contracting the keyboard film itself or the keyboard input key portion.

The keyboard drive unit of the present invention serves as a support shaft having a fixed shaft, and a support shaft rotatably connected to the fixed shaft to roll the flexible keyboard portion in the form of a roll, and fixed to one end of the flexible keyboard portion, and rotated on the fixed shaft. It is possible to include a coil spring is installed so as to store the elastic restoring force when the flexible keyboard portion is unfolded, and provides the elastic restoring force to be wound to the original state.

The rotary case of the present invention has an inner rail and an outer rail connected to each other on its front surface, and the keyboard drive unit is coupled to a fixed shaft so as to be located in front of the rotating case and a ball movable along the inner and outer rails. It may further include a front case to prevent the deviation of the ball to form a groove for the movement of the ball to move only along the inner rail and the outer rail.

Between the inner rail and the outer rail of the present invention, the ball may be prevented from proceeding further in the direction to move in, and the stop may be formed to allow the ball to proceed in the exit direction.

The present invention can be detachably attached and connected to a portable information processing device such as a mobile phone or a PDA or a portable information processing device such as an electronic notebook or a notebook. By configuring the scroll type so as to provide a convenience for inputting information such as letters, numbers, and symbols, there is an effect.

In addition, the present invention has the advantage of having a feeling that the user presses the keyboard input key by configuring each keyboard input key has a convex shape by the internal air in configuring the keyboard portion.

In the following, with reference to the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of the scroll-type flexible keyboard according to the present invention will be described in detail.

Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a personal portable information terminal using a scroll type flexible keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 (a) is a scroll type flexible keyboard of this embodiment to use a keyboard 2 is a diagram of a state connected to a personal portable information terminal in an unfolded state, Figure 2 (b) is a diagram of a state in which the roll-type flexible keyboard of this embodiment is separated from the personal portable information terminal and wound to carry or store the keyboard.

As shown in FIG. 2, the scroll type flexible keyboard according to this embodiment is connected to the data input port 21 of the personal portable information terminal 20 by a cable 22 to transmit information. The flexible keyboard of this embodiment is composed of a thin flexible material that can be bent, bent or wound like a paper, and has a keyboard panel 200 having a keyboard layout on its surface, and the keyboard panel 200 rolled and stored in a rolled form. It is configured to be unfolded during use and consists of a keyboard drive unit 300 that can be connected to a personal portable information terminal or information processing device.

The keyboard panel 200 includes a flexible keyboard 210, a supporter 220 supporting the flexible keyboard 210, and a holder 230. Here, the support 220 is to be wound in the form of a roll together with the flexible keyboard 210, serves to support the flat unfolded when the flexible keyboard 210 is unfolded, the holder 230 is a keyboard It is used when the user grasps, pulls, or releases the flexible keyboard unit 210 using the driving unit 300 to expand or wind the roll. Therefore, the support 220 is coupled to the longitudinal outer periphery of the flexible keyboard 210, the support 220 is also unfolded or wound at the same time as the flexible keyboard 210 is unfolded or wound. And the holder 230 is coupled to the outer width direction of the flexible keyboard portion 210, and also serves as a stopper so that the flexible keyboard 210 is no longer wound.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detailed view of the scroll type flexible keyboard (a) and a portion (b) of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the flexible keyboard unit 210 of this embodiment may input desired information by the user pressing the keyboard input key 211. In addition, the flexible keyboard 210 is configured such that the keyboard input key 211 has a convex shape by the internal air so as to have a feeling that the user presses the keyboard input key 211.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual view of a cross section taken along the line A-A 'of FIG. 3. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the flexible keyboard portion 210 of this embodiment includes a keyboard film 212 having a keyboard input key 211 arranged on a surface thereof and a lower portion of the keyboard film 212. An adhesive part 214 for adhering the upper conductive coating film 213 and the lower surface of the keyboard film 212 and the upper surface of the upper conductive coating film 213 at positions that partition the keyboard input key 211 from side to side. ) And a lower conductive coating film 216 disposed at regular intervals from the upper conductive coating film 213 by a space dot 215 disposed at a position for partitioning the keyboard input key 211 from side to side. It is configured to have.

Here, partitioning the keyboard input key 211 to the left and right through the adhesive portion 214 to inject air into the keyboard film 212 to feel when the user presses the input key for information input keyboard input key In order to configure so that 211 has a convex shape. That is, the adhesive part 214 serves to prevent over-expansion of the air storage 217 formed between the keyboard film 212 and the upper conductive coating film 213 to maintain the convex shape uniformly.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual view illustrating a shape of a flexible keyboard expanded by injecting air in the drawing illustrated in FIG. 4. In order to use the flexible keyboard according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the air storage 217 should be expanded by compressing air between the keyboard film 212 and the upper conductive coating film 213. In addition, the keyboard input key 211 may be expanded due to the compressed air. Therefore, this embodiment may be made of a material such as silicon rubber so that the portion of the keyboard film 212 itself or the keyboard input key 211 constituting the keyboard input key 211 can be expanded and contracted. In addition, the flexible keyboard according to this embodiment may take out the compressed air when the storage or the portable as shown in Figure 4 to return the space of the air storage 217 to the original state to wind the keyboard panel 200 in the form of a roll.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an operating principle of a flexible keyboard according to external force in the drawing of FIG. 5. As shown in Fig. 6, the keyboard panel 200 of this embodiment adopts a pressure-sensitive resistive film type, which is preferable for touch accuracy, and its operation principle is as follows. First, a constant voltage is applied to the upper conductive coating film 213 and the lower conductive coating film 216. In this case, the voltage is applied from the personal portable information terminal 20 through a cable 22 connected to the data output port 310 of the keyboard driver 300 as shown in FIGS. In this state, when a touch for applying a force F to the expanded keyboard input key 211 to press a specific keyboard input key 211 occurs, the upper conductive coating film 213 is pressed and the electrode film is lower conductive coating film ( 216 abuts each other. Then, the potential difference according to the contact position occurs at the point where the contact is made, and after detecting the potential difference in the controller several times to find the correct point, the XY coordinates are calculated to the personal portable information terminal 20 To pass. The touch method of this embodiment is a mechanical touch method, which not only has a fast response speed when touched but also has excellent touch accuracy.

7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method for injecting air into the flexible keyboard illustrated in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 7, the flexible keyboard unit 210 according to this embodiment is compressed to uniformly supply compressed air to an air storage 217 formed between the keyboard film 212 and the upper conductive coating film 213. And has an air distributor (218). In addition, the keyboard panel 200 according to this embodiment supplies compressed air to the compressed air distributor 218 of the flexible keyboard 210 and discharges the compressed air 240 made of silicon rubber to discharge the supplied compressed air to the outside. It is configured to have). Therefore, when a force is applied to the air compression discharge unit 240, the air inside the air compression discharge unit 240 is compressed and the air is distributed to the flexible keyboard 210 by the compressed air distributor 218 at a uniform pressure.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating in detail the flexible keyboard illustrated in FIG. 3 including components of the keyboard driver. As shown in FIG. 8, the keyboard driver 300 according to this embodiment is configured to be connected to a personal portable information terminal while the keyboard panel 200 is rolled up in a rolled form or can be released when used. That is, the keyboard driver 300 includes a stator 301, a coil spring 302, an inner rail 304, an outer rail 305, and a rotation case 303 having a stop part 307, and rails 304 and 305. It consists of a ball 306 moving along, and the front case 308.

The keyboard driver 300 configured as described above has a structure in which a fixing table 301 having a fixed shaft 301a and a front case 308 are fixed, and the coil spring 302 and the rotating case 303 may fix the fixed shaft 301a. It has a structure that can rotate around the center. At this time, the fixed shaft 301a and the rotation case 303 are connected to each other by the coil spring 302, and store the elastic restoring force in the coil spring 302 when the rotation case 303 rotates. That is, the coil spring 302 is rotatably installed on the fixed shaft 301a to store the elastic restoring force when the keyboard panel 200 is unfolded, and then provide the elastic restoring force so that the keyboard panel 200 is wound to its original state. do. The rotary case 303 serves as a support shaft for winding the keyboard panel 200 in a rolled form, and one end of the keyboard panel 200 is fixed.

FIG. 9 is a detailed view illustrating the structure of the keyboard driver using the ball illustrated in FIG. 8, and illustrates the structures of the rotation case 303 and the front case 308. As shown in FIG. 9A, an inner rail 304 and an outer rail 305 connected to each other are formed on the front surface of the rotation case 303, and the ball 306 moves along the rails 304 and 305. Can be. A stop 307 is formed between the inner rail 304 and the outer rail 305 to prevent the ball 306 from proceeding further in the direction in which it entered (counterclockwise with respect to the z-axis). And the ball 306 to advance in the outgoing direction (clockwise with respect to the z-axis). As shown in (b) of FIG. 9, the front case 308 is coupled to the fixed shaft 301a so as to be located in front of the rotation case 303, thereby preventing the ball 306 from being detached and a groove for the movement of the ball 306. 309 is formed to allow the ball 306 to move only along the rails 304 and 305.

The operating principle of the keyboard driver 300 configured as described above is as follows.

When the keyboard panel 200 is unfolded, the coil spring 302 stores an external force as an elastic restoring force, and at this time, the keyboard panel 200 may be wound without an external power source by using the stored elastic restoring force.

When the keyboard panel 200 is unfolded, the rotation case 303 rotates counterclockwise with respect to the z axis. In addition, the rotation case 303 may freely rotate within the length range of the keyboard panel 200 while the keyboard panel 200 is unfolded. In this way, when the holder 230 is placed in a state in which the keyboard panel 200 is unfolded to a desired size, the rotation case 303 is constrained in a clockwise direction with respect to the z-axis, and thus the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 302 is reduced. Since the keyboard panel 200 is not wound inward, the size of the keyboard panel 200 to be expanded may be controlled.

The rotary case 303 has a rotational degree of freedom only in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the z axis, wherein the ball 306 is formed at the front surface of the rotary case 303 in the clockwise direction with respect to the z axis or outside thereof. It only moves along the rails 304, 305 having a radius R2, and only in the groove 309 in the fixed front case 308.

FIG. 10 is a detailed view illustrating a driving principle of the rotating case and a movement path of the ball illustrated in FIG. 9. Specifically, FIG. 10A illustrates initial positions A, B, C, D, and E of the ball 306 and positions of the jaws H1, H2, and H3 for explaining the principle of operation. FIG. 10B illustrates a case in which the keyboard panel 200 is unfolded, and the rotation case 303 is rotatable. When the rotation case 303 rotates counterclockwise about the z axis, the ball 306 can move freely along the outer rail 305 without encountering the stop 307. That is, when the initial position of the ball 306 is at A, B, C, the ball 306 is moved along the path of S1 to the outer rail 305. At this time, the ball 306 may move to the outer rail 305 because the jaw is in the H3. When the initial position of the ball 306 is at D, the ball 306 moves along the path of S2 and moves to the outer rail 305. Also, if the initial position of the ball 306 is at E, the outer rail 305, the ball 306 will continue to move the outer rail 305 along the path of S3. Therefore, when the rotation case 303 rotates in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the z-axis, the ball 306 does not meet the stop 307 can be rotated within the length range of the keyboard panel 200.

10C illustrates a case where the keyboard panel 200 is fixed. When the rotation case 303 rotates clockwise about the z axis, the ball 306 encounters the stop 307 on the rotation case 303 so that it can no longer rotate. That is, when the initial positions of the balls 306 are at A, B, and C, the balls 306 move along the path of S4 to meet the stop 307. When the initial position of the ball 306 is at D, the ball 306 moves along the path of S5 and encounters the stop 307. In addition, when the ball 306 is at E, the ball 306 moves counterclockwise along the path of S5, meets the jaws of H1 and H2 and follows the jawless rail to stop the stop 307. Meet. Therefore, when the rotation case 303 rotates in the clockwise direction with respect to the z-axis, the ball 306 always meets the stop part 307, thereby fixing the keyboard panel 200.

In order to wind the keyboard panel 200, the holder 230 may be pulled out momentarily. Due to the characteristics of the rail path of the rotary case 303, a process of placing the ball 306 located on the stop 307 on the outer rail 305 before winding the keyboard panel 200 is required. In order to position the ball 306 located at the stop 307 on the outer rail 305, the rotary case 303 is first rotated counterclockwise with respect to the z axis. Then, the ball 306 is moved to the outer rail 305 along the path of S1. When the holder 230 is released in this state, the ball 306 moves only along the outer rail 305 by the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 302. That is, the rotation case 303 is rotated in the clockwise direction with respect to the z-axis to wind the keyboard panel 200 in a rolled manner. At this time, the rotation case 303 rotates in the clockwise direction, but the reason why the ball does not move to the stop portion 307 along the S4 is that the coil spring ( This is because the restoring force of 302 is large.

As described above, the keyboard driver 300 can unfold and wind the keyboard panel 200 using only a resilient restoring force of the coil spring 302 without a external power source, so that the small scroll type flexible keyboard can be used as a personal portable information terminal and information processing device. It can be said to be a suitable structure for application to the device.

In the above description of the technical details of the scroll-type flexible keyboard of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the best embodiment of the present invention by way of example and not limit the present invention.

It is also apparent that any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and imitations within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an information input and output device of a conventional notebook, mobile phone,

2 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a personal portable information terminal using a scroll type flexible keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is an enlarged detail view of a scroll type flexible keyboard and a portion thereof shown in FIG. 2;

4 is a conceptual diagram of a cross section taken along a line A-A 'of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a conceptual view illustrating a shape of a flexible keyboard expanded by injecting air in the drawing illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an operating principle of a flexible keyboard according to external force in the drawing of FIG. 5;

7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method for injecting air into the flexible keyboard illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating in detail the flexible keyboard illustrated in FIG. 3 including components of the keyboard driver. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a detailed view showing the structure of a keyboard driver using the ball shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a detailed view illustrating a driving principle of the rotating case and a movement path of the ball illustrated in FIG. 9.

  ♠ Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawing ♠

200: keyboard panel portion 210: flexible keyboard portion

211: keyboard input key 212: keyboard film

213: upper conductive coating film 214: adhesive portion

215: space dot 216: lower conductive coating film

217: air storage 218: compressed air distributor

220: support 230: holder

240: air compression discharge unit 300: keyboard drive unit

301: holder 302: coil spring

303: rotating case 304: inner rail

305: outer rail 306: ball

307: stop 308: front case

309: home

Claims (8)

A roll type that can be connected to and disconnected from a data input port of a conventional personal handheld information terminal or portable information processing device, and is stored in a rolled form, which is made of a flexible material that can be bent, bent or wound and rolled out to be used as a keyboard. As a flexible keyboard, A keyboard panel portion having the flexible keyboard portion; The flexible keyboard is wound in a rolled form and configured to be unfolded when stored or used, and includes a keyboard driver connected to and detachable from the data input port. The flexible keyboard may include a keyboard film having a keyboard input key arranged on a surface thereof, a film disposed below the keyboard film, and a bottom surface of the keyboard film and an upper surface of the film at positions that partition the keyboard input key from side to side. An adhesive portion for adhering to each other to have an air reservoir, and a compressed air distributor for uniformly supplying compressed air to the air reservoir, The keyboard panel unit includes an air compressed discharge unit for uniformly supplying compressed air to the air reservoir through the compressed air distributor or discharging the supplied compressed air to the outside, The keyboard drive unit has a fixed stand having a fixed shaft and a support shaft rotatably connected to the fixed shaft to serve as a support shaft for winding the flexible keyboard portion in a roll form, and one end of the flexible keyboard portion is fixed and connected to each other on the front surface. And a rotation case having an outer rail and an outer rail, a coil spring rotatably installed on the fixed shaft to store an elastic restoring force when the flexible keyboard part is unfolded, and to provide an elastic restoring force so that the flexible keyboard part is wound to its original state. A ball movable along an inner rail and an outer rail, and coupled to the fixed shaft so as to be located in front of the rotating case to prevent separation of the ball and to form a groove for the ball to move the ball into the inner rail. And a front case which allows movement only along the outer rail and A scroll type flexible keyboard is provided between the inner rail and the outer rail to prevent the ball from moving further in the direction in which the ball is moved in and to allow the ball to travel in the outgoing direction. . The method according to claim 1, The keyboard panel portion is coupled to the outer edge of the flexible keyboard portion in the width direction of the user to hold and use when the flexible keyboard portion is unfolded or rolled, the holder to act as a stopper so that the flexible keyboard portion is no longer wound on the keyboard drive unit Scroll type flexible keyboard further comprising a. The method according to claim 2, The keyboard panel unit further comprises a support coupled to the longitudinal outer periphery of the flexible keyboard unit to support the unfolded and unfolded flat when bent and unrolled with the flexible keyboard unit. The method according to claim 1, The film is disposed at an upper and lower interval from the upper conductive coating film by a top conductive coating film disposed below the keyboard film, and a space dot disposed at a position partitioning the keyboard input keys from side to side. Consists of the bottom conductive coating film, The flexible keyboard part uses pressure-sensitive resistive touch information as the upper conductive coating film is pressed as the touch is applied to a specific keyboard input key and the electrode films contact the lower conductive coating film. Scroll type flexible keyboard. The method according to claim 1, The keyboard flexible keyboard, characterized in that the keyboard input itself or the keyboard input key portion is made of a silicone rubber material capable of expansion and contraction. delete delete delete

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