KR100964208B1 - Integrated keypad and method of manufacturing keypad - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an integrated keypad in which a button region is three-dimensionally defined includes providing a first mold having protrusions formed so as to correspond to a boundary of the button region and a second mold facing the first mold, and rotating the light-transmitting film and the liquid-translucent resin up and down. Forming a keypad disc including a cured sheet layer formed from a light-transmitting film and a liquid light-transmitting resin by applying heat and pressure using the first and second molds, wherein the keypad disc has the protrusions of the first mold. A boundary groove correspondingly defining the button area is formed, forming a color layer on an upper surface of the keypad disc on which the boundary groove is formed, and partially removing the color layer to form a button identification mark.

Personal Handset, Keypad, Perimeter Home

Description

Integrated keypad and keypad manufacturing method {INTEGRATED KEYPAD AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING KEYPAD}

The present invention relates to a keypad manufacturing method and a keypad, and more particularly, to an integrated keypad manufacturing method in which a button region is three-dimensionally defined so that the button region can be easily distinguished, and an integrated keypad provided by the manufacturing method.

A keypad is used to enter a number or a character in a personal mobile terminal such as a mobile phone. In general, the keypad includes buttons other than the number buttons from 0 to ,, and buttons having specific functions such as calling or ending. As the functions of personal handheld devices are diversified, there are keypads that display characters or elements forming characters for each button, and some keypads employing a keyboard arrangement used in a computer, such as a QWERTY arrangement.

Since personal handheld terminals are generally intended for portable purposes, keypads applied to personal handheld terminals are becoming thinner. For example, there is an integrated keypad made of metal sheet or plastic film, but such integrated keypad has a disadvantage in that the button-to-button relationship, that is, the boundary between the button areas is not clear, and the button areas are roughly distinguished by printed numbers or letters. There is this.

As a technique for overcoming this, Korean Patent Publication No. 2006-97821 (published Sep. 18, 2006) is disclosed. According to the above publication, a thin keypad is formed using a metal plate or the like, and the keypad is After pressing with a press to make the separated key, it is attached to the pad again to manufacture the keypad.

However, in the above-mentioned patent, it is difficult to vary the appearance of buttons or button patterns because numbers or letters are formed using etching on a thin plate such as metal. In addition, since the integral thin plate is separated by an individual key using a punch and attached to the pad again, manual labor must be followed, and the accuracy of the work is also reduced.

The present invention can easily distinguish between the button and the border of the button, and provides an integrated keypad and an integrated keypad manufacturing method that can be manufactured at a time without performing the punching and bonding.

The present invention provides an integrated keypad, but provides an integrated keypad and integrated keypad manufacturing method that can be prevented from being pressed together by the button and the connection portion of the button.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacturing an integrated keypad in which a button region is three-dimensionally defined,

Providing a first mold having a protrusion formed to correspond to a boundary of the button region and a second mold facing the first mold, providing a translucent film and a liquid translucent resin up and down between the first and second molds; Applying a heat and pressure using the first and second molds to form a keypad disc including a cured sheet layer formed from a light-transmitting film and a liquid light-transmitting resin, wherein the keypad disc has a button area corresponding to the protrusion of the first mold. And forming a color layer on the upper surface of the keypad disc having the boundary grooves formed therein, and partially removing the color layer to form a button identification mark.

When the keypad is formed, a boundary groove is formed corresponding to the protrusion of the first mold, and a clear three-dimensional division between the button region and the button region may be formed by the boundary groove. In addition, the light-transmitting film is provided using a transparent plastic film such as PET, PC, etc., the liquid light-transmissive resin may also be provided using a transparent material such as liquid silicone. Therefore, the keypad can form a structure that allows light to pass up and down, and define a button by forming a button identification mark including numbers or letters on the paint layer, and form a light hole for identifying buttons at night. Can be.

According to the keypad manufacturing method, the button area can be three-dimensionally divided on the keypad by the boundary groove, which can provide an effect similar to the keypad provided by punching. Of course, it is in fact integral and there is no need to reattach after punching, and always designed shapes and arrangements can be provided.

In addition, the boundary groove can prevent the surrounding buttons from being pressed together so that when the user presses a particular button, the surrounding buttons are touched together. In detail, as one button is pressed, the button pressed by the boundary groove and the surrounding buttons can be physically distinguished, and the influence on the surrounding buttons can be minimized.

The bottom of the integrated keypad may further be provided with a push protrusion corresponding to the dome switch, or alternatively, a separate waveguide sheet having a push protrusion may be provided.

In particular, in the case of forming the cured sheet layer with liquid silicone, it may be difficult to color on the cured sheet layer due to difficulty in coloring, but before forming the cured sheet layer, a paint film such as a urethane film may be integrated with the cured sheet layer. It is possible to form a coating layer, and a coating layer can be formed on a painting film which is relatively easy to paint.

Of course, without providing a paint film on a cured sheet layer, the primer process according to the characteristic of a cured sheet layer can be performed, for example, a silicone type paint can also be directly formed on a cured sheet layer.

According to the keypad manufacturing method and the keypad of the present invention, it is possible to maintain the three-dimensional shape of the button by the boundary groove formed by the mold molding. Boundary grooves are narrow in width and deep in depth to ensure the independence of each button to prevent the surrounding buttons from being pressed together more than necessary when the button is pressed.

In addition, in the present invention, since the keypad maintains a thin flat plate shape as a whole, it is possible to provide a slimmed keypad. Of course, when forming the liquid translucent resin by pressing, it is also possible to further form a convex or concave three-dimensional structure.

In addition, the present invention can minimize the time and manpower required to manufacture the keypad. In order to form a button in a three-dimensional shape, a step in which a hole is formed may be provided, or a step of punching the sheet according to the button area and then attaching the sheet to the pad may be omitted.

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. For reference, in the present description, the same numbers refer to substantially the same elements, and may be described by quoting the contents described in other drawings under the above rules, and the contents repeated or deemed apparent to those skilled in the art may be omitted.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a personal portable terminal including a keypad according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the keypad of FIG.

Prior to the description of the present invention, in the present specification, a personal portable device (Personal Portable Device) refers to a portable electronic device such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a smart phone, a handheld PC, a mobile phone, an MP3 player, or the like. As an electronic device, a predetermined communication module such as a code division multiplexing access (CDMA) module, a Bluetooth module, an infrared communication module (IrDA), a wired / wireless LAN card can be provided, and by mounting a predetermined microprocessor for performing a multimedia playback function, It can be used as a concept that collectively refers to a terminal having a predetermined computing power. In addition, in addition to the structure consisting of the dome switch and the electrode, the keypad may be selected according to the applied technology level, and may be changed to suit the terminal.

1 and 2, the personal mobile terminal 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 160, a slide body 120, a keypad 200, and a dome switch board 140. The keypad 200 and the dome switch board 140 are mounted inside the main body 160 and are exposed to the outside through a keypad hole formed at the front lower portion of the main body 160.

In general, the slide body 120 and the body 160 may include components and circuit configurations for implementing the terminal function. For example, a mobile phone may include a display module, a wireless transmit / receive module, a microphone, a speaker, a battery, etc. in a case. In addition, the personal portable terminal 100 of FIG. 1 has a structure that is opened and closed in a slide manner, but according to another embodiment of the present invention, the personal portable terminal may be provided in a folder method, a bar shape, a swing method, and the like.

The personal portable terminal 100 includes a slide body 120 and a main body 160, and a liquid crystal display is mounted on the front of the slide body 120, and a keypad 200 having a thin plate shape on the front lower portion of the main body 160. Is mounted through the keypad hole.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the keypad of FIG. 2 taken along the III-III 'line, and FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the keypad of FIG. 2 taken along the III-III ′ line.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the keypad 200 is formed in a thin thin plate shape, and structurally, a light transmitting film 240, a cured sheet layer 260, a paint film 270, a paint layer 280, and a protective layer. 290, and are laminated in the above order from the bottom.

First, the light-transmitting film 240 The light-transmitting film 240 may be provided with a plastic material such as PET, PC, for example, may be formed of a transparent material to pass light. In general, PET, PC and the like can provide a key feeling that is superior to the case of maintaining a relatively high strength than formed of silicon alone, and can provide a hardness or strength that can maintain the keypad shape even when formed with a relatively thin thickness.

The cured sheet layer 260 is provided on the transparent film 240. The cured sheet layer 260 may be provided using a liquid translucent resin, for example, a liquid silicone resin, and the liquid translucent resin may be cured by heat or pressure. However, when the cured sheet layer 260 is made of a silicon material, it may provide a problem that light is leaked by adsorbing dust or being in close contact with the wave guide sheet. At this time, the light-transmitting film 240 of the above-described PET and PC materials can be suppressed to some extent that dust is adsorbed or adhered to the waveguide sheet by the silicon cured sheet layer 260.

The painting film 270 may be provided on the cured sheet layer 260. When the cured sheet layer 260 is formed of a silicon material, it is generally difficult to color directly thereon. Accordingly, the urethane coating film 270 may be integrally formed with the cured sheet layer 260, and improved color characteristics may be expected in forming the paint layer 280 later.

The light transmissive film 240, the cured sheet layer 260, and the paint film 270 provide one keypad disc 230. As will be described later, the keypad master plate 230 may be formed by sequentially stacking the light transmitting film 240, the liquid light transmitting resin, and the paint film 270 in the mold, and then applying heat and pressure. A boundary groove 268 may be formed in the paint film 270 and the cured sheet layer 260 to separate the boundary of the button region in the process of forming the keypad original plate 230.

As shown, the boundary groove 268 may be formed corresponding to one or more buttons, and the boundary groove 268 may form a boundary distinction from the peripheral buttons. As described above, by the boundary groove 268, the button may have a three-dimensional shape, for example, when the plastic sheet or the metal sheet is formed as a separate key by punching and attached to the pad again.

The boundary groove 268 may be formed deeper than the width. Since the depth of the boundary groove 268 is formed to be deep, the boundary groove 268 may be more useful for the purpose of dividing the boundary between the button areas in the plane than the protruding effect.

In addition, in the case of the keypad 200 in which the boundary groove 268 is deeply formed, each button area 264 may have the same effect as being mounted independently. At this time, it is preferable that the width of the boundary groove 268 does not exceed about 1 mm, but such dimensional limitations may be variously changed according to conditions, design specifications, etc. required by the present invention.

In the button area 264, a button identification mark 266 may be formed to define a function or use of each corresponding button. The button identification mark 266 may be imprinted using a laser, which will be described later, or may be formed through dry or wet etching. The button identification mark 266 may be formed by partially removing the paint layer 280 according to the shape of numbers, letters, or symbols, and selectively pass light passing through the keypad keypad 230 below.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pass button and the like may be expressed in green or other colors. To this end, the paint film 270 may include a background color layer 272 to express a specific color on the button identification mark. It can be formed partially or entirely. The background color layer 272 may be formed on the top surface in addition to the bottom surface of the paint film 270, and in some cases, may be formed on the light transmissive film 240.

In addition, a rubber sheet 220 may be provided on the bottom of the light transmitting film 240. The rubber seat 220 may include a push protrusion corresponding to each button area, and the rubber seat 220 may also be formed of a silicon material.

5 and 6 are cross-sectional views illustrating an operating mechanism of a keypad according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 and 6, the dome switch 142 may be provided on the bottom of the keypad 200 to correspond to the button area 264, and the user may press a button corresponding to the button area 264. . At this time, since the boundary groove 268 around the pressed button area 264 enables physical separation from the adjacent buttons, the influence of the falling of the pressed button area 264 on other buttons can be minimized. have. 5 and 6, when the button is pressed, the inlet width of the boundary groove 268 is reduced and the interference between the button regions 264 is cancelled.

7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a keypad according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the keypad 201 is formed in a thin thin plate shape, and has a rubber sheet 220, a light transmitting film 240, a cured sheet layer 260, a paint film 270, and a paint layer 280. And a protective layer 290. The rubber sheet 220 may be separated from the transparent film 240, and may be provided by forming a pressing protrusion 224 of a silicon material on a bottom surface of the film 222 of PET or PC material such as the transparent film 240. As shown, the keypad 201 may be provided without a push protrusion.

8 to 11 are cross-sectional views illustrating a keypad manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, a first mold 420 and a second mold 440 are provided to form a keypad disc. The first mold 420 is disposed below and includes a protrusion 422 for forming a boundary of the button region. The second mold 440 is liftably positioned on the first mold 420 and provides an approximately flat surface. The manufacturing method according to the present embodiment describes the manufacture of the type separated from the rubber sheet as in the keypad shown in FIG. 7, but in order to form the pressing protrusion integrally, a groove corresponding to the pressing protrusion may be formed in the second mold. have. In addition, the vertical position of the first mold and the second mold may be changed.

The paint film 270, the liquid silicon 360, and the light-transmitting film 240 are sequentially provided on the first mold 420. The paint film 270 may be provided with a urethane-based film, the light-transmitting film 240 may be provided in a thickness of about 0.1 ~ 0.5mm made of PET, PC, and the like.

Although the paint film 270 is used in the present embodiment, in some cases, the paint film 270 may be provided directly without the paint film 270.

Referring to FIG. 9, the second mold 440 is lowered to apply heat and pressure to the light-transmitting film 240, the liquid silicon 360, and the color film 270 together with the first mold 420. The liquid silicone 360 is converted into a silicon sheet by heat and pressure, and the cured sheet layer 260 may be molded. In addition, the first mold 420 has protrusions 422, so that the painting film 270 and the cured sheet layer 260 may be locally deformed to correspond to the protrusions to form the boundary grooves 268.

While the liquid silicone 360 is molded into the cured sheet layer 260, the light transmissive film 240 and the paint film 270 are integrally connected, with the light transmissive film 240, the cured sheet layer 260, and the paint film Keypad disc 230 consisting of 270 may be formed. A boundary groove 268 corresponding to the button area may be formed on the upper surface of the keypad master plate 230.

Referring to FIG. 10, after the keypad original plate 230 is separated from the molds, the painting layer 280 may be formed on the painting film 270. The paint layer 280 may be formed through various methods, such as spray painting or dye painting, and various colors such as black, white, and black may also be used.

Referring to FIG. 11, a button identification mark 266 may be formed through laser engraving or the like. The button identification mark 266 may be formed using a laser, and the paint layer 280 may be removed until the paint film 270 is exposed by removing or scraping a portion of the paint layer 280. .

After the button identification mark 266 is formed, a protective layer may be formed on the pattern of the paint layer 280. The protective layer may be formed using an ultraviolet curing coating, or the like, and may be provided in one or two or more coating structures to protect the painting layer 280.

12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a keypad according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 12, the keypad 202 according to the present exemplary embodiment does not include a separate paint film, and a paint layer 281 is formed directly on the cured sheet layer 260. Since the cured sheet layer 260 is generally formed of a silicon material, the paint dye of the paint layer 281 may be used as a silicon material, and the upper surface of the cured sheet layer 260 may be a primer before using the silicon material paint. Can be processed.

13 is a cross-sectional view for describing a keypad according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 13, the keypad 203 includes a light guide film, a cured sheet layer, a paint film, and a paint layer without a push protrusion as described in FIG. 7. The keypad 203 may be attached to the pad 150 of urethane material. After the keypad 203 is manufactured, a hole 269 may be formed in a part of the keypad 203 through a punching or the like, and a protruding structure may be formed in the pad 150 corresponding to the hole 269 of the keypad 203. 152 may be formed. The keypad 203 may be provided attached to the pad 150. The protruding structure 152 protruding through the hole 269 can clarify the upper and lower boundaries between the buttons. In addition, the boundary groove may be formed in the vertical direction or the left and right directions with respect to the button area.

As described above, although described with reference to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, those skilled in the art will be variously modified and changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention described in the claims below I can understand that you can.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a personal portable terminal including a keypad according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the keypad of FIG. 1.

3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line III-III ′ of the keypad of FIG. 2.

4 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view illustrating a portion of the keypad of FIG. 2 taken along line III-III '.

5 and 6 are cross-sectional views illustrating an operating mechanism of a keypad according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a keypad according to another embodiment of the present invention.

8 to 11 are cross-sectional views illustrating a keypad manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a keypad according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: personal portable terminal 200: keypad

220: rubber sheet 230: keypad original

240: transparent film 260: hardened sheet layer

270: Paint film 280: Paint layer

290 ： Protective layer

Claims (12)

In the manufacturing method of the integrated keypad in which the button region is three-dimensionally defined, Providing a first mold having protrusions formed so as to correspond to a boundary of a button region and a second mold facing the first mold; Providing a translucent film and a liquid translucent resin up and down between the first and second molds; Applying a heat and pressure using the first and second molds to form a keypad disc including a cured sheet layer formed from the light transmitting film and the liquid light transmitting resin; The keypad disc is provided with a boundary groove defining the button area corresponding to the protrusion of the first mold, Forming a paint layer on an upper surface of the keypad disc having the boundary grooves formed thereon; And Partially removing the paint layer to form a button identification mark, In the step of providing the light-transmitting film and the liquid light-transmissive resin up and down, And the liquid light transmitting resin is positioned relatively close to the first mold, and the light transmitting film is located relatively close to the second mold. delete The method of claim 1, And forming the button identification mark to include at least one of numbers, letters, and symbols for distinguishing the button area. The method of claim 3, The method of claim 1, wherein the button identification mark is formed by laser processing, dry or wet etching. The method of claim 1, The liquid-transmissive resin is an integral keypad manufacturing method, characterized in that it comprises a liquid silicone. The method of claim 1, Further providing a painting film for painting on the liquid transparent resin so as to face the transparent film to form the keypad disc, And the painting layer is formed on the painting film of the keypad original. The method of claim 6, The painting film is an integral keypad manufacturing method, characterized in that the urethane material film. The method of claim 1, Method for manufacturing an integrated keypad, characterized in that using the painting using spray painting or dyeing in the step of forming the painting layer. The method of claim 8, The cured sheet layer is provided using a liquid silicone material, and the paint layer is directly formed on the cured sheet layer, A method for manufacturing an integrated keypad characterized in that a primer treatment is performed on the cured sheet layer before forming the paint layer. The method of claim 1, The method of claim 1, wherein the boundary groove is formed to have a depth greater than a width. The method of claim 1, And forming a protective layer for protecting the button identification mark. An integrated keypad provided by the manufacturing method of any one of claims 1 and 3 to 11, Light transmitting film; A cured sheet layer provided on the light-transmitting film and provided by curing a liquid-transmissive resin with heat and pressure; And And a paint layer formed directly or indirectly on the cured sheet layer.

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