KR101044834B1 - Key pad and dot spacer structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a keypad structure for data input of a terminal, comprising: a key plate including a plurality of keys; A light guide plate positioned on a bottom surface of the key plate; A transparent electrode layer coated on a lower surface of the light guide plate; And a printed circuit board positioned on a bottom surface of the transparent electrode layer and having a contact point at a position corresponding to the keys, and positioned between the transparent electrode layer and the printed circuit board, and bonded to a position corresponding to each of the keys. It relates to a thin keypad and a contact structure comprising a light guide plate, characterized in that it further comprises an adhesive layer in which a ball is formed.

In the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate according to the present invention, since the transparent electrode layer coated on the light guide plate directly presses the printed circuit board without the dome sheet and the keypad rubber, the electronic device such as the terminal can be made smaller and lighter. Of course, there is an effect that can reduce the cost of parts and assembly.

Description

Thin keypad and contact structure including light guide plate {KEY PAD AND DOT SPACER STRUCTURE}

The present invention relates to a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate, and more particularly, to a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate for generating an electrical signal on a printed circuit board without using a dome sheet. .

In recent years, due to the rapid development of electronic communication technology, portable terminals such as mobile phones and PDAs are in the spotlight, and these terminals are becoming lighter and lighter according to various demands of consumers.

Such a wireless communication terminal includes a keypad structure as data input means for inputting letters or symbols. 1 is a view schematically showing a conventional keypad structure. Hereinafter, a conventional keypad structure will be described with reference to FIG. 1.

Conventional keypad structure is a dome sheet 120 having a metal dome (Metal Dome) is attached to the upper portion of the corresponding contact of the printed circuit board (Printed Circuit Board, PCB) 110, the restoring force on the dome sheet 120 The keypad rubber 140 is attached to maximize the sense of press and water tightness, and a key plate 150 having numbers, letters, etc. printed thereon is attached thereto. A light guide plate 130 may be provided between the dome sheet 120 and the keypad rubber 140 to guide light.

When the user clicks on a letter or the like formed on the key plate 150, the shock is transmitted to the keypad rubber 140, and then an actuator 142 located below the keypad rubber 140 is used as the dome sheet ( By pressing the metal dome of the 120, an electrical signal is generated on the printed circuit board 110.

As described above, the conventional keypad structure includes a dome sheet 120 having the metal dome in order to generate an electrical signal on the printed circuit board 110. However, since the metal dome is formed to have a constant height, the overall height of the keypad structure is increased. This is contrary to the user's desire for slimming of the portable terminal in recent years, and may cause many problems in product development of the portable terminal aiming for light and small size.

In order to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical signal generated on a printed circuit board without using a dome sheet, so that the light guide plate to reduce the overall thickness of the terminal It is to provide a keypad and contact structure.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a keypad structure for data input of a terminal, comprising: a key plate including a plurality of keys; A light guide plate positioned on a bottom surface of the key plate; A transparent electrode layer coated on a lower surface of the light guide plate; And a printed circuit board positioned on a bottom surface of the transparent electrode layer and having a contact point at a position corresponding to the keys, and positioned between the transparent electrode layer and the printed circuit board, and bonded to a position corresponding to each of the keys. It provides a thin keypad and contact structure comprising a light guide plate, characterized in that it further comprises an adhesive layer is formed.

In addition, the present invention provides a keypad structure for data input of a terminal, comprising: a key plate including a plurality of keys; A light guide plate positioned on a bottom surface of the key plate; A transparent electrode layer coated on a lower surface of the light guide plate; And a printed circuit board positioned on a lower surface of the transparent electrode layer and having a contact point at a position corresponding to the keys, wherein the transparent electrode layer and the printed circuit board are electrically isolated by dot spacers. It provides a thin keypad and contact structure comprising a.

In addition, the upper portion of the contact provides a thin keypad and contact structure comprising a light guide plate, characterized in that it comprises a pattern portion of the shape formed between each other.

In addition, the upper portion of the contact provides a thin keypad and a contact structure comprising a light guide plate, characterized in that it comprises a pattern portion coated with an electrode layer.

In addition, the dot spacer provides a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate, characterized in that located below the transparent electrode layer.

In addition, the transparent electrode layer provides a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate, characterized in that composed of Indium-Tin Oxide (ITO).

In addition, between the key plate and the light guide plate provides a thin keypad and contact structure comprising a light guide plate, characterized in that the rubber portion is further provided.

In addition, there is provided a thin keypad and contact structure including a light guide plate, characterized in that the adhesive portion is further provided between the rubber portion and the light guide plate.

In addition, it provides a thin keypad and a contact structure comprising a light guide plate, characterized in that the light source is positioned on the side of the light guide plate.

In addition, one surface of the light guide plate is provided with a thin keypad and a contact structure comprising a light guide plate, characterized in that the groove is formed in a pattern groove perpendicular to the waveguide direction of the light emitted from the light source.

In addition, the pattern groove provides a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate, characterized in that formed on the upper surface of the light guide plate.

In the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate according to the present invention, since the transparent electrode layer coated on the light guide plate directly presses the printed circuit board without an actuator of the conventional dome sheet and the conventional keypad rubber, the electronic device such as a terminal is reduced in size and weight. As well as to achieve, there is an effect that can reduce the cost of parts and assembly.

In addition, since the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate of the present invention are in close contact with the key plate, the light guide plate, and the printed circuit board by the adhesive portion and the adhesive layer, there is an effect of preventing the light guide plate from being deformed by pressing the button. .

In addition, since the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate of the present invention do not need separate substrates for coating the transparent electrode layer like the conventional touch panel, the thin keypad and the contact structure can be configured to be thinner than the keypad structure having the conventional touch panel. It works.

In addition, the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate of the present invention, since the electrode layer is applied to the upper portion of the contact of the printed circuit board, there is no need to prepare a printed circuit board to mount the parts, the thickness is reduced, manufacturing cost is saved It works.

Hereinafter, a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a view schematically showing a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate according to the first embodiment of the present invention are for inputting data to various terminals such as a PDA and a mobile phone, and include a key plate 30 and a rubber part 47. ), A light guide plate 20, a transparent electrode layer 25 (shown in FIG. 3), and a printed circuit board 10.

The key plate 30 may be generally formed in the form of a square plate, and in addition, may be formed in various forms. A plurality of keys 32 are provided on the upper surface of the key plate 30, and letters, numbers, symbols, and the like are printed on the upper surface of the key 32.

The rubber part 47 is formed of silicone, polyurethane, or the like having elasticity and watertightness, and is in close contact with the lower surface of the key plate 30.

Here, since the present invention can be implemented without the conventional dome sheet, the rubber part 47 has an advantage that the actuator for pressing the metal dome of the conventional dome sheet is removed, thereby reducing the thickness of the removed actuator. This will be described again with reference to FIG. 4.

The light guide plate 20 serves to guide light incident on one side to the opposite side and reflect some of the light toward the key plate 30. The light guide plate 20 may be formed of a polymer material having low hardness, high elasticity change rate, high resilience, and light transparency. For example, polycarbonate (PC), polyimide (PI), polyethylene Terephthalate (polyethyleneterephthalate, PET) and the like may be used.

The light guide plate 20 is positioned under the rubber part 47 and is formed with an area corresponding to the key plate 30. An adhesive part 42 is positioned between the rubber part 47 and the light guide plate 20 so that the bottom surface of the rubber part 47 and the top surface of the light guide plate 20 are in close contact with each other. In addition, a light source unit (not shown) is disposed to face the side of the light guide plate 20 so that light is incident on the side of the light guide plate 20.

The transparent electrode layer 25 is a thin film electrode that provides conductivity while maintaining transparency, which will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

The printed circuit board 10 includes a flexible printed circuit board or a general hard type printed circuit board, and a plurality of contacts 12 are positioned on an upper surface thereof.

The contact point 12 is located in correspondence with each of the keys 32. When the user presses the key 32, the transparent electrode layer 25 contacts the contact point 12, so that an electrical signal is generated at the contact point. do.

As described above, since the transparent electrode layer 25 is in contact with the contact 12 to generate an electrical signal, the actuator of the conventional keypad rubber and the conventional dome sheet do not need to be used. There is an advantage that the thickness can be reduced as much as the air and the conventional dome sheet.

On the other hand, in order to easily generate an electrical signal even when the transparent electrode layer 25 is in contact with any position of the contact 12, the upper portion of the contact 12 is formed with a pattern portion 13 protruding between each other It may be provided.

In addition, an adhesive layer 44 is positioned between the light guide plate 20 and the printed circuit board 10, in detail, between the transparent electrode layer 25 and the printed circuit board 10 of the light guide plate 20. The printed circuit board 10 is in close contact with each other. In this case, the contact guide hole 45 is positioned at the adhesive layer 44 to correspond to the contact 12 of the printed circuit board 10 so that the transparent electrode layer 25 and the contact 12 of the printed circuit board 10 come into contact with each other. It is perforated.

Since the transparent electrode layer 25 and the printed circuit board 10 are closely located by the adhesive layer 44, the transparent electrode layer 25 is not in contact with the contact point 12 of the printed circuit board 10 at all times. In addition, there is an advantage that the occurrence of malfunction of the transparent electrode layer 25 is reduced. In addition, since the transparent electrode layer 25 is configured to be bonded to the adhesive layer 44, there is an advantage that the deformation of the transparent electrode layer 25 is prevented.

3 is a view illustrating a thin keypad including a light guide plate and a light guide plate having a contact structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the light guide plate 20 has a plurality of pattern grooves 22 having an intaglio shape that are v-cutted on a top surface thereof with a plotter or the like. A portion of the light guided from one side of the light guide plate 20 to the opposite side of the light guide plate 20 is refracted to one surface of the pattern groove 22 to reflect the light in the direction of the key plate 30.

The transparent electrode layer 25 is coated on the lower surface of the light guide plate 20. The transparent electrode layer 25 is a thin film electrode which provides conductivity when maintaining transparency. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the transparent electrode layer 25 is an indium-tin oxide (ITO), a light guide plate In3Sn4O12, a compound of indium tin oxide, is coated on the lower surface of the substrate by a sputtering process to form a transparent electrode having 350 Ω ± 25 Ω.

When the user presses the key 32, the transparent electrode layer 25 is in contact with the contact point 12 of the printed circuit board 10, and an electrical signal is generated on the printed circuit board 10.

Meanwhile, in the conventional keypad, an intaglio pattern groove is positioned on the lower surface of the light guide plate in order to increase the brightness. In the present invention, the transparent electrode layer 25 is coated on the lower surface of the light guide plate 20. By placing the pattern grooves 22 on the upper surface, the light guide plate 20 is configured to maintain high brightness as in the conventional light guide plate.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a comparison of a thickness of a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate according to a first embodiment of the present invention with a thin keypad and a contact structure including a conventional light guide plate.

First, Figure 4 (a) shows the side of the conventional keypad structure of Figure 1, the printed circuit board 110, the dome sheet 120, the light guide plate 130, the keypad rubber 140 and the key plate ( 150 are stacked one by one.

And the dome sheet 120 is provided with a metal dome 122 corresponding to the contact of the printed circuit board 110, the keypad rubber 140 is a dome sheet (measured from the mechanical force received from the key plate 150 located below) Actuator 142 to deliver to 120 is provided.

However, since the metal dome 122 and the actuator 142 form a constant height, respectively, it becomes a cause of increasing the overall height of the conventional keypad structure.

On the other hand, Figure 4 (b) shows the side of the thin keypad and the contact structure including a light guide plate according to a first embodiment of the present invention, the printed circuit board 10, the adhesive layer 44, the transparent electrode layer A light guide plate 20, an adhesive part 42 and a key plate 30 coated with (25: FIG. 3) are laminated in this order.

Since the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate of the present invention configured as described above can input letters, symbols, etc. without the actuator 142 of the conventional dome sheet 120 and the keypad rubber 140, the conventional dome sheet 120 ) And the thickness of the actuator 142 of the keypad rubber 140 can be reduced.

On the other hand, the adhesive layer 44 and the adhesive part 42 is to bond the components positioned corresponding to each other, it can be configured to be significantly thinner than the dome sheet 120 of the conventional keypad structure.

5 is a view for explaining the operation of the thin keypad and the contact structure including a light guide plate according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate according to the first embodiment of the present invention is in close contact with the rubber portion 47 and the light guide plate 20 by the adhesive portion 42, the adhesive layer 44 ), The transparent electrode layer 25 of the light guide plate 20 and the printed circuit board 10 are closely bonded to each other. When the user clicks on the key 32 of the key plate 30, the transparent electrode layer 25 is in contact with the contact point 12 of the printed circuit board 10 by pressing the key 32. An electrical signal is generated at 10).

As described above, the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate of the present invention do not require the actuator of the conventional dome sheet and the conventional keypad rubber, and thus the transparent electrode layer 25 coated on the light guide plate 20 directly presses the printed circuit board 10. The overall thickness can be reduced, and there is an advantage in that the cost of parts and assembly can be reduced.

In addition, the conventional touch panel has a structure in which two substrates coated with a transparent electrode layer are bonded to face each other with a dot spacer interposed therebetween. That is, the conventional touch panel has to use two substrates separately, and thus is configured in a relatively thick structure. However, in the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate of the present invention, one transparent electrode layer 25 is coated on the light guide plate 20, and the contact 12 is formed on the printed circuit board 10. That is, the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate of the present invention do not require separate substrates for coating the transparent electrode layer like the conventional touch panel. Accordingly, the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate of the present invention have an advantage of being thinner than a keypad structure having a conventional touch panel.

In addition, in the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate of the present invention, the rubber part 47, the light guide plate 20, and the printed circuit board 10 are closely adhered to each other by the adhesive part 42 and the adhesive layer 44. The light guide plate 20 is prevented from being severely deformed by the pressing of the key 32.

FIG. 6 is a view schematically showing a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a thin keypad including a light guide plate according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating a contact structure.

6 and 7, the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention are provided with dot spacers instead of the adhesive layer 44 (shown in FIG. 2) in the first embodiment. It is configured to be the same as in the first embodiment except that the electrode layer 14 is applied to the contact 12 'of the printed circuit board 10.

That is, the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate according to the second embodiment may include a light guide plate 20 coated with a printed circuit board 10, a transparent electrode layer 25, a dot spacer 15, and an adhesive part ( 42) The rubber part 47 and the key plate 30 are laminated in this order.

The electrode layer 14, for example, indium tin oxide (ITO), is coated on the upper surface of the plurality of contacts 12 ′ protruding from the printed circuit board 10 in a pattern shape. The light guide plate 20 on which the printed circuit board 10 and the transparent electrode layer 25 are coated are spaced apart from each other, and a space 16 is formed therebetween.

When the light guide plate 20 is installed on the printed circuit board 10, the dot spacer 15 is spaced apart from each other so that the electrode layer 14 and the transparent electrode layer 25 of the printed circuit board 10 are separated from each other. 14 and the transparent electrode layer 25 are electrically isolated, and a plurality of the transparent electrode layers 25 are formed on the transparent electrode layer 25.

This is similar to the resistive film of a general touch panel. When the user presses the key 32 of the key plate 30 by hand, the light guide plate 20 is bent by the pressing force, and then the dot spacer 15 is applied to the dot spacer 15. Only the pressed portion of the transparent electrode layer 25 is connected to the electrode layer 14, and at this time, the resistance component of the transparent electrode layer 25 and the electrode layer 14 is in the form of parallel connection, and a change in the resistance value occurs. At the same time, a change in voltage occurs, such that the position of the hand pressed by the user is configured to be recognized.

As described above, the thin keypad and the contact structure including the light guide plate according to the second embodiment directly press the contact 12 ′ of the printed circuit board 10 by the transparent electrode layer 25 coated on the light guide plate 20. The position of the hand can be precisely recognized.

In addition, separate substrates for coating a transparent electrode layer, such as a conventional touch panel, are not required. Accordingly, a thinner than a keypad structure having a conventional touch panel can be configured, thereby miniaturizing and reducing the weight of an electronic device such as a terminal. Can be achieved.

In addition, since the electrode layer 14 is applied to the upper portion of the contact 12 'of the printed circuit board 10, the component can be mounted in a space other than the contact 12' on the printed circuit board 10, thereby It is not necessary to provide a separate printed circuit board for mounting. As such, the present invention does not have to provide a separate printed circuit board, so that the overall thickness is reduced and manufacturing cost is saved.

While the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations are possible within the spirit of the invention, and such modifications and variations belong to the appended claims.

1 is a view schematically showing a conventional keypad structure.

2 is a view schematically showing a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a view illustrating a thin keypad including a light guide plate and a light guide plate having a contact structure according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a comparison of a thickness of a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate according to a first embodiment of the present invention with a thin keypad and a contact structure including a conventional light guide plate.

5 is a view for explaining the operation of the thin keypad and the contact structure including a light guide plate according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

10: printed circuit board 12, 12 ': contact

13: pattern portion 14: electrode layer

15: dot spacer 16: space part

20: Light guide plate 22: Pattern groove

25: transparent electrode layer 30: key plate

32: key 42: adhesive portion

44: adhesive layer 45: contact guide

47: rubber part

Claims (12)

In the keypad structure for data input of the terminal, A key plate comprising a plurality of keys; A light guide plate positioned on a bottom surface of the key plate; A transparent electrode layer coated on a lower surface of the light guide plate; And A printed circuit board positioned on a bottom surface of the transparent electrode layer and having a contact point at a position corresponding to the keys; An adhesive layer disposed between the transparent electrode layer and the printed circuit board and having an adhesive guide hole formed at a position corresponding to each of the keys; A thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate, wherein the upper portion of the contact portion comprises a pattern portion formed between each other. In the keypad structure for data input of the terminal, A key plate comprising a plurality of keys; A light guide plate positioned on a bottom surface of the key plate; A transparent electrode layer coated on a lower surface of the light guide plate; And And a printed circuit board positioned on a bottom surface of the transparent electrode layer and having a contact point at a position corresponding to the keys. And the transparent electrode layer and the printed circuit board are electrically isolated by a dot spacer. The method of claim 2, A thin keypad and a contact structure including a light guide plate, wherein the upper portion of the contact includes a pattern portion coated with an electrode layer. The method of claim 2, The dot spacer is a thin keypad and a contact structure comprising a light guide plate, characterized in that located below the transparent electrode layer. The method of claim 2, The transparent electrode layer is a thin keypad and contact structure comprising a light guide plate, characterized in that consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO). In the keypad structure for data input of the terminal, A key plate comprising a plurality of keys; A light guide plate positioned on a bottom surface of the key plate; A transparent electrode layer coated on a lower surface of the light guide plate; And A printed circuit board positioned on a bottom surface of the transparent electrode layer and having a contact point at a position corresponding to the keys; The adhesive layer is disposed between the transparent electrode layer and the printed circuit board, and the adhesive guide hole is formed at a position corresponding to each of the keys. A thin keypad and contact structure comprising a light guide plate further comprising a rubber portion between the key plate and the light guide plate. The method of claim 2, A thin keypad and contact structure comprising a light guide plate further comprising a rubber portion between the key plate and the light guide plate. 8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, The thin keypad and the contact structure including a light guide plate, characterized in that the adhesive portion is further provided between the rubber portion and the light guide plate. In the keypad structure for data input of the terminal, A key plate comprising a plurality of keys; A light guide plate positioned on a bottom surface of the key plate; A transparent electrode layer coated on a lower surface of the light guide plate; And A printed circuit board positioned on a bottom surface of the transparent electrode layer and having a contact point at a position corresponding to the keys; An adhesive layer disposed between the transparent electrode layer and the printed circuit board and having an adhesive guide hole formed at a position corresponding to each of the keys; Thin keypad and contact structure comprising a light guide plate, characterized in that configured to be positioned on the side of the light guide plate. The method of claim 2, Thin keypad and contact structure comprising a light guide plate, characterized in that configured to be positioned on the side of the light guide plate. 11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, A thin keypad and contact structure including a light guide plate on one surface of the light guide plate, the pattern groove of the intaglio shape is formed perpendicular to the waveguide direction of the light emitted from the light source. The method of claim 11, The pattern groove is a thin keypad and contact structure comprising a light guide plate, characterized in that formed on the upper surface of the light guide plate.

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