KR200264777Y1 - Structure of multi-function key of portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a structure of a multi function key in a portable terminal, and more particularly, to a structure of a multi function key in which the components of the portable terminal can be embedded.

The present invention is a multi-function key inserted into the front housing of the portable terminal is formed by the combination of the upper case and the lower case to form a space inside the case, the parts that can be provided in the front housing of the portable terminal in the space inside the case (Eg, speaker, microphone, infrared port) is provided to provide a multi-function key structure that can reduce the area of the front housing.

According to the present invention, a key through hole is formed in a face portion of a front housing of a portable terminal so that a multi function key penetrates and is exposed, and a plurality of pressing surfaces are provided on an upper surface of the multi function key, The multi-function key projections protrude downward at a position corresponding to the pressing surface, and a plurality of through holes are formed on the surface portion of the key fixing plate coupled to the housing of the portable terminal to insert and fix the multi-function key projections. The upper surface of the keypad rubber is formed into a coupling surface that is recessed so that the multi-function key projections can be coupled, the lower surface of the keypad rubber protrudes downward to correspond to the multi-function key projections, The metal dome responds to each of the keypad rubber bumps by the user. When pressed to contact the lower portion of the key printed circuit board contact portion, the key printed circuit board is electrically connected to the main printed circuit board of the portable terminal and provided with a contact portion at a position corresponding to the keypad rubber protrusions In the multi-function key structure of the portable terminal for generating the corresponding key data according to the user's pressing operation, the multi-function key is formed by combining the upper case and the lower case to form a space inside the case, the multi-function key case A hole is formed.

The present invention is a multi-function key inserted into the front housing of the portable terminal is formed by combining the upper case and the lower case to form a space inside the case, the components that can be provided in the front housing of the portable terminal inside the case (for example: Speaker, microphone, and infrared port). As a result, the area of the front housing can be reduced and the competitiveness of the product can be improved.

Description

Multi-Function Key Structure for Portable Terminals {STRUCTURE OF MULTI-FUNCTION KEY OF PORTABLE TERMINAL}

The present invention relates to a structure of a multi function key in a portable terminal, and more particularly, to a structure of a multi function key in which the components of the portable terminal can be embedded.

Portable terminals are becoming smaller and lighter. In the case of a watch phone, the terminal body is worn on the user's wrist. At this time, when the user wears the main body, it is important to consider not to feel a burden for improving the competitiveness of the product.

1 shows a conventional watch phone.

The watch phone consists of a terminal body 110 and a band 120. As shown, the front housing of the terminal body 110 is provided with various components for a mobile phone such as a key input unit 103, a screen window 109, a speaker 105, and the like. However, in order to provide such components in the front housing, the width of the front housing should be designed as large as the area occupied by each component. That is, since the area of the front housing should be as large as the parts occupy, there is a problem that the user feels a burden to wear the main body 110.

Meanwhile, Korean Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 2000-005501 discloses a technology related to a multi-function key in which a plurality of function keys mounted at mutually distributed positions and functioning individually are integrated into one key.

2 is an exploded cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of a conventional multi function key, FIG. 3A is a front view illustrating an embodiment of a conventional multi function key, FIG. 3B is a rear view of FIG. 3A, and FIG. 4 is a CC of FIG. 3A. Line cross section. Hereinafter, the structure of the multi function key of Korean Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 2000-005501 will be described with reference to the drawings.

The key printed circuit board 40, the shield frame 50, and the main printed circuit board 60 are coupled to the lower side of the keypad 30. On the keypad 30, a rib 31 having a groove 31a formed in the center with both function keys 32 and 32 'interposed therebetween is provided upwardly, and between the function keys 32 and 32'. The multi-function key 10 is mounted on the keypad 30, but the multi-function key 10 has a plurality of pressing parts for pressing down certain portions of the multi-key 10 by pressing the fingers up, down, left, and right of the upper surface. , Frequently used function keys such as the "Menu" key, the "Search" key, the "Korean / English" and "Arrow" keys, the "Message" and the "Arrow" keys, respectively. The pressing surface which consists of the corresponding 1st press part 11a, the 2nd press part 11b, the 3rd press part 11c, and the 4th press part 11d is provided, and each said press part 11a- is provided. 11d), and the first, fourth, and fourth pressing protrusions 12, 12 ', 13, and 13' corresponding to the terminals of the key printed circuit board 40 are formed on the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the bottom surface. In the center between (12, 12 ', 13, 13') ) Is formed downward, and the position fixing groove 15 for fixing the key mounting portion of the mobile communication terminal to prevent the rotation of the multi-key is formed.

The front cover 20 is coupled to the upper side of the keypad 30, and the front cover 20 has a key exposure opening through which the function keys 32 and 32 'located at both sides of the keypad 30 pass through. 22, 22 ', and the key exposure port 21 through which the multi-function key 10 penetrates between the key exposure ports 22 and 22', and the pressing surface 11 of the multi-function key 10 is exposed to the outside. ) Is formed.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to form a space inside the case consisting of a combination of the upper case and the lower case of the multi-function key is inserted into the front housing of the portable terminal, the case to be provided in the front housing of the portable terminal It is to provide a multi-function key structure that can reduce the area of the front housing by allowing internal components (such as speakers, microphones, infrared ports) to be embedded.

The present invention for achieving the above object is a key through-hole is formed in the face portion of the front housing of the portable terminal so that the multi-function key is penetrated, exposed, a plurality of pressing surface is provided on the upper surface of the multi-function key, the multi-function Multi-function key protrusions protrude downward on the bottom surface of the key at a position corresponding to each pressing surface, and a plurality of through-holes are formed on the surface portion of the key fixing plate coupled to the housing of the portable terminal. The protrusions are inserted and fixed, and the upper surface of the keypad rubber is formed into a coupling surface that is recessed so that the multi-function key protrusions can be coupled, and the lower surface of the keypad rubber corresponds to the multi-function key protrusions downward. Is formed to protrude, the metal dome corresponds to each of the keypad rubber protrusions When the user presses a specific pressing surface, the key printed circuit board contact portion of the lower portion is contacted, and the key printed circuit board is electrically connected to the main printed circuit board of the portable terminal and corresponds to the keypad rubber protrusions. In the multi-function key structure of the portable terminal having a contact portion at the position to generate the corresponding key data according to the user's pressing operation, the multi-function key is formed by combining the upper case and the lower case to form a space inside the case And the hole is formed in the multi-function key case.

1 is a perspective view showing a conventional watch phone.

Figure 2 is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the structure of a conventional multi-function key.

Figure 3a is a front view showing an embodiment of a conventional multi-function key.

FIG. 3B is a rear view of FIG. 3A.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of FIG. 3A.

5 is an exploded perspective view of a multi-function key module according to the present invention.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which the multi-function key structure of the present invention is applied to the watch phone.

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the watch phone to which the multi-function key structure of the present invention is applied.

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

5 is an exploded perspective view of a multi-function key module according to the present invention, Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which the multi-function key structure of the present invention is applied to the watch phone, Figure 7 is a multi-function key structure of the present invention It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the applied watch phone. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to the drawings.

Reference numeral ① and reference numeral ⑫ denote the front housing and the bottom housing of the terminal body, respectively, and FIG. 5 is a multi-function key assembly (②) mounted inside the housings ① and ⑫. To iii) modular. The front housing ① and the bottom housing ⑫ are fastened in the vertical direction.

A key through hole is formed on the surface of the front housing (①) so that the multi-function key (upper case) (②) and the side key (⑦) formed in plural around the multi-function key (②) pass through and are exposed. Is formed. Side key (⑦) is fitted to the engaging portion formed to protrude at the corresponding position on the upper surface of the keypad rubber (⑨).

The multi-function key is formed by the combination of the upper case (②) and the lower case (⑤), and the internal parts of the case include internal components (eg, speakers, microphones, and infrared ports) that can be provided in the front housing of the terminal body. . In the embodiment of FIG. 5, a speaker ④ is incorporated. The speaker ④ is provided with a connector for electrical connection, and is connected to the outside through holes formed in the multi-function key cases ② and ⑤. (Not shown.) Reference numeral ③ fixes the speaker ④. And pads for protection. In order to radiate the sound of the speaker ④ to the outside, a plurality of holes are formed in the surface of the multi-function key upper case ② (see FIG. 7).

On the other hand, a plurality of pressing surfaces (see Fig. 7) is formed on the upper surface of the upper case (②) of the multi-function key, and each pressing surface has a high frequency of use of up / down / left / right switching, phone number search, and message confirmation. , Command keys, such as network connections. By the way, according to the present invention, the pressing surface is composed of a central pressing surface 701 and a plurality of peripheral pressing surfaces 703 formed around the central pressing surface 701 (see FIG. 7).

On the lower surface of the lower case ⑤ of the multi-function key, projections are formed downward at positions corresponding to the respective pressing surfaces 701 and 703. (hereinafter, referred to as "multi-function key projection") (refer to ⑤ in FIG. 6) Each of the multi-function key projections is inserted into a coupling surface that is formed on the upper surface of the keypad rubber (⑨). Each of the multi-function key projections corresponds to a corresponding contact portion on the key printed circuit board.

The key fixing part (⑥) can be made of a thin press and has a plurality of holes on its face so that the multi-function key protrusion can be inserted and fixed. In addition, the key fixing portion (⑥) is formed with a screw coupling portion for coupling with the inner surface of the front housing (①).

The keypad rubber (⑨) is made of a material having a predetermined elastic force so that the user can easily press the keys (multi-function keys (②, ⑤) and side keys (⑦)) and then elastically recover the material (e.g., silicone rubber) It is made of). The upper surface of the keypad rubber (⑨) is shaped so that the multi-function key lower case (⑤) protrusions and the side key (⑦) can be coupled. That is, as described above, the coupling surface is formed in the upper surface so that the multi-function key lower case (⑤) projections can be inserted, the coupling portion is formed so as to protrude so that the side key (⑦) can be fitted.

In addition, portions of the keypad rubber ⑨ corresponding to the multi-function key protrusions and the side key ⑦ of the multi-function key lower case ⑤ are formed to protrude, and the bottom surface of the keypad rubber ⑨ corresponding to each protrusion is formed by the user. When the key is pressed, it is cut to receive the elastic force to form a space. Further, projections are formed downward on the lower surface of the keypad rubber (9) corresponding to each of the projections so as to press the metal dome (hereinafter, referred to as "keypad rubber projection"). The structure of keypad rubber (⑨) corresponding to the side key (⑦) is not shown.

On the other hand, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the through hole is formed in the center of the keypad rubber (⑨), the center of the multi-function key projection is formed corresponding to the center pressing surface 701 of the upper case (②) through the The hole directly contacts the central contact portion on the key printed circuit board.

As shown, the metal dome may be formed on a thin plate. The metal dome corresponds to each of the keypad rubber protrusions formed downward on the bottom surface of the keypad rubber ⑨. When the user presses the keys ② and ⑦, the metal dome contacts the contacts on the lower key printed circuit board. The metal dome has an elastic force of its own so that the user can get a sense of operation when the key is pressed.

On the other hand, the distance between the central multi-function key projection corresponding to the center pressing surface 701 described above and the central contact portion on the key printed circuit board, the lower portion formed corresponding to the peripheral pressing surfaces 703 It is shorter than the distance between the multi-function key projections around the case ⑤ and the peripheral contact portions on the key printed circuit board. This is to prevent the peripheral pressing surfaces 703 from being pressed when the user presses the center pressing surface 701.

The key printed circuit board (8) is provided with a plurality of contact portions at positions corresponding to the keys (2) and (7) to generate key data corresponding to the pressing operation of the user. The plurality of contact portions may include a center contact portion corresponding to the center pressing surface 701, peripheral contact portions corresponding to peripheral pressing surfaces 703, and side key contact portions corresponding to a side key ⑦. The key printed circuit board (⑪) is electrically connected to the main printed circuit board (not shown) of the terminal body through a connector or the like and is fixed to the front housing (①).

The spring (8) is installed on the outer circumferential surface of the central contact portion on the key printed circuit board (⑪), and supports between the lower case (⑤) and the key printed circuit board (⑪). The spring (8) prevents the keypad rubber (9) from being restored to its original state by applying excessive force to the keypad rubber (9) by its elastic force. In addition, the spring (⑧) is contracted by the key pressing operation, when the excessive pressure is applied to the center pressing surface 701, the peripheral pressing surfaces 703 are pressed due to the length of the spring (⑧) itself in the contracted state Prevent it.

As described above, the present invention is formed by the combination of the upper case and the lower case of the multi-function key inserted into the portable terminal front housing to form a space inside the case, can be provided in the front housing of the portable terminal inside the case Internal components (such as speakers, microphones, and infrared ports) can be built in. As a result, the area of the front housing can be reduced and the competitiveness of the product can be improved.

Claims (2)

A key through hole is formed in the face of the front housing of the portable terminal so that the multi function key penetrates and is exposed. A plurality of pressing surfaces are provided on an upper surface of the multi function key, and a respective pressing surface is provided on the lower surface of the multi function key. Multi-function key protrusions protrude downward in a corresponding position, and a plurality of through-holes are formed on the surface portion of the key fixing plate coupled to the housing of the portable terminal, so that the multi-function key protrusions are inserted and fixed. An upper surface of the keypad rubber is formed into a coupling surface so as to be coupled to the multi-function key projections, the keypad rubber projections protrude downward to correspond to the multi-function key projections, the metal dome In response to each of the keypad rubber protrusions, the user presses a specific pressing surface. The key printed circuit board is in contact with the lower portion of the key printed circuit board, the key printed circuit board is electrically connected to the main printed circuit board of the portable terminal and provided with a contact portion at a position corresponding to the keypad rubber protrusions of the user In the multi-function key structure of the portable terminal for generating the corresponding key data according to the pressing operation, The multi-function key is a combination of an upper case and a lower case to form a space inside the case, the multi-function key structure of a portable terminal, characterized in that the through-hole is formed in the multi-function key case. The method according to claim 1, A through-hole is formed in the center of the keypad rubber, and a multi-function key projection corresponding to the center pressing surface directly contacts the center contact portion on the key printed circuit board through the through-hole. Multi-function key structure.