KR20060075803A - Mobile communication terminal having double over layer type input key pads - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention includes two overlapping keypads in one terminal, and when the upper keypad is opened, the lower keypad is interlocked with each other and the two keypads are horizontally spread to move the multi-layer keypad to maximize the convenience of using the terminal. It relates to a communication terminal.

In the present invention, the upper keypad which is installed to be slidable on one side of the mobile communication terminal main body; A receiving part formed to have an upward opening while having a predetermined space on an upper surface of the main body exposed as the upper keypad is moved from a closing point to an opening completion point; A lower keypad accommodated in the keypad receiving portion; The upper keypad is connected to the lower keypad, and the lower keypad is raised to the outside of the accommodating part of the main body in conjunction with the operation in which the upper keypad is slidably opened with respect to the main body so that the upper keypad is kept horizontal with the upper keypad. Provided is a mobile communication terminal having a two-layer keypad, comprising a cam mechanism.

Keypad, 2nd Floor, Terminal, Mobile Phone

Description

Mobile communication terminal having double over layer type input key pads}             

1 is a plan view showing a state in which both the upper keypad and the lower keypad are unfolded in the mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are side cross-sectional views of a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention, and FIG. 2A is a view showing a state where the upper and lower keypads are overlapped, and FIG. 2B is a state in which both the upper and lower keypads are unfolded. Figure showing.

3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention. FIG. 3A is a view illustrating a form in which an upper keypad and a cam link are connected (AA sectional view of FIG. 4A), and FIG. 3B is a lower keypad and a cam link. Is a view showing the connected form (BB cross-sectional view of Figure 4c).

 4A to 4D are schematic diagrams showing a link connection structure of the upper and lower keypads according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4A illustrates a case where the upper and lower keypads overlap, and FIG. 4B illustrates an intermediate process of opening the upper keypad. 4C illustrates a state in which the upper keypad is just out of the lower keypad, and FIG. 4D illustrates when the upper keypad is fully opened.

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

10 case 12 receiving part

20: motherboard 100: upper keypad

101,201: key button 102, 202: cam groove

102a: upper straight portion 102b: downward inclined portion

102c: Lower straight part 110,210: Printed circuit board

111,211: FPCB 300: Cam mechanism

310: cam link 311: pivot axis

320: first rod 321,331: cam projection

330: second load

The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal having a multi-layer keypad, and more particularly, to a terminal having two overlapping keypads, and when the upper keypad is opened, the lower keypad is interlocked with each other so that the two keypads are horizontal. The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal having a multi-layer keypad that maximizes the convenience of using the terminal.

A mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (PDA) or the like can be generally divided into a bar type terminal, a folder type terminal, and a slide type terminal.

All of these mobile communication terminals are provided with a keypad including 3x4 array of numeric key buttons for calling, entering a phone number, selecting a mode, and performing a function.

The keypad is essential for the use of a mobile communication terminal and must be provided in any terminal. Therefore, the terminal should always be devoted to a certain area for the installation of the keypad. However, in the current mobile communication terminal, the size of the terminal is greatly reduced compared to the size of the previous terminal in the direction of light and small size (輕薄 短小), but did not intend to reduce the area occupied by the keypad.

On the other hand, the current mobile communication terminal, in addition to its own voice call function, the 'portable digital complex' includes various functions and contents such as digital video / video recording, multimedia playback / recording, games, Internet, payment, text message transmission, and the like. Devices, or portable multimedia composite devices.

However, since the traditional input key buttons alone are difficult to perform various contents smoothly and conveniently as described above, the number of input key buttons installed in the keypad is correspondingly increased. Therefore, as the number of input key buttons increases, the size of the keypad must also increase, which causes a problem that the size of the terminal increases.

The present invention was developed in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to include two overlapping keypads in one terminal, so that two input keypads can be provided with many input buttons. Provides a mobile communication terminal having a two-layer keypad that allows the two keypads to be unfolded and used to reduce the size of the terminal and to perform various functions provided in the terminal smoothly and conveniently using many input keys. have.

An object of the present invention as described above, the upper keypad which is installed to be slidable on one side of the mobile communication terminal main body; A receiving part formed to have an upward opening while having a predetermined space on an upper surface of the main body exposed as the upper keypad is moved from a closing point to an opening completion point; A lower keypad accommodated in the keypad receiving portion; The upper keypad is connected to the lower keypad, and the lower keypad is raised to the outside of the accommodating part of the main body in conjunction with the operation in which the upper keypad is slidably opened with respect to the main body so that the upper keypad is kept horizontal with the upper keypad. It is achieved by providing a mobile communication terminal having a two-layer keypad characterized in that it comprises a cam mechanism.

In the present invention, the cam mechanism, the first and second rods extending to the upper keypad and the lower keypad, respectively, by maintaining a constant angle on both sides of the pivot axis jointly connected to one inner side of the main body, and the pivot axis A cam link having a cam protrusion of the first and second rods to be slidably coupled to the upper and lower keypads, respectively; The cam protrusions of the first and second rods are formed on side surfaces of the upper and lower keypads to be slidably movable, and the pivot axis is pivotally rotated as the upper keypad is slid toward the open completion point from the terminal body. It is preferable to include a cam groove formed on the side of the upper and lower keypads so as to raise the lower keypad by turning the first and second rods.

Herein, the cam groove of the upper keypad includes an upper straight portion, a downward inclined portion formed after the upper straight portion so as to raise the lower keypad from a time when the upper keypad leaves the lower keypad, and a lower end of the downward inclined portion. It is preferably made of a curved behavior having a lower straight portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the terminal, the lower keypad cam groove is preferably made of a form extending linearly in the longitudinal direction of the terminal.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in parallel with the specific configuration and operation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 3b show a mobile communication terminal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 is a plan view of the terminal showing a state in which both the upper keypad and the lower keypad is unfolded, Figures 2a and 2b The cross-sectional view is shown when the upper and lower keypads are overlapped and unfolded, and Figs. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views showing the upper keypad and the lower keypad connected by cam links.

In the accompanying drawings, a bar-shaped terminal is selected and illustrated as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the terminal may be applied in the same structure to a foldable or slide type terminal having a keypad as described above. For example, in the case of a clamshell terminal, the same structure can be applied to the keypad portion of the main body that is exposed when the folder cover is opened. In the case of a slide type terminal, the clamshell terminal is applied to the keypad portion of the body that is exposed when the slide cover is opened by sliding. The same structure can be applied.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3B, the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention has a structure in which the upper keypad 100 and the lower keypad 200 are provided in the terminal case body 10.

The upper keypad 100 and the lower keypad 200, as shown in Figure 2a, maintains the overlapping state with each other, or as shown in Figures 1 and 2b are all exposed to the outside of the terminal can be used Will be maintained.

The lower keypad 200 has a predetermined space on the upper surface of the case body 10 that is exposed as the upper keypad 100 is moved from the 'close point' as shown in FIG. 2B to the 'opening completion point' as shown in FIG. 2A. It is accommodated in the receiving portion 12 is formed to be opened upward while having a.

The upper keypad 100 and the lower keypad 200 are connected to both sides of the upper keypad 100 and the lower keypad 200, and the upper keypad 100 is slid with respect to the main body 10. It includes a cam mechanism 300 to raise the lower keypad 200 to the outside of the receiving portion 12 of the case body 10 in conjunction with the operation to open by movement to maintain in a horizontal state with the upper keypad. .

The upper keypad 100 and the lower keypad 200 are provided with various key buttons 101 and 201 having an input function or a setting function.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the printed circuit boards 110 and 210 of the upper keypad 100 and the lower keypad 200 are connected to the PCB 20 of the terminal. 211) (FPCB: Flexible Circuit Board) is electrically and signally connected.

3A, 3B and 4A to 4D show the configuration of the cam mechanism 300 described above in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 4D, the cam mechanism 300 connects the upper keypad 100 and the lower keypad 200, and the upper keypad 100 slides with respect to the case body 10. In conjunction with the operation of opening the movement to the lower keypad 200 serves to maintain a horizontal state with the upper keypad 100 by raising the outer side of the receiving portion 12 of the case body 10.

Specifically, the cam mechanism 300, the cam link (310), the cam groove (102) (202) formed in the upper keypad 100 and the lower keypad 200 to be connected to the cam link 310 It includes.

The cam link 310 includes a pivot shaft 311 and first and second rods 320 and 330.

The pivot shaft 311 is rotatably connected to an inner side of the case body 10.

The first and second rods 320 and 330 are integrally formed with the pivot shaft 311, and the upper keypad 100 and the lower side are respectively maintained at a constant angle to both sides of the pivot shaft 311. Extends to the side of the keypad 200,

Cam protrusions 321 and 331 are formed at ends of the first and second rods 320 and 330, respectively.

Meanwhile, the cam grooves 102 and 202 are formed on the side surfaces of the upper keypad 100 and the lower keypad 200, respectively, and cam protrusions 321 and 331 of the first and second rods 320 and 330. ) Is coupled to the sliding copper.

The cam grooves 102 and 202 have the first and second rods 320 around the pivot shaft 311 as the upper keypad 100 slides toward the open completion point from the case body 10. It is configured to raise the lower keypad 200 by turning (330).

A specific shape of the cam groove 102 of the upper keypad 100 is a second rod of the cam link 310 as the upper keypad 100 slides toward the open completion point with respect to the case body 10. It has a curved form so as to rotate the 330 up, the cam groove 202 of the lower keypad 200 has a form extending linearly in the longitudinal direction of the terminal.

In detail, the cam groove 102 of the upper keypad 100 is configured to raise the lower keypad 200 from an upper straight portion 102a and the upper keypad 100 from the time when the upper keypad 100 leaves the lower keypad 200. The lower inclined portion 102b formed after the upper straight portion 102a and the lower straight portion 102c extending in the longitudinal direction of the terminal from the lower end of the downward inclined portion 102b.

In the present invention made as described above, the operation of the lower keypad 200 is raised or lowered by sliding the upper keypad 100 will be described. Since the lowering operation is performed in the reverse order of the rising operation, only the rising operation will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, as shown in FIG. 4A, in the state where the upper keypad 100 is closed, the lower keypad 200 is accommodated in the accommodating part 12 of the case body 10 under the upper keypad 100. In this state, only the key buttons 101 provided in the upper keypad 100 may be used.

In the above state, to open the upper keypad 100, when the upper keypad 100 is lowered with respect to the case body 10 (pushing to the left in FIGS. 4A to 4D), the cam link 310 The cam protrusion 321 of the first rod 320 is moved along the upper straight portion 102a of the cam groove 102 of the upper keypad 100.

Here, since the upper straight portion 102a is formed in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the terminal, the lower keypad until the cam protrusion 321 of the first rod 320 completely passes the upper straight portion 102a. The lifting operation of the 200 does not occur and maintains the state accommodated in the accommodating part 12 of the case body 10 as it is.

When the upper keypad 100 is further opened to open the upper keypad 100 to a position close to the opening completion point, the cam protrusion 321 of the first rod 320 is downwardly inclined 102a of the cam groove 102. You will meet.

The downward inclined portion 102b is formed to be inclined downward from the upper straight portion 102a. therefore. The cam protrusion 321 of the first rod 320 tries to descend down along the downward inclined portion 102b. By the way, the upper keypad 100 can not be raised or lowered relative to the case body 10, it is simply coupled to be possible to move linearly. Accordingly, in the process of moving the cam protrusion 321 of the first rod 320 along the downward inclined portion 102b of the cam groove 102, the rising of the upper keypad 100 does not occur, and instead the cam link 310 Rotated). When the cam link 310 is rotated, the second rod 330 provided on the opposite side of the first rod 320 is rotated upward to raise the lower keypad 200.

That is, as shown in Figure 4b, the cam projection 321 of the first rod 320 is the upper side of the cam groove 102 of the upper cap 100 until the upper keypad 100 reaches the open completion point. It is continuously moving along the straight portion 102a. Therefore, at this time, the cam link 310 does not rotate.

Subsequently, from the time when the upper keypad 100 reaches the open completion point and the upper keypad 100 leaves the lower keypad 200, the cam protrusion 321 of the first rod 320 is moved to the cam groove 102. It leads to the downward inclination part 102b.

From this time, as shown in FIG. 4C, the cam protrusion 321 of the first rod 320 moves along the downward inclined portion 102b of the cam groove 102 to rotate the cam link 310. . Accordingly, the second rod 330 provided on the opposite side of the first rod 321 is rotated upward, and the lower keypad in which the cam protrusion 331 of the second rod 330 is slidably coupled thereto. Since the cam groove 202 of the 200 has a form extending linearly in the longitudinal direction of the terminal simply, the lower keypad 200 is raised by the upward rotation of the cam protrusion 331 of the second rod 330. do.

As described above, in the process of raising the lower keypad 200, the cam protrusion 321 of the first rod 320 of the cam link 310 is inclined downward of the cam groove 102 as shown in FIG. 4D. When reaching the last part, the lower keypad 200 is fully raised so that its surface is coincident with the surface of the upper keypad 100 so that the raising of the lower keypad 200 is completed.

Therefore, since the upper keypad 100 and the lower keypad 200 are both exposed to the surface of the terminal, the user can use all the various key buttons provided on the upper keypad 100 and the lower keypad 200. .

In the present specification, a description has been given of an example of a 'mobile phone' of a mobile communication terminal. However, the present invention can be applied to all mobile communication terminals, such as a so-called 'wireless terminal', a PDA, and a 'portable multimedia device'. Do.

In addition, in the drawings, a bar-shaped mobile phone is illustrated and described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is applicable to any of the foldable or slide-type terminals provided with the keypad described above.

In the foregoing description, specific embodiments of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings have been described in detail, but this is only one preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the embodiments of the present invention as described above can be variously modified and equivalent other embodiments by those of ordinary skill in the art within the technical spirit of the present invention, such modifications and equivalent other embodiments are It goes without saying that it belongs to the appended claims of the invention.

As described above, according to the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention, the keypad is provided in a two-layer type consisting of the upper keypad and the lower keypad, while the lower keypad is raised in conjunction with the movement of the upper keypad, the upper and lower keypad is the terminal Both are exposed on the surface, allowing two keypads to be used simultaneously.

Therefore, by accommodating many input buttons on the two keypads and allowing the two keypads to be unfolded when necessary, various functions can be smoothly and conveniently performed while reducing the size of the terminal.

Claims (3)

An upper keypad installed on one side of the main body of the mobile communication terminal to be slidable; A receiving part formed to have an upward opening while having a predetermined space on an upper surface of the main body exposed as the upper keypad is moved from a closing point to an opening completion point; A lower keypad accommodated in the keypad receiving portion; The upper keypad is connected to the lower keypad, and the lower keypad is raised to the outside of the accommodating part of the main body in conjunction with the operation in which the upper keypad is slidably opened with respect to the main body so that the upper keypad is kept horizontal with the upper keypad. A mobile communication terminal having a two-layer keypad, comprising a cam mechanism. The method of claim 1, The cam mechanism, A pivot shaft jointly connected to one inner side of the main body, and a first and second rods extending to the upper keypad and the lower keypad, respectively, by maintaining a constant angle on both sides of the pivot shaft, and cam protrusions of the first and second rods. A cam link coupled to the upper and lower keypads so as to be slidable; The cam protrusions of the first and second rods are formed on side surfaces of the upper and lower keypads to be slidably movable, and the pivot axis is pivotally rotated as the upper keypad is slid toward the open completion point from the terminal body. And a cam groove formed on side surfaces of the upper and lower keypads so as to raise the lower keypad by turning the first and second rods. The method of claim 2, The cam groove of the upper keypad includes an upper straight portion, a downward inclined portion formed after the upper straight portion to raise the lower keypad from a time when the upper keypad leaves the lower keypad, and a terminal from a lower end of the downward inclined portion. It consists of a curved behavior having a lower straight portion extending in the longitudinal direction of, The lower keypad cam groove is a mobile communication terminal having a two-layer keypad, characterized in that formed in a straight line extending in the longitudinal direction of the terminal.

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