KR20100116817A

KR20100116817A - Key pad assembly for mobile device

Info

Publication number: KR20100116817A
Application number: KR1020090035429A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김종우; 서호수
Original assignee: 삼성전자주식회사
Priority date: 2009-04-23
Filing date: 2009-04-23
Publication date: 2010-11-02

Abstract

PURPOSE: A keypad assembly for the portable terminal is provided to constantly maintain the interval between a first contact point and a second contact point comprising electrode pattern. CONSTITUTION: An electronic circuit board(34) has a plurality of electrode patterns comprised of a first contact point and a second contact point. A dome sheet(33) locates between a keypad and a electronic circuit substrate. The dome sheet has a plurality of dome switches. If a user presses one among a plurality of key buttons in external side, the dome switch transforms. The dome switch electrically connects the first of the electrode pattern corresponding to one among a plurality of key buttons and the second contact point.

Description

Key pad assembly for mobile device

The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly, to a keypad assembly for a portable terminal capable of preventing a recognition error caused by a key input.

In general, a mobile terminal is an electronic device that allows a user to freely use functions such as wireless communication, network connection, and digital broadcast reception regardless of time and place. Recently, portable terminals have been developed to perform not only communication functions but also Internet access, digital broadcast reception, document preparation, and games. In addition, in recent years, the portable terminal has been gradually miniaturized and slimmed with increasing functions in response to user demands.

In addition to inputting letters or numbers in the portable terminal, a key pad formed in the form of a button is generally used as an input device for performing various functions such as a game.

In the case of a general keypad input device, when the key button provided in the keypad is pressed, the electrode pattern formed at the bottom of the key button can be electrically connected to check whether the key button is pressed, and the output generated from the electrode pattern The signal may be transferred to the electronic circuit board inside the portable terminal.

However, in the case of the conventional keypad assembly, the electrode pattern formed under the key button is densely arranged in accordance with the miniaturization of the portable terminal, so that the error occurring when the electrode pattern is formed, the error occurring when the keypad is assembled, etc. Due to this, there is a problem that sometimes a user incorrectly recognizes that there is a key input even though the actual key button is not pressed.

Accordingly, there is a need for a keypad assembly for a portable terminal capable of preventing a recognition error caused by key input.

The present invention was devised to solve the above problems, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is that the recognition error of the key input is generated by keeping the interval between the first contact point and the second contact point forming the electrode pattern constant. It is to provide a keypad assembly for a portable terminal that can be prevented.

The technical problem of the present invention is not limited to those mentioned above, and another technical problem which is not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to achieve the above object, a keypad assembly for a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, the key pad having a plurality of key buttons and a position corresponding to each of the plurality of key buttons An electronic circuit board having a plurality of electrode patterns comprising a first contact point and a second contact point, and positioned between the keypad and the electronic circuit board, and deformed when any one of the plurality of key buttons is pressed from the outside, And a dome sheet having a plurality of dome switches electrically connecting the first contact point and the second contact point of the electrode pattern corresponding to any one of the plurality of key buttons. For each electrode pattern, the second contact is formed to surround the outside of the first contact, and a margin between the second contact and the first contact is two of the first contact. It is characterized in that it is kept constant along the level.

Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and the drawings.

According to the keypad assembly for a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, by maintaining a constant distance between the first contact point and the second contact forming the electrode pattern, a small error occurs when assembling the keypad assembly, the first The contact and the second contact may be connected to prevent a recognition error of the key input.

In addition, according to the keypad assembly for a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, the assembly of the keypad assembly can be facilitated by maintaining a constant distance between the first contact and the second contact forming the electrode pattern. .

In addition, according to the keypad assembly for a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the first contact point and the second contact point constituting each electrode pattern to correspond to the shape of the key button, when pressing the key button Regardless of the pressed position on the key button, the accuracy of key input recognition can be increased.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings such that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention.

In describing the embodiments, descriptions of technical contents which are well known in the technical field to which the present invention belongs and are not directly related to the present invention will be omitted. This is to more clearly communicate without obscure the subject matter of the present invention by omitting unnecessary description.

For the same reason, in the accompanying drawings, some components are exaggerated, omitted or schematically illustrated. In addition, the size of each component does not fully reflect the actual size. The same or corresponding components in each drawing are given the same reference numerals.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings for explaining a noise shield structure of an electronic circuit board according to embodiments of the present invention.

Prior to the detailed description of the present invention, the following describes a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention as a mobile communication terminal for convenience of description, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention is a terminal having a noise shield structure of an electronic circuit board, and preferably, a mobile communication terminal, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone ( Smart Phone (IMT-2000), International Mobile Telecommunication 2000 (IMT-2000) terminal, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) terminal, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) terminal, Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) terminal, General Packet Radio Service ) All information communication and multimedia devices such as terminals, EDGE (Enhanced Data GSM Evironment) terminals, Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service (UMTS) terminals, digital broadcasting (Digital Broadcasting) terminals, automated teller machines (ATMs), and applications thereof. It will be obvious that it can be applied.

1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a general slide type portable terminal.

As shown in FIG. 1, a typical slide-type portable terminal 1 includes an upper case 10 including a display unit 11 and a lower case 20 including a keypad assembly 30 on a front surface thereof. Can be. The upper case 10 may move upward and downward by sliding on the lower case 20.

The display unit 11 may serve as a user interface that outputs a desired screen to the user or receives a command from the user. The display unit 11 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), organic light emitting diodes (OLED), or the like.

A keypad assembly 30 may be formed on an upper surface of the lower case 20 to receive an operation command from a user, and the upper case 10 may slide and be exposed to the outside when the upper case 10 moves away from the lower case 20. Can be. The key pad assembly 30 may be implemented in the form of a key pad. The structure of the keypad assembly 30 will be described later in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

1 illustrates an example in which an auxiliary key input unit 12 that receives an operation command from a user is formed at a lower end of the upper case 10, that is, a lower end of the display unit 11, the upper case 10. The entire upper surface of the may be made of the display unit (11). The auxiliary key input unit 12 may be formed at a lower end or side surface of the upper case 10, and when the upper case 10 and the lower case 20 are combined, the auxiliary key input unit 12 may receive power from the user of the portable terminal 1. It may consist of a minimum of function keys such as a power key for on / off, a call key for a call with a counterpart, a direction key for selecting menus displayed on the display unit 11, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the portable terminal 1 includes a receiver 13 provided at an upper end of the upper case 10 to output a voice signal, and a talker provided at an lower end of the lower case 20 to input a voice signal. 21 may be provided. The user may hear a voice signal received from the other party by putting the receiver 13 on his or her ear and may transmit the voice signal to the other party by speaking into the talker 21. In addition, the portable terminal 1 may include a camera unit 14 for photographing a subject in front of the upper case 10 or making a video call.

On the other hand, although not shown, between the upper case 10 and the lower case 20 may include a sliding hinge for guiding the upper case 10 to slide on the lower case 20. The sliding hinge is provided with a guide part (not shown) for guiding the sliding movement of the upper case 10 and a compression spring for providing an elastic force so that the upper case 10 can slide and move automatically or semi-automatically according to its position. An elastic member (not shown) may be provided.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, the slide type portable terminal 1 is described as an example, but the form of the portable terminal is not limited thereto, and the present invention is a bar type, a flip type, or a folder type. The present invention can also be applied to various types of portable terminals 1, such as a rotating type or a combination type thereof.

Hereinafter, the structure of the keypad assembly 30 for a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a keypad assembly for a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the keypad assembly for a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the keypad assembly 30 may largely include a keypad 32, an electronic circuit board, and a dome sheet 33.

The key pad 32 may include a plurality of key buttons 31. Each key button 31 may be implemented in the form of correspondence of Korean, English uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, or special characters according to the character input mode, and depending on the type of mobile terminal, power key, call key, or direction key It may also include. Each key button 31 may have a generally rectangular shape so that it can be efficiently disposed within a limited space.

In the lower part of the keypad 32, a plurality of gap holders 32a and a key button 31 are pressed to maintain a constant distance from the dome sheet 33 in the initial state before the key button 31 is pressed. A plurality of pressing portions 32b for pressing the dome switch 33a of the seat 33 may be formed. Each pressing portion 32b is preferably formed at a position corresponding to the first contact 35a of the electrode pattern 35. The keypad 32 may be made of a plastic material.

The keypad 32 may be installed adjacent to the lower portion of the front cover 22 that covers the lower case 20 and serves as a cover. The front cover 22 may have a through hole 22a corresponding to the shape of the plurality of key buttons. The front cover 22 is installed on the electronic circuit board 34, and may be made of a plastic material.

The electronic circuit board 34 may be installed in the lower case 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic circuit board 34 may have a thin plate shape, and various electronic components may be mounted on an upper surface thereof, and may include wirings connecting the electronic components to each other. Preferably, the electronic circuit board 34 may use a printed circuit board (PCB). Various functional modules such as the display unit 11 and the camera unit 14 included in the mobile terminal 1 are electrically connected to the electronic circuit board 34 and controlled by receiving an electrical signal from the electronic circuit board 34. Can be. As the portable terminal 1 becomes smaller and smaller, the electronic circuit board 34 and the display unit 11 are used by using a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) (not shown) to efficiently use the internal space. Alternatively, the camera unit 14 may be connected to transmit and receive various signals.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a plurality of electrode patterns 35 disposed at positions corresponding to each of the plurality of key buttons 31 provided on the keypad may be formed on the upper surface of the electronic circuit board 34. . Each electrode pattern 35 may be formed of a first contact 35a and a second contact 35b, and the first contact 35a and the second contact 35b are not electrically connected in an initial state. . The second contact 35b may be formed to surround the outside of the first contact 35a. The shapes of the first contact 35a and the second contact 35b constituting the electrode pattern 35 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B.

As shown in FIG. 3, a dome sheet 33 may be located between the keypad 32 and the electronic circuit board 34. The dome sheet 33 may include a dome switch 33a formed convexly at a position corresponding to each key button 31, that is, at a position corresponding to each electrode pattern 34. The dome switch 33a may be deformed when the key button 31 is pressed from the outside to electrically connect the first contact 35a and the second contact 35b of the electrode pattern 35. First, in the initial state before the key button 31 is pressed, the dome switch 33a is not in contact with the first contact 35a of the electrode pattern 35, and the second contact 35b of the electrode pattern 35 is not present. It can be connected with. However, while the key button 31 is pressed, the dome switch 33a electrically connects the first contact 35a and the second contact 35b of the electrode pattern 35 so that the key button 31 is pressed. It can be detected. The dome sheet 33 may be made of a metallic material.

The structure of the keypad assembly 30 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is exemplary, and is not limited thereto, and can be changed by those skilled in the art.

On the other hand, in the case of the keypad assembly for a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the first contact 35a and the second contact 35b constituting each electrode pattern 35 may be defined by the key button 31. It is formed to correspond to the shape, and the distance Margin between the first contact 35a and the second contact 35b may be constantly maintained along the circumference of the first contact 35a.

As described above, the key button 31 may have a substantially rectangular shape so that the key button 31 may be efficiently disposed within a limited space, and the first and second contacts 35a and 35b of the electrode pattern 35 may be formed. The shape may also have a substantially rectangular shape to correspond to the shape of the key button 31. Therefore, when the key button 31 is pressed, the accuracy of the recognition of the key input can be increased regardless of the pressed position on the key button 31.

Figure 4a is a view showing the shape of the first contact and the second contact in the electrode pattern of the keypad assembly for a conventional mobile terminal, Figure 4b is in the electrode pattern of the keypad assembly for a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention It is a figure which shows the shape of a 1st contact and a 2nd contact.

4A and 4B, the first and second contacts 35a and 35c and the second and second contacts 35b and 35d each have a substantially rectangular shape, and the upper and lower sides have a straight shape but the left and right sides have a curved shape. ) Is shown. As shown in FIG. 4A, the second contact 35d has a generally rectangular shape, but the first contact 35c formed inside the second contact 35d has a substantially circular shape. Therefore, the vertical gap d1 between the first contact 35c and the second contact 35d is relatively smaller than the left and right gap d2. As a result, when the dome switch 33a is incorrectly assembled, even when the key button 31 is not pressed, the first ridge 35c and the second contact 35d are short-circuited and the key button 31 is pressed. Recognizing problems could arise.

However, as shown in FIG. 4B, in one embodiment of the present invention, like the second contact 35b, the first contact 35a has a substantially rectangular shape, and the upper and lower sides have a straight shape and the left and right sides. This may be in the form of a curve. Therefore, the distance between the first contact 35a and the second contact 35b may be kept constant along the circumference of the first contact 35a. That is, the vertical gap d3 and the horizontal gap d4 between the first contact 35a and the second contact 35b may be identically formed.

As such, by keeping the distance between the first contact 35a and the second contact 35b constant, a minute error occurs when assembling the keypad assembly 30 so that the first contact 35a and the second contact ( Even though 35b) is connected and the key button 31 is not pressed, a phenomenon in which a key input is incorrectly recognized as being present can be reduced. In addition, this may facilitate assembly of the keypad assembly 30.

As described above, the shapes of the first contact point and the second contact point shown in FIG. 4B are exemplary, and are not limited thereto.

As described above, in the case of the keypad assembly for a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, a small error in assembling the keypad assembly is maintained by maintaining a constant distance between the first and second contacts forming the electrode pattern. May be generated to connect the first contact point and the second contact point to prevent a recognition error of a key input. In addition, as the distance between the first contact point and the second contact point constituting the electrode pattern is kept constant, assembly of the keypad assembly can be facilitated. In addition, by forming the shape of the first contact point and the second contact point constituting each electrode pattern to correspond to the shape of the key button, the accuracy of the recognition of the key input can be increased regardless of the position of the key button pressed when the key button is pressed. have.

On the other hand, in the present specification and drawings have been described with respect to preferred embodiments of the present invention, although specific terms are used, it is merely used in a general sense to easily explain the technical details of the present invention and to help the understanding of the invention, It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention are possible in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a keypad assembly for a portable terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a structure of a keypad assembly for a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1: mobile terminal

10: upper case 11: display unit

12: Auxiliary Key Input Unit 13: Receiver

14: camera unit 20: lower case

21: talker 22: front cover

30: keypad assembly 31: key button

32: keypad 33: dome sheet

34: electronic circuit board 35: electrode pattern

35a, 35c, 35e: first contact 35b, 35d, 35f: second contact

Claims

A key pad having a plurality of key buttons;

An electronic circuit board disposed at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of key buttons and having a plurality of electrode patterns formed of a first contact point and a second contact point; And

Located between the keypad and the electronic circuit board, and deformed when pressing any one of the plurality of key buttons from the outside, the first contact and the second contact of the electrode pattern corresponding to any one of the plurality of key buttons It comprises a dome sheet (Dome Sheet) having a plurality of dome switches (Dome Switch) for electrically connecting the

For each of the plurality of electrode patterns,

The second contact is formed so as to surround the outside of the first contact, characterized in that the distance (Margin) between the second contact and the first contact is constantly maintained along the circumference of the first contact Keypad assembly for the terminal.

The method of claim 1,

The shape of the first contact point and the second contact point is formed to correspond to the shape of the key button keypad assembly for a mobile terminal.