TWI420552B - Side key and electronic device using the same - Google Patents

Description

Side button and electronic device applying the side button

The invention relates to a side key and an electronic device applying the side key, in particular to a side key formed by double injection molding and an electronic device applying the side key.

Mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3s, and MP4s usually have side buttons. The user can implement a specific function by operating the side buttons, such as taking pictures, adjusting the volume, playing music, etc., thereby enhancing the convenience of use.

A conventional side key includes a support body and a key body combined with the support body. The support body is disposed on the side of the printed circuit board of the electronic device, and the support body is formed with an outwardly protruding contact toward the side of the printed circuit board. The operator activates the contact on the support body by pressing the key body of the side key to activate the side key switch of the printed circuit board to achieve a specific function. Nowadays, there are two main ways of combining the support body with the key body: one way is to separately form the support body and the key body separately, and then bond the support body and the key body by an adhesive. However, the stability of the bonding between the support and the key body is often poor, and the service life of the side key is reduced. The other way is by double injection molding, that is, using a male mold and a first female mold. Forming with a mold of a second master mold, wherein the male mold is a static mold, and the first female mold and the second female mold are movable molds. During molding, the male mold is first combined with the first female mold, the key body is injection molded, and then the second female mold and the first female mold are replaced with each other, the male mold and the second female mold are combined, and the support is injection molded. The side key of the unitary structure is obtained after the mold. The position where the side key is ejected from the double shot mold when the mold is opened is not It can be disposed on the design surface, usually by forming a protruding surface at the joint of the key body and the support body for the top material mechanism to hold, so that the top material is damaged when the top material is broken, so that the side key is difficult to demould. Reduce the forming yield of the side keys and even damage the two-shot injection molding die.

In view of the above, it is necessary to provide a side button for double injection molding and an electronic device to which the side button is applied, which facilitates demolding from an injection mold.

A side key for use in an electronic device having a housing and a printed circuit board disposed within the housing. The side key includes a support body and a key body, and the support body and the key body are formed by two-shot injection. The support body is connected to the housing of the electronic device, and the contact body for triggering the printed circuit board circuit of the electronic device is formed on the support body, and the contact and the key body are respectively formed on opposite sides of the support body. The surface of the two ends of the key body connected to the support body is formed with two grooves for ejecting the side keys when the two materials are injection molded, each groove is curved and extends in a direction parallel to the support body, the two The ejector pin for the two-shot injection molding moves toward the two sides of the key body to eject the side key.

An electronic device includes a housing, a printed circuit board disposed in the housing, and side keys. The side keys include a support body and a key body, and the support body and the key body are formed by two-shot injection. The support body is connected to the housing, and the contact body for triggering the circuit of the printed circuit board is further formed on the support body, and the contact and the key body are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the support body. The surface of the two ends of the key body connected to the support body is formed with two grooves for ejecting the side keys when the two materials are injection molded, each groove is curved and extends in a direction parallel to the support body, the two The ejector pin for the two-shot injection molding moves toward the two sides of the key body to eject the side key.

The above-mentioned side keys can facilitate the two-material injection molding from the injection mold by providing grooves. The middle is ejector to achieve demolding, thereby improving the yield of the side key molding, and avoiding the residual of the side key in the injection mold due to difficulty in demolding the side key, thereby causing damage to the mold when used again.

10‧‧‧Mobile Phone

11‧‧‧Shell

112‧‧‧ side

114‧‧‧End

115‧‧‧ accommodating space

1124‧‧‧ openings

12‧‧‧Keep structure

122‧‧‧First fixed plate

124‧‧‧Second fixed plate

13‧‧‧Circuit connection board

131‧‧‧Side key switch

20‧‧‧ side key

21‧‧‧Support

212‧‧‧ first surface

213‧‧‧ second surface

23‧‧‧Key body

231‧‧‧First button

232‧‧‧Second button

2312, 2321‧‧‧ Pressing Department

2132‧‧‧ contacts

2134‧‧‧ convex

2130, 2320‧‧‧ connection surface

238‧‧‧ skirt

239‧‧‧Combination Department

2315, 2325, 2316, 2326‧‧‧ grooves

1 is a partial perspective assembled view of a mobile phone to which side keys of an embodiment of the present invention are applied.

2 is a partial exploded perspective view of the mobile phone shown in FIG. 1.

3 is a schematic perspective view of a side key according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the other direction of the side key shown in Figure 3.

The side keys of the present invention and the electronic device to which the side keys are applied will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. The side keys of the present invention can be applied to electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, PDAs, MP3s, and MP4s. The following is an example of a side button applied to a mobile phone and used to adjust volume.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the mobile phone 10 includes a housing 11, a fastening structure 12, a circuit connecting board 13, a printed circuit board (not shown), a battery (not shown), and a display module (not shown). . The two side portions 112 and the two end portions 114 of the housing 11 collectively define a substantially rectangular receiving space 115. The accommodating space 115 is for accommodating components such as a printed circuit board, a battery, and a display module. The side portion 112 is formed with an opening 1124 through which the side key 20 is passed for the operator to perform a pressing operation. A three-sided key switch 131 is soldered to the circuit connecting board 13, and the circuit connecting board 13 is electrically connected to the printed circuit board. The side key 20 is fixedly disposed on the side portion 112 of the housing 11 and disposed adjacent to the side key switch 131. The fastening structure 12 includes a first fixing plate 122 and a second fixing plate 124 for supporting or fixing a battery, a display module and the like.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the side key 20 includes a support body 21 and a key body 23 . The support body 21 and the key body 23 are integrated by a two-shot injection molding. The support body 21 is substantially plate-shaped and includes a first surface 212 and a second surface 213 opposite to the first surface 212. The key body 23 is a bump formed on the first surface 212 of the support body 21, and includes a first button portion 231 and a second button portion 232 which are spaced apart from each other. The two ends of the top of the first button portion 231 are respectively provided with two pressing portions 2312 indicated by "+" and "-" symbols for adjusting the volume of the mobile phone 10. The middle of the second button portion 232 has a pressing portion 2321 for performing an operation such as selection or confirmation. The second surface 213 of the support body 21 is formed with a contact 2132 at a position corresponding to each of the pressing portions 2312 and 2321, and the contact 2132 is a column projecting outward. The second surface 213 has a plurality of convex portions 2134 extending perpendicularly on both sides of each of the contacts 2132. The plurality of protrusions 2134 serve to stably support the side keys 20 and form an active space of the contacts 2132 in a direction perpendicular to the second surface 213.

Two grooves 2315 and 2316 are formed on the connecting surface 2130 where the two ends of the first button portion 231 are connected to the support body 21. Two grooves 2325 and 2326 are formed on the connecting surface 2320 of which the two ends of the second button portion 232 are connected to the support body 21. The grooves 2315, 2316, 2325, 2326 are arranged substantially in a straight line, and each of the grooves has an arc shape and extends in a direction parallel to the first surface 212 of the support body 21 and has a predetermined extension depth. The grooves 2315, 2316, 2325, 2326 are used for the double injection molding of the side keys 20, and cooperate with the top material mechanism, such as the top material pin, to facilitate the ejection of the side keys 20 from the injection mold during mold opening to achieve demolding. . The connecting faces 2130 and 2320 are non-designed faces of the side keys 20, so that the grooves 2315, 2316, 2325, 2326 provided on the connecting faces 2130, 2320 do not affect the appearance of the side keys 20.

The material of the support body 21 is a thermoplastic elastomer which can be elastically deformed, preferably a thermoplastic rubber (TPR) or a thermoplastic polyamine base. Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU). The bond body 23 has a certain hardness, and the material thereof is preferably a combination of one or both of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Copolymer (ABS) and Polycarbonate (PC). .

When the side key 20 is molded by the two-shot injection molding method, the key body 23 is first molded, and then the injection molding is performed again in the mold in which the key body 23 is molded to form the support body 21 and integrated with the key body 23. It should be noted that the two-shot injection molding die is provided with a top pin (not shown) that cooperates with the grooves 2315, 2316, 2325, 2326 on the key body 23, wherein the top pin is matched with the grooves 2315, 2316. The top button of the first button portion 231 is moved to perform the topping, and the top pin that cooperates with the grooves 2325 and 2326 is moved to the two sides of the second button portion 231 to perform the topping. The predetermined extension depth of the grooves 2315, 2316, 2325, 2326 should be less than the stroke of the top pin in the depth direction to prevent the top pin from being engaged with the groove to prevent complete removal.

The grooves 2315, 2316, 2325, 2326 have a certain depth and height, and the matching top pin can apply a large top thrust to the key body 23 when the mold is opened, so that the key body 23 is smoothly injected from the injection. Take out in the mold. At this time, even if the depth of the key body 23 embedded in the injection mold is deep, or the thickness of the support body 21 is thin, the demolding of the side key 20 can be easily achieved, which not only improves the yield of the double injection molding, but also avoids The side key 20 is left in the injection mold because it cannot be demolded smoothly, so that the mold is damaged when it is used again, and the service life of the injection mold is improved to some extent.

In order to enhance the bonding force between the support body 21 and the key body 23, a plurality of skirts 238 may be formed at the junction of the key body 23 and the support body 21. The skirt 238 is embedded in the support body 21 and is embedded in the support body 21. In addition, the key body 23 can also form an outwardly protruding joint portion 239. Correspondingly, a plurality of openings (not labeled) are formed on the support body 21 and the joint portion 239 is coupled to each other. The bonding force between the key body 23 and the support body 21 is increased to extend the service life of the side key 20.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 simultaneously, when the side key 20 is installed, the key body 23 is first passed out from the opening 1124 of the housing 11 of the mobile phone 10, and the first fixing plate 122, the second fixing plate 124, and the housing 11 are The support 21 of the side key 20 is fixed to the housing 21 by applying pressure from the periphery of the first surface 212 and the second surface 213 of the support body 21, respectively. The contacts 2132 of the side keys 20 correspond to the positions of the corresponding side key switches 131 on the circuit connecting board 13 and are close to each other, so that when the key body 23 is pressed, the contacts 2132 can trigger the side key switch 131. It can be understood that the side keys 20 can also be fixed by other means.

In use, the operator presses the pressing portions 2321 and 2312 of the side key 20 of the key body 23 to elastically deform the support body 21, so that the contacts 2132 act and trigger the side key switch 131 of the circuit connecting plate 13 to turn on the circuit and generate control. The signal control mobile phone 10 completes the corresponding function. After the operator cancels the pressure, the support body 21 is restored to its original shape, and the contacts 2132 are automatically separated from the side key switch 131 of the circuit connecting plate 13.

The support body 21 is a thermoplastic elastomer having a certain flexibility, which can absorb the impact energy generated by the collision between the contact 2132 and the side key switch 131, thereby buffering, thereby reducing the contact of the contact 2132 to the side key switch 131 or the circuit connection. The destruction of the board 13 enhances the softness and comfort of the operation. The material of the key body 23 is one or a combination of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer and polycarbonate, which has a certain hardness, can ensure the appearance of the side surface 20 and is convenient for the operator to perform the pressing operation.

It can be understood that the circuit connecting plate 13 can be omitted, and the side key switch 131 can be directly disposed on the printed circuit board and the position of the side key switch 131 can be corresponding to the position of each contact 2132 of the side key 20.

In summary, the present invention has indeed met the requirements of the invention patent, and has filed a patent application according to law. However, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and it is not possible to limit the scope of the patent application of the present invention. Equivalent modifications or variations made by persons skilled in the art in light of the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.

20‧‧‧ side key

21‧‧‧Support

212‧‧‧ first surface

23‧‧‧Key body

231‧‧‧First button

232‧‧‧Second button

2312, 2321‧‧‧ Pressing Department

2130, 2320‧‧‧ connection surface

238‧‧‧ skirt

2315, 2325, 2316, 2326‧‧‧ grooves

Claims (10)

A side key is applied to an electronic device having a casing and a printed circuit board disposed in the casing, the side key comprising a support body and a key body, wherein the support body and the key body are formed by two-shot injection, and the support body is used for the support body The contact body is connected to the housing of the electronic device, and the contact for forming the circuit of the printed circuit board of the electronic device is formed on the support body. The contact and the key body are respectively formed on opposite sides of the support body, and the improvement is as follows: The surface of the two ends of the key body connected to the support body is formed with two grooves for ejecting the side keys when the two materials are injection molded, each groove is curved and extends in a direction parallel to the support body, the two The ejector pin for the two-shot injection molding moves toward the two sides of the key body to eject the side key. The side key according to claim 1, wherein the material of the support is one or a combination of an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer and a polycarbonate, and the material of the bond body is thermoplastic rubber or thermoplastic. One or a combination of polyurethanes. The side key according to claim 1, wherein a side of the key body combined with the support body is formed with a skirt, and the skirt is embedded in the support body. The side key according to claim 1, wherein the key body is formed with an outwardly protruding joint, and the support body is formed with an opening combined with the joint. The side key of claim 1, wherein the key body comprises a first button portion and a second button portion, wherein the groove is four, wherein two grooves are formed at two ends of the first button portion. The surface connected to the support body, and the other two grooves are formed on the surface of the second button portion connected to the support body. The side key according to claim 5, wherein the grooves formed in the first button portion and the second button portion are arranged in a line. The side key as described in claim 1, wherein the depth of the groove is smaller than that used during molding The groove cooperates and strokes the ejection mechanism of the side key in the depth direction. The side key of claim 1, wherein the support member has a plate shape, and includes a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, the key body is disposed on the first surface, and the contact is formed On the second surface, the second surface is formed with a convex portion disposed on both sides of the contact. An electronic device includes a housing, a printed circuit board disposed in the housing, and side keys. The side key includes a support body and a key body. The support body and the key body are formed by two-shot injection, and the support body is used for The housings are connected to each other, and the contacts for triggering the circuit of the printed circuit board are formed on the support body. The contacts and the keys are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the support body, and the improvement is: the two ends of the key body and the support The surface of the body connection is formed with two grooves for ejecting the side key when the two materials are injection molded, each groove is curved and extends in a direction parallel to the support body, and the two grooves are used for two-shot injection molding. The top pin moves toward the two sides of the key body to eject the side key. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the electronic device further comprises a circuit connecting board electrically connected to the printed circuit board, the circuit connecting board is provided with a side key switch, the contact Used to trigger the side key switch.