TWI420555B - Keypad - Google Patents

Description

Button unit

The present invention relates to a button unit that is applied to a mobile device, such as a portable mobile phone.

The button unit constitutes an important component of a mobile device such as a portable mobile phone. On the mobile phone, a button panel surface can be integrated with a plurality of operation button protrusions, which are usually made of a hard resin material. A plurality of key pads are generally provided under the operating button, the key pads being made of a soft material such as silicone rubber or thermoplastic elastomer. The universal application of such a button unit brings great convenience to the user's information input on the mobile phone. Due to the development of mobile phone technology, especially the trend of thinning mobile phones, and the increasing demands on the appearance of mobile phones, the button unit with a prominent keycap has gradually evolved into a completely flat button unit. , that is, the operation button does not protrude from the button panel settings.

The two types of button units are the types of buttons that are commonly used in mobile devices in the industry today. In the production and assembly process, the surface treatment of the button unit is usually completed first, and then the laser surface is laser-etched by the laser surface to form a certain metallization layer of the button unit. After the pattern and text, the button will be shipped to the customer. However, the drawbacks of this type of assembly are also becoming more and more obvious. Because mobile phones need to be sold all over the world, for different regions, the button units need to correspond to different words and symbols. According to the current production and assembly mode, The slow-moving of mobile phones in a regional or a language version will result in a large inventory of already assembled mobile phones, causing losses to mobile phone manufacturers and vendors.

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a button unit that can solve the above problems.

The object to be achieved by the present invention is to reduce the inventory of the multi-symbol (language) version of the button unit by changing the production process of the button unit, and the customer flexibly adjusts the requirements of the laser engraving symbol according to the sales situation.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: the button unit comprises a key pad layer formed of ruthenium rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer, and the upper side of the key pad layer is provided with a protective layer formed of a transparent hard resin, and the protective layer has a facing surface. a lower surface of the user and a lower surface parallel to the upper surface, a color layer is applied to the lower surface of the protective layer, wherein at least a tin plating layer is further disposed between the key pad layer and the protective layer, and the protective layer is formed by laser The upper surface is irradiated, and the portion irradiated with the laser on the tin plating layer is removed to form a hollow portion, and the color layer is not damaged.

Compared with the prior art, the button unit of the present invention can be assembled with the mobile device first, and all the processes except the marking before shipment are completed, and then the marking is performed according to the shipping location of the mobile device, and the multi-symbol (language) version button unit is reduced. Stock. Moreover, during the marking process of the button unit, the laser can form a hollow portion representing a digit or a symbol on the tin plating layer without damaging other layers through which the laser is transmitted.

1‧‧‧Key unit

10‧‧‧Keypad

11‧‧‧Key body

12‧‧‧ Pressing body

20‧‧‧Light guide layer

21‧‧‧ Hole Department

30‧‧‧Protective oil layers

40‧‧‧ tin plating

41‧‧‧镂空部

50‧‧‧Light absorbing layer

60‧‧‧ color layer

70‧‧‧Protective layer

71‧‧‧Upper surface

72‧‧‧ lower surface

The first figure is a perspective view of the button unit assembled according to the present invention; the second figure is a perspective view of another angle after the button unit shown in the first figure is assembled; The third figure is an exploded perspective view of the button unit shown in the first figure; the fourth figure is a partial schematic view of the section before the button unit shown in the first figure is assembled without being laser-etched by the laser beam; the fifth figure is shown in the first figure. After the assembly of the button unit is completed, a partial schematic view of the cross section after laser etching is performed; the sixth figure is a diagram of the backlight unit shown in the first figure after being assembled on the mobile phone without backlight; the seventh figure is the button unit shown in the first figure. A graphic representation of the backlight after being mounted on a mobile phone.

The invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Referring to the first to fifth figures, the button unit 1 of the present invention comprises a bottom layer to a top layer, and includes a key pad layer 10, a light guiding layer 20, a protective oil layer 30, a tin plating layer 40, a light absorbing layer 50, a color layer 60, and Protective layer 70. Each of the foregoing layers is sequentially superposed on the corresponding layers to form the button unit 1 in common.

As the bottom layer of the key unit 1, the key pad layer 10 is usually made of a soft and elastic plastic material such as a ruthenium rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer. The key pad layer 10 can be transparent. The key pad layer 10 may be completely planar, or a plurality of key bodies 11 may be protruded on the upper surface thereof. As shown in the third figure, the key body 11 is arranged in the form of a mobile phone demand, as shown in the fourth figure. The key pad layer 10 is in a state before the marking, and the digital key or the letter key mark seen on the finished mobile phone is covered by the laser on the key pad layer 10 or the key body 11 in the subsequent manufacturing process. Corresponding layer marking is formed. Such as the first As shown in the second figure, the lower surface of the key pad layer 10 is provided at a position corresponding to the key body 11 so as to protrude from the pressing body 12 of the same number or larger than the number of the key bodies.

The light guide layer 20 is disposed on the upper side of the key pad layer 10, and the light guide layer 20 is made of a translucent resin material such as PC (polycarbonate) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate). Such a light-transmitting resin material has excellent light guiding performance, and most of the light emitted from a light source (not shown) provided at the edge or the middle of the button unit 1 can be conducted by total reflection in the light guiding layer 20. The upper and lower surfaces of the light guiding layer 20 correspond to the key body 11 of the key pad layer 10 and the hole portion 21 is formed. When the light guiding layer 20 is placed on the key pad layer 10, the key body 11 passes through the hole portion 21 to be positioned. The light layer 20 prevents the light guiding layer 20 from moving laterally. Generally, the light guiding layer 20 is bonded to the protective oil layer 30 adjacent thereto by a double-sided tape.

Next, the protective oil layer 30, the tin plating layer 40, the light absorbing layer 50, the color layer 60, and the protective layer 70 are described, each layer being attached to the corresponding layers by various means.

The protective layer 70 on the upper side of the key pad layer 10 is used to protect the button unit 1 from discoloration due to excessive friction. The protective layer 70 is usually formed of a polyurethane-based ultraviolet curable resin having wear resistance, in forming the button unit 1 When the protective layer 70 is required, it is necessary to inject the ultraviolet curable resin into a mold (not shown) having the same shape as that of the protective layer 70, and to cure the ultraviolet curable resin in the mold by ultraviolet light irradiation in a certain period of time. Layer 70 removes protective layer 70 from the mold. The protective layer 70 has an upper surface 71 facing the user and a lower surface 72 parallel to the upper surface 71.

The color layer 60 is formed by applying a single color or multi-color paint or a toned ink to the lower surface 72 of the protective layer 70, the color of which can be determined by the manufacturer of the button unit 1. .

The lower surface of the color layer 60 is provided with a light absorbing layer 50 which is formed by applying a transparent black ink or a substance capable of absorbing light to the surface of the corresponding color layer 60.

After the light absorbing layer 50 is applied to the color layer 60, the tin metal is plated on the surface of the light absorbing layer 50 opposite to the color layer 60 to form the tin plating layer 40 by any one of physical vapor deposition, sputtering or multi-layer plating. The lower surface of the tin layer 40 is coated with a protective oil layer 30 which can prevent oxidation or physical instability of the tin plating layer 40 from being exposed to the air for a long period of time. The tin-plated layer 40 is radium-etched by laser of a certain energy, and the tin-plated layer 40 is formed to form a hollow portion 41. The hollow portion 41 is a digit, a pattern or a symbol corresponding to the button unit 1 (for example, 1, 2, and 3) , 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, #, ^*, etc.). The metal material plated by the tin-plated layer 40 in the present invention is tin (Sn), and depending on the application, a composite product of tin and other metals, such as lead, antimony, or the like, may be used. The object of the present invention is to reduce inventory. After the button unit 1 is assembled, the button unit 1 is subjected to laser radium etching according to the place where the mobile phone is shipped, and the corresponding country symbols and characters are generated on the button unit 1. The method can achieve the object of the present invention well. Since the melting point of tin is low, an alloy product of tin or tin and other metals is used as a plating material, and after the button unit 1 is assembled, at least one laser beam in a specific wavelength range (the laser focus energy just reaches the melting point of tin) is used. The tin plating layer 40 is etched on the front surface of the key unit 1, that is, the surface of the protective layer 70. While the tin-plated layer 40 is etched, the other layers that are transmitted by the laser (for example, the light-absorbing layer 50, the color layer 60, and the protective layer 70) are not affected by the laser etching. Through the above method, after the button unit 1 is assembled with the mobile device, laser marking is performed according to the sales location of the mobile device to form a corresponding digit, pattern or symbol, and the inventory of the multi-symbol (language) version button unit is reduced, thereby ensuring Instant assembly of the button unit 1.

This production method can also produce another keyboard display effect. When there is no backlight, the color of the color layer 60 viewed by the user from the front of the button unit 1 can be observed by the user from the front of the button unit 1 to the digits and patterns formed by the tin plating layer 40 only when the mobile phone turns on the backlight. And symbols.

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-mentioned embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and those skilled in the art will be able to make equivalent modifications or variations in accordance with the spirit of the present invention. It should be covered by the following patent application.

10‧‧‧Keypad

20‧‧‧Light guide layer

30‧‧‧Protective oil layers

40‧‧‧ tin plating

41‧‧‧镂空部

50‧‧‧Light absorbing layer

60‧‧‧ color layer

70‧‧‧Protective layer

Claims (9)

A button unit comprising a key pad layer formed of a ruthenium rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer, one side of the key pad layer being provided with a protective layer formed of a transparent hard resin, the protective layer having an upper surface facing the user and an upper surface a lower surface opposite to the surface, a color layer is coated on the lower surface of the protective layer and between the key pad layer and the protective layer, wherein at least a tin plating layer is further disposed between the key pad layer and the color layer, the tin plating The layer has a hollow portion formed by irradiating a portion of the tin-plated layer irradiated with laser light by laser irradiation of the upper surface of the protective layer by a specific wavelength range, and the color layer is not damaged by laser irradiation. The button unit of claim 1, wherein the tin plating layer is plated on the tin layer or the tin alloy layer on the color layer by any one of physical vapor deposition, sputtering or multi-layer coating. The button unit of claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the color layer is coated with a light absorbing layer, and the tin plating layer is plated on the light absorbing layer by any one of physical vapor deposition, sputtering or multi-layer coating. Tin layer or tin alloy layer. The button unit of claim 3, wherein the light absorbing layer is a translucent black ink. The button unit of claim 1, wherein the hollow portion is a set of a plurality of hollow points, and the hollow portion constitutes a digit, a pattern or a symbol. The button unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lower surface of the tin-plated layer is coated with a protective oil layer for preventing oxidation of the tin-plated layer. The button unit of claim 6, wherein a light guiding layer is further disposed between the key pad layer and the protective layer, and the light guiding layer is made of a translucent resin material such as PC or PET. . The button unit of claim 7, wherein the light guiding layer is adhered to the layers adjacent to the light guiding layer by double-sided adhesive. The button unit of claim 7, wherein the key pad layer is convexly provided with a plurality of key bodies, and the light guiding layer is provided with a hole portion corresponding to the key body, and the light guiding layer is disposed on the key pad layer The key body passes through the hole portion to position the light guiding layer.