TWI437945B - Electronic device and casing structure thereof having key circuit - Google Patents

Description

Electronic device and housing structure thereof with button circuit

The present invention relates to an electronic device and a housing structure thereof having a button circuit, and more particularly to an electronic device that requires a button function and a housing structure having the button circuit.

In order to control an electronic device, a general electronic device is often provided with a button for the user to perform the function indicated by the button by pressing the button.

Taking a conventional electronic device as an example, the button design includes a plurality of parts, such as a housing, a button pad, a membrane switch (dome), a button circuit, etc., wherein the button circuit is generally disposed on another sub circuit board or a flexible circuit board. The circuit board provided by the membrane switch and the button circuit is correspondingly disposed under the button cushion, and the button cushion is assembled with the shell, so that the user can borrow a button of the button cushion. The pressing force abuts the top membrane switch and then contacts the button circuit, thereby outputting a corresponding signal to the main circuit board to perform related functions.

However, since the conventional button circuit is disposed on another sub-board or a flexible circuit board and electrically connected to the main circuit board, this increases the complexity of assembly and occupies the internal space of the housing, so that the cost of the electronic device It is difficult to miniaturize; it is also known that the cost of assembly, management and product inspection will increase due to the number of button design parts, and in order to meet the tolerance between parts and the assembly gap between parts, Will occupy more space inside the housing.

Although there is currently a technology for placing the button circuit on the main circuit board, the main circuit board will have no space for other electronic components due to the setting of the button circuit, so it is necessary to use a larger main circuit board. The trend of miniaturization of electronic devices.

In view of this, how to develop an electronic device and its housing structure with a button circuit to solve the lack of the prior art is an urgent problem to be solved by those skilled in the relevant art.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an electronic device and a housing structure having the same, which is provided on the main circuit board by the conventional technology. The problem of increased space, complicated assembly, and numerous parts caused by wiring on another sub-board or a flexible circuit board simplifies the configuration of the electronic device and the number of components thereof, and indeed achieves miniaturization.

In order to achieve the above object, a broader aspect of the present invention provides an electronic device comprising: a housing structure; a button circuit formed on the housing structure; and an operation area corresponding to the button circuit arrangement; And a main circuit board, the system is disposed in the housing structure and electrically connected to the button circuit; wherein the button circuit transmits the signal to the main circuit board according to the touched operation area.

In order to achieve the above object, another broad aspect of the present invention provides a housing structure having a button circuit applied to an electronic device, the electronic device including an operation area, and the housing structure includes: a body having The opening and the carrying surface are provided for the operating area of the electronic device, and the carrying surface substantially corresponds to the opening and the carrying surface is provided with a button circuit integrally formed with the carrying surface.

Some exemplary embodiments embodying the features and advantages of the present invention are described in detail in the following description. It is to be understood that the present invention is capable of various modifications in the various aspects of the present invention, and the description and drawings are intended to be illustrative and not limiting.

Please refer to the first figure and the second figure, which are respectively a schematic view of the appearance of the electronic device of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention and a partial schematic view of the cross section of the first figure A-A'. As shown in the first and second figures, the electronic device 1 includes a housing structure 11, a button circuit 12, an operation area 13, and a main circuit board 14. The button circuit 12 is formed on the housing structure 11, and the operation area 13 corresponds to The main circuit board 14 is disposed in the housing structure 11 and electrically connected to the button circuit 12, wherein the button circuit 12 transmits the signal to the main circuit board 14 according to the touch of the operation area 13. The detailed structure of the electronic device 1 of the present embodiment will be further described below.

Referring to the first figure and the second figure, in the embodiment, the electronic device 1 can be a mobile phone, but not limited thereto, and the housing structure 11 of the electronic device 1 can be made of an insulating material, for example. The plastic structure is substantially non-restricted, and the housing structure 11 includes at least one body 110. The body 110 has an opening 111 and a bearing surface 112 (as shown in the second figure), wherein the body 110 can be made of plastic. The opening 111 can be disposed on one surface of the body 110, such as an upper surface, and penetrates the surface. The bearing surface 112 can be integrally formed by the body 110, and the bearing surface 112 is substantially parallel to the structure. The body 110 has the surface provided by the opening 111 and corresponds to the opening 111.

Please refer to the third figure and cooperate with the second figure, wherein the third figure is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the button circuit shown in the second figure of the present case. The button circuit 12 is an electronic circuit made of a conductive material, wherein the conductive material may be selected from a metal such as gold, silver, copper, nickel, etc., but not limited thereto, and may be other conductive materials. The button circuit 12 of the present embodiment can transmit laser direct structuring (LDS) and in-mold decoration (IMD), for example, in-mold roller (IMR), Various techniques such as in-mold forming (IMF) or in-mold label (IML), printing, spraying, and incidence are directly formed on the housing structure 11, and the button circuit 12 is formed. The means for the housing structure 11 is not limited to the above technique. In other words, any technique for forming a conductive electronic circuit on the surface of the housing structure 11 can be applied to the present invention to form the button circuit 12, and the button circuit 12 is It is formed integrally on the housing structure 11. In this embodiment, the button circuit 12 is integrally formed on the bearing surface 112 of the body 110 of the housing structure 11 and substantially faces the opening 111 of the body 110 (as shown in the second figure).

Referring to the third figure, the button circuit 12 includes at least one unit 121, a plurality of lines 122, and a guiding area 120. The number of the units 121 of the button circuit 12 can be adjusted according to the requirements of the electronic device 1. The button circuit of this embodiment 12 includes a plurality of units 121, wherein each unit 121 is a path/break circuit, which may include a first portion 121a and a second portion 121b, which are interlaced and not in contact with each other. Of course, the unit 121 may also be Other forms of the path/breaking circuit, and each of the units 121 can be electrically connected to the guiding area 120 through the line 122. The guiding area 120 can be disposed substantially at the edge of the bearing surface 112 of the body 110 of the housing structure 11 so that The connection interface 15 is lapped and electrically connected to the main circuit board 14 through the connection interface 15 (as shown in the second figure). It should be understood that, in order to clearly illustrate the relationship between the button circuit 12 and the operation area 13 and the bearing surface 112 of the housing structure 11, in the second figure of the present invention, the button circuit 12 is represented by a concave-convex structure having a thickness. The button circuit 12 is substantially a film-like electronic circuit attached to the bearing surface 112, and its outline is substantially as shown in the third figure of the present invention; and the outline of the key circuit 12 of the embodiment is clearly shown. In the third figure, only the bearing surface 112 is drawn and the remaining body 110 portions of the housing structure 11 are not illustrated.

Referring to the second figure, the main circuit board 14 of the electronic device 1 is disposed in the housing structure 11, and the main circuit board 14 of the embodiment can be disposed under the bearing surface 112 of the body 110 of the housing structure 11. Space, but not limited thereto, an electronic chip (not shown) for judging signals may be disposed on the main circuit board 14. In addition, the housing structure 11 of the electronic device 1 is also provided with a connection interface 15 , one end of which can be overlapped with the guiding area 120 of the button circuit 12 (as shown in the third figure), and the other end can be connected to the main circuit board. 14. The unit 121 of the button circuit 12 can be electrically connected to the main circuit board 14 through the line 122, the guiding area 120 and the connection interface 15, and the connection interface 15 of the embodiment can be a wire but connected. The interface 15 can also be selected from a gold finger, a connector or a cable, etc. In other words, any of the electrically connectable button circuits 12 and the main circuit board 14 can be used as the connection interface 15 of the present invention.

Referring to the second figure and the first figure, the electronic device 1 includes an operation area 13 in addition to the housing structure 11, the button circuit 12, the main circuit board 14 and the connection interface 15, and the operation area 13 can be disposed on the housing structure. The opening 111 of the body 110 of the 11 is connected to the body 110 of the housing structure 11 by adhesion, snapping or locking, and covers the opening 111, and the button circuit 12 is substantially disposed on the bearing surface of the body 110. 112, and the bearing surface 112 substantially corresponds to the opening 111. It is known that the operating region 13 disposed in the opening 111 substantially corresponds to the button circuit 12. In this embodiment, the operating area 13 is a button pad made of a deformable material, such as rubber, and includes at least one contact block 131 and at least one conductive portion 132, wherein the touch block 131 The number and arrangement thereof are substantially matched with the unit 121 of the button circuit 12, and the conductive portion 132 can be made of a material having good conductivity, such as metal such as gold, silver, copper or nickel, and the conductive portion 132. The contact block 131 is disposed on each of the touch blocks 131 and faces one surface of the button circuit 12 with respect to the touch block 131, for example, the lower surface is exposed, and the conductive portion 132 is disposed at the center of the touch block 131. Preferably, each of the touch blocks 131 and the conductive portion 132 of the operating region 13 can correspond to each of the units 121 of the button circuit 12, wherein the conductive portion 132 is opposite to the unit 121 of the button circuit 12, and A mechanism gap D is defined between the button circuits 12.

Referring to the first to third figures, when the user touches the touch block 131 of the operation area 13 of the electronic device 1, for example, pressing the button of the mobile phone, the operation area 13 is made of a deformable material. Therefore, the operation area 13 will be deformed toward the button circuit 12 in response to the user's application force, and when the external force is applied so that the pressing stroke of the contact block 131 is greater than or equal to the mechanism gap D, the touch block 131 The conductive portion 132 can contact the corresponding unit 121 of the button circuit 12, so that the first portion 121a and the second portion 121b of the unit 121 can be electrically connected through the conductive portion 132, and a signal is generated by forming a path, and the signal is transmitted through the line. 122, the connection area 120, and the connection interface 15 are transmitted to the main circuit board 14, so that the main circuit board 14 can determine the touch pressure block 131 touched by the user by using an electronic chip (not shown), and correspondingly The function indicated by the touch block 131 is performed. For example, the function of the touch block 131 touched by the user can be displayed on the display component 16 of the electronic device 1, such as: making a call, or displaying the user. Corresponding number of touched block 131 word.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, please refer to the fourth figure and the fifth figure, which are respectively a schematic view of the appearance of the electronic device of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention and a part of the profile of the fourth figure A-A' of the present case. schematic diagram. In this embodiment, the electronic device 2 can be a personal digital assistant (PDA), which includes a housing structure 21, a button circuit 22, an operation area 23, and a main circuit board 24. The housing structure 21 of the present embodiment can also be insulated. The material is made of a body 210, and the body 210 has an opening 211 and a bearing surface 212 (as shown in FIG. 5), and the relationship between the body 210 and the opening 211 and the bearing surface 212 is as shown in the second figure of the present case. The first preferred embodiment is similar and will not be described again.

Please refer to the fifth figure and the sixth figure. The sixth figure is a schematic structural diagram of one of the button circuits shown in the fifth figure. In this embodiment, the key circuit 22 of the electronic device 2 includes at least one unit 221, and the number of the units 221 is mainly required to match the requirements of the electronic device 2. In this embodiment, each unit 221 substantially includes a plurality of conductive pads. The 221a is electrically connected to the conductive area (not shown) through the line 222. The key circuit 22 of the present embodiment is also integrally formed on the housing structure 21 and formed on the housing structure 21 . The bearing surface 212 of the body 210 is preferably the same. The manner in which the button circuit 22 is formed and its arrangement relationship with respect to the housing structure 21, the main circuit board 24 and the connection interface 25 are also similar to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, it is not rumored. In addition, the electronic device 2 of the embodiment further includes at least one capacitive sensor 27, which can be disposed on the button circuit 22. The number of the capacitive sensors 27 is matched with the number of the units 221 of the button circuit 22, in other words, the capacitive sensor. 27 and the unit 221 of the button circuit 22 are preferably arranged one-to-one, and the conductive pins (not shown) of each of the capacitor inductors 27 are permeable to the adhesive medium 270, for example, a conductive adhesive, and are correspondingly bonded to the button circuit 22. The conductive pads 221a of each of the cells 221 are fixed to each of the cells 221 and electrically connected to the cells 221 .

As shown in the fourth and fifth figures, the operation area 23 of the electronic device 2 of the present embodiment may be a touch panel, and the operation area 23 includes a panel 230 and a decorative layer 232, wherein the panel 230 is A flat, transparent, hard material is preferred, such as glass, acryl, etc., and the decorative layer 232 can be attached to the panel 230, for example, adhered to the side of the panel 230 near the button circuit 22, and utilizes the decorative layer. The pattern of 232 defines the touch block 231 of the operation area 23. In the embodiment, the operation area 23 also includes at least one touch block 231, and the number and configuration of the touch block 231 are substantially related to the button circuit. The unit 221 of 22 cooperates and increases or decreases depending on the requirements of the electronic device 2.

Referring to the fifth figure, the operation area 23 of the present embodiment can also be disposed on the opening 211 of the body 210 of the housing structure 21, and the bearing surface 212 is formed integrally with the opening surface 211 and the button circuit 22 is integrally formed on the bearing surface. 212, the operation area 23 substantially corresponds to the button circuit 22, and the number and arrangement of the touch block 231 of the operation area 23 coincide with the unit 221 of the button circuit 22, and the capacitance sensor 27 is fixed to On each of the units 221, it can be seen that the contact block 231 of the operation area 23 and the capacitance sensor 27 will substantially correspond to each other, and a mechanism gap D can be defined between the touch block 231 and the capacitance sensor 27. When the user touches the contact block 231 of the operation area 23, the capacitance sensor 27 corresponding to the touch block 231 can detect the change of the capacitance value, and sequentially through the conduction of the unit 221 The pad 221a, the line 222, the conductive area (not shown), and the connection interface 25 transmit signals to the main circuit board 24, so that the main circuit board 24 can determine the touch pressure touched by the user by its electronic chip (not shown). Block 231, and in response to the execution of the touch block 231 Labeled function, for example: an electronic display device 2 of the display device 26 on the user touches the contact pressure of the block 231 of symbols or numbers. Certainly, in some embodiments, the light-emitting elements such as LEDs may be selectively disposed corresponding to each of the units 221 of the button circuit 22, so that when the user touches the touch-block 231, the light may be illuminated. The user knows that the touch block 231 has actually been touched.

It should be understood from the above description that the electronic device of the present invention is not limited to the mobile phone or personal digital assistant of the foregoing embodiment, and may be various portable mobile devices, such as a navigation device, a personal computer, a notebook computer, and a digital device. Players, audio-visual equipment, etc., can of course also be applied to general household appliances. In other words, any electronic device that needs to apply a touch block such as a button to perform related functions can apply the technology of the present invention. In addition, the housing structure of the electronic device of the present invention is not limited to the manufacturer of the insulating material, that is, the housing structure can be made of a conductive material such as metal, and when the housing structure is made of a conductive material, only The surface can be properly insulated. The button circuit is not limited to the bearing surface formed on the body of the housing structure. In other words, any of the surfaces of the housing structure corresponding to the operating region can be formed on the button circuit.

In this case, the operation area of the different materials may be selected according to the requirements of the electronic device. When the operation area is selected from the button cushions as described in the first preferred embodiment, it is not limited to the rubber described in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. Material, in other words, the operating area can also be made of silicone, plastic, metal or other materials with suitable Young's modulus, so that the operating area has a certain degree of flexibility and toughness, so that the touch block can respond to the user. The force is deformed, and it should be understood that when the operating area is a button cushion, the size of the mechanism gap between the operation area and the fine adjustment operation area and the button circuit can be selected to obtain a volume suitable for the electronic device. In addition, in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the membrane switch used in the prior art can be omitted by integrating the conductive portion into the operation region to simplify the number of parts.

When the touch panel of the second preferred embodiment is used in the operation area, the size of the mechanism gap between the touch block of the operation area and the capacitance sensor disposed on the button circuit can also be changed.俾 Fit the volume of the electronic device and adjust the sensitivity of the touch panel. The number of the touch-blocks in the operating area is not limited to the plurality of touch-blocks shown in the two preferred embodiments of the present invention, and is adjusted by the requirements of the electronic device.

In summary, the present invention integrates the button circuit into the housing structure integrally, such as the surface of the housing structure, the inner surface or the inner surface of the bearing surface extending from the body, so as to avoid the need for the prior art to utilize another A circuit board or a flexible circuit board is provided with a button circuit, which has many parts and is difficult to assemble. In addition, since the key circuit of the present invention is integrated into the housing structure, the tolerance between the parts can be reduced, thereby Improve the product yield of electronic devices, and also reduce the cost of production and quality control. Furthermore, since the number of parts of the electronic device in this case is less than that of the conventional design, and the assembly is relatively simple, it can be assembled by modular means to reduce the cost of the parts management and assembly process; The technical means for integrally forming the button circuit in the shell structure can also overcome the drawbacks of the prior art that the button circuit is disposed on the main circuit board, and the main circuit board is too large, and the size of the main circuit board is greatly reduced. Since the sub-circuit board or the flexible circuit board is not required to lay out the button circuit in this case, the housing structure can free the internal space to place other parts, which is beneficial to the miniaturization design of the electronic device. Since the above advantages are not in the prior art, the electronic device of the present invention and the housing structure having the key circuit are of great industrial value, and the application is made according to law.

This case has been modified by people who are familiar with the technology, but it is not intended to be protected by the scope of the patent application.

1, 2‧‧‧ electronic devices
11, 21‧‧‧ shell structure
110, 210‧‧‧ ontology
111, 211‧‧‧ openings
112, 212‧‧‧ bearing surface
12, 22‧‧‧ button circuit
120‧‧‧Guide area
121, 221‧‧ units
121a‧‧‧Part I
121b‧‧‧Part II
122, 222‧‧‧ lines
13, 23‧‧‧Operating area
131, 231‧‧‧ Touching blocks
132‧‧‧Electrical Department
14, 24‧‧‧ main circuit board
15, 25‧‧‧Connection interface
16, 26‧‧‧ Display elements
221a‧‧‧ lead pad
230‧‧‧ plates
232‧‧‧decorative layer
27‧‧‧Capacitive sensor
270‧‧‧Adhesive medium
D, D'‧‧‧ institutional gap

The first figure is a schematic view of the appearance of the electronic device according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2: This is a partial schematic view of the section A-A' in the first figure of this case.

Third figure: It is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the button circuit shown in the second figure of the case.

Figure 4 is a schematic view showing the appearance of an electronic device according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5: This is a partial schematic view of the section A-A' in the fourth figure of this case.

Figure 6: It is a schematic diagram of one of the units of the button circuit shown in the fifth figure of the case.

1‧‧‧Electronic device

11‧‧‧Shell structure

110‧‧‧ body

111‧‧‧ openings

112‧‧‧ bearing surface

12‧‧‧Key circuit

121‧‧‧ unit

13‧‧‧Operating area

131‧‧‧Touch block

132‧‧‧Electrical Department

14‧‧‧ main board

15‧‧‧Connection interface

D‧‧‧ institutional clearance

Claims (9)

An electronic device comprising: a housing structure; a button circuit formed on the housing structure, the button circuit comprising at least one unit; an operation area corresponding to the button circuit setting, the operation The area includes at least one touch block and at least one conductive portion, the touch block corresponding to the unit of the button circuit, the conductive portion being disposed in each of the touch blocks and corresponding to the unit of the button circuit When the contact block is touched, the conductive portion contacts the corresponding unit of the button circuit to turn on the unit and transmit a signal to the main circuit board to perform the function of the touch block; and The main circuit board is disposed in the housing structure and electrically connected to the button circuit; wherein the button circuit transmits a signal to the main circuit board because the operating area is touched. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the button circuit further comprises a plurality of lines and a guiding area, and the unit is electrically connected to the guiding area through the plurality of lines. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the operating area is a button cushion, and the unit of the button circuit is a path/break circuit. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the operation area is a touch panel, further comprising: a plate member; and a decorative layer attached to the plate member and defining the touch pressure Block. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising at least one capacitive sensor, wherein the capacitive sensor is disposed on each of the units of the button circuit and electrically connected to the unit, corresponding to the Each of the touch blocks of the operating area. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the capacitive sensor is fixed to the unit of the button circuit through an adhesive medium, and the unit comprises a plurality of conductive pads. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the button circuit and the main circuit board are electrically connected through a connection interface. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the housing structure comprises a body having an opening and a bearing surface, the bearing surface substantially corresponding to the opening and integrally formed with the body, The operation area is disposed in the opening, and the button circuit is integrally formed on the bearing surface. A housing structure having a button circuit is applied to an electronic device, the button circuit includes at least one unit, the electronic device includes an operation area, and the housing structure includes: a body having an opening and a a bearing surface, the opening is provided for the operation area of the electronic device, and the bearing surface substantially corresponds to the opening, and the bearing surface is provided with a button circuit integrally formed with the bearing surface; wherein the operating area is Including at least one touch block and at least one conductive portion, the touch block corresponding to the unit of the button circuit, the conductive portion is disposed in each of the touch blocks and corresponding to the unit of the button circuit, When the touch block is touched, the conductive portion contacts the corresponding unit of the button circuit to turn on the unit and transmit a signal to the main circuit board to perform the touch. The function of the nip block.