TWI450294B - Key assembly and portable electronic device using the same - Google Patents

Description

Key assembly and portable electronic device applying the same

The invention relates to a button assembly, in particular to a multifunctional button assembly and a portable electronic device using the same.

With the development of wireless communication and information processing technology, portable electronic devices such as mobile phones and PDAs are emerging, allowing consumers to fully enjoy the convenience brought by high technology whenever and wherever.

Today's portable electronic devices such as mobile phones typically include a battery cover and a battery. When the user charges the battery, it is often necessary to remove the battery cover, so that the mobile phone is provided with a switch for opening the battery cover. Moreover, it is usually necessary to turn off the power before opening the battery cover, so a power switch for controlling the power on and off should be set on the mobile phone. However, the conventional battery cover open switch and the power switch are separately arranged, which is inconvenient for the user to operate to remove the battery.

In view of the above, it is necessary to provide a multifunctional button assembly.

In addition, it is also necessary to provide a portable electronic device to which the above-described button assembly is applied.

A button assembly for releasably mounting a cover to a housing, and for triggering a switch, the housing is provided with a mounting hole, the button assembly includes an active member, an unlocking member and a The movable member includes a pressing portion and a triggering portion disposed opposite to each other, the unlocking member includes a pushing top portion and a resisting portion disposed oppositely, the follower member includes a through passage and a locking engagement with the housing And a locking portion engaged with the cover body, the active member is mounted on the follower, the pressing portion is exposed by the mounting hole, the trigger portion passes through the passage of the follower and the switch is aligned, and the pressing portion is pressed The triggering portion triggers the switch, the unlocking member is disposed adjacent to the active component and is mounted on the housing, and the pushing top is exposed by the mounting hole, and the resisting portion abuts against the follower, and the resisting portion is pushed against by pushing the pushing top The follower releases the locking of the locking portion and the housing, thereby pushing the follower to release the engagement between the locking portion and the cover.

A portable electronic device includes a casing, a cover body attached to the casing, a switch housed in the casing, and a button assembly disposed on the casing, the button component being used for The cover body is removably mounted on the housing, and is also used for triggering a switch. The button assembly includes an active member, an unlocking member and a follower member. The active member includes a pressing portion and a triggering portion disposed opposite to each other. The unlocking member includes a pushing top and a resisting portion disposed oppositely, the follower member includes a through passage, a locking portion that is engaged with the housing, and a locking portion that engages with the cover body, and the active component is assembled On the follower, the pressing portion is exposed by the mounting hole, the triggering portion passes through the passage of the follower and aligns with the switch, and the triggering portion triggers the switch by pressing the pressing portion, and the unlocking member is assembled adjacent to the active member The top of the housing is exposed by the mounting hole, and the resisting portion abuts against the follower. The pressing portion pushes the pressing portion to push the resisting portion against the follower to release the locking portion from the housing. The follower is further pushed to release the engagement between the buckle portion and the cover.

The button assembly of the invention integrates the active member and the unlocking member with different functions, so that the design saves the installation space of the button and facilitates the user's operation.

The button assembly of the present invention is suitable for portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and palmtop computers. The portable electronic device and its button assembly of the present invention will be described below by taking a mobile phone as an example.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the mobile phone 100 of the present embodiment includes a housing 10 , a button assembly 20 mounted on one end of the housing 10 , and a first cover 30 covering a surface of the housing 10 . A second cover 40 on the other surface of the housing 10 and a main board 50 mounted in the housing 10. The button assembly 20 can be used to open the first cover 30 or to trigger the main board 50 to control the mobile phone 100.

Referring to FIG. 2 together, the housing 10 includes a bottom wall 11 and an end wall 13 extending from opposite ends of the bottom wall 11. An elastic plate 111 and a fixing pin 113 are protruded from the bottom wall 11 adjacent to the end wall 13 (refer to FIG. 4). The elastic plate 111 is spaced apart from the end wall 13 and surrounds the end wall 13 and the bottom wall 11 to form a fitting groove 15 for assembling the button assembly 20. The elastic plate 111 has a substantially rectangular plate shape and has a notch portion 1111 at one end thereof. The fixing pin 113 is disposed adjacent to the notch portion 1111 for fixing the button assembly 20. A through groove 115 is defined in the bottom wall 11 between the end wall 13 and the elastic plate 111. The end wall 13 includes a mounting hole 131, a locking groove 133 and a post 135. The mounting hole 131, the locking groove 133 and the post 135 are spaced apart, and the locking groove 133 is located at the mounting hole 131 and the post. Between 135. The mounting hole 131 is formed through the end wall 13 and is disposed corresponding to the through groove 115. The locking groove 133 is an arc-shaped groove formed by the inner side of the end wall 13 adjacent to the mounting hole 131, and the locking groove 133 is opposite to the notch portion 1111 for releasably locking the button assembly 20, To prevent the button assembly 20 from automatically moving relative to the housing 10. The post 135 vertically protrudes from the inner side of the end wall 13. The post 135 has a substantially rectangular column shape for holding the button assembly 20.

The button assembly 20 includes an active member 22, an unlocking member 24, a follower member 26, and a reset assembly 28. The active member 22 and the unlocking member 24 are both disposed on the follower 26 .

The active member 22 is made of a soft material such as rubber or the like. The active member 22 includes a generally square body 221. A pressing portion 222 is formed on the outer surface of the main body 221, and a trigger portion 223 is protruded from the inner surface. In addition, the driving member 22 further includes an operating groove 225 formed on one side of the main body 221, a resisting wall 226 extending from a periphery of the main body 221, and a bending arm 227 extending from the other side of the main body 221. The actuating slot 225 is for facilitating actuation of the active member 22. The abutting wall 226 is disposed around the body 221 for resisting the housing 10 . A snap ring 228 is formed at the end of the bending arm 227. When the pressing portion 222 is pressed, the bending arm 227 is bent and deformed toward the main plate 50 to move the trigger portion 223 toward the main plate 50 to trigger the main plate 50. The snap ring 228 is used to mount the active member 22 on the follower 26.

The unlocking member 24 is made of a soft material such as rubber or the like. The unlocking member 24 includes a pushing top portion 242 , a connecting portion 243 and a resisting portion 244 . The pushing top portion 242 and the abutting portion 244 are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the connecting portion 243 . The push top 242 has a substantially rectangular block shape that protrudes from a side surface of the connecting portion 243 , and the resisting portion 244 protrudes from the other side surface of the connecting portion 243 . A set of rings 246 is formed at the end of the connecting portion 243. When the push top 242 is pressed, the connecting portion 243 is bent and deformed in the direction of the follower 26 to push the abutting portion 244 to the follower 26. The collar 246 is sleeved and fixed to the post 135 of the end wall 13 to fix one end of the unlocking member 24 to the housing 10. The fixing may be performed by a hot melt or an interference fit.

The follower 26 includes a substrate 261, a passage 262 through which the substrate 261 passes, two latching portions 263, a fixing post 264, a fixing portion 265, and a locking portion 267. The two fastening portions 263 , the fixing post 264 and the locking portion 267 are all disposed on the same side of the follower 26 . A resilient arm 2611 is formed on a central portion of the substrate 261. The elastic arm 2611 is connected to the substrate 261 at one end, and the end of the elastic arm 2611 is a free end, and the end of the elastic arm 2611 is generated by the resisting portion 244. The deformation moves toward a direction away from the substrate 261. The passage 262 is for passing the trigger portion 223 of the active member 22 through the follower 26. The size of the passage 262 is slightly larger than the size of the trigger portion 223 such that the trigger portion 223 is free to pass through the passage 262. The latching portion 263 is disposed at one end of the substrate 261 and extends toward the driving member 22 . The locking portion 263 has a substantially wedge shape, and the opposite surfaces of the locking portion 267 are two inclined surfaces 2631 which are disposed at an oblique angle. The fixing post 264 protrudes from the side of the substrate 261 away from the elastic arm 2611. The fixing post 264 is shaped to match the snap ring 228, and is engaged with the snap ring 228 to fix the active member 22 to the follower 26 in such a manner as to be a hot melt or an interference fit. The fixing portion 265 is disposed at an end of the substrate 261 away from the fixing post 264 for fixing the reset assembly 28 to the follower 26 . In this embodiment, the locking portion 267 is a protrusion protruding from the end of the elastic arm 2611. The locking portion 267 snaps into the locking groove 133 of the housing 10 to prevent the follower 26 from moving relative to the housing 10.

Referring to FIG. 4 together, the two ends of the reset assembly 28 are respectively mounted on the fixing portion 265 of the follower 26 and the fixing pin 113 of the housing 10 for providing a force for resetting the button assembly 20. In this embodiment, the resetting assembly 28 is a spiral spring, and has an annular fixed end 281 at each end thereof, which is respectively sleeved on the fixing portion 265 and the fixing pin 113.

Referring to FIG. 5 together, the first cover 30 is mounted on a surface of the housing 10 and includes two blocks 32 disposed at one end thereof. The block 32 is for engaging with the hooking portion 263 of the button assembly 20.

The second cover 40 is disposed on the other surface of the housing 10 . The main board 50 includes a switch 52 that is disposed corresponding to the triggering portion 223 of the active member 22. The switch 52 can be a power switch of the mobile phone 100. Thus, the triggering portion 223 can be triggered to trigger the switch 52 to control the power on or off of the mobile phone 100 by pressing the pressing portion 222.

Please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 together. When assembling the mobile phone 100, the following steps can be performed:

In the first step, the driving member 22 is mounted on the follower 26, and the snap ring 228 is sleeved on the fixing post 264 of the follower 26. At this time, the triggering portion 223 is exposed from the passage 262.

In the second step, the unlocking member 24 is superposed on the follower 26 against the driving member 22, and the resetting assembly 28 is mounted on the follower 26. That is, a fixed end 281 of the resetting component 28 is sleeved on the fixing portion 265, and the pushing top 242 of the unlocking member 24 abuts against the end of the resisting wall 226 adjacent to the actuating groove 225, and the resisting portion 244 abuts against the follower 26 The resilient arm 2611 has its collar 246 projecting from the edge of the follower 26.

In the third step, the button assembly 20 is mounted on the housing 10. That is, the button unit 20 is mounted in the fitting groove 15 of the casing 10. At this time, the follower 26 is abutted against the elastic plate 111, and the latching portion 263 is exposed from the through slot 115 to the housing 10. The fixing portion 265 is received in the notch portion 1111 of the elastic plate 111, and the locking portion 267 is locked. The driving member 22 and the unlocking member 24 are disposed in the mounting hole 131, and the resisting wall 226 of the driving member 22 abuts against the periphery of the mounting hole 131, and the connecting member 24 is connected. The portion 243 abuts against the inner side of the end wall 13 , and the main body 221 of the active member 22 and the push top 242 of the unlocking member 24 are exposed outside the casing 10 by the mounting hole 131 , and the collar 246 of the unlocking member 24 is aligned with the post 135 . Finally, the sleeve 246 is sleeved on the post 135, and after the reset assembly 28 is actuated, the other fixed end 281 is sleeved on the fixing pin 113 of the housing 10. At this time, the tendency of the resetting assembly 28 to be stretched to have a return is such that the key assembly 20 is mounted on the housing 10. In addition, in order to make the main body 221 of the button assembly 20 laterally move in the mounting hole 131 of the housing 10 (ie, as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 3), the length of the main body 221 should be smaller than the length of the mounting hole 131. The width of the main body 221 is preferably equivalent to the width of the mounting hole 131. The button assembly 20 can be mounted on the housing 10.

In the fourth step, the main board 50 and the second cover 40 are both mounted on the housing 10, and the second cover 40 is mounted on the housing 10. At this time, the triggering portion 223 of the active member 22 is aligned with the switch 52 on the main board 50, so that the switch 52 is turned on or off under the action of the triggering portion 223.

Finally, a first cover 30 is mounted on the housing 10. Specifically, the push top 242 is pressed, so that the connecting portion 243 of the unlocking member 24 abuts the portion 244 to swing into the housing 10 around the post 135. At this time, the abutting portion 244 swings the abutting elastic arm 2611 into the casing 10 under the abutment of the push top 242. Thus, the locking portion 267 protruding from the end of the elastic arm 2611 also swings into the housing 10 to be disengaged from the locking groove 133 of the housing 10. Then, the first cover 30 is pressed, and the block 32 abuts against a slope 2631 of the buckle portion 263, so that the follower 26 moves in the direction A shown in FIG. 3 under the resisting action of the block 32 until the block 32 abuts at the intersection of the two inclined surfaces 2631, then releases the push top 242, and the follower 26 moves in the opposite direction of the arrow A under the restoring force of the reset assembly 28 until the block 32 and the buckle Department 263 is stuck. At this time, the locking portion 267 of the follower 26 is engaged with the locking groove 133 of the housing 10 by the restoring force of the elastic arm 2611, so that the latch 32 and the latching portion 263 are held by the latching portion 263. A cover 30 is mounted to the housing 10.

When the first cover 30 is opened, the push top 242 is first pressed, so that the connecting portion 243 of the unlocking member 24 abuts the portion 244 to swing into the housing 10 around the post 135. At this time, the abutting portion 244 swings the abutting elastic arm 2611 into the casing 10 under the abutment of the push top 242. Thus, the locking portion 267 protruding from the end of the elastic arm 2611 also swings into the housing 10 to disengage from the locking groove 133 of the housing 10 to release the locking of the follower 26 and the active member 22. Then, the main body 221 is pushed in the direction of the arrow A shown in FIG. 3 at the actuation groove 225 of the main body 221 until the main body 221 abuts against the mounting hole 131 of the housing 10. At this time, the follower 26 is abutted on the active member 22. The first cover 30 is removed by moving the card block 32 away from the buckle portion 263 and releasing the first cover 30 from the housing 10. In the assembled mobile phone 100, the trigger portion 223 of the button unit 20 is located behind the switch 52 of the main board 50 in the pressing direction thereof (the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 3). The pressing portion 222 is pressed, and the trigger portion 223 connected thereto is moved in the pressing direction and the switch 52 is triggered to switch the power of the mobile phone. Therefore, if the user wants to switch the power supply, simply press the pressing portion 222.

The button assembly 20 of the present invention integrates the active member 22 having the power switch function of the mobile phone and the unlocking member 24 having the cover opening function, so that the design saves the installation space of the button and facilitates the user's operation.

100‧‧‧Mobile phones

10‧‧‧shell

11‧‧‧ bottom wall

111‧‧‧ elastic board

1111‧‧‧Gap section

113‧‧‧fixed pin

115‧‧‧through slot

13‧‧‧End wall

131‧‧‧Installation holes

133‧‧‧Lock slot

135‧‧‧clamp

20‧‧‧Key components

22‧‧‧Active parts

221‧‧‧ Subject

222‧‧‧ Pressing Department

223‧‧‧Trigger

225‧‧‧ actuation slot

226‧‧‧Resist the wall

227‧‧‧Folding arm

228‧‧‧卡环

24‧‧‧Unlocking pieces

242‧‧‧ Push top

243‧‧‧Connecting Department

244‧‧‧Resistance Department

246‧‧‧ collar

26‧‧‧ Followers

261‧‧‧Substrate

262‧‧‧ channel

263‧‧‧ buckle department

2631‧‧‧Bevel

264‧‧‧Fixed column

265‧‧‧ Fixed Department

267‧‧‧Locking

28‧‧‧Reset components

281‧‧‧ fixed end

30‧‧‧First cover

32‧‧‧ card block

40‧‧‧Second cover

50‧‧‧ motherboard

52‧‧‧ switch

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a key assembly of the embodiment of the present invention applied to a mobile phone;

Figure 2 is a partially exploded enlarged view of another perspective of Figure 1;

3 is a perspective assembled view of a button assembly applied to a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a schematic view of the mobile phone shown in Figure 3 with the second cover removed;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the handset of Figure 3 taken along line IV-IV.

100‧‧‧Mobile phones

10‧‧‧shell

135‧‧‧clamp

22‧‧‧Active parts

228‧‧‧卡环

24‧‧‧Unlocking pieces

246‧‧‧ collar

26‧‧‧ Followers

263‧‧‧ buckle department

2631‧‧‧Bevel

264‧‧‧Fixed column

28‧‧‧Reset components

30‧‧‧First cover

32‧‧‧ card block

40‧‧‧Second cover

Claims (9)

A button assembly for releasably mounting a cover to a housing, and for triggering a switch, the mounting hole is formed in the housing, wherein the button assembly comprises an active member, a The unlocking member and the follower member comprise a pressing portion and a triggering portion disposed opposite to each other, the unlocking member includes a pushing top and a resisting portion disposed opposite to each other, the follower member includes a through passage, a shell and a shell a locking portion and a locking portion that engages with the cover body, the active member is mounted on the follower, the pressing portion is exposed by the mounting hole, and the trigger portion passes through the passage of the follower and is aligned with the switch. Pressing the pressing portion causes the triggering portion to trigger the switch, the unlocking member is disposed adjacent to the active member and mounted on the housing, and the pushing top is exposed by the mounting hole, and the resisting portion is abutted on the follower by pressing the push top The abutting portion pushes against the follower to release the locking of the locking portion and the housing, and further pushes the follower to release the engagement between the locking portion and the cover. The button assembly of claim 1, wherein the button assembly further comprises a post disposed on the housing, the unlocking member further comprising a connecting portion disposed between the push top and the abutting portion and forming a set of rings at the end of the connecting portion, the collar being fixed to the post. The button assembly of claim 1, wherein the follower further comprises a fixing post, one side of the driving member extends with a bending arm, and the end of the bending arm is provided with a snap ring, the card The ring is fixed to the fixed column. The button assembly of claim 3, wherein the follower further comprises a fixing portion facing away from the fixing post, the button assembly further comprising a fixing pin disposed on the housing, the button assembly further The utility model comprises a resetting component, one end of the resetting component is fixed on the fixing part of the follower, and the other end is fixed on the fixing pin of the casing to provide a restoring force for resetting the follower. The button assembly of claim 4, wherein the follower further comprises a resilient arm, the resilient arm end is a free end, and the locking portion is disposed at the end of the resilient arm, the button assembly The utility model further comprises a locking groove provided in the housing, wherein the locking groove can release the locking locking portion in the locking groove to realize locking of the button assembly. A portable electronic device includes a casing, a cover body attached to the casing, a switch housed in the casing, and a button assembly disposed on the casing, the button component being used for The cover is removably mounted on the housing and is also used to trigger the switch. The improvement is that the button assembly includes an active member, an unlocking member and a follower member, and the active member includes a pressing portion disposed opposite to each other. And a triggering portion, the unlocking member includes a pushing top and a resisting portion disposed opposite to each other, the follower member includes a through passage, a locking portion that is engaged with the housing, and a locking portion that engages with the cover body The active component is mounted on the follower, the pressing portion is exposed by the mounting hole, the triggering portion passes through the passage of the follower and the switch is aligned, and the triggering portion triggers the switch by pressing the pressing portion, and the unlocking member is adjacent to the active member The assembly is mounted on the housing, the push top is exposed by the mounting hole, and the resisting portion abuts against the follower. The pressing portion pushes the resisting portion against the follower to release the locking portion and the housing. The card is held, and the follower is pushed to release the engagement between the buckle portion and the cover. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the housing comprises a bottom wall and an end wall disposed at one end of the bottom wall, the mounting hole is formed on the end wall, the bottom wall The utility model comprises an elastic plate disposed adjacent to the end wall and a mounting groove surrounded by the elastic plate, the bottom wall and the end wall for mounting the button assembly. The portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the bottom wall further comprises a through slot formed between the end wall and the elastic plate, the through slot corresponding to the mounting hole for exposing The snap portion of the follower. The portable electronic device of claim 8, wherein one end of the cover body is provided with a latching portion corresponding to the latching portion, and the latching block is configured to hold the latching portion exposed by the through slot.