KR100928725B1 - Keypad for mobile communication terminal and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a keypad for a mobile communication terminal and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a keypad for a mobile communication terminal in which light is emitted in the form of a pattern recognizable by a user, the film comprising a synthetic resin material; A pattern printing layer printed on a rear surface of the film in the form of a pattern and made of a material of a light emitting ink; A light guide printing layer formed on a rear surface of the film to cover the pattern printing layer and formed of a transparent material, and configured to guide light incident from a side surface to the pattern printing layer; A protective layer disposed below the light guide printed layer and preventing light emitted from the pattern printed layer from scattering downward; And a light source disposed at a side of the light guide printing layer and supplying light toward the light guide printing layer, wherein light supplied from the light source is incident on the light guide printing layer and the incident light is inside the light guide printing layer. In the planar direction, the light incident on the pattern printing layer during the movement is emitted by the pattern printing layer to enable the user to recognize in the form of a pattern for a keypad for a mobile communication terminal and its manufacturing method It is about.

Description

Keypad for mobile communication terminal and manufacturing method thereof

The present invention relates to a keypad for a mobile communication terminal and a method of manufacturing the same. More specifically, by manufacturing a light guide layer for guiding light from a light source by a printing method, a keypad for a mobile communication terminal for slimming and simplifying manufacturing And to a method for producing the same.

In general, a keypad for a mobile communication terminal refers to a device that allows a user to carry out wireless communication with the other party. Such mobile communication terminals are generally referred to as digital phones, PCS phones, PDAs, and the like, and are classified into various types in appearance. For example, wireless terminals are classified into bar-type, flip-type, or folder-type wireless terminals according to their appearance. The above-mentioned conventional mobile communication terminals are essentially provided with an antenna device, a data input / output device, and a data transmission / reception device. Of course, the data input device is commonly used as a keypad for inputting data mainly by finger pressing. The keypad used for entering data consists of an arrangement of a plurality of keys.

As shown in FIG. 1, the keypad 100 includes a key top 110, a key base 120, and a printed circuit board 130. The key top 110 forms the uppermost side of the keypad 100, and a plurality of key buttons 111 are arranged, and a pattern recognizable by a user is printed on the key buttons 111. The key base 120 is a portion disposed below the key top 110, and a plurality of protrusions 121 protruding downward are disposed. The printed circuit board 130 is disposed below the key base 120 and is configured to mount various electrical components. The printed circuit board 130 includes a contact point 131 disposed at a position corresponding to the protrusion 121, a dome switch 132 surrounding the contact point 131, the dome switch 132, and a dome switch. It consists of a light source 133 disposed between 132.

The keypad according to the prior art having such a configuration operates as follows. First, when the user presses a desired key button, the corresponding protrusion of the key base is moved downward, and according to the movement of the protrusion, the dome switch is pressed downward to contact the contact, and a predetermined electrical operation is performed. Meanwhile, the light source emits light by opening a flip or pushing a slider, and the light source illuminates a key button disposed above the light source as the light source emits light.

However, this keypad according to the prior art has a problem that can only illuminate the key button according to the installation position of the light source. In addition, since more light sources are required to expand the illumination area of the keypad, there is a limit in practicality and economy. In particular, as the number of light sources increases, the size of the battery supplying power to the light sources becomes large. In addition, even if the number of light sources is increased, there is a limit in illuminating the key button in a wide and uniform manner due to the characteristics of the light source, and there is a problem that the installation cost also increases. In addition, since the light from the light source must be spaced apart from the keypad at a predetermined distance, the key button according to the present invention has a problem that the keypad should be more than a predetermined thickness.

Disclosed is a keypad according to the prior art, which is different from that in FIG. In the keypad 100 according to FIG. 2, the key top 110 in which the key button 111 is disposed, the key base 120 disposed below the key top 110 and the protrusion 121 protrudes downward, and And a sheet-shaped light guide plate 140 disposed below the key base 120, a light source 133 disposed on one side of the light guide plate 140, and a printed circuit board disposed below the light guide plate 140. Consists of 130. The printed circuit board 130 includes a contact 131 disposed at a position corresponding to the protrusion 121, and a dome switch 132 surrounding the contact 131.

In the keypad according to the related art, when light is emitted from a light source, the light is incident into the light guide plate and proceeds in the plane direction therein. A scattering pattern is formed at a position corresponding to the protruding portion of the light guide plate so that the light propagating in the light guide plate is scattered toward the upper key button to illuminate the key button. Since the keypad according to FIG. 2 is illuminated from directly below the key button, there is no unnecessary light loss, and the key button can be evenly illuminated. In addition, the light source is economical because only a few light sources are required on the side of the light guide plate without a large amount as in the prior art.

However, the other keypad of FIG. 2 also has the following problems.

First, the light guide plate for guiding light from the light source should be positioned between the key base and the dome switch, and then fixed to its position using a predetermined adhesive means, where the scattering pattern of the light guide plate corresponds to the protrusion of the key base. Should be placed in. If the scattering pattern is not accurately positioned at the position corresponding to the protrusion, there is a concern that the key button may not be illuminated and may illuminate an unnecessary portion. However, it is not easy to accurately arrange the light guide plate in a desired predetermined manner, and only a skilled worker can easily arrange the light guide plate in a desired position.

 Second, the light emitted from the light guide plate is recognized by an external user through the key base and the key top, and the thickness of the key base and the key top is so thick that there is a problem in that the efficiency of lighting is inferior.

Third, since a portion corresponding to the scattering pattern of the light guide plate is locally pressed by the protrusion, a part of the light guide plate is damaged when the key button is repeated for a long time.

Fourth, the light guide plate illuminates the pattern engraved on the key button by brightening the entire surroundings of the key button, which has a problem in that it consumes more electricity than when only the pattern shines.

The present invention was created to solve the above-mentioned problems, the brightness of the desired pattern is evenly illuminated, the overall mobile communication terminal can achieve a slimmer, easy to manufacture, even those with low level of skill enough uniform product An object of the present invention is to provide a keypad for a mobile communication terminal that can be manufactured.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a keypad for a mobile communication terminal having a high thickness of the lighted portion and high lighting efficiency.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a keypad for a mobile communication terminal which does not break even after repeated key operation for a long time and minimizes the electric consumption required for illuminating a key button.

A keypad for a mobile communication terminal of the present invention for achieving the above object is a keypad for a mobile communication terminal in which light is emitted in the form of a pattern that can be recognized by the user, a film made of a synthetic resin material; A pattern printing layer printed on a rear surface of the film in the form of a pattern and made of a material of a light emitting ink; A light guide printing layer formed on a rear surface of the film to cover the pattern printing layer and formed of a transparent material, and configured to guide light incident from a side surface to the pattern printing layer; A protective layer disposed below the light guide printed layer and preventing light emitted from the pattern printed layer from scattering downward; And a light source disposed at a side of the light guide printed layer and supplying light toward the light guide printed layer.

The light supplied from the light source is incident on the light guide printed layer, and the incident light moves in a plane direction inside the light guide printed layer, and the light incident on the pattern printed layer while being moved is emitted by the pattern printed layer. The user can recognize it in the form of a pattern.

In the keypad for the mobile communication terminal, the light emitting ink of the pattern printing layer is made of an organic resin or an inorganic pigment contained in an ink composition in which isophorone (Isophorone) in acrylic resin, the organic or inorganic pigments It is preferable to combine so that it exists in the range of 5-35 weight% in a light emitting ink.

In the keypad for the mobile communication terminal, a plurality of contacts and a dome switch surrounding the contacts are formed on the lower side of the protective layer,

Preferably, a key base between the protective layer and the printed circuit board is provided with a protrusion protruding toward the dome switch at a position corresponding to the dome switch.

In the keypad for the mobile communication terminal, the light source is a keypad for a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that the LED.

In the keypad for the mobile communication terminal, the light guide printed layer includes acrylic resin, isophorone and isocyanate, and the transparency is preferably 90% or more.

In the keypad for the mobile communication terminal, the protective layer preferably has an opaque property that does not pass light.

In the manufacturing method of the keypad for a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention for achieving the above object, preparing a film made of a synthetic resin material;

Printing a patterned printing layer in the form of a pattern on the back of the film;

Printing a light guide printing layer on a back surface of the film to cover the pattern printing layer on a back surface of the film; And

And printing an opaque protective layer on the back side of the light guide printed layer.

In the method of manufacturing the keypad, in the printing of the pattern printing layer, the pattern printing layer is preferably printed by a silkscreen method.

In the method of manufacturing the keypad, after the printing of the protective layer, it is preferable to further include a step of adhering a key base provided with a protrusion on the back of the protective layer.

According to the keypad for a mobile communication terminal and a method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention, since the pattern desired by the user is directly emitted and recognized by the user, the brightness of the pattern can be uniformly illuminated.

In addition, since the user can recognize the desired pattern by only one or two light sources without the need for a plurality of light sources, there is an advantage in that the slimming and economical efficiency of the mobile communication terminal can be achieved.

In addition, the light guide printing layer for guiding the light incident from the light source is formed directly on the film by the printing operation, it does not require a separate skill of high manufacturing.

In addition, since the pattern is directly emitted by the pattern to recognize the user there is an advantage that the overall electrical consumption is reduced.

In addition, since the light guide printing layer is disposed between the film and the key base, light emitted from the light guide printing layer is recognized by an external user when passing only the film, so that the brightness of the required light source can be reduced, which is economical.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a keypad for a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a view showing a keypad for a mobile communication terminal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a view showing the light guide principle of the keypad of FIG.

Keypad 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the light is emitted in the form of a pattern that can be recognized by the user. The keypad 10 includes a film 20, a pattern printing layer 30, a light guide printing layer 40, a protective layer 50, a light source 71, a key base 60, and a printed circuit board 70. Is done.

The film 20 is made of a synthetic resin material, preferably made of a transparent material. The film 20 is an upper portion of the key base 60 on which the user is pressed, and the user may recognize the pattern printing layer 30 printed on the lower side of the film 20. However, the film 20 does not need to be completely transparent, and in some cases, may be made of a material that is somewhat opaque.

The pattern printing layer 30 is formed to be printed in the form of the pattern on the back of the film 20, made of a material of the light-emitting ink. When light reaches the pattern printing layer 30, the light is emitted from the pattern printing layer 30, so that the user can recognize the light. The light emitting ink of the patterned print layer 30 may include organic or inorganic pigments in a general ink solution, and more preferably, organic or inorganic pigments are included in an ink composition in which isophorone is embedded in acrylic resin. It is preferably made in the form of. Such organic or inorganic pigments can be used in a variety of colors according to the user's preference. For example, you can choose from a variety of colors, including red, orange, yellow, and blue. In this case, when the light reaches the pattern printing layer 30, the light may be recognized by the user in various colors according to the color of the organic or inorganic pigment. On the other hand, the organic or inorganic pigments are preferably combined so as to be in the range of 5 to 35% by weight in the light emitting ink. If the organic or inorganic pigment is lower than 5% by weight, it is not preferable that the degree of light emission is lowered, if higher than 35% by weight is difficult to maintain the characteristics as the ink is not desirable. On the other hand, the pattern printing layer 30 may be printed by a variety of printing methods, such as silk screen, offset printing, of which the silk screen printing method is most preferred because it can print the outline of the pattern clearly.

The light guide printed layer 40 may be printed in the form of a sheet on the back surface of the film 20 to cover the pattern printed layer 30 and the light guide printed layer 40 may also be printed by a silicid printing method. . The light guide printing layer 40 is printed on the back of the film 20 in the form of a sheet and made of a transparent material. That is, it is desirable to have a transparency of 90% or more so that light can pass through therein. When light is incident from the side surface of the light guide printed layer 40, the light travels in the surface direction while totally reflecting the top and bottom surfaces of the light guide printed layer 40, and then reaches the outside when the pattern printed layer 30 is reached. Will shine

It is preferable that various materials are used as the printing liquid of the light guide printing layer 40, but it is preferable to include acrylic resin, isophorone and isocyanate (isocynate) for printability, adaptability to materials, adhesion and resistance to It is advantageous in wet, etc.

The protective layer 50 is disposed below the light guide printed layer 40 and prevents light emitted from the pattern printed layer 30 from scattering downward. The reason for forming the protective layer 50 as described above is to maximize the efficiency by allowing the light from the pattern printing layer 30 to be directed toward the film 20 and not to be reflected to the rest. The protective layer 50 is preferably formed by printing on the surface of the light guide printed layer 40. The protective layer 50 is preferably a protective layer 50 having an opaque property that does not pass light, but it is possible to have a slight transparency in addition to. It is preferable that the color is black, but a mirror or the like may be used.

The light source 71 is disposed on the side of the light guide printed layer 40 to supply light toward the light guide printed layer 40, and an LED is preferably used. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be anything that emits light.

The key base 60 is a portion bonded to the lower side of the protective layer 50, and a protrusion 61 is provided on the opposite side of the key base 60 from the surface bonded to the protective layer 50. . The protrusion 61 is disposed at a position corresponding to the edge of the printed circuit board 70 described later. This protrusion 61 protrudes from the opposite side toward the dome switch 73 surrounding the contact 72. The key base 60 and the protective layer 50 are preferably in contact with each other by an adhesive tape, but is not limited thereto.

The printed circuit board supplies power to the light source 71 or mounts other electronic components, and the contact 72 and the dome switch 73 are disposed. The increasingly formed on the surface facing the key base 60 in the printed circuit board 70. The dome switch 73 is disposed to surround the contact 72, and a predetermined electrical operation is performed by the dome switch 73 contacting the contact 72.

The keypad for a mobile communication terminal according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is manufactured in the following order.

First, a film made of a synthetic resin material is prepared (S100). Thereafter, the printed pattern printed layer in the form of a pattern on the back of the film is printed (S110). At this time, the pattern printing layer is printed by the silk screen method. Thereafter, the light guide printing layer is printed on the back surface of the film to cover the pattern printing layer (S120). The light guide printed layer has a sheet shape as a whole. Thereafter, an opaque protective layer is printed on the rear surface of the light guide printing layer (S130). Thereafter, the key base formed with the protrusion is attached to the surface of the protective layer (S140). After that, the process of installing the printed circuit board may be further included.

The keypad for a mobile communication terminal according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention has the following operational effects.

First, the keypad according to the present embodiment emits light to a light source powered from a printed circuit board when a user lifts a flip to press a key button or performs a predetermined operation to illuminate other key buttons. The light is injected into the light guide print layer and proceeds in the plane direction while totally reflecting the upper and lower surfaces of the light guide print layer. At this time, when the advancing light is incident on the pattern printing layer, the light incident on the pattern printing layer emits light by organic or inorganic pigments inside the pattern printing layer. The light passes through the film and is perceived by the user. On the other hand, the light is not reflected below the opaque layer. This is because light cannot pass through the opaque layer, so that most of the light can be recognized by the user without losing the light.

In the prior art according to FIG. 1, light is not positioned below the key button, but the light sources are positioned in a diagonal direction, and a large number of light sources exist to illuminate all the key buttons. Accordingly, the overall brightness is uneven, and since a plurality of light sources must be installed, the price increases and power consumption is high. In addition, there is a problem in the thickness of the light source and the key button to maintain a predetermined distance or more.

In addition, in the prior art shown in FIG. 2, the key buttons must be brightened as a whole, so that there is a lot of light loss, and the light guide plate must be manufactured and attached separately, and the scattering pattern of the light guide plate must be positioned to correspond to the protrusion of the key base. There is also this complicated problem. In addition, there was a fear that the projecting portion breaks the light guide plate while repeatedly contacting the light guide plate.

In contrast, the keypad according to the present embodiment has an advantage that almost no loss of light is generated because the pattern itself emits light. As a result, the number of light sources can be greatly reduced, and power consumption is also low, resulting in high economic efficiency. In addition, by emitting light in the form of letters or numbers, there is an advantage that more beautiful and clear recognition can be obtained. In addition, since the pattern printing layer is formed by the printing method and the light guide printing layer is formed, the work by a skilled worker is unnecessary. In addition, since it is disposed directly below the film, the distance that light passes through is small, so that the visibility and the brightness of the light source may be reduced.

Although the present invention has been described in detail by way of examples, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 is a view showing a keypad for a mobile communication terminal according to the prior art.

2 is a view showing another keypad for a mobile communication terminal according to the prior art.

3 is a view showing a keypad for a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an operation diagram of FIG.

5 is a flowchart of manufacturing a keypad for a mobile communication terminal of FIG.

<Detailed Description of Drawings>

10 ... keypad 20 ... film

30.Glyph Printed Layer 40 ... Light Guided Print Layer

50 ... protective layer 60 ... key base

61 Projection 70 Printed Circuit Board

71 ... light source 72 ... contact

73 ... dome switch

Claims (9)

In the keypad for a mobile communication terminal in which light is emitted in the form of a pattern that can be recognized by the user, A film made of a synthetic resin material; A pattern printing layer printed on a rear surface of the film in the form of a pattern and made of a material of a light emitting ink; A light guide printing layer formed on a rear surface of the film to cover the pattern printing layer and formed of a transparent material, and configured to guide light incident from a side surface to the pattern printing layer; A protective layer disposed below the light guide printed layer and preventing light emitted from the pattern printed layer from scattering downward; And a light source disposed at a side of the light guide printed layer and supplying light toward the light guide printed layer. The light supplied from the light source is incident on the light guide printed layer, and the incident light moves in a plane direction inside the light guide printed layer, and the light incident on the pattern printed layer while being moved is emitted by the pattern printed layer. Keypad for a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that the user can recognize in the form of a pattern. The method of claim 1, The light emitting ink of the patterned printing layer may be formed in the form of organic or inorganic pigments in an ink composition in which isophorone (Isophorone) is dissolved in acrylic resin, and the organic or inorganic pigments are 5 to 35% by weight in the light emitting ink. Keypad for mobile communication terminal, characterized in that combined to be in the range of. The method of claim 1, A lower side of the protective layer is formed on a printed circuit board on which a plurality of contacts and a dome switch surrounding the contacts are disposed, A keypad for a mobile communication terminal is disposed between the protective layer and the printed circuit board at a position corresponding to the dome switch, the key base having a protrusion protruding toward the dome switch. The method of claim 1, The light source is a keypad for a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that the LED. The method of claim 1, The light guide printed layer includes an acrylic resin, isophorone and isocyanate, and has a transparency of 90% or more. The method of claim 1, The protective layer keypad for a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that it has an opaque characteristic of not passing light. In the method of manufacturing a keypad for a mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, Preparing a film made of a synthetic resin material; Printing a patterned printing layer in the form of a pattern on the back of the film; Printing a light guide printing layer on a back surface of the film to cover the pattern printing layer on a back surface of the film; The method of manufacturing a keypad for a mobile communication terminal comprising the step of printing an opaque protective layer on the back of the light guide printed layer. The method of claim 7, wherein In the step of printing the pattern printing layer, the pattern printing layer is a method of manufacturing a keypad for a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that printed by the silk screen method. The method of claim 7, wherein After the printing of the protective layer, the method of manufacturing a keypad for a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that further comprising the step of attaching a key base provided with a protrusion on the back of the protective layer.

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