KR100381140B1 - Bidirectional keypad assembly for pda/telephone combination device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a two-way keypad assembly of a PD combined radio terminal. The disclosed bidirectional keypad assembly includes a main housing, a speaker housing opened and closed by a hinge device in the main housing, and a key housing disposed between the main housing and the speaker housing and opened and closed by the hinge device. (a) a key housing comprising an upper surface and a lower surface; (b) a single flexible circuit provided in the key housing; (c) a first key input arrangement provided on one surface of the flexible circuit and exposed from an upper surface of the key housing, the first key input means facing the speaker housing when the speaker housing is completely closed; And (d) a second key top arrangement provided on the other side of the flexible circuit and exposed from the bottom surface of the key housing, wherein the second key input means faces the main housing when the speaker housing is completely closed. It is composed. Therefore, the wireless terminal to which the present invention is applied is convenient to use.

Description

Bidirectional keypad assembly for dual-use wireless terminal {BIDIRECTIONAL KEYPAD ASSEMBLY FOR PDA / TELEPHONE COMBINATION DEVICE}

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a dual purpose wireless terminal in PD, and more particularly, to a bidirectional keypad assembly for data input of a PD combined radio terminal.

Typically, portable terminals are divided into bar-type, flip-type, and folder-type terminals in appearance, and a wrist wear-type according to a wearing position. type or neck wearable-type terminal. Depending on the running function, it is divided into voice communication, video communication or internet communication terminal. At present, the bar-shaped, flip-type or folder-type terminal is in general appearance. However, according to the convenience of wearing in the future, it is expected that terminals adopting more various wearing methods will achieve mainstream.

For example, a conventional portable terminal is described as a folder-type terminal. Conventional folder-type terminals are roughly classified into hinge means for opening and closing the main housing, the folder, and the main housing and the folder to the call angle. Of course, the data input means may be located in the main housing, the data output means may be located in the folder, the data output means may be located in the main housing, and the data input means may be located in the folder. In addition, the microphone device is located in the main housing, and the speaker is located in the folder.

As a data input means of a conventional portable terminal, a keypad composed of a plurality of keys is used, and an LCD is used as a data output means. In addition, a touch screen or a touch pad may be used as the data input means.

However, current portable terminals are lighter and smaller, but when the body of the portable terminal is miniaturized, the LCD and the keypad must be simultaneously miniaturized. When the miniaturized LCD is small, it is not easy to check the displayed data. There is a problem that the operation is not easy. Therefore, it is a reality that such technical difficulties are limited to the miniaturization of current portable terminals. At the same time, miniaturizing the portable terminal for two purposes, the LCD and the keypad has become a difficult problem to solve the existing size at the same time.

Moreover, at the present time, when a complicated data input is required, that is, Internet communication or e-mail transmission has become common, there is a demand for a portable terminal that is convenient for use in internet communication or e-mail transmission. In other words, there is a need for a data input device that satisfies both a cellular telephone and a PD function simultaneously and is convenient for use in a wireless terminal mode (voice communication or video communication mode) or a PD mode. In addition, there is a need for a data input device that can achieve the above advantages and can be implemented in a slim form.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a two-way keypad assembly that can be applied to the PD combine dual wireless terminal to provide convenience to the user.

Another object of the present invention to provide a two-way keypad assembly that can be implemented in a slim key housing.

In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a PID comprising a main housing, a speaker housing opened and closed by a hinge device in the main housing, and a key housing disposed between the main housing and the speaker housing and opened and closed by the hinge device. In the combined wireless terminal,

(a) a key housing comprising an upper surface and a lower surface;

(b) a single flexible circuit provided in the key housing;

(c) a first key input arrangement provided on one surface of the flexible circuit and exposed from an upper surface of the key housing, the first key input means facing the speaker housing when the speaker housing is completely closed; And

(d) a second key top arrangement provided on the other side of the flexible circuit and exposed from the lower surface of the key housing, wherein the second key input means faces the main housing when the speaker housing is completely closed; do.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a terminal to which a bidirectional keypad assembly is applied according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a speaker housing is completely closed;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the speaker housing of FIG. 1 is slightly opened. FIG.

3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the speaker housing of FIG. 1 is completely open;

4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a bidirectional keypad assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a bidirectional keypad assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related well-known functions or configurations are omitted in order not to obscure the subject matter of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the dual-purpose keypad terminal to which the bidirectional keypad assembly according to the present invention is applied includes a main housing 10 and a speaker housing 20 which is opened and closed in the main housing 10 by a hinge device. And a key housing 30 disposed between the main housing 10 and the speaker housing 20 and opened and closed by a hinge device. That is, the main housing 10, the key housing 30, and the speaker housing 20 perform the opening and closing operation up to the call angle based on the one hinge device. FIG. 1 shows the speaker housing 20 completely closed, FIG. 2 shows the speaker housing 20 slightly open, and FIG. 3 shows the speaker housing 20 fully open.

The dual purpose wireless terminal operates in a wireless terminal mode when only the speaker housing 20 is opened in the main housing 10, and operates in a media mode when the key housing 30 is fully opened. Of course, when the key housing 30 is completely open in the main housing 10, the speaker housing 30 is also opened.

The aforementioned wireless terminal mode refers to a mode in which voice communication or video communication is performed with the other party, and the PD mode refers to a mode requiring a lot of text input operations such as internet chatting or email transmission.

The first key input means 310 arranged on the upper surface 30a of the key housing 30 has a numeric key arrangement which is frequently used when mainly used for voice communication purposes, and the lower surface 30b of the key housing 30. It is preferable that the second key input means 320 arranged in the above) has a character key arrangement which is frequently used when it is mainly used for the purpose of the PD function.

The main housing 10 has a large LCD module 110 is located at the top, at least one key 112 for all the conversion is located below the LCD module 110, the microphone device 114 is disposed. The key housing 30 is provided with first and second key input means 310 and 320 on the upper and lower surfaces 30a and 30b, respectively. In addition, an ear piece 210 including a speaker is disposed on a lower surface of the speaker housing 20.

The opening 31 provided in the key housing 30 checks the data displayed on the LCD module 110 of the main housing 10 even when the key housing 30 is closed in the main housing 10. Used for

The structure of the bidirectional keypad assembly according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a bidirectional keypad assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the key housing 30 to which the bidirectional keypad assembly is applied is slim. The wireless terminal according to the present invention is preferably implemented in a slim type for ease of appearance or opening / closing operation. In particular, the flexible terminal 330 is used to implement the key housing 30 as a slim housing.

The bidirectional keypad assembly includes a key housing 30 including a planar top surface 30a and a bottom surface 30b, a flexible circuit 330 provided on the key housing 30, and a top surface 30a of the key housing. A first key input means 310 including an exposed first key top 312a arrangement, and a second key input means including an second key top 322a arrangement exposed from a bottom surface 30b of the key housing. 320.

As described above, the first key input unit 310 is configured such that the key top 312a is exposed to the upper surface 30a of the key housing and is mounted on one surface 330a of the flexible circuit 330. . The second key input unit 320 is configured such that the key top 322a is exposed to the lower surface 30b of the key housing and is mounted on the other surface 330b of the flexible circuit 330. That is, the first key input means 310 and the second key input means 320 are located facing each other with respect to the flexible circuit 330. That is, the pressing axis P1 of the first key input means 310 and the pressing axis P2 of the second key input means 320 are located on the same axis.

The first key input means 310 is composed of a first keep top 312a and a first metal dome 314 provided between the first key top 312a and one surface 330a of the flexible circuit. The first metal dome 314 may input data by pressing the first key top 312a. Of course, the first metal dome 314 is embodied in a dome shape and has elasticity.

The second key input means 320 is composed of a second key top 322a and a second metal dome 324 provided between the second key top 322a and the other surface 330b of the flexible circuit. The second metal dome 324 allows data to be input by pressing the second key top 322a. Of course, the second metal dome 324 is embodied in a dome shape and has elasticity.

Preferably, the first key input means 310 and the second key input means 320 are provided with first and second spacers 30c and 30d, respectively, in order to prevent mutual interference by pressing. The first spacer 30c extends from the upper surface 30a of the key housing toward the flexible circuit 330, and the second spacer 30d extends from the lower surface 30b of the key housing toward the flexible circuit 330. do. In addition, at least one of the first and second spacers 30c and 30d is provided to minimize interference caused by pressing of each key. The first and second spacers 30c and 30d may be integrally injected when the key housing 30 is ejected.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a bidirectional keypad assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the bidirectional keypad assembly includes a key housing 40 including a top surface 40a and a bottom surface 40b that are planar, a flexible circuit 430 provided in the key housing 40, and An array of first key input means 410 including an array of first key tops 412a exposed from an upper surface 40a of the key housing, and an array of second key tops 422a exposed from a lower surface 40b of the key housing; It comprises a second key input means 420 comprising a.

As described above, the first key input unit 410 is configured such that the key top 412a is exposed to the upper surface 40a of the key housing and is mounted on one surface 430a of the flexible circuit 430. . The second key input means 420 is configured such that the key top 412a is exposed to the lower surface 40b of the key housing and is mounted on the other surface 430b of the flexible circuit 430. That is, the first key input means 410 and the second key input means 420 are located facing each other with respect to the flexible circuit 430.

However, the first pressing axis P3 of the first key input means 410 and the second pressing axis P4 of the second key input means 420 are not located on the same axis. The second pressing axis P4 is positioned between the first pressing axes P3. The reason why the first and second pressing axes P3 and P4 are not disposed on the same axis is to minimize the mutual interference. The first and second pressing axes P3 and P4 are coaxial because of the influence that the first pressing axis P3 exerts on the second pressing axis P4, that is, a fine pressing action may cause a malfunction. Rather, it is preferably placed on a different axis, and the first pressing axis P3 is preferably located between the second pressing axes P4 in consideration of the space of the key housing 40.

The first key input means 410 is composed of a first key top 412a and a first metal dome 414 provided between the first key top 412a and one surface 430a of the flexible circuit 430. do. The first metal dome 414 allows data to be input by pressing the first key top 412a. Of course, the first metal dome 414 has a dome shape and has elasticity.

The second key input means 420 is composed of a second key top 422a and a second metal dome 424 provided between the second key top 422a and the other surface 430b of the flexible circuit 430. do. The second metal dome 424 may input data by pressing the second key top 422a. Of course, the second metal dome 424 is embodied in a dome shape and has elasticity.

Preferably, the key housing 40 includes first and second spacers 40c and 40d, respectively, to prevent interference due to a pressing operation between the first key input means 410 and the second key input means 420. do. The first spacer 40c extends from the top surface 40a of the key housing toward the flexible circuit 430, and the second spacer 40d extends from the bottom surface 40b of the key housing toward the flexible circuit 430. do. In addition, at least one of the first and second spacers 40c and 40d is provided to minimize interference caused by pressing of each key. The first and second spacers 40c and 40d may be integrally injected when the key housing 40 is ejected.

As a result, the two-way keypad assembly according to the present invention is applied to a dual purpose wireless terminal, it is very convenient from the user's point of view. According to the user's choice, only the speaker housing is completely open for voice communication, and when using the PD function, the key housing is completely open with the speaker housing.

As described above, the present invention is applied to the data input device of the combined PD terminal, it is very convenient to use in the wireless terminal mode or PD mode, in particular, since the key housing can be implemented in a slim shape, it is advantageous in appearance design There is an advantage. Meanwhile, in the detailed description of the present invention, specific embodiments have been described, but it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (8)

In the media combined radio terminal comprising a main housing, a speaker housing which is opened and closed by a hinge device in the main housing, and a key housing which is disposed between the main housing and the speaker housing and opened and closed by the hinge device, (a) a key housing comprising an upper surface and a lower surface; (b) a single flexible circuit provided in the key housing; (c) a first key input arrangement provided on one surface of the flexible circuit and exposed from an upper surface of the key housing, the first key input means facing the speaker housing when the speaker housing is completely closed; And (d) a second key top arrangement provided on the other side of the flexible circuit and exposed from the lower surface of the key housing, wherein the second key input means faces the main housing when the speaker housing is completely closed; Bidirectional keypad assembly characterized in that. The method of claim 1, wherein the first key input means First key top; And And a first metal dome provided between the first key top and one surface of the flexible circuit, the first metal dome provided for inputting data by pressing the first key top. The method of claim 1, wherein the second key input means Second key top; And And a second metal dome provided between the second key top and the other surface of the flexible circuit, the second metal dome provided for inputting data by pressing the second key top. The bidirectional keypad assembly of claim 1, wherein said key housing further comprises a first spacer extending from an upper surface thereof toward the flexible circuit. The bidirectional keypad assembly of claim 1, wherein the key housing further comprises a second spacer extending from the bottom thereof toward the flexible circuit. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first key top arrangement is disposed on a first pressing axis, the second key top arrangement is disposed on a second pressing axis, and the first pressing axis and the second pressing axis are arranged on the same axis. Bidirectional keypad assembly characterized in that the configuration. The configuration of claim 1, wherein the first key top arrangement is arranged on a first pressing axis, the second key top arrangement is arranged on a second pressing axis, and the first pressing axis and the second pressing axis are not the same. Bidirectional keypad assembly characterized in that. 8. The bidirectional keypad assembly of claim 7, wherein each second push axis is located between each first push axis.