KR101654648B1

KR101654648B1 - Touch type keypad integrated element and touch sensor

Info

Publication number: KR101654648B1
Application number: KR1020150106425A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 박재순; 최성호; 박상민
Original assignee: (주)레온
Priority date: 2015-07-28
Filing date: 2015-07-28
Publication date: 2016-09-06

Abstract

A touch keypad incorporating an element and a touch sensor according to the present invention includes a first layer including elements in a pattern portion formed on a surface of at least one of an upper surface and a lower surface; A second layer stacked on the first layer, the second layer including a hollow portion for securing a space at a portion excluding the peripheral portion; A third layer formed on the second layer and having a pattern portion including a touch sensor that performs a touch recognition function through reflection of a light source of the LED; A fourth layer stacked on the third layer, the fourth layer including a hollow portion formed through a portion excluding the peripheral portion; An adhesive layer formed between the first to fourth layers, respectively; And a medium for electrically connecting the layer on which the pattern unit is formed.
The touch keypad incorporating the device and the touch sensor according to the present invention has the effect of providing an intuitive control function in addition to seeking downsizing by the integral structure.

Description

A TOUCH TYPE KEYPAD INTEGRATED ELEMENT AND TOUCH SENSOR,

[0001] The present invention relates to a touch-type keypad fabricated by integrating an element and a touch sensor into a lightweight and compact body, and more particularly to a touch-type keypad having a keypad The touch sensor element for controlling the touch recognition is integrally unified, i.e., packaged, without being separately attached to the touch sensor circuit board. In other words, the touch sensor element is connected to the touch recognition unit The present invention provides a touch type display device which is provided at a position where the LED and the touch recognition unit are integrally formed so that the LED and the touch recognition unit are integrally formed without being separated from each other and thus can perform more intuitive control while reducing the size of the bezel, Lt; / RTI >

Currently, the display panel of the smartphone and the tablet PC is provided with the touch screen, and various manipulations and commands can be implemented by the user's touch. Such a touch-type electronic device can operate the device by a simple touch operation within a display or an electronic device without physical input means occupying a separate space like a conventional keyboard, and thus it is possible to pursue downsizing of the electronic device itself .

The keypad provided in the display panel of the touch-type electronic device may be referred to as a soft key. In addition, a keypad provided in a portion other than the display panel, for example, a bezel, There is also a hard key.

1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a touch-operated keypad provided on a bezel of a conventional electronic device.

The keypad shown in Fig. 1 is a kind of the above-mentioned hard keys, wherein the bezel refers to a peripheral portion of a display panel or an electronic product such as an LCD, an LED, and an OELED.

There is a product in which the display panel is developed so as to fill the front portion of the touch-type electronic device. However, it is difficult to operate the keypad, i.e., the soft key existing in the display panel described above, There are many products that include a separate keypad (hard key) at the bezel portion around the display panel.

1, a conventional hard key, i.e., a keypad 1, provided in a part of an electronic device other than a display panel such as a touch screen is mainly composed of one to three buttons such as a home button or a previous button And touch recognition has provided a visual indication of the recognition while the LED is illuminated. As a related art related thereto, Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2013-0081939 entitled " mobile terminal equipped with a hard key & 10-2011-0017239 " Touch type key input bar ", Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2011-0019839 " Multi view keypad "

In general, a keypad (hard key, key input bar) 1 as shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a touch recognition unit such as a driver or a passive element and a touch sensor, and an LED, The control touch sensing IC unit based on the touch sensor 3 is provided at a position separate from the keypad 1 and connected to the keypad via the lead 2. [

However, if the keypad itself is not provided with a PCB and is controlled and powered by the PCB 3 spaced apart from the PCB, the size of the bezel 5 may be unnecessarily increased, and the overall control of the touch- Disadvantages can be found in that the functionality is not intuitive and functional loss can occur.

Therefore, there is a need to develop a new and advanced touch-type keypad structure that can integrally control the PCB-based control unit and the power supply unit under the keypad to perform intuitive control and reduce the installation size.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been conceived to overcome the problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a touch sensing device, And it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a structure of a touch recognition keypad capable of miniaturization.

Another object of the present invention is to mount a layer implementing a bumper or bridge function between a touch recognition part and a device.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide various means for protecting the pattern portion on the layer and the element placed on the top of the pattern portion.

A further object of the present invention is to further laminate a separate layer to prevent glare of the LED.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a touch keypad comprising: a first layer including a device in a pattern portion formed on a surface of at least one of an upper surface and a lower surface; A second layer stacked on the first layer, the second layer including a hollow portion for securing a space at a portion excluding the peripheral portion; A third layer formed on the second layer and having a pattern portion including a touch sensor that performs a touch recognition function through reflection of a light source of the LED; A fourth layer stacked on the third layer, the fourth layer including a hollow portion formed through a portion excluding the peripheral portion; An adhesive layer formed between the first to fourth layers, respectively; And a medium for electrically connecting the layer on which the pattern unit is formed.

In addition, the fourth layer may include an opening portion in which one side portion of the peripheral portion is opened to open the hollow portion, and the LED is coupled to the opening portion.

In addition, the fourth layer may be stacked or printed on a portion where the LED is formed, and may further include a light diffusion barrier layer of a color hue.

According to the touch-type keypad in which the device according to the present invention and the touch sensor are integrated,

1) By integrally structuring the touch sensor element and the touch recognition part, it is possible to pursue miniaturization of the keypad and provide an intuitive control function,

2) It is possible to provide a physical structure capable of forming a separate electrode while seeking structural stability as well as semiconductor and circuit protection by a layer providing a bumper or a bridge function between each laminated substrate,

3) It provides not only a basis for miniaturization of the keypad by providing an efficient arrangement structure of the touch recognition unit and the LED light source,

4) It is possible to uniformly provide light to the sensor touch part due to the dispersion processing of the LED light.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing an LED driving keypad provided in a bezel of a conventional electronic device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a keypad,
Fig. 3 is a front view showing a lamination relationship of the detailed structure constituting the keypad of the present invention; Fig.
4 is a sectional view showing a structure in which a mold is additionally formed in the hollow portion of the second and fourth layers of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a pattern portion is formed on a second layer;
6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a light reflection layer is further laminated on a peripheral upper surface portion including the LED of the fourth layer.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale and wherein like reference numerals in the various drawings refer to like elements.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the lamination relationship of the detailed structure constituting the keypad of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a front view showing a lamination relationship of the detailed structure constituting the keypad of the present invention.

1 and 2, the keypad of the present invention, that is, the keypad for performing touch recognition while outputting the LED light, includes a PCB including a device for providing control and power supply functions to the LED and the touch recognition unit, Layer structure in which intuitive control performance is improved and space efficiency is improved.

Specifically, the second to fourth layers 20, 30 and 40 are sequentially stacked on the first layer 10, which is the lowermost layer, which is the printed circuit board (PCB), and an adhesive layer Layers 60, 70 and 80 are formed so as to achieve a coupling relation with respect to the respective layers 10, 20, 30 and 40. [

The first layer 10 of the present invention is a substrate on which a circuit for performing main functions such as control as well as sensing of light emission or touch recognition of the LED 50 provided on the keypad is formed, (Flexible PCB). The first layer 10 may be a single-sided circuit board having a circuit formed on an upper surface thereof, as well as a double-sided circuit board having circuits formed on both upper and lower surfaces thereof.

That is, in the case where the first layer 10 is a double-sided circuit board, the top surface pattern portion 11 and the bottom surface pattern portion 12 in which the circuit is formed through the via hole 13, As shown in FIG.

The top surface pattern portion 11 or the bottom surface pattern portion 12 may be connected by a conductive wire or a conductive ink for connecting the semiconductor driving chip to the circuit board and may be formed by a plating process.

The first layer 10 may have a width of about 3 to 5 mm and the subsequent layer of the first layer 10 may have the same or similar size.

In addition, a surface treatment can be performed on the surface (the top surface in the case of the end face, or the top face in the case of the both surfaces) on which the pattern portions 11 and 12 are formed on the first layer 10. For example, a PSR (Photo Solder Resist) Thereby protecting the pattern units 11 and 12 of the first layer 10.

In addition, the structure of the semiconductor junction circuit (pattern portion) for driving the keypad of the present invention is not necessarily formed only in the first layer 10, but may be formed dispersedly in the second and third layers 20 and 30 And cables extended from the third layer 30 (or the fourth layer) extend from the first layer 10 through the second layer 20 to the first layer 10 as shown in the figure, It is also possible that the layers of the organic EL element are electrically connected.

In addition, the elements included in the pattern units 11 and 12 of the first layer 10 perform the main control function for controlling the LED driving and the touch sensor, and are described as including both the driving element and the passive element , Such an element may be formed in the pattern units 11 and 12 as an embedded type semiconductor or other device.

The first adhesive layer 60 is positioned between the first and second layers 10 and 20 and joins the first and second adhesive layers 60 and 60. The first adhesive layer 60 may be a physical layer composed of an adhesive, For example, a hot press method, or may be bonded through an adhesive ink such as an epoxy adhesive ink or the like.

The second layer 20 of the present invention is laminated on the first layer 10 via the first adhesive layer 60. The second layer 20 includes a hollow portion 21, .

The second layer 20 functions as a buffer or a bumper or a conduction bridge for the first layer 10 which mainly performs the control / sensing and the third layer 30 which mainly performs the touch recognition function. In other words, when the first and third layers 10 and 30 are pressed to a thin thickness, electrical contact between the patterns formed on the respective layers 10 and 30, pressing of the semiconductor and the wires, and other unnecessary interference It provides a physical buffering function to prevent possible plausibility.

The hollow portion 21 is formed by embedding pattern portions 12 and 31 (pattern portions having a three-dimensional shape such as a wire bonding structure) formed on the upper surface of the first layer 10 and the lower surface of the third layer 30, Type mold can be compressed or deformed to become structurally unstable. As a space, the mold 21 can be further filled with the hollow portion 21, as will be described later.

In addition, another pattern portion 25 may be additionally formed on the upper surface or the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the second layer 20, as will be described later, to serve as a substrate or electrode providing structure.

The second adhesive layer 70 is formed between the second and third layers 20 and 30 so as to adhere the first and second adhesive layers 70 and 70 to each other. (20, 30) electrodes are connected by using a conductive adhesive such as an adhesive or a conductive film adhesive, that is, a conductive adhesive, and at the same time, the second and third layers 20 and 30 are bonded.

The third layer 30 of the present invention is a substrate on which a touch recognition unit including a circuit for touch recognition, i.e., a touch sensor, is mounted, The pattern portion 31 is formed. The pattern portion 31 of the third layer 30 can be formed of a plating for device bonding so that passive elements such as a capacitor and a resistor can be bonded.

As described above, the cable 100 extends from the pattern electrode portion 12 on the lower surface of the first layer 10, or passes through the via hole in the pattern portion 11 on the upper surface in the case of a double-sided substrate, The first to third layers 10, 20 and 30 can be electrically connected to the layer 30 and extended to the LED 50 provided on the third layer 30 or branched as a branch pattern, The branched cable 100 may electrically connect the first layer 10 and the third layer 30.

Further, although not shown in the drawing, the cable 100 may be replaced with a conductive hole, that is, not a wire / cable type, but a through hole is formed in each layer and conductive treatment is performed on the inner wall, It is of course possible to provide an electrical connection by means of the conduction hole. In other words, in the present invention, a cable or conduction hole for electrically connecting devices, touch sensors, pattern units, LEDs, etc. formed in the first, second, third, and fourth layers 10, 20, 30, '.

The third layer 30 is subjected to a surface treatment using a PSR or a white film such as white for reflecting the LED light to protect the pattern portion 31 and provide a light reflection effect, The space can be touched by the user through the hollow portion 41 of the fourth layer 40 penetrating the upper portion of the fourth layer 40. As a result, the touch recognition function can be smoothly performed.

The third adhesive layer 80 has the same shape as that of the fourth layer 40 to be described later and serves to bond the third and fourth layers 30 and 40. The third adhesive layer 80 also has a function of bonding the first and second adhesive layers 60,70), and the like.

The forth layer 40 of the present invention is a top layer structure of the keypad and includes a plurality of LEDs 50 stacked on a third layer 30 that performs touch recognition by the third adhesive layer 80, Structure.

Specifically, the fourth layer 40 includes a hollow portion 41 through which the remaining portion except for the peripheral portion passes, like the second layer 20, and the hollow portion 41 And an open portion 42 that is open-connected to the open end. Therefore, the fourth layer 40 has a shape similar to that of the inverted C when viewed from above.

The LED 50 connected to the three layers 30 is coupled to the opening 42. The LED 50 is formed in a module or semiconductor form and is fitted into the space of the opening portion and electrically connected to the cable or through hole The second layer 10, and the second layer 20 via the second layer 30 and the third layer 30, respectively.

Otherwise, the LED 50 may be stacked on the pattern portion 31 of the third layer to be electrically connected to the third layer 30, that is, the fourth layer 40 may have a separate pattern portion or an electrical circuit It is electrically connected to the pattern portion of the third layer 30 in order to drive the LED 50. Preferably, the LED 50 is laminated on the pattern portion 31 of the third layer 30 via the SMT or conductive ink or the like on the LED connecting pattern portion having the +/- electrodes. So that an electrical connection state can be realized.

The hollow portion 41 of the fourth layer 40 serves as a space for recognizing the touch and is filled with the mold so that the pattern portion 31 of the third layer 30 is not exposed to the outside You can also protect it.

According to such a configuration of the keypad, the PCB and the sensor semiconductor serving as the control and power supply, that is, the first layer 10 are disposed at the lower end of the layer formed with the LED 50 and the touch recognition unit, A space for the installation position can be saved, and the control over the LED 50 or the touch recognition unit can be implemented intuitively, and the problem of shorting the cable due to an external shock can be prevented.

4 is a sectional view showing a structure in which a mold is additionally formed in the hollow portion of the second and fourth layers of the present invention.

It is possible to further fill the hollow part 21, 41 of the second and fourth layers 20, 40 with a mold made of a transparent material.

4A shows a structure in which the mold 22 is added to the hollow portion 21 of the second layer 20. The mold 22 may be filled over the entire volume of the hollow portion 21 In order to prevent physical collision with the pattern portions 11, 12 and 31 of the first and third layers 10 and 30, it is preferable to form the mold 22 at a portion excluding the upper and lower end portions of the hollow portion 21 Do.

4B shows a structure in which a mold (a hatched portion in the drawing) is added to the hollow portion 41 of the fourth layer 40. As shown in the figure, the entire volume of the hollow portion 41 Or may be filled with the remaining part except for the bottom part in order to prevent physical contact with the pattern part 31 of the third layer 30.

Such a mold imparts a characteristic that it is possible to more stably protect the pattern portion formed on the layer surface in addition to the surface treatment such as PSR.

Further, the mold may be moved beyond the dimension of filling only the hollow portions of the second and fourth layers 20 and 40, and finally, after the final bonding of the first, second, third and fourth layers 10, 20, 30 and 40, It is also possible to expand the mold to a mold part for tightly connecting the entire package to a single structure via a compomer or a curable liquid phase.

5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a pattern portion is formed on a second layer.

The second layer 20 serves as a bumper or a bridge of the first and third layers 10 and 30. The additional layer 25 may be formed around the hollow portion 21, Can be formed. The pattern portion 25 formed on the second layer 20 is mainly composed of electrodes, so that a more stable electric connection relation can be achieved for the first, third, and fourth layers 10, 30, and 40.

In addition, as shown in the drawing, the second layer 20 may have a structure in which not only a structure integrated with '?' But also a structure in which '?'

6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a light reflecting layer is further laminated on a peripheral upper surface portion including the LED of the fourth layer.

There is a possibility that unevenness of light uniformity may occur depending on intrinsic direct light property and intensity when the LED 50 located on the uppermost fourth layer 40 of the keypad emits light. As can be seen from FIG. 6, It is possible that the light dispersion layer 90 serving to soften the light as well as to provide the shadow effect and secure the LED light dispersion or scattering property is further laminated on the portion where the LED 50 is formed.

The light dispersion layer 90 may have various structures such as a film, a sheet, or a print layer in a state of being made of black or other colored hues capable of performing a light dispersion function.

As described above, the structure and operation of the touch keypad in which the device according to the present invention and the touch sensor are integrated are described in the above description and drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above description and drawings. And it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1: Keypad 2: Lead
3: PCB 5: Bezel
10: first layer 11: upper surface pattern portion
12: underside pattern part 13: via hole
20: second layer 21: hollow part
22: mold 25: pattern part
30: third layer 31: pattern part
40: fourth layer 41: hollow
42: opening part 50: LED
60: first adhesive layer 70: second adhesive layer
80: Third adhesive layer 90: Optical dispersion layer
100: Cable

Claims

As a touch keypad in which an element and a touch sensor are integrated,
A first layer including a device in a pattern portion formed on a surface of at least one of an upper surface and a lower surface;
A second layer stacked on the first layer, the second layer including a hollow portion for securing a space at a portion excluding the peripheral portion;
A third layer formed on the second layer and having a pattern portion including a touch sensor that performs a touch recognition function through reflection of a light source of the LED;
A fourth layer stacked on the third layer, the fourth layer including a hollow portion formed through a portion excluding the peripheral portion;
An adhesive layer formed between the first to fourth layers, respectively;
And a medium for electrically connecting the layer on which the pattern unit is formed,
Wherein the second layer comprises:
And a pattern portion including an electrode at a peripheral portion of the hollow portion.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the fourth layer comprises:
And an LED connected to the three layers is coupled to the opening, wherein the LED is coupled to the opening, the opening being connected to the hollow portion by opening one side of the periphery of the touch panel.

The method according to claim 1,
The keypad includes:
Wherein at least one of the second layer and the fourth layer has a hollow portion,
A touch keypad in which an element and a touch sensor are integrated, characterized in that a transparent material mold is additionally formed.

The method of claim 3,
The mold formed in the hollow portion of the second layer,
Wherein the hollow portion of the second layer is filled in a region except for a part of the upper and lower ends of the hollow portion of the second layer.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the fourth layer comprises:
Wherein the light emitting device further comprises an optical dispersion layer made of a colored color, which is laminated on the portion where the LED is formed.

delete