CN101807482A - Button module and handheld electronic device with it - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a key module and a handheld electronic device with the same. The main body has a housing, wherein the housing has at least one opening. The key module comprises a circuit board, at least one key, a light emitting source and a reflective element. The circuit board is arranged in the shell. The key is arranged in the opening. The light source is configured on the circuit board. The light reflecting element is arranged on the circuit board, and the light emitting source and the light reflecting element are respectively positioned at two sides of the key. Therefore, the light emitted by the light source of the handheld electronic device can be uniformly transmitted out of the keys.

Description

Button module and handheld electronic device with it

technical field

The present invention relates to a hand-held electronic device and its key module, and in particular to a hand-held electronic device and its key module with a light source.

Background technique

With the development of science and technology, human beings' dependence on electronic products is also increasing day by day. In response to users' demands for high-speed, high-efficiency, thin, light, and compact electronic products, a variety of handheld electronic devices have been developed on the market, such as personal digital assistants (personal digital assistants, PDAs) and mobile phones (mobile phones) wait.

Generally speaking, a key module of a keyboard of a handheld electronic device includes a circuit board, a key substrate, and keys. The circuit board and the button substrate are arranged in the casing of the handheld electronic device, and the buttons are arranged on the button substrate and exposed by the casing. The circuit board has dome switches corresponding to the keys. When the user presses the key, he can feel the tactile feedback provided by the metal dome switch. In addition, many button modules of handheld electronic devices have a light source disposed on the circuit board, which can make the button module emit light, so that users can conveniently operate the button module in a dark environment. However, because the metal dome switch is arranged directly under the button, the light source can only be arranged on the side of the button. Such a configuration will cause uneven light emission of the keys, reducing their functionality and aesthetics.

Contents of the invention

The invention provides a button module, the light emitted by the light source can be evenly transmitted from the button.

The invention provides a hand-held electronic device, the light emitted by the light emitting source can be evenly transmitted from the key.

The invention provides a button module suitable for a handheld electronic device. The handheld electronic device has a shell, and the shell is provided with an opening. The button module includes a circuit board, at least one button, a light source and a reflective element. The circuit board is configured in the casing. At least one button is arranged in at least one opening. The light source is configured on the circuit board. The reflective element is arranged on the circuit board, and the light emitting source and the reflective element are respectively located on two sides of at least one key.

The present invention provides a handheld electronic device, which includes a main body, a display module and a button module as described above. The main body has a shell, wherein the shell has at least one opening. The housing exposes the display module.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned reflective element is a reflective mirror, a metal piece or a reflective sheet.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned button module further includes a button substrate carrying at least one button and disposed between the circuit board and the casing.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the material of the key substrate is rubber or plastic.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned at least one button and the button substrate are integrally formed.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned circuit board has a switch element corresponding to the button.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned switch element is a dome switch.

Based on the above, in the handheld electronic device and the button module of the present invention, the light emitting source and the reflective element are respectively arranged on two sides of the button. The light emitted by the luminous source can be directly transmitted from one side of the key, and can be transmitted from the other side of the key through reflection of the reflective element. In this way, the light emitted from the key can be more uniform, so as to improve its functionality and aesthetics.

Description of drawings

In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a handheld electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the button module of FIG. 1 along line I-I.

FIG. 3 is a partial structural top view of the button module in FIG. 1 .

Description of main component symbols:

50: Button substrate

52: Bump

100: Handheld Electronic Devices

110: subject

112: shell

112a: opening

120: Button module

122: circuit board

122a: switching element

124: Button

126: light source

128: reflective element

130: display module

L1, L2: light

Detailed ways

FIG. 1 is a top view of a handheld electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the button module of FIG. 1 along line I-I. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the handheld electronic device 100 of this embodiment is, for example, a mobile phone, and includes a main body 110 , a button module 120 and a display module 130 . The main body 110 has a shell 112 . The housing 112 exposes the display module 130 and has at least one opening 112a (a plurality is shown). In this embodiment, the handheld electronic device 100 is a bar type mobile phone, but the handheld electronic device 100 can also be changed to a clam shell type handheld electronic device, a sliding type (sliding type) Electronic devices or other types of handheld electronic devices.

The button module 120 includes a circuit board 122 , at least one button 124 (a plurality is shown), at least one light source 126 and at least one reflective element 128 . The circuit board 122 is disposed in the casing 112 . The buttons 124 are disposed in the corresponding openings 112a. The light source 126 is disposed on the circuit board 122 . The reflective element 128 is disposed on the circuit board 122 , and the light source 126 and the reflective element 128 are respectively located on two sides of the button 124 .

Please refer to FIG. 2 , the light L1 emitted by the light source 126 is directly transmitted from one side of the key 124 . On the other hand, the light L2 emitted by the light source 126 is reflected by the reflective element 128 and transmitted from the other side of the key 124 . In other words, the function of the reflective element 128 is to enable the light emitted by the light source 126 to be evenly transmitted from the key 124 , so that the user can have a better visual experience.

FIG. 3 is a partial structural top view of the button module in FIG. 1 . Please refer to FIG. 3 . In more detail, the light emitting sources 126 (six are shown) in this embodiment can be evenly arranged at appropriate positions, so that the light emitted by them can better cover the area included in the entire key module. The reflective elements 128 (nine are shown in the figure) can be correspondingly arranged in areas where light is relatively insufficient, so as to achieve the above-mentioned effect of making light evenly transmitted by virtue of its ability to reflect light. However, the present invention does not limit the quantity and arrangement of the light emitting sources 126 and the reflective elements 128 , which can match the quantity and position of the keys 126 to any appropriate quantity and arrangement to achieve the above effects.

Please refer to FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, each light emitting source 126 is, for example, a light emitting diode (LED) light source or an organic light emitting diode (OLED), and is electrically connected to the circuit board 122 . Each reflective element 128 is, for example, a mirror, a metal piece, a reflective sheet, a metal-coated plastic piece, or other elements with light-reflective properties. In addition, in this embodiment, the button module 120 further includes a button substrate 50 . The button substrate 50 carries the buttons 124 and is disposed between the circuit board 122 and the casing 112 .

The button 124 and the button substrate 50 are transparent, so that the light emitted by the light source 126 can transmit from the button substrate 50 and the button 124 to the outside in sequence. In this embodiment, the material of the button substrate 50 is, for example, rubber or plastic, and the button 124 and the button substrate 50 can be integrally formed by injection molding technology.

Please refer to FIG. 2 , in this embodiment, the circuit board 122 has a plurality of switch elements 122 a corresponding to the keys 124 . Each switch element 122a is electrically connected to the circuit board 122, and each switch element 122a can be a dome switch. When the user presses the button 124 , the button 124 will press the corresponding switch element 122 a through the button substrate 50 . The button substrate 50 can further have a protrusion 52 corresponding to the button 124 and the switch element 122 a, so that the user can press the switch element 122 a more reliably through the button 124 and the button substrate 50 . In addition, the circuit board 122 can also be a flexible printed circuit (FPC), so as to make the use of the space inside the housing 112 more flexible.

It is worth noting that there is a distance between the bump 52 located between the light source 126 and the reflective element 128 and the switch element 122a, so as to provide a path for the light L2 emitted by the light source 126 to reach the reflective element 128, so that the light L2 does not Because the reflective element 128 cannot be reached due to the blocking of the element.

To sum up, in the handheld electronic device and the button module of the present invention, the light source and the reflective elements are respectively arranged on two sides of the button. The light emitted by the luminous source can be directly transmitted from one side of the key, and can be transmitted from the other side of the key through reflection of the reflective element. In this way, the light emitted from the key can be more uniform, so as to improve its functionality, and allow the user to have a better visual experience. In addition, the switch elements and bumps located between the light emitting source and the reflective element are properly arranged so as not to block the path of the light emitted by the light emitting source from reaching the reflective element.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make some modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention The scope of protection should be defined by the claims.

Claims (8)

1. A button module, suitable for a handheld electronic device, the handheld electronic device has a casing, and the casing is provided with at least one opening, the button module includes: a circuit board configured in the casing; At least one button is arranged in the at least one opening; a light source configured on the circuit board; and A reflective element is arranged on the circuit board, and the light emitting source and the reflective element are respectively located on two sides of the at least one button. 2. The button module according to claim 1, wherein the reflective element is a reflective mirror, a metal piece or a reflective sheet. 3. The button module according to claim 1, further comprising a button substrate carrying the at least one button and disposed between the circuit board and the casing. 4. The button module according to claim 3, wherein the button substrate is made of rubber or plastic. 5. The button module as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one button and the button substrate are integrally formed. 6. The button module as claimed in claim 3, wherein the circuit board has a switch element corresponding to the button. 7. The button module as claimed in claim 6, wherein the switch element is a dome switch. 8. A handheld electronic device, comprising: A main body has a shell, wherein the shell has at least one opening; a display module, and the housing exposes the display module; and A button module as claimed in claim 1.

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