CN1841611B - Portable communication device with rotary key - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a portable communication device with a housing (1) comprising at least one mechanical switch (2a, 2b) and at least one key (3) for actuating the mechanical switch (2a, 2 b); the key comprises a driving surface (30) protruding from the outer housing through an aperture (10), and the mechanical switch can be actuated by rotating the key (3) about an axis (XX') substantially perpendicular to the driving surface. According to the invention, the key is made of plastic and presents, in its thickness and behind the driving surface, at least one exposed slit (31a, 31b) extending substantially parallel to the driving surface.

Description

Portable communication device with rotary key

technical field

The present invention relates to a novel key for use with any form of portable communication device, such as a mobile handset, personal digital assistant, organizer or other small devices generally having high volume constraints. More precisely, the invention relates to the design of a rotary key that protects the internal parts in case of impact or impact.

Background technique

It is known to use a rotary key to actuate one or several mechanical switches located within the housing of the portable device. Such keys typically include an actuation surface that is manually operated by a user. The mechanical switch is actuatable by rotating the key about at least one axis substantially perpendicular to the actuation surface of the key. This means that the mechanical switch must be placed behind the key while being off-centre with respect to said axis.

For good ergonomic use it is preferred that the drive surface protrudes from the outer housing. However, this also means that the key is more exposed to external constraints, especially shocks. In the event of a large shock, for example the communication device is dropped, the key may rotate violently, which can cause damage to the mechanical switch behind the key.

To protect this mechanical switch, several solutions have been proposed:

A first solution is to provide a key made of rubber so that the key can absorb shocks. However, in this case, the user's tactile sense is insufficient. In addition, finishing of the rubber key is limited. This solution does not allow many options in terms of the aesthetics of the final bond finish (plating, painting, metallization, transparency...).

Another known solution in which plastic keys can be used is to form a silicon layer inside the housing between the key and the mechanical switch. This solution has a good tactile effect and can have a variety of finishes. However, this is a very expensive solution in terms of added material and assembly.

Contents of the invention

The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages by proposing an economical solution that can use plastic keys, with a good tactile feel and various finishes, while at the same time protecting mechanical switches well in case of strong impacts.

To this end, the object of the present invention is a portable communication device having a housing with a housing containing at least one mechanical switch and at least one key for actuating said mechanical switch; an actuation surface protruding from said outer housing and actuatable by rotating the key about an axis substantially perpendicular to said actuation surface; characterized in that said key is made of plastic material, and In its thickness and behind said drive surface, there is present at least one exposed slit extending substantially parallel to said drive surface.

Description of drawings

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description of a possible preferred embodiment of the invention, given by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. in:

Figure 1 schematically represents a partial cross-section in a rest position of a device equipped with a key according to the present invention;

Figure 2 represents the same view as above when the key is driven normally;

Fig. 3 represents the same view as above in the case of a large external impact acting on the key.

Detailed ways

In FIGS. 1-3, symbol 1 represents a part of a wall of the outer casing of the portable communication device (for example, the side wall of the mobile phone casing), symbols 2a, 2b represent two mechanical switches in the casing, and symbol 3 denotes a rotary key that actuates one of the mechanical switches. The mechanical switches 2a and 2b may be supported by the same PCB2. Key 3 passes through a hole 10 in the housing and includes an actuation surface 30 . As can be seen from Figure 1, the drive surface 30 protrudes from the outer housing when the key is in the rest position. This facilitates good ergonomic use. In order that the user can actuate the switch 2a or the switch 2b, the key 3 is rotatable about the axis XX' (Fig. 1). The mechanical switches 2a, 2b are off-centre with respect to said axis. In the rest position shown in Figure 1, the key 3 is not in contact with the mechanical switch. If the user presses the key 3 on the lowermost area shown under the arrow in Figure 2, the key 3 rotates around the axis XX' until an end point 31 of the side of the key opposite the drive surface 30 reaches the mechanical switch 2b until a metal dome cover. Under pressure, the metal dome will elastically deform until the switch is activated. Other kinds of mechanical switches may also be used. Key 3 is made of plastic (rigid). This is possible with several finishing possibilities including painting, electroplating….

According to an essential feature of the invention, said key comprises slits 31a, 31b in the thickness of the key. The slits extend substantially parallel to the drive surface 30 . The purpose of these slits (the number of which should correspond to the number of mechanical switches actuated by the same key) is to absorb shocks in order to prevent damage to the mechanical switches. The shape and size of each slit 31a, 31b is a trade-off between the necessary overall rigidity of the key, on the one hand, so as not to affect the knocking feel, and the necessity of sufficient deformation, on the other hand, to absorb shock. The location of the slits within the thickness of the key is also determined by the general shape of the key. However, the slit must be located behind the drive surface 30 . As can be seen from the figure, a slit is formed in the hole 10 . Despite the rigidity of the plastic, the portion of the drive surface directly facing the slit is somewhat elastic. As can be seen from Figure 1, when the key is in the rest position, the slit preferably extends in the plane of the hole 10 and away from the outer surface of the wall 1 of the outer casing. As a result, the slit is not visible from the outside. As shown in Figure 3, in the case of a large constraint due to impact, as shown by the arrow F' in Figure 3, the slit 31b is designed so that the key deforms until the corresponding area of the driving surface is flush with the outer casing 1 . When the key is in this position, most of the shock is absorbed, preventing damage to the mechanical switch.

The invention can be used in any form of portable device where the risk of impact is high, regardless of the position of the key relative to the outer casing of the device. For example, in the case of a mobile handset, the key could be a side key, or any key located on the front or rear side of the mobile handset. Additionally, although a key rotatable about an axis is preferably used to actuate two mechanical switches, the invention can also be used in the case of one mechanical switch. In addition, a person skilled in the art can easily apply the principles of the invention to a key rotatable about several axes in order to be able to actuate more than two mechanical switches.

Claims (1)

1. portable communication appts, this portable communication appts comprises:

One shell (1) is formed with a hole (10) on the described shell;

Described shell also comprises:

At least one mechanical switch (2a, 2b), this mechanical switch are arranged in the described shell; And

Described mechanical switch (the 2a of at least one driving, key 2b) (3), this key comprise one by a described hole (10) from the outstanding drive surfaces (30) of described shell, and by making this key (3) round basically vertical with described drive surfaces axis (XX ') rotation, and drive this mechanical switch, described key is made of plastics, and be included in the thickness of this key and the slit of described drive surfaces back, so that when the direction towards described mechanical switch is applied with surge to described drive surfaces, described key deforms, until the respective regions of this drive surfaces (30) is with till described shell (1) flushes, present at least one long and narrow cut (31a, 31b) that basically extends in parallel with described drive surfaces.

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