Protective shell and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a protective shell and a manufacturing method thereof, the manufacturing method of the protective shell comprises the steps that a first material layer and a second material layer are cut into shapes and sizes matched with those of a to-be-protected product, the first material layer is a rigid layer, the second material layer is a flexible layer, and the hardness of the flexible layer is smaller than that of the rigid layer; a molding material is obtained through mold closing and pressing; the shaping material, the first release film and the second release film are placed in the flexible container, and the flexible container is sealed after air in the flexible container is pumped out; the sealed flexible container is placed in an autoclave and lasts for a preset time under the preset pressure and the preset temperature, the molding material forms a one-piece type whole after being subjected to high-temperature and high-pressure treatment, the one-piece type whole comprises a rigid area and a flexible area, and the hardness of the flexible area is smaller than that of the rigid area; the rigid layer forms a rigid region, or the overlapped part of the rigid layer and the flexible layer forms a rigid region; and the part, which is not overlapped with the rigid layer, in the flexible layer forms a flexible region.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of electronic equipment accessories, and in particular to a protective shell and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Electronic products such as mobile phones and laptops are usually protected by protective cases. Existing protective cases usually include a cover plate and a frame extending from the cover plate. The cover plate and the frame are usually formed in one piece, and the cover plate and the frame have the same hardness. One disadvantage of existing protective cases is that they are relatively hard as a whole, making it inconvenient to install and remove the protective cases. In addition, existing protective cases are relatively hard as a whole, so it is difficult to operate the buttons of electronic products through the mobile phone case. Existing protective cases often have through holes at positions corresponding to the buttons to expose the buttons of electronic products for users to operate. This solution results in the buttons of electronic products not being effectively protected. Summary of the invention

[0003] One object of the present invention is to provide a protective shell to facilitate disassembly and assembly of the protective shell or to facilitate operation of buttons of electronic products, thereby improving control sensitivity.

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, the first aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a protective shell, comprising: preparing a base material, comprising cutting a first material layer and a second material layer into a shape and size matching the product to be protected according to the size of the product to be protected, the first material layer being a rigid layer, the second material layer being a flexible layer, and the hardness of the flexible layer being less than the hardness of the rigid layer; material shaping treatment, comprising obtaining a shaping material sandwiched between the first release film and the second release film by mold pressing the base material; vacuum sealing treatment, comprising placing the shaping material, the first release film, and the second release film in a flexible container, and sealing the flexible container after extracting the air in the flexible container; high temperature and high pressure treatment, placing the sealed flexible container in an autoclave at a preset pressure and a preset temperature for a preset time, the shaping material forming a one-piece whole after the high temperature and high pressure treatment, the one-piece whole comprising a rigid region and a flexible region, the hardness of the flexible region being less than the hardness of the rigid region; the rigid layer itself forms the rigid region, or the overlapping portion of the rigid layer and the flexible layer forms the rigid region; the portion of the flexible layer that does not overlap with the rigid layer forms the flexible region.

[0005] In one embodiment of the present invention, in the high temperature and high pressure treatment, the preset pressure ranges from 0.3 to 0.9 MPa, the preset temperature ranges from 120 to 130 degrees Celsius, and the preset duration ranges from 10 to 20 minutes.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, in the high temperature and high pressure treatment, the preset pressure ranges from 0.3 to 0.9 MPa, the preset temperature ranges from 130 to 140 degrees Celsius, and the preset duration ranges from 30 to 50 minutes.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, in the high temperature and high pressure treatment, the preset pressure range is 0.3~0.9MPa, first at a first preset temperature of 120~130 degrees Celsius for a first preset time of 10~20 minutes, and then at a second preset temperature of 130~140 degrees Celsius for a second preset time of 30~50 minutes.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first release film and the second release film are silicone layers; and the flexible container is a tin foil bag or an aluminum foil bag.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the material shaping process includes: placing the base material on a mold core covered with the first release film, obtaining a first shaping material by mold closing and pressing, and the first release film is located on a first side of the first shaping material; wrapping the second release film on the second side of the first shaping material, and obtaining a second shaping material sandwiched between the first release film and the second release film by mold closing and pressing.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention: in the step of preparing the base material, it also includes setting a through hole in the first material layer; in the step of material shaping treatment, it also includes placing the second material layer into or covering the through hole; wherein, after the high temperature and high pressure treatment, the area of ​​the second material layer located in the through hole serves as the flexible area, and the flexible area is connected to the edge of the through hole into a one-piece whole.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention: in the step of preparing the base material, it also includes: according to the size of the product to be protected, cutting the third material layer into a shape and size matching the product to be protected, and opening a first opening in the first material layer and a second opening in the third material layer; the first material layer and the third material layer are both rigid layers; the material shaping treatment includes stacking the first material layer and the third material layer so that the first opening and the second opening are stacked to form a through hole, and placing the second material layer at a position corresponding to the through hole; the high temperature and high pressure treatment includes fixing the first material layer and the third material layer together through high temperature and high pressure to form the rigid area, connecting the second material layer to the rigid area, and the area of ​​the second material layer corresponding to the through hole serves as the flexible area.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention: the size of the second material layer is larger than the size of the first opening and the size of the second opening; in the step of material shaping, the first opening and the second opening are overlapped opposite to each other to form the through hole; the second material layer is placed between the first opening and the second opening.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention: the first opening and the second opening have different sizes, the size of the second material layer is larger than the size of the small holes in the first opening and the second opening, and smaller than or equal to the size of the large holes in the first opening and the second opening; in the step of material shaping, the second material layer is arranged in the large hole so that the adjacent rigid layers of the second material layer are connected to achieve pre-positioning.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the flexible region is in the range of 0.2 mm to 1.2 mm.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the outer surface of the flexible region is flat or concave inwardly relative to a peripheral region of the rigid region located at the periphery of the flexible region, and the concave depth is 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm.

[0016] A second aspect of the present invention provides a protective shell, which is made according to the manufacturing method described in the first aspect of the present invention.

[0017] The present invention can be made into a one-piece integral protective shell, which has a rigid area and a flexible area. The rigid area serves as the main body of the protective shell to protect the product, such as an electronic product, as a whole; the flexible area is easy to deform to facilitate the disassembly and assembly of the protective shell or the buttons used to operate the electronic product, thereby improving the control sensitivity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying any creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a protective shell provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the protective case from another angle; Figure 3 An exploded schematic diagram of material layers of a protective shell provided in a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 An exploded schematic diagram of material layers of a protective shell provided in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an exploded view of material layers of a protective shell provided in a third embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an exploded view of material layers of a protective shell provided in a fourth embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 An exploded schematic diagram of material layers of a protective shell provided in a fifth embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 An exploded schematic diagram of material layers of a protective shell provided in a sixth embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a combination of an electronic product and a protective shell provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Fig.10 A schematic flow chart of a method for manufacturing a protective shell provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] It should be understood that when used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms "include" and "comprises" indicate the presence of described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0022] It should also be understood that the terms used in this specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used in the specification of the present invention and the appended claims, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural forms.

[0023] It should be further understood that the term "and / or" used in the present description and the appended claims refers to any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes these combinations.

[0024] Example 1 Please refer to Figure 1, the present application provides a protective shell 100, which is a one-piece whole; it is formed by at least two layers of material being stacked and connected. The connection formation mentioned here can have different connection methods, for example, it refers to melting the relevant substances in at least two layers of material by heating or pressurizing, and flowing to a specific position under the action of pressure or mold and then solidifying under the influence of temperature or pressure; it can also be that the two layers of material are bonded together by materials such as adhesives and then solidified to achieve connection. The connection formation mentioned here promotes the formation of an inseparable whole between at least two layers of material under non-violent intervention, and this inseparable whole is also called a "one-piece whole". Specifically, at least one material layer is a rigid layer, and at least one material layer is a flexible layer, and the rigid layer itself forms the rigid area 31 of the protective shell, or: the overlapping part of the rigid layer and the flexible layer forms the rigid area 31 of the protective shell; and: the part of the flexible layer that does not overlap with the rigid layer forms the flexible area 36 of the protective shell 100, and the hardness of the flexible area 36 is less than the hardness of the rigid area 31. It should be noted that in this specification and claims, rigidity and flexibility are relative concepts, the hardness of the flexible region 36 is less than the hardness of the rigid region 31; the hardness of the flexible layer after being made into a protective shell is less than the hardness of the rigid layer after being made into a protective shell. It can be understood that the overlapping part of the rigid layer and the flexible layer still reflects the characteristics of the rigid region in terms of the protection angle of the protective shell (mainly examining its outer surface).

[0025] For better explanation, in a specific material selection embodiment, one material layer is an aramid fiber material layer pre-impregnated with a thermosetting resin (such as epoxy resin), which is defined as a rigid layer; the other material layer is an aramid fiber material layer pre-impregnated with a thermoplastic resin (such as polyurethane), which is defined as a flexible layer. It can be understood that the hardness of the aramid fiber material layer pre-impregnated with epoxy resin after being made into a protective shell is greater than the hardness of the aramid fiber material layer pre-impregnated with polyurethane after being made into a protective shell. In more specific embodiments, the material of the rigid layer can also be a man-made fiber material such as carbon fiber, glass fiber, or metal, hard plastic, inorganic material such as silicide, etc.; and the material of the flexible layer can also be silicone, latex, rubber and other materials. In a special case, the materials of the rigid layer and the flexible layer can be the same, the only difference is that the thickness of the rigid layer is greater than the thickness of the flexible layer, so that the hardness of the rigid layer and the flexible layer is relatively comparable.

[0026] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2, further, the protective shell 100 includes a cover plate 21 and a frame 23 extending from the edge of the cover plate 21. It can be understood that when the protective shell 100 is mounted on the electronic product, the cover plate 21 is used to abut against the front or back side (generally the back side) of the electronic product to protect the surface, and the frame 23 is used to protect the side of the electronic product and to ensure that the protective shell 100 is stably mounted on the electronic product. In this embodiment, when the cover plate 21 is a rigid area 31 and the frame 23 is a flexible area 36 in whole or in part (for example, the upper frame or the lower frame of the mobile phone), the flexible area 36 can change its shape better than the rigid area 31, so that the protective shell 100 can be easily assembled and disassembled. In an alternative solution, the frame 23 can also be a rigid area 31 in whole or in part, and the cover plate 21 can be a flexible area 36. This solution can also facilitate the assembly and disassembly of the protective shell 100. To better illustrate, in a specific embodiment, a cover plate 21 of a mobile phone case, a left frame and a right frame of a frame 23 are connected by an aramid fiber material layer pre-impregnated with epoxy resin and an aramid fiber material layer pre-impregnated with polyurethane, while an upper frame and a lower frame of the frame 23 are only formed by an aramid fiber material layer pre-impregnated with polyurethane. This mobile phone case shows a combination of a rigid area and a flexible area, which can not only better protect the mobile phone, but also enhance the wrapping protection of the side part of the mobile phone, and is easier to disassemble.

[0027] In a specific embodiment, please refer to Figure 2 , the frame 23 is partially a flexible area, that is, the frame 23 includes a rigid area 31 and a flexible area 36. Preferably, the rigid area 31 is provided with a through hole 24. The flexible area 36 is arranged in the through hole 24; and the flexible area is connected to the edge of the through hole 24 to form a one-piece whole. In this embodiment, the edges around the through hole 24 are all rigid areas 31; it is understandable that the through hole 24 can also be a gap in the frame 23, for example, the through hole 24 is formed at the edge of the frame 23. It is understandable that the through hole 24 can also be arranged on the cover plate 21; thereby forming a flexible area at the through hole 24 of the cover plate 21. The flexible area 36 can be used as a button surface layer 26, which is used to adapt to electronic products with buttons, so that users can operate the buttons of electronic products through the flexible area 36.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3In this embodiment, the protective shell 100 includes a first material layer 41 and a second material layer 42; the first material layer 41 is a rigid layer, which forms a rigid area after molding, and the second material layer 42 is a flexible layer. After the first material layer 41 and the second material layer 42 are fixedly connected, for example, after hot pressing, they form a one-piece whole, and together form the cover plate 42 and the frame 23. The first material layer 41 is provided with a through hole 24 at a preset position. The second material layer 42 covers the first material layer 41 and the through hole 24; the area of ​​the second material layer 42 covering the through hole 24 forms a flexible area 36; the area where the second material layer 42 overlaps the first material layer 41 is still the rigid area 31. It can be understood that the second material layer 42 can cover the outer surface of the first material layer 41, or it can cover the inner surface of the first material layer 41.

[0029] Please refer to Fig.10 , the method for manufacturing the protective shell 100 includes: Step S13: preparing the base material, including cutting the first material layer 41 and the second material layer 42 into a shape and size matching the product to be protected according to the size of the product to be protected, the first material layer 41 is a rigid layer, the second material layer 42 is a flexible layer, and the hardness of the flexible layer is less than that of the rigid layer.

[0030] Step S15: material shaping processing, including pressing the base material through mold closing to obtain a shaping material sandwiched between the first release film and the second release film.

[0031] The first release film and the second release film are made of soft materials, for example, the first release film and the second release film are silicone layers, and the silicone material can be prepared according to the record of the authorization announcement number CN113079238B; however, the release film of the present invention is not limited to this specific silicone material. For example, the base material is placed between the first release film and the second release film.

[0032] Step S17: vacuum sealing treatment, including placing the shaping material, the first release film, and the second release film in a flexible container, extracting the air in the flexible container and then sealing the flexible container. For example, the flexible container is a tin foil bag or an aluminum foil bag.

[0033] Step S19: high temperature and high pressure treatment, including placing the sealed flexible container in an autoclave at a preset pressure and a preset temperature for a preset time, wherein the plastic material forms a one-piece entity after the high temperature and high pressure treatment, and the one-piece entity includes a rigid region 31 and a flexible region 36, wherein the hardness of the flexible region 36 is less than the hardness of the rigid region 31; the rigid layer itself forms the rigid region 31, or the overlapping portion of the rigid layer and the flexible layer forms the rigid region 31; the portion of the flexible layer that does not overlap with the rigid layer forms the flexible region 36.

[0034] In step S19, because the tin foil bag is thinner and softer, it can transfer pressure to the first release film and the second release film more evenly, and squeeze the plastic material therein through the first release film and the second release film, so that the plastic material is further softened and deformed under high pressure and temperature.

[0035] In this embodiment, in step S19, the preset pressure range of the autoclave is 0.3~0.9MPa, and one of the links is at 120~130 degrees Celsius for 10~20 minutes; in an alternative scheme, the preset pressure range of the autoclave is 0.3~0.9MPa, and one of the links is at 130~140 degrees Celsius for 30~50 minutes; in another scheme, the preset pressure range of the autoclave is 0.3~0.9MPa, first at 120~130 degrees Celsius for 10~20 minutes, and then at 130~140 degrees Celsius for 30~50 minutes.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment, the sealed flexible container is heated from the initial temperature to 125 degrees Celsius and maintained for 15 minutes at 0.4-0.8 MPa in the autoclave, and then heated to 135 degrees Celsius and maintained for 40 minutes.

[0037] In this embodiment, the step of preparing the base material further includes providing the through hole 24 in the first material layer 41. Accordingly, the step of material shaping treatment further includes placing the second material layer 42 on or covering the through hole 24. After high temperature and high pressure treatment, the area of ​​the second material layer 42 located at the through hole 24 serves as the flexible area 36, ​​and the flexible area 36 is connected to the edge of the through hole 24 to form a one-piece whole.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, step S15 includes two shaping processes. First, a base material such as a first material layer 41 and a second material layer 42 are placed on a mold core provided with the first release film, and a first shaping material is obtained by mold closing and pressing, wherein the first release film is located on a first side of the first shaping product; then, a second release film is coated on a second side of the first shaping material, and a second shaping material is obtained by mold closing and pressing; the second shaping material is located between the first release film and the second release film.

[0039] In this embodiment, the first material layer 41 is an aramid fiber material pre-impregnated with a thermosetting resin, and the second material layer 42 is an aramid fiber material pre-impregnated with a thermoplastic resin. During the high temperature and high pressure treatment process, the relevant substances in the two layers of materials melt, flow to a specific position under the action of pressure or mold, and then solidify under the influence of temperature or pressure, forming an integral body between the two layers of materials that cannot be separated under non-violent intervention. This inseparable integral body is also called a "one-piece integral body".

[0040] In this embodiment, the first material layer 41 is completely covered by the second material layer 42. In an alternative solution, the first material layer 41 is partially covered by the second material layer 42.

[0041] Example 2 Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 In this embodiment, the protective shell 100 includes a first material layer 41, a second material layer 42 and a third material layer 43, and the first material layer 41, the second material layer 42 and the third material layer 43 form a one-piece whole. The first material layer 41 and the third material layer 43 are both rigid layers, and the first material layer 41 and the third material layer 43 are stacked to form a rigid region 31. The first material layer 41 is provided with a first opening 24a, and the third material layer 43 is provided with a second opening 24b corresponding to the first opening 24a; the first opening 24a and the second opening 24b together form a through hole 24. The second material layer 42 is a flexible layer.

[0042] Accordingly, in the process of manufacturing the protective shell, the step of preparing the base material also includes: cutting the third material layer 13 into a shape and size matching the product to be protected according to the size of the product to be protected, and opening a first opening 24a in the first material layer 41 and a second opening 24b in the third material layer 43; as mentioned above, the first material layer 41 and the third material layer 43 are both rigid layers. The step of material shaping treatment includes stacking the first material layer 41 and the third material layer 43 so that the first opening 24a and the second opening 24b are stacked to form a through hole 24, and placing the second material layer 42 at a position corresponding to the through hole 24. The high temperature and high pressure treatment step includes fixing the first material layer 41 and the third material layer 43 together and forming a rigid area 31 through high temperature and high pressure, connecting the second material layer 42 to the rigid area 31, and the area of ​​the second material layer 42 corresponding to the through hole 24 is used as a flexible area 36.

[0043] In this embodiment, the first opening 24a and the second opening 24b have the same shape and size, and are arranged in an overlapping manner opposite to each other. The size of the second material layer 42 is larger than the size of the first opening 24a and the size of the second opening 24b, so as to cover the through hole 10 to form the flexible area 2. The second material layer 42 is arranged between the first opening 24a and the second opening 24b, and is connected to the first material layer 41 and the third material layer 43 to form a whole. Because a part of the area of ​​the second material layer 42 is covered to the first material layer 41 and the third material layer 43 in advance, the three can stably maintain relative positions during the manufacturing process, so the protective shell 100 does not need to be provided with the fourth material layer 44 as in Example 2. In a specific embodiment, the first material layer 41 and the third material layer 43 are aramid fiber material layers pre-impregnated with epoxy resin, and the second material layer 42 is an aramid fiber material layer pre-impregnated with polyurethane. During the manufacturing process, since the size of the aramid fiber material layer pre-impregnated with polyurethane is larger than the size of the first opening 24a and the second opening 24b, the adhesion properties of the epoxy resin and the polyurethane resin themselves cause the two different material layers to adhere to each other, which plays a role of pre-positioning, maintains the relative position well, and prevents deformation or displacement of the flexible area.

[0044] Accordingly, during the manufacturing process of the protective shell, in the step of material shaping, the first opening 24a and the second opening 24b are overlapped opposite to form the through hole 24; and the second material layer 42 is placed between the first opening 24a and the second opening 24b.

[0045] Example 3 Please refer to Figure 5 , the difference between this embodiment and embodiment 2 is that the shape and size of the first opening 24a and the second opening 24b are different; the size of the second material layer 42 is larger than the size of the small hole in the first opening 24a and the second opening 24b, and smaller than or equal to the size of the large hole in the first opening 24a and the second opening 24b. One of the first opening 24a and the second opening 24b is a large hole, and the other is a small hole. For example, the first opening 24a is a small hole, and the second opening 24b is a large hole. The second material layer 42 is arranged in the large hole, and the shape and size of the second material layer 42 are the same as the shape and size of the large hole. Because a part of the area of ​​the second material layer 42 is covered on the second material layer 43 in advance, the two can stably maintain relative positions during the manufacturing process. The large hole and small hole described here are relative size concepts. In a preferred embodiment, the large hole and the small hole both have rectangular holes, and the width of the large hole is equivalent to the width of the small hole, but the length of the large hole is at least 1 / 10-1 / 5 longer than the small hole.

[0046] Accordingly, during the manufacturing process of the protective shell, in the step of material shaping, the second material layer 42 is disposed in the large hole so that the rigid layers adjacent to the second material layer 42 are connected to achieve pre-positioning.

[0047] Please refer to Figure 6 In an alternative solution, the first opening 24a is a large hole, and the second opening 24b is a small hole. The second material layer 42 is disposed in the large hole, and the shape and size of the second material layer 42 are the same as the shape and size of the large hole. Because a portion of the area of ​​the second material layer 42 is pre-covered on the first material layer 41, the two can stably maintain relative positions during the manufacturing process.

[0048] Example 4 Please refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 , this embodiment and Figure 6 The difference of the embodiment shown is that the size of the second material layer 42 is larger than the size of the large hole; the second material layer 42 is arranged between the first opening 24a and the second opening 24b, and is connected with the first material layer 41 and the third material layer 43 to form a whole. Because a part of the area of ​​the second material layer 42 is covered on the first material layer 41 in advance, the two can stably maintain relative positions during the manufacturing process.

[0049] Example 5 Please refer to Fig. 9 The combination 500 of the electronic product 200 and the protective shell 100 is formed by the protective shell 100 being sleeved or covered on the outer surface of the electronic product 200. The rigid region 1 of the protective shell 100 is used to protect the entire electronic product 200.

[0050] The outer surface of the electronic product 200 is provided with a sensing button. The flexible area 2 of the protective shell 100 is attached to the outer surface of the sensing button to protect the sensing button and facilitate the user to operate the sensing button 210 by touching the flexible area 2. Preferably, the outer surface of the flexible area 2 is flush with or recessed inward relative to the outer surface of the rigid area 1 connected thereto, for example, the depth H of the recess is 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. In this way, the recognizability of the flexible area 2 when being touched can be improved without affecting the aesthetics of the protective shell 100.

[0051] The depth H may specifically be 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, etc.

[0052] Preferably, the thickness of the flexible region 2 is smaller than the thickness of the rigid region 1 connected thereto. Preferably, the thickness of the flexible region 2 is 0.1 mm to 1.2 mm.

[0053] The specific thickness of the flexible region 2 can be 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.7 mm, 0.8 mm, 0.9 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.2 mm, etc.

[0054] Preferably, the thickness of the flexible area 2 is greater than or equal to 0.2 mm and less than or equal to 0.6 mm. This thickness can not only ensure that the flexible area 2 protects the corresponding function keys and other structures on the electronic device 200, but also does not affect the touch sensitivity of the external operation on the function keys, such as capacitive keys.

[0055] The thickness of the flexible region 2 may specifically be 0.2 mm, 0.3 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, etc.

[0056] Preferably, the shape of the flexible area 2 is an ellipse, a rectangle or a rounded rectangle, and the size and area are preferably such that at least the outer surface of the sensing button can be covered. Taking the rectangular or rounded rectangular flexible area 2 as an example, its maximum length ranges from 15 mm to 50 mm, and its maximum width ranges from 2 mm to 12 mm.

[0057] The opening mentioned in the present application may be a fully enclosed through hole or a semi-enclosed notch; the size of the opening refers to the size of the opening in a vertical plane along its axial direction.

[0058] In some embodiments, the sensing button is, for example, a capacitive sensing button.

[0059] In some embodiments, the electronic device includes a mobile phone, the sensing button includes a shooting button, the protective shell is provided with a side wall for surrounding the side of the mobile phone, and the flexible area is provided on the side wall; the flexible area is provided corresponding to the shooting button on the mobile phone, so that the shooting button can be operated through the flexible area. The shooting button is electrically connected to the main control of the electronic device, such as a microprocessor unit, and the shooting button can convert the pressing operation and / or touching operation of the shooting button by the user into an electrical signal and transmit it to the microprocessor unit, so that the microprocessor unit controls the camera component and other related functional components of the electronic device to work, thereby realizing at least one of the functions such as camera opening and closing, focus adjustment, shooting, video recording, etc.

[0060] In some embodiments, the flexible area is formed with an identifiable portion. The setting of the identifiable portion can improve the efficiency and reliability of the flexible area being identified, thereby improving the operating efficiency and reliability of the electronic device. Among them, the identifiable portion can be realized by setting the flexible area to be convex or concave relative to the rigid area, or by setting the flexible area and the rigid area to have different textures, different colors, different reflectivity, etc. For example, a surface treatment method such as fluorescent treatment can be performed on the outer surface of the flexible area so that the user can notice the flexible area at the first time. In a specific embodiment, a fluorescent agent is added to the material layer of the flexible area to help the user better notice the existence of the flexible area in a dark environment. The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, and these modifications or replacements should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a protective shell, characterized in that: include: Preparing a base material, comprising cutting a first material layer (41) and a second material layer (42) into a shape and size matching the product to be protected according to the size of the product to be protected, wherein the first material layer (41) is a rigid layer, and the second material layer (42) is a flexible layer, and the hardness of the flexible layer is less than the hardness of the rigid layer; Material shaping treatment, including pressing the base material through mold closing to obtain a shaping material sandwiched between the first release film and the second release film; Vacuum sealing treatment, including placing the shaping material, the first release film, and the second release film in a flexible container, and sealing the flexible container after extracting the air in the flexible container; The high temperature and high pressure treatment comprises placing the sealed flexible container in an autoclave at a preset pressure and temperature for a preset time, wherein the plastic material forms a one-piece integral body after the high temperature and high pressure treatment, wherein the one-piece integral body comprises a rigid region (31) and a flexible region (36), wherein the hardness of the flexible region (36) is less than the hardness of the rigid region (31); the rigid layer itself forms the rigid region (31), or the portion of the rigid layer overlapping the flexible layer forms the rigid region (31); and the portion of the flexible layer that does not overlap with the rigid layer forms the flexible region (36).

2. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the high temperature and high pressure treatment, the preset pressure ranges from 0.3 to 0.9 MPa, the preset temperature ranges from 120 to 130 degrees Celsius, and the preset duration ranges from 10 to 20 minutes.

3. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the high temperature and high pressure treatment, the preset pressure ranges from 0.3 to 0.9 MPa, the preset temperature ranges from 130 to 140 degrees Celsius, and the preset duration ranges from 30 to 50 minutes.

4. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first release film and the second release film are silicone layers; the flexible container is a tin foil bag or an aluminum foil bag.

5. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material shaping process comprises: Placing the base material on the mold core covered with the first release film, and obtaining a first shaping material by mold closing and pressing, wherein the first release film is located on a first side of the first shaping material; The second release film is coated on the second side of the first plastic material, and the second plastic material sandwiched between the first release film and the second release film is obtained by mold closing and pressing.

6. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step of preparing the base material, the step further includes providing a through hole (24) in the first material layer (41); In the material shaping step, the second material layer (42) is also placed in or covers the through hole (24); Wherein, after the high temperature and high pressure treatment, the area of ​​the second material layer (42) located at the through hole (24) serves as the flexible area (36), and the flexible area (36) is connected to the edge of the through hole (24) to form a one-piece whole.

7. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of preparing the base material further includes: cutting the third material layer (13) into a shape and size matching the product to be protected according to the size of the product to be protected, and opening a first opening (24a) in the first material layer (41) and a second opening (24b) in the third material layer (13); the first material layer (41) and the third material layer (13) are both rigid layers; The material shaping process comprises stacking the first material layer (41) and the third material layer (43) so that the first opening (24a) and the second opening (24b) are stacked to form a through hole (24), and placing the second material layer (42) at a position corresponding to the through hole (24); The high temperature and high pressure treatment comprises: fixing the first material layer (41) and the third material layer (13) together and forming the rigid region (31) by high temperature and high pressure, connecting the second material layer (42) to the rigid region (31), and the region of the second material layer (42) corresponding to the through hole (24) as the flexible region (36).

8. The manufacturing method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The size of the second material layer (42) is larger than the size of the first opening and the size of the second opening; In the material shaping step, the first opening (24a) and the second opening (24b) are overlapped opposite to each other to form the through hole (24); and the second material layer (42) is placed between the first opening (24a) and the second opening (24b).

9. The manufacturing method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first opening (24a) and the second opening (24b) are of different sizes, and the size of the second material layer (42) is larger than the size of the small holes in the first opening (24a) and the second opening (24b), and smaller than or equal to the size of the large holes in the first opening (24a) and the second opening (24b); In the material shaping step, the second material layer (42) is arranged in the large hole, so that the rigid layers adjacent to the second material layer (42) are connected to achieve pre-positioning.

10. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the flexible region (36) ranges from 0.2 mm to 1.2 mm.

11. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surface of the flexible region is flat or inwardly concave relative to the outer peripheral region located outside the flexible region in the rigid region, and the concave depth is 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm.

12. A protective shell, characterized in that: Made according to the manufacturing method described in any one of 1 to 11.

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