Electronic device

Abstract

An electronic device includes a housing, a light-emitting element, a light guide, a waterproof elastic element, and a button housing. The housing defines an accommodating space and includes a button opening. The light-emitting element is disposed within the accommodating space. The light guide includes an input end and an output end for light transmission with the light-emitting element, and a connecting portion connecting the input end and the output end. The waterproof elastic element surrounds the connecting portion and occupies the gap between the button opening and the connecting portion. The button housing is movably disposed in the button opening and covers the light guide, wherein the button housing includes a light-transmitting portion corresponding to the output end.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to an electronic device having a waterproof illuminated button. Prior Technology

[0002] Currently, if the button switches or input components of electronic devices are not designed to be waterproof and dustproof, the internal components of the devices are prone to open circuits or short circuits due to moisture or dust, thus rendering them unusable. To prevent electronic devices from getting damp and dusty, the traditional approach is to place a rubber component between the device casing and the buttons, filling the space between them with waterproof adhesive. However, since both the rubber component and the waterproof adhesive reduce light transmission, this method prevents light from effectively reaching the button surface, thus affecting the button's luminous efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This disclosure provides an electronic device having waterproof buttons that emit light toward the display surface of the electronic device.

[0004] This disclosure discloses an electronic device comprising a housing, a light-emitting element, a light guide, a waterproof elastic element, and a button housing. The housing defines an accommodating space and includes a button opening. The light-emitting element is disposed within the accommodating space. The light guide includes an input end and an output end for light transmission with the light-emitting element, and a connecting portion connecting the input end and the output end. The waterproof elastic element surrounds the connecting portion and occupies the gap between the button opening and the connecting portion. The button housing is movably disposed in the button opening and covers the light guide, wherein the button housing includes a light-transmitting portion corresponding to the output end.

[0005] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the electronic device further includes a waterproof adhesive filled between the waterproof elastic element and the sidewall of the button opening.

[0006] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the button opening is provided on the side surface of the housing, the button housing protrudes from the side surface of the housing, and the light-transmitting part faces the upper surface of the housing.

[0007] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the light-incident end of the light guide includes an incident inclined surface, through which the light emitted by the light-emitting element enters the light guide.

[0008] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the light-emitting end of the light guide includes a reflective slope, and the light emitted by the light-emitting element enters the light guide and is reflected by the reflective slope toward the light-transmitting part.

[0009] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the light-emitting end of the light guide further includes a light-emitting inclined surface that is inclined relative to the reflective inclined surface, and the light reflected by the reflective inclined surface is emitted towards the light-transmitting part via the light-emitting inclined surface.

[0010] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element faces the button opening.

[0011] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the electronic device further includes a circuit board disposed within an accommodating space, and a light-emitting element disposed on the circuit board.

[0012] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the electronic device further includes a circuit board disposed within an accommodating space and a push-button switch disposed on the circuit board.

[0013] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the light guide further includes a pressing portion protruding toward the push button switch. When the push button housing is pressed by an external force, the light guide is pushed toward the push button switch to trigger the push button switch via the pressing portion.

[0014] Based on the above, the disclosed electronic device includes a housing, a light-emitting element, a light guide for light transmission between the light-emitting element and the light source, a waterproof elastic element, and a button housing. The waterproof elastic element surrounds and covers the connecting portion of the light guide and occupies the gap between the button opening and the connecting portion of the housing. With this configuration, the electronic device can provide waterproofing through the waterproof elastic element located between the housing and the light guide. Furthermore, the light emitted by the light-emitting element can be guided by the light guide to the light-transmitting portion of the button housing to indicate the operating status of the electronic device, such as power-on, standby, or power-off. Thus, when operating the electronic device (with the top surface facing the user), the user can easily see the light emitted from the light-transmitting portion of the button housing to determine the operating status of the electronic device.

[0015] Therefore, the electronic device disclosed herein not only allows the corresponding button functions to be executed by pressing the button housing, but also achieves waterproof functionality through a waterproof elastic component. Furthermore, the light emitted by the light-emitting element is guided by a light guide and projected from the light-transmitting portion of the button housing onto the upper surface of the electronic device to indicate its operating status. This allows the user to easily discern the device's operating status by observing the light emitted from the light-transmitting portion of the button housing while operating it. This disclosed configuration thus enhances the waterproof performance and ease of use of the electronic device. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0016] Figure 1 is an exploded view of partial components of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is a partial assembly schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the electronic device in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a partial top view schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Implementation

[0017] Figure 1 is a partial exploded view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is a partial assembly view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring simultaneously to Figures 1 to 3, in some embodiments, the electronic device 100 includes a housing 110, a light-emitting element 120, a light guide 130, a waterproof elastic element 140, and a button housing 150. The electronic device 100 may be, for example, a smartphone, tablet computer, laptop computer, desktop computer, watch, vehicle electronic device, or other electronic devices with light-emitting buttons, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The housing 110 defines an accommodating space for accommodating the required components therein. As shown in Figure 1, the housing 110 includes a button opening OP1. The housing 110 may include an upper surface S1 and a side surface S2 connected to the upper surface S1. In this embodiment, the upper surface S1 may be provided with a display panel 160. Therefore, the upper surface S1 can be regarded as the surface of the electronic device 100 facing the user during operation, while the side surface S2 is the side adjacent to the upper surface S1. In this embodiment, the button opening OP1 is provided on the side surface S2.

[0018] In some embodiments, the light-emitting element 120, the light guide 130, and the waterproof elastic member 140 are all disposed within the accommodating space defined by the housing 110. Specifically, as shown in FIG3, the electronic device 100 further includes a circuit board 180 disposed within this accommodating space, and the light-emitting element 120 is disposed on and electrically connected to the circuit board 180. The light guide 130 is disposed corresponding to the light-emitting element 120 and includes a light-incident end 132, a connecting portion 134, and a light-emitting end 136. The light-incident end 132 transmits light with the light-emitting element 120, the light-emitting end 136 may partially protrude from the side surface S2 of the housing 110, and the connecting portion 134 connects the light-incident end 132 and the light-emitting end 136. The waterproof elastic member 140 surrounds and covers the connecting portion 134, and the waterproof elastic member 140 occupies the gap between the side wall of the button opening OP1 and the connecting portion 134. For example, the material of the light guide 130 may include light guide materials such as thermoplastic polycarbonate (PC) and PMMA resin (polymethyl methacrylate), while the material of the waterproof elastic component 140 may include waterproof elastic materials such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), rubber, and silicone.

[0019] In one embodiment, the light guide 130 and the waterproof elastic component 140 can be formed simultaneously or sequentially using a double injection molding method. Specifically, the double injection molding process involves loading two different raw materials into the injection cylinder of an injection molding machine, and then simultaneously or alternately injecting the two different raw materials into the mold through the injection system of the injection molding machine, forming a product with two different colors or materials. Simply put, it involves using one injection molding machine to inject two different colors or materials into one mold, achieving the purpose of two-color injection molding or mixed injection molding. This method allows the waterproof elastic component 140 to tightly cover the light guide 130 to provide waterproofing. In other embodiments, the light guide 130 and the waterproof elastic component 140 can also be formed separately and then assembled together by gluing or other methods; this disclosure is not limited to these methods.

[0020] In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 further includes a waterproof adhesive 172, which is filled between the waterproof elastic member 140 and the sidewall of the key opening OP1 to fix the waterproof elastic member 140 together with the light guide member 130 inside the key opening OP1. The waterproof elastic member 140 and the waterproof adhesive 172 provide waterproof functionality to prevent moisture, liquids, and / or dust from entering the electronic device 100 and damaging its internal electronic components. In some embodiments, the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element 120 faces the key opening OP1 to emit light towards the key opening OP1. The key housing 150 is movably disposed on the key opening OP1 and covers the light guide member 130. The key housing 150 includes a light-transmitting portion, which corresponds to the light-emitting end 136 of the light guide member 130, so that the light emitted from the light-emitting end 136 can pass through the light-transmitting portion. In one embodiment, optical adhesive 174 may be filled between the key housing 150 and the light-emitting end 136 of the light guide member 130 to fix their relative positions and facilitate light transmission. In this embodiment, the button housing 150 is provided with a button opening OP1 on the side surface S2 of the outer casing 110 and protrudes from the side surface S2 of the outer casing 110. The light-transmitting part 152 of the button housing 150 faces the upper surface S1 of the outer casing 110, so that when the user operates the electronic device 100 (when the upper surface S1 where the display panel 160 is located faces the user), the user can easily see the light emitted by the light-transmitting part 152 of the button housing 150.

[0021] Figure 4 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the electronic device in Figure 3. Referring to Figures 3 and 4 simultaneously, in some embodiments, the light-incident end 132 of the light guide 130 includes an incident inclined surface 1321. The light emitted by the light-emitting element 120 enters the light guide 130 through this incident inclined surface 1321 and is conducted within the light guide 130. The light-emitting end 136 of the light guide 130 includes an inclined reflecting surface 1361 and a light-emitting inclined surface 1362. Thus, after the light emitted by the light-emitting element 120 enters the light guide 130, it is reflected by the reflecting inclined surface 1361 toward the light-transmitting portion 152 of the key housing 150, and then emitted toward the light-transmitting portion 152 of the key housing 150 via the light-emitting inclined surface 1362. With this configuration, the light emitted by the light-emitting element 120 can be guided by the light guide 130 and emitted toward the light-transmitting portion 152 of the key housing 150. In this embodiment, the light-emitting element 120 is disposed on and electrically connected to the circuit board 180 to indicate the operating status of the electronic device (e.g., power-on, standby, or power-off). Therefore, when the upper surface S1 (display / operation surface) of the electronic device 100 is facing the user, the user can easily see the light emitted from the light-transmitting portion 152 of the button housing 150 to determine the operating status of the electronic device 100. Of course, this disclosure does not limit the information indicated by the light-emitting element 120.

[0022] Figure 5 is a partial top view schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figures 1 and 5, in some embodiments, the electronic device 100 further includes a push-button switch 190 disposed on a circuit board 180. The light guide 130 further includes a pressing portion 138 protruding toward the push-button switch 190. Thus, when the button housing 150 is pressed by an external force, it is adapted to push the light guide 130 toward the push-button switch 190 to trigger the push-button switch 190 via the pressing portion 138 of the light guide 130. Specifically, the waterproof elastic member 140 may include a surrounding portion 142 and a fixing portion 144. The surrounding portion 142 of the waterproof elastic member 140 surrounds and tightly adheres to the connecting portion 134 of the light guide 130, and the fixing portion 144 of the waterproof elastic member 140 is fixed to the housing 110 by a waterproof adhesive 172. The movable side 154 of the button housing 150 (e.g., the left side in Figure 5) may be spaced apart from the fixing portion 144 of the waterproof elastic member 140 by a distance G1. In one embodiment, the other side of the button housing 150 relative to the moving side 154 (e.g., the right side in FIG5) can be fixed to the outer shell 110, or the distance between it and the fixing part 144 is less than the distance G1, so that the moving side 154 of the button housing 150 can be pressed by an external force F and move toward the button switch 190.

[0023] In this configuration, when the user applies an external force F to the button housing 150, the button housing 150 moves toward the waterproof elastic member 140 until it contacts its fixing portion 144, and simultaneously pushes the pressing portion 138 of the light guide member 130 toward the button switch 190 to trigger the button switch 190, thereby executing the corresponding function of the button switch 190. In this embodiment, the waterproof elastic member 140 surrounds the connecting portion 134 fixed to the light guide member 130, so when the light guide member 130 is pushed by the button housing 150, it can move toward the button switch 190 due to the elasticity of the waterproof elastic member 140 to trigger the button switch 190. Therefore, the electronic device 100 of this embodiment can trigger the button switch 190 to execute the corresponding function of the button by pressing the button housing 150, and the light emitted by the light-emitting element 120 can be guided by the light guide member 130 and emitted from the light-transmitting portion 152 of the button housing 150 to the upper surface S1 of the electronic device 100 to indicate the operating status of the electronic device 100. In this embodiment, the triggering function of the push button switch 190 and the operating state of the electronic device 100 indicated by the light-emitting element 120 may be related to each other or unrelated to each other.

[0024] In summary, the disclosed electronic device includes a housing, a light-emitting element, a light guide for light transmission between the light-emitting element and the light source, a waterproof elastic element, and a button housing. The waterproof elastic element surrounds and covers the connecting portion of the light guide and occupies the gap between the button opening and the connecting portion of the housing. With this configuration, the electronic device can provide waterproofing through the waterproof elastic element located between the housing and the light guide. Furthermore, the light emitted by the light-emitting element can be guided by the light guide to the light-transmitting portion of the button housing to indicate the operating status of the electronic device, such as power-on, standby, or power-off. Thus, when operating the electronic device (with the top surface facing the user), the user can easily see the light emitted from the light-transmitting portion of the button housing to determine the operating status of the electronic device.

[0025] Furthermore, the electronic device may include a push-button switch mounted on a circuit board, and the light guide may include a pressing portion protruding toward the push-button switch. With this configuration, when the user presses the button housing, the button housing moves toward the push-button switch until it presses against the waterproof elastic element, simultaneously pushing the pressing portion of the light guide toward the push-button switch to trigger it and execute its corresponding function. Therefore, the electronic device disclosed herein not only triggers the push-button switch to execute its corresponding function by pressing the button housing, but also achieves waterproofing through the waterproof elastic element. Furthermore, the light emitted by the light-emitting element is guided by the light guide and emitted from the light-transmitting portion of the button housing onto the upper surface of the electronic device to indicate its operating status, allowing the user to easily understand the device's operating status while operating it. This disclosed configuration thus improves the waterproof performance and ease of use of the electronic device.

[0026] 100: Electronic devices 110: Outer shell 120: Light-emitting element 130: Light guide 132: light input end 1321: Incident Incline 134: Connecting part 136: Light output end 1361: Reflective slope 1362: Light bevel 138: Pressing part 140: Waterproof elastic component 142: Surrounding section 144: Fixing part 150: Button housing 152: Light-transmitting section 154: Mobile side 160: Display panel 172: Waterproof Adhesive 174: Optical adhesive 180: Circuit board 190: Push-button switch F: External force G1: Distance OP1: Button opening S1: Upper surface S2: Side surface

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising: The outer casing defines the accommodating space and includes button openings; A light-emitting element is disposed within the accommodating space; A light guide includes an input end, an output end, and a connecting portion connecting the input end and the output end for light transmission with the light-emitting element; A waterproof elastic element surrounds and contacts the connecting portion, and the waterproof elastic element occupies the gap between the button opening and the connecting portion; and a button housing is movably disposed in the button opening and covers the light-emitting end of the light guide, wherein the button housing includes a light-transmitting portion corresponding to the light-emitting end.

2. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 further includes a waterproof adhesive filled between the waterproof elastic member and the sidewall of the button opening.

3. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the button opening is provided on the side surface of the housing, the button housing protrudes from the side surface of the housing, and the light-transmitting portion faces the upper surface of the housing.

4. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light-incident end of the light guide includes an incident slope, through which light emitted by the light-emitting element enters the light guide.

5. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light-emitting end of the light guide includes a reflective slope, and the light emitted by the light-emitting element enters the light guide and is reflected by the reflective slope toward the light-transmitting portion.

6. The electronic device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the light-emitting end of the light guide further includes a light-emitting inclined surface inclined relative to the reflective inclined surface, and the light reflected by the reflective inclined surface is emitted toward the light-transmitting portion via the light-emitting inclined surface.

7. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element faces the key opening.

8. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 further includes a circuit board disposed within the receiving space, and the light-emitting element disposed on the circuit board.

9. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1 further includes a circuit board disposed within the accommodating space and a push-button switch disposed on the circuit board.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the light guide further includes a pressing portion protruding toward the push button switch, wherein when the push button housing is pressed by an external force, the light guide is moved toward the push button switch to trigger the push button switch via the pressing portion.

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