Abstract:
An exemplary portable electronic device includes a housing, a cover detachably mounted on the housing, a circuit board mounted inside the housing, a switch assembly electrically connected with the circuit board, and a key assembly secured with the cover and aligned with the switch assembly. The key assembly can be pressed by an external force to operate the switch assembly, and rebounds when released.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    The present disclosure relates to portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, and to means for manually instructing portable electronic devices to operate. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Portable electronic devices usually include a key assembly on the side of a housing. Spring units are typically used so that a pressed button returns to its original position after it is released. However, the spring unit may fail over time, causing failure of the key assembly. 
         [0005]    Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    Many aspects of the present portable electronic device can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present portable electronic device. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is an exploded isometric view of a portable electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is another exploded isometric view of the portable electronic device according to the exemplary embodiment, viewed from an aspect different to that of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged view of a keypad assembly and a second securing frame of the portable electronic device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is an isometric view of some parts of the portable electronic device shown in  FIG. 2  assembled together, but viewed from an aspect different to that of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is an assembled view of the portable electronic device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the portable electronic device shown in  FIG. 5 , corresponding to line VI-VI thereof. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]      FIG. 1  shows an exemplary embodiment of a portable electronic device  100 . The portable electronic device  100  includes a key assembly  10 , a cover  30 , a housing  50 , a circuit board  70 , and a switch assembly  90 . The key assembly  10  is mounted to the cover  30 , and the cover  30  is mounted to the housing  50 . The circuit board  70  is mounted in the housing  50 , and the switch assembly  90  is mechanically and electrically mounted to the circuit board  70 . 
         [0014]      FIG. 3  shows the key assembly  10 , which includes a main key  11  and a supplemental key  13 . The main key  11  includes a main body  111 , a first securing portion  113 , a second securing portion  114 , and an actuator  115 . The first securing portion  113 , the second securing portion  114 , and the actuator  115  protrude from the same side of the main body  111 . The actuator  115  is positioned between the first securing portion  113  and the second securing portion  114  for actuating the switch assembly  90 . The first securing portion  113  and the second securing portion  114  cooperatively secure the main key  11  with the cover  30 . The supplemental key  13  has a fixing portion  131  protruding from a main body thereof, to fix the supplemental key  13  with the cover  30 . 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  shows the cover  30 , which includes a cover body  31 , a first securing frame  32 , a second securing frame  33 , and a latching member  35 . The cover body  31  includes an interior wall  311  and two opposite sidewalls  313  connected to the interior wall  311 . One of the sidewalls  313  defines a mounting hole  3131  for mounting the key assembly  10  therein. The first securing frame  32  and the second securing frame  33  are fixed (e.g. laser welded) to the sidewalls  313 , respectively. The latching member  35  is fixed (e.g. laser welded) to an end of the interior wall  311 . 
         [0016]    Two spaced first hooks  321  laterally extend away from the first securing frame  32  (see esp.  FIG. 1 ), and the two spaced second hooks  331  laterally extend away from the second securing frame  33  (see esp.  FIG. 2 ). The first hooks  321  and the second hooks  331  are for hooking the cover  30  to the housing  50 . 
         [0017]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the second securing frame  33  defines a through cutout  333  corresponding to the mounting hole  3131 . The second securing frame  33  has an elastic arm  335  and a limiting portion  337  extending towards each other, but not connected to each other. The elastic arm  335  and the limiting portion  337  are received in the cutout  333 . The elastic arm  335  includes a connecting section  3351 , an arm section  3353 , a first securing hole  3354 , a second securing hole  3355 , and a through slit  3357 . The connecting section  3351  connects the arm section  3353  with the interior surface of the cutout  333 . The first securing hole  3354 , the second securing hole  3355 , and the through slit  3357  correspond to the first securing portion  113 , the second securing portion  114 , and the actuator  115 , respectively. The limiting portion  337  defines a fixing hole  339  for fixing the fixing portion  131  of the supplemental key  13  therein. 
         [0018]    A latching portion  351  laterally extends from the end of the latching member  35 . The latching portion  351 , the first hooks  321 , and the second hooks  331  cooperatively latch the cover  30  to the housing  50 . 
         [0019]    The housing  50  includes a housing body  51  and a wall  57 . In the illustrated embodiment, the housing  50  is a one-piece body, with the housing body  51  and the wall  57  being portions of the one-piece body. The wall  57  encloses a battery space  59  for mounting a battery therein. The circuit board  70  abuts the wall  57  and is received in the housing body  51 . The cover  30  can be detachably fixed to the wall  57  by the first and second hooks  321 ,  331 . The wall  57  defines securing slots  5911  therethrough for securing the first hooks  321  and the second hooks  331  therein. The wall  57  further defines a receiving cavity  5913  at the same side as the securing slots  5911 , for securing the switch assembly  90 . The wall  57  further defines a latching slit  5931  substantially perpendicular to the securing slots  5911 . The latching slit  5931  is for securing the latching portion  351 . 
         [0020]    The switch assembly  90  includes a switch  91  and a flexible printed circuit (FPC)  93 . The FPC  93  electrically connects the switch  91  to the circuit board  70 . The switch  91  is secured in the receiving cavity  5913  and has a resilient dome portion  911 . 
         [0021]    Referring further to  FIGS. 4 through 6 , after assembly of the portable electronic device  100 , the switch  91  is secured in the receiving cavity  5913 . The first securing frame  32 , the second securing frame  33  and the latching member  35  are fixed to the cover  30 . The elastic arm  335  and the limiting portion  337  align with the mounting hole  3131 . The key assembly  10  is mounted to the cover  30 , with the main key  11  and the supplemental key  13  received in the mounting hole  3131 . The first securing portion  113 , the second securing portion  114 , the actuator  115  and the fixing portion  131  pass through the mounting hole  3131  into the first securing hole  3354 , the second securing hole  3355 , the through slit  3357 , and the fixing hole  339 , respectively. The first securing portion  113 , the second securing portion  114 , and the fixing portion  131  are secured in the first securing hole  3354 , the second securing hole  3355 , and the fixing hole  339 , respectively, thereby securing the key assembly  10  to the cover  30 . The main key  11  has an end portion overlapping the limiting portion  337 . When the cover  30  is secured to the wall  57 , the latching portion  351  latches in the latching slit  5931 , and the first hooks  321  and the second hooks  331  engage in the securing slots  5911 . The actuator  115  aligns with the dome portion  911 . 
         [0022]    In use, when the key assembly  10  is operated, the switch assembly  90  can activate a function of the device  100 . In this embodiment, pressing one of the keys  11  or  13  can cause the portable electronic device  100  to capture an image. In other words, the key  11  or  13  has the function of a shutter release button. Specifically, the main key  11  is pressed inward by an external force towards the switch  91 . The arm section  3353  elastically deforms and the actuator  115  moves into the receiving cavity  5913  to press the dome portion  911 . The pressing of the dome portion  911  generates an actuating signal transmitted to the circuit board  70  by the FPC  93 . The actuating signal drives the portable electronic device to capture an image. The limiting portion  337  can resist against and prevent the main key  11  from moving further inward and over-pressing the dome portion  911 . When releasing the external force, the elastic arm  335  and the main key  11  rebound to their original states, and accordingly, the pressing of the dome portion  911  stops. 
         [0023]    It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of assemblies and functions of various embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.