Touch panel

Abstract

The invention relates to a touch panel, the whole surface of which can move up and down moderately and can obtain a good click feeling. A touch panel (10) is provided with: an outer frame (30) fixed to a sensor panel (24); an inner frame (32) disposed on the inside of the outer frame (30), one end of each of the four arm sections (54) being connected and the other end section (54a) extending toward the four corners of the outer frame (30); and a switch (26). A midway portion of the arm portion (54) is pivotally supported by a shaft support portion (60) so as to be tiltable relative to the bottom plate (34), and an end portion (54a) of the arm portion (54) is restricted so as to be displaced together with the sensor plate (24) in the lifting and lowering direction, and is supported so as to be relatively displaceable in the other two directions. As the sensor plate (24) is pressed, the end portion (54a) is pressed down, the arm portion (54) tilts with the shaft support piece (66) as a reference, and the center portion (52) is pushed up to press the switch (26).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a touch panel for performing a pointing operation based on human hands. Background Art

[0002] For example, in a notebook personal computer (notebook PC), in addition to a keyboard, a touch pad is provided to replace a mouse. A touch pad is a type of pointing device that receives a touch operation of a fingertip to move a cursor displayed on a display device. The touch pad is usually provided near the front side of the upper surface of the main body housing adjacent to the keyboard.

[0003] Regarding an input device having such a touch pad, the applicant proposed a structure capable of performing touch operation and press operation in Patent Document 1. In this structure, a plurality of sensing button areas are set on the touch surface of the touch pad, and input operations corresponding to the sensing button areas can be performed by pressing the touch pad while touching the sensing button areas. Such a touch pad has a sensor pad that detects contact of a human hand on the upper surface, and a switch that is switched on / off by pressing the sensor pad, and a click feeling is obtained by switching the switch.

[0004] In the electronic device described in Patent Document 1, a pointing stick is provided substantially in the center of the keyboard. A button area near the keyboard in the touch panel serves as an operation area associated with the pointing stick.

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-060306

[0006] In order to enable the pressing operation of the sensor pad, a hinge-like axis can be set along the edge adjacent to the keyboard so that the sensor pad can be tilted around the axis. However, in such a structure, although the front side is appropriately ensured to move up and down, the inner side close to the axis hardly moves up and down, and a good click feeling cannot be obtained, which may cause discomfort to the user. In particular, it is difficult to obtain a click feeling in the button area close to the keyboard in the touchpad. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel in which the entire surface can be appropriately moved up and down and a good click feeling can be obtained.

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, the touch panel involved in the embodiment of the present invention is a touch panel that performs pointing operation based on human hands, wherein the touch panel comprises: a sensor plate that can recognize the contact position of the human hand; an outer frame that is fixed to the above-mentioned sensor plate; a cross-shaped inner frame that is arranged on the inner side of the above-mentioned outer frame, and each of the four arms of the inner frame has one end connected and the other end extending toward four locations of the above-mentioned outer frame; a switch that is provided between the above-mentioned one end of the above-mentioned arm and the above-mentioned sensor plate; and a shaft support portion that supports the four arms at the middle part so that they can be pitched and tilted, and the above-mentioned other end is displaced in the lifting direction together with the above-mentioned sensor plate, and is supported so that it can be relatively displaced in two other directions, and as the above-mentioned sensor plate is pressed by the human hand, the above-mentioned other end of the above-mentioned arm is relatively displaced with respect to the outer frame while being pressed, and the above-mentioned arm is pitched and tilted with respect to the above-mentioned shaft support portion as a reference, and the above-mentioned one end of the above-mentioned arm is pushed up to perform the pressing operation of the above-mentioned switch.

[0009] According to the above aspect of the present invention, the entire surface can be appropriately moved up and down, and a good click feeling can be obtained. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of an electronic device including a touch panel according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a touch pad.

[0012] Figure 3 It is an exploded perspective view of the touchpad.

[0013] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the outer frame and the inner frame.

[0014] Figure 5 It is an enlarged perspective view of the corner of the outer frame.

[0015] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional view of the middle part of the arm.

[0016] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a resin plate.

[0017] Figure 8 It is a three-dimensional image of a metal plate.

[0018] Fig. 9 This is a top view of a base plate formed by stacking and fixing a metal plate and a resin plate.

[0019] Fig.10 This is a bottom view of the touch panel removed from the housing.

[0020] Fig.11This is an enlarged perspective view of a corner of the touch panel when it is removed from the housing, as viewed from the bottom surface.

[0021] Fig.12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel.

[0022] Fig.13 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the touch panel in a state where the sensor panel is pressed.

[0023] Fig.14 This is a bottom view of the touch panel in a state where the base plate and the frame unit are relatively moved in the front-rear direction.

[0024] Fig.15 yes Fig.14 A partial enlarged view of .

[0025] Description of Reference Numerals

[0026] 10…touch pad; 12…electronic device; 14…main body housing; 16…keyboard; 22…pointing stick; 24…sensor board; 25…button area; 26…switch; 28…frame; 30…outer frame; 31a…lower plate; 31b…upper plate; 32…inner frame; 33…frame unit; 34…bottom plate (base); 38…metal plate; 38d…anti-slip sheet; 40…resin plate; 40b…resin leaf spring (elastic body); 40c…first positioning hole; 40d…positioning wall ; 40f…second positioning hole; 40g…bearing portion; 44…sliding fitting portion; 46…small protrusion; 48a…first positioning plate; 50…leaf spring; 50b…second positioning plate; 52…central portion; 52a…extension portion; 52b…step portion; 54, 54A, 54B…arm portion; 56…gap; 58…lateral protrusion; 60…axial support portion; 62…axial; 64…shoulder; 66…axial support plate; 66a…vertical plate; 66b…horizontal plate; 68…elastic connecting portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments of the touch panel according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[0028] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic device 12 including a touch panel 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 The touchpad will be described based on the usage form shown in the state of being mounted on the electronic device 12, with the near front side referred to as the front side (front), the inner side referred to as the rear side (rear), the thickness direction of the main body shell 14 constituting the electronic device 12 referred to as the up and down direction, and the width direction referred to as the left and right direction.

[0029] like Figure 1As shown, the electronic device 12 is a notebook PC having a main body housing 14 and a display housing 18. The main body housing 14 has a touch pad 10 and a keyboard 16, and the display housing 18 has a display 18a such as a liquid crystal display. The display housing 18 is connected to the main body housing 14 so as to be openable and closable via a pair of left and right hinges 20, 20. The touch pad 10 is a built-in type of the electronic device 12, but may also be an external type.

[0030] Various electronic components such as a substrate, a processing unit, storage, memory, and a battery (not shown) are housed inside the main body housing 14. The touch pad and keyboard 16 are arranged front and back on the upper surface of the main body housing 14. A pointing stick 22 is provided substantially in the center of the keyboard 16.

[0031] The pointing stick 22 is a pointing device for moving the cursor displayed on the display 18a in the tilt direction. The pointing stick 22 is a small cylindrical shape and is provided in the approximate center of the keyboard 16, for example, between the G key, the H key, and the B key. The pointing stick 22 is mainly moved by tilting the index finger or the middle finger, and the touch pad 10 is mainly pressed by the thumb for a click for a focus designation.

[0032] Next, the touch pad 10 is described. The touch pad 10 is provided at approximately the center of the palm rest area near the front side of the keyboard 16 on the upper surface of the main body housing 14. That is, the touch pad 10 is provided to be adjacent to the keyboard 16 in front and back. The center of the touch pad 10 in the left-right direction is almost the same as the pointing stick 22. The touch pad 10 is a slightly horizontally long rectangle, and the front-to-back width occupies almost the entire width of the palm rest area. The size of the touch pad 10 when viewed from above is, for example, about 12 cm×7 cm.

[0033] The touch pad 10 is a pointing device that is operated by a human hand (including a fingertip or a pen tip) to move a cursor. By pressing the sensor plate 24 on the surface, the internal switch 26 is switched to obtain a click feeling. The sensor plate 24 can recognize the contact position of the human hand. In the touch pad 10, so-called right click and left click can be performed according to the position of the human hand when the sensor plate 24 is pressed. In addition, the touch pad 10 can handle various operations such as single click, double click, two-finger single click, pinch and release through software processing.

[0034] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the touch panel 10 . Figure 3 2 is an exploded perspective view of the touch pad 10. The touch pad 10 includes a frame 28, a sensor board 24, a switch 26, an outer frame 30, an inner frame 32, and a bottom plate (base) 34. The frame 28 is a component constituting the outer shell of the touch pad 10, but may also serve as the upper surface plate 14a of the main housing 14 (see Figure 1). The outer frame 30 is a rectangular frame-shaped component having the same outer dimensions as the sensor board 24, and is fixed to the sensor board 24 by a very thin adhesive tape 36. The outer frame 30 is not necessarily limited to a frame shape, and may be, for example, a partially open angled C shape. The fixing mechanism between the outer frame 30 and the sensor board 24 may also be a snap-fit ​​structure, etc. The adhesive tape 36 is, for example, a component called a stretch release tape, a stretch double-sided tape, or a stretchable tape that has a property of being stretchable and releasable. The glass 24a and the circuit board 24b described later, and the metal plate 38 and the resin plate 40 may also be fixed with the same adhesive tape.

[0035] The sensor plate 24 is a laminated structure of glass 24a and circuit board 24b, which has a size that fits into the opening of the frame 28. The switch 26 is thin and small, and is disposed between the center of the inner frame 32 and the sensor plate 24. The switch 26 may also be mounted on the circuit board 24b. The switch 26 is switched on / off by pressing, and a moderate click feeling is obtained. The switch 26 in this embodiment is a normally open type.

[0036] A strip-shaped area along the rear edge close to the keyboard 16 in the upper surface of the sensor plate 24 is set as a button area 25. Figure 2 The button area is indicated by dots in the figure. The front and rear widths of the button area 25 are set to be narrow enough to enable finger pressing operations. The button area 25 is assigned to operations associated with the pointing stick 22, and is composed of a slightly wider left-click portion 25a and a right-click portion 25b on the left and right, and a narrow scrolling portion 25c in the center. The scrolling portion 25c is used to scroll a web page or document in any direction. The button area 25 is combined with the pointing stick 22 and is mainly operated by the thumb, and is distinguished from other areas by a mark 25d such as a straight line or a dot.

[0037] The bottom plate 34 is a laminated structure of a metal plate 38 and a resin plate 40, and the two are fixed. The metal plate 38 has a plurality of screw seats 38a formed around it, and is fixed to the frame 28 by screws 42. A short tongue piece 38b of about 1 / 3 of the full width on the left and right is provided on the front side of the metal plate 38. The tongue piece 38b is hooked on the upper surface of the bracket part 28a formed on the frame 28, but it can also be set as a screw-fixed structure in the same manner as the other three sides according to layout requirements. The bottom plate 34 will be further described later.

[0038] Figure 4 3 is a perspective view of the outer frame 30 and the inner frame 32. The outer frame 30 and the inner frame 32 are also collectively referred to as a frame unit 33. Figure 5 It is an enlarged perspective view of a corner portion of the outer frame 30 . Figure 6 It is a perspective view of the middle portion of the arm portion 54 .

[0039] The outer frame 30 and the inner frame 32 are formed of a metal plate such as stainless steel by stamping, laser processing, bending, etc., and are connected to form a whole by an elastic connection part 68 described later, which is easy to handle during assembly and disassembly.

[0040] As described above, the outer frame 30 is a slightly horizontally long frame shape, and in this embodiment, the aspect ratio is about 3:5. The outer frame 30 includes a front frame 30a, a rear frame 30b, and left and right longitudinal frames 30c. Two cutouts 30ba are formed in the rear frame 30b. The cutouts 30ba are used to avoid interference with the shaft 62 described later.

[0041] The four frames are double-layered structures composed of a lower plate 31a and an upper plate 31b formed by folding the blank along the edge, and have high strength. The upper plate 31b also serves to ensure the upper gap 70 for the arm portion 54 to be tilted as described later (see Fig.12 ) spacer. The upper plate 31b is almost the same shape as the lower plate 31a, but is slightly narrower than the lower plate 31a, and each end is beveled at 45 degrees. In this embodiment, the width of each frame is about 6 mm in the portion of the lower plate 31a. A portion of the upper plate 31b near the left and right ends of the front frame 30a and the rear frame 30b is cut away. This portion forms a narrow sliding fitting portion 44 (see Fig.12 ) The sliding fitting portion 44 in this case is a groove that does not penetrate the side, but may penetrate the side.

[0042] A small protrusion 46 is formed near the front and rear ends of each longitudinal frame 30c, and the small protrusion 46 remains without being folded back and is in a state of protruding to the side. A small triangular cutout 30ca is formed on the inner side of the frame near the small protrusion 46 in each longitudinal frame 30c. The cutout 30ca is an area for ensuring the lateral protrusion 58 described later. A protrusion 48 is provided that extends and protrudes from the middle part of each longitudinal frame 30c toward the center of the frame. The length of the protrusion 48 of this embodiment is about 1 / 5 of the front frame 30a and the rear frame 30b. The protrusion 48 is roughly triangular in shape with a thick root and has moderate strength. The front end and rear part of the protrusion 48 form a first positioning piece 48a that is bent downward. The first positioning piece 48a has a moderate width in the left and right directions.

[0043] A leaf spring 50 is provided which extends and projects from the middle part of the front frame 30a toward the center of the frame. The length of the leaf spring 50 of this embodiment is about 1 / 3 of the length of the longitudinal frame 30c. The leaf spring 50 is thin and moderately long, so it has elasticity. The leaf spring 50 has a small step that is offset downward at a position close to the front frame 30a. A small curved portion 50a is provided at the front end of the leaf spring 50, and a second positioning piece 50b is provided on the side of the front end. The curved portion 50a and the second positioning piece 50b respectively project toward the bottom where the bottom plate 34 is located. The second positioning piece 50b has a moderate width in the front-to-back direction, and the root is slightly thin.

[0044] The inner frame 32 is arranged on the inner side of the outer frame 30, and is a cross-shaped component having four arms 54 extending from the central portion 52 toward four symmetrical locations (in this case, the four corners) in the outer frame 30. However, the arms 54 may be asymmetrical, and may not be four. That is, as long as the arms 54 are radially extended from the switch 26 as a central point toward the outer frame 30, the mechanism is established. In this embodiment, the width of each arm 54 is about 8 mm. The central portion 52 is a portion where the arm 54 becomes thinner and the four extensions (one end) 52a intersect, and the arm 54 protrudes slightly downward through the step portion 52b in the middle. The portion where the arm 54 is connected to the extension 52a is a triangular shape with a thin front end. The extension 52a is also regarded as a part of the arm 54. That is, the inner frame 32 is configured such that one end of the four arms 54, that is, the extension 52a, is connected to each other and the end 54a of the other end extends toward four locations of the outer frame 30.

[0045] The switch 26 is arranged in the range of the central portion 52 on the inner side of the four step portions 52b (see Figure 3 ). The extension portion 52a is thin and thus can be elastically deformed. The extension portion 52a can also be regarded as a part of the arm portion 54, so the arm portion 54 is configured to be elastically bendable between the central portion 52 of the push switch 26 and other portions. In addition, the arm portion 54 is formed with a step portion 52b between the central portion 52 of the push switch 26 and other portions.

[0046] The end (other end) 54a of the arm 54 is cut obliquely along the edges of the front frame 30a and the rear frame 30b, and a narrow gap 56 is formed between the front frame 30a and the rear frame 30b. The end 54a of the arm 54 is provided with a side protrusion 58 that slightly protrudes in the front and rear directions and fits into the sliding fitting portion 44. Figure 5 As shown by the imaginary line, the portion protruding from the end 54a of the arm portion 54 toward the region of the notch 30ca is folded back to the opposite side to form a lateral protrusion 58. The lateral protrusion 58 is formed by being folded back toward the sensor plate 24 side, i.e., the upper side, and is at the same height as the upper plate 31b, and enters the sliding fitting portion 44.

[0047] The arm 54 can be displaced relative to the outer frame 30 in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction by sliding the side protrusion 58 inside the sliding fitting 44. In addition, the vertical width of the sliding fitting 44 is strictly wider than the side protrusion 58 by the thickness of the adhesive tape 36 (see Fig.12 ), but the adhesive tape 36 is very thin, so there is no substantial vertical gap, and the end 54a of the arm portion 54 is restricted to be displaced in the lifting direction (up and down direction) together with the sensor plate 24, and is supported to be relatively displaceable in other directions along the surface of the sensor plate 24. The sliding fitting portion 44 is formed by the outer frame 30 and the sensor plate 24, but may be formed by either one (including a substantially integral element).

[0048] like Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, the approximately middle portions of the four arms 54 are supported by the shaft support portions 60 so as to be able to pitch and tilt relative to the bottom plate 34. The four shaft support portions 60 each include: a thin shaft 62 supported by the fastener 40ga of the bottom plate 34 and oriented approximately orthogonally to the extending direction of the arm 54; a pair of shoulders 64 protruding to both sides of the arm 54; and a shaft support piece 66 protruding from each shoulder 64 in the extending direction of the arm 54 and bent in two stages to form a stepped shape. The shoulder 64 and the shaft support piece 66 are integral with the arm 54. The shaft support piece 66 includes: a vertical plate 66a extending downward from the shoulder 64 and a horizontal plate 66b connected to the lower end of the vertical plate 66a and protruding in the extending direction of the arm 54. The shaft 62 is arranged between the lower surface of the arm 54 and the upper surface of the horizontal plate 66b with almost no gap.

[0049] In the reference state where the sensor plate 24 is not pressed by a human hand, the shaft 62 is arranged at the approximate center of the horizontal plate 66b, with a certain distance between the vertical plate 66a and the front end 66ba of the horizontal plate 66b. That is, the arm 54 can be pitched with the shaft 62 as the reference through the shaft support portion 60 and the bearing portion 40g (see Figure 6 ), but is not restricted in the extending direction of the arm portion 54 and can slide (refer to Figure 6 Horizontal arrow).

[0050] Return to Figure 4 , the front two of the four arms 54 (in Figure 4 In the figure (54A), the horizontal plate 66b of the shaft support piece 66 points to the corner of the outer frame 30. The rear two of the four arm portions 54 (in Figure 4In the case where the shaft support pieces 66 are marked with reference numeral 54B, the horizontal plates 66b of the shaft support pieces 66 are directed toward the center of the outer frame 30. In other words, the four sets of shaft support pieces 66 are opened in the same predetermined direction so that the shaft 62 can be inserted and removed.

[0051] The front side portions of the two shoulders 64 in each arm portion 54B are connected to the protrusion 48 through an elastic connection portion 68. The elastic connection portion 68 is moderately long and thin in total length, and has a plurality of curved portions and is flexible so as not to hinder the relative movement of the outer frame 30 and the inner frame 32. The elastic connection portion 68 in this case is in an S shape, but may also be in a W shape, an Ω shape, or the like. The elastic connection portion 68 is on the same plane as the arm portion 54B and the protrusion 48, and can be formed by punching from the same metal blank. In particular, the shoulder portion 64 on one side to which the elastic connection portion 68 is connected is on the same plane as the arm portion 54, is suitable for the connection object, and is a portion that is integral with the shaft support piece 66 of the support shaft 62, and does not hinder the arm portion 54 from rotating around the shaft 62.

[0052] Since the outer frame 30 and the inner frame 32 are connected by the elastic connection part 68, they are easy to handle. In addition, the elastic connection part 68 has a relative positioning function between the outer frame 30 and the inner frame 32. However, as long as the inner frame 32 has any positioning mechanism, it can also be separated from the outer frame 30. Even if the inner frame 32 and the outer frame 30 are separated, since the side protrusion 58 is embedded in the sliding fitting part 44, it will not fall off.

[0053] Figure 7 It is a perspective view of the resin plate 40 . Figure 8 It is a perspective view of the metal plate 38 . Fig. 9 It is a plan view of the bottom plate 34 in which the metal plate 38 and the resin plate 40 are stacked and fixed. Fig.10 It is a bottom view of the touch pad 10 in a state where it is removed from the housing 28 . Fig.11 This is an enlarged perspective view of a corner portion of the touch panel 10 in a state where the touch panel 10 is removed from the frame 28 , as viewed from the bottom surface.

[0054] The resin plate 40 is a component formed of resin to form a functional part for avoiding so-called metal contact in the bottom plate 34, and has a shape with rectangular end portions 40a provided on the left and right of a slightly horizontally long hexagonal shape. The resin plate 40 is, for example, ABS resin. A thin resin leaf spring 40b slightly inclined upward protrudes forward from the rectangular end portion 40a. The front end of the resin leaf spring 40b forms a horizontal plane, and elastically applies force upward to the vicinity of the front end of the left and right sides of the sensor plate 24 (see Fig.11 ).

[0055] A first positioning hole (first positioning portion) 40c and a small positioning wall (first positioning portion) 40d standing on the center side of the resin plate 40 as viewed from the first positioning hole 40c are provided at the base of each rectangular end portion 40a. Figure 4 ) is inserted into the first positioning hole 40c and abuts against the positioning wall 40d. As a result, the frame unit 33 is positioned in the lateral direction. Although it will be described later, the frame unit 33 can be disassembled by sliding forward and backward relative to the bottom plate 34. The first positioning hole 40c is a hole that is slightly longer in the front-to-back direction so that the frame unit 33 and the bottom plate 34 can move relative to each other forward and backward. The positioning wall 40d is slightly inclined along the front-to-back direction, abuts against the first positioning piece 48a without a gap in the assembled state, and a slight gap is generated during disassembly to facilitate loading and unloading.

[0056] A slightly long escape hole 40e is formed in the front middle of the resin plate 40. The escape hole 40e is a hole for avoiding interference with the leaf spring 50. When viewed from the escape hole 40e, a second positioning hole (second positioning portion) 40f is formed that continues rightward from the center side end of the resin plate 40. The second positioning piece 50b (see Figure 4 ) is inserted / engaged in the second positioning hole 40f. The front-to-rear width of the second positioning piece 50b and the second positioning hole 40f is equal. Therefore, the frame unit 33 is positioned in the front-to-rear direction. The periphery of the second positioning hole 40f is reinforced by the thick wall portion 40k. The thick wall portion 40k is set toward the rear until it reaches the vicinity of the escape hole 40h.

[0057] The resin plate 40 is provided with bearings 40g along the four left and right sides of the horizontally long hexagon forming the center. The bearing 40g supports the shaft 62, and has a pair of fasteners 40ga embedded near the two ends of the shaft 62, anti-drop protrusions 40gb pressing the shaft 62 at the two ends, and a V-block 40gc supporting the shaft 62 from the bottom surface in the center. The fastener 40ga is a C-shaped cross-section that opens upward, and a pair of arc portions clamp the two side surfaces of the shaft 62 for support. A retreat hole 40gd is formed between each fastener 40ga and the V-block 40gc. The retreat hole 40gd is used to avoid contact with the shaft support sheet 66 (refer to Figure 5 )’s interference.

[0058] A fan-shaped escape hole 40h is formed in the substantially central portion of the resin plate 40 to avoid interference when the central portion 52 of the inner frame 32 is lowered. Small cutouts 40i are formed at both ends of the front edge of the resin plate 40 to be positioned by the metal plate 38. The resin plate 40 also has a plurality of lightening holes 40j.

[0059] As described above, the metal plate 38 is provided with a plurality of threaded seats 38a and tongues 38b. The metal plate 38 is also provided with low curved walls 38c along the rear edge and the left and right longitudinal edges to provide high strength. Small anti-slipping pieces 38d are provided near the front and rear ends of the left and right longitudinal edges of the metal plate 38. The anti-slipping piece 38d is a piece in which a portion of the plate is folded back into a square U-shape and the center side of the resin plate 40 is open. The small protrusion 46 (see FIG. 1 ) of the outer frame 30 is inserted into the opening of the anti-slipping piece 38d. Figure 4 ), thereby preventing the sensor plate 24 and the frame unit 33 from falling off upward.

[0060] The metal plate 38 is formed with a relief hole 38e, which is used to avoid interference when the resin leaf spring 40b is displaced. The metal plate 38 is formed with a relief hole 38f, which is used to avoid interference with the first positioning piece 48a that penetrates the first positioning hole 40c and protrudes downward. The metal plate 38 is formed with a relief hole 38g, which is used to avoid interference with the second positioning piece 50b that penetrates the second positioning hole 40f and protrudes downward. The second positioning piece 50b can be pressed by a tool through the relief hole 38g (refer to Fig.10 ). The metal plate 38 has a relief hole 38h and a relief hole 38i with the same shape and the same function at positions corresponding to the relief holes 40h and 40gd in the resin plate 40. The metal plate 38 has small curved protrusions 38j facing upward on both sides of the tongue piece 38b. The curved protrusions 38j are engaged with the cutouts 40i to position the resin plate 40.

[0061] Fig.12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the touch panel 10 . Fig.13 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the touch panel 10 in a state where the sensor plate 24 is pressed.

[0062] like Fig.12 As shown, the upper plate 31b serves as a spacer and a narrow gap 70 is formed between the arm 54 and the sensor plate 24. The central portion 52 protrudes slightly downward through the step portion 52b, and the switch 26 is almost in contact with the central portion 52. In this state, the switch 26 is not subjected to the same pressing force as the switching contact state. The end 54a of the arm 54 is embedded in the sliding fitting portion 44 by the side protrusion 58 and the height is restricted. Therefore, the arm 54 is not affected by gravity and vibration and is maintained horizontally. The end 54a of the arm 54 will not drop accidentally, so the central portion 52 on the opposite side of the shaft 62 is also maintained at an appropriate height, and the switch 26 is maintained in an off state.

[0063] like Fig.13As shown, if any part of the upper surface of the sensor plate 24 is pressed by a human hand, the sensor plate 24 slightly descends. Then, the sliding fitting part 44 formed at the end of the sensor plate 24 together with the outer frame 30 also descends, and the side protrusion 58 inserted therein also descends. The end 54a of the arm 54 can be configured to descend as the sensor plate 24 is pressed by a human hand. For example, an element integral with the sensor plate 24 may press a part other than the side protrusion 58 from above, or an element integral with the outer frame 30 may pull a part other than the side protrusion 58 from below.

[0064] The middle portion of the arm 54 is axially supported by the bearing 40g, so when the end 54a is lowered, the arm 54 is tilted with respect to the bearing 40g, and the center portion 52 is pushed up to press the switch 26 to switch it to the on state. The entire surface of the sensor plate 24 including the button area 25 can move up and down appropriately, and the user can feel the click feeling accompanying the switching of the contact state of the switch 26 no matter which part is pressed.

[0065] In addition, at this time, with respect to each arm portion 54, the central portion 52 is lifted up along with the inclination, and the other portions are slightly pulled toward the central portion 52 (see Figure 5 ), but the end 54a of the arm 54 is allowed to move relative to the outer frame 30 in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction, and the side protrusion 58 slides and shifts in the sliding fitting 44, so that the arm 54 generates almost no tension and does not hinder the inclination of the arm 54.

[0066] Similarly, the middle portion of each arm portion 54 is also slightly pulled toward the center portion 52 , but as described above, the arm portion 54 is not restricted in its extending direction and is therefore axially supported to be slidable, without hindering the displacement of the arm portion 54 .

[0067] As described above, each arm 54 is configured to be able to slide at the end 54a and the middle portion relative to the outer frame 30 and the bottom plate 34, so that excessive tension is not generated due to tilting, and the arm 54 can be set to be long to a certain extent, so that the touch pad 10 can be enlarged. However, if the touch pad 10 is small and the sliding amount of the end 54a and the middle portion of the arm 54 is very small, one or both of the sliding mechanisms may be omitted.

[0068] In addition, each arm portion 54 is slightly elastically deformed at the end portion 54a and the central portion 52. In particular, the four extension portions 52a (see Figure 4 ) is thin and easily deformed elastically. Even if the other arm portions 54 are tilted, the central portion 52 will not become an arc shape but will be maintained roughly horizontal, so that the switch 26 can be pressed accurately.

[0069] Furthermore, the inner frame 32 is arranged inside the outer frame 30 with a narrow gap 56 therebetween. Even if the inner frame 32 rotates in the horizontal plane due to external force or the like, the two abut at any gap 56 to prevent excessive rotation displacement.

[0070] When the pressure on the sensor plate 24 is released, the arm 54 returns to the horizontal position due to the elastic restoring force, the sensor plate 24 also returns to the original height, and the switch 26 returns to the off state.

[0071] In the above-mentioned inner frame 32, the four arms 54 cross in an X shape, but may also be in a cross shape. The four arms 54 are supported by the four corners of the outer frame 30 so as to be slidable, but may also be supported by the middle portions of the four frame materials. The inner frame 32 is composed of four arms 54, and has a good balance from the perspective of the structure and the pressing operation of the switch 26, but due to space constraints and other reasons, it may also be 1 to 3 arms.

[0072] Next, the disassembly and assembly of the touch panel 10 will be described. The touch panel 10 can be disassembled into a frame unit 33 and a bottom plate 34 for maintenance or the like.

[0073] As described above, when the touch panel 10 is assembled, the bottom plate 34 and the frame unit 33 are fixed so as not to be displaced in the left-right direction and the front-back direction. Fig.10 As shown, with respect to the left-right direction, a pair of first positioning pieces 48a which are appropriately separated from each other are inserted into the first positioning hole 40c, and abut against the positioning wall 40d on the opposite side, thereby being engaged and fixed. At this time, the first positioning piece 48a is located at the frontmost side of the first positioning hole 40c. In addition, with respect to the front-back direction, the second positioning piece 50b is engaged with the second positioning hole 40f in the center and is fixed. And, in this state, the small protrusion 46 is engaged with the anti-drop sheet 38d, so that the frame unit 33 will not fall off upward (also refer to Fig.12 ).

[0074] In order to disassemble the bottom plate 34 and the frame unit 33, first, they are removed from the frame body 28 to form a Fig.10 In addition, the sensor plate 24 is removed from the outer frame 30 as needed. Then, Fig.10 The bent portion 50a and the second positioning piece 50b exposed from the second positioning hole 40f are pressed into the position indicated by the arrow with a pen tip or the like. In addition, depending on the specifications, the bent portion 50a and the second positioning piece 50b can also be pulled out from the opposite side using a tool. The leaf spring 50 is slender and elastic, so the second positioning piece 50b can be elastically retreated and fall off from the second positioning hole 40f and be released, thereby causing the bottom plate 34 and the frame unit 33 to move relative to each other in the front-rear direction.

[0075] Fig.14 It is a bottom view of the touch panel 10 in a state where the base plate 34 and the frame unit 33 are relatively moved in the front-rear direction. Fig.15 yes Fig.14 If the frame unit 33 is moved backward relative to the bottom plate 34, the second positioning piece 50b is relative to the thick wall portion 40k (refer to Figure 7 ) slides and moves to between the second positioning hole 40f and the escape hole 40h. The four small protrusions 46 fall off from the anti-drop sheet 38d to the rear, and the bottom plate 34 and the frame unit 33 can be separated up and down. At this time, the first positioning sheet 48a moves to the vicinity of the rear end of the first positioning hole 40c, and a slight gap is formed between it and the positioning wall 40d (refer to Fig.15 ), the separation of the base plate 34 and the frame unit 33 generates almost no friction.

[0076] In addition, the orientations of the four shafts 62 are different for every two shafts 62. However, as described above, the orientations of the shaft support pieces 66 supporting the shafts 62 are different between the arm portion 54A and the arm portion 54B (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 4 ), in the arm portion 54A, the horizontal plate 66b is directed from the vertical plate 66a to the corner of the outer frame 30, and in the arm portion 54B, on the contrary, the horizontal plate 66b is directed from the vertical plate 66a to the center of the outer frame 30. That is, each shaft support piece 66 is opened in the same direction (in this case, the front), and when the frame unit 33 is relatively moved backward relative to the bottom plate 34, the shaft 62 can be pulled out backward, and Fig.15 When the bottom plate 34 and the frame unit 33 are assembled, the steps are reversed. In this case, the shaft 62 is inserted between the upper surface of the horizontal plate 66b and the lower surface of the arm 54 from the rear.

[0077] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can of course be freely modified within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A touch panel for performing a pointing operation based on a human hand, characterized in that: have: A sensor board that can identify the contact position of a person's hand; an outer frame fixed with the sensor plate; An inner frame of a cross shape is arranged inside the outer frame, and one end of each of four arms of the inner frame is connected and the other end extends toward four locations of the outer frame; a switch disposed between the one end of the arm and the sensor plate; as well as The shaft support part supports the four arms at the middle part so that they can be tilted up and down. The other end is displaced in the lifting direction together with the sensor plate, and is supported so as to be relatively displaceable in two other directions. As the sensor plate is pressed by a hand, the other end of the arm is pressed down and displaced relative to the outer frame, the arm is tilted with respect to the shaft support, and the one end of the arm is pushed up to perform a pressing operation on the switch.

2. The touch panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shaft support portion supports the arm portion so as to be slidable in the extending direction thereof.

3. The touch panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The four shaft bearing parts respectively have: an axis oriented substantially orthogonal to the direction in which the arm extends; and A set of shaft support pieces, which are integral with the arm and protrude along the extending direction of the arm, are bent in two stages and clamp the shaft between the arm and the shaft support pieces. The four sets of shaft support pieces open in the same predetermined direction for inserting and removing the shaft.

4. The touch panel according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inner frame or the outer frame has a first positioning piece protruding toward the base body, The base has a first positioning portion, and the first positioning portion is engaged with the first positioning piece to perform positioning in a direction orthogonal to the specified direction. The length of the first positioning portion in the predetermined direction is set so that the first positioning piece can move until the shaft is out of the support range of the shaft support piece when the inner frame and the outer frame are relatively offset in the predetermined direction.

5. The touch panel according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The inner frame or the outer frame has a second positioning piece which protrudes toward the base and can elastically retreat. The base has a second positioning portion, and the second positioning piece is engaged with the second positioning portion to position the second positioning piece in the specified direction. The second positioning piece is released by elastically retreating from the second positioning portion through a pressing or pulling operation.

6. The touch panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: A lateral protrusion is provided at the other end of the arm, A sliding fitting portion into which the side protrusion is inserted is formed by at least one of the outer frame and the sensor plate. The side protrusion is fitted in the slide fitting portion without a gap in the lifting direction of the sensor plate, and is slidable in other directions.

7. The touch panel according to claim 6, characterized in that: The inner frame and the outer frame are formed of metal plates. The side protrusion is formed by folding a part of the arm toward the sensor plate. The outer frame is a double-layer structure consisting of a folded lower plate layer and an upper plate layer. The sliding fitting portion is formed between the lower plate layer and the sensor plate at a portion where a part of the upper plate layer is cut away.

8. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein: The arm portion is configured to be elastically bendable between a portion pressing the switch and other portions.

9. The touch panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The arm portion and the outer frame are connected by an elastic connection portion on the same plane that does not hinder the relative movement of the two.

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