Key switch device and luminous body mounting board

Abstract

To provide a key switch device with a structure in which internal structures such as link members do not affect the visibility of an operator, and a luminous body mounting board used in the key switch device.SOLUTION: A key switch device 4 has a key top 12, a support member 14 that freely elevates / lowers and supports the key top 12, and a luminous body mounting board 30 on which a luminous body 28 that illuminates the key top 12 is mounted. The key top 12 has a key top part 22 and a key bottom part 24 that can be split in an elevation / lowering direction, and a mounting part 52 of the luminous body mounting board 30 on which the luminous body 28 is mounted is located above the support member 14 and between the key top part 22 and the key bottom part 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a key switch device with an illumination function and a light-emitting body mounting substrate used in the key switch device. [Background technology]

[0002] Key switch devices are often used as input devices for various devices such as machine tools, medical equipment, computers, etc. In recent years, there has been a demand for internal illumination of key tops on operation panels of machine tools, etc., in order to improve design and visibility.

[0003] Known structures for illuminating keytops include a structure in which a light emitter such as an LED is disposed below the keytop or below a structure such as a link member that supports the keytop. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-142230 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-120694 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-043349 [Patent Document 4] International Publication No. 2008 / 84803 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-164929 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 07-153344 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a configuration in which a light source such as an LED is provided below the key switch device to illuminate the key top, the shadow of the internal structure, such as the link member that supports the key top, is projected onto the key top, making it difficult to read characters printed on the key top, and this can impair the visibility of the illuminated key top, and it is difficult to reliably prevent this.

[0006] Therefore, there is a demand for a key switch device having a structure in which the internal structure, such as the link member, does not affect the design or visibility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is a key switch device having a key top, a support member that supports the key top so that it can be raised and lowered, and an illuminant mounting board on which an illuminant that illuminates the key top is mounted, wherein the key top has an upper key portion and a lower key portion that can be separated in the raising and lowering direction, and the illuminant mounting portion of the illuminant mounting board on which the illuminant is mounted is positioned above the support member and between the upper key portion and the lower key portion.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an illuminant mounting substrate used in a key switch device having a key top and a support member that supports the key top so that it can be raised and lowered freely, the key top having an upper key portion and a lower key portion that can be separated in the raising and lowering direction, the illuminant mounting substrate having an illuminant arranged above the support member and between the upper key portion and the lower key portion, an illuminant mounting portion in which the illuminant is mounted, and a tab-shaped portion that passes through a first through groove in the upper key portion and a second through groove in the lower key portion and supports the illuminant mounting portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, the key top has a divided structure including an upper key portion and a lower key portion, and an illuminant is placed between the upper key portion and the lower key portion, so that the operating surface of the key can be evenly illuminated from the inside, improving the design and visibility of the key switch device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a keyboard including a key switch device according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one key switch device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a cross-sectional structure taken along line AA′ in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the key top in FIG. 3 is pressed down. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the key switch device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of the upper part of a key. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of a lower part of a key. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a structure including an upper part of a key, an LED mounting board, and a lower part of a key. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an assembled perspective view of the structure of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA′ in FIG. 2. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram showing a state in which the upper bezel has been separated from the lower bezel from the state shown in FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of a structure in which the upper part of the key can be detached integrally with the upper bezel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a computer keyboard as an example of a structure including a keyswitch device according to an embodiment. The keyboard 2 has a plurality of keyswitch devices 4 arranged in a predetermined pattern, and the keyswitch devices 4 are arranged in a housing formed by an upper bezel 6 and a lower bezel 8. Structures including keyswitch devices 4 are not limited to the keyboard 2, and examples include gaming keyboards, operation panels for machine tools and medical equipment, etc. The following description focuses on one keyswitch device 4 as shown in FIG. 2, but other keyswitch devices may have a similar configuration.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a cross-sectional structure taken along line AA′ in FIG. 2 , illustrating an example of the internal structure of the key switch device 4. The key switch device 4 includes a switch panel 10, key tops 12 arranged above the switch panel 10, support members (a pair of link members) 14 that support the key tops 12 above the switch panel 10 in a manner that allows them to move up and down freely, a membrane sheet 16 having an electric circuit whose contacts open and close in response to the movement of the key tops 12 up and down, and an actuating member 18 that is pressed by the key tops 12 to close the contacts of the electric circuit of the membrane sheet 16. In this embodiment, the membrane sheet 16 and the actuating member 18 cooperate to form a switch mechanism that opens and closes the contacts of the electric circuit in response to the movement of the key tops 12 up and down. The switch panel 10 is a flat, rigid member, such as an independent thin metal plate made of sheet metal, and includes a slide guide 20 that slidably supports the pair of link members 14.

[0013] In this embodiment, the side of each component of the key switch device facing upward in FIG. 3 is referred to as the upper side, and the side facing downward in FIG. 3 is referred to as the lower side.

[0014] In this embodiment, gear-link type link members are used as the pair of link members 14, and an elastically deformable rubber dome, which is a separate part from the membrane sheet 16, is used as the actuating member 18. The pair of link members 14 have the same shape and dimensions, and are connected to each other at one end like a gear, combining to form a roughly inverted V shape in side view. The pair of link members 14 enable the key top 12 to move up and down while maintaining a horizontal position. The lower end of the rubber dome 18 is adhered to the surface of the membrane sheet 16 with an adhesive or the like. However, the support member 14 is not limited to the gear-link type, and may be, for example, a pantograph type. The actuating member 18 is also not limited to the above-described type. For example, an opening may be formed approximately in the center of the membrane sheet 16, and the actuating member 18 may engage with the opening edge defining the opening. A mechanical switch may be used instead of the actuating member 18 or the membrane sheet 16.

[0015] 3 and 4, the key top 12 has a structure that can be separated in the ascending / descending direction (vertical direction), and specifically has an upper key portion 22 and a lower key portion 24 having an operation surface 23 that is pressed by a user or the like. The upper key portion 22 and the lower key portion 24 are preferably joined to each other by, for example, press-fitting, and can be separated from each other with a relatively weak force. As shown in Fig. 4, the lower key portion 24 has a pressing portion 26 that presses and deforms the actuating member 18 when the upper key portion 22 is pressed by a user or the like.

[0016] In order to provide the key switch device 4 with an illumination function, an illuminant 28 such as an LED is disposed between the key upper part 22 and the key lower part 24, and at least the operation surface 23 of the key upper part 22 is made of a material such as transparent or translucent resin. Because the LED 28 is disposed above structures such as the support member 14, the shadow of the support member 14 etc. is not cast on the operation surface 23 of the key upper part 22, greatly improving the design and visibility of the key switch device 4. Note that parts of the key upper part 22 other than the operation surface 23 (for example, the side parts) may also be made of a transparent or translucent material, which allows the side parts of the key top to be illuminated as well.

[0017] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the key switch device 4. The LEDs 28 are mounted on an illuminator mounting board 30, and the mounting board 30 is attached to the lower bezel 8 by being sandwiched between the upper bezel 6 and the lower bezel 8. The mounting board 30 is, for example, a film-like member, and is electrically connected to a relay board 32 mounted on the lower bezel 8. The relay board 32 is electrically connected to a control board 34 fixed to the support panel 11 via wiring 36 or the like, thereby allowing the LEDs 28 to be turned on / off at any timing. The support panel 11 and the lower bezel 8 can be connected to each other by fixing means such as screws 38.

[0018] 6 is a perspective view showing an example structure of key upper part 22. Key upper part 22 has operation surface 23 and a side part 40 extending substantially perpendicularly to operation surface 23 from the side opposite operation surface 23, and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape overall, with the surface opposite operation surface 23 being an open end. At least one first through groove 42 is formed in side part 40. The inside of key upper part 22 is preferably hollow and does not have structures such as ribs, in order to efficiently illuminate the LED 28.

[0019] 7 is a perspective view showing an example structure of the key lower part 24. The key lower part 24 has a bottom surface 44 having a pressing part 26, and a side part 46 extending approximately perpendicularly to the bottom surface 44 from the face of the bottom surface 44 opposite the pressing part 26, and has an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape overall, but the face opposite the bottom surface 44 is an open end. In addition, at least one second through groove 48 is formed in the side part 46, and when the key upper part 22 and the key lower part 24 are combined, the first through groove 42 and the second through groove 48 are aligned.

[0020] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a structure including the key upper portion 22, the LED mounting substrate 30, and the key lower portion 24, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the structure after assembly. The LED mounting substrate 30 has an opening 50 so as not to interfere with the key upper portion 22 and the key lower portion 24 during assembly. More specifically, an LED mounting portion 52 on which an LED 28 is mounted is supported by a tab-shaped portion 54 that penetrates the through groove 42 of the key upper portion 22 and the through groove 48 of the key lower portion 24. The vertical length of the through grooves 42 and 48 is preferably equal to or greater than the stroke length of the keytop 12. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , this prevents deformation of the mounting substrate 30 even when the keytop 12 is moved up and down, thereby preventing damage to the mounting substrate 30 and improving durability. While a single tab-shaped portion 54 may be used, to stably support the LED mounting portion 52, it is preferable to form two or more tab-shaped portions 54 that support the mounting portion 52 from different directions, as shown in the illustrated example.

[0021] It is preferable that the LED mounting board 30 is detachable from the lower bezel 8. In this regard, as shown in Fig. 8 , in order to facilitate positioning of the LED mounting board 30 relative to the lower bezel 8, a positioning hole 31 may be formed in the LED mounting board 30, while a positioning protrusion 33 that fits into the positioning hole 31 may be formed in the lower bezel 8.

[0022] If the first through groove 42 is formed in the key upper part 22 as described above, light from the LED 28 may leak to the outside through the through grooves 42 and 48, potentially impairing the visibility of the key switch device. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 6, the key upper part 22 preferably has a canopy portion 56 formed above (preferably directly above) the first through groove 42. By providing such a canopy portion 56 on the key upper part 22, it is possible to prevent light that has passed through the through grooves 42 and 48 from leaking from the gap between the key upper part 22 and the upper bezel 6, as shown in Fig. 3 or 4, thereby significantly improving the visibility of the key switch device.

[0023] 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' in Fig. 2, and Fig. 11 shows the state in which the upper bezel 6 has been separated from the lower bezel 8 from the state in Fig. 10. The upper bezel 6 and the lower bezel 8 are structured to be detachable from each other, and in the illustrated example, the upper bezel 6 has a latch 60 on its outer periphery, and the lower bezel 8 has a stepped portion 62 that engages with the latch 60. By adopting such a structure that allows the upper bezel 6 to be easily detached from the lower bezel 8, maintenance of each part of the key switch device 4 becomes easier.

[0024] 12 shows an example of a structure in which the key upper portion 22 can be detached integrally with the upper bezel 6. The operating surface 23 of the key upper portion 22 is larger than the opening 66 of the upper bezel 6 through which the side portion 40 of the key upper portion 22 is inserted. In other words, the key upper portion 22 has an extension 64 that engages with an edge 68 that defines the opening 66 of the upper bezel 6. With this configuration, when the upper bezel 6 is separated from the lower bezel 8, the key upper portion 22 can be separated from the lower key portion 24 together with the upper bezel 6. On the other hand, when the key upper portion 22 is attached to the lower key portion 24, the upper bezel 6 can also be attached to the lower bezel 8 together with the key upper portion 22. Therefore, simply removing the upper bezel 6 makes it possible to replace the LED 28 or the LED mounting board 30, and maintenance of each portion of the key switch device 4 is facilitated.

[0025] In the explanations from FIG. 2 onward, an example in which one key switch device is provided on one upper bezel has been described, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, multiple key switch devices as shown in FIG. 1 may all be provided on one bezel, or some of the multiple key switch devices may be provided on one bezel. Furthermore, when there are multiple key switch devices, it is preferable to mount multiple light emitters that illuminate each key switch device on one light emitter mounting board. When there are multiple key switch devices like this, the number of key switch devices to be provided on one bezel or one mounting board can be determined appropriately based on the shape and spacing of the key switch devices, etc.

[0026] In addition, when there are multiple key switch devices, the number of steps required to assemble the key switch devices can be reduced by mounting multiple light emitters on essentially one light emitter mounting board. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 2 keyboard, 4 key switch device, 6 upper bezel, 8 lower bezel, 10 Switch panel, 11 Support panel, 12 Keycap, 14 link member, 16 membrane sheet, 18 operating member, 20 slide guide portion, 22 upper key portion, 24 lower key portion, 26 pressing portion, 28 LED, 30 luminous body mounting film, 32 relay board, 34 control board, 36 Wiring, 38 Screw, 40 Side, 42 First through groove, 44 Bottom, 46 side portion, 48 second through groove, 50 opening, 52 LED mounting portion, 54 tab-shaped portion, 56 canopy portion, 60 latch, 62 step portion, 64 extension portion, 66 opening, 68 edge

Claims

1. Key tops and A support member that supports the key top so that it can be raised and lowered; a light-emitting body mounting board on which a light-emitting body that illuminates the key top is mounted, The key top has an upper key portion and a lower key portion that can be separated in the ascending and descending direction, and a light-emitting body mounting portion of the light-emitting body mounting board on which the light-emitting body is mounted is disposed above the support member and between the upper key portion and the lower key portion. Key switch device.

2. 2. The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein the upper key portion has a first through groove on a side thereof, the lower key portion has a second through groove on a side thereof, and the light emitter mounting substrate has a tab-shaped portion that passes through the first through groove and the second through groove and supports the light emitter mounting portion.

3. The key switch device according to claim 2 , wherein the key upper portion has a visor portion above the first through groove.

4. 4. The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein the inside of the key upper part is hollow, and the key lower part has a pressing part that presses an actuating member arranged below the key lower part when the key upper part is pressed.

5. 2. The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein the key upper portion is disposed within a housing formed by an upper bezel and a lower bezel in cooperation with each other, the upper bezel and the lower bezel have a structure that allows them to be detached from each other, and the light-emitting body mounting board is detachably attached to the lower bezel.

6. 2. The key switch device according to claim 1, wherein the key top is disposed within a housing formed by an upper bezel and a lower bezel in cooperation with each other, the upper bezel and the lower bezel have a structure that allows them to be attached and detached from each other, and the key top has an extension that engages with an edge that defines an opening of the upper bezel.

7. A light-emitting body mounting substrate for use in a key switch device, comprising: a key top; and a support member for supporting the key top so as to be movable up and down; the key top having an upper key portion and a lower key portion that are separable in the up and down direction, a light emitter disposed above the support member and between the key upper portion and the key lower portion; a light-emitting body mounting portion in which the light-emitting body is mounted; a tab-shaped portion that passes through a first through groove in the upper portion of the key and a second through groove in the lower portion of the key and supports the light-emitting body mounting portion; A light emitter mounting substrate having the light emitter mounting board.

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