Touch-type operation device

Abstract

To provide an operation device with improved sensitivity for detecting the presence / absence of an operation of an operator and airworthiness of the operation device.SOLUTION: A touch-type operation device comprises: a main body case 3; a touch surface 10 which is disposed on the surface of the main body case 3; a circuit board 14 which is disposed at a predetermined distance on the opposite side of the touch surface 10 and an electrode 16 which is formed on the circuit board 14; determination means which determines the presence / absence of an operation on the touch surface 10 by an operator on the basis of the changes in the electrostatic capacitance of the electrode 16; and a fixture 21 which fixes the circuit board 14 to the main body case 3. The fixture 21 is made of a dielectric body. The fixture 21 is arranged such that one end contacts the electrode 16 and the other end is positioned on the rear surface of the touch surface 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a touch-operated device that detects the presence or absence of an operation based on a change in capacitance.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in this type of capacitive touch sensor, as described in Patent Document 1, there has been one in which an electrode having an opening is formed on a circuit board and an electrical component is disposed within the opening.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above conventional device, even when an operator touches the touch surface, the operator does not feel a click or pressing sensation. Therefore, if the operator presses strongly on the touch surface, there is a possibility that the touch surface will be damaged. Also, if the thickness of the touch surface is increased to increase the strength of the touch surface, the distance between the touch surface and the substrate becomes larger, and depending on the distance, there is a problem that even if the operator touches the touch surface, the presence or absence of an operation may not be detected.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, in claim 1 of the present invention, there are provided a main body case, a touch surface disposed on the surface of the main body case, a circuit board disposed at a predetermined distance on the opposite side of the touch surface, an electrode formed on the circuit board, a determination means for determining the presence or absence of an operation on the touch surface by an operator based on a change in the capacitance of the electrode, and a fixture for fixing the circuit board and the main body case. In the touch-operated device, the fixture is made of a dielectric, and one of the fixture is brought into contact with the electrode and the other is disposed on the back surface of the touch surface.

[0006] Further, in claim 2, the fixture is composed of a head portion, a seat surface portion, a screw portion, and a tip portion. The circuit board has a through hole through which the screw portion passes, and the back surface of the touch surface has a boss to which the screw portion is fixed. The fixture is disposed with the tip portion facing the back surface of the touch surface and the seat surface portion in contact with the electrode, and the through hole and the boss are screwed together with the screw portion to fix the circuit board and the main body case.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to this invention, since the dielectric fixture is in contact with the electrode, the fixture can detect the presence or absence of an operation based on a change in capacitance in the same manner as the electrode, and can maintain good sensitivity of operation detection. The fixture can suppress the depression of the touch surface and improve durability. Therefore, a touch-operated device that achieves both reliability of operation detection and durability of the touch-operated device can be realized.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0010] First, FIG. 1 is used to show the external configuration of the air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment to which the touch-operated device and the air conditioner of the present invention are applied. The air conditioner 1 is, for example, a dehumidifier. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 has a bottom plate 2, a main body case 3 provided above the bottom plate 2, a front case 4 provided in front of the main body case 3, and a carrying handle 5 provided on the upper part of the main body case 3. The bottom plate 2, the main body case 3, and the front case 4 constitute the outer shell of the air conditioner 1.

[0011] An air inlet 6 is provided on the side surface of the main body case 3. The air inlet 6 is formed with, for example, a large number of horizontally long slits, and air is sucked in. Further, on one side of the upper part of the main body case 3, an air outlet 7 and a louver 8 capable of opening and closing the upper part of the air outlet 7 are provided. The air sucked from the air inlet 6 and dehumidified is discharged from the air outlet 7, and the blowing direction is adjusted by the louver 8.

[0012] An operation unit 9 is provided on the upper part of the front case 4. The operation unit 9 is provided with a plurality of touch surfaces 10 including, for example, an "operation / stop" switch and a "swing" switch for rotating the louver 8, and a plurality of display units 11 for displaying various operation states such as an operation lamp. Each of the plurality of touch surfaces 10 is configured as a capacitance type operation switch that detects the presence or absence of an operation by an operator based on a change in capacitance.

[0013] Note that the air conditioner 1 is not limited to a dehumidifier. For example, the present invention is applicable to any device that adjusts at least one of the temperature, humidity, and cleanliness of indoor air, such as a humidifier, an air conditioner, a fan heater, or an air purifier.

[0014] Next, the internal configuration of the plurality of touch surfaces 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 extracts two touch surfaces out of the plurality of touch surfaces 10 and shows their internal configurations. In this example, the internal configurations of the touch surface 10A which is an "operation / stop" switch and the touch surface 10B which is a "swing" switch are shown. In the following, when the touch surface 10A and the touch surface 10B are not distinguished, they are simply referred to as the touch surface 10.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 2, the touch surface 10 has an operation panel 12, a case 13, and a circuit board 14. The operation panel 12 is made of, for example, materials such as glass, transparent or translucent plastic (including acrylic), and is a panel operated by an operator. The operator operates the touch surface 10 by bringing a finger into contact with or close to the surface of the operation panel 12. The operation panel 12 is configured to share one panel among the plurality of touch surfaces 10, but may be configured as separate panels for each touch surface 10. For the sake of convenience of explanation below, among the operation panel 12, the portion corresponding to the touch surface 10A is referred to as the operation panel 12A, and the portion corresponding to the touch surface 10B is referred to as the operation panel 12B.

[0016] Symbol marks 15 indicating the functions and uses of the switches are formed on the operation panel 12. In the example shown in FIG. 2, as the symbol marks 15, the characters "operation / stop" are formed on the operation panel 12A, and the characters "swing" are formed on the operation panel 12B. Note that the symbol marks 15 are not limited to characters, and may be symbols or drawings. The symbol marks 15 are formed at positions corresponding to substantially the central positions of the electrodes 16A and 16B of the respective touch surfaces 10A and 10B on each of the operation panels 12A and 12B. Note that the symbol marks 15 may be formed by making the mark portion transparent or translucent and making the other panel portions opaque, or by making the mark portion opaque and making the other panel portions transparent or translucent. Also, for example, by arranging light-emitting elements (not shown) at positions corresponding to the respective touch surfaces 10A and 10B to emit light, the visibility can be further improved.

[0017] The case 13 is a substantially rectangular frame-shaped member in which the operation panel 12 and the circuit board 14 are arranged at a predetermined distance from each other and which is provided so as to surround the outer periphery for each touch surface 10A, 10B. The case 13 is made of a light-shielding material such as black resin, for example, and shields light emitted from light-emitting elements (not shown) of each touch surface 10A, 10B so that the light does not leak to the adjacent touch surface 10. The case 13 is configured as a member in which a plurality of rectangular frames corresponding to each touch surface 10 are integrated, but may be configured as separate members for each touch surface 10. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, among the case 13, the portion corresponding to the touch surface 10A will be referred to as the case 13A, and the portion corresponding to the touch surface 10B will be referred to as the case 13B.

[0018] The circuit board 14 is a printed circuit board disposed on the side opposite to the operation side (the side operated by the operator, the front side) of the operation panel 12 (the back side). The circuit board 14 is a single-sided board in which a circuit pattern is formed on only one side of either one of the insulating boards, and is composed of a single side 14a on the operation panel 12 side and a surface 14b opposite to the single side 14a. Electrodes 16 are provided on the single side 14b of the circuit board 14 on the operation panel 12 side for each touch surface 10A, 10B, and light-emitting elements (not shown) are provided on the single side 14a. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the electrode corresponding to the touch surface 10A will be referred to as the electrode 16A, and the electrode corresponding to the touch surface 10B will be referred to as the electrode 16B.

[0019] Also, on the single side 14b of the circuit board 14, an IC chip 18 (determination means) for determining the presence or absence of operations on the operation panels 12A, 12B based on signals from the electrodes 16A, 16B, respectively, and signal lines 19 for connecting each of the electrodes 16A, 16B and the IC chip 18 are provided. The electrodes 16A, 16B and the signal lines 19 are formed as circuit patterns on the single side 14b of the circuit board 14.

[0020] Next Reference numeral 21 is a fixture for fixing the circuit board 14 and the operation panel 12, and is made of a material having a high dielectric property. In the first embodiment, the fixture 21 is a screw made of iron. The fixture 21 includes a head portion 21A, a seat surface portion 21B, a screw portion 21C, and a tip portion 21D.

[0021] Reference numeral 22 is a through hole for the fixture 21 to penetrate the circuit board 14. Reference numeral 23 is a boss as a screw hole formed on the back surface of the operation panel 12 where the tip portion 21D and the screw portion 21C of the fixture 21 are screwed.

[0022] The length of the depth of the boss 23 and the vertical width of the through hole 22 is at least longer than the screw portion 21C of the fixture 21. When the fixture 21 is screwed into the through hole 22 and the boss 23, the seat surface portion 21B of the fixture 21 contacts one surface 14b of the circuit board 14.

[0023] Next, a cross-sectional view of the touch-operated device when assembled will be described with reference to FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the electrode 16B provided on one surface 14b of the circuit board 14 contacts the seat surface portion 21B of the fixture 21, and the fixture 21 is screwed into the through hole 22 and the boss 23 to fix the operation panel 12 and the circuit board 14. At this time, the case 13 sandwiched between the operation panel 12 and the circuit board 14 is also fixed together with the operation panel 12 and the circuit board 14.

[0024] Further, since the electrode 16B and the seat surface portion 21B of the fixture 21 are in contact, the fixture 21 having a high dielectric property is charged with electricity from the electrode 16B. When the operator touches the touch surface 10B, the capacitance detected by the electrode 16B through the fixture 21 changes, thereby detecting the presence or absence of an operation. As a result, the fixture 21 can serve as the electrode 16B.

[0025] Thus, according to this invention, since the dielectric fixture 21 is in contact with the electrode 16, the fixture 21 can detect the presence or absence of an operation based on the change in capacitance in the same manner as the electrode 16. Therefore, when the capacitance changes between the operator's finger and the fixture 21, it can be determined that an operation has occurred, and the sensitivity can be maintained well.

[0026] Also, since the fixture 21 suppresses the pushing-in of the operation panel 12 and can improve durability, even if the operator strongly presses due to the lack of a click feeling or a pushing-in feeling, damage to the operation panel 12 can be prevented, and the durability of the touch-type operation device can be improved.

[0027] Moreover, with this configuration, a touch-type operation device can be realized that simultaneously achieves both the reliability of operation detection and the durability of the touch-type operation device.

[0028] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. Regarding the components with reference numerals described in the first embodiment, they are treated as components with the same names.

[0029] 21 is a fixture for fixing the circuit board 14 and the operation panel 12, and is made of a material having a high dielectric property. In the second embodiment, the fixture 21 is a pin, and the material is iron.

[0030] One end side of the fixture 21 is brought into contact with the electrode 16, and the other end side of the fixture 21 is brought into contact with the back side of the touch surface 10.

[0031] Next, a cross-sectional view of the touch-type operation device when assembled will be described with reference to FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the electrode 16A provided on one side 14a of the circuit board 14 is in contact with one end side of the fixture 21, and the back surface of the operation panel 12 and the other end side of the fixture 21 are in contact and fixed. At this time, the case 13 sandwiched between the operation panel 12 and the circuit board 14 is also fixed together with the operation panel 12 and the circuit board 14.

[0032] In addition, since the electrode 16A and one end side of the fixture 21 are in contact, the fixture 21 having a highly dielectric property is charged with electricity from the electrode 16A. When the operator touches the touch surface 10A, the capacitance detected by the electrode 16A via the fixture 21 changes, thereby detecting the presence or absence of an operation. As a result, the fixture 21 can serve as the electrode 16A.

[0033] Thus, according to the present invention, since the dielectric fixture 21 is in contact with the electrode 16, the fixture 21 can detect the presence or absence of an operation based on a change in capacitance in the same manner as the electrode 16. Therefore, when the capacitance changes between the operator's finger and the fixture 21, it can be determined that an operation is present, and good sensitivity can be maintained.

[0034] In addition, since the fixture 21 suppresses the pushing-in of the operation panel 12 and can improve durability, even if the operator strongly presses without a clicking or pushing-in feeling, damage to the operation panel 12 can be prevented, and the durability of the touch-type operation device can be improved.

[0035] Moreover, with this configuration, a touch-type operation device can be realized that achieves both the reliability of operation detection and the durability of the touch-type operation device at the same time.

[0036] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without changing the gist of the invention. For example, in this embodiment, the operation unit 9 of the dehumidifier has been described, but it may be a remote control for a water heater or a remote control for air-conditioning equipment, as long as it is an operation device having a capacitance-type operation switch.

[0037] In the second embodiment, the fixture 21 is a pin (adhesive), but for example, it may be fixed with a spring pin that does not use an adhesive, or the electrode 16 and the operation panel 12 may be temporarily fixed by connecting them with a connector, and the operation unit 9 and the main body case 3 may be fixedly installed with screws or the like. As long as a touch-type operation device that achieves both the reliability of operation detection and the durability of the touch-type operation device can be realized.

[0038] In addition, in the embodiment, although the electrode 16 has a square shape, the electrode 16 may be formed in a circular shape (either a perfect circle or an ellipse).

[0039] In the above-described embodiment, the case where the touch operation device of the present invention is provided on the main body of the air conditioner has been described. However, the touch operation device of the present invention may be provided on an operation device for operating the air conditioner (a so-called remote control device, which may be either a built-in type or a portable type). In addition to the air conditioner, for example, domestic equipment devices installed in a house such as a water heater, a ventilation fan, an air conditioner, etc., and an operation device for domestic equipment devices for operating the domestic equipment devices (a so-called remote control device, which may be either a built-in type or a portable type) may be provided with the touch operation device of the present invention.

[0040] Although not exemplified one by one, the present invention is implemented with various modifications within the scope not departing from the gist thereof.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0041] 10 Touch surface (capacitive touch surface) 10A Touch surface (capacitive touch surface) 10B Touch surface (capacitive touch surface) 12 Operation panel 12A Operation panel 12B Operation panel 14 Circuit board 14a One side 15 Symbol mark 16 Electrode 16A Electrode 16B Electrode 18 IC chip (judgment means) 21 Fixture 22 Through hole 23 Boss

Claims

1. The main case and The touch surface located on the surface of the main case, A circuit board is positioned at a predetermined distance from the opposite side of the touch surface. The electrodes formed on the circuit board, A determination means for determining whether or not the touch surface has been operated by an operator based on a change in the capacitance of the electrode, In a touch-type operating device comprising a fixing device for securing the circuit board and the main body case, The material of the aforementioned fastener is iron. The aforementioned fixing device is characterized in that one end is in contact with the electrode and the other end is positioned on the back of the touch surface.

2. The aforementioned fastener consists of a head, a seating surface, a screw portion, and a tip portion. The circuit board has a through hole through which the screw portion passes, The back surface of the touch surface has a boss to which the screw portion is fixed. The touch-type operating device according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing device is positioned with its tip facing the back of the touch surface, in contact with the seating surface and the electrode, and the through hole and the boss are screwed together with the threaded portion to fix the circuit board and the main body case.

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