Keyboard Device

Abstract

To make a keyboard in a simpler configuration.SOLUTION: A keyboard device includes a rubber base part 21 in which a plurality of keys are arranged in parallel on the same plane, each key includes a rubber dome with a switch electrode part formed inside, an upper surface is flat, and a protruding part 21A protrudes upwardly on a part of the upper surface thereof and a key top part 22 that is installed on the top surface of the rubber base part 21 and has the protruding part 21A protruding upward through a through-hole 22A formed partially in a flat plate shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a keyboard device that is suitable for, for example, a folding electronic device. [Background technology]

[0002] A technology has been proposed for a rubber contact type push button switch with a display unit, in which a light emitting diode is placed inside the outer shape of the push button, preventing the button from getting caught when operated even though the rubber contact unit is placed off-center of the button (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-202847 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There was a demand for a simpler structure for rubber keys, including the technology described in Patent Technology 1, in which a key top made of synthetic resin or the like is placed on a rubber dome.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard device with a simpler configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is A keyboard device provided on the inner surface of one of the cases of a folding electronic device having two cases connected via a hinge mechanism,A plurality of keys are arranged in parallel on the same plane, each of which includes a dome-shaped rubber member with a switch electrode formed therein, a rubber base portion having a flat upper protrusion formed on the upper portion of the rubber member, and a key top portion which is a plate-like member having a flat upper surface and a through hole formed therein and is installed on the upper surface of the rubber base portion so that the protrusion protrudes upward through the through hole, and some of the keys have a protrusion that protrudes by a larger amount than the protrusions of the other keys. death , and at least two of the keys are located at the ends of the keys, and the protrusions abut against an outer periphery of a display screen provided on the inner surface of the other case of the electronic device when the electronic device is folded. . Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a simpler configuration can be achieved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of an electronic dictionary according to an embodiment of the present invention when unfolded; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of one key constituting the keyboard according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of the configuration of cursor keys located at the front right end of the keyboard according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a case in which a protruding portion protruding from a key top portion according to the embodiment functions as a stopper, in comparison with a structure of a general stopper. [Diagram 5] 13 is a diagram showing an example in which the protruding parts of four cursor keys according to the embodiment are colored. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electronic dictionary will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of an electronic dictionary 10 according to this embodiment when unfolded. Electronic dictionary 10 is composed of a flat upper case 11 and a similarly flat lower case 12 that are integrally connected via a cylindrical hinge portion 13. Upper case 11 and lower case 12 are foldable so as to be openable and closable by hinge portion 13, and the figure illustrates the state in which the electronic dictionary 10 is unfolded to about 135° and placed, for example, on a desk when in use.

[0010] Hinge portion 13 has hinge mechanisms at both ends, is provided with a lid portion (not shown) that can be opened and closed from the bottom side of lower case 12, and has a structure that can store, for example, two AA size dry batteries or secondary batteries in series as a power source.

[0011] A display unit 14 using a touch panel type color liquid crystal panel is provided on the inner surface of the upper case 11. Meanwhile, a keyboard 15 with a plurality of keys is provided on the inner surface (the upper surface when unfolded) of the lower case 12.

[0012] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the cross-sectional structure of one key constituting keyboard 15. Fig. 2(A) is a diagram showing rubber base part 21 serving as the base and key top part 22 attached to the upper part thereof, and Fig. 2(B) is a diagram showing the state in which key top part 22 is attached to rubber base part 21.

[0013] As shown in the figure, the rubber base portion 21 has a flat upper surface and a protruding portion 21A protruding upward from approximately the center of the upper surface. The interior of this rubber base portion 21 includes a rubber dome, not shown, in which a pair of switch electrodes are formed with a gap between the upper and lower surfaces. The rubber dome formed in the rubber base portion 21 may be integral with the rubber material forming the rubber base portion 21, or may be formed separately from the rubber base portion 21 using another rubber material with different elasticity, and the rubber base portion 21 may include the rubber dome. By forming the rubber dome as a separate body from the rubber base portion 21, the structure becomes complicated, but it becomes easy to set the appropriate key touch pressure.

[0014] As described above, the presence of protrusion 21A protruding upward from the upper surface of rubber base portion 21 increases the design freedom when considering the gap between the pair of switch electrodes inside the rubber dome, i.e., the operation stroke length of the key.

[0015] The key top portion 22 is made of a flat synthetic resin and has a through hole 22A in the center for passing the protrusion 21A through. As shown in Fig. 2(B) , even when the key top portion 22 is attached to the rubber base portion 21, the upper portion of the protrusion 21A of the rubber base portion 21 protrudes above the upper surface of the key top portion 22. The key top portion 22 is fixed to the rubber base portion 21 by being attached to the upper surface of the rubber base portion 21 using an adhesive.

[0016] As shown in the figure, the size Sb of the rubber base portion 21 on the installation surface is compared with the size Skt of the key top portion 22 on the plane, which is the same as or larger than that.

[0017] In this way, by designing the rubber base portion 21 and the key top portion 22 as separate entities and making the size of the rubber base portion 21 equal to or smaller than the size of the key top portion 22, it becomes possible to design the keyboard 15 to be placed on the upper surface of the lower case 12 of the electronic dictionary 10 so that the key top portion 22 is positioned all the way to the peripheral edge of the panel surface.

[0018] As described above, the key top portion 22 is placed on the upper surface of the rubber base portion 21 and is attached with, for example, a synthetic rubber adhesive, and by fitting the protrusion 21A of the rubber base portion 21 into the through hole 22A of the key top portion 22, the positioning, installation, and fixing of the key top portion 22 can be made extremely easy, which greatly contributes to simplifying the product assembly process. In addition, the relationship between the protrusion 21A of the rubber base portion 21 and the through hole 22A of the key top portion 22 makes the contact area between the rubber base portion 21 and the key top portion 22 larger, and by bonding on curved surfaces that match in shape, the fixation by bonding can be made more reliable.

[0019] Moreover, it is considered that the protrusion 21A of the rubber base portion 21 and the through hole 22A of the key top portion 22 are shaped in accordance with the function of the key at the assigned position.

[0020] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the cursor keys located at the right front end of keyboard 15. Fig. 3(A) shows the state before key top portion 22 of each key is installed on rubber base portion 21, and Fig. 3(B) shows the state after installation and fixing.

[0021] Here, the cursor key, i.e., a group of four keys for individually instructing movement of the cursor displayed on display unit 14 in each of the up, down, left and right directions, is configured to have a protrusion 21A of rubber base portion 21 having an isosceles triangle shape in plan view with the apex angles pointing in different directions for up, down, left and right, and a through hole 22A of key top portion 22 that fits into it.

[0022] Therefore, with regard to key marking, there is no need to separately write the key name on the upper surface of key top portion 22. In addition, since protrusion 21A itself protrudes upward from key top portion 22 at the center of key top portion 22, by appropriately setting the color scheme of protrusion 21A and the color scheme of key top portion 22 in particular, the user can easily understand the function of the key, and operability can be improved, including by naturally encouraging the user to operate the center of the key.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3, the rubber base portion 21 of each key constituting the keyboard 15 has a main rubber portion integrally molded into a sheet shape.

[0024] Furthermore, with regard to the keys located at the peripheral edges of the keyboard 15, particularly in a foldable electronic device such as the electronic dictionary 10, it is possible to make the protrusions larger than the protrusions 21A of the adjacent keys so that they function as stoppers when folded.

[0025] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a case where protrusion 21A protruding from key top portion 22 functions as a stopper, in comparison with the structure of a general stopper. Fig. 4(A) is a diagram showing the structure of a general stopper used in electronic dictionaries and the like, and Fig. 4(B) is a diagram illustrating a case where protrusion 21A protruding from key top portion 22 functions as a stopper according to this embodiment.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 4(A), in typical foldable electronic devices, in order to reliably prevent the display panel of the display unit provided on the inner surface of the upper case from directly and physically interfering with the surface of the keyboard provided on the inner surface of the lower case, rubber stoppers 31 are often provided on the peripheral edges of the keyboard corresponding to the position of the outer frame of the liquid crystal panel.

[0027] In contrast, in this embodiment, as described above, it is possible to extend the keyboard 15 to the outside of the peripheral edge on the inner surface side of the lower case 12. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4(B), for the two keys at the left and right ends located at the peripheral edge of the keyboard 15, the protruding parts 21A protruding from the center of the key top parts 22 are configured to protrude higher than the protruding parts 21A of the other adjacent keys, and are configured to abut against the frame part around the display part 14 on the inner surface of the upper case 11 when folded.

[0028] This allows the protrusion 21A to also function as the stopper 31 shown in FIG. 4(A), further simplifying the overall structure of the device.

[0029] In addition, since the color of the rubber base portion 21 can be partially changed during the rubber molding process, it is possible to arrange the colors so that each protrusion 21A of each key constituting the keyboard 15 has a different color corresponding to the assigned key.

[0030] 5 is a diagram showing an example of coloring of the protrusion 21A of each of the four cursor keys. Here, the coloring of the protrusion 21A of the "left" key among the four cursor keys is red, the "up" key and the "down" key are yellow, and the "right" key is green, as shown by hatching representing the colors in the diagram.

[0031] In this way, by effectively utilizing the fact that the rubber sheet constituting the rubber base portion 21 can be partially colored during the rubber molding process and having a color scheme that corresponds to the function of the assigned key, it is possible to reduce manufacturing costs further compared to when it is constructed by multi-color injection molding.

[0032] Furthermore, by making the portion of rubber base portion 21 corresponding to protrusion 21A out of a transparent material, an LED (light-emitting diode) can be installed on the substrate on which the lower electrode portion constituting the internal rubber switch is formed, making it possible to illuminate protrusion 21A.

[0033] As described above in detail, according to this embodiment, a simpler configuration can be achieved. In addition, in this embodiment, the protrusion 21A protruding from approximately the center of the upper surface of the rubber base portion 21 is configured to protrude upward by penetrating through the through hole 22A formed approximately in the center of the key top portion 22. This provides a good balance between adhesion and fixation, and also allows the user to unconsciously operate the keys based on the presence of the protrusion 22A, thereby preventing key input errors and enabling reliable key operation.

[0034] In this embodiment, for some keys on keyboard 15, such as cursor keys, protrusion 21A protruding from the center of key top portion 22 is shaped to correspond to the function of the key. This eliminates the need to write the function name of the key on key top portion 22 itself, further simplifying the configuration of keyboard 15.

[0035] Although the present embodiment has been described as being applied to an electronic dictionary, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be similarly applied to various electronic devices, such as notebook personal computers.

[0036] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the invention. In addition, each embodiment may be implemented in combination as appropriate as possible, and in that case, the combined effect can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-mentioned embodiment includes inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriate combinations of the disclosed multiple constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiment, if the problem described in the "Problem to be Solved by the Invention" column can be solved and the effect described in the "Effect of the Invention" column can be obtained, the configuration from which the constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as the invention.

[0037] The invention as originally claimed in the present application is set forth below. [Claim 1] Each key is arranged in parallel on the same plane. a rubber base portion including a rubber dome having a switch electrode portion formed therein, the rubber base portion having a flat upper surface and a protrusion portion protruding upward from a part of the upper surface; a key top portion that is installed on an upper surface of the rubber base portion and that causes the protrusion portion to protrude upward through a through hole formed in a part of the flat plate; A keyboard device comprising: [Claim 2] The key top area of ​​the key top part is equal to or larger than the installation area of ​​the rubber base part. 2. The keyboard device according to claim 1. [Claim 3] The key top portion is fixed to the upper surface of the rubber base portion. 3. The keyboard device according to claim 1 or 2. [Claim 4] The rubber base portion has a protrusion that protrudes upward from approximately the center of the upper surface, The key top portion is installed on the upper surface of the rubber base portion so that the protrusion protrudes upward through a through hole formed in the approximate center of a flat plate. 4. A keyboard device according to claim 1. [Claim 5] At least some of the keys have the protrusions having a planar shape corresponding to the functions assigned to the keys. 5. The keyboard device according to claim 1. [Claim 6] 3. The keyboard device according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the keys located at the ends of each key have protruding portions that protrude more than the protruding portions of the other keys. [Claim 7] the keyboard device is provided on an inner surface side of one of the cases of a folding electronic device having two cases connected via a hinge mechanism, the at least two keys come into contact with an outer periphery of a display screen provided on an inner surface of the other case of the electronic device when the electronic device is folded; 7. The keyboard device according to claim 6. [Claim 8] At least some of the keys have protrusions made of a rubber material having a color corresponding to the function assigned to the key. A keyboard device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10. Electronic dictionary 11…Upper case 12…Lower case 13...Hinge part 14...Display section 15…Keyboard 21…Rubber base 21A…Protrusion 22…Key top section 22A…Through hole

Claims

1. A keyboard device provided on the inner surface of one of the cases of a foldable electronic device having two cases connected via a hinge mechanism, The keyboard device has a plurality of keys arranged in the same plane, each key being: A rubber base portion includes a dome-shaped rubber member having a switch electrode portion formed therein, and a flat upper protrusion is formed on the upper portion of the rubber member; a key top portion which is a plate-like member having a flat upper surface and a through hole formed therein, the key top portion being installed on the upper surface of the rubber base portion such that the protrusion protrudes upward through the through hole; Equipped with At least two of the keys have protruding portions that protrude more than the protruding portions of the other keys, are located at ends of the keys, and the protruding portions abut against an outer periphery of a display screen provided on the inner surface of the other case of the electronic device when the electronic device is folded. Keyboard device.

2. The key top area of ​​the key top part is equal to or larger than the installation area of ​​the rubber base part.

2. The keyboard device according to claim 1.

3. The key top portion is fixed to the upper surface of the rubber base portion.

3. The keyboard device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The rubber base portion has a protrusion that protrudes upward from approximately the center of the upper surface, The key top portion is installed on the upper surface of the rubber base portion so that the protrusion protrudes upward through a through hole formed in the approximate center of a flat plate.

4. A keyboard device according to claim 1.

5. At least some of the keys have the protrusions having a planar shape corresponding to the functions assigned to the keys.

5. A keyboard device according to claim 1.

6. At least some of the keys have protrusions made of a rubber material having a color corresponding to the function assigned to the key.

6. A keyboard device according to claim 1.

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