JPH0110819Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a key input device that can be suitably implemented, for example, for channel selection in a television receiver.

Conventional key input devices of this type use a display separate from the press operation section to indicate that the press operation section has been operated, and therefore require a large installation space and are It has a number of parts. This is particularly a big problem in key input devices that have a large number of press operation sections.

As a means to solve this drawback, a technology was developed in 1973 to indicate that the push operation section was operated using a light emitting element provided on the back of the push operation section.
This is proposed in Publication No. 164876.

However, according to this known technique, since the surrounding area is dark at night, it is difficult to locate the pressing operation section, and there still remains a problem in operability.

In addition, the illumination light emitted from the light emitting element that illuminates the front panel is guided to the press operation section via the light guide plate, and at the same time, the display provided on the operation section can be turned on and off according to the operation of the press operation section. Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 54-164876 proposes a technique for improving the operability of a press operation section at night.

However, in this known technology, the light guide plate and the press operation part are provided separately on the back of the panel, so
As assembly man-hours increase and costs rise,
The press operation part consists of perforations, acrylic resin, and an opaque part to display the operation status.
Since an LED display section is formed, the structure of the operation section itself is complicated, and the cost of parts increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a key input device that has a simple structure and is capable of displaying the operation status of a press operation section and illuminating the press operation section.

The present invention includes a main body in which a pressing operation section and a housing are integrally constructed via a thin connecting section, and a main body that is arranged on the back side of the pressing operation section, and when the pressing operation section is pressed. A first light emitting element that is controlled to be turned on or turned off and illuminates the entire press operation section by being turned on; and a second light emitting element for illumination that emits light in a color different from that of the first light emitting element; The key input device is characterized in that the main body is made of a translucent material, and the illumination light emitted from the second light emitting element is guided to the pressing operation section via the housing. be.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention. The main body 1 includes a pressing operation section 4, a housing 5,
The connecting portion 6 is integrally made of a transparent elastic material such as silicone rubber.

The pressing operation section 4 is operated by a user by pressing it like a push button, and has a circular cross section perpendicular to the axis.

The housing 5 is a member for connecting each pressing operation section 4.

Note that a connecting portion 6 is provided to connect the housing 5 and the pressing operation portion 4 so as to be relatively movable.

A panel 2, which is a decorative board, is arranged on the front surface 1a of the housing 5, and a printed circuit board 3 is arranged on the back surface 1b.
is placed.

A plurality of pressing operation parts 4 (four in this embodiment) may be provided as shown in the figure. Press operation section 4
A gap 7 is formed between the housing 5 and the housing 5 .

Referring to FIG. 2, characters, symbols, etc. are displayed on the top portion 4a of the pressing operation portion 4 by applying paint or by machining irregularities. A ring 9 made of a conductive elastic material, such as conductive rubber, is fixed to the bottom 8 of the pressing operation section 4 . This ring 9 is attached to the printed circuit board 3 from the rear surface 1b of the main body 1 to the upper side of FIG.
It is displaced at intervals from

Recesses 10 and 11 are formed in the pressing operation portion 4 and the housing 5, respectively, and open in the back surface 1b of the main body 1 in the thickness direction thereof. An insertion hole 12 coaxial with the recess 10 is formed in the ring 9 . On one surface 3a of the printed circuit board 3, a first light emitting diode 13 is inserted through the insertion hole 12 and fitted into the recess 10.
is fixed. Also, the printed circuit board 3 has a recess 11.
The second light emitting diode 14 fitted in is fixed. On the outer periphery of the first light emitting diode 13, contacts 15 and 16 are printed and wired concentrically on the printed circuit board 3 and are electrically connected to each other by a ring 9.

On the surface 3b of the printed circuit board 3 opposite to the first and second light emitting diodes 13, 14 and the contacts 15, 16, an electric circuit electrically connected to the contacts 15, 16 by through holes or the like is printed. Wired. When the upper part 4a of the pressing operation part 4 is pressed, the ring 9 is connected to the contacts 15 and 16.
conduction, thereby causing the first light emitting diode 13
is lit. When the first light emitting diode 13 is turned on, when the pressing operation part 4 is pressed again and the contacts 15 and 16 are brought into conduction through the ring 9, the first light emitting diode 13 is turned off. In this way, the first light emitting diode 13 is repeatedly turned on and off every time the press operation section 4 is pressed. Electrical circuitry to perform such operations is readily available to those skilled in the art. Second light emitting diode 14
is always lit, for example, at night. The first light emitting diode 13 is, for example, blue, and
The second light emitting diode 14 is white. In this way, the first and second light emitting diodes 13,1
No. 4 differs in the hue of the emitted light. 1st and 2nd
The light emitting diodes 13 and 14 may have different chroma or brightness of emitted light. First light emitting diode 1
There is a slight gap 20 between the outer peripheral surface of 3 and the inner peripheral surfaces of the recess 10 and the insertion hole 12 (see FIG. 2), which allows the pressing operation of the pressing operation part 4 to be performed smoothly. It will be done.

The light emission brightness of the first light emitting diode 13 is lower than the light emission brightness of the second light emitting diode 14. Second
When the light emitting diode 14 is turned on, the housing 5 shines in the hue of the emitted light color of the second light emitting diode 14. When the first light emitting diode 13 is off, the entire pressing operation section 4 shines in the hue of the light emitted from the second light emitting diode 14 due to the light from the second light emitting diode 14. When the first light emitting diode 13 lights up while the second light emitting diode 14 is on, only the push operation section 4 that has been pressed in the hue of the light emitting color of the first light emitting diode 13 shines.

The panel 2 is made of a synthetic resin plate such as acrylic resin, and may be translucent as described above, or may be light-blocking. This panel 2 is provided with an operation hole 17 through which the pressing operation section 4 is exposed. Top part 4a of press operation part 4
protrudes slightly from the surface 1a of the housing 5 and is substantially flush with the surface of the operation hole 17 (the upper surface in FIG. 1) in its natural state.

In order to reliably prevent light from leaking from the first light emitting diode 13 reaching the housing 5, a cylinder 18 made of a light-shielding material surrounding the first light emitting diode 13 is inserted between the printed circuit board 3 and the first light emitting diode 13, as shown in FIG. It may be provided integrally with the light emitting diode 13.

Instead of the first and second light emitting diodes, light emitting elements having other configurations such as incandescent bulbs may be used.

As explained in detail above, according to the present invention, the pressing operation part and the housing are integrally molded through a thin connecting part, and the illumination light is irradiated through the housing, so that the assembly of the pressing operation part is easy. This simplifies the process and reduces the number of installation steps.

Further, in order to change the color of the illumination according to the operation of the press operation part by making the color of the illumination light caused by the operation of the press operation part and the illumination light for indicating the position of the press operation part different, Since the operating state can be clearly displayed without providing a display section for displaying the operating state on the pressing operating section, and the structure of the pushing operating section can be simplified, parts costs can be reduced, resulting in cost reduction.

Furthermore, by displaying the operation state by changing the illumination color of the entire press operation section, the operation state of the press operation section can be confirmed at a glance, improving visibility.

This is particularly effective when the present invention is applied to in-vehicle equipment.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention;
The figure is an enlarged sectional view of the vicinity of the pressing operation part 4 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a part of another embodiment of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Main body, 2... Panel, 3... Printed circuit board, 4... Press operation part, 5... Housing, 6...
...Connection part, 9...Ring, 10, 11...Recess,
13...First light emitting diode, 14...Second light emitting diode.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A main body in which a pressing operation section and a housing are integrally constructed via a thin connection section, and a main body that is arranged on the back side of the pressing operation section, and the pressing operation section is configured to perform a pressing operation. a first light emitting element that is controlled to be turned on or turned off when the button is pressed, and illuminates the entire press operation section by being turned on; and a second light emitting element for illumination that emits light in a color different from that of the first light emitting element. The main body is made of a translucent material, and the illumination light emitted from the second light emitting element is guided to the pressing operation part via the housing. Key input device.