JPH11136U - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] When two links 4 and 5 for guiding the key top 2 to ascend and descend are connected, and the rubber spring 6 arranged below the key top 2 is elastically deformed by an input operation of the key top 2, It is easy to change the maximum position of the key top 2 and the size of the key top stroke. The upper and lower free ends (13a, 13b, 12a, 12b) of a first link (4) and a second link (5) are locked to locking portions (15, 27) of a key top (2) and a holder member (7). Upper and lower free ends 11a, 11b, 14a, 14b
Is locked to the key tops 2 and the locking portions 16 and 28 of the holder member 7. A front stopper portion 31 is provided on the side of the sliding engagement portion 28 of the holder member 7 near the other engagement portion 27 to regulate the highest position of the key top 2.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an input device such as a word processor and a personal computer, and more particularly to a key switch used for the input device.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, as a key switch in an input device of this type, for example, a keyboard, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 60-89011 and 60-60217, a key switch is projected downward from the lower surface of a key top. The stem is inserted into a key holder portion formed in the holder member to guide and support it so that it can move up and down, and a rubber spring having a contact portion on the lower surface is arranged below the stem, and a flexible spring is provided at a lower end of the rubber spring. A key switch provided with a switching member such as a membrane switch having an electric contact formed on a sheet is generally used.

In the key switch disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-60217, when one end of a key top such as a space key having a larger planar shape than a contact portion is pressed, the key top is pressed. In order to move up and down in parallel without tilting, halfway portions of a pair of link members arranged in an X-shape when viewed from the side are rotatably connected to each other. It is proposed to place it between members. The locations where the upper and lower ends of the pair of links are slidably locked in a substantially horizontal direction with respect to the keytop and the holder member do not substantially restrict the stroke of the keytop.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

 By the way, with recent diversification of electronic devices and diversification of types of keyboards used as input devices, it is necessary to prepare various types of key switches used for the devices. For example, keystrokes may be short, but thinner keyboards are required.On the other hand, as with professional specifications, long keystrokes are required to improve operability of key input and ensure the reliability of key input. Due to differences in operating conditions, such as those requiring key strokes, and the demands of the user (operator), many types of key switch strokes are required. Furthermore, in order to improve the usability of the operator, it is necessary to mix a keyboard with a short stroke and a keyboard with a long stroke.

[0005] In this case, as in each of the prior arts described above, the vertical movement of the key top is guided and supported by a sliding guide between a stem projecting downward from the lower surface of the key top and the key holder. In order to change the stroke amount, it is necessary to manufacture many types of the slider having different relative vertical lengths of the stem and the key holder and different positions of the stopper projections for regulating the rising position of the stem. In this case, there is a problem in that many types of dies for manufacturing various components such as key tops must be prepared, which increases the manufacturing cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide an input device in which the stroke of a key switch can be arbitrarily and easily changed without particularly changing a key top and its vertical movement guide means.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, an input device according to claim 1 of the present invention has a key top having a first locking portion formed on a lower surface, and is disposed below the key top. A holder member formed with a second locking portion corresponding to the portion, and the key top and the first and second locking portions of the holder member are connected and locked to each other, and are movably arranged with respect to each other. Guide means for guiding and supporting the vertical movement of the key top, and is elastically deformable by an input operation with the key top, and urges the key top upward. A rubber spring, a switch portion for performing a switching operation by elastic deformation of the rubber spring, and a lower free end of the first link or the second link slidably provided in the holder member in a substantially horizontal direction. Stop And a stopper provided on the sliding engagement portion, the lower free end of the first link or the second link being in contact with the sliding engagement portion, and a stopper portion for regulating the ascending position of the key top. It is provided with.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the input device of the first aspect, the first link and the second link are arranged so as to cross each other in an X-shape in a side view, and the rubber spring is provided. When the key top is input, the first link and the second link are pressed through the intersecting portion.

[Action]

 In the input device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the lower free end of the first link or the second link is supported by the sliding engagement portion of the holder member in order to vertically guide and support the key top with respect to the holder member. To slidably engage in a substantially horizontal direction. By providing a stopper at the sliding engagement portion, the highest position of the key top is determined.

Further, in the input device according to the second aspect, the first link and the second link constituting the guide means are arranged to cross each other in an X shape in a side view, and the rubber spring is used for inputting a key top. During the operation, the pressing force based on the input operation of the key top is directly applied to the upper surface of the rubber spring from the halfway intersection of the first link and the second link because the pressing is performed through the halfway intersection of the first link and the second link during operation. By acting on the approximate center, more reliable switching operation is possible.

[0010]

【Example】

 Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a key switch. The key switch 1 has a key top 2, a guide means 3 in which a first link 4 and a second link 5 are arranged in an X-shape in a side view, and the guide means 3. A rubber spring 6 in the form of a cap pressed by the above, a holder member 7 made of synthetic resin for supporting the guide means 3, and a mounting portion 7a of the holder member 7 for positioning and positioning the rubber spring are provided in the switching portion 29, It comprises a flexible printed circuit board 9 stretched on the lower surface of the holder member 7 so as to face 29 (see FIGS. 7 and 8), and a reinforcing plate 10 stretched on the lower surface side.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, the rubber spring 6 is provided with a mounting hole for the holder member 7 so as to cover above the switching portions (electric contact portions) 29, 29 on the printed circuit board 9. 7a. The rubber spring 6 of the present invention is made of an electrically insulating silicone rubber or EPDM (ethylene propylene diene methylene) or the like, and has a substantially disk-shaped thick head in plan view and a cutout extending downward from the periphery of the head. It is integrally formed into a downward-opening cap having a conical domed dome portion and a thick-walled flange portion extending substantially horizontally and radially outward on the outer periphery of the dome portion. When the key top is depressed, the lower surface of the head of the rubber spring 6 pressed by the lower surface of the connection intersection between the first link 4 and the second link 5 comes into contact with the contact portions of the switching portions 29, 29. A movable contact portion 30 made of conductive rubber having conductivity for electrically turning on and off both switching portions is fixed. The entire rubber spring 6 may be formed to have conductivity by dispersing and filling conductive particles such as carbon black in silicone rubber.

The key top 2 formed of a synthetic resin such as an ABS resin has characters such as numerals, alphabets, etc. stamped or printed on the upper surface (surface) thereof. On the lower surface of the key top 2, a longitudinal groove for locking the pin portions 11a and 11b on the upper free end side of the first link 4 to be described later in a substantially horizontal direction so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the key top 2. Sliding locking portions 16, 16 and hole-shaped rotating locking portions 15, 15 for locking the pin portions 13 a, 13 b at the upper free end of the second link 5 so as to be rotatable only. A pair of left and right locking members 17, 17 having front and rear lengths integrally formed with each other are integrally formed or bonded to each other with an adhesive or the like to project (see FIG. 5).

The first link 4 and the second link 5 made of a synthetic resin such as a glass fiber reinforced synthetic resin will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4A is a plan view of the first link 4, and FIG. 4B is a plan view of the second link 5. The first link 4 is formed integrally with the base 18 and the upper and lower free ends 19 and 20 in a substantially H-shape in plan view, and the base 18 has a support hole 21 penetrating in a horizontal direction on a side surface thereof. Prepare. Pin portions 12a and 12b are laterally protruded from side surfaces of the arm portions 20a and 20b extending from both left and right ends of the lower free end portion 20, and pin portions 11a and 11b are laterally protruded from the side surface of the upper free end portion 19. To protrude.

Further, the second link 5 is also substantially integrally formed into a substantially H shape in plan view by the base 22 and the upper and lower free ends 23 and 24. A support shaft 25 projects laterally from one side surface of the base 22, and the support shaft 25 is inserted into the support hole 21 of the first link 4, and the first link 4 and the second link 5 are connected to the support shaft 25. It is connected so as to be able to rotate around 25. Pins 14a, 14b are provided on the side surfaces of the arms 24a, 24b extending from both left and right ends of the lower free end 24 of the second link 5, respectively. The connecting parts 13a and 13b are provided to project sideways.

In this embodiment, the distance from the center line of the support hole 21 in the first link 4 to the center lines of the upper and lower pin portions 11 a and 12 a and the support shaft 25 in the second link 5 are viewed from the side. The pins are formed so that the distances from the center line to the pin portions 13a and 14a are equal to each other. With this configuration, as described later, the key means 2 is displaced around the pin portions 12a and 12b on the lower free end side of the first link 4 so that the key top 2 is moved to the position of the holder member 7. It can move up and down in parallel to the upper surface.

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are views showing a part of the holder member 7 made of a synthetic resin such as glass fiber reinforced synthetic resin (preferably separate from the two links 4 and 5). The material 7 is provided with a substantially rectangular mounting hole 7a into which a flange at the lower end of the cap-shaped rubber spring 6 can be inserted without displacement, and a pair of left and right holes is formed in the left and right side edges of the mounting hole 7a. The rotation locking part 27 and the sliding locking part 28 in the shape of a longitudinal groove are integrally formed by injection so that the locking parts 27 and 28 are opened downward. The lower end side pin portions 12a, 12b of the first link 4 are rotatably fitted into the rotation locking portions 27, 27, and the pin portions 12a, 12b are The pin portions 14a and 14b on the lower end side of the two links 5 are inserted so as to slide back and forth.

As shown in FIG. 8, the mounting hole 7 a is formed in the holder member 7 over an area defined by the pair of rotation locking portions 27 and the pair of sliding locking portions 28. The switching portions 29, 29 of the printed circuit board 9 which are formed and disposed below the holder member 7 are disposed substantially at the center of the mounting hole 7a. Thus, the movable contact portion 30 of the rubber spring 6 disposed in the mounting hole 7a and the switching portions 29, 29 are opposed to each other while being separated from each other, and the intermediate intersection of the first link 4 and the second link 5 is a rubber spring. 1 and 2, the pressing force generated when the key top 2 is depressed moves from the halfway intersection to the substantially central portion of the upper surface of the rubber spring 6. Works. As a result, a reliable switching operation can be performed via the movable contact portion 30 and the switching portions 29, 29 while always properly maintaining the arrangement relationship between the key top 2, the guide means 3, and the rubber spring 6.

At this time, the shape and dimensions of the pin portions 11a, 11b and 14a, 14b and the sliding locking portions 16, 28 are such that the first link 4 and the second link 5 are substantially immovable in the left-right direction in FIG. In addition, it is determined so as not to hinder the sliding of the pin portions 11a and 14a in the left-right direction in FIG. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the tip of each pin portion slides while substantially in contact with the outer side surface of the corresponding sliding engagement portion. This also prevents the support shaft 25 from coming out of the support hole 21.

With this configuration, when the keytop 2 is pressed, the first link 4 rotates downward about the rotation locking portion 27 of the holder member 7, so that the first link 4 and the second link are rotated. The halfway crossing portion, which is pivotally connected in an X-shape with the side view 5, presses the head of the rubber spring 6 obliquely downward.

In a state where the key top 2 is not pressed downward (free state), the elastic force of the rubber spring 6 causes the lower end of the second link 5 when the key top 2 is at the highest position. The pin portions 14a and 14b are configured to abut against the front stopper portion 31 on one side surface (the side surface closer to the rotation locking portion 27) of the sliding locking portions 28 and 28. In this case, by changing the horizontal distance (L1) from the rotation locking portion 27 to the front stopper portion 31, the height dimension (H1) from the upper surface of the holder member 7 when the keytop 2 is at the highest position. Can be regulated. By changing the longitudinal length (L2) of the long groove of the sliding engagement portion 28, the vertical movement distance (H2) of the guide means 3 itself can be regulated.

[0021] The stroke of raising and lowering the key top 2 from the highest position of the key top 2 until the rubber spring 6 is pressed downward by the guide means 3 as much as possible (referred to as a push-off state) is referred to as a stroke. Before the push-off state (at a higher position), the lower end side pin portions 14a, 14b of the second link 5 are connected to the other side surfaces of the sliding locking portions 28, 28 (side surfaces farther from the rotation locking portion 27). By contacting the rear stopper 32, the lowermost position of the key top 2 can be substantially regulated. As a result, even if the length of the sliding groove is the same, the highest position of the key top 2 and the substantial stroke can be changed simultaneously only by changing the position of the front stopper portion 31. It is possible to provide a key having a short troke and a low highest position of the key top.

As described above, the distance (L1) from the rotation locking portion 27 of the holder member 7 to the front stopper portion 31 of the sliding locking portion 28 can be changed. By changing the distance (L2) between the front stopper portion 31 and the rear stopper portion 32, in other words, by changing the length of the sliding groove, the distance from the support shaft 25 of the two links 4 and 5 of the guide means 3 to the pin portion is changed. The maximum position and the stroke of the key top 2 can be arbitrarily changed without changing the dimensions of the key top 2 and the vertical dimension of the rubber spring.

In order to change the distances (L1) and (L2), the position of the sliding locking portion 28 and / or the groove length of the sliding groove portion in one of the injection molding dies of the holder member 7 is changed. May be changed, or after the slide locking portion 28 is formed to have a relatively large thickness by injection molding, the sliding groove of the slide locking portion 28 where the stroke is to be changed is cut. By doing so, the front stopper 31 and / or the rear stopper 32 may be adjusted so as to be determined.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, in a single keyboard, a stroke amount is increased for a key for outputting a character code and a line feed code, and a half key (in general, Keys (used as function keys) are reduced in stroke volume. In this way, these key touches are changed, and when the user uses a blind touch, the difference between the keys can be confirmed without visual inspection, thereby improving the use efficiency.

At this time, since the holder members 7 of all the keys are integrally formed into a single plate, even if the stopper portions 31 and 32 formed on the holder member 7 have two types of positions, Its manufacturing cost is not different from the conventional one. In addition, since the first link 4 and the second link 5 use the same key even if the keys have different strokes, the first link 4 and the second link 5 are different from the conventional one in which the shape of the guide means is changed according to the stroke amount. Manufacturing costs can be greatly reduced.

In order to regulate the highest position of the key top 2 and adjust the stroke size, the shape of a pair of locking members 17 provided on the lower surface of the key top 2 instead of the holder member 7 is changed. Is also good. That is, one stopper portion (rotation) of the sliding locking portions 16, 16 for locking the pin portions 11a, 11b on the upper free end side of the first link 4 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction in a substantially horizontal direction. The position on the side closer to the locking portion 15) and / or the length of the sliding groove of the sliding locking portion 16 may be changed. Further, the rotation locking portion 15 and the sliding locking portion 16 may be separately provided on the lower surface of the key top 2.

As described above, before the rubber spring 6 is pushed and cut off, the position of the sliding engagement portion 28 is adjusted so that the lower end side pin portions 14 a and 14 b of the second link 5 abut on the rear stopper portion 32. When the sliding length is set, the rubber spring 6 can be prevented from being pressed to the utmost limit, and the rubber spring 6 can be protected without applying excessive force to the rubber spring 6. Further, just before the push-off state, the pin portions of the first link 4 and / or the second link 5 in the guide means 3 abut against the rear stopper portions 32 of the sliding engagement portions 16 and 28, thereby further increasing the distance. By utilizing the fact that the first link 4 and the second link 5 elastically bend when the key top 2 is pressed, it is possible to reduce the impact of the key touch up to the full press.

Further, in this embodiment, an example in which two types of strokes are provided on a single keyboard has been described. However, for example, a keyboard which is required to be thinner than key strokes of a portable computer or the like is provided. It is also possible to configure a keyboard such as a stationary type requiring a larger keystroke with the same guide means. Even in such a case, since the guide means conventionally manufactured as a separate part can be shared, the total manufacturing cost is greatly reduced. It should be noted that a substrate such as a membrane switch circuit board may be used instead of the flexible printed board 9 forming the switching section 29, and the present invention is also applicable to a variable capacity keyboard.

[Effect of the invention]

 As described above in detail, according to the input device of the present invention, it is possible to extremely easily determine the ascending position of the keytop without changing the length of the pair of links as the vertical movement guide means of the keytop and the vertical dimension of the rubber spring. It has the effect that it can be regulated.

Further, by changing the position of the stopper portion, that is, by adjusting the distance from the locking portion on the key top side to the sliding locking portion of the holder member, the maximum position of the key top can be increased. Can be changed, so that it is possible to cope with other types of keyboards in which the key tops are raised at different positions, and the production cost is not increased.

In particular, the first link and the second link which constitute the guide means are arranged in an X-shape when viewed from the side, and the rubber spring is provided with the first link and the second link at the time of key top input operation. Is pressed through the midway crossing part, and the pressing force based on the input operation of the key top is applied directly from the midway crossing part of the first link and the second link to the approximate center of the upper surface of the rubber spring. Enables reliable switching operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a key switch.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the key switch when a position of a stopper portion is changed.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view in a case where a key switch is pushed down to a full cut-off state;

4A is a plan view of a first link, and FIG. 4B is a plan view of a second link.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the key top.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a rubber spring and a mounting hole.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a mounting hole of a holder member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Key switch 2 Key top 3 Guide means 4 1st link 5 2nd link 6 Rubber spring 7 Holder member 7a Mounting hole 9 Printed circuit board 10 Reinforcement board 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b Pin part 15, 27 Rotation locking part 16 , 28 Sliding locking part 25 Support shaft 29 Switching part 30 Movable contact part 31 Front stopper part 32 Rear stopper part

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Isao Mochizuki Brother Industrial Co., Ltd. 15-1 Naeshiro-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya

Claims (2)

[Utility model registration claims] 1. A key top having a first locking portion formed on a lower surface, and a second locking portion formed below the key top and corresponding to the first locking portion of the key top. And a first link and a second link which are connected and locked to the key top and the first and second locking portions of the key top and the holder member, respectively, and are movably arranged with respect to each other. A guide means for guiding and supporting the vertical movement of the key spring; a rubber spring which can be elastically deformed by an input operation with the key top, and urges the key top upward; and performs a switching operation by elastic deformation of the rubber spring. A switch portion; a sliding lock portion provided on the holder member for locking a lower free end of the first link or the second link so as to be slidable in a substantially horizontal direction; Provided in the front An input device, comprising: a stopper portion for restricting an ascending position of the key top with a lower free end of the first link or the second link abutting thereon. 2. The first link and the second link are arranged so as to cross each other in an X-shape when viewed from the side, and the rubber spring is provided at an intermediate crossing portion between the first link and the second link when a keytop is operated. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the input device is pressed via a key.