JP2000173380A - Illumination type key - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable characters to be clearly seen through a key top as well as to attain light and thin structure by bonding the key top with an adhesive having a transparent characteristic applied to a specified position on an upper surface of a key pad, or by welding the same at a specified position on the upper surface of the key pad in a flange portion provided around the key top. SOLUTION: In this key, a key pad 1 is formed of a single-layered or multilayered thin film having a transparent characteristic, and a key top 2 is formed of a transparent hard resin and connected to the key pad 1 via a flange portion 6 by the ultrasonic welding method or the like. On a surface of the key top 2 a printed layer showing characters, symbols and/or the like is formed. At a rear surface of a portion of the key pad 1 connected to the key top 2 a movable block 4 serving as a pushing member is provided to constitute an operation part. On the periphery of each operation part on the key pad 1 a slit 5 is formed to surround the same to separate movement of each operation part from another operation part.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a compact illuminated key which is convenient for use at night or in a dark place as a key for various mobile communication devices such as a portable telephone and a car telephone or other various terminal keys. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional illuminated key using silicon rubber is an illuminated key having a key top and a keypad. The key top is formed of a translucent hard resin, and has a flat back surface. On the flat back surface, a blank character printing layer and a colored translucent printing layer filling the blank character portion are formed, and the keypad is formed of translucent silicone rubber, and is a non-operating portion formed integrally. And an operation part, and a key top is placed on the upper surface of the operation part, and is bonded by a translucent adhesive.

[0003]

The silicon rubber constituting the keypad is processed by a so-called compression molding method.
The limit is about 15 mm. Moreover, the thickness is 0.15 mm
Silicon rubber having a low degree of strength has a low strength and is liable to cause defects such as cracking during secondary processing such as punching and deburring of the outer periphery. As a result, in order to efficiently process silicon rubber, it is necessary to secure a certain thickness, so that there is a limit to weight reduction and thickness reduction. Furthermore, in the compression molding process of silicon rubber, there is a situation that automation of the release process is particularly difficult and it has to rely on humans.
There was a problem that production efficiency was poor.

In the above-mentioned conventional illuminated keys, a method has been adopted in which characters are printed on the upper surface of a keypad operating portion made of a silicone rubber film, and a keytop is formed directly thereon. In the method of forming a key top by directly injecting a high-temperature and high-pressure resin that has been melted onto the printing surface of the film, the resin easily melts because the melting temperature of the resin is close to the heat-resistant temperature of the printing ink. Was easy to occur. On the other hand, in the method in which the key top is bonded to the printed surface of the film via an adhesive, the printed surface is viewed through the adhesive layer, so that the clarity of characters is impaired, and bubbles, dust, etc. However, there is a problem that the production is difficult because of the easy entry.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to solve the problem of low production efficiency due to the use of silicone rubber by employing a new material, and to provide a keypad and a keytop in which characters can be clearly seen through the keytop. It is an object of the present invention to provide an illuminated key that realizes the above structure and enables further weight reduction and thickness reduction.

[0006]

An object of the present invention is to provide an illuminated key having a key top and a keypad, wherein the key top is formed of a translucent hard resin, the back surface is flat, and the flat back surface is provided. One or more printed layers are formed, and the printed layer is a combination of a light-transmitting ink representing a predetermined character or symbol and a printing layer made of a non-light-transmitting ink, or a translucent ink representing a predetermined character or symbol. Alternatively, the keypad is formed of a single print layer of a non-light-transmitting ink, and the keypad is a light-transmitting thin film formed by bonding a plurality of films made of a polymer material and having different thicknesses or different materials, or
A layer formed of a light-transmitting thin film, wherein the key top is adhered to a predetermined position on the keypad upper surface by a substantially light-transmitting adhesive, or a flange portion provided around the key top The illuminated key is welded at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the keypad.

The polymer material constituting the keypad is as follows:
Any material having a thickness of about 20 to 100 μm and capable of being processed into a thin film having appropriate flexibility and translucency may be used, such as polyester resin, acrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, ABS resin, nylon resin, urethane rubber, and the like. Can be exemplified. By using a film made of these materials as a starting material, a keypad can be formed by an automated punching process, thereby eliminating the difficulties conventionally experienced in the compression molding of silicon rubber. In addition, freedom of design can be achieved by laminating a plurality of light-transmitting thin films of different thicknesses or different materials made of these materials, or by forming a keypad from a single-layer light-transmitting thin film. As a result, the weight and thickness can be further reduced.

In the illuminated key of the present invention, a printing layer representing characters or symbols is provided directly on the back surface of the flat key top, and a bonding layer for bonding the key top to the upper surface of the key pad is below the key top printing layer. As a result, the characters and the like on the print layer can be seen very clearly through the transparent key top. The printing layer can be one in which characters or the like are printed with a non-light-transmitting ink on a light background with a light-transmitting ink, or one in which characters or the like are printed as bright blank characters in a single dark printing layer. It is. The above-mentioned light-transmitting adhesive includes, in addition to a literally transparent adhesive, a milky-white adhesive that substantially exhibits light-transmitting properties when forming a thin layer.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In a first embodiment of the present invention, a movable block having a light-transmitting property is provided on a surface of a keypad opposite to a surface to which a keytop is joined, and the keypad surface has a corresponding portion. And the movable block body is an illuminated key that constitutes an operating portion.

[0010] A pressing operation on the key top is transmitted to the electric contact through vertical movement of the keypad surface. In this case, in order to reliably operate only the intended electrical contacts, a movable block body as a pusher protruding downward and contacting the electrical contacts is provided on the surface of the keypad opposite to the surface to which the keytops are joined. Is provided. The relevant portion of the keypad surface and the movable block form an operating portion. The movable block is translucent so that light from a light source provided below the movable block through the keypad and illuminating the bottom surface of the keytop is not obstructed by the movable block.

According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a slit is provided between adjacent key tops so as to substantially surround the periphery of the operating portion of the keypad. An illuminated key that is separate from other portions and in which the actuating portion and other portions are connected.

As described above, the pressing operation on the keytop is transmitted to the electrical contacts through the vertical movement of the keypad surface. In this case, if the vertical movement of the keypad surface is transmitted to another adjacent operating portion, it may cause a malfunction. Therefore, to prevent the movement of one operating part from being transmitted to other operating parts,
A slit is provided around the operating portion and cut off. However, in order to prevent the operating portion from being separated from the keypad surface, a part of the periphery is not provided with a slit and is connected to the keypad surface.

The necessity of the slit depends on the local deformability of the keypad or the coupling relationship between the housing of the target device and the keypad. For example, if the keypad is made of a soft material such as urethane rubber and can provide a sufficient amount of local deformation when the keytop is pressed, the slit may be omitted in some cases. The same applies to a case where the keypad is fixed to the back surface around the keytop opening of the target device housing by welding or the like with a movement allowance.

A third embodiment of the present invention relates to a keypad,
Around the place where the key tops are joined, a light-shielding printing layer that gives light transmittance only directly under the key tops is provided, or a keypad is attached to a film with high light transmittance and a film with low light transmittance. This is an illuminated key which is formed and has a portion having high light transmissivity arranged just below the key top.

The printed layer on the bottom surface of the key top, such as characters, is illuminated through a key pad from a light source provided below the movable block. However, if the light leaks from around the key top opening of the target device housing, contrast when viewing characters and the like through the key top is impaired. For this reason, it is desirable that the illumination light for the bottom surface of the keytop is provided only directly below the keytop and the surrounding area is shielded. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a light-shielding printing layer is provided around the portion where the key tops are joined of the keypad, or the keypad is formed by bonding a film having a high light-transmitting property and a film having a low light-transmitting property. In this case, a portion having a high light-transmitting property is disposed only directly below the keytop, and a portion having a low light-transmitting property is disposed around the keytop.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Some preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a front view (a), a side view (b) and a rear view (c) showing a configuration example of an illumination key as a first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a keypad, 2 denotes a keytop, 3 denotes a printing layer provided on the lower surface of the keytop, 4 denotes a movable block, 5 denotes a slit, and 6 denotes a flange provided around the keytop 2.

That is, in the illuminated key of this embodiment, the keypad 1 is formed of a single-layer or multi-layer thin film having a light-transmitting property, the key top 2 is formed of a light-transmitting hard resin, and the flange portion is formed. 6 and joined to the keypad 1 by ultrasonic welding or the like. A printing layer 3 representing characters, symbols, etc. is provided on the back surface of the key top 2 (however, it does not appear in FIG. 1). A movable block 4 as a pusher is provided on the back surface of the portion where the key top 2 of the keypad 1 is joined to constitute an operating portion. A slit 5 is formed around each operating portion on the keypad 1. Insulate the movement of each working part from other working parts.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view showing a configuration example of a key top 2 as a second embodiment of the present invention. Reference numerals in the figure are the same as those in FIG.

That is, in the key top 2 of the present embodiment, the printing layer 3 representing a character or a symbol is provided directly on the back surface of the key top 2 in which the thickness of the printing layer 3 is reduced from the surface of the flange portion 6. The key top 2 is joined to the upper surface of the keypad 1 via a flange 6 by ultrasonic welding or the like. In this case, since the printing layer 3 is located above the air layer having substantially no thickness, which is the bonding layer, the characters and the like of the printing layer 3 can be seen very clearly through the transparent key top 2. it can.

(Third Embodiment) FIGS. 3A, 3B,
(C) is a conceptual diagram showing a light source for illuminating the key top 2 and a configuration example 2 of a light shielding layer around the key top 2 as a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment,
An example in which the key top 2 is bonded to a predetermined position of the keypad 1 with an adhesive is shown. This adhesive layer needs to have a light-transmitting property in order to transmit light from below that illuminates the key top 2. Such translucent adhesives include, in addition to the literally transparent adhesives, milky white adhesives which exhibit a substantially translucent property when formed in a thin layer. In the figure, reference numeral 6 'is an adhesive layer, 7 is a light-shielding layer, 8 is a housing, 9 is an electric contact, 10 is an LED as a light source, 11 is a circuit board, and others are the same as those in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the light source 10 for illuminating the key top 2 is provided on the circuit board 11 so as to avoid the electric contacts 9. Light from the light source 10 illuminates the bottom surface of the keytop 2 through the light-transmitting movable block 4, the keypad 1, and the adhesive layer 6 '. But at the same time key top 2
Leaking from the corner of the key top opening of the housing 8 through the periphery of the box. Then, the contrast when the key top 2 is viewed from above is impaired, so that it is desirable to suppress the ambient light.

FIGS. 3B and 3C show two examples of the configuration of the light shielding layer 7 for suppressing the above ambient light. That is, the light-shielding layer 7 shown in FIG. 3B is formed by light-shielding printing applied to the film surface of the keypad 1. It is what makes light. Further, the light shielding layer 7 shown in FIG.
The keypad 1 is configured as a laminated film of a light-transmitting film and a non-light-transmitting film, and a light-transmitting property is imparted by hollowing out the non-light-transmitting film immediately below the key top 2. In this embodiment, the example in which the key top 2 is joined to a predetermined position of the key pad 1 using an adhesive has been described. However, a flange 6 is provided around the key top 2 and other configurations are the same. Then, the key top 2 may be joined to the key pad 1 by welding or the like.

[0024]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the keypad is formed using a polymer film as a starting material.
A highly automated punching process can be employed, and this increases the degree of freedom in keypad design, thus further reducing weight and thickness.

Also, since the bonding layer for bonding the keytop to the upper surface of the keypad is arranged below the printing layer of the keytop, characters on the printing layer can be seen very clearly through the transparent keytop. it can.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the movable block body as the pusher is provided at a required position on the back surface of the keypad, only the intended electrical contact can be reliably operated. In addition, since the movable block body is translucent, light illuminating the bottom surface of the keytop from a light source provided below the movable block body is not obstructed by the movable block body.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a slit is provided between the adjacent key tops so as to substantially surround the periphery of the operating portion of the keypad. An erroneous operation due to the vertical movement of the pad surface being transmitted to another adjacent operating portion can be effectively prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a light-shielding printing layer for providing light-transmitting property is provided only directly below the keytop, or a laminated film having a portion having high light-transmitting property is provided only directly below the keytop. Since the keypad is configured, the ambient light leaking from around the key top opening of the housing is effectively blocked, and the loss of contrast when viewing characters or the like through the key top is prevented.

[0029]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view, a side view, and a rear view showing a configuration example of an illuminated key as a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view showing a configuration example of a keytop as a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a light source for illuminating a key top, and a third light source according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a configuration example of a light shielding layer around a keytop as an example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Key pad 2 ... Key top 3 ... Print layer on the lower surface of key top 4 ... Movable block 5 ... Slit 6 ... Flange part 6 '... Joining layer 7 ... Light shielding layer 8 ... Case 9 ... Electric contact 10 ... LED as light source 11 Circuit board

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An illuminated key having a key top and a keypad, wherein the key top is formed of a translucent hard resin, the back surface is flat, and one or more printed layers are formed on the flat back surface. The printing layer is a combination of a printing layer made of a translucent ink and a non-translucent ink representing a predetermined character or symbol, or a single piece made of a translucent ink or a non-translucent ink representing a predetermined character or symbol. The keypad is formed of one printing layer, and the keypad is made of a polymer material, and has a plurality of films of different thicknesses or different materials, and a light-transmitting thin film or a light-transmitting one-layer thin film. The key top is formed of a film, and the key top is adhered to a predetermined position on the upper surface of the key pad by a substantially light-transmitting adhesive, or the key top is provided at a flange portion provided around the key top. -An illuminated key that is welded to a predetermined position on the upper surface of the pad. 2. A light-transmitting movable block is provided on a surface of the keypad opposite to a surface to which the keytop is joined, and the keypad surface and the movable block constitute an operating portion. The illuminated key according to claim 1. 3. A slit is provided between adjacent key tops so as to substantially surround the periphery of the operating portion of the keypad, and the slit is provided from the other portion of the keypad except for a portion around the operating portion of the keypad. 3. The illuminated key according to claim 2, wherein the actuating part and the other part are separated from each other and the part is connected to the other part. 4. A light-shielding printing layer for providing transparency only under the key top is provided around the portion of the keypad surface where the key top is joined, or the keypad is provided with high transparency. A film having a low translucency was formed by laminating a film having a low translucency and a portion having a high translucency was disposed just below the keytop, and a portion having a low translucency was disposed around the keytop. The illuminated key according to claim 1.