JP2001312943A - Key operation device, mobile telephone and electronic equipment using the key operation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve operability of a key operation device and to attain its cost reduction by providing an integrally constituted button key for multi- directional operation which produces few wrong operations. SOLUTION: The key operation device is equipped with a single-component button key (5-direction operation key) 13, installed o the upper part of a switch 3 for selecting and deciding on the central direction and switches 4 to 7 for designating the surrounding directions to proceed with designation operation in the central and other four directions totaling five directions. At the rear side of the 5-direction operation key 13, an annular convex part 30 is provided between the central pressing projection 25, corresponding to the switch 3 and the surrounding pressing projections 26 to 29 which corresponds to the switches 4 to 7. In proceeding with the direction designation operation, an outer ring 21 of the 5-direction operation key 13 is pressed and when the 5-direction operation key 13 is inclined, the annular convex part 30 abuts against the printed board 13 and turns into fulcrum, so that both the switch 3 and one of the switches 4 to 7 will not be switched on simultaneously and wrong operations can be avoided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key operation device for performing operations such as information selection and function selection used in a portable telephone or an electronic device, and a portable telephone and an electronic device using the same. And the structure of button keys pressed by the operator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Liquid crystal screens for displaying various data such as registered destination telephone numbers are provided in PHSs and portable telephones (hereinafter collectively referred to as portable telephones). In recent years, the functions of mobile phones have been remarkably improved, and the LCD screen has been enlarged, and various types of information have been displayed here. The user has to move the cursor on the LCD screen to obtain the necessary information from the displayed information. You are starting to choose.

For this reason, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-126
As described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 126, a key operation device capable of moving a cursor up, down, left, and right and performing operation in a plurality of directions for confirming selected information has been provided in a mobile phone. In addition, an increasing number of electronic devices such as palmtop computers, electronic organizers, portable MDs, and digital cameras are equipped with a key operation device so that information and functions displayed on a liquid crystal screen can be selected.

Taking a mobile phone as an example, a switch composed of a flat hemispherical diaphragm is usually provided on a printed circuit board of the mobile phone, and is provided directly below a key operation device for selecting operation. The mainstream is that a switch for confirmation is provided at the center and an up switch, a down switch, a right switch, and a left switch for indicating a direction for cursor scrolling are provided around the switch. Has become.

If such a key operation device is composed of five button keys provided for each switch, each switch can be turned on and off independently and erroneous operation can be prevented. However, this requires a large space for arrangement. There is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases. For this reason, there is also a mobile phone having a two-part configuration including a center determination button key and ring-shaped button keys for selecting up, down, left, and right arranged around the center. However, in this two-part configuration, the operability may be degraded, for example, the two button keys may interfere with each other during operation, making it difficult to operate. In addition, dust and the like accumulate in gaps formed between the two button keys, deteriorating the aesthetic appearance and causing trouble in cleaning.

Therefore, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-12612 has been proposed.
As in the prior art described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 6-106, a single disc-shaped button key is provided, and the confirmation switch is turned on by depressing the center of the button key, and this button key is moved up, down, right, and left. A key operation device that turns on a peripheral switch in a corresponding direction by tilting in one direction has been mounted on various electronic devices.

FIG. 5 shows a disc-shaped button key 4 of a single piece.
FIG. 2 shows a vertical cross section of a general key operation device composed of 0s. The key top of the button key 40 is provided with a shallow depression 41 that fits the belly of the operator's thumb. The outer peripheral portion of the surface has a shape in which an edge portion 42 remains after the recess 41 is formed, rather than providing a convex shape. In the center of the button key 40, a small protrusion 43 indicating the center position may be provided.

On the bottom surface of the button key 40, a pressing projection 44 for pressing the confirmation switch 3, an upward switch 4,
Pressing projections 45 for pressing down switch 5 respectively,
46 are protrudingly provided. The height of the pressing projection 44 is
It is formed slightly higher than the other pressing projections 45 and 46.

When such a button key 40 is operated with the thumb, the whole depression 41 is moved downward with the thumb (the printed circuit board 1).
Direction), the pressing projections 4 are slightly higher than the others.
4 causes the diaphragm of the confirmation switch 3 to be concavely deformed and connects (turns on) the contacts provided inside. To turn on the upward switch 4, the button key 40
By pressing down the vicinity of the key top peripheral portion corresponding to the upward direction with the thumb, the button key 40 tilts in the arrow X direction in the drawing with the pressing protrusion 44 as a fulcrum, and the pressing protrusion 45 The diaphragm 4 is concavely deformed (turned on).

[0010]

In recent years, the size of portable telephones and the like has been further reduced, and portable telephones and the like having a size that fits in the palm of a hand have been developed. For this reason, the key operation device has to be downsized, and when operating the button key 40, the key top hidden by the fingertip is operated only with the sense of the fingertip.

In particular, key operations for pressing the up, down, left, and right direction keys cannot be performed independently, and the operability is not very good. For example, by shifting the fingertip holding down the button key 40 to the right, the user may move the cursor to the right, but the problem of erroneous operation such as turning on the confirmation switch is increasing.

[0012] This erroneous operation can be eliminated to some extent by skill in key operation, but it is necessary to use nerves for key operation even in an unstable state such as when moving, and for the operator, operability defects and stress due to erroneous operation are required. May occur. Therefore, there is a demand for the development of a key operation device that has good operability, can prevent erroneous operations, and can reliably perform key operations such as information selection without any skill.

When the button key 40 is tilted by depressing the peripheral portion of the button key 40, the pressing projection 44 for depressing the confirmation switch serves as a fulcrum, but in the conventional configuration, the peripheral portion of the key top will be depressed. Even in this case, a large force is applied to the pressing protrusion 44 at the center. For this reason, the pressing protrusion 44
The elasticity of the diaphragm of the confirmation switch 3 is set so that the confirmation switch 3 does not deform in
It is necessary to make the elasticity of the diaphragms of the upper switch 4 and the lower switch 5 stronger, and there is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases accordingly.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when performing key operations such as confirming selection by pressing the central portion and key operations such as direction indication pressing peripheral portions thereof, a reliable operation is performed. Provided is an integrated multi-directional operation button key capable of performing operation and preventing erroneous operation, and provides a key operation device capable of improving operability and reducing costs, and a mobile phone and an electronic device using the same. The purpose is to:

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A key operating device according to the present invention is firstly arranged to face a switch group having a central switch and a plurality of peripheral switches arranged around the central switch. A key operation device for operating the central switch by depressing a central portion of the button key and activating the peripheral switch by depressing a peripheral portion of the button key. On the back surface, a pressing protrusion is provided according to the arrangement of the opposing switch, and a peripheral portion of the button key is pressed between the pressing protrusion corresponding to the central switch and the pressing protrusion corresponding to the peripheral switch. A convex portion serving as a fulcrum is provided.

Secondly, the button keys correspond to one central switch and four peripheral switches arranged at substantially equal intervals around the central switch, so that the central key is pressed down and the peripheral switch is pressed. It is a five-directional operation key for performing an operation of pressing an area in four directions.

Thirdly, in the button key, the key top surface is formed in a substantially circular shape, and the convex portion on the back side is formed in a substantially annular shape around a pressing projection corresponding to the central switch. It is characterized by becoming.

Fourthly, the height of the projection is formed higher than the pressing projection corresponding to the peripheral switch. Fifth, the protrusion is provided at an intermediate position between the pressing protrusion corresponding to the central switch and the pressing protrusion corresponding to the peripheral switch, or slightly closer to the center. .

Further, the mobile phone according to the present invention is a mobile phone for performing voice communication or data communication by wireless communication, and can be operated in multiple directions for selecting or instructing the content of information displayed on the display means. A key operation device includes any one of the key operation devices described above.

Further, the electronic device according to the present invention may be arranged such that any one of the above-mentioned key operation means can be operated in multiple directions to select or instruct an information content displayed on the display means for displaying information relating to the operation of the device. Is provided.

As described above, on the rear surface of the button key, the area between the pressing protrusion corresponding to the center switch and the pressing protrusion corresponding to the peripheral switch is formed in a region where none of the switches is actuated when pressed. By providing the portion, when the peripheral portion of the button key is pressed, the convex portion serves as a fulcrum and swings, and the peripheral portion in the corresponding direction of the button key tilts and presses the peripheral switch, so that operability is improved. In addition, since the peripheral switch and the central switch are not turned on at the same time, the probability of occurrence of erroneous operation is reduced.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of a mobile phone according to one embodiment of the present invention. here,
A mobile phone will be described as an example of an electronic device equipped with a key operation device.

In the mobile phone of the present embodiment, the printed circuit board 1 is housed in a lower cover (not shown). On the surface of the printed circuit board 1, a plurality of switches 2 to 7 each having a flat diaphragm are arranged. This diaphragm-type switch gives the operator a click feeling by being pressed and concavely deformed, and turns on when the internal contacts (not shown) come into contact with each other. However, the internal contacts are separated and turned off. Note that the present invention can be similarly applied to other types of switches.

The switch 2 is for a plurality of numeric keys arranged vertically and horizontally, for on-hook / off-hook communication and for power supply. The switches 3 to 7 are for selection operation according to one embodiment of the present invention. Switch. In this embodiment, five switches 3 to 7 are arranged in a cross shape, and the switches for the selection operation used for performing the information selection and the function selection are configured in this embodiment. That is, a switch 3 for confirming selection corresponding to the center switch, a switch 4 for selecting an upward direction, a switch 5 for selecting a downward direction, and a switch 5 for selecting a downward direction, which are provided around the peripheral switch for direction indication, are selected. A switch 6 and a switch 7 for selecting the left direction. A liquid crystal display element (not shown) is mounted on the liquid crystal area 8 of the printed circuit board 1 as a display means.

A key sheet 10 is placed on each of the switches 2 to 7 on the printed circuit board 1. The key sheet 10
Rubber sheet 1 made of silicon rubber or the like for waterproofing
1 and various button keys such as numeric keys 12 attached to predetermined portions of the rubber sheet 11. The key sheet 10 is provided with selection operation button keys 13 (hereinafter referred to as five-direction operation keys) constituting a key operation device capable of operating in multiple directions (here, five directions). It is attached on the rubber sheet 11 side by side. The five-way operation key 13 is a one-part button key that is integrally formed, and corresponds to the above-described arrangement of the selection operation switches 3 to 7 and has a size substantially covering these switches. It is composed of a disk-shaped member.

On the key sheet 10, an upper cover 15 is provided.
Is covered. The upper cover 15 is provided with a keyhole 18 for a five-way operation key 13 in addition to a window 16 for a liquid crystal display element and a keyhole 17 for various numeric keys. With the upper cover 15 attached and the mobile phone assembled,
The key tops of the various button keys are exposed from the upper cover 15 to the outside, so that the operator can operate the button keys while looking at the screen of the liquid crystal display element.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the five-way operation key 13 shown in FIG. A five-way operation key 13 having a substantially disk shape
Has a diameter close to the belly of the thumb of the average person who uses a mobile phone. Also, the height of the keys is higher (that is, thicker) toward the liquid crystal screen side (the right side in FIG. 2), and the entire key top is inclined toward the numeric key side (the right side in FIG. 2). This is to make it easy to operate the five-way operation key 13 with the thumb.

The central part of the upper surface of the five-way operation key 13 is formed into a gently mountain-like bulging shape like a mound, and has a central convex part 20 corresponding to the center of the belly of the thumb. In the present embodiment, the diameter of the crest of the central projection 20 is about half the diameter of the five-way operation key 13. Also, a peripheral portion of the upper surface of the five-way operation key 13 (hereinafter, referred to as an outer ring portion).
Reference numeral 21 denotes a ring-shaped convex shape having an inclined surface gradually lowered toward the central convex portion 20.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the key top of the five-way operation key 13 is the central projection 20 provided at the center.
And a peripheral region formed by an outer ring portion 21 provided on the periphery, and the boundary between these two regions is a concave portion 23 having a substantially V-shaped cross section in a circumferential shape. A continuous surface is formed. An arrow 22 for indicating a direction is engraved on the inclined surface on the side of the outer ring portion 21 from the substantially circumferential boundary line A that divides the central convex portion 20 and the peripheral outer ring portion 21.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the back surface of the key sheet 10. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 2, column-shaped pressing projections 25 to 29 corresponding to the switches 3 to 7 protrude from the bottom surface of the five-way operation key 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the pressing protrusion 25 corresponding to the center selection confirmation switch 3 is smaller than the pressing protrusion 26 corresponding to the upward switch 4 and the pressing protrusion 27 corresponding to the downward switch 5. The length is slightly higher.

The pressing projections 26 to 29 for pressing the peripheral direction indicating switches 4 to 7 have the same height, and when the five-directional operation key 13 is pressed straight down to the printed circuit board 1 side, the pressing projections are pressed. 25 is configured so that only the selection decision switch 3 is turned on and the other direction indication switches 4 to 7 are not turned on by the pressing projections 26 to 29.

In this embodiment, the positions of the central convex portion 20 and the outer ring portion 21 of the key top of the five-way operation key 13 are 5
The positions of the pressing protrusions 25 and the pressing protrusions 26 to 29 on the bottom surface of the direction operation key 13, that is, the switches 3 and the switches 4 to 7 have a corresponding relationship. That is, in the present embodiment, the center selection switch 3 is determined only by the tactile sensation of the thumb in contact with the key top surface of the five-way operation key 13.
The position of the central convex portion 20 is determined so that the position (that is, the position where the pressing protrusion 25 exists) can be easily and intuitively recognized, and the positions of the switches 4 to 7 for indicating the surrounding directions (that is, the pressing protrusion 26) are determined.
Outer ring part 2 so that the position of the
The position of the boundary line A is determined in order to determine the range of the one convex shape. The portion of the boundary line A is a valley sandwiched between the central convex portion 20 and the outer ring portion 21 to form a substantially V-shaped concave portion 23, and the concave shape forms a central and peripheral biconvex shape. Can be easily distinguished only by the tactile sensation.

In the button key 40 shown in FIG. 5 described as a conventional example, the top (position indicated by reference numeral 42) of the outer periphery of the key top surface corresponding to the operation unit in the up, down, left and right directions is inside the outer periphery of the key. The area inside the top is just large enough to hit the operator's thumb. on the other hand,
In the five-way operation key 13 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the top 24 of the outer peripheral portion of the key top surface is located near the outer peripheral edge of the key. , The range of the outer ring portion 21 can be easily perceived only by the sense of the fingertip. Also, since the height of the central convex portion 20 and the outer ring portion 21 is higher than the line connecting the top 24 of the outer ring portion 21, the central convex portion 20 and the outer ring portion 21 are respectively formed. It is easy to put a finger on the corresponding part when performing the pressing operation,
Operability is good.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, on the back side of the five-way operation key 13, the center pressing projection 25 corresponding to the switch 3 for confirming the selection is surrounded. An annular protrusion 30 is provided between the pressing protrusion 25 and the surrounding pressing protrusions 26 to 29. The annular convex portion 30 is provided with a five-direction operation key 1 for a direction instruction operation.
When the outer ring part 3 is pressed and the five-way operation key 13 is inclined, the tip of the five-way operation key 13 contacts the printed circuit board 1 and functions as a fulcrum. For this reason, the height of the annular projection 30 is
The height of the central pressing projection 25 and the surrounding pressing projections 2
It is formed at a height approximately halfway between 6 and 29. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the width of the annular convex portion 30 is narrow at a position that intersects a line connecting the central pressing protrusion 25 and the peripheral pressing protrusions 25 to 29, but the other widths are small. The width of the part is slightly thicker for reinforcement. That is, the inner peripheral side of the annular convex portion 30 has a circular shape, and the outer peripheral side has a substantially square shape with rounded corners.

The annular convex portion 30 is slightly inside (beside the center of the five-way operation key 13) immediately below the ring-shaped boundary line A.
It is provided in. For this reason, when the outer ring portion 21 outside the boundary line A, that is, the outer ring portion 21 is pressed down with a fingertip, the key 1 is set with the tip of the annular convex portion 30 in contact with the surface of the printed circuit board 1 as a fulcrum.
3 does not hinder tilting. Further, the tip of the annular convex portion 30 is located considerably away from the position where the central switch 3 is turned on.
The position is in contact with the boundary between the switch 3 and the surrounding switches 4 to 7 or the bottom of the switch 3, so that the annular projection 30 does not turn on the switch by mistake.

Next, the five-way operation key 13 having the above-described configuration is used.
The key operation in the key operation device provided with the key will be described.

When the operator touches the belly of the thumb on the key top of the five-way operation key 13, a gentle central protrusion 20 about half the diameter of the key top is felt at the center of the thumb.
Further, it is felt that the outer ring portion 21 rises with an inclination around the central convex portion 20. The operator can undoubtedly turn on the switch 3 for confirming the selection by depressing the central projection 20 of the five-way operation key 13 based on the feel of the thumb.

When scrolling the display of a cursor, characters, or the like, the thumb is displaced and pressed against the inclined portion of the outer ring portion 21 and the top portion 24. For example, by pressing the upward portion, the switch 4 for instructing the upward direction can be turned on, and the other direction can be similarly turned on by pressing the corresponding portion of the outer ring portion 21. At this time, the central convex portion 20 of the five-way operation key 13 and the outer ring portion 21 therearound can be clearly distinguished and operated only by the tactile sensation of the fingertip by the concave portion 23 separating the two. To move the cursor in a diagonal direction at a time, for example, to move the cursor diagonally to the upper right, the five-directional operation key 13 is used.
The switch 4 and the switch 6 can be turned on at the same time by depressing the upper right portion of the outer ring portion 21.

As described above, in this embodiment, the surface of the key top of the five-way operation key 13 is formed such that the area where the switch is present on the back of the key is formed by the central convex part 20 and the outer ring part 21 and the boundary where the switch does not exist. The region (boundary between the central convex portion 20 and the outer ring portion 21) is formed into a concave shape by the concave portion 23, and the central convex portion 20 and the outer ring portion 21 are each formed to rise with a gentle inclination. With this configuration, the operator can intuitively know where to press with the sense of a fingertip, and erroneous operation can be avoided only by touching the key top.

The central region and the outer ring portion 21 can be perceived as if by a fingertip, even if the region where the central convex portion 20 is present is not a convex shape but a concave shape. However, as in the present embodiment, by making the portion located above the switch 3 for selecting and confirming in the center a convex shape, when a finger is pressed, the pressing force is applied to the surrounding switches 4 to 7. Transmitted as a concave deformation force to the switch 3 faster than
The switch 3 can be turned on before the surrounding direction indicating switches 4 to 7 are turned on, which also helps prevent erroneous key operations. In addition, the center convex part 20 and the outer ring part 2
In the present embodiment, the concave portion 23 that separates the outer ring portion 21 from the outer ring portion 21 is formed by forming a boundary line formed by a gentle V-shaped groove in a substantially circumferential shape. It may be formed in a substantially square shape by making it correspond.

Further, in addition to the above-mentioned key top shape, by further combining with the function of the annular convex portion 30 provided on the back surface of the key, erroneous operation can be more reliably prevented. When the central convex portion 20 of the key top is pressed, the pressing protruding portion 25 presses the diaphragm of the switch 3 to cause a concave deformation, but at this time, the entire ring-shaped tip of the annular convex portion 30 contacts the surface of the printed circuit board 1. Since the orientation of the five-way operation key 13 is maintained by the contact, the five-way operation key 13 does not tilt, and the direction instruction switches 4 to 7 are not simultaneously turned on. Conversely, if any direction of the outer ring portion 21 of the key top is pressed to turn on any of the direction indicating switches 4 to 7, the annular convex portion 30 in the corresponding direction is pressed.
Since the leading end portion abuts on the printed circuit board 1 and this portion serves as a fulcrum and the 5-directional operation key 13 is inclined, any of the direction indicating switches 4 to 7 and the selection confirming switch 3 are simultaneously turned on. There is no.

It should be noted that the annular convex part 30 is
It is sufficient that the function serving as a fulcrum when 3 is inclined is present at a position in the corresponding direction. Therefore, the function does not necessarily have to be annular, and a configuration in which convex portions are partially provided in four directions may be used. However, since the function as a fulcrum is frequently used, it is preferable to form a ring to have a strong structure.

In the above-described embodiment, the area of the central convex portion 20 of the key top and the area of the peripheral outer ring 21 are provided in association with the central switch 3 and the areas where the peripheral switches 4 to 7 exist. It is not necessary to associate them strictly, and an approximate association may be used. In this case, for example, the range of the central convex portion 20 (the diameter of the concave portion 23 at the boundary) is at least one of the diameters of the five-way operation key 13 at the center of the key top.
以上 or more, preferably １ ／ (because the range of the center switch is １ ／ in the radial direction when considering the arrangement of the center switch and its peripheral switches). In addition, if the outer edge of the central projection 20 extends to a position where the contacts of the peripheral switches exist, the effect of avoiding erroneous operation is reduced. Therefore, the diameter of the five-way operation key 13 is at least 2/3 or less, preferably 1/2 or less. And The outer peripheral side of the central convex portion 20 is defined as a range of the outer ring portion 21. The same effect as described above can be obtained with such a region division setting.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
A member (annular convex portion 30) serving as a fulcrum when tilting the 5-way operation key 13 is protrudingly provided on the back surface of the key near the boundary between the central switch 3 and the peripheral switches 4 to 7. It can be avoided that the switch and the switch are turned on at the same time. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent an erroneous operation in which the operator turns on an unintended switch that is not intended. Since the five-way operation key 13 is a button key having an integral structure, manufacturing costs such as component costs do not increase.
A key operation device having improved operability with a simple configuration can be realized.

Further, in this embodiment, the key top of the five-way operation key 13 is devised to have a concave-convex shape so as to match the arrangement of the switches on the back of the key, and to provide a selection-determining operation area (central projection 20). Area for direction instruction operation (outer ring part 21)
Is made to be perceived by the touch of the fingertip, so that the operability of the button key is good, and it is possible to easily and accurately perform the operation.

As described above, the erroneous operation of the key can be avoided, so that the elasticity of the diaphragm of the central switch 3 on the printed circuit board 1 does not need to be stronger than the peripheral switches, and a switch of the same specification can be used. The manufacturing cost of the substrate 1 can be reduced. Of course, erroneous operation of the keys can be avoided only by replacing only the operation keys attached to the existing mobile phones and electronic devices with the button keys according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a detailed configuration of the key operation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, a button key having a structure in which only a concave portion is provided in a key top in accordance with the shape of an operator's finger serves as a fulcrum when the button key is inclined to the back side, as in the above-described embodiment. This is an example in which a convex portion is provided.

The key top of the button key 60 is provided with a shallow depression 61 which fits the belly of the operator's thumb. The outer periphery of the key top surface is the central depression 6
The edge portion 62 after the cutting of No. 1 remains has a protruding convex shape. In the center of the button key 60, a small protrusion 63 indicating the center position is provided.

On the back side of the button key 60, a pressing protrusion 64 for pressing the switch 3 for confirming selection, and a pressing protrusion 65 for pressing the switch 4 for selecting the upward direction and the switch 5 for selecting the downward direction, respectively. , 66 are projected. A projection 67 is provided between the center pressing projection 25 corresponding to the center switch 3 and the pressing projections 65 and 66 corresponding to the direction indicating switches 4 and 5 around the center pressing projection 25. . The height of the convex portion 67 is slightly higher than the peripheral pressing protrusions 65 and 66 and slightly lower than the central pressing protrusion 64.

In such a configuration, FIGS. 2 and 3
When the peripheral portion of the button key 60 is depressed, the convex portion 67 becomes a fulcrum and tilts, and the peripheral switches 4 and 5 are pressed by the pressing protrusions 65 and 66, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. For this reason, it is possible to avoid that the central switch 3 and the peripheral switches 4 and 5 are simultaneously turned on, thereby preventing erroneous operation of the button key.

In the above-described embodiment, the configuration of the five-way operation key has been exemplified as the button key for the multi-direction operation.
The present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a device that performs operations in three directions at the center and both sides thereof, and a button key that performs operations in a total of nine directions including eight directions in the center and the periphery, and the same operational effects can be obtained. .

[0052]

As described above, according to the present invention, when performing key operations such as selection confirmation to press the center portion and key operations such as direction indication to press the peripheral portion, reliable operations are performed. It is possible to configure a button key for multi-directional operation which is possible and can prevent an erroneous operation, and an effect is obtained that the operability of the key operation device and the cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a main part of a mobile phone including a key operation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a detailed configuration of the key operation device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a back surface configuration of a five-way operation key according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a detailed configuration of a key operation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a conventional key operation device including a button key having an integral structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printed circuit board 3 Central switch 4,5,6,7 Peripheral switch 10 Key sheet 11 Rubber sheet 12 Numeric key 13 5-directional operation key 20 Central convex part 21 Outer ring part 23 Concave part 24 Top part 25 Center pressing protrusion part 26, 27, 28, 29 Peripheral pressing projections 30 Annular projections

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Fumio Hashimoto, Inventor, Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd. 4-3-1 Tsunashima Higashi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture No.3-1, Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5K023 AA07 BB04 BB12 GG08 PP01 PP11 5K067 BB03 BB04 BB08 KK17

Claims (7)

[Claims] An integrated button key is provided to face a group of switches having a central switch and a plurality of peripheral switches disposed around the central switch,
A key operating device that activates the central switch by a pressing operation of a central portion of the button key and activates the peripheral switch by a pressing operation of a peripheral portion. A pressing projection is provided accordingly, and a projection serving as a fulcrum when the peripheral portion of the button key is pressed is provided between the pressing projection corresponding to the central switch and the pressing projection corresponding to the peripheral switch. A key operation device characterized in that: 2. The button keys correspond to one central switch and four peripheral switches disposed at substantially equal intervals around the central switch, and correspond to a pressing operation of the central area and four directions of the peripheral area. 2. The key operation device according to claim 1, wherein the key operation device is a five-way operation key for performing a pressing operation. 3. The button key according to claim 1, wherein a top surface of the key top is formed in a substantially circular shape, and a convex portion on the back side is formed in a substantially annular shape around a pressing protrusion corresponding to the central switch. The key operation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 4. The key operation device according to claim 1, wherein a height of said convex portion is formed higher than a pressing protrusion corresponding to said peripheral switch. 5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the projection is provided at an intermediate position between the pressing projection corresponding to the central switch and the pressing projection corresponding to the peripheral switch, or slightly closer to the center. Item 5. The key operation device according to any one of Items 1 to 4. 6. A mobile phone for performing voice communication or data communication by wireless communication, wherein the key operation means is a multi-directionally operable key operation means for selecting information content displayed on a display means or performing an instruction operation. ~
A mobile phone, comprising the key operating device according to any one of claims 5 to 10. 7. The key operation means according to claim 1, wherein said key operation means is operable in multiple directions for selecting or instructing an information content displayed on a display means for displaying information relating to the operation of the device. An electronic device comprising a key operation device.