JP2002333943A - Keyboard device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an accurate input operation performable, and to reduce user's fatigue by allowing a user to perform a key operation in a natural state without imposing any load on his or her fingertips. SOLUTION: A keyboard operation face 5 is constituted as a forward lowering face inclining lower according as it goes from a front side site 3 to a depth side site 4 in a state that this keyboard device is placed on a desk 10. Thus, by bringing a user's fingertips 20a placed on the keyboard operation face 5 into a natural forward lowering state, it is possible to reduce the user's fatigue or load.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a keyboard device for inputting characters and numerals.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In today's information age, keyboard devices have become increasingly popular.
For example, as the most common interface tool between a personal computer or the like and a human, it is used by many people as a device for inputting characters, numbers, or control information. In recent years, keyboard devices have generally used a so-called blind touch input in which each fingertip is placed on a predetermined keytop, and these keytops are used as home positions without operating individual keytops. ing. In the keyboard device, when one finger attempts to complete a key operation, the operation is performed in a series of flows so that the key operation by the next finger is already started.

A keyboard device is a VDT device (Visual V
Various standards and guidelines for video display terminals (ideo Display Terminals), as well as their characteristics, are being finely standardized. In Japan, a keyboard device is, for example, JISX604.
1, for example, the pressing pressure is 0.25 to 1.5 N (switch-on position), and the key stroke is 0.8 to 4.8 mm.
(Switch on position), key top size 11-15m
Required characteristics such as m and key pitch 19 ± 1 mm are defined. In addition, the keyboard device can be adjusted at an inclination angle of 5 to 15 degrees in front of the operation surface. Required characteristics such as 30 mm or less are defined,
Correspondence such as a curved surface configuration connecting each row of key tops is also achieved.

[0004]

By the way, it has been pointed out that the keyboard device, when used for a long time, causes stiff shoulders, tendonitis and the like to the user. Recently, the keyboard device has been used for a long time by many people with the use of the Internet connection and the use of e-mail, and the above-mentioned problem has become more prominent.

[0005] The keyboard device is based on the interface specifications of a conventional typewriter based on the above-mentioned standards and the like, and various improvements have been made ergonomically. On the other hand, in a keyboard device, a so-called sliding operation of pushing a keytop by sliding a fingertip toward a near side recently from a mode of a so-called driving operation of strongly pressing a keytop with a fingertip in a conventional typewriter. Has changed to an aspect. Therefore, in the keyboard device, it is necessary to reconsider the standardized required characteristics described above.

That is, in the conventional keyboard device 100, as shown in FIG. 2, stand members 102 are rotatably mounted near the front ends on the bottom surface of the housing 101, respectively. The keyboard device 100 is configured such that, when used, each stand member 102 is turned upright so that the operation surface 103 is given a forward-downward inclination angle θ in the above-described angle range. In the keyboard device 100, as described above, the user places the fingertip 20a of each finger 20 on the home position key 104 and performs necessary movements back and forth and left and right according to the information to be input, thereby performing an input operation. Be done.

In use of the keyboard device 100, the user generally places both fingertips 20a on the operation surface 103 of the keyboard device 100 with both elbows placed on a desk during use. In the keyboard device 100, for this purpose, as shown in FIG.
In a state where the wrist joint 21 is bent in accordance with the inclination angle θ of 3, the palm 22 is pulled up.

By the way, the human body is in a position where the fingertips 20a of the respective fingers 20 are gently curved downward with respect to the position of the wrist joint 21 in a natural state in which the arms are horizontal. Therefore, the conventional keyboard device 10
In the case of 0, each key 10
In order to place each fingertip 20a on 4, it was necessary to bend the wrist joint 21 upward at a slightly large angle, and to hold each fingertip 20a at a high lift. The mouse device also constitutes an input device such as an information device, but the arrangement surface of the click button is also configured to be lowered forward.

In the conventional keyboard device 100,
Since each fingertip 20a is held in an unnatural state, the arms 23
The muscles of the creature become nervous for a long time, causing fatigue and erroneous input. In the conventional keyboard device 100, although the pressing force of the key top 104 is reduced, a larger pressing force is applied to the fingertip 20a due to the configuration of the operation surface 101 which is lowered forward when sliding is performed. There was a problem that it was made larger.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a keyboard device that enables a user to perform a key operation in a natural state without putting a burden on a fingertip, thereby achieving an accurate input operation and reducing fatigue. The purpose is to do so.

[0011]

According to the keyboard apparatus of the present invention which achieves the above-mentioned object, when the keyboard apparatus is installed on a desk, the keyboard operation surface is gradually lowered from the near side to the depth direction. It is characterized by being constituted as.

According to the keyboard device of the present invention configured as described above, the user's wrist joint position is also high because the front side is high when the keyboard device is installed on a table, and the home position is high. Each finger placed on the key is in a natural state of falling forward. Therefore, according to the keyboard device, the tension of the muscle that lifts the fingertip higher than the wrist joint is relaxed, and the key operation can be performed in a natural state, so that accurate input is performed and the key operation can be performed for a long time. Try not to cause fatigue.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the keyboard device according to the present invention will be described in detail. The keyboard device 1 has substantially the same basic configuration as that of the conventional keyboard device 100. For example, the keyboard device 1 is connected to a personal computer or various information processing devices by wire or wirelessly. An input device for inputting information or the like is configured. As shown in FIG. 1, the keyboard device 1 includes a casing 2 that is formed by combining a pair of upper and lower case bodies 2 a and 2 b and has a substantially horizontally long rectangular shape. In addition,
The keyboard device 1 is integrally combined with the monitor via a hinge mechanism to constitute, for example, a laptop personal computer.

[0014] As shown in FIG.
The front side part 3 of the housing 2 located on the user side in the state where it is installed on the worktable 10 is
It is configured to be slightly higher over the entire area in the length direction. The keyboard device 1 includes, for example, a lower case body 2b,
The above-described housing 2 is configured by increasing the height of the front side part 3 with respect to the depth side part 4, and combining the lower case body 2b with the upper case body 2a having substantially the same overall height. I do. The keyboard device 1 may be configured such that the upper and lower case bodies 2a and 2b have an inverted structure, or a stand is provided on the bottom surface of the case body 2b to constitute the above-described housing 2.

In the keyboard device 1, the upper surface of the upper case body 2a is used as an operation surface 5, on which a number of key tops 6 constituting character keys, ten keys or various function keys are arranged in a predetermined arrangement. Thus, they are arranged. The keyboard device 1 has cylindrical guide ribs integrally formed on the operation surface 5 of the upper case body 2a in correspondence with the respective key tops 6, although the details are omitted. It is assembled so that it can move in any direction.

Although not shown, a board is incorporated in the keyboard device 1 in the housing 2 in parallel with the operation surface 5, and a large number of switch groups corresponding to the respective key tops 6 are provided on the board. It is installed. In the keyboard device 1, when the key top 6 is pressed, a corresponding switch is opened / closed by an operating unit formed at the lower end of the key top 6, and a predetermined output is sent out.

The keyboard device 1 is provided with a control circuit unit, an input / output control unit, and the like inside the housing 2. The keyboard device 1 is provided with foot members 7 made of an elastic material such as rubber at four corners on the bottom surface of the lower case body 2b, and is stably mounted on the mounting table 10. Keyboard device 1
For example, the receiving portion for joining the foot member 7 formed on the lower case body 2b side is formed such that the height of the receiving portion corresponding to the near side portion 3 is larger than the height of the receiving portion corresponding to the depth side portion 4. By doing so, the operation surface 5 may be configured as a depth-lowering surface as described above. In the keyboard device 1, the operation surface 5 may be similarly configured as a depth-lowering surface by changing the thickness of the foot member 7, for example.

In the keyboard device 1, each key top 6 has:
The shape and the size are different according to the respective functions, the operation mode with the finger, and the like. Each upper end portion is protruded from the operation surface 5 by a predetermined amount and is assembled in the guide rib. Each of the key tops 4 is formed such that its upper end surface is an inclined surface with the front side slightly higher than the operation surface 5 and the depth side gradually lowered forward. Each key top 4 is provided with a number, a character, an appropriate symbol, or the like in front of an upper end surface or a side surface exposed from the operation surface 5.

The keyboard device 1 configured as described above
Is placed on a work table 10 as shown in FIG. 1, the user puts both elbows on the desk, extends both hands on the operation surface 5, and places each fingertip 20a on the home position key to input information. The input operation is performed by performing necessary movement back and forth and left and right accordingly. As described above, the keyboard device 1 is configured such that the operation surface 5 is an inclined surface having a downward depth.

Therefore, in the keyboard device 1, as shown in FIG.
The zero fingertip 20a is placed in a state of naturally lowering forward. In the keyboard device 1, the wrist joint 21 is thereby bent upward at a slightly large angle so that the fingertip 20a of each finger 20 is not lifted high, thereby alleviating muscle fatigue of the user. . In the keyboard device 1, the operation of the key top 6 is performed in a natural state, so that fatigue is not caused even by long-time key operation. In the keyboard device 1, the pressing operation of the key top 6 is also performed reliably, so that an accurate input operation of information or the like is performed.

In the keyboard device 1, as described above, since each key top 6 is formed with the upper end surface formed as a front-sloping inclined surface, the operation surface 5 is configured to have a downwardly-sloping inclined surface and to be operated by a sliding operation. At this time, the key top 6 is pressed down more reliably. Therefore, in the keyboard device 1, an accurate input operation of information or the like is performed.

[0022]

As described in detail above, according to the keyboard device of the present invention, the keyboard operating surface is configured to be higher on the near side when it is installed on a table, so that the joints of the user's wrists can be obtained. The position is also high,
Each finger placed on the home position key is in a natural state of descending forward, and the tension state of the muscle that always raises the fingertip higher than the wrist joint is relieved. Therefore, according to the keyboard device, the user can perform a key operation in a natural state, thereby performing an accurate input operation, and not causing fatigue due to a long-time key operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a use state of a keyboard device shown as an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a use state of a conventional keyboard device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Keyboard device 2 Housing 3 Front side part 4 Depth side part 5 Operation surface 6 Key top 10 Workbench 20 Finger 21 Wrist joint

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A keyboard device wherein the keyboard operation surface is configured as a front lowering surface that is gradually inclined from a near side to a depth direction when installed on a table.