JP2003054315A - Key illuminating structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a key illuminating structure in which an operation key can be changed in various kinds of illumination states by a simple structure in a body, and the visibility is improved at a low cost. SOLUTION: A panel 10 having a key operation unit is provided on a body front side of an electric equipment, a key pad 20 which is mounted on the panel 10 with an operation key 22 exposed on the key operation unit and an indicator 24 indicating the active state continuously provided in a pair is provided, the key pad 20 is held on a back side of the panel 10, and a circuit substrate 30 having a plurality of light sources 32 comprising a light source 32b for back-light display to irradiate the operation key 22 and a light source 32a for display to irradiate the indicator 24 is provided. A plurality of ribs 12 which surround the operation key 22 and the indicator 24 in a pair to respectively partition the inside thereof are provided continuously on a back side of the panel 10, and a light guide part 26 which adjusts the height in the ribs 12 according to the angle of diffusion of the light source 32a for display and guides the light from the indicator 24 to the operation key 22 is provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a key illumination structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a main body of a vehicle-mounted electronic device such as a radio, a car audio system, a navigation system, etc., a backlight for illuminating an operation key so that the operation key can be easily recognized at night operation and the operation key are active. A key illumination structure with an indicator that lights up to indicate a (active) state is often used. In this conventional key illumination structure, it is important to efficiently illuminate a plurality of operation keys arranged in the electronic device body with a small number of parts to improve visibility. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a conventional key illumination structure adopted in such a vehicle-mounted electronic device body. Further, FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a structure inside the panel 40 shown in FIG. 7. In addition, FIG. 9 shows the D-D shown in FIG.
It is sectional drawing which shows the cross section of a line.

As shown in FIG. 7, the conventional key illumination structure is provided with a main body 1 of in-vehicle electronic equipment such as a radio, car audio system, navigation system, etc., which is installed on the front surface of the main body 1 and has a key on the outer surface. Panel 4 provided with operation section 40a and exposing operation keys 52 and indicators 54
It has 0. On the back surface of the panel 40, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of operation keys 52 and indicators 54 exposed in the key operation unit 40a are arranged in pairs (4 in FIG. 8).
(3) A keypad 50 connected in series and a circuit board 60 on which a plurality of light sources 62 for holding the keypad 50 and irradiating the operation keys 52 and the indicators 54 are mounted are mounted.

Here, one light source 62 is mounted on the circuit board 60 to match the number of backlight sources 62b for illuminating a plurality of operation keys 52 (two in FIG. 8) and the number of indicators 54. A plurality of display light sources 62a are mounted. Further, on the back surface of the panel 40, a grid-shaped rib 42 for integrally arranging and partitioning a plurality of operation keys 52 and an indicator 54 is integrally formed.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the conventional key illumination structure having such a structure, first, the light from the backlight light source 62b (two shown in FIG. 8) mounted on the circuit board 60 at night is operated. A plurality of operation keys 52 (see FIG.
Illuminate (4) shown in to make it easy to confirm. At this time, in the panel 40, the rib 42 shown in FIG. 9 is provided on the light source 6 so that the indicator 54 does not simultaneously emit light by the light from the backlight light source 62b that illuminates the operation key 52.
2 is extended to the vicinity of 2 to block the transmission of light. The operation key 52 that the user illuminates on the surface of the panel 40
When is pressed, the operation key 52 short-circuits a circuit (not shown) formed on the circuit board 60 in the panel 40 to enter an active (operating) state and execute a predetermined function. At the same time, in the panel 40, the display light source 62a mounted on the circuit board 60 emits light to illuminate the indicator 54 of the keypad 50. Therefore, on the surface of the panel 40, it is possible to easily visually recognize that the operation key 52 is in the active state (active state) by the indicator 54 illuminating.

As described above, in the conventional key illumination structure, the operation keys 52 and the indicators 54 are arranged in the grid-shaped ribs 42.
The light source 6 for the backlight is shielded by the
By irradiating light from 2b and the light source 62a for display respectively,
The operation state of the operation key 52 illuminated at night is formed so that it can be easily visually recognized by the indicator 54.

[0007]

However, in the conventional key illumination structure, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of operation keys 52 (see FIG. 8) are usually provided by one backlight light source 62b mounted on the circuit board 60. However, it is difficult to individually change the illumination state (color or brightness) of the activated operation key among the illuminated operation keys 52. Further, if a plurality of light sources are arranged on the operation key 52 and are switched and illuminated according to the active state, the plurality of light sources are likely to affect each other between the adjacent operation keys 52, and the visibility is deteriorated. I will end up.

Further, in the conventional key illumination structure, when individually changing the illumination states of the above-mentioned operation keys in the active state, the backlight light source 62b is provided as a dedicated LED (two-color LED) for each operation key 52. There is either a method of arranging or using the LCD (touch panel) as the operation key 52, but if this dedicated LED is used, the operation key 5
The number of LEDs required is 2 and the cost is increased, and if LCD is used, more separate parts (for example, L
CD fixing parts, connecting parts, LEs for LCD illumination
D, LCD itself, etc. are required, resulting in a significant cost increase. An object of the present invention is to solve such problems and to provide a key illumination structure which can change the operation keys to various illumination states with a simple structure in the main body and which can improve visibility at low cost.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a panel installed on the front surface of a main body of an electronic device and provided with a key operation portion on the outer surface, and a panel mounted inside the main body on the back surface of the panel. A keypad in which a plurality of pairs of operation keys exposed to the key operation unit and indicators showing the active state of the operation keys are connected in series, and a back mounted on the rear surface of the panel to sandwich the keypad and irradiate the operation keys. A frame provided with a circuit board on which a plurality of light sources consisting of a light source for light and a display light source for irradiating the indicator are mounted, and a pair of operation keys of the keypad and the indicator are arranged on the back surface of the panel to surround the display light source. A plurality of ribs each having a partition part and a partition part for partitioning between the pair in the frame part, and adjusting the height of the partition part according to the diffusion angle of the display light source to the keypad in the frame part. From toward the operation keys Ndiketa provided light guide portion for guiding the light.

Here, the ribs of the panel respectively adjust the heights of the frame portion and the partition portion in accordance with the diffusion angle of the irradiation light diffused up to 120 ° of the light source for display, and the height of the partition portion It is preferable that the light of the display light source is transmitted to the operation key side while being active through the light guide portion, and the light of the backlight light source is shielded so as not to be transmitted to the indicator side. Further, the operation keys of the keypad are preferably formed so as to guide the light of the display light source in addition to the light of the backlight light source to change either the brightness of the key or the emission color of the key. Further, the light source is a light emitting element such as an LED mounted on the circuit board, and by mounting one on the circuit board, a backlight light source that illuminates a plurality of operation keys and a plurality of light sources are mounted according to the number of indicators. It is preferable to provide a display light source. Further, the keypad is preferably a contact switch formed of a light-transmitting material such as a rubber material such as silicone rubber or a resin, and short-circuiting the circuit formed on the circuit board in the main body by pressing the operation key. . Further, it is preferable that the operation keys and the indicators are arranged in the key operation portion of the panel in one direction of the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, or the oblique direction or in a mixed direction. Further, it is preferable that the main body is a main body of an on-vehicle electronic device such as a car audio system, a navigation system, and a wireless device.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, an embodiment of a key illumination structure according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a key illumination structure according to the present invention. In addition, FIG. 2 shows the keypad 2 shown in FIG.
It is a figure which shows the detail of 0. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along the line AA after the key illumination structure shown in FIG. 1 is assembled. 4 is a view of the rib 12 of the panel 10 shown in FIG. 1 viewed from the direction of arrow C. In addition, FIG.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing in detail the indicator 24 shown in FIG. 3. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along the line BB shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the embodiment of the key illumination structure according to the present invention is similar to the prior art shown in FIG.
A body (not shown) of a vehicle-mounted electronic device such as a wireless device, a car audio system and a navigation system is provided, and a panel 10 is provided on the front surface of the body and provided with a key operation unit (not shown) on the outer surface. ing. Further, on the back surface of the panel 10, a keypad 20 in which a plurality of operation keys 22 exposed to the key operation unit and a plurality of indicators 24 showing the active state of the operation keys 22 are connected in series, and the panel 1
It is attached to the back of 0 and the keypad 20 is sandwiched and the operation key 2
2 and a circuit board 30 on which a plurality of light sources 32 for illuminating the indicators 24 are mounted. The light source 32 is mounted on the circuit board 30 in the same manner as in the prior art, and the backlight light source 32b that illuminates the plurality of operation keys 22 (two in FIG. 1) and the indicator 24 are provided.
And a plurality of display light sources 32a to be mounted according to the number. The light source 32 is formed of a light emitting element such as an LED.

Here, unlike the prior art shown in FIG. 8, the keypad 20 is provided with a step on one end side where the operation key 22 is provided and has a light guide protruding between the operation key 22 and the indicator 24. The part 26 is formed. As shown in FIG. 2, the light guide portion 26 extends between the indicator 24 and the operation key 22 and emits light from the display light source 32a (see FIG. 1) emitted to the indicator 24. It plays a role of guiding toward the operation key 22. The keypad 20 is made of a soft material such as silicon rubber that transmits light. Further, on the back surface of the panel 10, as shown in FIG. 1, a frame portion 12a for surrounding the operation keys 22 and the indicator 24 in a pair and arranging the display light source 32a, and the operation keys 22 in the frame portion 12a. Further, a plurality of ribs 12 each including a partition 12b for partitioning the indicator 24 are provided in series.

When the keypad 20 and the circuit board 30 shown in FIG. 1 are mounted on the panel 10 as described above,
As shown in FIG. 3, the circuit board 30 is fixed to the panel 10 with the keypad 20 sandwiched therebetween. As shown in FIG. 4, in the panel 10, a plurality of indicators 24 are arranged in the frame portion 12a of the rib 12 continuously provided on the back surface, and the indicator light sources 3 are arranged in the plurality of indicators 24.
2a are arranged respectively. Further, in the rib 12, a plurality of operation keys 22 adjacent to the indicator 24 via the partition portion 12b are arranged, and one backlight light source 32b is arranged for each of the two operation keys 22 arranged. It is arranged. At this time, the frame portion 12a partitions and shields the plurality of display light sources 32a arranged in the indicator 24 so as not to adversely affect each other.

On the back surface of the panel 10, a frame portion 12a is formed.
The height of the partition 12b is adjusted inside so that the light of the display light source 32a is transmitted to the operation key 22 side when active. By adjusting the height of the partition portion 12b, the backlight light source 3 for further irradiating the operation keys 22.
The light of 2b is shielded (see FIG. 3) so as not to transmit to the indicator 24 side. At this time, the partition 12b
As shown in FIG. 3, the display light source 32a has a maximum of 120 °.
The height is adjusted according to the diffusion angle α (the diffusion angle of the LED) of the irradiation light diffused up to. That is, the partition section 12b can transmit the light of the display light source 32a to the operation key 22 side by adjusting the height according to the diffusion angle α of the display light source 32a, and at the same time, the light of the backlight light source 32b. Plays a dual role of shielding the indicator 24 side from being transmitted.

The frame portion 12a, as shown in FIG.
When the display light source 32a illuminates the indicator 24, the light source 3 for display is used so that light does not go around to unnecessary portions.
In consideration of the diffusion angle α of 2a (see FIG. 3), it is provided so as to extend to the vicinity of the light emitting surface. The frame portion 12a is
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the cutout portion 14 is provided so that the light from the backlight light source 32b goes around in the direction in which the operation keys 22 are arranged. Also, the keypad 20
Is made as thin as possible in a region other than the indicator 24 and the operation key 22 including the light guide section 26 shown in FIG. 2, and the light of the display light source 32a is concentrated only on the indicator 24 and the operation key 22. It is formed to turn.

In the embodiment of the key illumination structure according to the present invention thus formed, as shown in FIG. 6, first, the backlight light source 3 mounted on the circuit board 30 at night operation.
2b is caused to emit light so that the plurality of operation keys 22 are easily illuminated. This operation key 22 is used to easily operate the backlight light source 3 at night or in a dark place.
Illuminated by 2b at all times or as needed. At this time, the partition part 12b of the panel 10 reflects the light emitted from the backlight light source 32b shown in FIG. 6 to the operation key 22 side and shields it so as not to affect the indicator 24.

When the user presses the operation key 22 that illuminates the surface of the panel 10, the operation key 22 activates by short-circuiting a circuit (not shown) formed on the circuit board 30 in the panel 10. It enters the (operating) state and executes a predetermined function. At the same time, in the panel 10, the display light source 32a mounted on the circuit board 30 illuminates the indicator 24 of the keypad 20, and
The light from the display light source 32a is transmitted through the light guide portion 26 and the operation keys 22 are simultaneously illuminated. This allows operation key 2
In No. 2, the light from the display light source 32a and the light from the backlight light source 32b are mixed, and the brightness (luminance) and the color itself can be changed as compared with when inactive. in this way,
When the operation key 22 is active, the indicator 2
Since the illumination state of the operation key 22 itself changes with the illumination of No. 4, it is possible to easily visually recognize (determine) the active (active) state by both the operation key 22 and the indicator 24.

Here, the operation key 22 can illuminate with three kinds of emission colors by mixing lights of the display light source 32a and the backlight light source 32b when active. First, when the display light source 32a further irradiates the operation key 22 illuminated by the backlight light source 32b, the brightness of the emission color of the backlight light source 32b is changed to illuminate it. Is possible. Also, unlike this, by making the light emission color of the display light source 32a stronger than that of the backlight light source 32b, the operation key 22 that illuminates with the color of the backlight light source 32b is activated by the display light source 32a. It can also be illuminated by changing the emission color. Finally, by mixing the light from the backlight light source 32b and the light from the display light source 32a, it is possible to illuminate an intermediate emission color, and adjust the height of the partition 12b to diffuse the illumination color. It is also possible to adjust the condition. As a result, the operation keys 22 can be made to emit two colors of various emission colors on the surface of the panel 10, and the cosmetic (on the surface) design can be given a wide range (become gorgeous).

As described above, according to the embodiment of the key illumination structure of the present invention, the operation key 22 uses the emission color of the display light source 32a for illuminating the indicator 24 in addition to the emission color of the backlight light source 32b. Thus, when the operation key 22 is activated, it can be illuminated with various emission colors (three types of emission colors of one of the light source 32b for the backlight and the light source 32a for display, or an intermediate color of both). The visibility of the key 22 is improved. In particular, the operation key 2 is used in the passenger compartment while driving at night.
Since the active state can be visually recognized by both the indicator 2 and the indicator 24, the visibility is significantly improved as compared with the confirmation of the active state only by the conventional indicator or LCD. Further, according to the embodiment of the key illumination structure according to the present invention, a dedicated LED (two-color LED) and L
Without using a CD, the partition 12b of the panel 10 can be adjusted to realize the two-color light emission of the operation key 22 with a simple structure in which the guide portion 26 is provided on the keypad 20, so that the active state of the operation key 22 is clear. Can be displayed on the screen, and the cost can be suppressed and a large cost reduction can be realized.

Although the embodiments of the key illumination structure according to the present invention have been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and can be modified within the scope of the invention. For example, although the embodiment including the panel in which the positional relationship between the operation keys and the indicators is arranged in the vertical (vertical) direction has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the panel may be in the horizontal (horizontal) direction or diagonal direction. Panels arranged in any direction may be used. Further, although the embodiment including the keypad made of silicon rubber has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to use a light transmitting material such as other rubber material or resin.

[0022]

As described above, according to the key illumination structure of the present invention, the operation keys can be changed to various illumination states by the simple structure in the main body, and the visibility can be improved at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a key illumination structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing details of the keypad shown in FIG.

FIG. 3A after assembling the key illumination structure shown in FIG.
-The sectional view which shows the A line cross section.

FIG. 4 is a view of a rib of the panel shown in FIG. 1 viewed from an arrow C direction.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing in detail the indicator shown in FIG.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along the line BB shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a conventional key illumination structure adopted in a vehicle-mounted electronic device body.

8 is a configuration diagram showing a structure inside the panel shown in FIG. 7. FIG.

9 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along line D-D shown in FIG. 7.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 panels 12 ribs 12a frame part 12b partition 14 Notch 20 keypad 22 Operation keys 24 indicators 26 Light guide 30 circuit board 32 light sources 32a display light source 32b Backlight light source

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H01H 13/70 H01H 13/70 C F term (reference) 3K040 AA07 CA05 EA03 EA04 EA05 GA04 GB07 HA02 HA03 HB04 5G006 AZ09 JA01 JA02 JB03 JB08 JC02 JD03 JF25 5G052 AA22 AA24 BB01 JA02 JA03 JA09 JB02 JB05 JC08 JC10

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A panel installed on a front surface of a main body of an electronic device and having a key operation portion on an outer surface, an operation key mounted on a rear surface of the panel in the main body and exposed to the key operation portion, and the operation key. And a keypad in which a plurality of indicators showing the active state of (1) are continuously arranged, and the keypad is sandwiched by being attached to the back surface of the panel,
A circuit board having a plurality of light sources including a backlight light source for illuminating the operation keys and a display light source for illuminating the indicators, and a pair of operation keys and indicators for the keypad on the back surface of the panel. A plurality of ribs each having a frame part for arranging the display light source surrounded by and a partition part for partitioning the pair of parts in the frame part are continuously provided, and the height of the partition part is set to the level of the display light source. A key illumination structure, wherein a light guide part for guiding light from the indicator to the operation key is provided on the keypad in the frame part according to a diffusion angle. 2. The key illumination structure according to claim 1, wherein the rib of the panel has a height between the frame portion and the partition portion according to a diffusion angle of irradiation light diffused up to 120 ° of the display light source. The light of the display light source is transmitted to the operation key side when active through the light guide portion by the height of the partition portion, and the light of the backlight light source is adjusted to the indicator side. A key illumination structure that is shielded so that it does not pass through. 3. The key illumination structure according to claim 2, wherein the operation key of the keypad guides not only the light of the backlight light source but also the light of the display light source or the brightness of the key. A key illumination structure characterized in that it is formed so as to change one of the emission colors of the keys. 4. The key illumination structure according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a light emitting element such as an LED mounted on the circuit board, and one light source is mounted on the circuit board. 2. A key illumination structure comprising: the backlight light source for illuminating a plurality of the operation keys and a plurality of display light sources mounted according to the number of the indicators. 5. The key illumination structure according to claim 1, wherein the keypad is made of a light-transmitting material such as a rubber material such as silicon rubber or a resin, and the operation key A key illumination structure, which is a contact switch that presses down to short-circuit a circuit formed on the circuit board in the main body. 6. The key illumination structure according to claim 1, wherein the operation keys and the indicators are provided in a key operation unit of the panel in one of a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, and an oblique direction, or in a multi-direction. The key illumination structure is characterized by being placed mixedly in the. 7. The key illumination structure according to claim 1, wherein the main body is a main body of an in-vehicle electronic device such as a car audio system, a navigation system, and a wireless device.