JP2010162227A - Operating device and portable information terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operating device in which operability is improved and the thickness is reduced, and to provide a portable information terminal. <P>SOLUTION: The operating device (portable information terminal) 1 includes a casing 22 and a key 23L provided on the casing 22 to freely project and sink. The casing 22 includes a front part 22A, a back part 22F and a side part 22B connecting the front part 22A and the back part 22F. The key 23L includes: a body part 231, one end of which is inserted in an opening 22B4 formed on the side part 22B, and the other end of which is exposed to the outside of the casing 22; and an extending part 232 extending from the other end of the body part 231 along the side part 22B to the outside through the edge of the opening 22B4. Thus, the area of the surface in the key 23L exposed to the outside of the casing 22, that is, the area of the surface opposite to a user's finger can be enlarged so that even if any place in the surface is pressed down, keying can be performed by the key 23L and also the contact area with the finger can be enlarged. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an operating device and a portable information terminal.

  Conventionally, an operation device (controller) connected to a stationary game machine, a PC (Personal Computer) or the like is known. In addition, a portable information terminal in which a terminal device that processes predetermined information and an operation device are integrated is known. Such an operation device is provided with a plurality of keys for performing an input operation. However, since the operation device is often used by being held by both hands of the user, the number and arrangement of keys that can be inevitably input are limited. In such an operating device, a direction key that is pressed with the thumb of the left hand is arranged on the left side of the operating device, and a plurality of independent keys that are pressed with the thumb of the right hand are arranged on the right side of the operating device. There are many.

In recent years, a large number of applications such as games that require complicated input operations have been developed, and there has been a demand for an increase in keys disposed on the operation device. In response to such a demand, a portable electronic device is known in which a pair of keys are provided on the upper surface when the operating device is gripped (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The portable electronic device described in Patent Document 1 has a front part and a rear part, and a side part that connects these parts, and is provided at the left and right ends of the side part located on the upper side when the apparatus is gripped. Are provided with keys that can be input by the left and right index fingers respectively.

JP-T-2007-525795

  However, since the size of the user's hand holding the operating device varies greatly depending on age, sex, etc., the input operation can be performed reliably and easily regardless of the position of the hand (particularly the finger) when holding the operating device. There is a demand for an operating device that can be used in the future. Further, in order to further improve the portability, it is desired to make these operating devices and portable information terminals thinner.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an operating device and a portable information terminal that can improve operability and can be thinned.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, an operating device of the present invention is an operating device that includes a housing and a key that is provided in the housing so as to be freely projecting and retracting. And a side part connecting the front part and the back part, and the key is inserted into an opening formed in the side part and the other end is exposed outside the casing. And an extending portion that extends outward from the edge of the opening along the side surface from the other end of the main body.

Here, the size of the operating device is preferably a size that can be held by at least one hand.
According to the present invention, the key provided in the operating device extends outward from the edge of the opening along the side surface from the other end of the main body, one end of which is inserted into the opening formed in the side. By having the extending part to be extended, the area of the surface of the key exposed to the outside of the casing, that is, the area of the surface facing the user's finger can be increased. According to this, compared to a key without an extension part, the area where the key can be pressed (area where the finger can touch) can be expanded, and the contact area when the finger contacts can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to reliably press the key, and as a result, it is possible to reliably input the key. Therefore, the operability of the operating device can be improved.
In addition, since the extending portion is formed so as to extend outward from the edge of the opening, compared with a case where the opening is formed larger and a key corresponding to the opening area of the opening is arranged. The thickness dimension of the housing can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the operating device.

Here, in order to reduce the size, a clamshell type in which two casings arranged on the upper and lower sides are combined in an openable / closable manner with the operating device and the portable information terminal, or the two casings are slidably combined with each other. A slide-type configuration may be employed. In such a configuration, when keys are provided at the left and right corners of the surface in the depth direction of one casing held by the user, a structure that can be operated without interfering with the other casing is required.
On the other hand, in the present invention, if the extending direction of the extending portion is not a direction close to the other casing described above (for example, a direction away from the other casing), the key and the other Interference with the other casing can be prevented, and interference between the finger operating the key and the other casing can also be suppressed. Therefore, in this case, the operability of the operating device can be further improved.

In the present invention, the housing is formed in a substantially flat shape having a substantially oval shape when viewed from the front, the side surface portion is located above when the housing is gripped, and the key is the side surface portion. Is preferably provided at at least one end in the left-right direction.
According to the present invention, since the casing is substantially oval when viewed from the front and has a substantially flat shape, the user can place a finger on at least one of the left and right side surfaces of the casing ( For example, the user holds the case with his / her index finger) along, and the case can be easily held. Further, when the casing is gripped in this way, the finger is positioned so as to straddle the side surface and the upper surface, and thus the fingertip is positioned in the vicinity of at least one end portion in the left-right direction on the upper surface. By disposing the above-described key at at least one end in the left-right direction on the upper surface, it is possible to easily press and input the key. Therefore, the operability of the operating device can be further improved.

In this invention, it is preferable that the surface along the said side part in the said key inclines in the direction which approaches the said side part as it goes to the said back part.
Here, when the surface along the side surface portion of the key is inclined in a direction away from the side surface portion as it goes to the back surface portion, the extension portion projects without following the outer shape of the housing. It will be. In such a case, it is difficult to place a finger along the casing, and it becomes difficult to hold the operating device and to perform key input operations.
On the other hand, since the surface is inclined in a direction closer to the side surface on which the key is provided as it goes to the back surface, the surface follows the outer shape of the housing, and the key and the housing It makes it easier to place your fingers along the body. Therefore, it is possible to easily grasp the operating device and to perform the key input operation more easily.

In this invention, it is preferable that the edge part by the side of the said back part in the said key is located in the said front part side rather than the said back part.
Here, when the end portion on the back surface side of the key provided on the side surface portion protrudes from the back surface portion to the back surface side, when the operation device is arranged on the installation surface so as to face the back surface portion, Since the end portion on the back surface side of the key comes into contact with the installation surface, the load of the operating device is applied to the key.
On the other hand, in the present invention, the end of the key on the back side is located on the front side from the back, so that the key contacts the installation surface even when the operating device is arranged as described above. Can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the key from being loaded.

In the present invention, the side surface portion is formed on at least one side of the front surface side and the back surface portion side according to the opening, and has a stepped portion that is recessed toward the inside of the housing. It is preferable that the extension portion is formed so as to cover the stepped portion, and a surface along the side surface portion of the key protrudes outside the housing from the side surface portion.
According to the present invention, the extension part is formed so as to cover the step part formed in the side part according to the opening, so that the side part does not need to protrude unnecessarily from the side part. The amount of key stroke can be ensured by the difference between the step and the step. Therefore, the size of the operating device can be reduced.
Further, since the surface along the side surface portion of the key protrudes from the side surface portion to the outside of the housing, it is possible to prevent the entire key from being immersed inside the side surface portion when the key is pressed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the key from being continuously pressed. Therefore, the operability of the operating device can be further improved.

A portable information terminal according to the present invention includes the above-described operation device.
Here, the portable information terminal is a portable terminal device that processes predetermined information. For example, a portable game machine, a mobile phone, a portable music playback device, a portable image playback device, and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). Etc.
According to the present invention, it is possible to configure a portable information terminal that can achieve the same effects as those of the aforementioned operation device and can improve operability and thickness.

  According to the present invention, the operability of the operating device can be improved and the operating device can be made thinner.

The figure which looked at the personal digital assistant concerning one embodiment of the present invention from the front side. The figure which looked at the personal digital assistant in the above-mentioned embodiment from the front side. The figure which looked at the personal digital assistant in the above-mentioned embodiment from the upper part. The figure which looked at the personal digital assistant in the above-mentioned embodiment from the lower part. The figure which looked at the personal digital assistant in the above-mentioned embodiment from the left side. The figure which looked at the personal digital assistant in the above-mentioned embodiment from the right side. The figure which looked at the personal digital assistant in the above-mentioned embodiment from the back side. The figure which shows the longitudinal cross-section of the portable information terminal in the said embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[External configuration of portable information terminal]
FIG.1 and FIG.2 is the figure which looked at the portable information terminal 1 which concerns on this embodiment from the front side. Among these, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the front case 21 constituting the portable information terminal 1 is slid upward with respect to the rear case 22 from the state of FIG.
The portable information terminal 1 according to the present embodiment corresponds to the operation device and the portable information terminal of the present invention, and communicates with a program and data stored in a storage medium such as a mounted memory card, and an external device such as a server. For example, the game program, image data, and audio data are processed. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, such a portable information terminal 1 includes an outer case 2 and a terminal body 3 (FIG. 8) that is housed in the outer case 2 and executes the above-described processing. .

The exterior case 2 includes a front case 21 positioned on the near side (front side) for a user holding the portable information terminal 1 and a rear case 22 positioned on the back side of the front case 21. Of these, the rear case 22 corresponds to the housing of the present invention.
Each of the front case 21 and the rear case 22 has arcuate left and right edges in a rectangle that is long in the left-right direction (left-right direction in FIGS. 1 and 2) when viewed from the front side (side facing the user). The rear case 22 is slightly larger than the front case 21. Specifically, the rear case 22 includes a metal frame 220 that covers an outer edge near the front case 21, and the rear case 22 is larger than the front case 21 by the size of the frame 220. Each of the cases 21 and 22 is formed in a substantially flat shape, and the other is configured to be slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the other. Each of the cases 21 and 22 is made of synthetic resin in the present embodiment, but may be made of metal.

  Among these, the upper surface portion 21B (FIG. 3), the lower surface portion 21C (FIG. 4), the left side surface portion 21D (FIG. 5), and the right side surface portion 21E (FIG. 6) of the front case 21 move toward the direction away from the rear case 22. Inclined (curved) in a direction approaching the center of the front case 21. For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the front case 21 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape in a longitudinal sectional view and a transverse sectional view.

[Configuration of the front part]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a display unit 211 that is housed in the case 21 and configured by a liquid crystal panel is disposed at a substantially central portion of the front portion 21 </ b> A of the front case 21. A translucent part 21A1 is formed in the area of the front case 21 corresponding to the display part 211. For this reason, the user observes the image displayed on the display unit 211 via the translucent unit 21A1.

Similarly, a pair of sound output ports 21 </ b> A <b> 2 are formed on the left and right sides of the light transmitting portion 21 </ b> A <b> 1 to output sound from a speaker (not shown) housed in the front case 21.
Above these audio output ports 21A2, indicators 21A3 and 21A4 are arranged on the left and right, respectively. Among these, the left indicator 21A3 indicates a communication state by a wireless module described later, and the right indicator 21A4 indicates a communication state by Bluetooth (registered trademark) of the terminal body 3. Each of these indicators 21A3 and 21A4 is configured by an LED (Light Emitting Diode).
A key 21A5 that can be pressed in the depth direction is provided on the left side of the front portion 21A and below the left audio output port 21A2. The key 21A5 is a “HOME” key for switching the program being executed.

  In the area exposed when the front case 21 is slid upward with respect to the case 22 in the front part 22A of the rear case 22, as shown in FIG. Possible direction keys 22A1 are arranged, and on the right side, four keys 22A2 respectively located at the diamond vertices are arranged. Further, an analog device 22A3 that is configured to be slidable along the front portion 22A so as to be sandwiched between the direction key 22A1 and the key 22A2 and that detects the sliding direction is disposed on the left side, and is disposed in parallel in the vertical direction. A pair of semicircular keys 22A4 and 22A5 are arranged on the right side. These keys 22A4 and 22A5 are a “SELECT” key and a “START” key respectively used during execution of a game program or the like.

An attachment port 22A6 for attaching a strap (not shown) is formed at the left end of the front portion 22A. The attachment port 22A6 is formed in the frame body 220 described above.
Furthermore, a pair of indicators 22A7 and 22A8 are arranged at the left and right ends of the front portion 22A and at the approximate center in the vertical direction. Among these, the left indicator 22A7 indicates a data reading / recording state with respect to a memory card (not shown) attached to the apparatus body 3 via an insertion / extraction port 22D1 (FIG. 5) described later. 22A8 indicates the on / off state of the power supply of the portable information terminal 1, and is constituted by an LED. As shown in FIG. 1, these indicators 22A7 and 22A8 are arranged at positions that do not overlap the front case 21 in the front portion 22A. For this reason, even when the front case 21 and the rear case 22 are overlapped, the lighting states of the indicators 22A7 and 22A8 can be confirmed.

[Configuration of top surface]
FIG. 3 is a view of the portable information terminal 1 as viewed from above.
As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of LR keys 23 (the left key on the upper surface 22B is 23L and the right key is 23R) are arranged on the upper surface 22B of the rear case 22 as shown in FIG. ing. The keys 23L and 23R are formed in a substantially L shape, and one side thereof is formed along the upper surface portion 22B and the other side is formed along the left side surface portion 22D and the right side surface portion 22E. That is, the keys 23L and 23R are disposed so as to straddle the upper surface portion 22B and the side surface portions 22D and 22E.
A pair of volume adjustment keys 22B1 for increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound output from the above-described speaker is provided at the approximate center of the upper surface portion 22B. Further, keys 22B2 and 22B3 are provided between the key 23L and the volume control key 22B1, and between the volume control key 22B1 and the key 23R, respectively.

  Furthermore, the upper surface portion 22B has an opening 22B4 (FIGS. 7 and 8) formed so that one end of the key 23L is inserted into the left end and a part thereof straddles the left surface 22D, and the opening 22B4. And a step portion 22B5 that is formed on the back side of the opening 22B4. Similarly, the upper surface portion 22B has an opening 22B4 (FIGS. 7 and 8) formed so that one end of the key 23R is similarly inserted into the right end portion and partly straddles the right side surface portion 22E. Similarly, it has a step portion 22B5 which is formed in accordance with the opening 22B4 and located on the back side of the opening 22B4. The keys 23L and 23R, the opening 22B4, and the step 22B5 will be described in detail later.

[Configuration of the bottom surface]
FIG. 4 is a view of the portable information terminal 1 as viewed from below.
As shown in FIG. 4, a terminal 22C1 formed of an earphone jack for connecting headphones is provided on the left side of the lower surface portion 22C of the rear case 22, and a cradle (not shown) as an external device is provided on the right side. A terminal 22C2 is provided for connection. The lower surface portion 22C and the lower surface portion 21C are each formed substantially flat.
The positional relationship between the lower end of the lower surface portion 21C and the lower surface portion 22C will be described in detail later.

[Configuration of left side]
FIG. 5 is a view of the portable information terminal 1 as viewed from the left side.
The upper end of the left side surface portion 22D of the rear case 22 is covered with a part of the key 23L described above. An insertion / extraction port 22D1 for inserting / removing a memory card (not shown) is formed above the left side surface portion 22D. A cover 22D2 that closes the insertion / extraction port 22D1 is attached to the insertion / extraction port 22D1. In addition, a key 22D3 provided slidably along the left side surface portion 22D is disposed below the left side surface portion 22D. The key 22D3 is a key for switching the on / off state of the wireless module included in the apparatus main body 3 (FIG. 8).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the lower end of the lower surface portion 21 </ b> C that is inclined in the direction approaching the center as it is separated from the rear case 22 is the lower surface of the rear case 22 that is substantially orthogonal to the rear surface portion 21 </ b> F of the front case 21. The portion 22C is positioned slightly above the frame body 220 described above. For this reason, by moving the finger along the lower surface portion 22C to the front case 21 side, the finger can be hung on the lower surface portion 21C, and the lower surface portion 21C and thus the front case 21 can be easily moved upward. Can be slid.

(Right side structure)
FIG. 6 is a view of the portable information terminal 1 as viewed from the right side. In FIG. 6, the front case 21 is slid upward with respect to the rear case 22.
The upper end of the right side surface portion 22E of the rear case 22 is covered with a part of the key 23R described above, similarly to the left side surface portion 22D. A power key 22E1 provided slidably along the right side surface portion 22E is disposed below the right side surface portion 22E. By sliding the key 22E1 upward, the power source of the portable information terminal 1 is turned on, and by sliding it again upward, the power source is turned off. Further, when the key 22E1 is slid downward, it is possible to switch to a hold state in which the input of other keys is canceled.

[Configuration of the rear part]
FIG. 7 is a view of the portable information terminal 1 in a state where the front case 21 is slid upward with respect to the rear case 22 as viewed from the back side.
A back surface portion 21F of the front case 21 is recessed inward and is formed so as not to press the keys 22A1 to 22A4 arranged on the front surface portion 22A of the rear case 22. A storage portion 21F1 for storing a circuit board (not shown) for driving the display portion 211 is formed in the approximate center of the back surface portion 21F. The circuit board is electrically connected to the apparatus main body 3 (FIG. 8) housed in the rear case 22, and drives the display unit 211 in accordance with an image signal output from the apparatus main body 3, thereby the image signal The image corresponding to is displayed.

  A pair of leg portions 22F1 are provided on the left and right at the approximate center of the rear surface portion 22F of the rear case 22. The pair of leg portions 22F1 is formed of a substantially arc-shaped synthetic resin that faces each other. These leg portions 22F1 prevent the back surface of the outer case 2 from coming into direct contact with the installation surface when the mobile information terminal 1 is arranged with the back surface portion 22F facing the installation surface. It is for making it easy to grasp.

  Specifically, when the portable information terminal 1 is gripped, the left and right index fingers are positioned along the upper surface portion 22B and the side surface portions 22D and 22E, and the left and right middle finger and ring finger are positioned along the back surface portion 22F. To position. At this time, the substantially arc-shaped leg portion 22F1 described above is provided at the approximate center of the back surface portion 22F so as to protrude from the back surface portion 22F, whereby each fingertip of the middle finger and the ring finger is provided on the leg portion 22F1. Can be multiplied. According to this, it is possible to generate a hold feeling when the portable information terminal 1 is gripped, and it is possible to improve ease of holding and stability during gripping.

[LR key location]
As described above, the LR key 23 (23L, 23R) is provided at each of the left and right ends of the upper surface portion 22B. As shown in FIG. 7, openings 22B4 into which one end of a body portion 231 (described later) of the key 23 is inserted are respectively formed at both left and right end portions of the upper surface portion 22B. As described above, a part of these openings 22B4 straddles the side surfaces 22D and 22E close to the opening 22B4.
As described above, the step portions 22B5 that are recessed toward the inside of the rear case 22 are formed on the back surfaces of the openings 22B4 according to the positions of the openings 22B4. The upper end of the stepped portion 22B5 is a position lower than the upper surface portion 22B and the side surface portions 22D and 22E on which the volume control key 22B1 and the like are disposed (a position closer to the center in the rear case 22). And the upper end surface of these level | step-difference part 22B5 is covered with the extension part 232 which the keys 23L and 23R mention later.

[LR key configuration]
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a part of the portable information terminal 1 (particularly the LR key 23). In addition, illustration of the front case 21 is abbreviate | omitted in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, the key 23 </ b> L includes a contact board 33 electrically connected to a control board 31 constituting the apparatus main body 3 housed in the rear case 22 via an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits) 32. It is pressed through the contact rubber 34. Specifically, when the key 23L is pressed by the user, the flexible leg portion 341 of the contact rubber 34 with which one end of the key 23L is engaged buckles in the pressing direction of the key 23L, and the leg portion A pressing portion 342 provided inside the 341 presses the contact board 33. As a result, a pair of contact sheets (not shown) constituting the contact board 33 are electrically connected, and an electronic signal indicating that the key 23L has been pressed is output to the control board 31.

On the other hand, when the pressing of the key 23L is released, the buckling of the leg portion 341 is eliminated, so that the key 23L is pushed up and the state shown in FIG. 8 is restored. That is, the contact rubber 34 also functions as an urging member that urges the key 23L in the direction of pushing up.
The contact rubber 34 is fixed on the contact substrate 33, and the contact substrate 33 is fixed to a pedestal 221 formed in the rear case 22. The control board 31 is fixed to the rear case 22 by a fixing member (not shown).

The opening 22B4 through which such a key 23L is inserted is opened so as to include the center of the rear case 22 in the thickness direction (left and right direction in FIG. 8) in the upper surface portion 22B. In the present embodiment, the center position of the opening 22B4 in the thickness direction is set to the approximate center of the rear case 22 in the thickness direction.
Further, the dimension in the thickness direction of the opening 22B4 is smaller than the dimension in the thickness direction of the rear case 22, and more specifically, it is ½ or less of the dimension in the thickness direction of the rear case 22 (in this embodiment, , Approximately 1/3). In other words, the dimension in the thickness direction of the opening 22B4 substantially coincides with the dimension in the thickness direction on the upper end surface of the stepped part 22B5, and is approximately ½ of the dimension in the thickness direction of the upper surface 23A described later of the key 23L. Is set to

  Further, the front end surface 22B6 (the end surface 22B6 on the back side of the frame body 220) that forms the edge of the opening 22B4 is a flat surface, and the end surface 22B6 is projected and retracted by the key 23L that passes through the opening 22B4. It becomes the guide surface. More specifically, the lower end (the lower end in FIG. 8) of the end face 22B6 substantially coincides with the lower end of a later-described face 231A of the key 23L, and the height dimension of the end face 22B6 (the vertical dimension in FIG. 8). Is set according to the vertical dimension of the surface 231A. As a result, the protrusion and depression of the key 23L is guided by the end face 22B6 and performed appropriately. In addition, although mentioned later in detail, in this embodiment, end surface 22B6 is formed slightly smaller than surface 231A, and, thereby, upper surface 23A of key 23L protrudes upwards from upper surface part 22B (upper surface of frame 220). To do.

Such a key 23 </ b> L is formed in a substantially L shape in sectional view having a main body 231 and an extending part 232 extending from the main body 231.
The main body 231 is a part that is inserted into the opening 22B4 at one end and exposed to the outside of the rear case 22 at the other end, and projects into and out of the rear case 22 when the key 23L is pressed. As described above, the opening 22B4 through which the main body 231 is inserted has a center at the approximate center in the thickness direction of the upper surface portion 22B. Therefore, the main body 231 is disposed at an approximately center in the thickness direction of the upper surface 22B. Is done. The front-side surface 231A of the main body 231 is formed flat, and the key 23L is guided by the end surface 22B6 facing the front-side surface 231A. And the dimension of the thickness direction of the main-body part 231 is set to the dimension which pulled a slight clearance from the dimension of the thickness direction of the above-mentioned opening part 22B4.

A pressing portion 233 that presses the contact rubber 34 is formed at one end of the main body portion 231. The pressing portion 233 is formed with a hole portion 2331 into which a protruding portion 343 formed on the contact rubber 34 is fitted, whereby the key 23L and the contact rubber 34 are connected. The pressing portion 233 is formed with a protruding portion 2332 that protrudes from the pressing portion 233 toward the back side. The tip portion of the protruding portion 2332 is located on the back side from the edge of the opening 22B4 in order to prevent the key 23L from dropping out of the opening 22B4. However, the tip portion is located on the front side from the tip portion of the extending portion 232 in the extending direction. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the key 23L from being prevented from protruding and coming into contact with the inner surface of the back surface portion 22F, and to reduce the thickness of the rear case 22 in the thickness direction.
Note that the upper end surface of the protruding portion 2332 is inclined with respect to the main body portion 231, and the lower end surface is substantially orthogonal to the main body portion 231. For this reason, the protrusion part 2332 has a taper shape in which the dimension in the vertical direction decreases as it goes in the protrusion direction.

  The extending part 232 extends from the end of the main body 231 opposite to the pressing part 233 to the back side along the upper surface part 22B, and is formed to cover the upper end surface of the step part 22B5. The extension dimension of the extension part 232 from the main body part 231 is formed larger than the dimension in the thickness direction of the opening part 22B4. The end of the extending part 232 on the front end side in the extending direction from the main body part 231 is located on the front part 22A side from the rear part 22F. That is, the end portion is formed so as not to contact the installation surface when the portable information terminal 1 is arranged so that the above-described leg portion 22F1 contacts the installation surface.

  Further, the lower surface 232 </ b> A of the extending portion 232 is a surface extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the surface on the back surface side of the main body portion 231. Further, the lower surface 232A has a shape corresponding to the upper surface of the stepped portion 22B5 and the edge of the opening 22B4 that the lower surface 232A faces, and the lower surface 232A and the upper surface of the stepped portion 22B5 are substantially parallel. For this reason, the stepped portion 22B5 does not prevent the key 23L from being inserted when the key is pressed, and the key 23L can be appropriately pushed and retracted.

  The upper surface 23A of the key 23L is formed by the upper surface of the main body portion 231 and the upper surface of the extending portion 232 continuous with the upper surface. And the said upper surface 23A which a user's finger | toe contacts is located in the outer side (above) from the upper surface part 22B. However, the upper surface 23A is inclined in a direction approaching the upper surface portion 22B (stepped portion 22B5) as it goes toward the back surface side. Therefore, the upper surface 23A has a substantially curved shape along the upper surface portion 21B of the front case 21 in a state where the cases 21 and 22 overlap each other (the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 5).

Here, the upper surface 23A is formed so as to be inclined with respect to the main body portion 231, whereas the lower surface 232A of the extending portion 232 is substantially orthogonal to the main body portion 231 as described above. For this reason, the extension part 232 has a taper shape in which the dimension in the vertical direction decreases as it goes toward the front end in the extension direction.
The dimension in the thickness direction of the upper surface 23A is set larger than the dimension in the thickness direction of the opening 22B4. Specifically, the dimension in the thickness direction of the upper surface 23A is the thickness of the opening 22B and the stepped portion 22B5. It is set so as to be approximately the same as the sum of the vertical dimensions. For this reason, the dimension in the thickness direction of the upper surface 23A is approximately twice the dimension in the thickness direction of the opening 22B4, and the area of the upper surface 23A is reduced as compared with the case where the key without the extension 232 is used. The area on which the user's finger is applied can be enlarged.

Further, the extending direction of the extending part 232 is the back side, and as described above, the opening 22B4 opens including the center in the thickness direction of the upper surface part 22B, and the thickness direction of the opening 22B4 Is less than or equal to ½ of the dimension in the thickness direction of the rear case 22 (approximately ３ in the present embodiment), so that the front side of the upper surface portion 22B is between the key 23L and the front case 21. The clearance according to the dimension (the dimension in the thickness direction of the frame body 220) is ensured. According to this, it is possible to suppress a finger operating (pressing) the key 23L from interfering with the front case 21. Therefore, the operability of the key 23L can be improved.
The key 23R and the control board, FPC, contact board, and contact rubber that detect the input of the key 23R have the same configuration.

The portable information terminal 1 according to the present embodiment described above has the following effects.
Each of the keys 23 (23L, 23R) has an opening 22B4 along the upper surface 22B from the other end of the main body 231 in which one end (pressing portion 233) is inserted into the opening 22B4 formed in the upper surface 22B. And an extending portion 232 that extends outward. According to this, the area of the upper surface 23A exposed to the outside of the rear case 22 in the key 23, that is, the area of the upper surface 23A facing the user's finger can be increased. For this reason, compared with a key without the extension part 232, since the area | region which can be pressed with a user's finger | toe can be expanded and the contact area with a finger | toe can be enlarged, pressing and input of the said key 23 Can be performed reliably. Therefore, the operability of the portable information terminal 1 can be improved.

  Further, since the extending part 232 is formed to extend outward from the edge of the opening 22B4, it is not necessary to make the opening 22B4 large according to the area of the upper surface 23A. For this reason, compared with the case where the key according to the opening area of opening part 22B4 is arrange | positioned, the thickness dimension of the rear case 22 can be made small. Therefore, the portable information terminal 1 can be thinned.

  Furthermore, since the extending direction of the extending portion 232 from the main body portion 231 is the back surface portion 22F side, the extending portion 232 and thus the key 23L interferes with the front case 21 located on the front side. It is possible to prevent the finger operating the key 23L from interfering with the front case 21. In addition, since a clearance according to the frame body 220 is ensured between the key 23L and the front case 21, interference between the finger and the front case 21 can be further suppressed. Therefore, the operability of the portable information terminal 1 can be further improved.

  Since the rear case 22 is formed in a substantially flat shape having an oval shape when viewed from the front, when the front case 21 is slid upward with respect to the rear case 22, the rear case 22 has left and right side portions. The user's index finger is held along 22D and 22E. According to this, since the rear case 22 follows the shape (finger shape) of each hand when gripped, the rear case 22 can be easily held. Further, when the rear case 22 is gripped in this way, the left and right index fingers are positioned so as to straddle the side surface portions 22D and 22E and the upper surface portion 22B, so that the fingertips are near the left and right end portions of the upper surface portion 22B. To position. By arranging the keys 23L and 23R at the left and right ends of the upper surface portion 22B, it is possible to facilitate the input of the keys 23L and 23R. Therefore, the operability of the portable information terminal 1 can be further improved.

When the upper surface 23A of the key 23 (23L, 23R) is inclined in a direction away from the upper surface portion 22B toward the rear surface portion 22F, the upper surface 23A does not follow the outer shape of the rear case 22. The end portion on the back surface portion 22F side protrudes from the upper surface portion 22B. In this case, since it becomes difficult to place a finger along the rear case 22, it is difficult to hold the rear case 22 and to perform an input operation of the key 23.
On the other hand, the upper surface 23A is inclined in a direction closer to the upper surface portion 22B (stepped portion 22B5) as it goes toward the rear surface portion 22F, so that the upper surface 23A conforms to the outer shape of the rear case 22. Therefore, it becomes easy to place a finger along the rear case 22. Therefore, the rear case 22, and thus the portable information terminal 1 can be easily grasped, and the input operation of the key 23L can be performed more easily.

When the end of the extended portion 232 on the back surface portion 22F side protrudes from the back surface portion 22F to the back surface side, the back surface portion 22F faces the installation surface (the leg portion 22F1 is brought into contact with the installation surface) B) When the portable information terminal 1 is arranged, the key 23 comes into contact with the installation surface. In this case, the load of the portable information terminal 1 is applied to the key 23, and the load of the key 23 increases.
On the other hand, the end of the extended portion 232 on the back surface portion 22F side is located on the front surface portion 22A side with respect to the back surface portion 22F, so that even when the portable information terminal 1 is arranged as described above, the key It can prevent that 23 contacts an installation surface. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the key 23 from being loaded.

The extension part 232 is formed so as to cover the step part 22B5 formed in accordance with the opening part 22B4, so that the stroke amount of the key 23 is secured at the step between the upper surface part 22B and the step part 22B5. be able to. According to this, it is not necessary to unnecessarily protrude the key 23 (23L, 23R) from the upper surface portion 22B in order to ensure the stroke amount. Therefore, the portable information terminal 1 can be downsized.
Further, since the upper surface 23A of the key 23 protrudes outside the rear case 22 from the upper surface portion 22B, the entire key 23 is prevented from being immersed inside the upper surface portion 22B when the key 23 is pressed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the key 23L from being continuously depressed. Therefore, the operability of the portable information terminal 1 can be further improved.

[Modification of Embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, and the like within the scope that can achieve the object of the present invention are included in the present invention.
In the embodiment described above, the LR key 23 (23L, 23R) is disposed at both ends in the left-right direction of the upper surface portion 22B, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the keys constituting the present invention may be provided at any position on the side surface connecting the front portion 22A and the rear portion 22F, and the number of the keys is not limited. Further, the key is not limited to the rear case 22 and may be provided on the front case 21.

  In the said embodiment, although each case 21 and 22 was formed in the front view substantially ellipse shape, this invention is not restricted to this. That is, as long as it can be held with at least one hand, the shape and dimensions of each case are not limited. Further, although the front case 21 is slidably provided with respect to the rear case 22, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a single case in which these are integrated. A shell-type housing may be adopted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the upper surface 23A of the key 23 is inclined in the direction closer to the stepped portion 22B5 of the upper surface portion 22B toward the back surface portion 22F, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the surface of the key 23 along the side surface on which the key 23 is disposed may be substantially parallel to the side surface portion, or may be inclined in a direction away from the side surface portion toward the back surface portion. Good. Furthermore, the extending direction of the extending portion 232 is not limited to the back surface portion 22F side, and may be, for example, the side surface portion side close to the key 23, and the extending direction is not limited.

In the above-described embodiment, the end portion on the back surface portion 22F side of the extending portion 232, that is, the end portion on the front end side in the extending direction is positioned on the front surface portion 22A side from the back surface portion 22F. Is not limited to this. That is, you may be located in the back side rather than the back part 22F.
In the above embodiment, the key 23L has a substantially L shape so as to straddle the upper surface portion 22B and the side surface portion 22D. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the key 23L is disposed in any one surface. As such, the key may be formed. The same applies to the key 23R.

In the above-described embodiment, the upper surface portion 22B has the step portion 22B5 that is recessed from the upper surface portion 22B toward the inside of the rear case 22, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the step portion 22B5 may not be provided. . In this case, the extension part 232 of the key 23 should just extend outside the edge of opening 22B4.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the upper surface 23A protruded on the outer side from the upper surface part 22B, ie, the position higher than the said upper surface part 22B, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the upper surface 23A before being pressed may be flush with the upper surface portion 22B, or may be immersed in the upper surface portion 22B.

  In the embodiment, the step portion 22B5 formed on the upper surface portion 22B is formed on the back side of the opening portion 22B4. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the position of the stepped portion 22B5 covered by the extending portion 232 may be on the front side of the opening 22B4, or may be formed on the front side and the back side, respectively. Similarly, the extending direction of the extending part 232 from the main body part 231 is not limited to the back side but may be the front side.

  In the said embodiment, although the portable information terminal 1 which can process a game program, image data, and audio | voice data was mentioned as an operating device and portable information terminal of this invention, this invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to a controller connected to a stationary game machine and a PC. The portable information terminal may be capable of processing at least one of a game program, image data, and audio data, or may be capable of executing another application program. That is, the present invention can be applied to any portable information terminal that is portable and capable of processing some program and data. For example, the present invention may be applied to a digital camera or the like. When applied to a digital camera, a shutter key can be cited as a key of the present invention.

  The present invention can be used not only for portable information terminals such as game machines, mobile phones, and PDAs, but also for controllers connected to stationary game machines and PCs.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Portable information terminal (operating device), 22 ... Rear case (casing), 23 (23L, 23R) ... LR key (key), 22A ... Front part, 22B ... Upper surface part (side part), 22F ... Rear part 231... Body portion, 232. Extension portion, 22B4... Opening portion, 22B5.

Claims (6)

An operating device having a housing and a key provided in the housing so as to be freely projecting and retracting,
The housing includes a front part, a back part, and a side part connecting the front part and the back part,
The key is
One end is inserted into the opening formed in the side surface, and the other end is exposed to the outside of the housing,
An extending portion extending from the other end of the main body portion to the outside of the edge of the opening portion along the side surface portion;
An operating device comprising: The operating device according to claim 1,
The housing is formed in a substantially flat shape having a substantially oval shape in front view,
The side portion is located above when the housing is gripped,
The operation device according to claim 1, wherein the key is provided at at least one end of the side surface in the left-right direction. In the operating device according to claim 1 or 2,
The operation device according to claim 1, wherein a surface along the side surface portion of the key is inclined in a direction approaching the side surface portion toward the back surface portion. In the operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The operation device according to claim 1, wherein an end of the key on the back side is located closer to the front side than the back side. In the operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The side part is formed on at least one side of the front part side and the back part side according to the opening, and has a step part that is recessed toward the inside of the housing.
The extension part is formed so as to cover the step part,
The operation device according to claim 1, wherein a surface along the side surface portion of the key protrudes outside the housing from the side surface portion.   A portable information terminal comprising the operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

Images