JP2012133447A - Key input device, power supply control method to backlight, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a key top emitting light while reducing power consumption.SOLUTION: A key input device 10 includes a key top 200 having a layer of phosphorescent material of a predetermined thickness and a switch part 500 that is provided with a contact opening and closing according to the vertical movement of the key top and generates an input signal according to the opening and closing of the contact.

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device, an input device control method, and a program, and more particularly, to an input device having a shining key top, a method for controlling power supply to a backlight of the input device having a shining key top, and a shining key top. The present invention relates to a program for causing an input device to function.

  In recent years, an information processing apparatus having a glowing operation unit has attracted attention in order to assist the operation of the information processing apparatus in a dark environment. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a keyboard device having a key top including a portion that transmits light from a backlight.

JP 2000-207101 A

  However, the power consumption of the backlight increases in proportion to the brightness provided. For this reason, there existed a problem that the energy saving of the arithmetic circuit of information processing apparatus was inhibited. Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce power consumption by covering the key top surface of the operation unit of the information processing apparatus with a phosphorescent material. It is an object to provide a new and improved key input device, backlight control method, and program capable of realizing a shining key top.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, a key top having a layer of a phosphorescent material having a uniform thickness and a contact that opens and closes according to the vertical movement of the key top are provided. A key input device is provided that includes a switch unit that generates an input signal in response to opening and closing.

  According to this configuration, since the phosphorescent material is used for the key top, power consumption is reduced compared to a key input device that directly emits the key top with light from the backlight. At this time, uniform light emission can be obtained by using a layer of a phosphorescent material having a uniform thickness. A key top having a layer of a phosphorescent material having a uniform thickness can be formed, for example, by insert molding.

  Moreover, it may further include a backlight that irradiates the key top from below, and the phosphorescent material may store light emitted by the backlight.

  Moreover, you may have further the electric power control part which controls the electric power applied to the said backlight based on the said input signal.

  Further, the backlight may be a backlight that emits near ultraviolet rays.

  The power control unit may control power applied to the backlight based on the generation frequency of the input signal.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, a key top having a layer of a phosphorescent material having a uniform thickness and a contact that opens and closes according to the vertical movement of the key top are provided. A switch unit, an input signal generation unit that generates an input signal corresponding to the opening and closing of the contact, a backlight provided below the key top, and a power control unit that controls power applied to the backlight. There is provided a control method for a key input device, wherein the power control unit of the input device has a power to be applied to the backlight based on the presence or absence of the input signal.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, a computer includes a key top having a layer of a phosphorescent material having a uniform thickness, and a contact that opens and closes according to the vertical movement of the key top. Power switch for controlling power applied to the backlight, a switch unit provided, an input signal generator for generating an input signal in response to opening / closing of the contact, a backlight provided under the key top A program for functioning as a key input device having a unit is provided.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a key top that shines while reducing power consumption.

1 is an external view of an information processing apparatus having an input device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a hardware block diagram of the information processing apparatus concerning the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram of the input device part of the information processing apparatus concerning the embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an example of the key structure of the input device concerning the embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the cross-section of the input device concerning the embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the keytop production method of the input device concerning the embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the keytop production method of the input device concerning the embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the electric power control operation | movement supplied to the backlight of the input device concerning the embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the electric power control operation | movement supplied to the backlight of the input device concerning the embodiment.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

The description will be made in the following order.
1. Overview 2. 2. Hardware configuration Key structure 4. 4. Manufacturing method of key top Backlight control

<1. Overview>
First, an outline of an information processing apparatus having an input device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an external view of an information processing apparatus having an input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  A notebook PC (Personal Computer) 10 is an example of an information processing apparatus having an input device. The notebook PC 10 includes a housing 12 on the display device side and a housing 14 on the input device side. In the following embodiments, the notebook PC 10 is used to describe an input device according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to such an example. The input device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be mounted on any other information processing device. Alternatively, the input device may be a separate device from the information processing device, and an input signal may be transmitted to the information processing device via a cable or a communication path.

  As described above, the input device according to the present embodiment has a shining key top. In recent years, in order to facilitate the key operation in a dark environment, a PC with a backlight mounted on a keyboard and a key top shining has been attracting attention. On the other hand, especially in battery-driven devices such as notebook PCs, energy saving is being promoted in order to extend the battery driving time. For this reason, the realization of the shining key top has hindered the energy saving of the arithmetic circuit of the PC.

  Therefore, an input device according to an embodiment of the present invention realizes an input device capable of saving energy of a key top that shines by using a phosphorescent material for the key top. The phosphorescent material can store natural light and emit light. However, depending on the environment in which the notebook PC 10 is used, the phosphorescent material cannot always store the light necessary for light emission. For this reason, the notebook PC 10 has a backlight that irradiates the key top from a surface opposite to the operation surface. Hereinafter, the overall configuration of the notebook PC 10, the structure of the key portion, the key top manufacturing method, and the backlight control will be described.

<2. Hardware configuration>
Next, a hardware configuration of the notebook PC 10 which is an example of an information processing apparatus having an input device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an input device portion of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  The notebook PC 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, a host bus 104, a bridge 105, an external bus 106, an interface 107, and an input. The device 108 includes an output device 109, a storage device (HDD) 110, a drive 111, and a communication device 112.

  The CPU 101 functions as an arithmetic processing device and a control device, and controls the overall operation in the notebook PC 10 according to various programs. Further, the CPU 101 may be a microprocessor. The ROM 102 stores programs and calculation parameters used by the CPU 101. The RAM 103 primarily stores programs used in the execution of the CPU 101, parameters that change as appropriate during the execution, and the like. These are connected to each other by a host bus 104 including a CPU bus.

  The host bus 104 is connected via a bridge 105 to an external bus 106 such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect / Interface) bus. Note that the host bus 104, the bridge 105, and the external bus 106 are not necessarily configured separately, and these functions may be mounted on one bus.

  The input device 108 is, for example, an input means for a user to input information, such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, button, microphone, switch, and lever, and an input that generates an input signal based on the input by the user and outputs it to the CPU 101 It consists of a control circuit. The user of the notebook PC 10 can input various data and instruct processing operations to the server device 10 by operating the input device 108.

  In the present embodiment, the keyboard portion of the input device 108 will be mainly described. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the notebook PC 10 includes a key switch operated by a plurality of key tops 200, a touch pad 210, and buttons 220 on the input device side housing 14. The key switch, the touch pad 210, and the button 220 are examples of the input device 108.

  The output device 109 includes, for example, a display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display device, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) device and a lamp, and an audio output device such as a speaker and headphones. The The output device 109 outputs the reproduced content, for example. Specifically, the display device displays various information such as reproduced video data as text or images. On the other hand, the audio output device converts reproduced audio data or the like into audio and outputs it.

  The storage device 110 is a data storage device configured as an example of a storage unit of the notebook PC 10 according to the present embodiment, and includes a storage medium, a recording device that records data in the storage medium, and a reading device that reads data from the storage medium. And a deletion device for deleting data recorded on the storage medium. The storage device 110 drives a hard disk and stores programs executed by the CPU 101 and various data.

Here, the storage device 110 includes, for example, a magnetic recording medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory), an FeRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access). Non-volatile memory such as Memory) or PRAM (Phase change Random Access Memory) is used as the storage medium, but is not limited to the above.

  The drive 111 is a storage medium reader / writer, and is built in or externally attached to the notebook PC 10. The drive 111 reads information recorded on a removable storage medium 120 such as a mounted magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, and outputs the information to the RAM 103.

  The communication device 112 is a communication interface configured with, for example, a communication device for connecting to the communication network 50. The communication device 112 may be a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) compatible communication device, a wireless USB compatible communication device, or a wire communication device that performs wired communication.

<3. Key structure>
Next, an example of the key structure according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a key structure of the input device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a cross-sectional structure of the input device according to the present embodiment.

  A key switch typically implemented as a keyboard inputs input signals assigned to the respective keys in the order in which they are typed. Each key is a switch for turning on / off a signal, which is turned off in a normal state and turned on in a depressed state. In order to realize this function, the key switch consists of an operation unit for operating the key, an actuator that moves the key up and down, and a process of depressing the key, an actuator that creates a so-called type feeling, and up and down movement of the key. And a switch unit that generates a corresponding input signal.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the structure of the lower region of one key top 200 among the key switches of the casing 14 on the input device side of the notebook PC 10. The key switch mainly includes a plurality of key tops 200, a mechanism unit 300, a rubber dome 400, and a substrate 500.

  The key top 200 is an example of an operation unit for operating keys. The key top 200 is covered with a phosphorescent material having a predetermined thickness. The phosphorescent material used here has a property of storing and emitting natural light and light emitted from a light source. A detailed configuration of the key top 200 and a manufacturing method thereof will be described later.

  The mechanism unit 300 and the rubber dome 400 are an example of an actuator that, when the key top 200 is pressed, moves the key up and down and creates a feeling in the process of pressing the key down, that is, a so-called type feeling. The mechanism unit 300 is fixed to the substrate 500, for example, and holds the key top 200. The mechanism unit 300 holds the key top 200 in the normal position, and has a role of assisting the vertical movement until the key top 200 is returned to the normal position from the pressed state when the key top 200 is pressed down by the user. The rubber dome 400 is a dome-shaped spring. Further, in the present embodiment, the rubber dome 400 comes into contact with the contact point of the signal pattern formed on the substrate 500 as the key top 200 is pressed and deformed. Thereby, the rubber dome 400 opens and closes the contact point according to the vertical movement of the key top 200. For this reason, the rubber dome 400 has conductivity at least in a portion that contacts the contact point.

  The substrate 500 has a function of a switch unit that generates an input signal corresponding to the vertical movement of the key top 200. The substrate 500 is, for example, a glass epoxy printed wiring board. A signal circuit pattern provided with a contact for generating an input signal is formed on the substrate 500. The signal circuit pattern is provided with a contact at a position corresponding to the key position. In addition, a power supply pattern for supplying power to the LED 530 is formed on the substrate 500. In this power supply pattern, a + contact and a −contact for supplying power to the LED 530 at a position corresponding to the key position are provided. The LED 530 has a + terminal and a − terminal, and is soldered to the + contact and the − contact of the power supply pattern.

  The LED 530 is an example of a light source that irradiates the key top 200 from below on the substrate 500. At this time, the LED 530 is desirably arranged at a position where the entire surface of the key top 200 can be irradiated. The LED 530 may be a near-ultraviolet LED that emits near-ultraviolet light. By using the near-ultraviolet LED, there is an effect that the luminous efficiency of the phosphorescent material used for the key top 200 is increased. As the light source, a high voltage such as a cold cathode discharge tube may be used. However, the drive circuit is simplified by using the near ultraviolet LED. Moreover, price reduction can be realized.

  As above, the main components constituting the key switch of the input device according to the present embodiment have been described. These components are combined as shown in FIG. 5, for example. Accordingly, when the key top 200 is pressed by the user, the mechanism unit 300 and the rubber dome 400 are pressed downward. At this time, the rubber dome 400 is deformed to connect the contacts on the substrate 500. When the contact is connected, an input signal corresponding to the connected contact is generated.

  The physical structure shown here is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the key switch structure shown in FIG. 5 is different from the example of FIG. 4 in that a pantograph-type actuator is used as the mechanism unit 300. Moreover, the structure in which the mechanism unit 300 is omitted may be used.

<4. Method for making key top>
Next, a configuration and manufacturing method of the key top 200 used in the input device of the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 are explanatory views of a key top manufacturing method of the input device according to the present embodiment.

  The key top 200 includes a phosphorescent material having a uniform thickness and is formed by insert molding. First, as shown in FIG. 6, the shaped decorative sheet 202 is produced by applying the phosphorescent resin 202b to the translucent film 202a to a uniform thickness.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the key top 200 is manufactured by combining the shaped decorative sheet 202 and the transparent resin 204. Here, the shaped decorative sheet 202 may be molded into the shape of the key top 200 by being put into a mold together with the molded transparent resin 204 and being compressed. Alternatively, injection molding in which a transparent resin is poured into a mold in which the shaped decorative sheet 202 is set may be used.

  Here, the phosphorescent material is formed to have a uniform thickness by being applied to the translucent film 202a. As a method for producing a key top using a phosphorescent material, for example, it is conceivable to mold the keytop body with a phosphorescent resin. However, in this case, the thickness varies depending on the key top portion. The luminance of the phosphorescent material varies depending on its thickness. For this reason, when all of the key top bodies are formed of a phosphorescent resin, there is a problem that the brightness of light emission is uneven and the design is greatly impaired.

  In addition, as a method for producing a key top using a phosphorescent material, there is a method of providing a groove for coating the phosphorescent material on the surface of the keytop main body. In order to obtain a light amount that can be practically used from the phosphorescent material, it is important to ensure the thickness of the phosphorescent material. For example, a thickness of about 0.5 mm is required. For this reason, it is possible to increase the thickness of the phosphorescent material by providing a groove in the key top. However, when a groove is provided in the key top, even if the phosphorescent material is applied, irregularities remain on the key top surface. The key top may be provided with a home position marker for a predetermined key. The home position marker is an ingenuity applied to the key top so that a finger can be placed at the home position without looking at the keyboard. In general, the home position marker is provided at positions “F” and “J” where the index fingers of both hands are placed. However, when a groove for applying a phosphorescent material is provided on the key top, there is a problem that the position of the home position marker cannot be known due to the unevenness remaining on the surface of each key top.

  Further, in the case where a groove for applying a phosphorescent material is provided on the key top, each key top main body is formed into a shape having a character-shaped groove described on the key top surface. For this reason, the key top body cannot be diverted to a key switch in which other characters are described, resulting in a manufacturing inconvenience. That is, a normal key top is formed by changing the character to be printed on the surface, except for a key on which a home position marker is formed and a key switch having a different shape and size, such as an Enter key. The main bodies could be shared with each other. However, since the groove is formed, there is a problem that this sharing cannot be performed.

  On the other hand, since the key top 200 according to the present embodiment includes the phosphorescent material with a uniform thickness, there is an effect that the light emission of the key top is not uneven. At this time, the surface of the key top 200 is covered with the translucent film 202a, and the user's finger does not directly touch the phosphorescent material. The phosphorescent material generally has a rough texture because it contains minerals. However, according to the configuration of the key top 200 according to the present embodiment, a smooth key touch feeling can be maintained.

  Further, the key top 200 according to the present embodiment does not require a groove on the key top surface. For this reason, key tops having the same size and shape can be shared. For example, the key top of the “G” key switch and the key top of the “H” key switch are shared. This is important for reducing losses in the manufacturing process.

<5. Backlight control>
Next, an example of control of the amount of power supplied to the backlight of the input device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a power control operation supplied to the backlight of the input device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a power control operation supplied to the backlight of the input device according to the present embodiment.

  Note that the operation of the notebook PC 10 described below can be realized, for example, by executing a program that describes the operation procedure of the CPU 101. First, referring to FIG. 8, the notebook PC 10 determines whether or not a user operation is detected (S101). Here, the presence / absence of a user operation is determined based on an input signal from the input device 108. The input signal may be input based on the operation of the key top 200, or may be input based on the operation of the touch pad 210 or the button 220.

  When a user operation is detected based on the determination in step S101, supply of a predetermined amount of power to the LED 530, which is a light source, is started (S103). Here, the predetermined amount of power may be the maximum amount of power that can be supplied, for example. Then, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (S105). The predetermined time may be determined based on a time sufficient for the phosphorescent material to store light, for example. When the predetermined time has elapsed, the notebook PC 10 reduces the amount of power supplied to the light source (S107). Then, it is determined whether or not the power supply stop condition is satisfied (S109). If it is determined in step S109 that the power supply stop condition is satisfied, the power supplied to the light source is stopped (S111).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the power supply stop condition is not satisfied, the operation returns to the operation of step S101. Here, whether or not the power supply stop condition is satisfied may be determined based on, for example, whether or not the user has performed an operation for stopping. Alternatively, whether or not the power supply stop condition is satisfied may be determined based on the duration of the state where there is no user operation. When it is determined that the user operation does not continue for a predetermined time or more, it is determined that the key top does not need to be emitted.

  Next, a specific example of adjusting the electric energy will be described with reference to FIG. The upper diagram of FIG. 9 is a diagram showing time and presence / absence of power supply. In the present embodiment, the adjustment of the electric energy is performed using PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). PWM is a modulation method that modulates the pulse wave by changing the duty ratio. Here, the duty ratio is a ratio of a period and a pulse width when a periodic pulse wave is emitted, and is a value obtained by dividing the pulse width by the period.

  In the example of FIG. 9, when the user starts key input at time t0, application of a pulse wave is started. Then, the supply of power is controlled at a predetermined duty ratio. The predetermined duty ratio used here is the maximum duty ratio in the sense of the maximum value among the duty ratios used.

  Then, at time t1 when a predetermined time set in advance elapses, the amount of power supplied is reduced by gradually decreasing the duty ratio to be used. Thereafter, when the user does not perform an input operation for a certain period of time, the duty ratio used is reduced to the minimum duty ratio. Here, the minimum duty ratio is set to a value at which the average current is 50% as compared with the case where the maximum duty ratio is used.

  In addition, when the user's input operation is resumed at tn while the amount of power supplied at the minimum duty ratio is being controlled, the duty ratio used again is returned to the maximum duty ratio. Although not shown here, the power supply may be stopped when a predetermined time elapses while the amount of power supplied using the minimum duty ratio is controlled.

  Since the phosphorescent material continues to emit light by releasing the stored light, the phosphorescent material continues to emit light until the stored light is released even after the power supply is stopped.

  As described above, the key input unit of the notebook PC 10 according to the present embodiment can realize a shining key top by including the phosphorescent material having a predetermined thickness in the key top 200. At this time, since the thickness of the phosphorescent material is uniform, light emission with no unevenness in luminance is realized. The phosphorescent material emits light by storing and emitting irradiated light. The phosphorescent material used for the key top 200 in the present embodiment can store natural light and can also store the light of the near-ultraviolet LED 530 provided on the back surface. For this reason, the key top 200 emits light by storing natural light without irradiating the near-ultraviolet LED 530 as a backlight. In addition, near-ultraviolet LED 530 is used to assist the light storage, but no light storage material is used, and the power consumed for the light emission of the key top is reduced as compared with the key top that directly emits light by the light of the light source.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the amount of power supplied to the LED 530 has been described as being adjusted by PWM, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, it may be realized by sandwiching a variable resistor between the LED 530 and a power source (not shown). That is, the amount of power supplied to the LED 530 is adjusted by changing the value of the variable resistor. At this time, if the resistance value is 0Ω, the LED 530 emits light with 100% brightness. By increasing the resistance value, the amount of power supplied to the LED 530 decreases, and thus the brightness of light emission becomes dark.

  In this specification, the steps described in the flowcharts are executed in parallel or individually even if they are not necessarily processed in time series, as well as processes performed in time series in the described order. Including processing to be performed. Further, it goes without saying that the order can be appropriately changed even in the steps processed in time series.

10 Notebook PC (information processing device)
101 CPU
102 ROM
103 RAM
104 Host bus 105 Bridge 106 External bus 107 Interface 108 Input device 109 Output device 110 Storage device (HDD)
111 Drive 112 Communication Device 200 Key Top 300 Mechanism (Actuator)
400 Rubber dome (actuator)
500 Board (Switch part)

Claims (8)

A key top having a layer of phosphorescent material of a predetermined thickness;
A contact that opens and closes according to the vertical movement of the key top, and a switch unit that generates an input signal according to the opening and closing of the contact;
A key input device. A backlight for illuminating the key top from the back;
Further comprising
The key input device according to claim 1, wherein the phosphorescent material stores light emitted from the backlight. A power control unit for controlling power applied to the backlight based on the input signal;
The key input device according to claim 2, further comprising:   The key input device according to claim 2, wherein the backlight emits near ultraviolet rays.   The key input device according to claim 3, wherein the power control unit controls the power applied to the backlight based on the generation frequency of the input signal.   The key top is formed by insert molding which integrally forms a film and a resin in which the phosphorescent material is applied at the predetermined thickness, thereby forming a layer of the phosphorescent material having the predetermined thickness. The key input device according to 1. A key top having a layer of phosphorescent material of a predetermined thickness;
A switch portion provided with a contact that opens and closes in response to the vertical movement of the key top;
An input signal generation unit for generating an input signal according to the opening and closing of the contact;
A backlight provided at the bottom of the key top;
A power control unit for controlling the power applied to the backlight;
A power supply control method for a backlight, wherein the power control unit of the input device includes: controlling the power applied to the backlight based on the presence or absence of the input signal. Computer
A key top having a layer of phosphorescent material of a predetermined thickness;
A switch portion provided with a contact that opens and closes in response to the vertical movement of the key top;
An input signal generation unit for generating an input signal according to the opening and closing of the contact;
A backlight provided at the bottom of the key top;
A power control unit for controlling the power applied to the backlight;
A program for functioning as a key input device.

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