JP2012190735A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input device capable of illuminating an illumination instructing portion with uniform brightness, by intensively adding illumination light on the illumination instructing portion formed on a key top and the like.SOLUTION: A membrane laminated body 20 in which a spacer 23 is sandwiched between a front side base material 21 and a back side base material 22 is provided, a fixing electrode 26 is provided on the back side base material 22, and moving electrodes 27a and 27b and a wiring layer 28 are provided on a back surface 21b of the front side base material 21. On a front surface 21a of the front side base material 21, a light-shielding layer 31 formed by printing. An opening portion 32b opens to the light-shielding layer 31, and the opening portion 32b opposes to an illumination instructing portion of a key top. On a back side of the membrane laminated body 20, a light-guiding layer 3 is provided, and an irregularly reflecting portion 35b opposing to the opening portion 32b is formed on the light-guiding layer 3. The light-shielding layer 31 is formed on a surface of the membrane laminated body 20, so that it is unnecessary to separately provide a cover layer, and illumination light can be intensively added to the illumination instructing portion through the opening portion 32b.

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device in which an electrode is brought into a contact state by pressing a translucent and flexible front substrate, and more particularly to an input device to which illumination light is given from the back.

  Keyboard devices for personal computers, operation devices for portable devices and other electronic devices, remote operation devices, operation devices mounted on automobiles, etc. are provided with a press operation type input device that is illuminated with illumination light from the back. It has been.

  The keyboard device described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a membrane sheet in which a first sheet and a second sheet are stacked with an insulating spacer interposed therebetween, and the first sheet and the second sheet are respectively opposed to each other. A contact is provided. When the key top is positioned in front of the membrane sheet and the first sheet is pushed by the key top, the contacts are brought into conduction. In this keyboard device, the membrane sheet is translucent, and illumination light is applied to the membrane sheet from a light guide plate provided on the back. A translucent display portion representing characters is formed on the key top, and the display portion is illuminated by illumination light.

  In the keyboard device described in Patent Document 1, a protective sheet is laminated on the front side of the membrane sheet, and a light shielding layer is formed on the protective sheet. The light shielding layer is formed in a square frame shape along the outer peripheral edge of the key top, and is located below the gap between adjacent key tops.

  In the key input device described in Patent Document 2, a printed wiring board made of a light transmissive flexible film is folded in two and opposed to each other, and a conductor and a switch pattern are formed to face each other on the opposing surface. Has been. A key input member made of a transparent film is provided in front of the printed wiring board, and a light shielding film is formed on the surface of the key input member except for the key operation portion. An EL panel is disposed on the back side of the flexible wiring member, and light emitted from the EL panel is transmitted through the printed wiring board to illuminate the key operation portion of the key input member.

  Patent Document 3 discloses an illuminated panel switch. In this illuminated panel switch, a movable contact sheet is provided in front of a light-transmitting printed board with a spacer interposed therebetween, and contacts are provided on opposite surfaces of the printed board and the movable contact sheet, respectively. An operation panel is provided in front of the movable contact sheet, and when the embossed portion formed on the operation panel is pressed, the movable contact sheet is deformed and the contacts come into contact with each other.

  In this illuminated panel switch, a light emitting diode is mounted on the back side of a light-transmitting printed board. A light shielding layer is formed on the front side of the printed board by silk printing except for a circular region where contacts are arranged. The light emitted from the light emitting diode passes forward through the circular area, passes through the movable contact sheet, and illuminates the display portion formed in the embossed portion of the operation panel.

JP 2010-129374 A JP 2000-243177 A JP-A-7-282777

  The keyboard device described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a protective sheet having a light-shielding layer separately from the membrane sheet in which the first sheet and the second sheet are laminated, so that the number of sheets to be laminated increases. , Obstructing the thinning.

  Moreover, since the light shielding layer formed on the protective sheet has a square frame shape along the outer peripheral edge of the key top, illumination light is given to the entire inner surface of the key top. For this reason, the light utilization efficiency is poor, light is likely to leak from the outer peripheral edge of the key top, and it is difficult to concentrate light on the display portion formed on the key top.

  In the key input device described in Patent Document 2, a light shielding film is formed on the surface of the key input member located at the outermost part of the operation unit, and light from the EL panel is applied to the entire back surface of the key input member. There is a drawback that light tends to leak forward from a portion other than the key operation portion formed on the key input member.

  In the illuminated panel switch described in Patent Document 3, a light-shielding layer by silk printing is formed on the surface of a light-transmitting printed board, but a light-transmitting spacer and a movable contact sheet are provided in front of it. Therefore, the light that has passed through the circular area where there is no light shielding layer is likely to be irregularly reflected by the spacer or the movable contact sheet. For this reason, not only the embossed part of the operation panel located in front but also the surrounding area is exposed to light, and it is difficult to effectively illuminate only the display of the embossed part.

  In addition, on the surface of the translucent printed circuit board, both a wiring layer conducting to the contact and a light shielding layer by silk printing are formed. Since the wiring layer and the light shielding layer are formed on the same surface, it is difficult to completely cover the pattern shape of the wiring layer with the light shielding layer.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and makes it easy to concentrate the illumination light given from the back toward a part where illumination is necessary, and effectively illuminate the part where illumination is necessary. An object of the present invention is to provide an input device that can suppress unnecessary leakage light.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide an input device that can effectively cover a number of wiring layers formed in a plurality of operating portions and a plurality of pressing operation portions.

The present invention provides a light-transmitting and flexible front-side base material, a translucent back-side base material disposed behind the front-side base material, and a distance between the front-side base material and the back-side base material. A spacer to be maintained, electrodes provided on each of the back surface of the front substrate and the surface of the back substrate and facing each other through a gap, at least one of the back surface of the front substrate and the surface of the back substrate A wiring layer that is formed to be electrically connected to the electrode, and an illumination member that provides illumination light from the back side to the back side base material and the front side base material,
A light-shielding layer that shields the illumination light is formed on the surface of the front-side base material, the wiring layer is covered with the light-shielding layer, and an opening that allows the illumination light to pass forward through the light-shielding layer Is provided.

  In the input device of the present invention, since the light shielding layer is formed on the surface of the front-side base material having an electrode, a separate sheet for providing the light shielding layer becomes unnecessary, and the number of sheets is reduced and thinned. It is possible to Further, since the wiring layer is formed on the surface located behind the light shielding layer, the wiring layer can be effectively covered with the light shielding layer.

  In addition, the electrode in this specification is a contact switch that is turned off when the external force is not applied to the front substrate and turned off when the front substrate is pushed and the electrodes come into contact with each other. It constitutes. Or you may obtain the variable output from which resistance value changes according to the change of the contact area of electrodes.

  In the present invention, the light shielding layer can be a printed layer formed on the surface of the front substrate.

  In the present invention, a pressing operation unit that presses the front-side base material to bring the electrodes into contact with each other is provided in front of the operation unit facing the electrode, and an illumination instruction unit is formed in the pressing operation unit, The opening part of the said light shielding layer can be comprised as what is formed in the position facing the said illumination instruction | indication part.

  In the present invention, a plurality of the operation parts are provided, and a plurality of the pressing operation parts are provided so as to face the operation parts, and the illumination instruction parts are formed at different places in the plurality of pressing operation parts. It can be assumed that

  In the present invention, the shapes of the openings facing the different pressing operation portions may be different from each other. Moreover, the opposing location of the said opening part with respect to the said press operation part may mutually differ for every press operation part.

  In other words, the illumination instruction unit is effective not by giving the illumination light to the entire area of the pressing operation unit, but by concentrating it on the illumination instruction unit that is a part of the pressing operation unit through the opening. Can be illuminated. Further, since the light transmission region is limited by the opening, it is difficult for light to leak forward from, for example, the edge of the pressing operation unit other than the illumination instruction unit.

  In the input device of the present invention, it is preferable that a plurality of display units are formed in one illumination instruction unit, and the wiring layer passes between adjacent display units.

  In the present invention, the pressing operation unit includes a key top having the illumination instruction unit and a support mechanism that supports the key top so as to be movable up and down. A mechanism is supported, and the opening may be configured to face the illumination instruction unit through a hole or a notch formed in the support plate.

  In the above invention, since the membrane laminate having the front side substrate, the back side substrate and the spacer is located on the back side of the support plate, an insertion hole or a notch for providing a support mechanism is formed in the membrane laminate. Becomes unnecessary, the area covered with the light shielding layer on the surface of the front side base material can be widened, and the illumination light is less likely to leak to areas other than the illumination instruction section. In addition, the support plate is provided with a hole or a notch for arranging a support mechanism or attaching another member. The light shielding layer provided on the surface of the front substrate is provided with the hole or the notch. Can be blocked from the back side, making it difficult for the illumination light to leak to the front of the support plate.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the wiring layer is formed by a path that bypasses the opening.

  In the configuration described above, the wiring layer does not block the illumination light passing through the opening, and the illumination instruction unit can be illuminated brightly.

In the present invention, the wiring layer is preferably formed on the back surface of the front side base material.
By forming a wiring layer on the back surface of one front side base material and providing a light shielding layer on the surface, it is difficult for the wiring layer to be exposed to the opening due to mutual displacement, and the wiring layer is placed on the back side of the light shielding layer. It becomes easy to hide.

  In the present invention, the illumination member is a light guide layer that guides light therein, and a diffused reflection portion is provided in a portion facing each of the openings.

  The present invention can intensively apply light provided from the back to a place where illumination is required, can effectively illuminate the illumination instruction part by using light effectively, and leaks light from unnecessary parts. It becomes easy to prevent.

  In addition, the wiring layer formed in a predetermined pattern can be effectively covered and hidden by the light shielding layer.

Sectional drawing which shows a part of input device of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the input device according to the first embodiment of the present invention; A plan view showing an array of a plurality of pressing operation units, The top view which shows the light shielding layer and opening which were formed in the surface of a front side base material, The top view which shows the movable electrode and wiring layer which were formed in the back surface of a front side base material, Sectional drawing which shows a part of input device of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention,

  1 to 5 show an input device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The input device 1 is a keyboard device installed in a book-type, laptop-type, or desktop-type personal computer.

  The input device 1 is provided with a plurality of pressing operation units arranged regularly. In FIG. 3, some of the plurality of pressing operation units are denoted by reference numerals 10 a, 10 b, 10 c, 10 d, 10 e, 10 f, 10 g, 10 h, 10 i, 10 j, and 10 k.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I shown in FIG. 3, and is a cross-sectional view of a portion where the pressing operation unit 10b and the pressing operation unit 10e are provided. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a laminated structure of each layer in a portion where the pressing operation unit 10b is provided.

  Each of the pressing operation units 10a to 10k includes a key top 15a to 15k and a support mechanism that supports the key tops 15a to 15k to be movable up and down. The key tops 15a to 15k include those having different sizes and shapes, but the basic structure is the same.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the input device 1 has a chassis 2. The chassis 2 is composed of a bottom plate which is a part of a main body case of a personal computer or a metal plate installed on the bottom plate.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a light guide layer 3 that is an illumination member is provided on the chassis 2. The light guide layer 3 is a translucent resin film such as polycarbonate. A reflection sheet 4 is provided between the light guide layer 3 and the chassis 2. The reflective sheet 4 is formed with a metal vapor deposition film or a white coating film on the boundary surface facing the light guide layer 3.

  In this specification, translucency is preferably so-called transparent having a total light transmittance of 90% or more, but has a function of propagating light inside even if the total light transmittance is lower than that. If so, it may be so-called translucent. For example, the total light transmittance may be 40% or more.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a support plate 5 is provided on the light guide layer 3. The support plate 5 is formed of a metal plate.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a hole 7 is formed in the support plate 5 at a portion where the pressing operation portions 10 a to 10 k are provided. A pair of first support pieces 6 a and a pair of second support pieces 6 b are bent upward from the edge of the hole 7. Alternatively, instead of the hole 7, a notch cut into a concave shape from the edge of the support plate 5 is formed, and the first support piece 6a and the second support are formed at the edge of the notch. The piece 6b may be formed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a membrane laminate 20 is installed on the support plate 5. The membrane laminate 20 has a front side base material 21 and a back side base material 22, and a spacer 23 provided between the front side base material 21 and the back side base material 22. The front side base material 21 is translucent and flexible, and is formed of a resin film such as PET. The back side base material 22 is translucent. Although the back side base material 22 does not need to be flexible, in this embodiment, it is formed of the same PET film as the front side base material 21, and the membrane laminate 20 is configured to be thin.

  The spacer 23 is formed of the same PET film as the front side base material 21 and the back side base material 22. However, the spacer 23 may be an organic insulating layer or the like printed on the back surface 21b of the front substrate 21 or the surface 22a of the back substrate 22.

  The front side base material 21, the back side base material 22, and the spacer 23 are laminated and bonded to each other to form the membrane laminate 20. The membrane laminate 20 is formed with a pair of insertion holes 20a penetrating vertically and a pair of insertion holes 20b. As shown in FIG. 2, when the membrane laminate 20 is installed on the support plate 5, the first support pieces 6a and 6a formed on the support plate 5 pass through the insertion holes 20a and 20a. The second support pieces 6b and 6b protrude through the insertion holes 20b and 20b and protrude upward from the surface 21a of the front substrate 21.

  The insertion holes 20a and 20b are formed so as to penetrate through respective portions where the pressing operation portions 10a to 10k are provided. However, in the plan view of the front side base material 21 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the illustration of the insertion holes 20a and 20b is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the pressing operation units 10 a to 10 k, the first movable support member 16 and the second movable support member 17 that support the key tops 15 a to 15 k so as to move up and down are provided on the membrane laminate 20. Is provided.

  One end 16a of the first movable support member 16 is rotatably supported by a first support piece 6a bent on the support plate 5, and the other end 16b is rotatable to the lower part of the key tops 15a to 15k. In addition, it is supported so as to be slidable in the horizontal direction of FIG. The second movable support member 17 has one end 17a rotatably supported by the lower portions of the key tops 15a to 15k, and the other end 17b rotatable to a second support piece 6b bent on the support plate 5. It is slidably supported in the left-right direction in the figure. The central portions of the first movable support member 16 and the second movable support member 17 are rotatably connected to each other. The first movable support member 16 and the second movable support member 17 are X-shaped. The support link is configured. This X-type support link is a support mechanism that supports the key tops 15a to 15k to be movable up and down.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in each pressing operation part 10a-10k, the elastic member 18 is provided between the surface 21a of the front side base material 21 of the membrane laminated body 20, and the keytops 15a-15k. The elastic member 18 is made of synthetic rubber, and the key tops 15 a to 15 k are urged upward by the elastic member 18 so as to be separated from the membrane laminate 20. The inside of the lower side of the elastic member 18 is a cavity, and a downward pressing protrusion 18a is integrally formed in the cavity.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in each of the pressing operation units 10a to 10k, the membrane laminate 20 is provided with an operation unit 25 facing the pressing convex portion 18a. In the operating unit 25, a circular space 23 a is formed in the spacer 23.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a fixed electrode 26 is provided on the surface 22 a of the back side base material 22 inside the circular space 23 a. In addition, inside the circular space 23 a, movable electrodes 27 a and 27 b are formed on the back surface 21 b of the front side base material 21. On the back surface 21b of the front substrate 21, a plurality of wiring layers 28 that are individually connected to the movable electrodes 27a and 27b are formed.

  The fixed electrode 26 and the movable electrodes 27a and 27b are a conductive layer containing carbon or a conductive layer containing a low-resistance metal material such as silver or copper. The wiring layer 28 is a conductive layer containing a low-resistance metal material such as silver or copper. The fixed electrode 26 is formed on the surface 22a of the back-side base material 22 by a printing process. Similarly, the movable electrodes 27a and 27b and the wiring layer 28 are formed on the back surface 21b of the front-side base material 21 by a printing process. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the wiring patterns of the plurality of movable electrodes 27a and 27b formed on the back surface 21b of the front-side base material 21 and the plurality of wiring layers 28 that are electrically connected to the respective movable electrodes 27a and 27b. Yes.

  The key tops 15a to 15k provided in the pressing operation units 10a to 10k are formed of a light-transmitting synthetic resin material. FIG. 1 shows the cross-sectional shapes of the key tops 15b and 15e. Other key tops are different in size and shape, but the cross-sectional shape is similar to that shown in FIG.

  On the front surface 15s of the key tops 15a to 15k, a surface layer such as black or dark green is formed on a white underlayer. The underlayer and the surface layer are formed by painting or plating. Illumination instruction units 30a to 30k are provided on the front surface 15s of the key tops 15a to 15k. In the illumination instruction units 30a to 30k, a part of the surface layer is removed by laser processing or the like, and a base layer appears, so that characters and symbols Is displayed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the formation positions of the illumination instruction units 30a to 30k and the display contents thereof are different for the respective key tops 15a to 15k. For example, the key top 15b is provided with an illumination instruction section 30b substantially at the center, and a display section for symbols indicating “↓”, “▽” and light. In the key top 15d, an illumination instruction section 30d is partially provided on the upper left side, and a display section representing the characters “Ctrl” is provided. The key top 15i is provided with an illumination instruction section 30i at a position biased to the left side, and a display section showing symbols “:”, “;”, “−”.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a light shielding layer 31 is formed on the surface 21 a of the front substrate 21 of the membrane laminate 20. The light shielding layer 31 is a color printing layer capable of shielding light, and is, for example, black or dark green. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of openings 32 a to 32 k in which the light shielding layer 31 does not partially exist are formed on the surface 21 a of the front side base material 21.

  As shown in FIG. 3, each of the openings 32 a to 32 k faces the illumination instruction units 30 a to 30 k provided on the key tops 15 a to 15 k from the lower side. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the opening 32b has a triangular shape that surrounds the three display units of the illumination instruction unit 30a provided in the key top 15b. The opening 32d has an oval shape facing the display of the character “Ctrl” of the illumination instruction unit 30d provided on the key top 15d. The key top 15k provided in the pressing operation unit 10k has an elongated shape on the left and right, and the illumination instruction unit 30k is located on the upper edge on the left side. The opening 32k is formed so as to partially face the upper edge on the left side of the key top 15k, and has a quadrangular shape surrounding the display portions of the characters “Enter” and “←” and symbols.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the openings 32a to 32k of the light shielding layer 31 are opposed to the illumination instruction units 30a to 30k formed in the key tops 15a to 15k, respectively. The relative positions of the openings 32a to 32k and the key tops 15a to 15k are different depending on the positions where the illumination instruction units 30a to 30k are formed on the key tops 15a to 15k. The shapes and sizes of the openings 32a to 32k are different from each other in accordance with the size of the character and symbol display portions and the arrangement of the display portions in the illumination instruction portions 30a to 30k facing each other.

  Further, the shapes of the openings 32a to 32k are different from the planar shapes of the key tops 15a to 15k facing the openings. The openings 32a, 32b, 32e, 32f, 32g, 32h, 32i, and 32j are all triangular, and are different from the shape of a square key top. The openings 32c and 32d are both oval and are different from a square key top. The opening 32k is substantially square, and is different from the shape of the rectangular key top 15k that is elongated horizontally.

  None of the openings 32a to 32k protrudes outward from the outer peripheral edges of the key tops 15a to 15k, and each opening area of the openings 32a to 32k is sufficiently larger than the area of the key tops 15a to 15k in the plane. The area ratio is 1/2 or less. However, in the present invention, the area ratio is not limited to 1/2 or less, and the ratio can be set according to the design of the key top.

  Since the light shielding layer 31 is formed on the surface 21a of the front-side base material 21 by a printing process, the openings 32a to 32k of the input devices 1 can be changed without changing many parts of the input device 1 simply by changing a mask during printing. The position and shape can be easily changed.

  For example, depending on the model of the keyboard device, the key top 15f is provided with a symbol illumination instruction unit 30f in addition to the symbol illumination instruction unit 30f, and the symbol top is provided with a symbol illumination instruction unit 30f. In addition to 30 g, there may be provided an illumination instruction unit 30 g for the letter “me” of hiragana. When manufacturing this model, it is possible to form an opening facing the “ru” illumination instruction section 30f and the “me” illumination instruction section 30g by only slightly changing the printing pattern of the light shielding layer 31. is there.

  FIG. 5 shows the positional relationship between the pattern shape of the movable electrodes 27 a and 27 b and the wiring layer 28 formed on the back surface 21 b of the front substrate 21 and the openings 32 a to 32 k formed in the light shielding layer 31. Yes.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a part of the wiring layer 28a extending from the movable electrode 27a and a part of the wiring layer 28b extending from the movable electrode 27b may pass through the regions of the openings 32a to 32k. All the wiring layers 28 other than a part of the layers 28a and 28b are formed around the openings 32a to 32k so as not to pass through the regions of the openings 32a to 32k. That is, all the wiring layers 28 other than a part of the wiring layers 28a and 28b extending from the movable electrodes 27a and 27b are covered with the light shielding layer 31 located in front of the wiring layers 28a and 28b, and the wiring layer 28 cannot be seen from the front of the input device 1. It is like that. Further, the wiring layer 28 is configured not to block the light that illuminates the illumination instruction units 30a to 30k or to reduce the light intensity.

  As described above, since the light shielding layer 31 is formed on the front surface 21a of the front-side base material 21 formed of a translucent material and the wiring layer 28 is formed on the back surface 21b, a plurality of wiring layers 28 and a plurality of openings are formed. The relative position with the parts 32a to 32k can be determined with high accuracy. Therefore, even if the wiring layer 28 is formed close to the regions of the openings 32a to 32k, it is difficult to cause a positional shift such that a part of the wiring layer 28 protrudes into the region of the opening.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the openings 32i and 32j, a part of the wiring layer 28c extending from the movable electrode 27b crosses the center of the triangular opening. However, as shown in FIG. 3, in the illumination instruction units 30i and 30j opposed to the openings 32i and 32j, the display unit for displaying the symbol is located at a position close to the two corners of the triangular openings 32i and 32j. The wiring layer 28c is formed separately, so that it passes between the display portions “:” and “;” of the symbols arranged vertically and between the display portions “′” and “′”. Is formed. Therefore, even if the wiring layers 28c and 28c pass through the regions of the openings 32i and 32j, the wiring layers 28c and 28c do not block the light that illuminates the illumination instruction units 30i and 30j, and the illumination luminance is increased. Less likely to cause adverse effects.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the light guide layer 3 is provided on the back side of the support plate 5, and irregular reflection portions 35 a to 35 k are formed at a plurality of locations on the back surface 3 a of the light guide layer 3. The irregular reflection parts 35a to 35k are laser-processed so that the back surface 3a of the light guide layer 3 is partially finely uneven. As shown in FIG. 4, the irregular reflection portions 35 a to 35 k are formed in a circular area, and each of the irregular reflection portions 35 a to 35 k faces directly below the openings 32 a to 32 k of the light shielding layer 31. However, the irregular reflection portions 35a to 35k may be formed in an oval or elliptical region.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when viewed from the front, the circular irregular reflection portions 35 a to 35 k are accommodated in the openings 32 a to 32 k, and the irregular reflection portions 35 a to 35 k are outward from the contours of the openings 32 a to 32 k. It is arranged so as not to protrude. The circular irregular reflection portions 35a to 35k are arranged so as to face the character and symbol display portions of the illumination instruction portions 30a to 30k formed on the key tops 15a to 15k on a one-to-one basis.

  In the illumination instruction units 30i and 30j shown in FIG. 3, the symbol display units “:” and “;” and “′” and “′” are arranged vertically apart in the region of the triangular openings 32i and 32j. For this reason, the circular irregular reflection portions 35i and 35j are also arranged at intervals in the vertical direction in the region of the triangular openings 32i and 32j so that each of them can individually face the symbol display portion. As described above, the wiring layers 28c and 28c extending from the movable electrode 27b pass through the regions of the openings 32i and 32j. However, the wiring layers 28c and 28c are provided between the irregular reflection portions 35i and 35i and the irregular reflection portion 35j. And 35j. Therefore, the light that illuminates the illumination instruction units 30i and 30j is not hindered by the wiring layers 28a and 28a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of light sources 36 such as LEDs are provided at the edge of the light guide layer 3 that is an illumination member. When the input device 1 needs to be illuminated, illumination light is given from the light source 36 to the inside of the light guide layer 3. Illumination light propagating in the light guide layer 3 is diffusely reflected by each of the irregular reflection portions 35 a to 35 k, and a part of the reflected light is transmitted through the hole portion 7 of the support plate 5 and given to the membrane laminate 20. .

  In the membrane laminate 20, a light shielding layer 31 is formed on the surface 21 a of the front side base material 21 located on the outermost surface, and the wiring layer 28 is covered with the light shielding layer 31. Therefore, the shadow of the wiring layer 28 and the like cannot be seen from the gap between the key tops 15a to 15k by irradiation of illumination light.

  The light transmitted through the inside of the membrane laminate 20 passes through the openings 32a to 32k of the light shielding layer 31, and is given to the illumination instruction units 30a to 30k of the key tops 15a to 15k located in front of the openings 32a to 32k. And the symbol display area are illuminated.

  As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the irregular reflection portions 35 a to 35 k are arranged in the region of the openings 32 a to 32 k, and the irregular reflection portions 35 a to 35 k are displayed on the character and symbol display portions of the illumination instruction portions 30 a to 30 k. They are individually facing each other. Therefore, the illumination light can be concentrated on the character and symbol display portions of the illumination instruction portions 30a to 30k, and the display portion can be illuminated with uniform brightness so that there is no luminance unevenness.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the areas of the openings 32 a to 32 k are smaller than the areas of the key tops 15 a to 15 k and have sizes and shapes corresponding to the character and symbol display parts of the illumination instruction parts 30 a to 30 k. Therefore, the illumination light can be concentrated on the display portion of the characters and symbols, and the amount of light applied to the portion other than the display portion can be reduced, so that light leaking from the edge of the key top is unlikely to occur.

  When using the input device 1, when any of the key tops 15 a to 15 k is pressed, a part of the front-side base material 21 is pressed by the pressing convex portion 18 a of the elastic member 18 in the operating portion 25 of the membrane laminate 20. Then, the movable electrodes 27a and 27b come into contact with the fixed electrode 26, and the movable electrodes 27a and 27b are brought into conduction and become ON input.

  The movable electrode and the fixed electrode are formed of resistors having different resistance values. When the pressing force of the key top is changed, the contact area between the movable electrode and the fixed electrode changes, and the resistance value changes. You may do.

  FIG. 6 shows an input device 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and is a longitudinal sectional view of the same portion as FIG.

  In the input device 101 shown in FIG. 6, the reflection sheet 4, the light guide layer 3, and the membrane laminate 20 are sequentially laminated on the chassis 2, and the support plate 5 is superimposed on the front side base material 21 of the membrane laminate 20. ing. The reflection sheet 4, the light guide layer 3, and the membrane laminate 20 are each formed with support holes penetrating at a plurality of locations, and the chassis 2 and the support plate 5 are fixed through the support holes. 4 and 5 show a support hole 20c formed in the membrane laminate 20.

  A light shielding layer 31 is formed on the surface 21 a of the front substrate 21 that is the uppermost layer of the membrane laminate 20 disposed on the back side of the support plate 5, and openings 32 a to 32 k are formed in the light shielding layer 31.

  In the input device 101 shown in FIG. 6, since the support plate 5 is disposed on the membrane laminate 20, the first support piece 6a and the second support as shown in FIG. It is not necessary to form the insertion holes 20a and 20b for inserting the piece 6b. Since it is not necessary to provide extra deficient portions other than the openings 32 a to 32 k and the support holes 20 c in the light shielding layer 31, the area of the region where the light shielding layer 31 is provided on the surface 21 a of the front substrate 21 can be increased. As a result, the effect of blocking the illumination light by the light shielding layer 31 can be enhanced, and it becomes easy to suppress the leaked light forward of the membrane laminate 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a hole 7 for forming the first support piece 6 a and the second support piece 6 b is formed in the support plate 5, and the hole 7 is formed from the illumination instruction units 30 a to 30 k. Also has a large area. Further, the support plate 5 has other holes and notches required for the mechanism.

  In the input device 101 shown in FIG. 6, the front side base material 21 is located on the back side of the support plate 5, and the back side of the support plate 5 is covered with the light shielding layer 31. Therefore, even if the hole 7 having a large area is formed in the support plate 5, the area other than the openings 32 a to 32 k is blocked by the light shielding layer 31 inside the hole 7, and unnecessary illumination light is generated. It does not pass through the hole 7. Further, other holes and notches formed in the support plate 5 are also blocked by the light shielding layer 31 from the back side, so that excessive illumination light is prevented from leaking to portions other than the illumination instruction units 30a to 30k. It becomes easy to do.

  The input device of the present invention is not limited to the keyboard device as in the above-described embodiment, and may be an operation device for a portable device or other electronic device, a remote operation device, or an operation device mounted on an automobile. . In these operation devices, a key top is not provided in the pressing operation unit, but a normal push button, a dome-type pressing unit that reverses the metal and presses the front substrate 21, and the like are provided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101 Input device 2 Chassis 3 Light guide layer 4 Reflective sheet 5 Support plate 6a 1st support piece 6b 2nd support piece 7 Hole 10a-10k Press operation part 15a-15k Key top 16 1st movable support part 17 2nd movable support part 18 Elastic member 20 Membrane laminated body 21 Front side base material 22 Back side base material 23 Spacer 25 Operation part 26 Fixed electrode 27a, 27b Movable electrode 28 Wiring layers 30a-30k Illumination instruction part 31 Light shielding layers 32a-32k Openings 35a-35k Diffuse reflection part 36 Light source

Claims (11)

A translucent and flexible front substrate, a translucent back substrate disposed on the back side of the front substrate, a spacer for maintaining a distance between the front substrate and the back substrate, Provided on each of the back surface of the front side substrate and the surface of the back side substrate and facing each other through a gap, formed on at least one of the back side of the front side substrate and the surface of the back side substrate A wiring layer conducting to the electrode, and an illumination member for providing illumination light from the back side to the back side base material and the front side base material are provided,
A light-shielding layer that shields the illumination light is formed on the surface of the front-side base material, the wiring layer is covered with the light-shielding layer, and an opening that allows the illumination light to pass forward through the light-shielding layer An input device is provided.   The input device according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding layer is a printed layer formed on a surface of the front side base material.   A pressing operation unit that presses the front-side base material to bring the electrodes into contact with each other is provided in front of the operation unit facing the electrode, and an illumination instruction unit is formed in the pressing operation unit, The input device according to claim 1, wherein an opening is formed at a position facing the illumination instruction unit.   A plurality of the operation units are provided, a plurality of the pressing operation units are provided to face the respective operation units, and the illumination instruction units are formed at different locations in the plurality of pressing operation units, respectively. Item 4. The input device according to Item 3.   The input device according to claim 4, wherein the shapes of the openings facing the different pressing operation portions are different from each other.   The input device according to claim 4, wherein a position where the opening is opposed to the pressing operation unit is different for each pressing operation unit.   The input device according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of display units are formed in one illumination instruction unit, and the wiring layer passes between adjacent display units.   The pressing operation unit includes a key top having the illumination instruction unit and a support mechanism that supports the key top to be movable up and down, and the support mechanism is supported by a support plate stacked on the front side of the front side base material. The input device according to claim 3, wherein the opening is opposed to the illumination instruction unit through a hole or a notch formed in the support plate.   The input device according to claim 1, wherein the wiring layer is formed by a path that bypasses the opening.   The input device according to claim 1, wherein the wiring layer is formed on a back surface of the front side base material.   11. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the illumination member is a light guide layer that guides light therein, and an irregular reflection portion is provided in a portion facing each of the openings.

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