JP2019096528A - Operating device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an operating device capable of effectively providing illumination light on an illuminated decoration part provided on a light guide body of an operation button, and capable of preventing leakage of light from around an operation surface of the operation button.SOLUTION: A first light guide body 11 is provided to an operation button 10 of an operation device 1. An illuminated decoration part 13 is provided to a back surface 11f of a surface part 11a of the first light guide body 11. In the first light guide body 11, an inclined plane 11e is formed to a portion from an incident end face 11c to the surface part 11a, and light L1 from a first light source 22 is reflected on the inclined plane 11e. The inclined plane 11e is abutted against an opening inner surface 3a of a panel 2, but the opening inner surface 3a is non-translucent, so that leakage of light L1 from the inclined plane 11e is prevented. Accordingly, light L1 can be effectively provided on the illuminated decoration part 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an operating device provided on a panel of various electronic devices such as in-vehicle electronic devices and illuminated by a light source.

Patent Document 1 describes an invention related to a lighted keyboard device.
In this keyboard device, a key cap formed of a translucent material is supported by a back plate so as to be able to move up and down via a panda graph type stabilizer. The back plate is provided with a membrane sheet for detecting depression of the key cap, and a lever spring for pushing back the depressed key cap upward. Furthermore, a light guide plate is provided on the membrane sheet, and a light source faces the side end surface of the light guide plate.

  The key top has an operation portion pressed by the user's finger and a flange portion inclined so as to extend downward from the periphery of the operation portion. When the light source is turned on, light propagating through the light guide plate enters the key cap from the bottom surface of the flange portion of the key cap, and is reflected by the inclined surface of the flange portion (surface indicated by reference numeral 15a in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1). And it is led to the operation part of the key cap. The light guided to the operation unit is irregularly reflected on the back surface of the operation unit, and emitted from the opening of the light shielding layer provided on the surface of the operation unit, thereby emitting characters and the like represented by the opening. .

JP 2012-186122 A

  In the illuminated keyboard device described in Patent Document 1, light incident from the bottom surface of the collar is reflected by the inclined surface (the surface indicated by reference numeral 15a) of the collar and is guided to the operation unit. A part of the light guided to the light leaks forward from the surface 15a. As a result, the edge of the surface 15a is brightly illuminated, making it difficult to see illuminated characters and the like provided on the surface of the operation unit.

  In addition, the key cap is supported by a pantograph-type stabilizer, but this method is weak to vibration and is likely to generate noise due to vibration.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and it is possible to effectively guide the light from the light source inside the panel to the illumination decoration part of the operation button, and unnecessary light is forward from the surface of the operation button An object of the present invention is to provide an operating device capable of preventing injection and further preventing noise due to vibration.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an operating device capable of enhancing a three-dimensional lighting effect by further arranging a back decoration part on the back side of the light decoration part.

In the present invention, a panel, an opening formed in the panel, an operation button whose operation surface appears in the opening, a light guide provided on the operation button, and the operation button in the opening In an operating device provided with a biasing member for biasing and a light source for providing light to the light guide,
The light guide includes a surface portion appearing on at least a part of the operation surface, an incident end surface facing the light source located inside the panel, and a position between the surface portion and the incident end surface. An inclined surface formed in a direction away from the center of the operation button toward the inside of the panel;
The operation button is provided with an illumination decoration part located on the back side away from the operation surface, and light from the light source is guided from the incident end face to the inside of the light guide and reflected on the inclined surface The illuminated decoration can be illuminated with the
An opening inner surface is formed in the opening of the panel so as to be inclined in the same direction as the inclined surface of the light guide, and the inclined surface is abutted against the inner surface by the biasing member. And at least the opening inner surface is non-light transmitting.

  In the operation device according to the present invention, the light guide has a side wall portion extending inward of the panel, and an end surface of the side wall portion facing inward of the panel is the incident end surface, and the surface portion and the surface portion Preferably, the inclined surface is provided on the outer surface of the boundary portion with the side wall portion.

In the operation device according to the present invention, the back decoration portion is provided at a position farther from the operation surface than the light emitting decoration portion in the operation button, and second light is guided to the back decoration portion inside the side wall portion. A light guide is provided,
The inside of the panel may be provided with a second light source for giving light to the second light guide.

  In the controller according to the present invention, preferably, the light source emits white light, and the second light source emits chromatic light.

  In the operation device of the present invention, the illumination decoration portion is provided on the back side of the operation surface of the operation button, and light emitted from the light source in the panel passes through the light guide and is reflected by the inclined surface of the light guide It is given to the illumination decoration part. In the operation button, the inclined surface abuts against the inner surface of the opening of the opening of the panel, and movement in the projecting direction is restricted. The inclined surface of the light guide exerts the function of restricting the movement in the direction of protrusion from the panel, and the function of reflecting light inside the light guide. And since the opening inner surface which abuts on the inclined surface at least is non-light transmitting, the light guided to the inside of the light guide can be prevented from leaking forward from the inclined surface. As a result, it is possible to concentrate the light on the illumination decoration provided on the operation button and to illuminate the illumination decoration clearly.

  Further, the movement of the operation button in the vertical and horizontal directions can be restricted by the contact between the inclined surface of the operation button and the inner surface of the opening, and the occurrence of vibration can also be suppressed.

  In addition, since the lighted decorative portion is at a position inwardly away from the operation surface of the operation button, it is possible to produce the stereoscopic effect of the operation button when the operation button is viewed from the front. Furthermore, it becomes possible to arrange a back decoration part on the back side of the illumination decoration part.

A front view showing an appearance of an operating device according to an embodiment of the present invention; A cross-sectional perspective view of the operating device shown in FIG. Sectional drawing which looked at the operating device shown in FIG. 2 from the arrow III direction,

  The operating device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 includes various operating devices installed in vehicle compartments of various vehicles, operating devices for in-vehicle electronic devices, operating devices for household electronic devices, and further, operating devices for industrial devices, etc. Used as In FIGS. 2 and 3, the Z1 direction is the front, and the Z2 direction is the rear and the panel inward. FIG. 1 is a front view of the controller 1 as viewed from the Z1 side in the Z2 direction.

  The operating device 1 has a panel 2. The panel 2 has a panel surface 2a facing in the Z1 direction. An opening 3 is formed in the panel 2. The opening 3 has a rectangular shape, and the inner surface 3a, which is the inner surface of each side, is directed inward (in the Z2 direction) away from the center line of the controller 1, ie, the center line O of the opening 3. It is an inclined surface inclined to the At least the opening inner surface 3a of the panel 2 is non-light transmitting. Preferably, the whole of the panel 2 is non-light transmitting, and is colored, for example, black, dark green, red or blue.

  An operation button 10 is attached to the opening 3 of the panel 2 from the inside of the panel 2. The operation button 10 has an operation surface 10a. The operation surface 10a of the operation button 10 is located substantially in the same plane as the panel surface 2a, or in a position slightly projecting forward (in the Z1 direction) relative to the panel surface 2a. The operation surface 10a is rectangular, and the operation button 10 of the embodiment has a square operation surface 10a.

  The operation button 10 has a first light guide (light guide in the present invention) 11. The first light guide 11 is achromatic and transparent, and for example, has a total light transmittance of 80% or more. The first light guide 11 has a surface portion 11 a. The surface portion 11 a is formed to have a constant plate thickness dimension T in the front-rear direction. The surface portion 11a appears on at least a part of the operation surface 10a of the operation button 10. In the embodiment, the entire surface of the operation surface 10a is formed by the surface portion 11a.

  In the first light guide 11, side wall portions 11b integrally formed inward (in the Z2 direction) from the four sides of the surface portion 11a are formed. The side wall 11b is formed with a constant thickness. As a result, a cube-shaped internal space 11 d surrounded by the surface portion 11 a and the four side walls 11 b is formed inside the first light guide 11. The end face of the side wall 11b facing inwards (in the Z2 direction) of the panel is the incident end face 11c. The diffusion member 12 is bonded to the incident end face 11c. The diffusion member 12 is to make the light amount of incident light uniform, and is formed of, for example, a turbid acrylic resin having a filler inside.

  In the first light guide 11, an inclined surface 11e is formed on the outer surface of the boundary between the surface 11a and the side wall 11b. The inclined surface 11e is formed on all four sides of the square (rectangular) surface portion 11a. As shown in FIG. 3, in the cross-sectional shape of the first light guide 11, the inclined surface 11 e is directed inward (in the Z2 direction) away from the center line of the operation device 1, ie, the center line O of the operation button 10. Inclined to The inclination angle θ of the inclined surface 11e with respect to the horizontal plane is preferably 45 ± 5 degrees. The inclination angle of the opening inner surface 3a of the opening 3 of the panel 2 preferably matches the inclination angle θ of the inclined surface 11e. However, the inclination angle of the opening inner surface 3a with respect to the horizontal direction may be slightly larger than the inclination angle θ of the inclined surface 11e.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, in the surface portion 11 a of the first light guide 11, the illumination decoration portion 13 is provided on the back side retracted backward (in the Z2 direction) than the operation surface 10 a. The illumination decoration part 13 is three-dimensionally formed by processing the back surface 11 f of the surface part 11 a of the first light guide 11 into a concave shape. The illumination decoration portion 13 expresses a pattern such as a character, a symbol or a figure. As shown in FIG. 1, in the operation device 1 of the embodiment, a pattern and characters having a circular symbol are expressed by the lighted decorative part 13.

  The illuminated decorative portion 13 may express a character, a symbol or a figure by roughening the back surface 11f of the surface portion 11a or applying a paint that diffusely reflects light to the back surface 11f.

  In the operation button 10, an intermediate light guide 14 is provided inside the internal space 11 d of the first light guide 11. The intermediate light guide 14 is formed of achromatic and transparent acrylic resin. The intermediate light guide 14 has a flat front surface 14 a, and the front surface 14 a is in close contact with the back surface 11 f of the surface portion 11 a of the first light guide 11. The rear surface 14b of the intermediate light guide 14 is a flat surface parallel to the front surface 14a. The front surface 14a and the rear surface 14b are square (rectangular). The four side surfaces of the intermediate light guide 14 are the inner inclined surfaces 14c. The inner inclined surface 14c is inclined in a direction of gradually approaching the center line O as it goes from the front surface 14a to the rear surface 14b.

  A back light guide 15 is provided behind the intermediate light guide 14, and a second light guide 16 is provided behind the back light guide 15. The back light guide 15 and the second light guide 16 have a square (rectangular) planar shape, and have the same area as the rear surface 14 b of the intermediate light guide 14. The back light guide 15 is in close contact with the back surface 14 b of the intermediate light guide 14.

  The back light guide 15 and the second light guide 16 are also in close contact with each other, but the back decoration portion 17 is provided in the contact portion between the back light guide 15 and the second light guide 16. The back decoration 17 is located at a distance from the lighted decoration 13 to the rear, and expresses the decoration from the back on the back side of the lighted decoration 13. The back decoration portion 17 expresses a pattern based on a symbol or a figure. As shown in FIG. 2, in the operation button 10 of the embodiment, the contact portion between the back light guide 15 and the second light guide 16 has a corrugated uneven shape. As shown in FIG. 1, the back decoration 17 expresses a pattern in which a plurality of stripes extend in parallel in the lateral direction.

  The back light guide 15 is formed of an achromatic and transparent acrylic resin. Alternatively, it may be formed in the shape of smoke in which the total light transmittance is slightly reduced. The second light guide 16 preferably functions as a diffusion member, and is formed of, for example, a whitened acrylic resin having a filler inside.

  As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the embedded member 18 is in a space surrounded by the inner inclined surface 14 c of the intermediate light guide 14 and the inner surface of the side wall 11 b and the side surfaces of the back light guide 15 and the second light guide 16. Is buried. The embedding member 18 is formed of a non-light transmitting resin material, and is colored in black or dark green. It should be noted that this portion may be a space without providing the embedded member 18, and instead, the outer surface of the inner inclined surface 14c of the intermediate light guide 14 may be colored black, dark green, or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a substrate 20 is provided inside the panel 2. A switch mechanism portion 21 is provided on the substrate 20. An actuator 21 a projects forward from the switch mechanism 21. Inside the switch mechanism portion 21, there are provided a switching mechanism which switches an electric circuit when the actuator 21a is pressed, and a return mechanism which presses the actuator 21a forward. As shown in FIG. 3, the actuator 21 a is in contact with the back of the operation button 10. The operation button 10 is urged forward by the actuator 21 a, and the inclined surface 11 e formed on the first light guide 11 of the operation button 10 is pressed against the opening inner surface 3 a of the panel 2. The projected position of the operation button 10 when the pressing operation is not performed is determined by bringing the inclined surface 11 e into contact with the opening inner surface 3 a.

  In the operating device 1 of the embodiment, the switch mechanism section 21 functions as a biasing member that presses the operating button 10 forward. However, a spring member such as a plate spring or a compression coil spring is interposed between the operation button 10 and the substrate 20 separately from the switch mechanism portion 21, and this spring member is biased forwardly. You may use as a biasing member.

  The first light source 22 and the second light source 23 are provided on the substrate 20. The light L 1 from the first light source 22 is incident on the inside of the first light guide 11 from the incident end face 11 c via the diffusion member 12. The light L 2 from the second light source 23 enters the second light guide 16. The light L1 from the first light source 22 and the light L2 from the second light source 23 are preferably light of different colors. In the embodiment, the light L1 from the first light source 22 is white light, and the light L2 from the second light source 23 is chromatic light, for example, blue.

Next, the illumination function and the switch operation of the controller device 1 will be described.
When illumination is required in an operation at night or the like, the first light source 22 and the second light source 23 are turned on.

  The light (white light) L1 from the first light source 22 is diffused by the diffusion member 12 and enters the inside of the side wall 11b of the first light guide 11 from the incident end face 11c. The light L1 propagating forward in the side wall portion 11b (in the Z1 direction) is reflected by the inclined surface 11e, reaches the inside of the surface portion 11a, and is given to the illumination decoration portion 13. Since the illumination decoration 13 has a three-dimensional shape on the back surface 11f of the surface 11a, the light L1 is reflected by the illumination decoration 13 and transmitted through the operation surface 10a to be visible in the front.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the illumination decoration part 13 is illuminated with white light in the back of the operation surface 10a so as to be visible.

  The chromatic light L2 from the second light source 23 enters the inside of the second light guide 16, is diffused by the second light guide 16, and is given to the back decoration 17. The light L2 that has passed through the back decoration 17 passes through, for example, the smoked back light guide 15, passes through the intermediate light guide 14 and the surface 11a, and is emitted forward from the operation surface 10a. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, when viewed from the front, the stripe pattern represented by the back decoration 17 is, for example, blue on the back side of the figures and characters represented by the illumination decoration 13. It is illuminated as a chromatic color.

  The light L 1 from the first light source 22 is reflected by the inclined surface 11 e inside the first light guide 11. The inclined surface 11 e is also pressed against the opening inner surface 3 a of the panel 2 to double as a function of positioning the operation button 10. Since the opening inner surface 3a with which the inclined surface 11e abuts is non-light transmitting, the light L1 propagating inside the first light guide 11 does not leak forward from the inclined surface 11e. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to suppress the light leakage from the periphery of the operation surface 10a, and to illuminate the illumination decoration part 13 clearly.

  Further, the non-translucent embedded member 18 is in close contact with the inner inclined surface 14 c of the intermediate light guide 14. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the peripheral portion of the back decoration 17 is black or the like that is the color of the embedded member 18. Therefore, when the back decoration 17 surrounded by the inner inclined surface 14 c which is black or the like is viewed from the front, the light of the back decoration 17 can be clearly seen. Further, since the opening inner surface 3a suppresses the vibration in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction of the operation button 10, it is difficult to generate noise due to the vibration.

  In the controller device 1 of the embodiment, the first light guide 11 and the intermediate light guide 14 are preferably achromatic and transparent, but the first light guide 11 and the intermediate light guide 14 are chromatic and transparent It may be formed in

  When the operation surface 10a of the operation button 10 is pressed in the Z2 direction, the operation of the operation device 1 causes the actuator 21a of the switch mechanism 21 to be pressed by the operation button 10. When the pressing force on the operation button 10 is removed, the operation button 10 is pushed forward by the return force of the actuator 21 a of the switch mechanism 21, and the inclined surface 11 e is pressed against the open inner surface 3 a of the panel 2.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 operation apparatus 2 panel 3 opening part 3a opening inner surface 10 operation button 10a operation surface 11 1st light guide 11a surface part 11b side wall part 11c incident end face 11e inclined surface 13 illumination decoration part 14 middle light guide 16 second light guide 17 back decoration 21 switch mechanism 22 first light source 23 second light source

Claims (4)

A panel, an opening formed in the panel, an operation button whose operation surface appears in the opening, a light guide provided on the operation button, and biasing the operation button toward the opening An operating device provided with a biasing member and a light source for giving light to the light guide,
The light guide includes a surface portion appearing on at least a part of the operation surface, an incident end surface facing the light source located inside the panel, and a position between the surface portion and the incident end surface. An inclined surface formed in a direction away from the center of the operation button toward the inside of the panel;
The operation button is provided with an illumination decoration part located on the back side away from the operation surface, and light from the light source is guided from the incident end face to the inside of the light guide and reflected on the inclined surface The illuminated decoration can be illuminated with the
An opening inner surface is formed in the opening of the panel so as to be inclined in the same direction as the inclined surface of the light guide, and the inclined surface is abutted against the inner surface by the biasing member. At least the opening inner surface is non-light transmitting.   The light guide has a side wall portion extending inward of the panel, and an end face of the side wall portion facing inward of the panel is the incident end face, and a boundary portion between the surface portion and the side wall portion. The operating device according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface is provided on an outer surface. A back decoration portion is provided on the operation button at a position farther from the operation surface than the light emitting decoration portion, and a second light guide for guiding light to the back decoration portion is provided inside the side wall portion ,
The operating device according to claim 2, wherein a second light source for providing light to the second light guide is provided in the inside of the panel.   The controller according to claim 3, wherein the light source emits white light, and the second light source emits chromatic light.

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