JP2022135168A - key input device - Google Patents

Abstract

To achieve a key input device that can hold keys in depressed positions with a simple configuration not using electric power.SOLUTION: A keyboard (1) has a plurality of key switches (10) disposed on a main body (2). The key switches (10) each include a case (11) that is fixed to the main body (2) of the keyboard (1), a movable member (12) that is provided movably with respect to the case (11) and moves to a depressed position according to a depressing operation, an elastic member (13) that pushes back the movable member in an opposite direction to the depressing direction, and a magnetic member (16) that moves with the movable member (12) as one body and has a magnetic substance. Magnet members (19) each having a permanent magnet are removably attached to the bottom of the main body (2).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key input device provided with a switch device for switching between electrical contact and separation states by pressing a movable member.

2. Description of the Related Art A keyboard, which is a key input device in which a plurality of key switches (hereinafter also referred to as keys) are arranged side by side, is widely used as an input device for electronic devices such as computers. Keyboards are also used in computer games called e-sports these days.

By the way, some of such keyboards have an input signal invalidation function. When playing a game, this function can be used to disable unnecessary key input signals for game play, thereby preventing output of unnecessary key input signals during play.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 describes a technique of using an electromagnet to attract and hold a key at a depression position where the depression operation is impossible.

China Patent No. 103377842

By using the input signal invalidation function, it is possible to prevent input signals of keys unnecessary for game play from being output, but it is possible to press down the keys. Therefore, when an unnecessary key is erroneously operated, unnecessary key operation time occurs in game operation. Depending on the game, a delay in game operation due to unnecessary key operation time may affect the outcome.

On the other hand, according to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is possible to prevent unnecessary erroneous key operations, thereby preventing unnecessary key operation time from occurring in game operations. However, since the key is attracted and held at the pressed position using an electromagnet, a device including a coil, an iron core, etc. and a control unit for controlling the current flowing through the coil are required, which increases the cost and increases the device's size. It becomes large. In addition, power consumption also increases due to the use of electric power.

An object of one aspect of the present invention is to realize a key input device that can hold a key in a depressed position with a simple configuration that does not use electric power.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following configurations.

That is, a key input device according to one aspect of the present invention is a key input device provided with a plurality of switch devices, wherein the switch device includes a fixing member fixed to a main body of the key input device; A movable member that is movably provided with respect to a fixed member and moves to a depressed position by a depression operation, an elastic member that pushes back the movable member in a direction opposite to the depression direction, and a magnetic material that moves integrally with the movable member a magnet member having a permanent magnet and attracting the magnetic member is detachably attached to the bottom of the main body, and the elastic member pushes the movable member back in the opposite direction. The force with which the magnet member attracts the magnetic member is superior.

According to the above configuration, the magnet member having the permanent magnet provided at the bottom of the main body attracts the magnetic member having the magnetic material provided on the movable member of the switch device. Thereby, the movable member, that is, the switch device can be held in the depressed position. Moreover, since the magnet member is detachably provided, it can be used as a normal key input device by removing it when it is not necessary to hold the switch device in the depressed position. As a result, a key input device capable of holding a key at a depressed position can be realized with a simple configuration that does not use electric power.

In the key input device according to the above aspect, the fixing member has a hole through which the tip of the magnetic member in the pressing direction is inserted, and when the movable member is in the pressing position, the fixing member is positioned closer to the fixing member than the fixing member. A configuration may be adopted in which the tip of the magnetic member in the pressing direction is close to the bottom of the main body. According to this, the magnetic member of the switch device can be brought closer to the bottom of the main body of the key input device in which the magnet member is installed in the depressed state, and the attraction (adsorption) action by the magnetic force can be improved.

The key input device according to one aspect described above includes a wiring board arranged below the fixed member, the wiring board having a hole through which the tip portion of the magnetic member in the pressing direction is inserted, and the movable member A tip portion of the magnetic member in the pressing direction may be closer to the bottom portion of the main body than the wiring board in the state of the pressing position. According to this, the magnetic member of the switch device can be brought closer to the bottom of the main body of the key input device in which the magnet member is installed in the depressed state, and the attraction (adsorption) action by the magnetic force can be improved.

In the key input device according to the above aspect, the magnet member may have a holder that holds a permanent magnet and is detachable from the main body. By using the holder, the magnet member can be easily attached to the bottom of the main body.

In the key input device according to one aspect, the magnet member is mounted from the back side of the main body in a hole provided in the bottom of the main body, and the holder is rotatable with respect to the hole, An outer peripheral portion of the holder and an inner peripheral portion of the hole may be provided with locking shapes that engage with each other to lock the holder in the hole by rotating the holder in the mounting direction. good. With such a configuration, it is possible to easily configure a holder that can be attached to and detached from the hole.

In the key input device according to the above aspect, the locking shapes formed on the outer periphery of the holder and the inner periphery of the hole are in contact with each other with the radial direction of the holder being the in-plane direction. A configuration may be adopted in which locking surfaces for locking are provided, and each of the locking surfaces has a concave portion or a convex portion that extends along the radial direction of the holder and fits together. As a result, the magnet member attached to the bottom of the main body can be locked so that it cannot be easily removed.

In the key input device according to one aspect, the magnet member is mounted from the back side of the main body in a hole provided in the bottom of the main body, and the holder is rotatable with respect to the hole, Detachment shapes are provided on the outer periphery of the holder and the inner periphery of the hole so that when the holder is rotated in the detachment direction, the magnet member is engaged with each other to move the magnet member toward the entrance of the hole. may be As a result, the magnet member can be easily removed from the bottom of the main body against the attraction force between the magnet member and the magnetic member.

In the key input device according to the above aspect, the main body has a hole in which the magnet member is loosely fitted in the back surface of the bottom, the magnet member is loosely fitted in the hole, and is attracted to the magnetic member. It is good also as a structure held by the said hole by force. Since it is not necessary to form a locking shape in the hole formed in the bottom of the main body, the bottom of the main body can be manufactured at low cost.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a key input device capable of holding a key at a depressed position with a simple configuration that does not use electric power.

1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the appearance of a keyboard according to the present embodiment; 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a keyboard according to this embodiment; FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a key switch according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the key switch according to the embodiment; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a pair of movable pieces in the key switch according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the relationship between a movable member and a pair of movable pieces for imparting an operational feel in the key switch according to the present embodiment; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the back side of the bottom plate of the main body of the keyboard according to the present embodiment; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of holding a pressed position on the keyboard according to the present embodiment; 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a configuration of a magnet member attached to the bottom plate of the main body of the keyboard according to the present embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a hole provided in the bottom plate of the main body of the keyboard according to the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of attaching a magnet member to the bottom plate of the main body of the keyboard according to the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of removing the magnet member from the bottom plate of the main body of the keyboard according to the embodiment; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of holding a key switch in a depressed position in a keyboard according to another embodiment; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of releasing a key switch held in a keyboard according to another embodiment;

Hereinafter, the present embodiment (hereinafter also referred to as "the present embodiment") according to one aspect of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. In this embodiment, as one aspect of the key input device of the present disclosure, for example, in addition to letters, numbers and symbols, a keyboard used for inputting data such as various commands to an electronic device such as a computer and for game operation is illustrated. .

§1 Application Example First, an example of a scene in which a keyboard 1 as a key input device and a key switch 10 as a switch device are applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 8, and 9. FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the keyboard 1 has a plurality of key switches 10 arranged side by side as an input device for electronic equipment such as a computer. The keyboard 1 can be used normally as an input device for electronic equipment such as a computer, and can also have specifications suitable for computer games called e-sports.

8, the movable member 12 of the key switch 10 is provided with a magnetic member 16 having a magnetic material. On the other hand, a magnet member (magnet member) 19 having a permanent magnet is detachably attached to the bottom plate 3 of the main body 2 of the keyboard 1 .

With such a configuration, when the key switch 10 is pressed with the magnet member 19 attached to the bottom plate 3 , the magnetic attraction between the magnetic member 16 and the magnet member 19 causes the key switch 10 to move. can be held in the depressed position. As a result, the key switches 10 that are not used for game operation or are likely to be erroneously operated during game operation are prevented from being erroneously operated by attaching the magnet member 19 to the bottom plate 3 and holding the key switch 10 at the depressed position. can do. Moreover, since the magnet member 19 is detachably attached to the bottom plate 3, normal use is possible by removing the magnet member 19. FIG.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 9, the magnet member 19 attached to the bottom plate 3 can be configured to have a holder 20 that is detachably attached to the bottom plate 3 . In this case, the magnet member 19 can be easily attached and detached using a general-purpose jig such as a screwdriver without using a special jig.

§2 Configuration example [Embodiment 1]
(1. Overview of keyboard 1)
First, a schematic configuration of a keyboard to which a key input device according to the present embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the appearance of a keyboard 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the keyboard 1 according to this embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the key switch 10 cut along a line L1 extending in the longitudinal direction shown in FIG. 1, and the view indicated by reference numeral 202 in FIG. It is a cross-sectional view taken along an extending line L2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the keyboard 1 has a main body 2 on which a plurality of key switches 10 as a switching device according to the present embodiment are arranged. A function is assigned to each key switch 10, and classified into character keys, numeric keys, other function keys, etc. according to the function. In the keyboard 1 illustrated in FIG. 1, key switches 10 of the same shape are arranged side by side for the purpose of simplifying the structure and facilitating the understanding of the technical content, but the shape is limited to this shape upon mounting. not a thing

As shown in FIG. 2, the key switch 10 includes a case 11, a guide cover 15, a movable member 12, an elastic member 13, and a magnetic member 16. As shown in FIG. A fixing member is configured by the case 11 and the guide cover 15 . The movable member 12 is provided movably with respect to the case 11 and the guide cover 15, and moves to a depressed position by a depression operation. The movable member 12 returns to its original position by the restoring force of the elastic member 13 when the pressure caused by the pressing operation is released. The magnetic member 16 has a magnetic body that moves integrally with the movable member 12 and is attracted to the permanent magnet.

A main body 2 of the keyboard 1 includes a bottom plate 3 arranged on the bottom surface, a cover 4 covering the upper surface side where the key switches 10 are installed, a metal plate 5 arranged between the bottom plate 3 and the cover 4, and a metal plate 5. 5 and a wiring board 6 arranged between the bottom plate 3 . The metal plate 5 has an opening 5a for mounting the key switch 10, and the key switch 10 is mounted in the opening 5a. The wiring substrate 6 is formed with a hole 6b through which the lower end of the magnetic member 16 is inserted. A magnet member 19 is detachably attached to the bottom plate 3 corresponding to the attachment position of the key switch 10 . The magnet member 19 has a permanent magnet.

A magnetic member 16 provided in the key switch 10 and a magnet member 19 arranged on the side of the main body 2 constitute a holding mechanism that holds the movable member 12 of the key switch 10 at the depressed position by magnetic force. In the holding mechanism that holds the movable member 12 at the depressed position by using the attractive force between the magnetic material and the permanent magnet, the key switch 10 is provided with either a magnetic material or a permanent magnet, and the main body 2 of the keyboard 1 is a magnetic material. Alternatively, the permanent magnet may be provided. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the keyboard 1 is arranged on a horizontal plane, and the moving direction of the movable member 12 is the vertical direction.

(2. Configuration of key switch 10)
Next, a schematic configuration of the key switch 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with appropriate use of FIGS. 3, 4 and FIG. 2 described above. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the key switch 10 according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the key switch 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the key switch 10 includes a case 11, a movable member 12, an elastic member 13, a pair of movable pieces 14, 14', a guide cover 15, and a magnetic member 16. Prepare.

The case 11 is a box-shaped member, and is also a member for fixing the key switch 10 to the main body 2 as described above. The case 11 has a collar-shaped portion 11a on its upper outer peripheral portion that is engaged with the upper surface of the metal plate 5 (see FIG. 2). The case 11 has bosses 11b on its lower surface that are fitted into holes 6a (see FIG. 2) formed in the wiring board 6. As shown in FIG. Further, the case 11 has a pedestal 11d to which the elastic member 13 is attached at the central portion of the inner bottom surface. A hole 11c through which the lower end of the magnetic member 16 is inserted is formed in the base 11d. In addition, although not shown, the lower surface of the case 11 is provided with holes through which the terminals 14b, 14b' formed on the pair of movable pieces 14, 14' are inserted.

The guide cover 15 is fitted onto the upper portion of the case 11 . 2, the guide cover 15 has downwardly extending tongues 15a on both lateral sides. A protrusion 15b that protrudes outward and is engaged with the lower surface of the metal plate 5 is formed at the lower end of the tongue piece 15a.

The movable member 12 is provided movably with respect to the case 11 and the guide cover 15, and as described above, moves to the depressed position by the depression operation. In this embodiment, the movable member 12 is attached to the upper portion of the guide cover 15 so as to be movable in the vertical direction (the pressing direction and the opposite direction) with respect to the case 11 and the guide cover 15 . A key top member 17 (see FIG. 3) that receives a pressing operation is detachably attached to the movable member 12 . Further, although the details will be described later, the movable member 12 has a pressing piece 12a (see FIG. 5) that slides on pressed pieces 14e and 14e' provided on the movable pieces 14 and 14' as it moves to the pressing position. ) at the corners of the inner peripheral surface. Two pressing pieces 12a (see FIG. 5) are formed corresponding to the pressed pieces 14e and 14e'.

The magnetic member 16 is a rod-shaped member that has a magnetic material such as iron or is made of a magnetic material itself. The upper end of the magnetic member 16 is attached to the lower surface of the movable member 12 (the surface facing the pressing direction), and moves integrally with the movable member 12 . It should be noted that the magnetic member 16 does not have to be entirely magnetic, and at least the lower end portion may be magnetic.

The elastic member 13 is a member that pushes the movable member 12 back in the return direction (upward direction) opposite to the pressing direction, and is, for example, a coil spring. The elastic member 13 is arranged in the center inside the case 11, the lower end side is attached to the base 11d of the case 11, and the upper end side is fitted in the groove 12b formed in the lower surface of the movable member 12. The force with which the elastic member 13 pushes the movable member 12 back in the opposite direction is set weaker than the force with which the magnet member 19 attracts the magnetic member 16 . That is, the force by which the magnet member 19 attracts the magnetic member 16 is greater than the force by which the elastic member 13 pushes back the movable member 12 in the opposite direction.

A pair of movable pieces 14 , 14 ′ are sensor components for detecting depression of the key switch 10 and are arranged along the inner peripheral wall of the case 11 . The movable pieces 14 and 14' have contacts 14a and 14a', and the contacts 14a and 14a' become conductive when the movable member 12 is pushed down. The movable pieces 14, 14' have terminals 14b, 14b' and are connected to the wiring substrate 6 of the main body 2 via the terminals 14b, 14b'. In addition, the movable pieces 14 and 14' are also members that give an operational feel to the pressing operation of the movable member 12. As shown in FIG.

(3. Detection of pressing operation and provision of operation feeling)
5 and 6, the structure of the pair of movable pieces 14, 14' and the mechanism for detecting the pressing operation of the key switch 10 and providing the operation feeling will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the pair of movable pieces 14, 14' in the key switch 10 according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the relationship between the movable member 12 and the pair of movable pieces 14, 14' for imparting an operational feel in the key switch 10 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, the movable pieces 14 and 14' are plate spring members formed by cutting and bending a metal plate, and are U-shaped when viewed from above. The movable pieces 14, 14' have first bent pieces 14c, 14c' and second bent pieces 14d, 14d'. Contact points 14a, 14a' are provided on the first bent pieces 14c, 14c' and the second bent pieces 14d, 14d', respectively.

The contacts 14a, 14a' are provided on the outer surfaces of the first bent pieces 14c, 14c', and the contacts 14a, 14a' are provided on the inner surfaces of the second bent pieces 14d, 14d'. there is In the movable pieces 14, 14', the contact point 14a of the first bent piece 14c of the movable piece 14 and the contact point 14a' of the second bent piece 14c' of the movable piece 14' face each other. The contact 14a' of the bent piece 14c' and the contact 14a of the second bent piece 14c of the movable piece 14 are arranged to face each other. That is, two sets of contacts 14a, 14a' are provided in the movable pieces 14, 14'.

The movable pieces 14, 14' have pressed pieces 14e, 14e' at the distal ends of the first bent pieces 14c, 14c'. The pressed pieces 14e and 14e' are formed by being cut and bent. The pressed pieces 14 e and 14 e ′ are portions that are pressed by the pressing piece 12 a provided on the movable member 12 as the movable member 12 is pushed down. The pieces to be pressed 14e, 14e' are bent outwardly, and have convex curved surfaces 14e1, 14e1' at the central portion in the vertical direction. The vertical end sides of the pressed pieces 14e and 14e' form flanks inclined inward.

As shown in FIG. 6, the movable member 12 has pressing pieces 12a at the corners of the inner peripheral surface and at positions corresponding to the pressed pieces 14e, 14e' of the movable pieces 14, 14'. . Two pressing pieces 12a are provided corresponding to the two sets of contacts 14a, 14a' of the movable pieces 14, 14'. The pressing piece 12a extends vertically and protrudes inward. The pressing piece 12a has an inclined shape that extends inward from the top to the bottom, and the surface facing inward serves as a cam surface 12a1 that contacts the pressed pieces 14e and 14e'.

FIG. 6 shows a free state in which the movable member 12 is not pressed. As shown in FIG. 6, in the free state, the innermost protruding lower end portion of the cam surface 12a1 of the pressing piece 12a abuts the convex curved surface 14e1 of the pressed piece 14e. Therefore, the first bent piece 14c is elastically deformed and pushed inward, and the contact 14a provided on the first bent piece 14c and the contact 14a' provided on the opposing second bent piece 14d' are separated. They are not in contact and are separated.

When the movable member 12 is pushed down from the free state and moves downward, the cam surface 12a1 in contact with the convex curved surface 14e1 of the pressed piece 14e moves to the upper end portion with a small protrusion amount. Along with this movement, the first bent piece 14c pushed inward is gradually restored.

In the process of moving the movable member 12 to the depressed position, the cam surface 12a1 slides on the pressed piece 14e, so that the user who presses the movable member 12 can feel an operational feeling.

At any position between the free state and the depressed position of the movable member 12, the first bent piece 14c is completely restored, and the second bent piece 14c faces the contact 14a (14a') provided on the first bent piece 14c. The contact 14a' provided on the bent piece 14d' contacts. As a result, the terminals 14b, 14b' of the movable pieces 14, 14' become conductive, and the depression of the key switch 10 is detected.

(4. Installation of key switch 10)
Next, attachment of the key switch 10 according to the present embodiment to the main body 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 described above. As shown in FIG. 2, the key switch 10 is fitted in an opening 5a formed in the metal plate 5, and the flange 11a of the case 11 is engaged with the upper surface of the metal plate 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the protrusion 15a of the guide cover 15 is engaged with the lower surface of the metal plate 5. As shown in FIG. Bosses 11 b formed on the lower surface of case 11 are fitted into holes 6 a formed in wiring board 6 . Terminals 14b, 14b' of the movable pieces 14, 14' are connected to terminals on the wiring board 6 by soldering or the like.

(5. Bottom plate 3)
Next, the bottom plate 3 to which the permanent magnets 8 are detachably attached will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the rear surface 3a side of the bottom plate 3 of the main body 2 of the keyboard 1 according to the present embodiment together with a partially enlarged view. As shown in FIG. 7, a magnet member 19 is attached to the rear surface 3a of the bottom plate 3 so as to correspond to the attachment position of the key switch 10. As shown in FIG. A hole portion 30 for attaching the magnet member 19 is formed in the back surface 3a of the bottom plate 3, and the magnet member 19 is detachably attached to the hole portion 30. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the magnet member 19 has a holder 20 that is detachably attached to the hole 30 . A permanent magnet 8 is held by a holder 20 . A body-side locking shape 31 and a body-side detachment shape 32, which will be described later, are formed on the inner peripheral portion of the hole portion 30. As shown in FIG.

(6. Method of holding and releasing the key switch 10)
Next, a method for holding the key switch 10 at the depressed position and a method for releasing the hold will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for holding the key switch 10 in the keyboard 1 according to this embodiment at the depressed position. As shown in the diagram of reference numeral 801 in FIG. 8, the magnet member 19 is attached to the hole portion 30 of the back surface 3a of the bottom plate 3 in order to hold the key switch 10 at the depressed position.

Next, as indicated by reference numeral 802 in FIG. 8, the key switch 10 is pressed and moved to the pressed position. As a result, the magnetic member 16 of the key switch 10 is attracted (adsorbed) to the magnet member 19, and the key switch 10 is held at the depressed position. Since the force of the magnet member 19 attracting (adsorbing) the magnetic member 16 is greater than the restoring force of the elastic member 13, the key switch 10 is held at the pressed position even if the pressing finger is released.

To release the key switch 10 held at the depressed position, the magnet member 19 is removed from the hole 30 . As a result, the attraction between the magnet member 19 and the magnetic member 16 is eliminated, and the restoring force of the elastic member 13 restores the key switch 10 to the free state.

Further, when the keyboard 1 is normally used, the magnet member 19 is removed from the hole 30 in this manner. When the magnet member 19 is removed, no attractive force acts on the magnetic member 16. Therefore, when the pressing operation is released, the key switch 10 returns to the free state by the restoring force of the elastic member 13, and the key switch 10 can be used normally. becomes possible.

(7. Holder 20)
Next, the configuration of the holder 20 for the magnet member 19 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the magnet member 19 attached to the bottom plate 3 of the main body 2 of the keyboard 1 according to this embodiment. The figure 901 is a perspective view of the top side, the figure 902 is a perspective view of the back side, and the figure 903 is a side view of the figure 901 viewed from the direction of arrow A.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the magnet member 19 includes a cylindrical permanent magnet 8 and a holder 20 that holds the permanent magnet 8 . The holder 20 is a columnar member with a low height. As shown in FIG. 901 , a hole 25 for holding the permanent magnet 8 is formed in the upper surface of the holder 20 , and the permanent magnet 8 is held in the hole 25 . As shown in the drawing with reference numeral 902 , the rear surface 20 a of the holder 20 is provided with screw holes 26 used for attaching and detaching the holder 20 (magnet member 19 ) to and from the hole portion 30 . The holder 20 is attached to the hole portion 30 by being rotated clockwise (toward the screw hole 26) using the screw hole 26, and is rotated counterclockwise (toward the screw hole 26). is removed from the hole 30 with

A holder-side locking shape 21 and a holder-side removal shape 22 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the holder 20 . The holder-side engaging shape 21 engages with a main body-side engaging shape 31 (see FIG. 10) formed in the inner peripheral portion of the hole portion 30 of the bottom plate 3 to attach the holder 20 to the hole portion 30. Shape. The holder-side engaging shape 21 is provided at a substantially central portion in the vertical direction so as to protrude radially outward of the holder 20 and extend in the circumferential direction.

The lower surface 21 a of the holder side locking shape 21 is received by the upper surface 31 a of the body side locking shape 31 , so that the holder 20 is locked to the hole portion 30 . The lower surface 21a of the holder side locking shape 21 is the main body side locking surface formed on the inner peripheral portion of the hole 30 with the radial direction of the holder 20 as the in-plane direction, and the upper surface 31a of the main body side locking shape 31. It corresponds to the holder-side locking surface that is locked to. The upper surface 21b of the holder-side locking shape 21 abuts on a stepped portion 33 (see FIG. 7) formed on the inner peripheral portion of the hole portion 30 when the holder 20 (magnet member 19) is attached. Hereinafter, the lower surface 21a of the holder side locking shape 21 will be referred to as the holder side locking surface 21a, and the upper surface 31a of the main body side locking shape 31 will be referred to as the main body side locking surface 31a.

The holder side detachment shape 22 is related to a main body side detachment shape 32 (see FIGS. 7 and 10) formed on the inner periphery of the hole portion 30 of the bottom plate 3 to allow the holder 20 (magnet member 19) to be inserted into the hole. It is a shape for moving to the entrance side of the part 30 . The holder-side removal shape 22 is an inclined surface formed on the upper surface of the protruding portion protruding radially outward of the holder 20 . The inclined surface forming the holder-side removal shape 22 has an inclination that approaches the rear surface 20a of the holder 20 from the upstream side toward the downstream side in the removal direction. The holder-side removal shape 22 is guided by the main-body-side removal shape 32 (see FIGS. 7 and 10) formed of an inclined surface, so that the holder 20 moves toward the entrance side of the hole portion 30 .

A plurality of holder-side engaging shapes 21 and holder-side removing shapes 22 are provided along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral portion of the holder 20, two each in this example.

(8. Hole 30)
Next, the configuration of the hole 30 provided in the back surface 3a of the bottom plate 3 will be described with reference to the partially enlarged view of FIG. 7 and FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of hole 30 provided in bottom plate 3 of main body 2 of keyboard 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 7 , the hole portion 30 has a hole shape matching the outer shape of the holder 20 . A stepped portion 33 shallower than the bottom portion of the hole portion 30 is formed in the inner peripheral portion of the hole portion 30 . The stepped portion 33 widens outward in the radial direction (the radial direction of the holder 20) from the inner peripheral surface of the hole portion 30 and extends in the circumferential direction. The stepped portion 33 abuts on the upper surface 21 b of the holder-side engaging shape 21 in the holder 20 inserted into the hole portion 30 .

A body-side locking shape 31 is formed downstream of the stepped portion 33 in the mounting direction (forward in the mounting direction). Further, a body-side removal shape 32 is formed on the downstream side (forward in the removal direction) of the stepped portion 33 in the removal direction.

The body-side engaging shape 31 is a shape for attaching the holder 20 to the hole portion 30 by engaging with the holder-side engaging shape 21 (see FIG. 9) formed on the outer peripheral portion of the holder 20 . The body-side engaging shape 31 is configured by forming a space on the downstream side of the mounting direction of the stepped portion 33 so as to leave the back surface 3a portion of the bottom plate 3 and notching the hole portion 30 including the inner peripheral surface thereof. , and the remaining portion of the back surface of the bottom plate 3 corresponds to the body-side locking shape 31 .

In addition, on the main body side locking surface 31a, which is the upper surface of the main body side locking shape 31, a fine concave portion 40 extending in the radial direction of the hole 30 (the radial direction of the holder 20) is formed, and the holder side locking shape is formed. A holder-side locking surface 21a, which is the lower surface of the shape 21, is formed with a fine convex portion 41 extending in the radial direction of the holder 20 (see FIG. 9). The holder 20 is fixed (locked) at the locking position by fitting the concave portion 40 of the body-side locking shape 31 and the convex portion 41 of the holder-side locking shape 21 . It should be noted that the body-side locking shape 31 may be provided with the convex portion 41 and the holder-side locking shape 21 may be provided with the concave portion 40 .

The body-side removal shape 32 is a shape for moving the holder 20 toward the inlet side of the hole 30 in relation to the holder-side removal shape 22 (see FIG. 9) formed on the outer peripheral portion of the holder 20 . The body-side removal shape 32 is composed of an inclined surface on the downstream side of the stepped portion 33 in the removal direction, which approaches the back surface 3a of the bottom plate 3 as it goes from the upstream side to the downstream side in the removal direction.

(9. How to attach and detach magnet member 19)
Next, a method for attaching and detaching the magnet member 19 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of attaching the magnet member 19 to the bottom plate 3 of the main body 2 of the keyboard 1 according to this embodiment. 12A and 12B are explanatory diagrams showing a method of removing the magnet member 19 from the bottom plate 3 of the main body 2 of the keyboard 1 according to this embodiment. The attachment and detachment of the magnet member 19 is performed with the keyboard 1 turned upside down and the bottom plate 3 facing upward. Also, here, attachment and detachment of the magnet member 19 will be described with the holder 20 as the subject.

When attaching the holder 20, the holder 20 is matched in shape and inserted into the attachment hole 30 as shown in the diagram of reference numeral 1101 in FIG. A figure 1104 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of reference numeral 1101 (however, it is shown upside down). In this state, the upper surface 21 b of the holder-side locking shape 21 is in contact with the stepped portion 33 formed on the inner peripheral portion of the hole portion 30 . Next, a tool such as a slotted screwdriver or a coin is hooked to the screw hole 26 to rotate the holder 20 clockwise, which is the mounting direction.

As a result, the holder-side engaging shape 21 is inserted below the body-side engaging shape 31 (below during operation) as shown in the figure with reference numeral 1102, and the holder-side engaging shape 21 is inserted as shown in the figure with reference numeral 1105. The shape 21 is locked by the body-side locking shape 31 and the holder 20 is attached to the hole 30 . Reference numeral 1105 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of reference numeral 1102 (however, the front and back are reversed). In the locked state, the concave portion 40 of the body-side locking shape 31 and the convex portion 41 of the holder-side locking shape 21 fit together, and rotation of the holder 20 in the removal direction is restricted.

Further, as shown in the drawing with reference numeral 1103, the wall-shaped portion 21c extending from the holder-side locking surface 21a toward the back surface 20a of the holder 20 abuts against the insertion side of the main body-side locking shape 31, whereby the holder 20 is attached. Excessive turning in the direction is prevented.

When removing the holder 20, as shown by reference numerals 1201 to 1203 in FIG. 12, a jig is hooked to the screw hole 26 in the same manner as when attaching, and the holder 20 is rotated counterclockwise, which is the removal direction. Figures 1204 to 1206 are cross-sectional views taken along the line BB of the figures 1201 to 1203 (the front and back are reversed).

As a result, the holder-side removal shape 22 slides on the main-body-side removal shape 32 to move the holder 20 to the entrance side of the hole portion 30 using the inclination, so that the holder 20 can be removed from the hole portion 30 . By moving the holder 20 to the inlet side of the hole 30 , the magnetic member 16 and the magnet member 19 are separated from each other, the attraction force of the permanent magnet 8 is weakened, and the holder 20 can be taken out from the hole 30 .

(10. Effect)
According to the above configuration, the magnetic member 16 having a magnetic body provided on the movable member 12 of the key switch 10 is attracted by the magnet member 19 having a permanent magnet provided on the bottom plate 3 of the main body 2 . As a result, the movable member 12, that is, the key switch 10 can be held at the depressed position. Moreover, since the magnet member 19 is detachably attached to the bottom plate 3, it can be used as a normal keyboard by removing it when it is not necessary to hold the key switch 10 at the depressed position.

Further, when the key switch 10 is arranged on the main body 2 of the keyboard 1, it is heated during the process of connection with the wiring board 6 and the like. Therefore, in the configuration in which the permanent magnet is provided on the key switch 10 side, there is a possibility that the magnetic force may be reduced due to the influence of heat. On the other hand, since the heat-resistant magnetic material (magnetic member 16) is provided on the side of the key switch 10 as in the above configuration, the force holding the key switch 10 in the depressed position is affected by heat and is reduced. can be prevented.

Further, since the case 11 is provided with the hole 11c, the magnetic member 16 can be brought closer to the magnet member 19, and the attraction (adsorption) action by the magnetic force can be improved. Furthermore, in the above configuration, since the wiring substrate 6 of the main body 2 is also provided with the holes 6b, the magnetic member 16 can be brought closer to the magnet member 19, and the attraction (adsorption) action by the magnetic force can be improved.

The holder 20 has a holder-side locking shape 21 on its outer periphery, and by using such a holder 20 , the holder 20 (magnet member 19 ) can be easily attached to the bottom plate 3 of the main body 2 . Further, the holder-side locking surface 21a locked to the main-body-side locking surface 31a is provided with a convex portion 41 that engages with the concave portion 40 of the main-body-side locking surface 31a. 19 can be locked so that it cannot be easily removed.

Further, the holder 20 is provided with a holder-side removal shape 21 that engages with the inner circumference of the hole 30 and moves the holder 20 to the entrance side of the hole by rotating the holder 20 in the removal direction. there is Thereby, the magnet member 19 can be easily removed from the hole portion 30 against the attraction force between the magnetic member 16 and the magnetic member 16 .

[Embodiment 2]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of description, members having the same functions as those of the members described in the present embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a method for holding the key switch 10 in the keyboard 51 according to the present embodiment at the depressed position. As shown in FIG. 13, the keyboard 51 is different from the keyboard 1 of the first embodiment in that a bottom plate 52 is provided instead of the bottom plate 3, and other structures are the same. Instead of the magnet member 19 having the holder 20, the bottom plate 52 is detachably attached with a magnet member 53 composed of the permanent magnet 8 without the holder 20. As shown in FIG. The bottom plate 52 is formed with a hole portion 54 that accommodates the magnet member 53 (permanent magnet 8) and is loosely fitted with the magnet member 53 .

13, to hold the key switch 10 at the depressed position, the key switch 10 is depressed with the magnet member 53 inserted into the hole 54. As shown in FIG. 13, the magnetic member 16 of the key switch 10 is attracted to the magnet member 53, the magnet member 53 is held without falling off, and the key switch 10 (movable member 12) is held. ) is held at the depressed position.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of releasing the hold of the key switch 10 on the keyboard 51 according to this embodiment. 14, to release the key switch 10, the key switch removing jig 60 is used to pull the key switch 10 in the direction opposite to the pressing direction. As a result, as shown by reference numeral 1402 in FIG. 14, the attraction state between the magnetic member 16 and the magnet member 53 is released, the magnet member 53 naturally drops, and the key switch 10 returns to the free state.

With such a configuration, since it is not necessary to provide a locking shape or the like in the hole portion 54 formed in the bottom plate 52, the bottom plate 52 can be manufactured at low cost. Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide the magnet member 53 with an engaging shape, the number of parts can be reduced.

§3 Modifications Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, the above descriptions are merely examples of the present invention in all respects. It goes without saying that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the following changes are possible. In addition, below, the same code|symbol is used about the component similar to the said embodiment, and description is abbreviate|omitted suitably about the point similar to the said embodiment. The following modified examples can be combined as appropriate.

<3.1>
In the keyboards 1 and 51, all the key switches have the structure of the key switch 10 according to the present embodiment. However, it is not limited to this configuration. For example, the key switches used for game operations are of conventional configuration, and the configuration of the key switches 10 is adopted only for the key switches located around the key switches that are likely to be erroneously operated. may In that case, the magnet members 19 and 53 detachably provided on the main bodies 2 of the keyboards 1 and 51 are installed in accordance with the arrangement positions of the key switches 10 .

<3.2>
The key switch 10 may be treated as a set with the magnet member 19 having the holder 20 . That is, the key switch 10 may include the magnet member 19 having the holder 20 or the holder 20 as a component. By providing the detachable holder 20 with respect to the main body 2, the keyboard 1 capable of holding the key switch 10 at the depressed position can be realized more easily with a simple configuration that does not use electric power.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified in various ways within the scope of the claims, and can be obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1,51 keyboard (key input device)
2 Main body 3, 52 Bottom plate (bottom part of main body)
6 wiring board 8 permanent magnet 10 key switch (switch device)
11 case (fixing member)
12 Movable member 12a Pressing piece 12a1 Cam surface 13 Elastic members 14, 14' Movable pieces 14a, 14a' Contacts 14b, 14b' Terminals 14e, 14e' Pressed piece 15 Guide cover (fixed member)
16 magnetic members 19, 53 magnet members (magnet members)
20 holder 21 holder-side locking shape 21a holder-side locking surface 21b upper surface of holder-side locking shape 22 holder-side removal shape 26 screw holes 30, 54 hole portion 31 body-side locking shape 31a body-side locking surface 32 body side Removal shape 33 Stepped portion 40 Concave portion 41 Protruding portion 60 Jig

Claims (8)

A key input device having a plurality of switch devices,
The switch device is
a fixing member fixed to the main body of the key input device;
a movable member provided movably with respect to the fixed member and moved to a depressed position by a depression operation;
an elastic member that pushes back the movable member in a direction opposite to the pressing direction;
a magnetic member having a magnetic body and moving integrally with the movable member;
A magnet member having a permanent magnet and attracting the magnetic member is detachably attached to the bottom of the main body,
A key input device, wherein the force of the magnet member attracting the magnetic member is greater than the force of the elastic member pushing back the movable member in the opposite direction. The fixing member has a hole through which the tip portion of the magnetic member in the pressing direction is inserted,
2. The key input device according to claim 1, wherein when the movable member is in the depressed position, the tip of the magnetic member in the depression direction is closer to the bottom of the main body than the fixed member. A wiring board arranged below the fixing member,
The wiring board has a hole through which the tip portion of the magnetic member in the pressing direction is inserted,
3. The key input device according to claim 1, wherein, when the movable member is at the depressed position, the tip of the magnetic member in the depressed direction is closer to the bottom of the main body than the wiring board. 4. The key input device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the magnet member holds a permanent magnet and includes a holder detachable from the main body. The magnet member is mounted from the back side of the main body in a hole provided in the bottom of the main body,
The holder is rotatable with respect to the hole,
4. An engaging shape is provided on the outer peripheral portion of said holder and the inner peripheral portion of said hole for engaging with each other and engaging said holder in said hole by rotating said holder in the mounting direction. The key input device described in . Each of the locking shapes formed on the outer peripheral portion of the holder and the inner peripheral portion of the hole has a locking surface that abuts and locks each other with the radial direction of the holder serving as an in-plane direction,
6. The key input device according to claim 5, wherein each locking surface has a recessed portion or a projected portion that extends along the radial direction of the holder and fits together. The magnet member is mounted from the back side of the main body in a hole provided in the bottom of the main body,
The holder is rotatable with respect to the hole,
An outer peripheral portion of the holder and an inner peripheral portion of the hole are provided with a removal shape that engages with each other by rotating the holder in the removal direction to move the magnet member toward the entrance side of the hole. 7. The key input device according to any one of items 4 to 6. The main body has a hole in which the magnet member is loosely fitted on the back surface of the bottom,
4. The key input device according to claim 1, wherein the magnet member is loosely fitted in the hole and held in the hole by an attractive force with the magnetic member.

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