JP2023141736A - Electronic apparatus including display panel and push button - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus capable of enlarging the operation part of the front surface part of a push button, while reducing a step between the push button and a touch panel.SOLUTION: The electronic apparatus includes a display panel 10 which has a display surface 11 and a frame part 12 surrounding the circumference of the display surface 11, a touch panel 20 which is provided in the display surface 11, a push button 40 which has an operation surface part 41 arranged outside the outer peripheral edge of the touch panel 20 in the surface direction of the display surface 11 and is freely movable in the thickness direction of the display panel 10, and a switch 60 which is arranged outside the outer peripheral edge of the frame part 12 in the surface direction and can be switched by the movement in the thickness direction of the push button 40. At least a part of the operation surface part 41 is arranged to face the frame part 12 in the thickness direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device including a display panel and push buttons.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, some in-vehicle equipment includes a display panel and push buttons, and includes a touch panel provided in front of the display panel and push buttons provided near the ends of the touch panel.

Patent Document 1 discloses an in-vehicle device of a car navigation system in which a touch panel section is provided on the front surface of a liquid crystal display panel, and push buttons are provided on the front surface of the lower part of the touch panel section.

JP2015-144345

However, in the above push button arrangement, since the push buttons are provided on the front surface of the touch panel section, the push buttons protrude far beyond the touch panel section, and a step is created between the operation surface of the touch panel section and the push buttons. Put it away. If there is a step between the touch panel section and the push button, it is difficult to operate the touch panel section near the push button, and the visibility of the liquid crystal display panel near the push button is not good, so improvements in design are desired. ing. Furthermore, if the operation surface of the push button is made larger in order to improve the user's operability, the area that the push button occupies on the display panel becomes larger, and the screen area of the touch panel section that can be operated becomes smaller.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that can reduce the height difference between a push button and a touch panel while increasing the operating area on the front surface of the push button.

An electronic device including a display panel and a push button according to one aspect of the present invention includes a display panel having a display surface and a frame surrounding the display surface, a touch panel provided on the display surface, and a touch panel provided on the display surface. a push button that is movable in the thickness direction of the display panel and has an operation surface portion that is disposed outside the outer periphery of the touch panel in the surface direction; , a switch that can be switched by movement of the push button in the thickness direction, and at least a portion of the operation surface portion is arranged to face the frame portion in the thickness direction.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the level difference between the push button and the touch panel while increasing the operating area on the front surface of the push button.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a display panel portion of an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the push button and switch structure of the electronic device according to the embodiment, viewed from above. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the display panel and push button structure of the electronic device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the structure of the electronic device according to the embodiment when the push button is moved. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the display panel and push button structure of an electronic device according to the second embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An electronic device including a display panel and push buttons according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

A car navigation system is an example of an electronic device including a display panel and push buttons according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display panel portion 1 of a car navigation system. The display panel portion 1 includes a touch panel 20 provided on the front surface of the display panel 10, an exterior member 30 that covers the periphery of the display panel 10, and a plurality of push buttons 40 provided at the bottom of the touch panel 20. .

The exterior member 30 covers the outer edge of the display panel 10, and the front surface of the display panel 10 has an opening through which the touch panel 20 is exposed and a plurality of openings 33 through which the push buttons 40 are fitted. have.

The display panel 10 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel, and is capable of displaying videos, images, text information, and the like. The touch panel 20 is bonded to the front surface of the display panel 10 so as to face each other with a cushion 50 in between, and the image displayed on the touch panel 20 can be operated by touch operation. Hereinafter, the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the display panel 10 and the touch panel 20 will be referred to as the surface direction.

The push button 40 is fitted into the opening 33 of the exterior member 30 and fixed so as not to fall off, and is configured to be movable in the thickness direction. The push button 40 is configured such that when pressed, the push button 40 moves in the thickness direction, and a switch 60 disposed on the back side of the push button 40 can be switched.

As shown in FIG. 2, the push button 40 is arranged in the opening 33 of the exterior member 30, and the push button 40 is surrounded by a part of the exterior member 30 that forms the opening 33. A guide part 32 that guides movement in the thickness direction, a resin spring part 45 that biases the push button 40 in the thickness direction, and a switch 60 that can be switched by moving the push button 40 in the thickness direction are arranged. has been done.

The push button 40 has an operation surface section 41 on the front surface (upper surface in FIG. 2) that is a surface on which the user performs a pressing operation, and a button body section that extends rearward (downward in FIG. 2) from the operation surface section 41 in the shape of a square column. 42 , a crocodile portion 43 extending outward in the surface direction from the rear end of each side of the button body 42 , and a crocodile portion 43 extending in the thickness direction from the center of the rear surface of the button body 42 , whose tip end is connected to the switch on the switch board 70 . 60. Furthermore, a pair of resin spring parts 45, 45 are provided, one end of which abuts on the rear end side of the button body part 42, and the other end of which abuts against the switch board 70.

The exterior member 30 has a rectangular cylindrical shape with an internal cavity, and includes a cylindrical portion 31 that extends forward from the switch board 70, and a guide portion 32 that projects inward in the plane direction from the tip of the cylindrical portion 31. It is possible to arrange the push button 40 inside the opening 33 formed by the guide part 32 at the tip of the cylindrical part 31. That is, the inner dimension of the opening 33 is formed to be slightly larger than the width of the push button 40 in the plane direction.

The button body part 42 of the push button 40 extends substantially parallel to the guide part 32 of the exterior member 30 in the thickness direction, and the length of the button body part 42 is longer than the thickness of the guide part 32. A crocodile part 43 is formed on the rear end side of the button body part 42 and extends outward in the surface direction from each side surface of the button body part 42 . It contacts from the inside due to elasticity.

One ends of the pair of resin spring parts 45, 45 are respectively abutted on the switch board 70, extend in the thickness direction, bend and extend in one direction perpendicular to the thickness direction near the middle part, and further extend in the thickness direction. The other end is connected to the rear end side of the button main body part 42 and near the base end part of the alligator part 43. In FIG. 2, the distance in the plane direction between the pair of resin spring parts 45, 45 that abut on the switch board 70 is longer than the outer dimension of the operation surface part 41 in the plane direction. The plurality of bent structures of the resin spring parts 45, 45 function as springs, and urge the button body part 42 and the alligator part 43 of the push button 40 toward the front side.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer dimensions of the operation surface section 41 and button body section 42 of the push button 40 when viewed from above in the plane direction are slightly smaller than the inner dimensions of the opening 33 of the exterior member 30 in the plane direction. It is formed. However, the crocodile part 43 on the rear end side of the button body part 42 is formed to protrude outward in the surface direction, and the outer dimension of the rear end side of the button body part 42 is larger than the inner dimension of the opening part 33 of the exterior member 30. Largely formed.

When the operation surface portion 41 of the push button 40 is not pressed, the resin spring portions 45 , 45 bias the button body portion 42 of the push button 40 toward the front side, so that the alligator portion 43 is pressed against the guide portion of the exterior member 30 . 32 from the inside. This structure restricts movement of the push button 40 toward the front side. At this time, the operation surface portion 41 slightly protrudes from the front surface of the exterior member 30. The crocodile portion 43 formed on the button body portion 42 is not limited to the position and direction shown in FIG. 2 as long as it is configured to abut the guide portion 32 of the exterior member 30 from the inside. The amount by which the operation surface portion 41 protrudes toward the front may be substantially flush with the exterior member 30 and the touch panel 20.

When the operation surface section 41 of the push button 40 is pressed in the thickness direction, the resin spring sections 45, 45 are elastically deformed, the push button 40 moves in the thickness direction, and when the user releases the push button 40, the resin springs are deformed. Due to the restoring force of the elastic deformation of the spring parts 45, 45, the button main body part 42 and the alligator part 43 are urged toward the guide part 32 of the exterior member 30, which is the front side. That is, the push button 40 returns to its original position before the pressing operation.

A switch 60 protruding in the thickness direction is provided on the switch board 70 between the push button 40 and the switch board 70. A shaft portion 44 extending from the center of the rear surface of the button body portion 42 of the push button 40 faces the switch 60 . By pressing the operation surface portion 41 of the push button 40 backward, the push button 40 moves in the thickness direction, and the moved shaft portion 44 of the push button 40 pushes the switch 60 in the thickness direction, thereby switching the switch 60. An operation, that is, an input operation using the push button 40 can be performed.

As shown in FIG. 3, an electronic device including a display panel and push buttons according to the embodiment includes a display panel 10 having a display surface 11 and a frame 12 surrounding the display surface 11; The touch panel 20 includes a touch panel 20 and a push button 40 located on the outer side of the outer periphery of the touch panel 20 in the plane direction.

An exterior member 30 is provided around the display panel 10 and covers the outer peripheral edge of the display panel 10 and a portion of the frame portion 12. The front surface of the exterior member 30 is provided with an opening 33 into which the push button 40 is fitted.

A portion of the exterior member 30 that covers a portion of the frame portion 12 includes a cylindrical portion 31 and a guide portion 32 that protrudes from the tip of the cylindrical portion 31 inward and outward in the plane direction. The cylindrical portion 31 extends to a reinforcing plate 80 provided on the rear side of the display panel 10, and has a cavity in the front side of the reinforcing plate 80 within the cylindrical portion 31. Inside the opening 33 formed by the guide portion 32 projecting inward from the tip of the cylindrical portion 31, there are a part of the push button 40, a switch 60, a switch board 70, and resin spring portions 45 of the push button 40. It is located. A portion of the guide portion 32 projecting outward in the plane direction from the tip of the cylindrical portion 31 is in contact with the frame portion 12 . That is, a part of the push button 40, the switch 60, the switch board 70, and the resin spring parts 45, 45 arranged inside the opening 33 are arranged outside the outer peripheral edge of the frame part 12.

The display panel 10 includes a display surface 11 and a frame portion 12 that covers the entire back surface and part or all of the periphery of the display surface 11. Inside the frame portion 12, there are built-in components for realizing the functions of the display surface 11, such as wiring and a backlight.

The touch panel 20 is disposed opposite to the display surface 11 with a cushion 50 disposed at an end of the touch panel 20 interposed therebetween. The display surface 11 and the touch panel 20 may be bonded together without using the cushion 50.

When the display panel 10 and the touch panel 20 are viewed from the front (front), at least a portion of the frame portion 12 protrudes outward from the outer periphery of the touch panel 20 in the surface direction. That is, the touch panel 20 is arranged to have a smaller dimension in one of the plane directions or to be shifted in one of the plane directions with respect to the display panel 10 . With this configuration, a step is formed between the outer peripheral edge of the touch panel 20 and the frame portion 12 in the thickness direction.

The push button 40 is arranged on the outer side of the outer periphery of the touch panel 20 in the plane direction. At least a portion of the operation surface section 41 is arranged to face the frame section 12 in the thickness direction. That is, a part of the operation surface section 41 is arranged to extend inward from the outer peripheral edge of the frame section 12 in the plane direction. That is, at least a portion of the operation surface section 41 is disposed on the outer side of the outer circumferential edge of the touch panel 20 in the plane direction and on the inner side than the outer circumferential edge of the frame section 12 . With this configuration, the operation surface section 41 has a larger area than the opening section 33 disposed outside the outer peripheral edge of the frame section 12.

The button body part 42 of the push button 40 is located on the outside in the plane direction from the outer edge of the touch panel 20, and a part of the button body part 42 is arranged in the space inside the opening part 33, and is covered by the cylinder part 31 and the guide part 32. It is being said. The button body portion 42 is formed to extend rearward from the operation surface portion 41 in the shape of a square column. Each side surface of the button main body part 42 has a crocodile part 43 formed to protrude outward in the surface direction, and the crocodile part 43 contacts the inside of the guide part 32 from the back side in the thickness direction. In this embodiment, the crocodile part 43 on the upper side (the side closer to the display panel 10) in the surface direction is formed at the rear end of the button body part 42, and the crocodile part 43 on the lower side (the side farther from the display panel 10) is formed on the button body. Although it is formed on the front side from the center in the thickness direction of the portion 42, it is not limited to the above position and direction as long as it comes into contact with the inside of the guide portion 32.

A part of the button main body 42 is exposed to the front side from the opening 33 and is formed to extend along with the operation surface 41 outward from the outer periphery of the touch panel 20 in the plane direction and inward from the outer periphery of the frame 12. ing. That is, a part of the button main body part 42 is located on the inner side, which is closer to the frame part 12 than the surface of the touch panel 20 in the thickness direction, and on the inside of the stepped part formed by the touch panel 20 and the display panel 10. There is. With this configuration, the amount by which the operation surface section 41 protrudes in the thickness direction is reduced, and the level difference between the operation surface section 41 and the surface of the touch panel 20 is reduced.

The operation surface section 41 and the touch panel 20 are substantially parallel in the plane direction, and by pressing the operation surface section 41, the push button 40 is configured to be movable in the thickness direction.

FIG. 4 shows the structure when the user presses the push button 40. When the user pushes the operating surface portion 41 in the thickness direction, the resin spring portions 45, 45 are elastically deformed in the thickness direction, and the operating surface portion 41 moves rearward toward the switch 60 side. As a result, the switch 60 is pushed in the thickness direction by the shaft portion 44 that has moved in the thickness direction, and the user's operation on the push button 40 is reflected in the input. When the user presses the push button 40, the part 42a of the button body part 42 on the back side of the operation surface part 41 may come into contact with the front part of the part (guide part 32) of the exterior member 30, but the shaft part 44 The distance in the thickness direction between the portion 42a of the button body 42 and the front surface of the portion of the exterior member 30 is set to such an extent that the switch 60 can be pushed in. By adjusting the thickness of the button body section 42 on the back surface of the operation surface section 41 and the distance from the front surface of a part of the exterior member 30, the surface of the touch panel 20 and the front surface of the operation surface section 41 are arranged so as to be substantially flush with each other. It is also possible. When the user releases the push button 40, the operating surface section 41 moves forward due to the restoring force of the elastic deformation of the resin spring sections 45, 45, urging the alligator section 43 toward the guide section 32 of the exterior member 30. That is, the push button 40 returns to its original position.

An electronic device including a display panel and push buttons according to the present embodiment includes a display panel 10 having a display surface 11 and a frame 12 surrounding the display surface 11, a touch panel 20 provided on the display surface 11, and a display A push button 40 that is movable in the thickness direction and has an operation surface section 41 disposed outside the outer periphery of the touch panel 20 in the plane direction of the surface 11; It includes a switch 60 that can be switched by moving the push button 40 in the thickness direction, and at least a part of the operation surface section 41 is arranged to face the frame section 12 in the thickness direction.

The push button 40 is arranged outside the outer periphery of the touch panel 20, the switch 60 is arranged outside the outer periphery of the frame 12 of the display panel 10, and at least a part of the operation surface 41 of the push button 40 is displayed. Due to the configuration in which the push button 40 is arranged so as to face the frame part 12 of the panel 10 in the thickness direction, it is possible to arrange a part of the push button 40 inside the outer periphery of the frame part 12 of the display panel 10 in the surface direction. Therefore, when viewing the display panel 10 from the front, the area of the operation portion of the front surface of the push button 40, that is, the area of the operation surface portion 41 of the push button 40 can be increased. Further, by arranging a part of the push button 40 inside the outer periphery of the frame 12 of the display panel 10 and outside the outer periphery of the touch panel 20 in the plane direction, the operation surface 41 of the push button 40 and the touch panel 20 can be It is possible to reduce the level difference between the surface and the surface.

Furthermore, since the operation surface section 41 extends outward from the outer peripheral edge of the frame section 12 of the display panel 10 in the plane direction, the area of the operation surface section 41 of the push button 40 can be further reduced when the display panel 10 is viewed from the front. Can be made larger.

Further, at least a part of the portion of the operation surface section 41 that is arranged to face the frame section 12 in the thickness direction is located closer to the frame section 12 than the surface of the touch panel 20 in the thickness direction. , it becomes possible to arrange a part of the operation surface part 41 of the push button 40 on the step between the display panel 10 and the touch panel 20, and the height of the push button 40 protruding in the thickness direction of the display panel 10 can be suppressed; The level difference between the operation surface portion 41 of the push button 40 and the surface of the touch panel 20 can be reduced.

Further, it is possible to configure the surface of the touch panel 20 and the front surface of the operation surface section 41 to be flush with each other. Therefore, the level difference between the operation surface portion 41 of the push button 40 and the surface of the touch panel 20 can be further reduced.

Further, in a portion of the exterior member 30 provided around the display panel 10 and protruding from the front surface of the exterior member 30 (guiding portion 32) located on the outside in the surface direction of the push button 40, the portion that protrudes The outer side surface in the plane direction is configured to consist only of side surfaces parallel to the moving direction of the push button 40. As a result, when the user operates the push button 40, it is difficult for the user to hook his/her finger on the side surface of the protruding portion of the push button 40 on the outside in the plane direction, and it is difficult for the user to apply force from the outside in the plane direction, thereby preventing the push button 40 from falling off. It has the effect of being difficult to use.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of this embodiment. Similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the push button 40 is located outside the outer periphery of the touch panel 20, and a portion of the push button 40 faces the frame 12 when viewed from the front (front). It is arranged as follows. Further, a part of the operation surface part 41 of the push button 40 extends downward in the plane direction, and a part in the thickness direction is connected to the guide part 32 of the exterior member 30 on the lower side (the side farther from the display panel 10) in the plane direction. They are facing each other. That is, when the push button 40 is viewed from the front, a part of the operation surface part 41 faces a part of the guide part 32 of the exterior member 30 and covers most of it. With this configuration, a part of the operation surface part 41 of the push button 40 is disposed on the outer side of the outer circumferential edge of the touch panel 20 in the plane direction and on the inner side than the outer circumferential edge of the frame part 12 , and a part of the operation surface part 41 is disposed on the outer circumferential edge of the frame part 12 . It has a large area because it is disposed on the outer side in the plane direction (lower side in FIG. 5) than the opening 33 of the exterior member 30 disposed on the outer side. In this embodiment as well, the distance between the button body part 42 on the back surface of the operation surface part 41 and the guide part 32, the thickness in the thickness direction of the guide part 32, and the crocodile part of the button body part 42 are set such that the shaft part 44 can push the switch 60. A thickness of 43 is set.

According to the electronic device including the display panel and push buttons according to the present embodiment, the operation surface portion 41 of the push button 40 extends in the plane direction and is arranged to face the guide portion 32 of the exterior member 30 in the thickness direction. Therefore, the area of the operation surface portion 41 of the push button 40 when the display panel 10 is viewed from the front can be further increased.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified in various ways.

1 Display panel portion 10 Display panel 11 Display surface 12 Frame portion 20 Touch panel 30 Exterior member 40 Push button 41 Operation surface portion 60 Switch

Claims (5)

a display panel having a display surface and a frame surrounding the display surface;
a touch panel provided on the display surface;
a push button movable in the thickness direction of the display panel, the push button having an operation surface portion disposed outside the outer periphery of the touch panel in the surface direction of the display surface;
a switch disposed outside the outer peripheral edge of the frame in the surface direction and switchable by movement of the push button in the thickness direction;
Equipped with
An electronic device, wherein at least a portion of the operation surface portion is arranged to face the frame portion in the thickness direction. At least a part of the portion of the operation surface portion that is arranged to face the frame portion in the thickness direction is located closer to the frame portion than the surface of the touch panel in the thickness direction. The electronic device according to item 1. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the surface of the touch panel and the front surface of the operation surface section are flush with each other. comprising an exterior member provided around the display panel,
The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least a portion of the operation surface portion extends in the surface direction and is arranged to face the exterior member in the thickness direction. . comprising an exterior member provided around the display panel,
In a portion protruding from the front surface of the exterior member located on the outer side of the push button in the plane direction, a side surface of the protruding portion on the outer side in the plane direction is parallel to the movement direction of the push button. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising only a side surface.

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