JP5448171B2 - Key input device and electronic device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a key input device and an electronic device, and more particularly, to a key input device in which two functions are assigned to one key and the two functions can be selectively selected, and the key input device is mounted. Related to the electronic equipment.

  A representative example of an interface device between a computer application device and a human is a “keyboard”. For example, as a familiar example, a channel switching button provided on a TV remote control, a numeric keypad of a mobile phone, and the like are also a kind of keyboard.

  On the other hand, the number of multifunctional functions of TVs and mobile phones has been remarkable, and the number of keys on the “keyboard” tends to increase accordingly. However, there is a limit to the case size of the remote control and mobile phones, and it is usually not used very often. There are many key input devices in which one key is duplicated, that is, two functions are assigned to one key because there are no functions.

  FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram of a conventional key input device. This shows the gist of the technique described in Patent Document 1 below, for example. In the figure, a mask sheet 1 made of an opaque thin plate material has an appropriate number of rectangular windows 2 (3 × 3 = 9 for convenience) in the drawing. A printing panel 3 that can slide up and down is also provided.

  Two character groups are printed on the printing panel 3. In the figure, for example, numbers “1” to “9” are printed as the first character group, and alphabets “A” to “I” are printed as the second character group. Here, if the distance between lines of each character group is X, the first line (“1” to “3”), the second line (“4” to “6”), and the third line of the first character group. (“7” to “9”) are arranged at equal intervals with a distance X, and similarly, the first line (“A” to “C”) and the second line (“D” to “D” of the second character group). F ”) and the third row (“ G ”to“ I ”) are also arranged at equal intervals with a distance X.

On the other hand, the vertical interval of the rectangular window 2 is also set to the same value as the above-mentioned inter-line distance X. And, by making the vertical distance of the rectangular window 2 equal to the line spacing of the first and second character groups in this way,
(1) When each character (“1”, “2”, “3”,...) Of the first character group is visible from each of the rectangular windows 2, each character of the second character group (“ A ”,“ B ”,“ C ”...) Are hidden behind the mask sheet 1 and cannot be seen (the state shown in FIG. 12A).
(2) On the contrary, when each character (“A”, “B”, “C”...) Of the second character group is visible from each of the rectangular windows 2, the first character group Each character (“1”, “2”, “3”...) Is hidden behind the mask sheet 1 and cannot be seen (the state shown in FIG. 12B).
In short, it is possible to realize the overlapping use of one key (for example, one key is selectively used by the “1” key and the “A” key).

JP 2009-71853 A

  The disadvantage of the above prior art (shown in FIG. 12) is that a useless space is created between the keys. That is, in FIG. 12, a total of nine rectangular windows 2 arranged in a matrix in three horizontal directions and three vertical directions respectively function as keys in combination with a key top (not shown). The vertical distance is separated by a distance X, which is an essential requirement for hiding unnecessary key notation (either the first or second character group). A wasteful space corresponding to the distance (X) is inevitably generated between the keys, and as a result, there is a fundamental problem that miniaturization of the keyboard is hindered. This problem means that an electronic device on which the keyboard is mounted, for example, a remote controller or a mobile phone cannot be reduced, and is a technical problem that must be solved by all means because it is contrary to today's social demands.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a key input device that contributes to miniaturization of a keyboard by eliminating a useless space generated between the keys, and an electronic device equipped with the key input device.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key input device in which a character plate is arranged under a key top so that the key notation on the character plate can be transparently seen from the key top. And the lower letter plate, the two letter plates are slidably combined with each other in the plane direction, and only the key notation of the upper letter plate is accompanied by the slide from the key top. A key characterized in that a first key display state that can be seen through and a second key display state in which only the key notation portion of the lower character plate can be seen through from the key top can be selected alternatively. It is an input device.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the first key display state is a state in which the key notation portion of the lower layer character plate is hidden behind the key notation portion of the upper layer character plate, and the second key display state 2. The key input device according to claim 1, wherein the state is a state in which a key notation portion of the upper character plate is hidden behind a key notation portion of the lower character plate.
The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that when in the first key display state, the key notation portion of the lower character plate and the key notation portion of the upper character plate overlap each other by a predetermined amount. A key input device according to claim 2.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the upper character plate or the lower character plate or the upper and lower character plates are composed of parts for each key notation portion, and the key notation portion of each part is lengthened by the predetermined amount. The key input device according to claim 3.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the upper character plate or the lower character plate or the upper and lower character plates are a combination of two plates, and the key notation portion formed on each plate is the predetermined amount. The key input device according to claim 3, wherein the key input device is long.
In the invention according to claim 6, the upper character plate or the lower character plate or the upper and lower character plates are formed by bending one plate, and a key notation portion formed on the plate The key input device according to claim 3, wherein the key input device is lengthened by the predetermined amount and bent except for the key notation.
A seventh aspect of the present invention is an electronic apparatus comprising the key input device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the wasteful space which arises between each key can be eliminated, and the key input device which contributes to size reduction of a keyboard, and the electronic device carrying the key input device can be provided.

It is an external view of a mobile phone. It is a figure which shows the redundant use of the key in this embodiment. 3 is a diagram illustrating an internal structure of an operation unit 13. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a character plate assembly 21. FIG. 3 is a side view of a character plate assembly 21. FIG. It is a figure which shows the improvement of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of an improvement which took the countermeasure against "galling". It is a figure which shows the 1st example of manufacture of the character plate which took the countermeasure against "galling". It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of manufacture of the character plate which took the countermeasure against "galling". It is a figure which shows the 3rd example of manufacture of the character plate which took the countermeasure against "galling". It is a figure which shows the 4th example of manufacture of the character plate which took the countermeasure against "galling". It is a conceptual diagram of the conventional key input device.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, taking application to a mobile phone as an example.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of a mobile phone. The mobile phone 10 shown in the figure is configured such that an upper lid 12 having a display unit 11 such as a liquid crystal panel and a main body unit 14 having an operation unit 13 composed of a plurality of keys are connected by a hinge mechanism 15 so as to be opened and closed ( This is a so-called folding mobile phone), but this is only an example.

  When using the cellular phone 10, as shown in the front view (a) and side view (b) of the figure, the top cover 12 is opened and a desired key of the operation unit 13 is selected, for example, telephone call or An operation such as an incoming call is performed, but each key of the operation unit 13 in this embodiment is a key that can be used for “duplicate use” described at the beginning, that is, two functions are assigned to one key and the two functions are assigned. It is a mechanism that can be selected alternatively, and the details of the mechanism will be described below. In the figure, the key layout of the operation unit 13 is 3 × vertical, but this is only an example.

  First, a small knob 16 for switching the key display is provided on the side surface of the main body 14 (not particularly limited in the figure, but near the lower portion of the right side surface). The knob 16 protrudes slightly from a rectangular hole 17 formed in the main body 14, and can be manually slid along the longitudinal direction of the rectangular hole 17. The longitudinal direction of the rectangular hole 17 is in the vertical direction toward the drawing of the side surface of the main body 14, and therefore the knob 16 can be manually slid in the vertical direction toward the drawing.

  2A and 2B are diagrams showing overlapping use of keys in the present embodiment, in which FIG. 2A shows a first key display state and FIG. 2B shows a second key display state. These two key display states can be alternatively selected by a slide operation of the knob 16. Specifically, as shown in (a), when the knob 16 is positioned on the lower side of the drawing, the first key display state is established, and as shown in (b), the knob 16 is positioned on the upper side of the drawing. When it is, the second key display state is set.

  For convenience of explanation, the display of each key of the operation unit 13 in the first key display state is set to “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”,. When the display of each key on the operation unit 13 is “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”,..., When the knob 16 is positioned on the lower side of the drawing, Each key functions as a numeric input key of “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”... When the knob 16 is located on the upper side of the drawing, each key of the operation unit 13 is Functions as alphabet input keys for “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the internal structure of the operation unit 13 and corresponds to a cross section taken along the line XX in FIG. 1. In this figure, the operation unit 13 is a transparent or semi-transparent material with its head slightly protruding from n holes (n = 3 × 3 as an example in the present embodiment) formed on the upper surface of the main body 14. A key plate 20 having n key tops 19, a character plate assembly 21 provided on the lower surface of the key plate 20, and an elastic sheet 22 provided on the lower surface of the character plate assembly 21. When an arbitrary key top 19 of the key plate 20 is pushed down with a fingertip or the like, the pushing force is transmitted from the key plate 20 to the character plate assembly 21 and the elastic sheet 22. The corresponding switch 25 of the electronic board 24 is pushed and turned on / off by the protrusion 23 formed in the lower part.

  The character plate assembly 21 is composed of two opaque and flexible plates. Hereinafter, an upper layer character plate 26 (hatched figure) is located on the upper side of the drawing, and a lower character plate 27 (black filled figure) is located on the lower side. The details of these two plates (upper character plate 26 and lower character plate 27) will be described later. First, if the characteristic items are expressed simply, the upper character plate 26 and the lower character plate 27 are mutually connected. Secondly, only the key notation portion (portion slightly slanted in the drawing) of the upper letter plate 26 can be seen through the key top 19 as the slide is combined. The “first key display state” (corresponding to FIG. 2A) and the “second key display state” (FIG. 2) in which only the key notation portion (same as above) of the lower layer character plate 27 can be seen through the key top 19. (Equivalent to (b)) can be selected alternatively.

  Here, the state of FIG. 3 indicates a “second key display state”. In this state, the key notation portion of the upper character plate 26 is under the key notation portion of the lower character plate 27. In this state, only the key notation portion of the lower character plate 27 can be seen through the key top 19 (upper layer This is because the key notation portion of the character plate 26 is not visible).

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of the character plate assembly 21. In this figure, (a) shows the upper character plate 26, (b) shows the lower character plate 27, (c) shows the first key display state, and (d) shows the second key display state. Show.

  First, as shown in (a), the upper character plate 26 is a thin plate made of an opaque flexible material with arbitrary key display information (here, numbers “1” to “9” are only examples). No) is printed or affixed with a sticker, etc., and the slit 28 continuous along the lower part of the character line and the both side edge parts is formed by punching or the like. In the illustrated example, nine key display information (“1” to “9”) is made into one set of three, and each set is arranged in one line to form a key layout of a total of three lines. This is an example. Not too much. All of the nine key display information may be arranged in one line, or may be in two lines, or in multiple lines of three or more lines. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, a three-row key layout will be described.

  Next, as shown in (b), the lower-layer character plate 27 is also an arbitrary key display information (here, alphabets “A” to “I”) on a thin plate made of an opaque flexible material. However, there is a structural feature in that a slit 29 is formed by punching or the like that is continuous along the upper part of the character line and the both side edge parts of the line. .

  Here, both the slit 28 of the upper character plate 26 and the slit 29 of the lower character plate 27 have a shape similar to the letter “U” of Katakana, but the slit 28 of the upper character plate 26 extends in the row direction. The difference is that the slit 29 of the lower-level character plate 27 has a shape extending downward in the drawing at both ends thereof, whereas the shape is continuous straight and extending at the both ends thereof in the drawing upward. In other words, the slit 28 of the upper letter plate 26 is formed by rotating the “U” character of Katakana 90 degrees clockwise, while the slit 29 of the lower letter plate 27 is the “K” of Katakana. The difference is that the character is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise.

  The length of the straight portion of the slit 28 of the upper character plate 26 and the length of the straight portion of the slit 29 of the lower character plate 27 are substantially the same, and as shown in (c) and (d). The key notation portions (“A” to “I” notation portions) of the lower layer character plate 27 can be inserted and protruded into the slits 28 of the upper layer character plate 26.

  That is, in (c), the key notation portion of the lower character plate 27 is protruded “slightly” from the slit 28 of the upper character plate 26, but in this minute protrusion state, the key notation portion of the upper character plate 26 ( The notation parts “1” to “9”) are visible, whereas the key notation parts (the notation parts “A” to “I”) of the lower letter plate 27 are hidden under the upper letter plate 26. Since it is not visible, the “first key display state”, that is, the key display state in which only the key notation portion of the upper character plate 26 can be seen through the key top 19 is obtained.

  On the other hand, in (d), since the key notation portion of the lower layer character plate 27 is projected from the slit 28 of the upper layer character plate 26, the key notation portion of the upper layer character plate 26 is in this maximum projecting state. Since it is hidden behind the key notation part of the lower layer character plate 27 and cannot be seen instead, the key notation part (notation part of “A” to “I”) of the lower layer character plate 27 becomes visible. “Second key display state”, that is, a key display state in which only the key notation portion of the lower layer character plate 27 can be seen through the key top 19.

  These alternative selections of “first key display state” and “second key display state” can be performed by moving relative plane positions of the upper character plate 26 and the lower character plate 27. For example, if the position of the upper layer character plate 26 is fixed and the plane position of the lower layer character plate 27 is moved upward in the drawing, the state (d) (second key display state) is obtained. If the planar position of the lower layer character plate 27 is moved downward in the drawing, the state (c) (first key display state) is obtained.

  Various mechanisms for such “position movement operation” are conceivable. For example, the planar position of the lower character plate 27 may be moved in accordance with the movement of the knob 16 in FIG. Other mechanisms (for example, interlocking with opening and closing of the upper lid 12) may be employed. In short, it is only necessary that the operation of moving the relative plane position of the upper character plate 26 and the lower character plate 27 can be performed.

  5A and 5B are side views of the character plate assembly 21, wherein FIG. 5A shows a first key display state and FIG. 5B shows a second key display state. In this figure, in the first key display state of (a), the plane position of the lower layer character plate 27 is shifted to the right of the drawing with respect to the plane position of the upper layer character plate 26. Most of the key notation portion of the plate 26 (portion slightly slanted in the drawing) is exposed. Eventually, the upper layer characters pass through the key top 19 (see FIG. 3) located above the drawing. Only the key notation of the plate 26 is visible.

  On the other hand, in the second key display state of (b), the plane position of the upper layer character plate 26 and the plane position of the lower layer character plate 27 are substantially the same. The portion (the portion slightly inclined on the drawing) is hidden under the key notation portion (the portion slightly inclined on the drawing) of the lower layer character plate 27, and the key located above the drawing after all. Through the top 19 (see FIG. 3), only the key notation portion of the lower layer character plate 27 can be seen.

  As described above in detail, in the present embodiment, first, the upper character plate 26 and the lower character plate 27 are slidably combined with each other in the plane direction, and secondly, with the slide, A “first key display state” (corresponding to FIG. 2 (a)) in which only the key notation portion (portion slightly inclined in the drawing) of the upper layer character plate 26 can be seen through the key top 19, and lower layer characters It is possible to selectively select “second key display state” (corresponding to FIG. 2 (b)) where only the key notation portion (same) of the plate 27 can be seen through the key top 19. Therefore, the following specific effects can be obtained.

  Compared with the prior art, the distance between the rows of the key display can be reduced. The key display in this embodiment is “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”... On the upper character plate 26 and “A”, “B”, “C” on the lower character plate 27. , “D”..., And these two types of key displays can be alternatively selected and displayed. Here, when “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”... Of the upper character plate 26 is selected, the key notation portion (“A”, “B”) of the lower character plate 27 is selected. , “C”, “D”,...) Are hidden behind the key notation portion (“1”, “2”, “3”, “4”,...) Of the upper letter plate 26. Similarly, when “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”... Of the lower layer character plate 27 is selected, the key notation portion ( “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”,...) Are key notation portions (“A”, “B”, “C”, “D”,. ) It is hidden behind the screen.

  That is, since the upper character plate 26 and the lower character plate 27 have a mechanism of “hidden the other key notation part behind one key notation part”, a special area for concealing the key notation as in the prior art. (Refer to reference sign X in FIG. 12) is not required. Therefore, it is possible to produce a unique effect that the distance between the lines of the key display can be reduced accordingly. This effect makes it possible to eliminate an obstacle to miniaturization of the keyboard, and in the end, it is possible to reduce the size of electronic devices that implement the keyboard, such as a remote controller or a mobile phone, to the limit. It is possible to provide useful technology that can meet the demand.

  Although the mechanism of the present embodiment has been described in detail above, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to this, and it is natural that various modifications and development examples are included within the scope of the idea. For example, you may improve as follows.

  6A and 6B are diagrams showing improvements of the embodiment. FIG. 6A is an enlarged view of a main part of the above embodiment, and FIG. First, as shown in (a), in the above embodiment, the length of the key notation of the upper character plate 26 (the portion slightly inclined in the drawing) in the horizontal direction of the drawing and the slit 28 of the plate 26 are shown. Similarly, the length of the key notation portion of the lower layer character plate 27 (the portion slightly inclined in the drawing) in the horizontal direction of the drawing and the length of the slit 29 of the plate 27 are also substantially the same. It is the same. For this reason, as shown in (b), depending on the relative positional relationship between the upper character plate 26 and the lower character plate 27, an unintentional “galling” occurs between the key notation portions of both plates 26 and 27. There is a possibility.

  Here, “galling” means that the tips of the key notation portions of both plates 26 and 27 collide with each other. When such “galling” occurs, switching from the first key display state (see FIG. 5A) to the second key display state (see FIG. 5B) becomes impossible. .

  Alternatively, it is also conceivable that the key notation portion of the lower-layer character plate 27 is not squeezed but below the key notation portion of the upper-layer character plate 26. In such a case as well, it is impossible to switch from the first key display state (see FIG. 5A) to the second key display state (see FIG. 5B). Involuntary “mogging phenomenon” will be included in “Kajiri”.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an improved example in which measures against “galling” are taken. The point of this improved example is that, as shown in (a), the length of the key notation portion (portion slightly inclined in the drawing) of the upper layer character plate 26 in the left-right direction of the drawing is changed to the slit 28 of the plate 26. Similarly, the length of the key notation of the lower character plate 27 (portion slightly slanted in the drawing) in the horizontal direction of the drawing is similarly set to the slit of the plate 27. The length is slightly longer than the length of 29. Hereinafter, a slight amount thereof is assumed to be Y for convenience.

  In this way, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the horizontal position of the upper character plate 26 is fixed and the horizontal position of the lower character plate 27 is shifted to the right of the drawing, Since there is a margin corresponding to the above-mentioned amount Y in the overlap portion between the key notation portion and the key notation portion of the lower layer character plate 27, the lower layer character is placed below the key notation portion of the upper layer character plate 26 as well as “galling”. There is no risk that the key notation of the plate 27 will be lost. For this reason, the inconvenience of FIG. 6, ie, the problem that it is impossible to switch from the first key display state (see FIG. 5 (a)) to the second key display state (see FIG. 5 (b)). It is possible to eliminate the problem and improve the switching reliability of the key display.

  Here, the above-described anti-galling measure is that “the length of the key notation of the upper character plate 26 (the portion slightly inclined in the drawing) in the horizontal direction of the drawing is slightly larger than the length of the slit 28 of the plate 26. Along with the length (Y), the length of the key notation of the lower character plate 27 (the portion slightly inclined on the drawing) in the horizontal direction of the drawing is slightly larger than the length of the slit 29 of the plate 27. The upper and lower character plates 26 and 27 of the embodiment are simply made into one flexible material as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). Since the slits 28 and 29 are inserted and the part surrounded by the slits 28 and 29 is used as a key notation part, it is not suitable for the above countermeasure as it is, so the following “countering” countermeasure is taken. To present some of the preferred production example of the character plates.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a first production example of a character plate with a countermeasure against “galling”. In the first production example, first, as many character plate parts 30 as shown in FIG. This character plate part 30 has a key notation 30a in which an arbitrary one-line key notation (“1”, “2”, “3” in the figure) is printed in the middle of a horizontally long rectangular opaque flexible material. And an overlap portion 30b formed by extending the lower portion of the key notation 30a in the drawing by a slight amount (for example, Y described above) and both ends of the key notation 30a. A slit portion 30c and a bonding portion 30d formed outside the slit portion 30c.

  When the character plate parts 30 having such a shape are prepared for the number of lines indicated by the key, next, as shown in (b), the pasting portions 30d of the character plate parts 30 in each row are overlapped, and each pasting portion 30d. Are bonded with an adhesive tape 31 or the like to produce an upper character plate 26 with a countermeasure against "galling". Although illustration is omitted, it is desirable to manufacture the lower character plate 27 in the same procedure.

  According to this first manufacturing example, the length (b) of the key notation portion of the upper character plate 26 is made slightly longer (Y) than the length (b) of the slit 28 of the plate 26. Similarly, although not shown, since the length of the key notation portion of the lower layer character plate 27 can be slightly longer than the length of the slit 29 of the plate 27 by the amount (Y), The upper and lower character plates 26 and 27 with “galling” countermeasures can be used.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a second production example of a character plate in which a countermeasure against “galling” is taken, and the upper character plate 26 in this second production example is shown in two plates, ie, (a). The first upper character plate 261 and the second upper character plate 262 shown in (b) are combined and configured as shown in (c).

  As shown in (a), the first upper layer character plate 261 has one or more lines (two lines in the figure) of key notation portions 32 and 33 formed by printing or the like on an opaque flexible material, A 90-degree clockwise U-shaped slit 34 formed around the key notation portion 32 in the first row and a 90-degree right-rotation U-shape formed around the key notation portion 33 in the second row. The second upper character plate 262 has one or more lines (2 in the figure) formed by printing or the like on an opaque flexible material as shown in FIG. (Line) key notation portions 36 and 37, 90-degree clockwise U-shaped slits 38 formed around the first row key notation portion 36, and both sides of the second row key notation portion 37. Two slits 39, 40 formed on the top of the plate And a shaped slit 41 of the 90-degree clockwise rotation graphics that.

The upper character plate 26 in the second manufacturing example is configured by combining the first upper character plate 261 and the second upper character plate 262 according to the following procedure.
<Procedure 1>
A second upper character plate 262 is placed along the lower surface of the first upper character plate 261.
<Procedure 2>
The key notation portion 32 in the first line of the first upper layer character plate 261 is inserted into the first slit 41 from above the second upper layer character plate 262.
The key notation 33 on the second line of the first upper character plate 261 is inserted into the second slit 38 from above the second upper character plate 262.

  Although illustration is omitted, it is desirable to manufacture the lower character plate 27 with the same configuration and combination.

  The upper character plate 26 combined in such a procedure is, as shown in (c), from the top to the bottom of the drawing, the key notation portion 32, the second key notation portion 32 of the first upper character plate 261, the second The key notation 36 on the first line of the upper character plate 262, the key notation 33 on the second line of the first upper character plate 261, and the key notation 37 on the second line of the second upper character plate 262 are arranged in this order. In other words, a key arrangement similar to that of the upper character plate 26 (see FIG. 3A) in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, each key notation 32, 36, 33, 37 arranged in such a manner has a lower end portion that overlaps alternately (see C, D, E in the figure). Similar to the manufacturing example, the upper and lower character plates 26 and 27 having the above-mentioned “galling” countermeasure can be used.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a third production example of a character plate with a countermeasure against “galling”. Similarly to the second production example, two upper character plates 26 in this third production example are also shown. In other words, the first upper character plate 263 shown in (a) and the second upper character plate 264 shown in (b) are combined and configured as shown in (c).

  As shown in (a), the first upper layer character plate 263 includes one or a plurality of lines (two lines in the figure) of key notations 42 and 43 formed on an opaque flexible material by printing or the like, Slits 44 and 45 formed at both ends of the key notation portion 42 in the first row, slits 46 and 47 formed at both ends of the key notation portion 43 in the second row, and key notation portion 42 in the first row. Are formed in the lower rectangular shape, and are formed below the key notation portion 43 in the second row and slits 46, 47 at both ends thereof. And a horizontally elongated rectangular opening 49.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the second upper layer character plate 264 has one or more lines (two lines in the figure) of the key notation portions 50 and 51 formed by printing or the like on an opaque flexible material. And four slits 52 to 55. Each of the four slits 52 to 55 is similar to a shape in which the “U” of Katakana is rotated 90 degrees in the clockwise direction, and the first and third slits 52 and 54 from the top of the drawing. The length (f) in the vertical direction of the drawing is slightly shorter than the length (g) in the same direction of the key notation portions 42 and 43 of the first upper character plate 263. The same length (h) of the second and fourth slits 53, 55 is equal to the same length (g) of the key notation portions 42, 43 of the first upper character plate 263. Here, a slight amount is assumed to be Y as described above.

The upper character plate 26 in the third production example is configured by combining the first upper character plate 263 and the second upper character plate 264 in accordance with the following procedure.
<Procedure 1>
A second upper character plate 264 is placed along the lower surface of the first upper character plate 263.
<Procedure 2>
The key notation portion 42 in the first line of the first upper layer character plate 263 is inserted into the first slit 52 from above the second upper layer character plate 264.
The key notation portion 43 on the second line of the first upper character plate 263 is inserted into the third slit 54 from above the second upper character plate 264.

  Although illustration is omitted, it is desirable to manufacture the lower character plate 27 with the same configuration and combination.

  The upper character plate 26 combined in such a procedure is, as shown in (c), from the top to the bottom of the drawing, the key notation portion 42, the second line of the first upper character plate 263, the second The key notation 50 on the first line of the upper character plate 264, the key notation 43 on the second line of the first upper character plate 263, and the key notation 51 on the second line of the second upper character plate 264 are arranged in this order. In other words, a key arrangement similar to that of the upper character plate 26 (see FIG. 3A) in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, each key notation 42, 50, 43, 51 arranged in such a manner has a lower end portion that overlaps by a predetermined amount (Y). Similar to the example, the upper and lower character plates 26 and 27 having the above-mentioned “galling” countermeasure can be used.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a fourth production example of a character plate with a countermeasure against “galling”. In this fourth production example, first, as shown in (a), one line or a plurality of lines (three lines in the figure) of key notation parts 56 to 58 formed by printing or the like on an opaque flexible material, Three slits 59 to 61 formed along the key notation portions 56 to 58 are formed, and a pair of fold lines 62 and 63 are provided for each of the key notation portions 56 to 58.

  Next, as shown in (b), the flexible material is bent and deformed along the folding lines 62 and 63, and then the folded portion (the portion surrounded by the broken line circle) is bonded to produce the upper character plate 26. It is desirable that the lower character plate 27 is manufactured in the same manner.

  Here, the important point is that the key notation portions 56 to 58 are not deformed during the above bending deformation. That is, the bending deformation performed along the fold lines 62 and 63 is only on both side portions (chi and li) of the plate excluding the key notation portions 56 to 58, and any deformation processing is performed on the key notation portions 56 to 58. The point is not to be done.

  As a result, the lower end portion of the key notation portion 56 of the first line after bending deformation sinks behind the key notation portion 57 of the second row, and similarly, the lower end portion of the key notation portion 57 of the second row is the third row. And the lower end of the key notation 58 in the third row will get behind the remaining portion (nu) of the flexible material. The amount of the intrusion is indicated by the arrow line in the figure. Since it becomes a considerable amount as shown in (l), the upper and lower character plates 26 and 27 having the above-mentioned countermeasure against "galling" can be obtained as in the first to third manufacturing examples. .

  In the above description, a remote controller such as a television or a mobile phone is used as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any electronic device equipped with a key input device that assigns two functions to one key (ie, PDA, notebook computer, wearable personal computer, calculator, electronic dictionary, game console, etc.) Needless to say, it can be applied to (...). Needless to say, the electronic device is not limited to a portable type, and may be a stationary type. Furthermore, in the above description, “miniaturization” is used as a keyword. However, overlapping use of a single key is not only used for “miniaturization”, but may be used, for example, to prevent erroneous operation (for example, For example, a necessary key is displayed only in a specific operation mode), the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to the field intended for “miniaturization”.

10 Mobile phone (electronic equipment)
19 Key top 21 Character plate assembly (character plate)
26 Upper Character Plate 27 Lower Character Plate 30 Character Plate Parts (Parts)

Claims (7)

In a key input device configured such that a character plate is arranged under the key top and the key notation on the character plate can be seen through from the key top,
The character plate is composed of two upper and lower character plates;
Combining these two letter plates so that they can slide in the plane direction,
In addition, along with the slide, a first key display state in which only the key notation portion of the upper layer character plate can be seen through from the key top, and a second key display state in which only the key notation portion of the lower layer character plate can be seen through from the key top. The key input device is characterized in that the key display state can be selected alternatively. The first key display state is a state in which the key notation portion of the lower layer character plate is hidden behind the key notation portion of the upper layer character plate,
2. The key input device according to claim 1, wherein the second key display state is a state in which a key notation portion of the upper character plate is hidden behind a key notation portion of the lower character plate.   3. The key input according to claim 2, wherein the key notation portion of the lower character plate and the key notation portion of the upper character plate overlap each other by a predetermined amount when in the first key display state. apparatus.   The upper layer character plate or the lower layer character plate or the upper and lower layer character plates are composed of parts for each key notation portion, and the key notation portion of each part is lengthened by the predetermined amount. The key input device described.   The upper character plate or the lower character plate or the upper and lower character plates are a combination of two plates, and the key notation formed on each plate is lengthened by the predetermined amount. Item 4. The key input device according to Item 3.   The upper character plate or the lower character plate or the upper and lower character plates are formed by bending one plate, and the key notation portion formed on the plate is lengthened by the predetermined amount. 4. The key input device according to claim 3, wherein parts other than the key notation are bent.   An electronic apparatus comprising the key input device according to claim 1.

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