JP6925373B2 - Operation unit structure and electronic devices equipped with this - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an operation unit structure such as an illuminated push button and an electronic device including the operation unit structure.

The illuminated push button structure is generally used as an operation unit structure included in an electronic device. For example, some illuminated push button structures include a design member and an operating member.
The design member is a member that serves as a push button in an operation panel of an electronic device, and is made of a translucent or semipermeable resin. The back side of the design member is illuminated with light from a light source, and the front side is illuminated with printed or engraved characters or marks.

The operation member is arranged inside the operation panel in a state of being assembled to the design member, and slides in the direction in which the push button, which is the design member, is pushed in to conduct the contact of the switch.
By making the design member a part different from the operation member, it is possible to correspond to various appearances of the operation panel simply by changing the design member, and the degree of freedom of the design is improved.

When the back side of the push button is uniformly irradiated with light, the push button viewed from the front side has uneven brightness, and the design is deteriorated. When the light source is arranged at a position corresponding to the central portion of the push button, the distance from the light source becomes farther toward the end closest to the central portion of the push button. In this case, a luminance loss occurs according to the distance from the light source, and when viewed from the front side, the central portion of the push button is bright and the end portion is dark.

In the conventional push button structure, in order to reduce such brightness unevenness, for example, the amount of light of the light source is increased so that the allowable brightness is obtained at the end of the push button, and the wall thickness at the center of the push button is increased. The brightness loss when the light passes through the button is increased to match the brightness in the center to the edge.
In this configuration, there is a problem that the power consumption and heat generation of the light source also increase in order to increase the amount of light of the light source.

As a structure for uniformly irradiating the back side of the push button with light while solving the above problem, for example, there is an illumination switch described in Patent Document 1. In this switch, the operating member is an optical control plate made of a translucent resin, and a white reflective sheet that reflects light is attached to the lower surface of the optical control plate. The light control plate functions as a light guide that guides the light from the light source and the light reflected by the white reflective sheet into the illumination range. Since the light control plate and the white reflective sheet uniformly irradiate the illumination range on the back side of the push button, there is no need to unnecessarily increase the amount of light from the light source, and the wall thickness at the center of the push button does not need to be increased. May be good.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-16287

However, the illumination switch described in Patent Document 1 requires a white reflective sheet, which is a component separate from the operating member, in order to diffuse the light from the light source toward the illumination range on the back side of the push button. There was a problem that the number of parts increased.
Further, since it is necessary to attach the white reflective sheet to the lower surface of the light control plate, there is a concern that the manufacturing process will increase and the reworkability will deteriorate.
It is conceivable to increase the number of light sources to irradiate the back end of the push button with light, but the number of parts increases, which causes an increase in cost.

The present invention solves the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to obtain an operation unit structure capable of reducing brightness unevenness of illumination of a design member without increasing the number of parts, and an electronic device provided with the operation unit structure.

The operation unit structure according to the present invention includes a design member, an operation member, a light source, and a lens unit.
Design member is the front side is exposed to the outside from the opening portion of the operation panel, that having a translucent or semi-translucent. The translucent operating member is assembled on the back side of the design member and arranged inside the operating panel, and operates in response to an operation on the design member. The light source is provided inside the operation panel. The lens portion is provided integrally with the operating member and is arranged on the optical path from the light source to the back side of the design member. The inner peripheral surface of the operating member is a tapered surface extending from the lens portion toward the design member to the back surface of the design member, and the light reflected by the back surface of the design member and returned is reflected on the back surface of the design member. It is provided so as to reflect to.

According to the present invention, the lens portion provided integrally with the operating member is arranged on the optical path from the light source to the illumination range on the back side of the design member. With this configuration, the light from the light source can be uniformly irradiated to the illumination range by the lens unit without increasing the number of parts. As a result, it is possible to reduce the uneven brightness of the illumination of the design member.

It is a front view which shows the electronic device which provided the operation part structure which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is an exploded perspective view which shows the structure of the operation part which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the operation part which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a lens portion having a concave shape only on the output side. FIG. 4B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a lens portion having a concave shape only on the input side. FIG. 4C is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a lens portion having a plurality of concave shapes on the output side. FIG. 4D is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a lens portion having a convex shape on the input side. It is a perspective view which shows the operation member in the operation part structure which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the operation part which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows another example of the operation part structure which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the operation part structure which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows another example of the operation part structure which concerns on Embodiment 3. FIG.

Hereinafter, in order to explain the present invention in more detail, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an electronic device 1 provided with an operation unit structure 4 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 1 is an in-vehicle device such as a navigation device, and the operation panel 2 includes a display screen 3 and an operation unit structure 4. In the following description, it is assumed that the operation unit structure 4 is a lighting type push button structure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the operation unit structure 4, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation unit structure 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit structure 4 includes a button unit 5, a sliding unit 6, a switch 7, and a light source 8. The button portion 5 is a design member whose front side is exposed to the outside from the opening 2a of the operation panel 2, and is formed of a translucent or semipermeable resin. For example, the button portion 5 is a box-shaped member, and has an opening surface (back surface) facing the front surface of the box-shaped member and an engaging hole 5a on the side surface. The engaging hole 5a is a first engaging portion that engages with the engaging claw 6a. The button portion 5 may be colored, and characters or marks may be printed or engraved on the front surface of the button portion 5.

The sliding portion 6 is a translucent operating member that operates in response to an operation on the button portion 5, is assembled on the back side of the button portion 5, and is arranged inside the operation panel 2. For example, the sliding portion 6 is integrally molded with the lens portion 6b using a translucent resin.
Further, the sliding portion 6 is a box-shaped member, and the front surface of the box-shaped member and the back surface facing the front surface thereof are open, and the sliding portion 6 has an engaging claw 6a on the side surface and a lens portion inside. It has 6b and has a pusher 6c at the end of the lens portion 6b on the light source 8 side. The engaging claw 6a is a second engaging portion that engages with the engaging hole 5a of the button portion 5.
The sliding portion 6 is fitted to the opening of the button portion 5 from the front side, and is assembled to the button portion 5 by hooking and engaging the engaging claw 6a with the engaging hole 5a. The button portion 5 and the sliding portion 6 can be easily separated by releasing the hook engagement between the engaging hole 5a and the engaging claw 6a.
An engaging claw may be provided on the button portion 5 side, and an engaging hole may be provided on the sliding portion 6 side. Further, an engagement assembly other than the hook engagement may be adopted.

The lens portion 6b is provided integrally with the sliding portion 6 and is arranged on the optical path from the light source 8 to the back side of the button portion 5. As described above, the operation unit structure 4 does not add a new component having the function of the lens unit 6b, and the lens unit 6b is a part of the sliding unit 6. Therefore, the number of parts does not increase.
The lens portion 6b shown in FIG. 3 is a bilateral concave lens having a concave shape on the front side facing the button portion 5 and the back side facing the light source 8. Therefore, the light from the light source 8 is diverged toward the back side of the button portion 5 by the lens portion 6b.

The switch 7 is a switch in which the inside of the central axis is hollow in the direction along the switch knob, and is mounted on the substrate 9. For example, in the switch 7, when the switch knob is pushed by the pusher 6c, the contacts are conductive and turned on, and when the push of the switch knob is released, the switch knob returns to the original position and the contacts are cut off. And it goes off. In FIG. 3, the switch 7 is arranged at a position corresponding to the central portion on the back side of the button portion 5.

The light source 8 is a light emitting diode (LED) provided inside the operation panel 2, and is mounted on the substrate 9. In FIG. 3, the light source 8 is arranged in the hollow portion of the switch 7 and irradiates light toward the central portion on the back side of the button portion 5 via the lens portion 6b.
The board 9 is a mounting board for the switch 7 and the light source 8, and is arranged inside the operation panel 2.
Inside the opening 2a of the operation panel 2, the switch 7 and the light source 8 are arranged in a state of being mounted on the substrate 9. The structure in which the sliding portion 6 is assembled on the back side of the button portion 5 is passed through the opening 2a from the sliding portion 6 side and assembled on the operation panel 2. As a result, the operation unit structure 4 shown in FIG. 3 is completed.

The sliding portion 6 slides along the inner wall of the opening 2a of the operation panel 2 in response to the operation of pushing the front side of the button portion 5. When the sliding portion 6 slides and the pusher 6c pushes the switch 7, the switch 7 is turned on.
When illuminating the button portion 5, the light from the light source 8 is irradiated to the back side of the button portion 5 via the lens portion 6b. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 3, the lens portion 6b diverges the light emitted from the light source 8 toward the central portion on the back side of the button portion 5 and guides the light to the back end portion of the button portion 5. Since the light is also guided to the end portion far from the central portion on the back side of the button portion 5, uneven brightness such that the end portion becomes darker than the central portion of the button portion 5 is suppressed.

When the light source 8 is arranged in the hollow portion of the switch 7, the light directed from the light source 8 toward the back center portion of the button portion 5 is mainly output, and a part of the light directed toward the back end portion of the button portion 5 is described above. It is blocked by the inner wall of the hollow part. Even in this case, since the lens portion 6b diverges the input light, the light is uniformly irradiated not only to the back side central portion of the button portion 5 but also to the back side end portion.
Further, since the lens portion 6b is integrally molded with the sliding portion 6, the above effect can be obtained without adding a component different from the sliding portion 6.
Since the button portion 5 and the sliding portion 6 are directly assembled by engaging the engaging hole 5a and the engaging claw 6a, the misalignment between the button portion 5 and the sliding portion 6 is reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent the back side of the button portion 5 from being unevenly irradiated with light due to the misalignment between the button portion 5 and the sliding portion 6.

FIG. 3 shows a lens portion 6b configured by providing a concave shape on each of the button portion 5 side and the light source 8 side, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration.
For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the lens portion 6b-1 having a concave shape only on the output side may be provided on the sliding portion 6, and as shown in FIG. 4B, the lens portion 6b-1 has a concave shape only on the input side. The lens portion 6b-2 may be provided on the sliding portion 6. Since the light from the light source 8 is diverged through the lens portion 6b-1 or the lens portion 6b-2, the back side of the button portion 5 is uniformly irradiated.

As shown in FIG. 4C, the sliding portion 6 may be provided with a lens portion 6b-3 having a plurality of concave shapes. The lens portion 6b-3 shown in FIG. 4C has a two-step recess. Since the light is refracted in the direction in which the light spreads due to the concave shape of the plurality of stages, the light from the light source 8 becomes the light that spreads through the lens portion 6b-3 and the opening size of the hollow portion of the switch 7. As a result, the back side of the button portion 5 is uniformly irradiated with light. The illumination range can be changed by changing from the one-stage lens unit 6b-1 to a multi-stage lens unit.
As shown in FIG. 4D, the sliding portion 6 may be provided with a lens portion 6b-4 having a convex shape on the input side. Since the light from the light source 8 is collected from the plane through the lens unit 6b-4, it is possible to collect the light only in the range to be illuminated.

As described above, in the operation unit structure 4 according to the first embodiment, the front side of the button unit 5 is exposed to the outside from the opening 2a of the operation panel 2. The translucent sliding portion 6 is assembled on the back side of the button portion 5 and arranged inside the operation panel 2, and operates in response to an operation on the button portion 5. The light source 8 is provided inside the operation panel 2. The lens portion 6b is provided integrally with the sliding portion 6 and is arranged on the optical path from the light source 8 to the back side of the button portion 5.
With this configuration, the light from the light source 8 can be uniformly irradiated to the illumination range on the back side of the button portion 5 by the lens portion 6b without increasing the number of parts. This makes it possible to reduce the uneven brightness of the illumination of the button unit 5.

In the operation unit structure 4 according to the first embodiment, the lens units 6b, 6b-1 to 6b-4 have a concave shape or a convex shape provided on at least one side of the button unit 5 and the light source 8.
With this configuration, the light from the light source 8 can be uniformly applied to the illumination range on the back side of the button portion 5.

In the operation portion structure 4 according to the first embodiment, the button portion 5 and the sliding portion 6 are engaged with the engaging hole 5a provided in the button portion 5 and the engaging claw 6a provided in the sliding portion 6. It can be assembled together.
With such a configuration, the button portion 5 and the sliding portion 6 can be easily assembled or removed, and the reworkability can be improved.

Embodiment 2.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a sliding portion 6A in the operating portion structure 4A according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation unit structure 4A. In FIGS. 5 and 6, the same components as those in FIGS. 2 and 3 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
As shown in FIG. 6, the operation unit structure 4A includes a button unit 5, a sliding unit 6A, a switch 7, and a light source 8.

The sliding portion 6A is a translucent operating member that operates in response to an operation on the button portion 5, is assembled on the back side of the button portion 5, and is arranged inside the operating panel 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the inner peripheral surface 6d of the sliding portion 6A is a tapered surface that expands toward the button portion 5. On the tapered surface, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, the light reflected by the back side of the button portion 5 and returned to the light source 8 side can be further reflected and returned to the back side of the button portion 5. As a result, the brightness of the illumination of the button portion 5 is increased as a whole, so that the amount of emitted light of the light source 8 can be made lower than that of the configuration shown in the first embodiment, and the power consumption of the light source 8 can be suppressed. ..

As described above, in the operation portion structure 4A according to the second embodiment, the inner peripheral surface 6d of the sliding portion 6A is a tapered surface that expands toward the button portion 5.
With such a configuration, the amount of emitted light of the light source 8 can be made lower than that of the configuration shown in the first embodiment, and the power consumption of the light source 8 can be suppressed.

So far, the switch 7 having a hollow portion has been shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the operation unit structure 4B shown in FIG. 7, a switch 7A having no hollow portion is adopted. In this case, since the switch 7A is arranged at a position deviated from the optical axis of the light source 8, the pusher 6c-1 is provided at a position deviated from the optical axis of the lens portion 6b in the sliding portion 6B.
Even with this configuration, the same effect as described above can be obtained.
Although FIG. 7 shows a configuration in which the pusher 6c-1 is provided on the sliding portion 6B, the switch 7A is adopted in the configuration shown in the first embodiment, and the pusher 6c-1 is provided on the sliding portion 6. May be provided.

Embodiment 3.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation unit structure 4C according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the same components as those in FIG. 6 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
In addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the operation unit structure 4C includes a light-shielding rib 2b provided inside the opening 2a of the operation panel 2A.

The light-shielding rib 2b is a first light-shielding rib provided inside the operation panel 2A and blocking light toward the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2A and the button portion 5.
Light passing from the light source 8 to the side surface of the sliding portion 6A is blocked by the light-shielding rib 2b as shown by the arrow in FIG. 8 and leaks to the outside through the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2A and the button portion 5. Never. The light-shielding rib 2b may be adopted in the configuration shown in the first embodiment or the configuration shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation unit structure 4D according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 9, the same components as those in FIG. 6 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.
The operation unit structure 4D includes a button portion 5A having a protruding portion 5c instead of the button portion 5 in the configuration shown in FIG. 6, and further includes a light-shielding rib 2c.

The protruding portion 5c projects from the button portion 5A and extends along the side surface 5b. The light-shielding rib 2c is a second light-shielding rib provided inside the operation panel 2B to block light passing between the sliding portion 6A and the protruding portion 5c.
As shown by the arrow in FIG. 9, the light leaking from the side surface of the sliding portion 6A and directed toward the protruding portion 5c is blocked by the light-shielding rib 2c. As a result, light does not leak to the outside through the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2B and the button portion 5A. The protrusion 5c and the light-shielding rib 2c may be used in the configuration shown in the first embodiment or the configuration shown in FIG. 7.

As described above, the operation unit structure 4C according to the third embodiment is provided inside the operation panel 2A and blocks the optical path of light leaking to the outside through the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2A and the button unit 5. A light-shielding rib 2b is provided. By providing this configuration, light leakage from the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2A and the button portion 5 can be suppressed, and the design can be enhanced.

The operating portion structure 4D according to the third embodiment is provided between a protruding portion 5c protruding from the button portion 5A and extending along the side surface 5b and the inside of the operating panel 2B from the sliding portion 6A to the protruding portion 5c. It is provided with a light-shielding rib 2c that blocks light passing through the above.
By having these configurations, light leakage from the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2B and the button portion 5A can be suppressed, and the design can be enhanced.

A sliding portion obtained by molding a lens portion made of a translucent resin and a portion other than the lens portion made of a non-translucent resin in two colors may be adopted. Further, a sliding portion in which a non-translucent masking is applied to a portion other than the lens portion may be adopted.
Even with such a configuration, the light from the light source 8 can be suppressed from leaking from the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2 and the button portion 5, and the design can be enhanced.

In the first to third embodiments, the case where the operation unit structure is an illumination type push button structure is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be a lighting type operation dial in which the dial is illuminated. That is, the present invention can be applied to any operating unit that includes a design member and an operating member and illuminates the design member with light from a light source.

It should be noted that, within the scope of the present invention, it is possible to freely combine each embodiment, modify any component of each embodiment, or omit any component in each embodiment.

The operation unit structure according to the present invention is suitable for, for example, an operation unit of an in-vehicle device because it is possible to reduce the brightness unevenness of the illumination of the design member without increasing the number of parts.

1 Electronic equipment, 2,2A, 2B operation panel, 2a opening, 2b, 2c light-shielding rib, 3 display screen, 4,4A-4D operation part structure, 5,5A button part, 5a engagement hole, 5b side surface, 5c protruding part, 6,6A, 6B sliding part, 6a engaging claw, 6b, 6b-1 to 6b-4 lens part, 6c, 6c-1 pusher, 6d inner peripheral surface, 7,7A switch, 8 light sources , 9 boards.

Claims (9)

A translucent or semipermeable design member whose front side is exposed to the outside from the opening of the operation panel.
A translucent operation member assembled on the back side of the design member, arranged inside the operation panel, and operating in response to an operation on the design member.
A light source provided inside the operation panel and
It is provided with a lens portion that is provided integrally with the operating member and is arranged on an optical path from the light source to the back side of the design member.
The inner peripheral surface of the operating member is a tapered surface extending from the lens portion toward the design member and reaching the back surface of the design member, and the light reflected and returned by the back surface of the design member is emitted. An operation unit structure characterized in that it is provided so as to reflect on the back surface of the design member. The design member is a button portion and
The operation unit structure according to claim 1, wherein the operation member is a member that slides in the pushing direction when the button portion is pushed and pushes a switch provided inside the operation panel. The operation unit structure according to claim 1, wherein the lens unit has a concave shape or a convex shape provided on at least one side of the design member and the light source. The first engaging portion provided on the design member and
A second engaging portion provided on the operating member is provided.
The operating portion structure according to claim 1, wherein the design member and the operating member are assembled by engaging the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion. The operation unit according to claim 1, further comprising a first light-shielding rib provided inside the operation panel and blocking light toward a gap between the opening of the operation panel and the design member. structure. A protrusion extending from the design member and extending along the side surface,
The operation unit structure according to claim 1, further comprising a second light-shielding rib provided inside the operation panel to block light passing between the operation member and the protrusion. The operation member according to claim 1, wherein the lens portion made of a translucent resin and a portion other than the lens portion made of a non-translucent resin are molded in two colors. Operation part structure. The operation unit structure according to claim 1, wherein the operation member is a member in which a portion other than the lens portion is subjected to non-transmissive masking. An electronic device having the operation unit structure according to claim 1.

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