JP7241936B1 - Protective elements for operating devices and operating devices - Google Patents

Abstract

A protective member for an operating device and an operating device are provided. A protective member (110, 120) for an operating device (40) is provided. The protective member includes a spacer 110 attached to the operation surface 40a of the operation device 40. The spacer 110 has at least one operation switch at a location corresponding to one or more operation switches 42 to 47 arranged on the operation surface 40a. It has at least one opening 110a with a range of sizes of switches 42-47. The protective member further includes a protective film 120 attached to spacer 110 . [Selection drawing] Fig. 3

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a protective member and an operating device for an operating device, and more particularly to a protective member for an operating device such as a remote controller of an air conditioner and an operating device to which the protective member is attached.

In recent years, operating devices such as remote controllers for air conditioners are required to be provided with antiviral and antibacterial properties at portions touched by users during operation. Antiviral and antibacterial properties are required not only for new products but also for products already on the market and existing operating devices. For example, attaching antiviral and antibacterial protective films to smartphones and touch panels is also being done.

Since the smartphone or the touch panel described above has a flat operation surface, the protective film can be easily attached. However, in general operating devices such as remote controllers for air conditioners, there are cases where the operating surface has unevenness due to physical switches, buttons, or design members. is attached, there is a possibility that it will lead to loss of operation functions and deterioration of operability. In addition, air bubbles may be generated around the irregularities on the operation surface, which may cause peeling or deteriorate the design. In addition, if the film is stretched over the operation button on the convex portion, the film may be pulled and the wrong button may be pressed, which may cause a shift to a state not intended by the user.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-205690 (Patent Document 1) is known in relation to imparting antibacterial properties to remote controllers for air conditioners. Patent Document 1 aims to provide an air conditioner remote controller whose surface can be kept clean even when it is used by placing it at hand or by installing it on a wall surface using a wall attachment part. Disclose the technology. In the air conditioner remote controller disclosed in Patent Document 1, the corners or bends of the housing or door resin are antibacterially treated, and for the antibacterial treatment, a thiosulfato silver complex is used as an antibacterial component and supported on silica gel. Disclosed is a configuration using an antibacterial agent obtained by coating at least part of the surface with a hydrolyzate of a reactive organosilicon compound. However, Patent Literature 1 does not disclose a technique for retrofitting products already on the market or existing operating devices with antibacterial properties.

JP-A-9-205690

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points, and provides an operation device that can have unevenness while preventing the deterioration of the operation function and operability, and preventing the peeling of the member and the deterioration of the design due to the generation of air bubbles. It is an object of the present invention to provide a protective member for an operating device that can be protected without causing damage, and an operating device to which the protective member is attached.

In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides a protective member for operating devices having the following features. The protective member for the operating device is a spacer attached to the operating surface of the operating device, and has at least one operating switch in a size range corresponding to one or more operating switches arranged on the operating surface. a spacer having at least one opening with a . The protective member for the operating device further includes a protective film attached to the spacer.

The present disclosure further provides a handling device provided with a protective member having the following features. The operation device includes one or more operation switches arranged on the operation surface, and a spacer attached to the operation surface of the operation device, and at least one spacer is attached to a portion corresponding to the one or more operation switches arranged on the operation surface. A spacer having at least one opening having the size range of the operation switch as described above and a protective film attached to the spacer are included.

In addition, the problems disclosed by the present application and their solutions will be clarified by the description of the detailed description and the drawings.

With the above configuration, it is possible to protect the operation device, which may have unevenness, while preventing deterioration of the operation function and operability, and without peeling of the member or deterioration of design due to air bubbles generation. .

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an air conditioner 1 including a remote controller 40 to which a protective member according to this embodiment is attached. 2A and 2B are a front view and a cross-sectional view of a remote controller 40 to which the protective member according to the present embodiment is attached. 3A and 3B are a front view and a cross-sectional view of the remote controller 40 to which the protective member according to this embodiment is attached. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view for explaining the details of the structure of the protective member attached to the operation surface 40a of the remote controller 40 according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating how to attach the protective member to the remote controller 40 according to this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating how the remote controller 40 to which the protective member according to the present embodiment is attached is used.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the specific embodiments described below. In the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts. In addition, in the drawings, the size and position of each component and layer are not necessarily drawn to scale, and for convenience of explanation, some components or layers are shown enlarged or reduced as appropriate. Please note that

Also, in the described embodiment, the remote controller 40 of the air conditioner 1 is taken as an example of an operating device to which the protective member is attached. However, the target operating device is not particularly limited, and may be a remote controller for an electronic device other than an air conditioner, or may be an operating device other than a remote controller.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an air conditioner 1 including a remote controller 40 to which a protective member according to this embodiment is attached. The air conditioner 1 is a device that performs air conditioning by circulating a refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle (heat pump cycle). As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 includes an indoor unit 10 installed indoors (a space to be air-conditioned), an outdoor unit 30 installed outdoors, and a remote controller 40 operated by a user. .

The indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 30 are connected to the remote controller 40 via a transmission line, and predetermined signals are transmitted and received between the remote controller 40 and the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 20 by wired communication. For example, the remote controller 40 responds to a user's operation to transmit signals such as an operation command, a stop command, a set temperature change command, an operating state change command, a timer setting command, etc. to the indoor unit 10 or the outdoor unit 30. . It should be noted that the communication is performed by wire communication, but the communication may be performed by wireless communication such as infrared communication. Although omitted in FIG. 1, the indoor unit 10 and the outdoor unit 30 are connected via a refrigerant pipe and also via a communication line.

Since the remote controller 40 of the air conditioner 1 as shown in FIG. 1 is operated by a large number of people, it is necessary to impart antibacterial properties and antiviral properties to the parts that are touched by people in relation to measures against infectious diseases. Desired. In addition, it is common practice to clean parts that are touched by people with alcohol, and there is a demand for ease of cleaning. In particular, it is desirable to be able to add antiviral and antibacterial properties to existing operating devices as well.

A smartphone, a touch panel, or the like has a flat operation surface, so that a protective film can be easily attached. However, in many cases, an operation device such as the remote controller 40 of the air conditioner 1 has an uneven operation surface due to physical switches, buttons, design members, and the like. Attaching a protective film to such an uneven operation surface may lead to loss of operation functions and deterioration of operability. In addition, air bubbles may be generated around the irregularities on the operation surface, which may cause peeling or deteriorate the design. In addition, unevenness interferes with cleaning such as alcohol sterilization, and dirt may accumulate in the corners. In addition, if the film is attached to the operation button on the projecting portion, it is pulled by the film when the operation button is pressed, and the wrong button is also pressed. can occur.

Therefore, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, a spacer is inserted between the operation surface of the remote controller 40 and the protective film when attaching the protective film to the operation surface of the remote controller 40 as an operating device. This spacer is placed at a location corresponding to one or more operation switches (which may include a convex switch and a concave switch) arranged on the operation surface of the remote controller 40, and has at least a size range of the one or more operation switches. is configured to have at least one opening having a The protective film preferably has antibacterial and antiviral properties.

The spacer preferably has a thickness equal to or greater than the maximum height of the protrusions of the one or more operation switches of the remote controller 40 . The maximum height of the convex portion is the amount of protrusion of the one or more operation switches arranged on the operation surface that protrudes the most from the operation surface, which is the outer surface on which the one or more operation switches are arranged. . Equivalent to the peak maximum height may include having a difference in the range of -20% to +10% of the peak maximum height.

Hereinafter, the remote controller protective member according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. First, referring to FIG. 2, the remote controller 40 as an operating device to which the protective member according to the present embodiment is attached will be described in more detail.

2A shows a front view of the remote controller 40, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the remote controller 40 taken along the broken line A in the front view shown in FIG. 2A. The cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 2B mainly shows the user interface (switches, liquid crystal screen) arranged on the operation surface, and the internal structure including the electronic components inside the housing of the remote controller 40 is shown. Note that it has been omitted.

The remote controller 40 shown in FIG. 2 has an operation surface 40a on which various user interfaces are arranged. The operation surface 40a includes a liquid crystal display 41, a first concave switch 42, a second concave switch 43, a third concave switch 44, a first convex switch 45, and a second convex switch 46. and a third convex switch 47 are arranged. The first concave switch 42, the second concave switch 43, the third concave switch 44, the first convex switch 45, the second convex switch 46 and the third convex switch 47 are respectively , in one embodiment, they are a run/stop button, an enter button, a cross key button that can indicate up, down, left, and right directions around a fulcrum, a menu button, a return button, and a power saving button. An organic EL (Electroluminescence) display, a touch panel, or the like may be provided instead of the liquid crystal display 41 .

The recessed switches 42, 43, and 44 (indicated by diagonal hatching) are operation switches that are recessed below the level of the operation surface 40a, as shown in the sectional view of FIG. 2(B). is. On the other hand, convex switches 45, 46, and 47 (indicated by cross hatching) are operation switches projecting from the level of the operation surface 40a. These operation switches 42 to 47 receive instructions from the operator by being pushed down with a predetermined force.

3A and 3B are a front view and a sectional view of the remote controller 40 to which the remote controller protective member according to the present embodiment is attached. FIG. 3(A) shows a front view of the remote controller 40 to which protective members (110, 120) have been attached, and FIG. 3(B) shows the remote controller 40 to which the protective members have been attached in FIG. The cross-sectional view at the time of cutting|disconnecting with the broken line A in the front view shown is shown. It should be noted that the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 3B omits the internal structure including the electronic components inside the casing of the remote controller, as in FIG. 2B.

As shown in FIG. 3, on the operation surface 40a of the remote controller 40, a spacer 110 (indicated by dotted hatching) constituting a protective member and a protective film 120 (shown in the sectional view of FIG. 3B) are provided. ) and are attached. More specifically, a spacer 110 is attached to the operation surface 40 a of the remote controller 40 , and a protective film 120 is attached to the spacer 110 . Note that in FIG. 3A, the protective film 120 is transparently shown, and only the spacer 110 under the protective film 120 is shown as a protective member.

The spacer 110 has an opening 110a having at least a size range of at least one of the operation switches 42-47 arranged on the operation surface 40a. The opening 110 a is formed as a hole penetrating the upper and lower surfaces of the spacer 110 . With the spacer 110 attached, the convex switches 45-47 are each positioned within the opening 110a and are depressible through the opening 110a. Recessed switches 42-44, which will be positioned below spacer 110, are depressible through opening 110a.

Note that one opening is not necessarily provided for each of the operation switches 42-47. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a single opening 110a is formed for an adjacent set of recessed switches, consisting of second recessed switch 43 and third recessed switch 44. As shown in FIG.

In a preferred embodiment, a member of the spacer 110 (other than the opening) is present between at least one convex switch and other switches on the operation surface 40a. This is to prevent other switches from being pulled by being pulled in response to depression of the convex switches 45-47.

Any resin material can be used as a material for forming the spacer 110 . Examples of such resin materials include, but are not limited to, thermoplastic resins such as polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, methacrylic resin, polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene, AS resin, ABS resin, polyamide acetal resin, phenolic resin and epoxy resin. Thermosetting resins such as resins can be mentioned. The spacer 110 is attached to the operation surface 40a of the remote controller 40 with any adhesive. In addition, in other embodiments, the material forming the spacer 110 is not limited to the resins described above, and may be made of other metal materials such as glass, ceramics, and stainless steel. , can be made of any material as long as it can be attached to the operation surface 40a of the remote controller 40 and the protective film 120 can be attached thereon.

The protective film 120 shown in FIG. 3 is attached to the entire surface of the spacer 110 including the portion of the opening 110a. Any protective film 120 can be used, but it is preferable that the protective film 120 has at least one of antibacterial and antiviral properties in order to prevent infectious diseases. In addition, it is desirable that the protective film 120 be elastically deformable within a range of displacement associated with depression of the concave switch and the convex switch so that the concave switch and the convex switch can be depressed while attached. . The thickness of the protective film 120 is not particularly limited, but can be in the range of 30 μm to 100 μm from the viewpoint of operability.

Materials for forming the protective film 120 having antibacterial and antiviral properties include antibacterial agents and antiviral agents that release antibacterial ions such as silver ions and copper ions. Any antibacterial and antiviral resinous membrane dispersed in a membrane (including elastomers) or carried on a membrane surface can be used.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the spacer 110 and the protective film 120 are provided on a part of the operation surface 40a that covers the operation switches 42 to 47 except for the liquid crystal display 41. , but not limited to. In other embodiments, the spacers 110 and the protective film 120 may be arranged on the entire operation surface 40a except for the liquid crystal display 41 portion or including the liquid crystal display 41 portion. In that case, in order to ensure the visibility of the liquid crystal display 41, the materials (spacers, films, adhesives) on the front surface of the liquid crystal display 41 should be transparent in the visible light range, or removed if opaque. is desirable, and it is desirable to ensure sufficient visibility.

In addition, when there is a projecting portion that constitutes a user interface or a design feature other than the operation switch projecting from the level of the operation surface 40a, the spacer 110 has an opening (through hole) in a region corresponding to such a projecting portion. holes) or indentations (holes that do not penetrate).

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the details of the structure of the protective member attached to the operation surface 40a of the remote controller 40 according to this embodiment. 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the remote controller 40 before the spacer 110 and the protective film 120 are attached, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of the remote controller 40 after the spacer 110 and the protective film 120 are attached. It is an enlarged view showing a cross section of.

A dimension P shown in FIG. 4A is the maximum height of the convex portion of one or more operation switches 42-47. The maximum convex height P is the amount of protrusion of the one or more operation switches 42 to 47 (convex button) that protrudes the most from the level of the operation surface 40 a of the remote controller 40 . The dimension D shown in FIG. 4A is the thickness of the spacer 110, and the thickness D of the spacer 110 is equal to or greater than the maximum height P of the protrusion. Configured. Equivalent to the maximum height of the convex portion means having the same distance while allowing a difference in the range of -20% to +10%.

The thickness D of the spacer 110 can be determined from the viewpoint of ensuring the operability of the uneven button. Also, if the thickness of the spacer 110 is too thick, it becomes difficult to depress the recessed switch. It is desirable that the thickness of the protective film is such that it can be elastically deformed when the is pressed. As for the thickness of the spacer 110, an appropriate thickness within the above range may be used from commercially available plate members (for example, plate materials of 0.5 mm, 0.8 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.0 mm, etc.). . The spacer 110 having a thickness equal to or greater than the maximum height of the projection eliminates the step due to the operation switch and provides a flat surface for the protective film 120 to be attached thereon.

FIG. 4C is an enlarged front view of the remote controller 40 after the spacer 110 is attached. As described above, the spacer 110 is provided with the openings 110a corresponding to the operation switches 42-47. An opening is desirable. For example, if the size (eg, width) of the operation switch 45 is W, the opening (W+M) can be made larger by a predetermined margin M. The same is true for height. By making the opening larger than the operation switch in this way, the operability of the operation switch is improved. The margin M may be determined according to the sensitivity of the button of the operation switch.

The size (width, height, thickness) of the spacer 110, the arrangement (position, size, number) of the openings 110a, and the size and characteristics of the protective film 120 are designed according to the specific model of the remote controller 40. I wish I could.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating how to attach the protective member to the remote controller 40 according to this embodiment. First, as shown in FIG. 5A, a film carrier 200 having a release sheet 124 to which a protective film 120 and an adhesive layer 122 are attached is prepared. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, a spacer carrier 210 is prepared in which the spacers 110 and the adhesive layer 112 are adhered to the release sheet 114 . A protective member according to embodiments of the present invention may be provided in the form of a film carrier 200 and spacer carrier 210 set. As shown in FIG. 5B, the spacer carrier 210 includes the spacer 110, the adhesive layer 112 and the release sheet 114, and has an opening at a location corresponding to one or more operation switches 42 to 47 of the remote controller 40. 210a is provided.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5C, the release sheet 114 is peeled off from the adhesive layer 112 of the spacer carrier 210, and the spacer 110 is adhered to the operation surface 40a of the remote controller 40 with the adhesive layer 112. As shown in FIG. At this time, the opening 110a of the spacer 110 is aligned with one or more operation switches 42 to 47 provided on the operation surface 40a of the remote controller 40 and attached. Further, the adhesive layer 112 for bonding the spacer 110 and the operation surface 40a is designed to have high adhesiveness and adhesive strength sufficient to fix the spacer 110 to the operation surface 40a of the remote controller 40. agent is used.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5(D), the release sheet 124 is peeled off from the adhesive layer 122 of the film carrier 200, and the protective film 120 is adhered and adhered onto the spacer 110 adhered to the operation surface 40a. Glue with layer 122 . At this time, the protective film 120 is adhered so that the outer edge of the protective film 120 is aligned with the outer edge of the spacer 110 . Also, the adhesive layer 122 for attaching the spacer 110 and the protective film 120 uses an adhesive designed to have low adhesiveness. This is because the adhesive layer 122 of the protective film 120 extends to the portion of the operation switch so as not to hinder the movement of the operation switch. In a preferred embodiment, the tackiness of the adhesive layer 122 of the protective film 120 is significantly less than the tackiness of the adhesive layer 112 of the spacer 110 .

The adhesives described above include, but are not limited to, acrylic adhesives, silicone adhesives, urethane adhesives, and rubber adhesives, any of which have suitable adhesive properties. You can use what you have.

As described above, the adhesive of the adhesive layer 122 between the protective film 120 and the spacer 110 uses a low-tack adhesive, but is not limited thereto, and has a peel strength of 10 mN to 50 mN/25 mm. can be used. On the other hand, the adhesive of the adhesive layer 112 that bonds the spacer 110 and the operation surface 40a of the remote controller 40 can more specifically have a peel strength of 5N to 50N/20mm. By using a low-adhesive adhesive on the protective film 120 side, the protective film 120 can be easily replaced when the protective film 120 deteriorates with the passage of time or use.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating how the remote controller 40 to which the protective member according to the present embodiment is attached is used. FIG. 6A shows a state in which a finger F presses the first recessed switch 42 that has no adjacent switches. FIG. 6B shows a state in which one of the two adjacent concave switches 43 and 44, the third concave switch 44, is pressed with a finger F. FIG. FIG. 6C shows a state in which the second concave switch 43 of the two adjacent concave switches 43 and 44 is pressed with a finger F. FIG. FIG. 6(D) shows a state in which the finger F presses the second convex switch 46 with no other adjacent switch.

As shown in FIG. 6, when any one of the concave and convex operation switches 42 to 47 is pressed, the protective film 120 elastically deforms in response to the depression of the desired operation switch by the finger F, and When the finger F is released from the operation switch, the protective film 120 returns to its original flat state. In this case, since the protective film 120 is deformed from the edge of the opening, it is possible to suitably prevent other switches from being caught in the depression of the desired operation switch by the finger F. be.

Thus, by providing a space between the operation switch and the protective film 120 by the spacer 110, the step of the convex portion of the operation button is eliminated, the loss of the operation function and the deterioration of the operability are alleviated, and the operability is reduced. It is possible to suppress erroneous operation of the concave portion of the switch. In addition, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the design and peeling of the protective film due to swelling caused by air bubbles around the uneven portion. Furthermore, the spacer 110 eliminates irregularities on the attachment surface of the protective film 120 and flattens it, facilitating the attachment work when replacing the protective film whose function has deteriorated over time and reducing work time. becomes. In addition, since the surface of the protective film 120 is flattened, it is difficult for dirt to accumulate in the gaps and corners of the shape, and sterilization with alcohol is facilitated.

In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A, the film carrier 200 and the spacer carrier 210 are provided in the form of a set, and are retrofitted to the existing remote controller 40 by a service person or a user on site. It is described as being pasted with . However, the form of provision is not particularly limited, and for example, the remote controller 40 to which the spacer 110 and the protective film 120 are attached may be provided from the stage of shipment from the factory.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the protective member for the remote controller 40 of the air conditioner 1 was described as an example, but the target operation device is not particularly limited, and electronic devices other than the air conditioner , or an operation device other than the remote controller.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may include various modifications. For example, the above embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. Also, part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. Moreover, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Air conditioner, 10... Indoor unit, 30... Outdoor unit 30, 40... Remote controller, 40a... Operation surface, 41... Liquid crystal display, 42... First concave switch, 43... Second concave switch, 44... Third concave switch, 45... First convex switch, 46... Second convex switch, 47... Third convex switch, 110... Spacer, 112... Adhesive layer, 114... Release sheet, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 120... Protective film 122... Adhesive layer 124... Release sheet 200... Film carrier (protective member) 210... Spacer carrier (protective member)

Claims (8)

A protective member for an operating device,
A spacer attached to the operation surface of the operation device, wherein at least one operation switch among the plurality of operation switches is attached to a portion corresponding to each of the plurality of operation switches arranged on the operation surface. the spacer having a plurality of openings having a range of sizes; and a protective film attached to the spacer and extending over portions corresponding to the plurality of openings , wherein the spacer comprises at least the plurality of one of the operation switches is located between one convex operation switch and another convex operation switch, and has a thickness equal to or greater than the maximum height of the convex portion of the plurality of operation switches ;
There is a space between at least one of the plurality of operation switches and the protective film,
Protective member for operating device. 2. The protective member for an operating device according to claim 1, wherein said spacer provides a flat surface for said protective film. The plurality of operating switches includes a pair of adjacent concave switches recessed from the operating surface, and the at least one opening of the spacer is a single opening with respect to the pair of concave switches. 2. A protective member for an operating device according to claim 1, comprising a portion. The protective member for an operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein said protective film and said spacer are attached with a low-adhesive adhesive. The protective member for operating devices according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the protective film has at least one of antibacterial and antiviral properties. The protective member for an operating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the protective film has a thickness in the range of 30 µm to 100 µm. An operation device having an operation surface,
a plurality of operation switches arranged on the operation surface;
A spacer affixed to the operation surface of the operation device, wherein at least one corresponding one of the plurality of operation switches is provided at a location corresponding to each of the plurality of operation switches arranged on the operation surface. said spacer having a plurality of openings having a range of switch sizes; and a protective film attached to said spacer and extending over portions corresponding to said plurality of openings , wherein said spacer comprises at least said It exists between one convex operation switch and the other convex operation switch among the plurality of operation switches, and has a thickness equal to or greater than the maximum height of the convex portion of the plurality of operation switches. ,
There is a space between at least one of the plurality of operation switches and the protective film,
operating device. The operating device according to claim 7 , wherein the operating device is a remote controller for an air conditioner.

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