JPH0129958Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a keyboard in which a switch is pressed by bending a tongue integral with a plastic case.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this type of conventional keyboard, the wall of a plastic housing 1 is hollowed out in a U-shape to form a tongue piece 11.
A hinge portion 14 is formed by providing a wide groove 12 on the surface of the fixed end of the tongue and a narrow groove 13 on the back surface thereof, and this tongue piece 11 can be bent around the hinge portion 14. It is taught as follows. In addition, a plate-shaped key button 2 is provided on the surface of the tongue piece 11.
is formed so as to cover the hinge portion 14, that is, the groove 1
The tongue piece 11 is mounted so as to be pushed out onto the upper part of the tongue piece 2, and furthermore, a protrusion 15 is provided on the back surface of the tongue piece 11.

On the other hand, a printed circuit board 3 having a conductor 31 is attached to the opening of the plastic housing 1 facing the back surface of the tongue piece 11.
A switch 4 which is pressed and operated by the projection 15 is mounted on the holder.

When the key button 2 is pressed and operated, the tongue piece 11 is tilted downward in the figure around the hinge part 14, and the protrusion 15 causes the switch 4 to operate.
Next, when the key button 2 is released, the elasticity of the tongue 11 and the restoring force of the switch 4 cause the tongue 11 to return to its original position.

Note that the positions of the protrusion 15 and the switch 4 are not limited to the central part of the tongue piece 11, and even if they are placed at the tip thereof, the same operation as described above can be performed.

Such a conventional keyboard is characterized in that it can be operated by the key button 2, which has a large operating area compared to the size of the movable part or the operating part of the switch 4, and that its configuration can be extremely simplified. However, when the key button surface near the hinge part 14 is pressed, a very large force must be applied to bend the tongue piece 11, and this force is applied to the hinge part 14 as a shearing force. This had the disadvantage that it was easily damaged.

The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard that can reliably protect the hinge portion even when the key top surface is pressed near the hinge portion.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the keyboard according to the present invention, in which the same parts as in FIG. The difference from FIG. 1 is that a protrusion 16 that abuts the key button 2 is provided at the bottom of the groove 12 forming the hinge portion 14.

Here, the width of the groove 12 provided on the surface of the tongue piece 11 (in the left-right direction in the drawing) is relatively wide, whereas the width of the groove 13 provided on the back side of the tongue piece 11 is several times the width of the groove 12. It is carved in a V-shape.

Further, the groove 13 is located at the center of the groove 12 in the width direction,
Alternatively, it is provided at a position slightly deviated toward the free end of the tongue piece 11 from the center part, and the protrusion 1
6 is provided at a position that is closer to the fixed end side of the tongue piece 11 than the groove 13 is.

When the key button surface corresponding to the center or tip of the tongue piece 11 is pressed, the tongue piece 11 and the key button 2 are tilted about the hinge part 14, but the protrusion 16 and the key button 12 are tilted.
Since they are separated from each other, switches can be operated with exactly the same force as a conventional keyboard.

Next, when the key button surface near the hinge section 14 is pressed, the protrusion 16 acts as a fulcrum for the key button 2, so that no excessive shearing force is applied to the hinge section 14. This allows the hinge portion 14 to be reliably protected.

Note that even if you press the key button surface directly above the protrusion 16, it is impossible to operate the switch, but even if you press the exact same position on the conventional keyboard shown in Figure 1, you will not be able to operate the switch. Unless the force is applied, the switch cannot be operated, and the force that should be applied to the hinge portion 14 is simply applied to the protrusion 16.

Further, in the above embodiment, the shape of the tongue piece 11 is simply U.
Although described as a letter shape, the U-shape referred to here includes not only a square or rectangular piece connected to the main body of the casing, but also one in which a part of a circle or ellipse is connected to the main body of the casing.

Furthermore, although the switch 4 operated by the tongue piece 11 has the terminal 41, it may be an inverted bowl-shaped switch with a conductor at the inner bottom, and the switch shape is not limited to these. Of course, this is not the case.

As is clear from the above description, according to the keyboard of the present invention, even when a key button surface close to the hinge portion is pressed, the hinge portion can be reliably protected.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional keyboard together with a switch installed, and Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an embodiment of the keyboard according to the present invention together with a switch installed. be. 1... Housing, 2... Key button, 3... Printed circuit board, 4... Switch, 11... Tongue piece, 12,
13... Groove, 14... Hinge part, 15, 16...
protrusion.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] The wall of the plastic housing is hollowed out in a U-shape to form a tongue piece, and a wide groove is carved on the surface at the fixed end of the tongue piece, and a narrow groove is carved on the back side of the tongue piece at a position where they overlap each other. In a keyboard comprising a hinge portion formed by a key button and a key button attached to the surface of the tongue piece so as to cover the hinge portion, the key button is biased toward the fixed end side of the tongue piece than the groove on the back surface. A keyboard, characterized in that a protrusion is provided in a groove on the surface to abut on the key button.