JPH0155525B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a panel keyboard that has wide applicability as an operation input switch means for various electrical and electronic devices, and in particular, to a panel keyboard that has constant operating pressure or operation pressure regardless of the size of the switch operation area. The present invention relates to a panel keyboard designed to achieve this purpose.

As shown in FIG. 1, the panel keyboard includes a flexible or hard base member 2 on which a plurality of required fixed contact patterns 1 are formed, and a base member 2 provided on the base member 2 to cooperate with each of the fixed contact patterns 1. A flexible structure having an insulating spacer 4 arranged to form a switch operation space 3, and a movable contact pattern 5 disposed on the spacer 4 to perform a switch operation separately in correspondence with each of the fixed contact patterns 1. It is a diaphragm type keyboard switch structure that can basically be constructed from a quality switch sheet 6 and a bonding layer 7 made of an adhesive between these components, and as is well known, it is suitable for operation in various electrical and electronic devices. Currently, various proposals have been put into practical use as input switch means.

In order to specify the switch selection operation and the mounting design, such a panel keyboard generally has an operation display sheet 8, commonly called a decorative panel, on the switch sheet 6 to facilitate the operator's operations. ing. As conceptually shown in FIG. 2, the appearance of a panel keyboard 9 equipped with such an operation display sheet 8 shows that, depending on the nature of the input information, the sheet 8 has large switch operation areas A, B, and C and small switch operation areas. Switch operation area a
~h, etc. will be provided in a mixed manner, but in the case of a structure in which the through holes to be drilled in the insulating spacer 4 are simply formed in sizes corresponding to the sizes of the switch operation areas. , the required operation pressure or operating pressure for the large switches A to C is light compared to the small switch operation areas a to h. In other words, there is a strong tendency for large switch operation areas A to C to be input immediately after being slightly touched, which can easily lead to erroneous input by the operator. Eventually, the corresponding parts of the switch seat 6 belonging to those large switch operation areas A to C will gradually be removed from the base member 2.
There is also a possibility that the switch may be moved close to or displaced from the corresponding part of the switch, making it impossible to maintain proper switch operation.

The present invention provides a new and improved panel keyboard configured to appropriately solve the above problems and ensure stable switch operating pressure or operating pressure.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail according to the illustrated embodiment. In FIG. 3, 10 is a first base member, 11 is a second base member joined to the lower part of the first base member 10, 12 is an insulating spacer arranged on the first base member 10, 13 is a switch sheet, and 14 is a decoration with various symbols, markings, input information displays, etc. to identify the switch selection operation. It is a board, that is, an operation display sheet. Here, the spacer 12 has large and small through holes 19, in order to form a required switch operation area corresponding to the size of the switch operation area described above.
20, and only the required fixed contact pattern 15 is formed on the first base member 10 at a portion corresponding to the small through hole 19, and the large through hole 20 is formed on the first base member 10.
A through hole 21 equivalent to the hole 20 is provided in a corresponding part of the second base member 11, and a fixed contact pattern 16 is formed only in the part corresponding to the second base member 11 through the large through holes 20 and 21. west,
Furthermore, the switch sheet 13 has through holes 19 and 2.
0, 21 and fixed contact patterns 15, 16, movable contact patterns 17, 18 are provided at positions related to alignment. According to such a structure of the panel keyboard, it is possible to set the stroke within the switch operation range of the movable contact patterns 17 and 18 to the fixed contact patterns 15 and 16 to be small and large, regardless of the size of the switch operation area. Therefore, it becomes possible to maintain stable switch operation by relatively equalizing the operating pressure required for opening and closing the switch. As is clear from the figure,
Both base members 10, 11 and switch seat 1
3 can also be integrally constructed with a suitable flexible sheet base material as shown by imaginary lines 22 and 23, and in such a case, each required contact pattern 15 to
18 can be deposited and formed all at once on the same surface of the base material, which is expected to contribute to process and work efficiency and a reduction in the number of parts. Further, depending on the properties of the sheet base material used, it is also possible to perform the bonding process between each member with or without using an adhesive.

In the illustrated embodiment, the base member is composed of a single piece, but it is also possible to divide the switch sheet into a first and a second sheet and use the same method to achieve constant switch operation pressure or operating pressure. It turns out that it is possible.

In this way, the panel keyboard of the present invention can adopt an optimal operating pressure or a constant operating pressure structure by comprehensively considering the form of the operation display sheet, the operation situation, or both. Furthermore, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications or substitutions may be made without departing from the gist of the invention described in the claims. It can be seen that it is possible to implement. Therefore, for example, although it is explained that the base member in the embodiment is made of the same material as the switch sheet having flexibility, it is also possible to construct the base member from a rigid circuit board. It is also possible to form the parts corresponding to the individual movable contact patterns to be provided on the switch seat into a dome shape or a protrusion shape so that the operator can perceive that the snap action or switch operation during operation is completed. It is possible.

As described above, the panel keyboard according to the present invention uses insulating spacers of the same thickness to make the switch operation area larger or smaller depending on the size of each switch operation area. A first base member having a required fixed contact pattern formed in a portion belonging to the large switch operation area and a required through hole provided in a portion corresponding to the large switch operation area; Since the second base member is configured to form a fixed contact pattern, the above structure can be used with a high degree of freedom to meet the specifications of the panel keyboard depending on the size of the switch operation area. Moreover, since both the first and second base members and the switch sheet can be constructed from a single flexible sheet base material that can be easily folded and assembled, assembly processing can be easily performed. Therefore, this structure allows for optimal switch operation depending on the size of the switch operation area.
Therefore, the operational reliability of this type of panel keyboard can be significantly improved.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are a conceptual cross-sectional configuration diagram and an overall perspective view of a conventional panel keyboard, and FIG. 3 is a conceptual cross-sectional configuration diagram of an embodiment of a panel keyboard constructed according to the present invention. It is. 10...First base member, 11...Second base member, 13...Switch sheet, 14...Operation display sheet, 15 ...Fixed contact pattern, 1
6... Fixed contact pattern, 17 ... Movable contact pattern, 18 ... Movable contact pattern, 19 ... Small through hole, 20 ... Large through hole, 21 ... Through hole of first base member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A switch sheet having movable contact patterns formed at positions corresponding to the fixed contact patterns is disposed above a base member having a required number of fixed contact patterns, and a switch sheet is provided between each of these contact patterns. In a keyboard switch configured to form a switch operation area, an insulating spacer of the same thickness and an insulating spacer of the same thickness are used to form the switch operation area to be large or small depending on the size of each switch operation area. A first base member having a required fixed contact pattern formed in a portion belonging to the small region and a required through hole provided in a portion belonging to the large switch operation region; 1. A panel keyboard comprising: a second base member configured to form a required fixed contact pattern; 2. The panel keyboard according to claim 1, wherein at least the switch sheet and both the first and second base members are constructed of a single flexible sheet base material.