JPH03273708A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a muffle type input device having a thin internal structure by providing the operation parts at the cross parts between the optical guide paths formed between the light emitting and receiving elements to cut off the beams. CONSTITUTION:An optical guide unit 11 is provided with an optical guide groove 11c forming an optical guide path in the direction X and an optical guide groove 11d forming an optical path in the direction Y respectively. In addition, a recess part 11e is formed at the center of the unit 11 and a muffler rubber sheet 12 is provided at the part 11e. When a stem 5 moved down, a shutter part 5d moves into the part 11e to cut the optical guide paths of both directions X and Y. At the same time, the lower end of the stem 5 touches the sheet 12 when a key top 7 is pushed. Thus the operating noises can be eliminated. Furthermore no mechanical switch nor printed board are required in an input device. Thus the thickness of the input device can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application 1] The present invention relates to an input device used in computers, word processors, etc., and particularly relates to an input device that allows input in a matrix array using a light guide path.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, keyboards using mechanical switches have been used as input devices for computers and word processors. In this keyboard, when an individual key top is pressed with a finger, a stem to which the key top is attached advances, and the stem presses a mechanical switch, thereby performing an ON/OFF operation of the switch. Further, the stem is biased in the return direction by a coil spring or the like.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention 1] The conventional keyboard switch described above has the following problems.

(1) Since the switch operated by the stem is a mechanical switch, the operating sound is loud, which causes noise to the surroundings of the operator. Also, the current is turned off by a mechanical switch.
Since it is N and OFF, electrode radiation occurs from the wiring part,
This causes noise to other devices.

(2) Since multiple mechanical switches are arranged inside the keyboard panel, it is necessary to provide a printed circuit board for wiring to each mechanical switch, which increases the internal height of the keyboard. There is a limit to how thin the keyboard itself can be made.

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a noise-muffling type input device with a thin internal structure by adopting an optical matrix method.

[Means for Solving the Problems] An input device according to the present invention includes a plurality of rows of light guide paths formed between a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and the light guide paths of the plurality of rows are arranged to intersect with each other. At the intersections of the light guide paths, operating sections for blocking light are arranged.

[Function] In the above means, when the key top is pressed in the keyboard configuration, light is blocked at the intersection of the plurality of light guide paths. By blocking this light, it is determined which key top position on the intersection of the light guide paths has been pressed, and an input is performed in accordance with the blocking position.

This method does not use mechanical switches, so
It is possible to configure a silent type keyboard, etc., since there is no operation sound from the key tops. In addition, since only intersecting light guide paths are formed internally, there is no need to provide a mechanical switch or a printed circuit board connected to this switch.
The device can be made thinner.

[Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The illustrated embodiment shows a keyboard as an example of the input device of the present invention.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing each key manpower section, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the main parts of this key manpower part, Fig. 3 is a plan view showing an example of the arrangement of each key manpower part, and Fig. 4 is a circuit configuration diagram for input.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 is the bottom panel of the keyboard and reference numeral 2 is the top panel. Reference numeral 3 is a housing attached to the upper panel 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 3 has a flange 3a that comes into contact with the upper surface of the upper panel 2, and a locking projection 3b that projects laterally at the bottom of the flange 3a. This latch protrusion 3
b is formed to be elastically deformable. The housing 3 has an upper panel 2 below the flange 3a.
is inserted into the mounting hole 2a from above. At this time, the latching projection 3b is elastically latched to the lower surface of the upper panel 2, and the upper panel 2 is sandwiched between the flange 3a and the latching projection 3b, thereby preventing the housing 3 from being removed. .

A male thread 3d is formed in a portion of the housing 3 above the flange 3a, and an elastic adjustment ring 4 is attached to this male thread 3d. There is a female thread 4 on the inner surface of the elastic adjustment ring 4.
a is formed, and this female thread 4a is connected to the male thread 3d.
It is screwed on.

By rotating this elastic adjustment ring 4, its position relative to the housing 3 can be adjusted in the vertical direction. Second
As shown in the figure, a scale 3e is marked on the side surface of the housing 3, and serves as a guide for the vertical position of the elastic adjustment ring 4. Further, a groove 4 on the upper surface of the elastic adjustment ring 4 has a spring holder.
b is formed.

Reference numeral 5 is a stem. This stem 5 is inserted into the sliding hole 3f of the housing 3 so as to be movable forward and backward. As partially shown in FIG. 2, elastically deformable locking protrusions 5a are provided on both sides of the lower portion of the stem 5.

This latching protrusion 5a has a step 3g at the upper end inside the housing 3.
By fitting into the stem 5, the stem 5 is prevented from being removed. As shown in FIG.
A coil spring 6 is interposed between the spring bearing groove 5b and the spring bearing groove 4b of the housing 3, and this coil spring 6 urges the stem 5 upward in the figure. ing. As shown in FIG. 1, a recess 5c is formed on the upper surface of the stem 5.
The lower surface protrusion 7a of the chitotsubutsu 7 is fitted into b.

A light guide unit 11 is provided at the bottom of the housing 3. This light guide unit 11 is installed on the bottom panel 1, and is assembled integrally with the housing 3. That is, a step 11a is formed on the side surface of the light guide unit 11 in the left and right directions in FIG. In addition, the light guide unit 11
A step 11b is formed on the side surface in the front-back and front-back direction of the paper (diagonally left and right in FIG. 2) in FIG. are assembled together.

In the light guide unit 11, a light guide groove 11c forming a light guide path in the X direction and a light guide groove lid forming a light guide path in the Y direction are formed in FIG.

The light guide path in the X direction extends perpendicularly to the side surface of the light guide unit 11, but the light guide groove 11c in the Y direction extends obliquely to the light guide unit 11.

Further, a recess 11e is formed in the center of the light guide unit 11, and a sound-deadening rubber sheet 12 is placed in this recess lie. The lower end of the stem 5 is a shutter portion 5d, and when the stem 5 is lowered, this shutter portion 5d becomes a recessed portion 11e.
The light guide paths in the X direction and the Y direction are blocked.

Furthermore, when the key top 7 is pressed, the lower end of the stem 5 hits the sound-muffling rubber sheet 12, so the impact sound when the key top 7 is pressed is absorbed by the sound-muffling rubber sheet 12, and almost no operation noise is generated. .

In the panel of the keyboard, a plurality of key input units shown in FIG. 1 are arranged in front. FIG. 3 shows this arrangement by the arrangement of light guide units 11. Although FIG. 3 shows 15 light guide units 11 for convenience of illustration, in an actual keyboard, the light guide units 11 are arranged according to the number of keys required. As shown in FIG. 2, the light guide path in the X direction formed in the light guide unit 11 is formed at right angles to the side surface of the light guide unit 11, so the light guide unit 11 is They are arranged in a straight line in the direction. Further, since the light guide path indicated by Y is formed obliquely with respect to the light guide unit 11, the arrangement of the light guide units 11 in the vertical direction in the figure is shifted from left to right. This is to correspond to the key arrangement on the current keyboard. Then, on the right side of the line connecting the light guide paths in the X direction of the plurality of light guide units 11, there is an X-side light emitting diode Lx, respectively.
is arranged, and a phototransistor Tx is opposed to it on the opposite side. Further, the Y-side light emitting diode LY is arranged on the upper side in the figure of the line connecting the light guide paths in the Y direction, and the phototransistor TY is opposed to the lower side in the figure.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 3 and the light guide unit 11 are fitted into each other and integrated, so that the light guide unit 11 to the key top 7 can be handled as one unit, and the upper This unit can be easily mounted on the upper panel 2 by inserting it into the mounting hole 2a of the panel 2 from above. Therefore, an arbitrary number of mounting holes 2 can be formed in the upper panel 2.
A, and by attaching the units shown in FIG. 1 to each of them, it is possible to construct a keyboard with a free key arrangement. It is also possible to create a line-arranged light guide unit in which the light guide units 11 arranged in the left-right direction (X direction) in the figure are integrated with each other in FIG. It is possible.

FIG. 4 shows the circuit configuration of the detection section of the keyboard.

In this figure, X indicates a light guide path in the X direction, and Y indicates a light guide path in the Y direction. Intersection of both optical paths X and Y (a)
In (b) and (c), the mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, that is, the key manual mechanism is arranged. In the gate matrix 20 surrounded by the dotted line, AND for the X side output
Gate group 2 upper 2 upper 21 Y side output AND gate group 2 upper group 2 are provided, and the AND gate group 2 upper 2 output is outputted to the microcomputer 24 through the OR gate group 23 for each column. . Reference numeral 25 denotes a gate pulse generation circuit, and this gate pulse generation circuit 25 sequentially applies a signal pulse of "1" to each gate of the AND gate group 21 on the X side in synchronization with the clock.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained.

In each of the key manual mechanisms shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the key top 7 is pressed, the stem 5 moves downward in the figure against the elastic force of the coil spring 6. Until then,
In the key human-powered mechanism, the light guide path of
A path of light emitted from x and L is connected. As described above, when the key top 7 is pressed and the stem 5 descends, the shutter portion 5d at the lower end of the stem 5 closes to the light guide unit 1.
1, and both the X and Y groove optical paths are blocked at the same time.

Here, in the circuit example of FIG. 4, the light emitting diode Lx on the X side
and the Y-side light emitting diode L7 are both driven by DC,
Light is constantly transmitted to the X and Y light guide paths, and the phototransistors Tx and Ta in each column continue to receive light at all times.

Assuming that the intersection of the light guide paths where the key top 7 is pressed is at the position (a), both the xl and Yl light guide paths will be blocked. Therefore, the light reception signal of the phototransistor facing the xl light guide becomes high level, and the signal becomes 3.
In the signal line indicated by 1, an output of "1" is obtained. However, since the light emitting diode is DC driven, the output of the other signal lines extending from the phototransistor Tx is always "o". The light guide path indicated by Yl is also cut off, the output of the phototransistor facing Yl becomes high level, and the signal line indicated by reference numeral 32 becomes "1". Since the light emitting diode is DC driven, the other output extending from the phototransistor Ty is always "0". Here, a signal of "1" synchronized with the clock is sequentially applied to each gate of the AND gate group 21 from the gate pulse generating circuit 25. Therefore, the gate pulse generation circuit 25 is
Gate 21 is activated only at the moment when "1" is output to the gate indicated by
The input to a becomes “1” and rlJ, and the AND gate 21
"l" is instantaneously output from a. Therefore, AN on Y side
In the gate 22a of the D gate group 22, the signal line 3
1's "1" and the "1" instantaneously output from the gate 21a.
”, a signal of “1” is output. At this time, since the other gates 22b, 22c, and 22d in the same column are outputting rOJ, rlJ is instantaneously output from the ○R gate 23a at the top 1 of the OR gate group 23, and this is sent to the microcomputer 24. input. Since the clock-like pulse signal from the gate pulse generation circuit 25 is also input to the microcomputer 24, the O
It can be recognized that "1" was output to the gate 21a at the timing when rlJ was output from the R gate 23a. Therefore, it can be recognized that the key has been pressed at the position (a).

Here, in FIGS. 1 and 2, when any of the key tops 7 is pressed, the lower end of the stem 5 hits the sound-deadening rubber sheet 12 provided on the light guide unit 11. Therefore, there is almost no operation sound when the key top 7 is pressed.

Next, the reaction force of the coil spring 6 is adjusted by turning the elastic adjustment ring 4. By rotating this elastic adjustment ring 4 and moving it up and down along the housing 3, the elastic force of the coil spring 6 is adjusted and the reaction force of the key top 7 is set.

This adjustment is made at scale 2 of the housing 3 shown in FIG. 3e is used as a guideline.

The reaction force of the key top 7 is adjusted individually for each key top. On the actual keyboard,
A plurality of mechanisms shown in FIG. 1 are arranged on the bottom panel l and the top panel 2, but each key top 7
By adjusting the pressure reaction force of all key tops 7
It is possible to uniformly adjust the reaction force to a predetermined force.

Alternatively, adjust the reaction force for each key top 7, for example, set the reaction force of the key top pressed with the index finger, the key top pressed with the little finger, or the key top pressed with other fingers to a value suitable for the force of each finger. It is also possible to do so.

[Effects] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to configure a keyboard or the like that does not include mechanical switches, and it is possible to eliminate operation sounds for operating the mechanical switches. Furthermore, since the current is turned on and off by a mechanical switch, no electromagnetic radiation is generated from the wiring section. Furthermore, since there is no need to dispose a mechanical switch or a printed circuit board within the input device, the internal structure of the device can be simplified and the device can be made thinner.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing the key manpower device, Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the main parts thereof, and Fig. 3 is a plan view showing an example of the arrangement of light guide units. Figure, 4th
The figure is a circuit diagram showing an example of the circuit of the detection section. 1.2... Panel, 3... Housing, 4... Elastic adjustment ring, 5... Stem, 6... Coil spring, 7... Key top, 11... Light guide unit,
X, Y...light guide path.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of rows of light guide paths are formed between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, and the light guide paths of the plurality of rows are arranged to intersect with each other, and an operation part for blocking light is provided at the intersection of the light guide paths. Input devices arranged respectively