JPH0648692Y2 - Illuminated key switch for keyboard - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an illuminated display type key switch applied to a keyboard of, for example, a personal computer or a word processor, and more specifically, an illuminated display of a keyboard having excellent illumination performance. Shaped key switch

(B) Conventional technology Usually, this type of illuminated display type key switch is applied to a keyboard in which these switches are vertically and horizontally aligned and collectively arranged. It is used as a switch having an input position teaching function for teaching the position to an input operator.

However, if the distance from the light emitting element mounted on the internal key switch body to the upper surface of the key top above it is set to be large, the light of the light emitting element is diffused and attenuated, and the visibility is lowered. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the distance from the light emitting element to the top surface of the key top or to increase the transparency by providing a transmissive window corresponding to the light emitting element on the top surface of the key top so as to have a sufficient amount of light necessary for visual recognition. It is conceivable that in this case, the visibility from just above the upper surface of the key top is good,
There is a problem that the visibility is low when the top surface of the key top is viewed obliquely.

That is, when the above-mentioned key switches are arranged on the keyboard, the light emitting directions of the key switches become uniform, so that the light in the central portion of the keyboard can be easily visually recognized but the light of the key switches on both sides cannot be visually recognized. There is an inconvenient problem.

(C) Problem to be Solved by the Invention This invention provides an illuminated display type key switch for a keyboard, which can identify the light emitting direction of a light emitting element and enhance the visibility of the individually illuminated switches on the upper surface of the keyboard. To aim.

(D) Means for Solving the Problem This invention is to provide a plurality of illuminated display type key switches, in which the upper portion of a key switch body equipped with a light emitting element is covered with a key top having an illuminated surface on the upper surface of the keyboard body. In the arranged keyboard, a refraction surface for guiding the light emitted by the light emitting element in a specific direction on the upper surface of the keytop is formed between the light emitting element and the upper surface of the keytop to form a directional optical path made of a transparent member. An illumination display type key switch of a keyboard is formed by changing the angle of the refracting surface of the directional optical path of each key switch so as to correspond the directional direction to a predetermined position set above the keyboard.

(E) Function According to the present invention, the light emitted from each light emitting element passes through each directional optical path and is guided to the upper surface of the key top with a specific directing direction. Is set to a predetermined position on the upper surface of the keyboard, each light emission is directed to a fixed position on the upper surface of the keyboard.

(F) Effect of the invention For this reason, the light emitted from the upper surface of the key top of each key switch is condensed in a light emitting direction to a predetermined position suitable for the line-of-sight direction of the input operator of the keyboard, and the light is emitted at the predetermined position on the keyboard. The light of each key switch is clearly visible from.

Further, since the change of each directional optical path can be obtained by changing the angle of the refracting surface, the structure is simple, and the structure can be simple, but the light can be surely focused at a predetermined position.

Furthermore, since the directional optical path is formed of a highly transparent transparent member having a refraction surface that specifies the light emitting direction, it is possible to refract the light from the light emitting element and efficiently collect the light in the specific direction. Since it is a transparent member having good transparency, a sufficient amount of light can be obtained, resulting in highly visible illumination, and light does not weaken in the space between the light emitting element and the top surface of the key top as in the present situation.

(G) Embodiment of the Invention One embodiment of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

The drawings show an illuminated display type key switch applied to a keyboard. In FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, this illuminated display type key switch 11 is composed of a key switch body 12 and a key top 13, and this key switch A large number of 11 are aligned and stacked on the keyboard substrate 14.

The key switch body 12 described above has a quadrangular shape, and a light emitting element 15 such as a light emitting diode is mounted on one corner of the upper surface of the key switch body 12, and inside thereof is turned on / off in response to a pressing operation of the key top 13. No built-in switch mechanism.

The light emitting element 15 has the light emitting terminals 16 and 16 which are vertically provided on the lower surface.
Light emitting terminal insertion hole 1 formed on the upper surface of the key switch body 12
It is installed by inserting it in 7, 17 and the lower end portion of this terminal is electrically connected to emit light right above the upper surface.

A key top 13, which will be described later, is mounted on the key switch body 12 so as to be pressed.

The key top 13 described above is made of synthetic resin and has an inner frame button 18
Formed on the illumination display button 19 and the outer frame button 20,
These are fitted in a triple layer to form an integrated structure, of which the inner frame button 18 has a quadrangular shape with the lower surface open, and the lower surface open portion corresponds to the upper portion of the key switch body 12 and is fitted. In addition, the stepped portion 21 formed in the intermediate portion of the inner surface is provided so as to be pressed down by a fixed pressing stroke length by restricting the pressed position by pressing down with the upper surface of the key switch body 12. Normally, a return spring (not shown) for biasing the inner frame button 18 upward and an upward movement restricting member stand by at the upward movement position. Further, a button movable piece 22 for turning on / off the internal switch mechanism is vertically provided at the center of the lower surface of the inner frame button 18, and this is turned on corresponding to the internal switch mechanism at the time of pressing operation. .

Then, this inner frame button 18 has an illumination display button described later.
19 is attached, and these buttons 18 and 19 are integrally held by the outer frame button 20.

The above-mentioned illuminated display button 19 is formed of a highly transparent transparent resin member, and has an illuminated display surface 23 also serving as a push button surface on the upper surface.
And a transparent optical path shaft 24 for guiding light upward from the lower surface is vertically provided on the lower surface of one corner portion, and the transparent optical path shaft 24 is provided in an axial through hole 25 formed at one corner portion of the inner frame button 18. A penetrating and exposed lower surface, the exposed lower end is made to correspond to the lower light emitting element 15, and a refraction surface 26 having a directivity for specifying a light emitting direction is formed at an inclination.

The refracting surface 26 is provided by cutting one side of the lower end obliquely so that the incident direction from the light emitting element 15 is partly deviated so as to emit light in a specific direction in the upper portion. The light is refracted to be efficiently condensed in a specific upward direction, and the condensed light is emitted from the upper surface of the key top 13 in a light emitting direction at a specific angle that matches the line-of-sight direction of the input operator to perform an input operation. Clearly visible to people.

At this time, since the transparent optical path axis 24 is formed of a transparent member having good transparency, a sufficient amount of light necessary for visual recognition can be obtained, and illumination with high visibility can be obtained.

The outer frame button 20 described above is formed into a rectangular frame body with the upper and lower surfaces open, and the inner frame button 18 described above is formed inside the frame body.
And the illumination display button 19 are integrally fitted and supported, and the illumination display surface 23 on the upper surface of the illumination display button 19 is exposed at the upper open position, and the colored synthetic resin material of the button 20 itself is located around it. A light-shielding effect is applied so that external light rays are not adversely affected.

In this case, when the key switch 11 is illuminated, for example, it is illuminated and blinked to teach the input operator the input position of a specific key switch among the many key switches 11 arranged on the keyboard substrate 14. It is used as a switch having such an input position teaching function.

The illumination display type key switch configured as described above, the light emitting element 15 at a predetermined position blinks based on the teaching signal, and the illumination display surface 23 of the key top 13 corresponding to this blinks and illuminates,
The input operator promptly visually recognizes this and performs an input operation. In this input operation, by pressing the upper surface of the key top 13 with a finger, the key top 13 is moved downward as shown in FIG. 4, and along with this, the button movable piece 22 is brought into contact with the contact portion of the internal switch mechanism. When the key tops 13 are released by releasing the pressing force of the key tops 13 by turning on the electrical connection between the key tops 13, the key tops 13 are returned to their original upward movement positions, and the contact parts of the internal switch mechanism are accompanied by this. They are turned off with a gap between them.

By the way, the light emitted from the light emitting element 15 passes through the transparent optical path axis 24 above the light emitting element 15 and is guided to the upper surface of the key top 13 with a specific directing direction, which corresponds to the line-of-sight direction of the input operator. It emits light in a light emitting direction at a specific angle and is clearly visible.

That is, a large number of key switches 11 ... Are shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, on the keyboard body 27, when the upper surface of each key top 13 is arranged parallel to the substrate, the angle of the refraction surface 26 of each transparent optical path axis 24 is changed to From the top surface of the key top 13 ..., the pointing direction can be made to correspond to the input operator side as shown by the arrow direction in the figure, and this switch itself is easily mounted on a flat keyboard with high visibility. be able to.

In the correspondence between the configuration of this invention and the above-described embodiment, the illumination surface of this invention corresponds to the illumination display surface 23 of the embodiment, and the directional optical path also corresponds to the transparent optical path axis 24. The invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part showing a light emitting state of an illuminated display type key switch, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the illuminated display type key switch, and FIG. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of an essential part of Fig. 4, Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of an essential part after pressing, Fig. 5 is a plan view of an illuminated display type key switch applied to a keyboard, and Fig. 6 is an illuminated display type key switch applied to a keyboard. FIG. 11 …… Illuminated display type key switch, 12 …… Key switch body 13 …… Key top, 15 …… Light emitting element 23 …… Illuminated display surface, 24 …… Transparent optical path axis 26 …… Refraction surface, 27 …… Keyboard body

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A keyboard in which a plurality of illuminated display type key switches, in which the upper portion of a key switch body equipped with a light emitting element is covered with a key top having an illuminated surface on the upper surface, are arranged on the upper surface of the keyboard body. Between the light emitting element and the top surface of the key top, a refracting surface that guides the light emitted by the light emitting element in a specific direction on the top surface of the key top is formed to form a directional light path made of a transparent member, and the directional light path of each key switch Illuminated display type key switch of the keyboard with the refraction surface formed by changing the angle so that the directivity direction corresponds to the predetermined position set above the keyboard.