JPH07183668A - Small electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To further separate and protect board units placing electronic components in an apparatus against an external environment by installing a keyboard on an outer surface of an upper cover of the apparatus and providing a cover for pressing the keyboard. CONSTITUTION:Parts of a display unit and a transparent touch panel switch 9 on an upper surface of an upper case at this side are lowered by one stage, and its surface is formed as a base surface 18 of the keyboard. A sheet key switch 13 is placed on the surface 18, and a rubber keyboard 14 is further placed thereon. A forward fixing pawl 45 and side fixing pawls provided at a keyboard cover 15 are so engaged as to be meshed with a locking hole 23 of a left rib 21, a locking hole 24 of a right rib 22 and an upper locking hole 26 of an upper rib 19. Thus, outer peripheries of board units of the switch 13 and the board 14 can be snugly pressed to the surface 18 of the upper case 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a small electronic device,
Especially, it is equipped with a display body that can display input and output data and a keyboard that inputs input data on the machine surface, and it can be held on the palm of one hand. Relates to an upper case and keyboard structure of a small electronic device such as used in an outdoor environment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a structure around a keyboard of such a small electronic device, a structure in which a keyboard unit or a keyboard rubber is pressed by an upper case has been mostly used. Some of the membrane sheet key types have a structure in which the upper case is made concave and is attached there. In the case of conductive contact tights on a rubber keyboard, a keyboard board with a contact pattern for conducting with a conductive contact is arranged on the lower side. Also, in the case of the combination type of the membrane sheet key type and the rubber keyboard, the base member of the keyboard is brought as a separate member on the lower side, and is sandwiched between the upper case and the upper case. Further, in the case of only the membrane sheet key type, in most cases, the upper case surface is made concave and a double-sided tape is attached thereto.

[0003]

However, in the case of the above-mentioned conventional example, the keyboard is a part of the man-machine interface where the feeling is particularly important, and the membrane sheet key type alone does not have much keystrokes, and clicks. There is a problem that it is difficult to put out the feeling while maintaining durability and it is easy to make an input error.

Further, in the case of a structure in which the keyboard unit or the keyboard rubber is pressed by the upper case, it is not possible to prevent the entry of dust or rain water droplets into the inside of the electronic device from the keyboard portion, or the keyboard substrate is corroded. It was easy to happen. When a key was strongly pressed on a keyboard board, it often happened that the electronic parts mounted on the back surface of the board suffered a crack such as a solder crack. In addition, in the case of small electronic devices, not only solving the problems of man-machine interface and environmental issues, but also considering the small size, light weight, and thinness that lead to the original operability, the upper case is used as a keyboard. When the unit or the rubber keyboard is pressed down, a solid board or base member is required as a base of the keyboard, which may impair such a thing.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] By disposing a keyboard on the outer surface of the upper cover of the device and providing a cover for pressing the keyboard, electronic parts inside the device, which are the original functions of the upper cover, and mounting of the electronic parts The board units can be further isolated and protected from the external environment.

By providing a simple component such as a cover for pressing down the keyboard, the design of the small electronic device can be changed by slightly changing the color or surface shape, and the variety of products can be easily increased to support OEM. . Further, by displaying the key functions by characters or pictures on the cover that holds down the keyboard, it is possible to easily set up models having different key functions.

By providing a cover for pressing the keyboard and molding the surface shape of the cover for pressing the keyboard so that the keyboard key top surface is concave, the key top surface can be easily attached without being restricted by the shape of the upper cover of the device. It is possible to make a cover shape that protects from external pressure. Thereby, the thickness of the keyboard portion can be set to the minimum necessary thickness with respect to the portion that is the external surface of the upper cover of the small electronic device.

By forming a convex rib on the surface of the upper cover so as to surround the keyboard, the cover for pressing down the keyboard for electrical wiring for electrically transmitting the input of the keyboard to the inside of the upper cover and the upper cover of the device are combined. It can be protected from dust and water droplets that enter from the eyes.

The convex ribs formed on the upper cover guide the keyboard or the keyboard unit in the front-rear and left-right directions, whereby the keyboard can be positioned during the assembling work to the upper case, and the assembling workability can be improved. By attaching the cover that holds the keyboard to the part of the convex rib formed on the upper cover surface by the snap fit of the claw and the hole, there is no space for screwing or work, and cost and workability can be improved. .

[0010]

1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a drawing (partially exploded perspective view) best showing the features of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 1 and 2, 1 is an upper cover of the small electronic device of the present invention, 2 is a lower case of the small electronic device, 3 is a cover of a memory card reader / writer provided in the lower case 2, and 4 is a small electronic device. The paper feed knob of the printer installed in the printer, 5 the head release lever of the printer, 6 the paper cutter attached to the upper cover 1,
Reference numeral 7 is a power-on switch for a small electronic device, 8 is a power-off switch for a small electronic device, 9 is a transparent touch panel switch provided on the entire display body of the small electronic device, and 10 is a slide of an I / O connector of the small electronic device. Cover, 11 is a battery pack for powering small electronic devices, 1
2 is the battery pack 11 and the lower case 2 of the small electronic device
It is a release lever that is operated when detaching more.

Reference numeral 13 is a sheet key switch constituting the keyboard portion, 14 is a rubber keyboard constituting the keyboard portion, and 15 is a keyboard cover which is an important component of the present invention. Reference numeral 16 is a paper insertion opening of the printer of the upper cover 1, 17 is a paper ejection opening of the printer, 18 is an outer surface of the upper cover 1, the base surface of the keyboard portion, 19 is an upper rib formed on the base surface 18, 20 Is the base surface 18
Upper ribs are formed on the base surface 18, lower ribs 21 are formed on the base surface 18, and right ribs are formed on the base surface 18. Reference numeral 23 is a lock hole formed in the left rib 21, 24 is a lock hole formed in the right rib 22, 25 is a lock hole formed in the base surface 18, and 26 is an upper case 1.
A lock hole 27 is formed in the base surface 18, and a wiring hole 27 is formed in the base surface 18. Reference numeral 28 denotes an anti-slip projection for gripping, which is provided on the side surface of the upper cover 1, 29 denotes an anti-slip projection for gripping, which is also provided on the side surface of the lower case 2, and 30 denotes an F. P. C wiring, 31 is F.
P. A connector portion at the tip of the C wiring 30, 32 is a contact switch portion of the sheet key switch 13, and 33 is a holding hole for mounting the sheet key switch 13. 34 is the key top rubber of the rubber keyboard 14, 35 is the key top part of the key top rubber 34, and 36 is the rubber keyboard 14.
Around, a reference numeral 37 denotes an outer peripheral portion of the rubber keyboard 14, a reference numeral 38 denotes a rubber keyboard base, a reference numeral 39 denotes a side surface of the rubber keyboard base, a reference numeral 40 denotes a protrusion for preventing the rubber keyboard 14 from floating (FIG. 2), and a reference numeral 41 denotes a top and bottom of the key top rubber 34. Key top boots 42 for restraining movement are projections on the lower surface of the key top rubber 34, which are key top rubber projections (FIG. 2) for pushing the contact switch portion 13. 43 is the front and rear ribs of the keyboard cover 15, and 44 is the keyboard cover 15.
Left and right ribs, 45 is a front fixing claw of the keyboard cover 15, 46 is a side fixing claw of the keyboard cover 15 (FIG. 2), and 47 is a slide hole for the side fixing claw of the keyboard cover 15 (FIG. 2).

Reference numeral 48 is an electronic component mounting board inside the small electronic device (FIG. 2), and 49 is also an electronic component mounting board inside the small electronic device (FIG. 2), to which the wiring of the sheet key switch 13 is connected. Reference numeral 50 denotes electronic component mounting boards 48 and 49.
2 is a connector (FIG. 2) connecting the F. P. Tip connector portion 31 of C wiring 30
A connector on the electronic mounting board 49 that connects with (FIG. 2)
Is.

Next, the relationship between these parts will be described. The small electronic device of the present invention is usually placed on the palm of one hand of an operator, and a finger of one hand is applied from the lower case 2 to the anti-slip projections 29 and 28 at the time of grip provided on the side surface of the upper case 1. The power-on switch 7 on the surface is pressed to operate the small electronic device, and the transparent touch panel switch 9 and the rubber keyboard 1 provided in front of the display body are pressed.
4 is pressed with the other finger to input data and operate.

In the case of outputting the internal data, the thermal paper is inserted through the paper insertion port 16 of the printer incorporated in the small electronic device and the paper ejected from the paper ejection port 17 is head-released by the same operation. Pull the lever 5 toward you,
The paper can be fed by turning the paper feed knob 4 with a fingertip, and the paper can be cut by hitting the paper cutter 6 at a required length.

In addition, a memory card reader / writer is built in in front of the one hand held, and programs and data can be loaded and saved at high speed simply by opening the cover 3 and replacing the memory card. You can I / O on the front side, which is held in one hand
There is a slide cover 10 for a connector, and by opening it and connecting an RS-232C level I / O connector to a host computer, data and programs can be loaded and saved.

A battery pack 11 is attached to the front of the hand of the case 2 held by one hand, and the battery pack 11 is slid while the release lever 12 is slid sideways.
You can easily remove it by pulling it toward you. When mounting, simply push the battery pack 11 in the opposite direction from the front side to lock and complete the mounting.

When the power is turned off, the power off switch 8 on the surface of the upper cover 1 can be pressed to finish the operation.

Next, the structure of the keyboard portion according to the present invention will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the display portion on the upper case upper surface and the front side portion of the transparent touch panel switch 9 are lowered by one step, and the surface is used as a base surface 18 of the keyboard, and the base surface 18 is surrounded. An upper rib 19, a lower rib 20, a left rib 21, and a right rib 22 are formed.

A sheet key switch 13 is mounted on the base surface 18, and a rubber keyboard 14 is further mounted thereon. At that time, the F.
P. The C wiring 30 is a wiring hole 27 formed in the base surface 18.
Through the inside of the small electronic device. Base surface 18
There are several more lock holes 25 in the seat, and the seat key switch 13 also has a holding hole 33 in the same position.
The floating prevention protrusion 40 provided on the back surface side of the rubber keyboard 14 penetrates the hole and is caught and fixed on the back surface of the base surface 18. At that time, the sheet key switch 13 and the rubber keyboard 14 can be combined with each other by the floating prevention protrusion 40 on the back surface side of the rubber keyboard 14, and when it is placed on the base surface 18, it is constructed so as to surround the base surface 18. The upper and lower ribs 19 and 20 guide and position the upper and lower surfaces of the outer peripheral portion 37 of the rubber keyboard 14, and the left and right ribs 21 and 22 guide the right and left sides of the outer peripheral portion 37. 40 can be fitted into the lock hole 25 formed in the base surface 18.

Next, the keyboard cover 15 is put on from above, the left rib 21 has a lock hole 23, and the right rib 22 has a lock hole 23.
A lock hole 24 is formed in the upper case 1 above the upper rib 19 and a lock hole 26 is formed in the upper case 1 above the upper rib 19. The forward direction fixing claw 45 and the side surface fixing claw 46 provided on the keyboard cover 15 are engaged with the lock hole 26. By thus fitting, the outer peripheries of the sheet key switch 13 and the rubber keyboard 14 can be firmly pressed into the base surface 18 of the upper case 1.

At this time, the lower surfaces of the front and rear ribs 43 and the left and right ribs 44 of the keyboard cover 15 form a sealing structure between the peripheral pressing portion 36 of the rubber keyboard 14 and the inside of the side surface with the rubber keyboard base side surface 39. 1
8, the inner surface of the upper ribs 19, the lower ribs 20, the left ribs 21, and the right ribs 22 and the outer peripheral portion 3 of the rubber keyboard 14.
A seal structure is also provided between 7 and.

The operator hits the tip key top portion 35 of the key top rubber 34 of the integrally molded rubber keyboard 14 with his / her finger, so that the key top boot 41 connecting the key top rubber 34 and the rubber keyboard base 38 to each other. The bending causes the key top rubber protrusion 42 located immediately below the stroke to push down the contact switch portion 32 of the seat key switch 13, and the circuit is energized. When the fingertip is released, the key top boot 41 tries to return to the original position and the key input is released.

From the keyboard section thus constructed,
F. Entering inside small electronic device P. The tip end connector portion 31 of the C wiring 30 is connected to the connector 51 on the electronic component mounting board 49, and a signal from the keyboard portion can be sent to an electronic component inside the small electronic device.

(Other Embodiments) Even if one or both of the upper and lower ribs, the left and right ribs on the outer surface of the upper case of the present invention are removed, the assembling positioning may be hindered. , Other effects can be obtained. Although the keyboard cover was snap-fitted to the upper case rib, if the keyboard cover is screwed from the inner surface of the upper case, the ease of assembly is slightly impaired, but other effects can be obtained in the same manner. Even if you unitize the keyboard cover with a rubber keyboard and sheet key switch and assemble it on the base surface of the outer surface of the upper case,
The same effect as the present invention can be obtained.

[0025]

The following effects can be obtained by adopting the above structure and structure. (1) It is possible to prevent water droplets and dust from the external environment from entering the inside of the small electronic device through the contact switch portion inside the sheet key switch and the keyboard portion as much as possible. (2) Since the outer surface (mold plate) of the upper case is used as the keyboard base member, even if it is struck with a fingertip, it does not directly apply stress to the electronic mounting components, and the soldering of the mounting components is performed. Accidents such as peeling and destruction are reduced. (3) The upper, lower, left and right ribs on the outer surface of the upper case facilitate positioning when assembling members such as a sheet key switch, a rubber keyboard, and a keyboard cover.
Assembling can be completed simply by fitting the lock hole of the rib and the lock hole of the upper case with the keyboard cover claw. (4) By using a rubber keyboard and a sheet key switch to make key strokes, a click feeling due to the restoring force of the key top boots is added, and a rigid feeling using a mold plate as a base member is secured, which makes it possible to realize a man-machine interface. By valuing the operation feeling, input mistakes can be reduced. (5) While adopting the configuration as described in (4), it has a structure capable of achieving the thinness, lightness, and smallness required for a small electronic device, and is realized by reducing the number of parts. (6) The design can be changed by changing the color or shape of the keyboard cover or the function display of the keys, and a variety of small electronic devices can be easily manufactured. (7) The keyboard cover can be easily made so that the key top surface is slightly lower than the keyboard cover upper surface, so that the pressure from the outer surface can be applied while achieving the thinnest possible internal mounting components of small electronic devices. It can be protected from direct contact with the keyboard, improving the durability and reliability of the keyboard.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration perspective view of a small electronic device embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, showing a state in which the keyboard portion is assembled.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Upper Cover 2 Lower Case 3 Cover 4 Paper Feed Knob 5 Headed Release Lever 6 Paper Cutter 7 Power On Switch 8 Power Off Switch 9 Transparent Touch Panel Switch 10 Slide Cover 11 Battery Pack 12 Release Lever 13 Sheet Key Switch 14 Rubber Keyboard 15 Keyboard Cover 16 Paper insertion port 17 Paper ejection port 18 Base surface 19 Upper rib 20 Lower rib 21 Left rib 22 Right rib 23 Lock hole 24 Lock hole 25 Lock hole 26 Lock hole 27 Wiring hole 28 Anti-slip protrusion 29 Non-slip protrusion 30 F. P. C wiring 31 Connector part 32 Contact switch part 33 Holding hole 34 Key top rubber 35 Key top part 36 Perimeter holding part 37 Peripheral part 38 Rubber keyboard base 39 Rubber keyboard base side 40 Lift prevention protrusion 41 Key top boot 42 Key top rubber protrusion 43 Front and rear ribs 44 Left and right ribs 45 Front fixing claws 46 Side fixing claws 47 Slide holes 48 Electronic component mounting board 49 Electronic component mounting board 50 Connector 51 Connector

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A display body capable of displaying input / output data and a keyboard for inputting input data are provided on a surface of the device,
In a small electronic device that can be held on the palm of one hand, install a keyboard on the outer surface of the top cover of the device,
Furthermore, a small electronic device is provided with a cover that holds down the keyboard. 2. The small electronic device according to claim 1,
A small electronic device characterized in that the key top surface of the keyboard is set to be recessed from the cover surface for pressing the keyboard. 3. The small electronic device according to claim 1,
A small electronic device, wherein a convex rib is formed on the upper cover surface so as to surround the keyboard. 4. The small electronic device according to claim 1,
A small electronic device characterized in that the convex ribs guide the front, rear, left, and right directions of the keyboard. 5. The small electronic device according to claim 1,
A small electronic device in which a cover for pressing the keyboard is partially held by a snap fit between a claw and a hole by the convex rib.