JPH0728790Y2 - Illuminated remote control input device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] "Industrial application field" The present invention relates to an illuminated remote control input device having an optical sensor and capable of automatically illuminating a key top by detecting that the surroundings have become dark. .

"Problems to be solved by conventional techniques and devices" In recent years, the use of remote control (hereinafter referred to as a remote control) for household electric appliances has rapidly advanced, and for example, a remote control input device that emits an infrared signal to the main body of the product has been used. There is.
Since these remote control input devices do not have an illumination function,
It was difficult to use in a dark room, and there was the trouble of having to turn on an electric light.

The purpose of this invention is to detect the darkness of the surroundings and automatically illuminate the key top.

"Means for Solving the Problem" (1) The present invention is an illuminated remote control input device including a printed circuit board, a multiple key top, an optical sensor, an illuminating light emitting element, and a contact portion. The optical sensor detects light and outputs a detection signal according to the amount of light, and the light emitting element for illumination can be turned on when the level of the detection signal of the optical sensor is equal to or less than a threshold value. The contact portion is a plurality of fixed contacts formed on the printed circuit board, the multiple key tops are made of transparent or semi-transparent rubber, and the plurality of key tops are mutually formed by a rubber sheet. The key tops are connected to each other and are attached to predetermined positions on the printed circuit board so that the respective key tops are located on the corresponding fixed contacts of the contact portions, and the key tops have a top portion and a bottom surface of the top portion. ~ side And a thin-walled portion projecting obliquely downward from its corner and its vicinity, an operating protrusion projecting below the bottom surface of the top, and a movable member formed at the projecting end of the operating protrusion. The rubber sheet has a through hole at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of key tops and slightly larger than the outer shape of the bottom surface of the top, and the angle formed between the peripheral wall of the through hole and the top surface of the sheet. Part and its vicinity are integrally connected to the projecting end of the thin portion of the key top, the upper surface of the through hole is covered with the key top, and the light emitting element for illumination is provided near the through hole on the lower surface of the seat. It has a recess for accommodating, the printed circuit board, the fixed contact that comes in contact with and separates from the movable contact of the key top is formed on the upper surface, and the light emitting element for illumination is mounted. Above printed circuit board The multiple key top is mounted in a fixed position, and the light emitting element for illumination is housed in the recess of the rubber sheet.

(2) In the above item (1), instead of forming the movable contact at the tip of the actuating projection, a snap plate made of a metal elastic body and curved upwardly is housed in the through hole of the rubber sheet. , May be interposed between the fixed contact and the actuating protrusion.

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of the embodiment, in which the printed circuit board 1 having the multiple key tops 3 attached at predetermined positions is housed in the lower case 2a, and the upper case 2b is mounted on the lower case 2a. .

An optical sensor (for example, a photodiode) 4 that detects light incident from above and outputs a detection signal according to the amount of light is attached to the right side of the front end of the printed circuit board 1. Further, a rectangular cut portion 1a is provided at the center of the front end, and an LED 5 that emits infrared rays to the printed circuit board at the inner edge of the cut portion 1a.
The lead wire is soldered, and the lead wire is bent so that the LED body is located in the cut portion 1a.

The illumination switch 6 is mounted on the left side of the front end of the printed board 1. If the illumination switch 6 is turned on, the key top is automatically illuminated when the room becomes dark. There is no such function if switched to the off side. Further, if the illumination switch 6 is turned off during illumination, illumination is immediately stopped and battery consumption is suppressed.

Except for the front end portion, a plurality of fixed contacts 7 made of carbon are printed and formed in a matrix on the printed circuit board 1. Each fixed contact 7 is composed of comb-shaped patterns 7a and 7b that are closely opposed to each other. A plurality of light emitting elements (for example, LEDs) 8 for illumination are mounted on the substrate 1 in a mixed manner with the fixed contacts 7. When the illumination switch 6 is turned on, the light emitting element 8 for illumination is turned on when the detection output level of the optical sensor 4 is equal to or lower than the threshold value, and the multiple key top 3 is illuminated.

The multiple key tops 3 are made of transparent or translucent silicon rubber, for example, and a plurality of key tops 9 are connected by a rubber sheet 10 in a matrix so that each key top 9 is located on a corresponding fixed contact. It is mounted on the printed circuit board 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the key top 9 has a rectangular parallelepiped top portion 9a, a corner formed by the bottom surface and the side surface of the top portion 9a, and a thin wall portion obliquely downwardly and downwardly projected from the vicinity thereof. 9b
And an operating protrusion 9c protruding downward from the bottom center of the top 9a.
And a movable contact 9d formed at the tip of the actuating protrusion 9c. The movable contact 9d is formed by printing the entire surface of the tip of the actuating protrusion 9c in white and forming a carbon contact on it by printing. A display 9e of characters, figures, etc. is printed on the upper surface of the top portion 9a as necessary. FIG. 2 shows a case where the thin portion 9b of the key top 9 has a shorter protruding dimension than that of FIG.

The rubber sheet 10 has a through hole 10a slightly larger than the outer shape of the bottom surface of the top portion 9a at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of key tops 9.
Is formed, and the corner formed by the side wall of the through hole 10a and the upper surface of the rubber sheet and its vicinity are integrally connected to the projecting end of the thin portion 9b of the key top. Therefore, the upper surface of the through hole 10a is covered with the key top 9. Further, a concave portion 10b for accommodating the illumination light emitting element 8 is formed on the lower surface of the rubber sheet 10.

A fixed contact 7 made of carbon that comes into contact with and separates from the movable contact 9d of the key top is printed on the printed board 1, and the light emitting element 8 for illumination is mounted. The multiple key top 3 is mounted on the fixed contact 7 and the light emitting element 8 for illumination, and the light emitting element 8 for illumination is housed in the recess 10b of the rubber sheet.

When the light emitting element 8 for illumination is turned on, the light is emitted from the rubber sheet.
Propagating in 10 and entering the top 9a through the thin portion 9b,
It propagates through the inside of 9a and radiates to the outside from the top and side surfaces.
Thus, the rubber sheet 10 also serves as a light guide plate.

As described with reference to FIG. 3, the fixed contact 7 is composed of comb-like carbon contacts 7a and 7b which are closely opposed to each other, and when the movable contact 9d abuts on them, the contacts 7a and 7b are closed. It is made.

It is not shown that various other circuit components are mounted on the printed circuit board 1 as needed.

On the upper surface of the upper case 2b, a keytop hole 11 through which the top 9a of the keytop projects, an illumination switch hole 12 through which the operating portion of the illumination switch 6 projects, and an optical sensor for causing light to enter the optical sensor 4. A hole 13 is provided. The optical sensor hole 13 may be covered with a transparent sheet. Upper case 2b
A filter 14 for transmitting infrared rays is attached to the front surface of the. A battery is housed in the cases 2a and 2b, but not shown.

The illumination switch 6 may be omitted and the automatic illumination function may be constantly provided.

Other Embodiments Instead of providing the movable contact 9d at the projecting position of the actuating protrusion 9c of the key top, as shown in FIG. 2, the snap plate 21 is housed in the through hole 10a of the rubber sheet and fixed contact 7 is formed. Actuator 9c
It is also possible to intervene between and. The snap plate 21 is made of a metal elastic body and is convexly curved upward so as to cover the fixed contact 7. However, when it is pressed downward by the operating protrusion 9c, the central portion thereof is curved downward, and the fixed contact 7 is fixed. It comes into contact with 7a and 7b. Such a snap plate 21
By using, the click feeling during key operation can be further enhanced.

[Advantage of Invention] According to this invention, an optical sensor is attached to the remote control input device, and it becomes possible to automatically illuminate the key top by detecting that the room is dark. As a result, the user is relieved of the hassle of having to turn on the indoor lighting when operating the remote control, and the usability of the remote control can be greatly improved.

Since the multiple key tops of the present invention do not need to separate each key top, the productivity of the key tops is good. Further, if the multiple key tops are mounted at predetermined positions on the board, all the key tops and the movable contacts are positioned and arranged on the corresponding fixed contacts at the same time. This can reduce the man-hours for assembling the remote controller.

Further, since the light emitting element 10 for illumination is housed inside the multiple key top, there is no risk of dust adhering to the outer surface of the element 8, and even if dust adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the key top, the light is thin. Since the light enters the key top from the portion 9b and irradiates the display 9e, there is no fear that the illuminance will be lowered due to the influence of dust.

The function to automatically illuminate the key top according to this invention is
It can be widely applied to not only remote controls but also operation units such as telephones and car audios, and its practical effects are extremely large.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an essential part of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main part of another embodiment of the present invention,
The drawing is a partially exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An illuminated remote control input device comprising a printed circuit board, a multiple key top, an optical sensor, a light emitting element for illumination, and a contact portion, wherein the optical sensor detects light. , Which outputs a detection signal according to the amount of light, the illumination light-emitting element is capable of lighting when the level of the detection signal of the optical sensor is below a threshold value, the contact portion, A plurality of fixed contacts formed on the printed circuit board, wherein the multiple key top is made of transparent or semi-transparent rubber,
A plurality of key tops are connected to each other by a rubber sheet, and each key top is attached to a predetermined position on the printed circuit board so that each key top is located on a corresponding fixed contact of the contact portion. Is a top portion, a thin portion projecting downwardly and obliquely downward from the corner formed by the top surface and the bottom surface and side surfaces, and the vicinity thereof, and an operating protrusion projecting below the bottom surface of the top portion. The rubber sheet has a through hole that is slightly larger than the outer shape of the bottom surface of the top at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of key tops. The corner formed by the peripheral wall of the through hole and the seat upper surface and its vicinity are integrally connected to the projecting end of the thin portion of the key top, the upper surface of the through hole is covered with the key top, and the seat lower surface Near the through hole The printed circuit board has a recess for accommodating the light emitting element for illumination, the fixed contact for contacting and separating with the movable contact of the key top is formed on the upper surface of the printed circuit board, and the light emitting element for illumination is mounted. An illuminated remote control input device, characterized in that the multiple key top is mounted at the predetermined position of the printed circuit board, and the light emitting element for illumination is housed in the recess of the rubber sheet. . 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein instead of forming a movable contact at the tip of the actuating protrusion, a snap plate, which is made of a metal elastic body and is curved upward, is provided in the rubber sheet through hole. An illuminated remote control input device, which is housed inside and is interposed between the fixed contact and the actuating protrusion.