JPH0756672A - Keyboard pad - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the keyboard pad of a touch panel capable of directly confirming an input content excellent in operability and improved in input efficiency by providing a key by which the touch face of a touch panel is depressed corresponding to the touch face, providing a key contact part at the lower end of the key, and connecting mutually the key contact parts with a thin part of an elastic structure. CONSTITUTION:A keyboard pad 1 is equipped with a key 2 provided corresponding to a touch face 12 of a touch panel 11, and a key contact part 3 is formed at the lower end of the key 2. The key contact part 3 is freely bended, and mutually connected to the key contact part 3 of the adjacent key 2 with a thin part 4 having elasticity. A hole 5 is provided at the central part of each key 2, and the display of the touch face 12 can be directly read through the hole 5. The keyboard pad is placed on the touch panel 11, and the upper end of the key 2 is pressed with a finger, bearing is applied from the thin part 4 to the touch face 12 of the touch panel 11, and the display content of the touch face 12 is inputted.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a keyboard pad, and more particularly to a keyboard pad capable of visually recognizing a display on a touch surface which changes according to an input mode when inputting from a touch panel and inputting like a keyboard. Is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a manual input device of an electronic computer, a keyboard 13 using keys (keyboard) 2 as shown in FIGS.

On the other hand, a liquid crystal touch panel has recently been rapidly used as a manual input device as a means for preventing an increase in the number of keys.

[0004]

Conventional keyboard 13
In order to suppress the increase in the number of keys 2, function keys are provided, and the input mode is changed by the input of the function keys, so that one key 2 enables two or three types of input.

As described above, since one key 2 has a key structure capable of inputting two or three kinds of input contents, and correspondingly, two or three kinds of characters of the input contents are written on the key 2. Since the display of the keyboard 13 is not changed even if the input mode is changed, it is confusing on the input mode, for example, inputting as it is for the kana input mode, and inputting an unrelated alphabet. There is a drawback that it will end up. Also keyboard 13
There is also a drawback that the input mode cannot be confirmed above.

There is a liquid crystal touch panel input system to improve these drawbacks. However, in the input of the conventional liquid crystal touch panel, since a tablet with a short stroke is pressed, the operation feeling is poor and it takes time and effort to input. There was a flaw.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and to provide a touch panel keyboard pad which can directly confirm the input contents to be input and which is excellent in operability and improves input efficiency. Is intended.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the keyboard pad of the present invention is a keyboard pad placed on a touch panel, and the keyboard pad corresponds to the touch surface of the touch panel. A key for pressing a surface is provided, the key has a key contact portion at the lower end, and the key contact portion is connected to each other by a thin portion having an elastic structure. When the key is pressed, the key is bent by bending the thin portion. The contact part applies surface pressure to the touch surface of the touch panel, and when the key is pressed down, the elasticity of the thin part causes the key contact part to return to the position of the thin part surface.

The keyboard pad is formed of a transparent material, or a hole is formed in a key contact portion that comes into contact with the key and the touch panel so that the display on the touch surface can be visually observed.

[0010]

[Function] Even if the input mode is changed, the display on the touch surface can be visually checked and the user can input like a key. Therefore, the input operation is facilitated and the input efficiency is improved.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a keyboard pad according to the present invention. The keyboard pad 1 is a touch panel, for example, a touch surface 12 of a liquid crystal touch panel 11.
(A portion indicated by a thick line in the figure) has a corresponding key 2, and a key contact portion 3 is formed at a lower end of the key 2. The key contact portion 3 formed at the lower end of the key 2 is freely bent and is connected to the key contact portion 3 of the adjacent key 2 by a thin portion 4 having elasticity, and as a whole, as shown in FIG. 1 is formed.

A hole 5 is provided at the center of each key 2, and the display on the touch surface 12 can be directly read through the hole 5. Since the keyboard pad 1 has such a structure, the keyboard pad 1 shown in FIG. 2 is placed on the liquid crystal touch panel 11 as shown in FIG. 3 (keys of the keyboard pad 1 are omitted in FIG. 3). When the upper end of the key 2 is pressed with a finger, the thin portion 4 bends, and the key contact portion 3 gives a surface pressure P to the touch surface 12 of the liquid crystal touch panel 11 as shown in FIG. The display content of the touch surface 12 is input.

When the input is completed and the finger is removed, the thin portion 4
Due to the elasticity of the key contact portion 3 as shown in FIG.
2, the thin portion 4 is returned to its original state, and the key contact portion 3 is also returned to the same position as the surface of the thin portion 4. That is, the key 2 is raised to the normal position.

Since the display of the touch surface 12 can be directly viewed through the hole 5 as described above, even if the input mode is changed, the display of the touch surface 12 after the change can also be visually viewed and erroneous input due to the input mode is eliminated.

Further, if the keys 2 are provided and the keyboard pad 1 is formed of a flexible member, the stroke for inputting is further increased, and it becomes possible to input like a conventional keyboard.

If a lens for magnifying the display is fitted in the hole 5 of the key 2 or if the lens is formed integrally with the key 2, the display on the touch surface 12 is magnified for easy viewing. Further, the entire keyboard pad 1 may be formed of a transparent member, and in this case, it is not always necessary to form the hole 5.

Although the touch panel has been described as a liquid crystal panel,
A touch panel of another system may be used.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the keys are provided for the touch surface of the touch panel and the display of the touch surface is visible, even if the input mode by the function key is changed, You can enter the contents after confirming them, and you can enter them just like a keyboard.

Therefore, the input operation is facilitated and the input efficiency is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of a keyboard pad according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a keyboard pad according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a use explanatory diagram.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a key contact portion when a key is pressed.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a key contact portion when a key is pressed and removed.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a conventional keyboard.

FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 keyboard pad 2 key 3 key contact part 4 thin part 5 hole 11 liquid crystal touch panel 12 touch surface 13 keyboard

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A keyboard pad mounted on a touch panel, the keyboard pad corresponding to a touch surface of the touch panel, and having a key for pressing the touch surface, and the key having a key contact portion at a lower end thereof. In addition, the key contact portions are connected to each other by a thin portion having an elastic structure. When the key is pressed, the thin portion bends to apply surface pressure to the touch surface of the touch panel, and when the key is removed, the thin portion touches. The keyboard pad with the structure that the key contact part is returned to the position of the thin part surface by the elasticity of. 2. The keyboard pad according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard pad is made of a transparent material, and the display on the touch surface is visible. 3. The keyboard pad according to claim 1, wherein a hole is formed in a key contact portion that comes into contact with the key and the touch panel, and a display of a touch surface is visually observed through the hole. .