JPH09204148A - Switch display unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make the distinctness of displayed characters and the smoothness of the font excellent and make it possible to optionally change the display of switch functions with simple constitution. SOLUTION: A key top 1 is in the same structure with a screen window 2. A light source 1 emits light. An optical fiber 8 transmits the light to a prism 4. The prism 4 emits the light on its surface to output illumination light 13. A liquid crystal panel 3 transmits the illumination light 13 from the prism 4 to project characters as projection light 14 on the screen window 2. A CPU 11 for control outputs a display signal 7 to a driver part 6. The driver part 6 drives the liquid crystal panel 3 to display character data 12. The switch part 5 sends a switch contact output 9 out to the CPU 11 for control through the light source 10 and driver part 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a switch display, and more particularly to a switch display for displaying characters displayed on a liquid crystal panel on a screen window by surface emission of optical fibers and prisms.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a symbol indicating an operation function of a switch is made by marking or marking on a panel on which the switch is attached.

Recently, there is a switch having a function of displaying a symbol on a key top. As an example of such a switch with a display function, a "keyboard key" described in JP-A-1-105419 is known.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of the keyboard keys.

The key shown in FIG. 3 described in this publication is composed of a key top 16 and a main body portion 17, and a display portion 18 for displaying an arbitrary symbol pattern with dots and a drive portion 19 thereof are attached to the key top 16 and the main body is attached. A display control unit 20 capable of generating a plurality of types of symbol patterns in the unit 17 and selecting one of them according to an input selection signal to output to the drive unit 19, and a switch 21.
It has a configuration in which and are attached.

The display unit 18 is composed of an LED array and displays an arbitrary symbol pattern by dot display. When the key top 16 is pressed, the key top 16 enters the main body 17 and the switch 21 is opened and closed. This open / closed state is pin 22
Through an external control unit (not shown). The display control unit 20 can generate n kinds of symbol patterns, one of which is selected by the bit signal of the external control unit input from the pin 22 and is output to the drive unit 19 via the signal line 23 to display the display unit 18. Dot display.

If there are eight types of symbol patterns, the symbol pattern is selected by a 3-bit signal using three pins 22.

[0008]

The above-mentioned conventional switch display has the drawback that the displayed characters lack dot identification and smoothness of the typeface.

Further, since the key top has a drive circuit and the main body has a display control circuit, the switch structure is complicated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a switch indicator which is excellent in distinguishability of displayed characters and smoothness of typeface and which can change the symbol display of the switch at any time with a simple structure.

[0011]

A switch display according to the present invention comprises a liquid crystal panel, surface emitting means for illuminating a character displayed on the liquid crystal panel from the back side, and the character of the liquid crystal panel by the surface emitting means. Is provided with a screen window projected on the front surface, drive means for displaying the characters on the liquid crystal panel, and switch means for operating the drive means and the surface emitting means.

The surface emitting means is characterized by including a light source for emitting illumination light, an optical fiber for guiding the illumination light, and a prism for emitting the illumination light by surface emission.

A driver circuit for driving the operation means to request character data from an external control device in response to the operation of the switch means, decode the character data sent by the external control device, and display the character on the liquid crystal panel. It is characterized by having.

The switch means includes a key top integrated with the screen window, and a switch that operates by pressing the key top to output an open / close signal.

[0015]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the switch display of the present invention.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a key top 1
And a screen window 2 integrated with the optical fiber 8, an optical fiber 8 that transmits the illumination light of the light source 10, a prism 4 that surface-illuminates the illumination light 13, and an illumination light 13 from the prism 4 that transmits characters to the screen window 2 It is composed of a liquid crystal panel 3 which is projected by light 14, a driver unit 6 which drives the liquid crystal panel 3 by a display signal 7, and a switch unit 5 which outputs a switch contact output 9.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

By depressing the screen window 2 integrated with the key top 1, the switch section 5 operates and the switch contact output 9 is output. The switch contact output 9 is sent to the external control CPU 11 via the driver unit 6. When the control CPU 11 receives the switch contact output 9, it transmits a previously stored display signal 7 for displaying a symbol to the driver unit 6 by serial communication. The driver unit 6 displays the character data 12 on the liquid crystal panel 3 according to the display signal 7.

On the other hand, simultaneously with the operation of the switch unit 5, the light source 10 is turned on by the switch contact output 9, and the light from the light source 10 is transmitted through the optical fiber 8 and converted into surface emission by the prism 4. The uniform illumination light 13 obtained by the surface emission is transmitted through the liquid crystal panel 3 and the transmitted projection light 1
Reference numeral 4 causes the characters displayed on the liquid crystal panel 3 to be projected on the screen window 2.

The liquid crystal itself does not emit the character data, but controls the light transmittance by an electric field to transmit and block the illumination light 13 in accordance with the character data.
The projection light 14 is projected on the screen window 2.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an example of the function display operation of the switch.

In FIG. 2, components corresponding to those shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals or symbols, and their description will be omitted.

The symbols of the switch function are displayed on the liquid crystal panel 3 after being converted from serial to parallel by the driver section 6 by the serial signal of the display signal 7 sent from the control CPU 11.

In FIG. 2, as an example, the display signal 7 is "
Bit pattern data indicating A ″, “B”, “C”, and “D” is serially transmitted from the control CPU 11, and the character data 12a, 12b, 12c, and
12d shows the displayed state.

Since the characters to be displayed on the liquid crystal panel 3 can be arbitrarily changed by the control CPU 11 at any time, the symbol display of the switch function can be freely changed.

The transmission of the display signal 7 is not limited to serial transmission, and parallel transmission is also possible.

[0028]

As described above, the switch indicator of the present invention decodes the display signal transmitted from the outside by the switch operation, displays it on the liquid crystal panel, and displays the displayed character on the prism from the light from the optical fiber. Since it is configured to project on the screen window with the surface emission converted by, it is possible to change the symbol display of the switch function at any time with a simple configuration that is excellent in the distinguishability of displayed characters and the smoothness of the typeface. Have

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a switch indicator of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a function display operation of a switch.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a keyboard key.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Key Top 2 Screen Window 3 Liquid Crystal Panel 4 Prism 5 Switch Section 6 Driver Section 7 Display Signal 8 Optical Fiber 9 Switch Contact Output 10 Light Source 11 Control CPU 12 Character Data 13 Illumination Light 14 Projection Light 16 Key Top 17 Main Body 18 Display Section 19 drive section 20 display control section 21 switch 22 pin 23 signal line

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A liquid crystal panel, a surface light emitting means for illuminating a character displayed on the liquid crystal panel from the back surface, a screen window in which the character of the liquid crystal panel is projected on the front surface by the surface light emitting means, and the liquid crystal. A switch display comprising: a drive unit for displaying the characters on a panel; and a switch unit for operating the drive unit and the surface emitting unit. 2. The switch according to claim 1, wherein the surface emitting means includes a light source that emits illumination light, an optical fiber that guides the illumination light, and a prism that emits the illumination light. display. 3. A driver for displaying the character on the liquid crystal panel, wherein the drive means requests character data from an external control device in response to the operation of the switch means, decodes the character data sent by the external control device, and displays the character on the liquid crystal panel. The switch indicator according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a circuit. 4. The switch means comprises a key top integrated with the screen window, and a switch that operates by pressing the key top and outputs an open / close signal. Alternatively, the switch indicator described in 3.