JPH09245558A - Illuminated key top - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance visibility from diagonal front in a key top in which the lighting of a back lamp is visually recognized by forming one part thereof into a transparent indication portion. SOLUTION: An indication portion 5a is molded by transparent resin as a separated body from a key top main body 5b, and is interposed and fixed into a through window 7 opened in the opaque key top main body 5b, and also a gap 8 between the lower face of the indication portion 5a and the wall face of the through window 7 facing thereto is provided. Thereby, the lower face of the indication portion 5a shines like a mirror by the incident light of a lamp 2 into the gap 8 so that the lighting of the lamp 2 can be clearly visually recognized from diagonal upward.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key top mainly used for pressing a switch of a home electric appliance, and particularly, in response to lighting of a lamp arranged behind the key top.
The present invention relates to an illuminated key top that transmits the light forward through a partially provided transparent portion.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a conventional key top described above, and the example shown is used for an ion water generator for electrolyzing tap water to generate alkaline water and acidic water. is there. In the figure, a lamp 2 made of LEDs and a push button switch 3 are mounted side by side on a printed circuit board 1, and the front surface thereof is covered with a transparent waterproof sheet 4. A key top 5 is arranged in front of the lamp 2 and the push button switch 3 in close proximity to the lamp 2 and the push button switch 3.
Is supported in a window hole of the operation panel 6 so as to be movable back and forth (right and left in the figure). Now, when the key top 5 is pushed rightward in the figure, the push button switch 3 pushes the push button portion 3a to perform a switching operation (ON), and at the same time, the lamp 2
Lights up.

Here, the key top 5 is formed of an opaque resin as a whole, but only the portion facing the lamp 2 is formed of a transparent resin as a display portion 5a.
Light from the lit lamp 2 passes through the display portion 5a and is visible from the front. FIG. 4 is a front view of the ion water generator, and a plurality of key tops 5 are arranged on the operation panel 6. The push button switch 3 corresponding to each key top 5 is a lock type that interlocks with each other, and when any one of the key tops 5 is pressed, the corresponding push button switch 3 is turned on, and at the same time, the other push button that has been turned on. It operates so that the switch 3 is turned off.

[0004]

The display portion 5a of the conventional keytop 5 is manufactured by integrally molding a transparent resin on an opaque keytop body.
Can see the lighting of the lamp 2 well from the front, but it is difficult to discriminate from an obliquely upper position. Especially, when the distance between the lamp 2 and the key top 5 becomes long due to the waterproof structure as shown in the figure, It was unclear. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to satisfactorily visually recognize the lighting of the lamp even from an oblique front of the key top.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is arranged in front of a lamp and a push button switch mounted side by side so as to be movable back and forth, and the front surface is pressed to operate the push button switch. Illuminated key top that pushes the push button portion of the button switch to perform a switching operation and transmits the light from the lamp lit by this switching operation forward through a transparent display portion that is partially formed facing the lamp. In the above, the display portion is formed as a separate body from the keytop main body, and the display portion is fitted and fixed in a through window opened in the keytop main body, and a specific surface of the outer periphery of the display portion and the above-mentioned opposite to the specific surface. A gap is provided between the key top body and the wall surface of the through window, and the light of the lamp is introduced into this gap to turn on the lamp. It is also intended to allow viewing obliquely from the front parts.

According to this structure, when the front surface of the display section is viewed obliquely from the front opposite to the gap while the lamp is lit, the outer peripheral surface of the display section facing the gap enters the gap. Because it looks like a mirror due to the light,
The lighting of the lamp can be clearly seen.

[0007]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the same object as that shown in the conventional example, FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a key top, and FIG. 2 is a front view thereof. In the figure, the key top 5 is roughly the size, width 20 mm, height
A through window 7 with a vertical width of about 3 mm and a horizontal length of about 10 mm was opened at the same time as the molding on the upper side of the main body 5b made of opaque resin with a thickness of 10 mm and a thickness of 5 mm. A display portion 5a made of a molded transparent resin is fitted and fixed by adhesion. However, in that case, a gap 8 of about 0.3 mm is provided between a specific surface on the outer periphery of the display portion 5a, the lower surface in the case shown, and the wall surface of the through window 7 facing the lower surface.

In such a structure, when the lamp 2 is turned on, the display portion 5a transmits the light forward and makes it visible from the front, while the lower surface is illuminated by the light entering the gap 8, and this portion is illuminated. It looks like a mirror when viewed diagonally from above, as indicated by the arrow. Therefore, in the case of the illustrated embodiment, the lighting of the lamp 2 can be clearly recognized not only from directly in front but also obliquely from above. By the way, in the case of the conventional case where there is no gap 8, the display portion 5a can only see the ground color of the keytop body 5b from a diagonally upper position, and the lamp 2
The lighting of cannot be clearly determined. In the illustrated embodiment, a gap is provided on the lower surface side of the display portion 5a in order to obtain visibility from diagonally above, but in order to see from diagonally below, the gap is provided on the upper surface side and from the diagonal left or right side. For visual recognition, they may be provided on the right side or the left side, respectively, if necessary, or may be provided on the entire circumferential surface.

[0009]

According to the present invention, with a simple structure in which a gap is provided facing an appropriate outer peripheral surface of the display portion, it is possible to clearly see the lighting of the lamp not only directly in front of the key top but also obliquely from the front. It becomes possible to do.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing a conventional example.

4 is a front view of an ion water generator including the key top of FIG. 3. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Printed circuit board 2 Lamp 3 Push button switch 4 Waterproof sheet 5 Key top 5a Display part 5b Key top body 7 Through window 8 Gap

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Toshiyuki Murahashi 2-1, 1-1 Nakajima, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture Totoki Equipment Co., Ltd. (72) Tomoaki Yamaura, Nakajima, Kitakyushu, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 2 No. 1-1 No. 1 Totoki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masakazu Oshima 1-1 No. Tanabe Nitta, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A lamp and a push button switch, which are mounted side by side, are arranged so as to be movable back and forth, and a push button portion of the push button switch is pushed to perform a switching operation when the front surface is pushed, and the switching operation is performed. In an illuminated keytop in which light from the lamp lit by is transmitted forward through a transparent display partly formed facing the lamp, the display part is formed separately from the keytop body. The display part is fitted and fixed in a through window opened in the keytop body, and a gap is provided between a specific surface of the outer periphery of the display part and a through window wall surface of the keytop body opposite to this. By letting the light of the lamp enter the gap,
An illuminated key top characterized in that the lighting of the lamp can be visually recognized even from an oblique front side of the display section.