JPS6012731B2 - keyboard switch - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a keyboard switch using a transparent electrode film pattern.

Such keyboard switches are used as terminal devices in computer systems.

In other words, many types of data must be input from the keyboard of the terminal device of a computer system, but if the number of keys corresponding to the types of data is provided, a large number of keys will be provided and each key will have an identification name. A large keyboard switch with the following information is required. Therefore, the keyboard switch and its associated circuits are configured to have a relatively small number of keys, and to allow input of a large number of types of data depending on the order in which the keys are operated. In this case, a data sheet (da
tasheet) is used. The most convenient way to use the data sheet is to configure the keyboard switch in the form of a sheet, place the desired data sheet under it, and press the keys while discussing the data sheet under the sheet-like keyboard switch through the transparent part of the transparent electrode film pattern. It is to manipulate. In order to enable such key operations, a transparent structure is required that allows the data sheet to be read from each switch part of the sheet-like keyboard switch. If you want to change the type of data you need to input, just replace the data sheet. The present invention relates to such a sheet-like keyboard switch. By the way, a sheet-like keyboard switch using a transparent electrode film pattern has a large resistance per unit area (Q/□) due to the nature and shape of the electrode film, but there are restrictions on the design of the electric circuit pattern.

In other words, as will be explained with drawings in a later section, the thickness of the transparent electrode film itself is several hundred angstroms, and
Since the material is a semiconducting material such as indium oxide or tin oxide, the resistance per unit area is usually very large, on the order of several hundred Q/□. Therefore, when the keyboard becomes larger and a matrix is assembled, the resistance value seen from the electrode lead terminals will be significantly different between the contacts near and far from the electrode leads in the lead-out portion. In this case, the circuit that receives the opening/closing signals of the contacts and performs calculations requires a large amount of electrical margin because there is a large difference in the input signal level, and in some cases requires an additional circuit. Z This invention was made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional sheet-like keyboard switch. The resistance due to the length of the pattern wiring was reduced by connecting the key top (key P) to a part that does not obstruct the effective visual Z field and printing and coating it with a highly conductive paint. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1. In these figures, 1 holds the components in the frame of the entire keyboard switch. 2 is a protective sheet made of a transparent and flexible material such as polyester or vinyl chloride.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a colored portion on which a coloring agent is applied on the protective sheet 2, and is designed to separate the keys.

4 is the touch surface, and there is no coloring agent applied to this part of the protective sheet 2, so while looking at the transmitted text and light from below,
Key operations are performed by pressing this touch surface 4.

5 is a transparent film substrate, which is generally made of a flexible polyester sheet.

6 is a method of vapor deposition or sputtering on the surface of the substrate 5.
It is a transparent electrode film pattern made of indium oxide, tin oxide, etc., deposited using a method such as ering, etc., and constitutes a group of movable contacts.

Reference numeral 7 denotes the surface portion of the transparent film substrate 5 where the transparent electrode film pattern 6 is not attached.
It becomes an insulating part for separation between the two.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a conductive paint pattern of components such as silver and carbon applied around the transparent electrode film pattern 6. As shown in FIG.

9 is an electrode lead of the transparent electrode film 6 that operates as a movable contact, and the transparent electrode film 6 is made of a conductive adhesive,
Alternatively, they are connected using a conductive rubber connector or the like.

Reference numeral 10 denotes an insulating spacer made of polyester film or the like to form a gap between the movable contact and the fixed contact. 11 is a hole provided with an insulating spacer 101,
The movable contacts of each key contact the fixed contacts through this respective hole.

12 is a transparent glass substrate, and 13 is the same transparent electrode film pattern as 6, which is formed on the transparent glass substrate to constitute a fixed contact group.

14 is the surface of the transparent glass substrate 12, and like 7, it becomes an insulating part for separating the transparent electrode film patterns 13.

15 is a conductive paint pattern similar to 8, which is connected and applied around the electrode film pattern 13.

Reference numeral 16 uses screws to laminate and integrate each component.

In the sectional view shown in FIG. 2, 17 is an input data sheet.
The input data sheet 17 can be moved and pushed in the direction indicated by the arrow. The conventional sheet-shaped keyboard switch has the same structure as that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 except that it does not have the conductive paint patterns 8 and 15, and the operation method of the keyboard switch of this invention is the same as that of the conventional sheet-shaped keyboard switch. The same applies to keyboard switches.

In other words, the operator inputs data sheet 1 from the key top.
7, press the touch surface 4 of the corresponding key with your finger according to the operation order shown in the input data sheet 17. The transparent electrode film pattern 6 on the flexible protective sheet 2 and the transparent film substrate 5 is displaced to form the hole 11 of the insulating spacer 10.
Transparent electrode film pattern 13 on transparent glass substrate 12 through
to create a signal circuit. Therefore, it is clear that the conventional sheet-like keyboard switch without the conductive paint patterns 8, 15 suffers from the above-mentioned drawbacks.

In the keyboard switch of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the contact portions of the transparent electrode film patterns 6 and 13 are used as they are, and the portions that operate as a circuit are replaced with a conductive paint pattern with good conductivity. ing. As a result, the resistance value between the electrode lead terminals is significantly lowered, and the variation in resistance value depending on the key position can be reduced, while the parts that require transparency remain the same as before.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1. In the figure, 2 is a protective sheet, 4 is a touch surface, 5 is a transparent film substrate, 6 is a transparent electrode film pattern, 8 is a conductive paint pattern, 9 is an electrode lead, 10 is an insulating substrate, 1
1 is a hole, 12 is a transparent glass substrate, 13 is a transparent electrode film pattern, and 15 is a conductive paint pattern. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same parts. Figure lFigure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A plurality of fixed contact electrodes are formed on the surface of a transparent insulating substrate using a transparent electrode film pattern, and an insulating spacer with a hole provided in a portion corresponding to each fixed contact electrode of the plurality of fixed contact electrodes is placed on the substrate. A movable contact electrode is constructed by overlaying a flexible transparent film substrate on the insulating spacer, on the back surface of which is formed an electrode pattern corresponding to each of the fixed contact electrodes using a transparent electrode film pattern. , one data sheet selected from a plurality of data sheets is placed under the transparent insulating substrate, and while reading the one data sheet through the transparent part of the transparent electrode film pattern, the movable data sheet is placed on the transparent film substrate. In a keyboard switch in which a key is operated by pressing down on a contact electrode, a transparent electrode film constituting the movable contact electrode and a transparent electrode film constituting the fixed contact electrode are placed at positions that do not obstruct reading of the data sheet. A keyboard switch coated with conductive paint and electrically connected to a corresponding transparent electrode film.