WO2018131137A1

WO2018131137A1 - Operation unit structure and electronic apparatus provided with same

Info

Publication number: WO2018131137A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/001035
Authority: WO
Inventors: 洋己赤塚; 良太青木
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2017-01-13
Filing date: 2017-01-13
Publication date: 2018-07-19
Also published as: JPWO2018131137A1; JP6925373B2

Abstract

In a button section (5), the front side thereof is exposed to the outside from an opening (2a) of an operation panel (2). A translucent sliding section (6) is disposed inside of the operation panel (2) by being assembled to the rear side of the button section (5), and operates corresponding to an operation performed with respect to the button section (5). A light source (8) is provided inside of the operation panel (2). A lens section (6b) is integrally provided to the sliding section (6), and is disposed on an optical path extending from the light source (8) to the rear side of the button section (5).

Description

Operation unit structure and electronic apparatus equipped with the same

The present invention relates to an operation unit structure such as an illumination type push button and an electronic apparatus including the same.

The illumination type push button structure is generally used as an operation unit structure included in an electronic device. For example, some illumination type push button structures include a design member and an operation member.
The design member is a member that serves as a push button in the operation panel of the electronic device, and is formed of a translucent or semi-translucent resin. Light from the light source is irradiated on the back side of the design member, and characters or marks printed or stamped on the front side are illuminated.

The operation member is arranged inside the operation panel in a state assembled to the design member, and slides in a direction in which the push button as the design member is pushed in, thereby bringing the contact of the switch into conduction.
By making the design member a part different from the operation member, it is possible to correspond to various appearances of the operation panel only by changing the design member, and the degree of freedom of the design is improved.

When light is unevenly irradiated on the back side of the push button, luminance unevenness occurs in the push button viewed from the front side, and the design is deteriorated. When the light source is arranged at a position corresponding to the center portion of the push button, the distance from the light source becomes farther toward the end portion closest to the center portion of the push button. In this case, a luminance loss corresponding to the distance from the light source occurs, and when viewed from the front side, the central portion of the push button is bright and the end portion is dark.

In the conventional push button structure, in order to reduce such luminance unevenness, for example, the light amount of the light source is increased so that an allowable range of luminance can be obtained at the end of the push button, and the thickness of the central portion of the push button is increased. Thus, the luminance loss when light passes through the button is increased, and the luminance at the center is adjusted to the end.
In this configuration, there is a problem that the power consumption and heat generation of the light source also increase in order to increase the light amount of the light source.

For example, there is an illumination switch described in Patent Document 1 as a structure for uniformly irradiating light on the back side of a push button while solving the above problem. In this switch, the operation member is a light control plate formed of a translucent resin, and a white reflection sheet that reflects light is attached to the lower surface of the light control plate. The light control plate functions as a light guide that guides the light from the light source and the light reflected by the white reflection sheet to the illumination range. Because the light control plate and the white reflection sheet uniformly illuminate the illumination area on the back side of the push button, there is no need to unnecessarily increase the amount of light from the light source, and the thickness of the central portion of the push button does not increase. Also good.

JP 2013-16287 A

However, in the illumination switch described in Patent Document 1, in order to diffuse the light from the light source toward the illumination range on the back side of the push button, a white reflective sheet that is a separate component from the operation member is necessary. There was a problem that the number of parts increased.
Moreover, since it is necessary to affix a white reflective sheet to the lower surface of a light control board, there exists a concern about the increase in a manufacturing process and deterioration of rework property.
Although it is conceivable to increase the number of light sources and irradiate the back end of the push button with light, the number of parts increases, which causes an increase in cost.

This invention solves the said subject, and it aims at obtaining the operation part structure which can reduce the brightness nonuniformity of the illumination of a design member, and an electronic device provided with the same, without increasing a number of parts.

The operation unit structure according to the present invention includes a design member, an operation member, a light source, and a lens unit.
The front side of the design member is exposed to the outside from the opening of the operation panel. The translucent operation member is assembled on the back side of the design member and disposed inside the operation panel, and operates in response to an operation on the design member. The light source is provided inside the operation panel. The lens unit is provided integrally with the operation member, and is disposed on the optical path from the light source to the back side of the design member.

According to this invention, the lens unit provided integrally with the operation member is disposed on the optical path from the light source to the illumination range on the back side of the design member. By comprising in this way, the light from a light source can be uniformly irradiated to an illumination range by a lens part, without increasing a number of parts. Thereby, the brightness nonuniformity of the illumination of a design member can be reduced.

It is a front view which shows the electronic device provided with the operation part structure which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an operation unit structure according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation unit structure according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a lens portion having a concave shape only on the output side. FIG. 4B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a lens portion having a concave shape only on the input side. FIG. 4C is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a lens portion having a plurality of concave shapes on the output side. FIG. 4D is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of a lens portion having a convex shape on the input side. It is a perspective view which shows the operation member in the operation part structure which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation unit structure according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the operation unit structure according to the second embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the operation part structure which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of an operation unit structure according to Embodiment 3. FIG.

Hereinafter, in order to describe the present invention in more detail, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an electronic apparatus 1 including an operation unit structure 4 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 1 is an in-vehicle device such as a navigation device, for example, and includes a display screen 3 and an operation unit structure 4 on an operation panel 2. In the following description, it is assumed that the operation unit structure 4 is an illumination type push button structure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the operation unit structure 4, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation unit structure 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit structure 4 includes a button unit 5, a sliding unit 6, a switch 7, and a light source 8. The button part 5 is a design member whose front side is exposed to the outside from the opening 2a of the operation panel 2, and is formed of a translucent or semi-translucent resin. For example, the button part 5 is a box-shaped member, the surface (surface on the back side) facing the surface on the front side of the box-shaped member is open, and has an engagement hole 5a on the side surface. The engagement hole 5a is a first engagement portion that engages with the engagement claw 6a. The button unit 5 may be colored, and characters or marks may be printed or stamped on the front surface of the button unit 5.

The sliding portion 6 is a translucent operation member that operates in response to an operation on the button portion 5, and is assembled to the back side of the button portion 5 and disposed inside the operation panel 2. For example, the sliding portion 6 is molded integrally with the lens portion 6b using a translucent resin.
The sliding portion 6 is a box-shaped member, the surface on the front side of the box-shaped member and the surface on the back side opposed to the opening are open, the engaging claw 6a is provided on the side surface, and the lens portion is provided inside. 6b, and a pusher 6c at the end of the lens portion 6b on the light source 8 side. The engaging claw 6 a is a second engaging portion that engages with the engaging hole 5 a of the button portion 5.
The sliding part 6 is assembled to the button part 5 by fitting into the opening of the button part 5 from the front side and hooking and engaging the engaging claw 6a with the engaging hole 5a. If the hooking engagement between the engagement hole 5a and the engagement claw 6a is released, the button portion 5 and the sliding portion 6 can be easily separated.
An engagement claw may be provided on the button portion 5 side and an engagement hole may be provided on the sliding portion 6 side. Further, an engagement assembly other than the hook engagement may be employed.

The lens portion 6 b is provided integrally with the sliding portion 6 and is disposed on the optical path from the light source 8 to the back side of the button portion 5. Thus, in the operation unit structure 4, a new part having the function of the lens unit 6 b is not added, and the lens unit 6 b is a part of the sliding unit 6. For this reason, the number of parts does not increase.
The lens unit 6b shown in FIG. 3 is a double-sided concave lens in which the front side facing the button unit 5 and the back side facing the light source 8 are concave. Therefore, the light from the light source 8 is diverged toward the back side of the button unit 5 by the lens unit 6b.

The switch 7 is a switch having a hollow central axis in a direction along the switch knob, and is mounted on the substrate 9. For example, when the switch knob is pushed by the pusher 6c, the contact of the switch 7 is turned on and the switch 7 is turned on. When the push of the switch knob is released, the switch knob returns to the original position and the contact is cut off. And turn off. In FIG. 3, the switch 7 is disposed at a position corresponding to the center portion on the back side of the button portion 5.

The light source 8 is a light emitting diode (LED) provided inside the operation panel 2 and is mounted on the substrate 9. In FIG. 3, the light source 8 is arranged in the hollow portion of the switch 7 and irradiates light toward the center on the back side of the button portion 5 through the lens portion 6 b.
The substrate 9 is a mounting substrate for the switch 7 and the light source 8 and is arranged inside the operation panel 2.
Inside the opening 2 a of the operation panel 2, the switch 7 and the light source 8 are arranged in a state of being mounted on the substrate 9. A structure in which the sliding portion 6 is assembled to the back side of the button portion 5 is assembled to the operation panel 2 through the opening 2a from the sliding portion 6 side. Thereby, the operation part structure 4 shown in FIG. 3 is completed.

The sliding portion 6 slides along the inner wall of the opening 2 a of the operation panel 2 in accordance with an operation of pushing the front side of the button portion 5. When the sliding portion 6 slides and the pusher 6c pushes the switch 7, the switch 7 is turned on.
When the button unit 5 is illuminated, the light from the light source 8 is irradiated to the back side of the button unit 5 through the lens unit 6b. The lens part 6b divides the light emitted from the light source 8 toward the back side center part of the button part 5 and guides the light to the back side end part of the button part 5 as indicated by an arrow in FIG. Since light is also guided to the end portion far from the central portion on the back side of the button portion 5, luminance unevenness such that the end portion becomes darker than the central portion of the button portion 5 is suppressed.

When the light source 8 is disposed in the hollow portion of the switch 7, light mainly directed from the light source 8 toward the center on the back side of the button unit 5 is output, and part of the light toward the back side end of the button unit 5 is It is blocked by the inner wall of the hollow part. Even in this case, since the lens unit 6b diverges the input light, the light is evenly applied to the back side end portion in addition to the back side center portion of the button portion 5.
In addition, since the lens portion 6b is molded integrally with the sliding portion 6, the above-described effects can be obtained without adding parts other than the sliding portion 6.
Since the button part 5 and the sliding part 6 are directly assembled by the engagement of the engaging hole 5a and the engaging claw 6a, the positional deviation between the button part 5 and the sliding part 6 is reduced. As a result, it is possible to suppress uneven irradiation of light on the back side of the button unit 5 due to the positional deviation between the button unit 5 and the sliding unit 6.

Although FIG. 3 shows the lens unit 6b configured to have a concave shape on each of the button unit 5 side and the light source 8 side, it is not limited to this configuration.
For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, a lens portion 6b-1 having a concave shape only on the output side may be provided in the sliding portion 6, and as shown in FIG. 4B, the lens portion 6b-1 has a concave shape only on the input side. The lens portion 6b-2 may be provided on the sliding portion 6. Since the light from the light source 8 diverges through the lens unit 6b-1 or the lens unit 6b-2, it is uniformly irradiated on the back side of the button unit 5.

As shown in FIG. 4C, a lens portion 6b-3 having a plurality of steps of concave shapes may be provided on the sliding portion 6. The lens portion 6b-3 shown in FIG. 4C has a two-step concave portion. The light from the light source 8 is refracted in the direction in which the light spreads due to the concave shape of the plurality of steps, so that the light from the light source 8 becomes light that is wider than the opening size of the hollow portion of the switch 7 through the lens portion 6b-3. As a result, the back side of the button unit 5 is uniformly irradiated with light. The illumination range can be changed by changing from the single-stage lens unit 6b-1 to a multi-stage lens unit.
As shown in FIG. 4D, a lens portion 6b-4 having a convex shape on the input side may be provided on the sliding portion 6. Since the light from the light source 8 is collected from the plane through the lens portion 6b-4, it is possible to collect the light only in the range to be illuminated.

As described above, in the operation unit structure 4 according to the first embodiment, the button unit 5 is exposed to the outside from the opening 2 a of the operation panel 2. The translucent sliding portion 6 is assembled on the back side of the button portion 5 and disposed inside the operation panel 2, and operates in response to an operation on the button portion 5. The light source 8 is provided inside the operation panel 2. The lens portion 6 b is provided integrally with the sliding portion 6 and is disposed on the optical path from the light source 8 to the back side of the button portion 5.
With this configuration, the light from the light source 8 can be evenly applied to the illumination range on the back side of the button unit 5 by the lens unit 6b without increasing the number of components. Thereby, the brightness nonuniformity of the illumination of the button part 5 can be reduced.

In the operation unit structure 4 according to the first embodiment, the

lens units

6b, 6b-1 to 6b-4 have a concave shape or a convex shape provided on at least one side of the button unit 5 and the light source 8.
With this configuration, the light from the light source 8 can be evenly applied to the illumination range on the back side of the button unit 5.

In the operation unit structure 4 according to the first embodiment, the button unit 5 and the sliding unit 6 are related to an engagement hole 5 a provided in the button unit 5 and an engagement claw 6 a provided in the sliding unit 6. Can be assembled together.
By comprising in this way, the button part 5 and the sliding part 6 can be assembled | attached or removed easily, and rework property can be improved.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing sliding portion 6A in operation portion structure 4A according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation unit structure 4A. 5 and FIG. 6, the same components as those in FIG. 2 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the operation unit structure 4 A includes a button unit 5, a sliding unit 6 A, a switch 7, and a light source 8.

The sliding portion 6 A is a translucent operation member that operates in response to an operation on the button unit 5, and is assembled to the back side of the button unit 5 and disposed inside the operation panel 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the inner peripheral surface 6 d of the sliding portion 6 A is a tapered surface that spreads toward the button portion 5. On the tapered surface, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 6, the light reflected on the back side of the button unit 5 and returning to the light source 8 side can be further reflected and returned to the back side of the button unit 5. Thereby, since the brightness of the illumination of the button unit 5 is increased as a whole, the amount of light emitted from the light source 8 can be made lower than the configuration shown in the first embodiment, and the power consumption of the light source 8 can be suppressed. .

As described above, in the operation portion structure 4 A according to the second embodiment, the inner peripheral surface 6 d of the sliding portion 6 A is a tapered surface that spreads toward the button portion 5.
With this configuration, the amount of light emitted from the light source 8 can be made lower than in the configuration shown in Embodiment 1, and the power consumption of the light source 8 can be suppressed.

So far, the switch 7 having a hollow portion has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the operation unit structure 4B shown in FIG. 7 employs a switch 7A having no hollow portion. In this case, since the switch 7A is disposed at a position deviated from the optical axis of the light source 8, the sliding part 6B is provided with a pusher 6c-1 at a position deviated from the optical axis of the lens part 6b.
Even if comprised in this way, the effect similar to the above is acquired.
7 shows a configuration in which the pusher 6c-1 is provided in the sliding portion 6B. However, the switch 7A is adopted in the configuration shown in the first embodiment, and the pusher 6c-1 is provided in the sliding portion 6. May be provided.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation unit structure 4C according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the same components as those in FIG.
The operation unit structure 4C includes a light shielding rib 2b provided in the opening 2a of the operation panel 2A in addition to the configuration shown in FIG.

The light shielding rib 2b is a first light shielding rib that is provided inside the operation panel 2A and blocks light traveling toward the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2A and the button portion 5.
The light passing through the side surface of the sliding portion 6A from the light source 8 is blocked by the light shielding rib 2b as shown by the arrow in FIG. 8, and leaks to the outside through the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2A and the button portion 5. There is nothing. The light shielding rib 2b may be employed in the configuration shown in the first embodiment or the configuration shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an operation unit structure 4D according to the third embodiment. In FIG. 9, the same components as those of FIG.
The operation portion structure 4D includes a button portion 5A having a protruding portion 5c instead of the button portion 5 in the configuration shown in FIG. 6, and further includes a light shielding rib 2c.

The protruding portion 5c extends from the button portion 5A and extends along the side surface 5b. The light shielding rib 2c is a second light shielding rib that is provided inside the operation panel 2B and blocks light passing between the sliding portion 6A and the protruding portion 5c.
As shown by the arrows in FIG. 9, the light leaking from the side surface of the sliding portion 6A and traveling toward the protruding portion 5c is blocked by the light shielding rib 2c. Thereby, light does not leak outside through the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2B and the button portion 5A. The protruding portion 5c and the light shielding rib 2c may be employed in the configuration shown in the first embodiment or the configuration shown in FIG.

As described above, the operation unit structure 4C according to the third embodiment is provided inside the operation panel 2A and blocks the optical path of light leaking outside through the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2A and the button unit 5. The light shielding rib 2b is provided. With this configuration, light leakage from the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2A and the button unit 5 is suppressed, and the design can be improved.

The operation part structure 4D according to the third embodiment includes a protruding part 5c that protrudes from the button part 5A and extends along the side surface 5b, and is provided inside the operation panel 2B, and extends between the sliding part 6A and the protruding part 5c. And a light-blocking rib 2c for blocking light passing therethrough.
By having these configurations, light leakage from the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2B and the button portion 5A is suppressed, and the design can be improved.

In addition, you may employ | adopt the sliding part which shape | molded two colors the lens part which consists of translucent resin, and parts other than the lens part which consists of non-translucent resin. Moreover, you may employ | adopt the sliding part which gave non-light-transmitting masking to parts other than a lens part.
Even with such a configuration, light leakage from the light source 8 from the gap between the opening 2a of the operation panel 2 and the button 5 can be suppressed, and the design can be improved.

In the first to third embodiments, the operation unit structure is an illumination type push button structure. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an illumination type operation dial in which the dial is illuminated may be used. That is, the present invention can be applied to any operation unit that includes a design member and an operation member and illuminates the design member with light from a light source.

In the present invention, within the scope of the invention, a free combination of each embodiment, a modification of an arbitrary component of each embodiment, or an omission of any component in each embodiment is possible.

The operation unit structure according to the present invention can reduce the luminance unevenness of the illumination of the design member without increasing the number of parts, and thus is suitable for an operation unit of an in-vehicle device, for example.

1

Electronic device

2, 2A, 2B operation panel, 2a opening, 2b, 2c light shielding rib, 3 display screen, 4, 4A-4D operation structure, 5, 5A button, 5a engagement hole, 5b side, 5c protrusion, 6, 6A, 6B sliding part, 6a engagement claw, 6b, 6b-1 to 6b-4 lens part, 6c, 6c-1 pusher, 6d inner peripheral surface, 7, 7A switch, 8 light source 9 substrate.

Claims

A design member whose front side is exposed to the outside from the opening of the operation panel;
A translucent operation member that is assembled to the back side of the design member and arranged inside the operation panel, and operates in response to an operation on the design member;
A light source provided inside the operation panel;
An operating portion structure comprising: a lens portion provided integrally with the operating member and disposed on an optical path from the light source to the back side of the design member.
The design member is a button part,
The operation unit structure according to claim 1, wherein the operation member is a member that slides in a pressing direction when the button unit is pressed and presses a switch provided in the operation panel.
The operation unit structure according to claim 1, wherein the lens unit has a concave shape or a convex shape provided on at least one side of the design member and the light source.
A first engagement portion provided on the design member;
A second engagement portion provided on the operation member,
The operation part structure according to claim 1, wherein the design member and the operation member are assembled with the first engagement part and the second engagement part engaged with each other.
The operation portion structure according to claim 1, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the operation member is a tapered surface that extends toward the design member.
2. The operation unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a first light shielding rib provided inside the operation panel and configured to block light traveling toward a gap between the opening of the operation panel and the design member. Construction.
A protruding portion extending from the design member and extending along the side surface;
The operation part structure according to claim 1, further comprising: a second light shielding rib provided inside the operation panel and configured to block light passing between the operation member and the protrusion.
2. The operation member is a member in which the lens portion made of a light-transmitting resin and a portion other than the lens portion made of a non-light-transmitting resin are molded in two colors. Operation part structure.
The operation unit structure according to claim 1, wherein the operation member is a member obtained by performing non-transparent masking on a portion other than the lens unit.
An electronic device comprising the operation unit structure according to claim 1.