Patent Grant
9685286
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2013-182348 filed Sep. 3, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a keyboard device including depressible key tops.
As a keyboard device, for example, a keyboard of a personal computer including a rubber dome and a scissors mechanism is used. In such a keyboard device, if a user presses a key top, the key top supported horizontally to the scissors mechanism presses down the rubber dome. As a result, a mechanism in which an electrical connection is made in a membrane switch and an input signal is transmitted is adopted (see JP 2012-129140A).
Recently, there has been a need to make a keyboard device thinner. In order to meet this need, there is proposed a method using an attraction force generated in a magnet pair, in replacement of a rubber dome and a scissors mechanism. In such a method, magnets are provided in key tops.
By the way, in a case where the magnets are provided in the key top, when the key top is pressed, the magnet may interfere with a membrane switch in which a signal line is wired. In such a case, there are concerns that the wiring of the signal line may be hindered.
Therefore, the present disclosure proposes a method which is capable of appropriately wiring signal lines while making a keyboard device thinner.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a keyboard device including a plurality of key tops that include magnets and are depressible, an opposing member which is provided to face the plurality of key tops and in which signal lines are wired, and a plurality of openings that is formed corresponding to positions of the magnets when the key tops are pressed in the opposing member. The signal lines are wired while avoiding the openings.
According to the present disclosure, since the keyboard device includes the plurality of openings that is formed corresponding to the positions of the magnets when the key top is pressed in the opposing member, the magnets do not interfere with the opposing member, thereby achieving a reduction in the thickness of the keyboard device. Also, since the signal lines are wired in the opposing member such that the lines avoid the openings, it is possible to appropriately output the signals according to the pressing of the key top.
As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately wire the signal lines in the opposing member facing the key top, while reducing the thickness of the keyboard device.
Incidentally, the above effect is not necessarily restrictive and, in addition to the above effect or alternative to the above effect, any effect set forth in the present specification or other effects grasped from the present specification may be achieved.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that, in this specification and the appended drawings, structural elements that have substantially the same function and structure are denoted with the same reference numerals, and repeated explanation of these structural elements is omitted.
Incidentally, the description will be given in the following order.
<1. Configuration of Keyboard Device>
A configuration of a keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In the following, an electronic device 10 illustrated in
As illustrated in
The display-side housing 20 includes a display section 22. The display section 22 includes a display device such as, for example, a liquid crystal display. The display section 22 includes a display screen that displays a variety of information. Incidentally, a touch panel that allows a user to perform a touch operation may be overlapped on the display screen of the display section 22.
The body-side housing 30 includes an input section 32 that receives an input operation of a user. The input section 32 detects the input operation of the user and outputs an electric signal corresponding to the input operation. The user performs the input operation through the input section 32 when the display-side housing 20 is in an open state (
The hinge mechanism section 40 pivotally connects the display-side housing 20 to the body-side housing 30. The hinge mechanism section 40 is provided on both sides of the body-side housing 30 in a longitudinal direction (X direction illustrated in
Incidentally, in the above, the keyboard device has been described as being the personal computer in which the input section 32 and the display section 22 are integrally provided, but is not limited thereto. For example, the keyboard device may be a keyboard that does not include the display section 22 and includes the input section 32. That is, the keyboard device may be configured separately from the display device.
<2. Detailed Configuration of Keyboard Section 33>
An example of a detailed configuration of the keyboard section 33 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
(Bottom Plate 110)
The bottom plate 110 is provided on the bottom of the keyboard section 33. The bottom plate 110 is a plate-shaped member that has a flat-plate shape and is made of for example, a metal plate such as an aluminum plate, a resin, or the like. The bottom plate 110 supports the backlight member 120, the membrane 130, the support member 140, the key tops 150, and the bezel 160. Incidentally, similar to the bottom plate 110, the backlight member 120 and the membrane 130 have a flat-plate shape.
(Backlight Member 120)
For example, when the surroundings are dark, a light-emitting section of the backlight member 120 is turned on to illuminate the key tops 150 from the back side of the key tops 150. The brightness of the surroundings is sensed by for example, an illumination sensor. By providing the backlight member 120, the user can press down desired key tops 150 even when it is dark.
A plurality of hole sections 122 is formed at positions where magnets 156 or sliding sections 158 of the key tops 150 (see
The light-emitting section 124 is a self-luminous member, for example, an inorganic EL scheme. That is, the backlight member 120 is an inorganic EL light-emitting member. As many light-emitting sections 124 as the key tops 150 are formed at positions corresponding to the centers of the key tops 150. By using such an inorganic EL light-emitting section, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the backlight member 120 and uniformly emit light. In particular, in a case where the light-emitting section 124 is self-luminous, it is possible to make the key tops 150 emit light even though the hole sections 122 are provided, as opposed to an LED scheme in which requiring a waveguide plate.
Incidentally, in the above, the light-emitting section 124 has been described as being the inorganic EL scheme, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the light-emitting section 124 may be an organic EL scheme. That is, the backlight member 120 may be an organic EL light-emitting member. In such a case, the thickness of the backlight member 120 can be reduced. Also, the self-luminous backlight member 120 may be a thin sheet-shaped member in which ultra-low-profile LEDs are laid below the respective key tops 150.
(Membrane 130)
The membrane 130 is, for example, a switch including two sheets of film-shaped members and a contact formed by a pair of electrodes provided in inner surfaces of the film-shaped members to be faced at a predetermined interval. The contacts are disposed at positions corresponding to the key tops 150, respectively. When the contacts are contacted, electric signals corresponding to the key tops 150 are output through the signal lines.
Like the hole sections 122 of the backlight member 120, a plurality of hole sections 132 is formed at positions where magnets 156 and sliding sections 158 (see
The contacts 134 are disposed in portions facing the key tops 150 (specifically, just below the key tops 150). When the key top 150 is pressed down, the back side of the key top 150 contacts the contact 134. Therefore, an electric signal corresponding to the pressed key top 150 is output.
The signal lines 136 are wired while avoiding the hole sections 132 in the membrane 130 and transfer electric signals. The signal lines 136 connect the contacts 134 to a keyboard controller of the keyboard section 33. Therefore, electric signals are output to the keyboard controller through the signal lines 136. Incidentally, as details will be described below, it is possible to appropriately wire the signal lines 136 within the membrane 130 by adjusting the formation positions of the hole sections 132 so as to reduce the thickness of the keyboard.
Incidentally, in the above, the membrane 130 has been described as being the switching scheme, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the membrane 130 may be a scheme that detects the proximity of the key top 150 or a pressure in a portion facing the key top 150. Also, the membrane 130 may adopt a scheme such as a position detection, a magnetic flux, or an electrostatic capacitance detection.
(Support Member 140)
The support member 140 is a support member that supports the plurality of key tops 150. Also, the support member 140 has a function of guiding the key top 150 in a predetermined moving direction when the user presses down the key top 150.
The hole section 142 includes a hole that is formed in a rectangular shape at a position corresponding to the key top 150 and along a shape of the key top 150. Therefore, when the key top 150 is pressed down, the key top 150 is entered into the hole section 142.
The magnet 144 is provided at a position adjacent to the hole section 142. Specifically, the magnet 144 is provided at a position facing a magnet 156 provided in the key top 150. The magnet 156 is attracted to the magnet 144 by an attraction force generated between the magnet 144 and the magnet 156. Since the magnet 156 is attracted to the magnet 144, the key top 150 before being pressed is maintained at a reference position.
Incidentally the magnet 144 is fixed to a magnet fixing section 145 of the support member 140 (see
The guide section 146 guides the sliding section 158 of the key top 150 such that the pressed key top 150 is moved obliquely downward. The key top 150 is maintained at a reference position (position P1 illustrated in
Also, a guide surface 147 which is an inclined surface is formed in the guide section 146. The guide surface 147 is formed in a direction intersecting with a height direction (direction Z in
(Key Top 150)
As illustrated in
The key top 150 is maintained at the reference position before being pressed down by the user, and is moved to the input position when being pressed down. The key top 150 is supported by the support member 140 such that the key top 150 is moved in a direction intersecting with the height direction of the key top 150 between the reference position and the input position. Since the configurations of the plurality of key tops 150 are identical to one another, the following description will be given of one key top 150 as an example with reference to
The top surface 151 is a surface of the key top 150 which is pressed down by the user. An inclined surface 154 is formed at an edge of the top surface 151. Therefore, when the key top 150 is moved from the reference position to the input position, it is possible to prevent the key top 150 from contacting an inner edge of an opening 162 of the bezel 160 (
The magnet 156 is fixed to a position facing the magnet 144 of the support member 140 so as to protrude from a back side 155 of the key top 150. The magnet 156 is attracted to the magnet 144 by the attraction force. Therefore, before pressed down, the key top 150 is maintained at the reference position where the magnet 156 is attracted to the magnet 144. On the other hand, when the pressing force to the key top 150 is large, the key top 150 overcomes the attraction force of the magnet and moves to the input position. Incidentally, in an embodiment, the magnet 156 corresponds to a first magnet and the magnet 144 corresponds to a second magnet. Incidentally, the reference position of the key top 150 corresponds to a first position and the input position corresponds to a second position.
When the key top 150 is pressed down, the sliding section 158 slides along the guide surface 147 of the support member 140. The sliding section 158 is a protrusion section that protrudes in a direction normal to a side surface of the key top 150. In an embodiment, four sliding sections 158 are formed such that the sliding sections 158 protrude in directions normal to both side surfaces 152 of the key top 150. When the sliding section 158 slides along the guide surface 147, the key top 150 moves between the reference position and the input position.
(Bezel 160)
The bezel 160 is a top cover of the keyboard section 33. In the bezel 160, as illustrated in
As described above, the keyboard section 33 according to an embodiment includes the magnet 144 provided in the support member 140, and the magnet 156 provided in the key top 150. A magnetic attraction force is generated between the magnet pair, and such attraction force holds the reference position of the key top 150. Therefore, as compared with the configuration using the rubber dome and the scissors mechanism, the thickness of the keyboard section 33 can be reduced.
Incidentally, a method of reducing a thickness of a rubber dome is also proposed. However, if the thickness of the rubber dome is reduced, the buckling characteristic of the rubber dome is deteriorated, and thus, a press feeling (also called a click feeling) of the key top provided to the user is deteriorated. Furthermore, if the thickness of the scissors mechanism is reduced, the strength of the scissors mechanism is lowered and the durability is impaired. In this regard, as in the case of an embodiment, if the magnets 144 and 156 are used instead of the rubber dome and the scissors mechanism, the deterioration of the click feeling can be suppressed and the strength of the scissors mechanism is not necessarily considered.
<3. Wiring of Signal Lines in Membrane 130>
As described above, the signal lines 136 for transferring signals are wired in the membrane 130. On the other hand, the plurality of hole sections 132 is formed over an entire region of the membrane 130 so as to reduce the thickness of the keyboard section 33 (see
As described above, the hole section 132 functions as a first opening formed such that the magnet 156 is entered when the key top 150 is pressed down and a second opening formed such that the sliding section 158 is entered when the key top 150 is pressed down. The hole section 132 also functions as a third opening formed at a portion facing the magnet 144 of the support member 140. Since the plurality of hole sections 132 is formed in the membrane 130, a region where the signal lines 136 is to be wired is limited.
In the membrane 130 according to an embodiment, the signal lines 136 are wired as illustrated in
Also, in order to wire the signal lines 136 in the intersecting direction described above, it is desirable to increase the width of the region between the adjacent hole sections 132 in the width direction. However, in the keyboard section 33 according to an embodiment, in order to densely arrange the key tops 150 from the viewpoint of reducing the width direction, the width (width W1 illustrated in
By arranging the magnet 156 of the key top 150 to be deviated in the width direction of the key top 150 to one end side as illustrated in
<4. Example of Movement of Keyboard Section 33>
An example of the movement of the keyboard section 33 when a user presses down the key top 150 will be described with reference to
Herein, since the magnet 156 is attracted to the magnet 144 of the support member 140, the key top 150 is located at the reference position P1. In this state, the user presses down the top surface 151 of the key top 150 with a finger in order to input with the key top 150.
When the pressing force to the top surface 151 is small, the key top 150 is not moved, and when the pressing force is large, the key top 150 overcomes the attraction force of the magnet and starts to move obliquely downward. Specifically, the key top 150 is moved along the guide surface 147 of the support member 140 in a direction from a back side to a front side when viewed from the user.
At this time, since the inclined surface 154 is formed at the edge of the key top 150, when the key top 150 is moved along the guide surface 147, the edge of the key top 150 does not interfere with the inner edge of the opening 162 of the bezel 160. As a result, the key top 150 is smoothly moved by a movement amount y from the back side to the front side as illustrated in
When the key top 150 is located at the input position P2, the magnet 156 and the sliding section 158 are entered into the hole section 132 of the membrane 130. Therefore, the magnet 156 or the sliding section 158 does not interfere with the membrane 130. When the key top 150 is located at the input position P2, the key top 150 contacts the contact 134 of the membrane 130. Therefore, electric signals are transferred from the membrane 130 through the signal lines 136 to the keyboard controller.
When the pressing to the top surface 151 is released, the key top 150 located at the input position P2 is moved upward along the guide surface 147 by the attraction force between the magnet 156 and the magnet 144. The key top 150 is located at the reference position P1 where the magnet 156 is attracted to the magnet 144.
<5. Summary>
In the above-described electronic device 10, the membrane 130 includes the plurality of openings 132 formed corresponding to the positions where the magnets 156 are located when the key tops 150 are pressed down. Therefore, since the magnet 156 does not interfere with the membrane 130, the reduction in the thickness of the keyboard section 33 can be achieved. Also, the signal lines 136 are wired while avoiding the openings 132 in the membrane 130. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately output the signals according to the pressing of the key tops 150.
The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to the appended drawings, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modification or alteration examples may occur within the scope of technical ideas described in the appended claims and that such examples are also naturally within the technical scope of the present disclosure.
Incidentally, in the above, the opposing member has been assumed as the membrane 130 with the contacts 134 and the signal lines 136, but is not limited thereto. For example, the opposing member may be a sheet-shaped member in which the signal lines are wired without any contacts.
Also, the effects described herein are only for illustrative or explanatory purposes, not limiting purposes. That is, the technologies according to the present disclosure can achieve other effects apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of the present specification, in addition to the above effects or alterative to the above effects.
Additionally, the present technology may also be configured as below.
a plurality of key tops that include magnets and are depressible;
an opposing member which is provided to face the plurality of key tops and in which signal lines are wired; and
a plurality of openings that is formed corresponding to positions of the magnets when the key tops are pressed in the opposing member,
wherein the signal lines are wired while avoiding the plurality of openings.
wherein the magnets are disposed on back sides of the key tops and are deviated in a width direction from a center to an end side.
wherein the signal lines are wired such that regions between the adjacent openings in the opposing member are directed in an intersecting direction that intersects with a width direction of the opposing member.
wherein in the width direction of the opposing member, a width of the region where the signal line between the adjacent openings is wired is smaller than a width of the opening.
wherein the opposing member is a membrane switch which includes contacts in portions facing the key tops and in which the signal lines are connected to the contacts.
wherein the key tops include protrusion sections that protrude in a direction normal to a side surface,
wherein the keyboard device further includes a support member that supports the protrusion section between the key top and the opposing member,
wherein the opening is a first opening, and
wherein the opposing member includes a plurality of second openings formed at positions corresponding to positions of the protrusion sections when the key tops are pressed down.
wherein the magnet is a first magnet,
wherein the support member includes a second magnet to which the first magnet is attracted, and
wherein the opposing member includes a plurality of third openings formed in a portion facing the second magnet.
wherein the support member guides the protrusion section between a first position where the first magnet is attracted to the second magnet and a second position where the attraction by pressing is released, such that the key tops are moved in a moving direction intersecting with a height direction of the key tops.
a self-luminous light-emitting member that has a sheet shape and illuminates the key tops from a back side of the key tops.
wherein the light-emitting member is an inorganic EL light-emitting member or an organic EL light-emitting member.
wherein the light-emitting member includes a plurality of openings that is formed at positions corresponding to positions of the magnets when the key tops are pressed down.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-182348 | Sep 2013 | JP | national |
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| 2007005023 | Jan 2007 | JP |
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| 20150060250 A1 | Mar 2015 | US |
