JP7516874B2 - Switches, switch assemblies and key input devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a switch that switches between an electrically connected and disconnected state by pressing a movable member, a switch assembly including such a switch, and a key input device including such a switch.

Keyboards with multiple key switches arranged in an array are widely used as input devices for computers and other electronic devices. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a push button switch that provides a definite tactile sensation when the switch contacts are closed.

Special Publication No. 4-47932

Recently, there have been increasing demands for a variety of features, such as lighting that responds to operations and improved reliability to reduce mechanical failure rates, and there is a demand for improvements in various characteristics and expansion of functions.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and its main objective is to provide a switch that allows for various improvements in characteristics and expansion of functions.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a switch assembly using such a switch.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a key input device that uses such a switch.

To solve the above problems, the switch (key switch) described in this application is a switch that includes a fixed member and a movable member that moves in a pressing direction when pressed, and includes a contact member having a contact portion that comes into contact with and separates from the movement of the movable member, and a light receiving element that detects light, and is characterized in that the contact portion comes into contact with and separates from the movement of the movable member to open and close a first circuit, and the movable member moves to transmit/block light detected by the light receiving element to open and close a second circuit.

Furthermore, in the switch, the movable member has a light shielding plate that blocks the light to be received by the light receiving element, and the light shielding plate transmits/blocks the light detected by the light receiving element as the movable member moves.

The switch is also characterized in that the movable member has an engagement portion that engages with the contact member, and as the movable member moves, the engagement portion engages with the contact member to cause the contact portion to contact or separate.

Furthermore, the switch described in this application is a switch having a movable member that operates based on pressure from the outside, and is characterized by having a contact mechanism that can open and close a first circuit by making and breaking contact in response to the movement of the movable member, and a contactless mechanism that can open and close a second circuit based on the detection result by a detection unit that detects the detection target in response to the movement of the movable member.

Furthermore, in the switch, the first circuit and the second circuit are different circuits.

Furthermore, in the switch, the first circuit and the second circuit are the same circuit.

Furthermore, the switch assembly described in the present application is a switch assembly including a fixed member and a movable member that moves in a pressing direction when pressed, and a substrate to which the fixed member of the switch is attached, and is characterized in that the switch includes a light receiving element that detects light, and the switch includes a contact member having a contact portion that comes into contact and separates as the movable member moves, and is capable of opening and closing a first circuit by the contact portion coming into contact and separating as the movable member moves, and is capable of opening and closing a second circuit by the movable member moving to transmit/block light detected by the light receiving element.

The switch assembly is also characterized in that the light receiving element is surface mounted on the substrate.

Furthermore, the switch assembly described in the present application is a switch assembly including a fixed member and a movable member that operates based on pressure from the outside, and a substrate to which the fixed member of the switch is attached, and is characterized in that it includes a detection unit that detects the detection target, a contact mechanism that can open and close a first circuit by connecting and disconnecting in response to the operation of the movable member, and a contactless mechanism that can open and close a second circuit based on the detection result by the detection unit that detects the detection target in response to the operation of the movable member.

Furthermore, the key input device (keyboard) described in the present application is a key input device in which a plurality of key switches are arranged, and is characterized in that the above-mentioned switch is included as one of the arranged key switches.

Furthermore, the key input device described in the present application is a key input device comprising a plurality of key switches and a switch assembly to which the key switches are attached, and is characterized in that the switch assembly is provided as the switch assembly.

The switch, switch assembly, and key input device described in this application are capable of opening and closing a first circuit using a contact portion and a second circuit using a detection element such as a light receiving element that detects a detection target such as light.

The switch, switch assembly, and key input device according to the present invention are provided with a contact mechanism capable of opening and closing a first circuit, and a contactless mechanism capable of opening and closing a second circuit. As a result, the present invention provides excellent effects such as the possibility of improving various characteristics or functions of the switch, switch assembly, and key input device, since each opening and closing mechanism can be used for various purposes.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a keyboard to which a key input device according to the present application is applied; 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a key switch described in the present application. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a key switch described in the present application. FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing an example of a key switch described in the present application. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of an example of a key switch described herein. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a key switch described in the present application. 1 is a schematic perspective cross-sectional view showing an example of a key switch described in the present application. FIG. 2 is a schematic external view showing an example of a light-emitting unit included in the key switch described in the present application. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a key switch described in the present application. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of an example of a key switch described herein. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a key switch described in the present application. FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of an example of a key switch described herein. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a key switch described in the present application. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a switch assembly according to a first embodiment of the present application; FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a switch assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a switch assembly according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a first embodiment of a keyboard described in the present application. FIG. 13 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a second embodiment of a keyboard described in the present application.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

<Application Examples>
The key input device described in the present application is used as a keyboard for inputting data such as letters, numbers, and symbols as well as various commands to electronic devices such as personal computers (hereinafter referred to as PCs). The switch described in the present application is incorporated as a key switch into various electronic devices including the key input device. The key switch is incorporated into the key input device as a switch assembly (hereinafter referred to as switch assembly) mounted on a board. Below, the key input device KB and key switch 1 illustrated in the drawings will be described with reference to the drawings, and further, a switch assembly 3 in which the key switch 1 is mounted on a board 2 will be described.

<Keyboard KB>
1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a keyboard KB to which the key input device according to the present invention is applied. The keyboard KB has a plurality of key switches 1, such as letter keys, numeric keys, and other function keys, arranged in a row.

<Key switch 1>
Next, the key switches 1 arranged on the keyboard KB will be described. The key switches 1 of the keyboard KB described in the present application can be realized in various forms, and some of the forms will be described here as examples.

The structure of the key switch 1 will be described. Figures 2 and 3 are schematic perspective views showing an example of the appearance of the key switch 1 described in the present application. Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the key switch 1 from an obliquely upward perspective, and Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the key switch 1 from an obliquely downward perspective. The key switch 1 comprises a fixed member 10 fixed to a substrate 2 (see Figure 14, etc.) built into the keyboard KB, and a movable member 11 that can move up and down and is pushed downward by a user's pressing operation. A key top 12 is removably attached to the upper end of the movable member 11 as a member to be pressed that accepts the user's pressing operation. The key top 12 and the movable member 11 move downward when pressed by such a pressing operation, and when released from the pressure of the pressing operation, they are urged by an elastic member 13 (see Figure 4, etc.) described later and move upward.

The lower surface of the fixing member 10, which is the lower surface of the key switch 1, is approximately square in shape, and a pair of insertion holes 100 for inserting the terminals 140 of the contact member 14 are drilled near a pair of opposing four sides. A cylindrical leg 101 for placing on the board 2 is formed near the other pair of sides of the four sides of the lower surface of the fixing member 10 where the insertion holes 100 are not drilled. In addition, a substantially rectangular through hole 102 is opened near the center of the lower surface of the fixing member 10. Near both long sides of the through hole 102, approximately rectangular fitting openings 103 for fitting the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 16 are opened so as to face each other across the through hole 102. The two fitting openings 103 on either side of the approximately rectangular through hole 102 are opened so that their long sides are parallel to each other. Terminals 140 of the contact members 14 protrude downward from the insertion holes 100 of the fixed member 10. The light-emitting unit 15 and the light-receiving unit 16 are fitted into the fitting opening 103 of the fixed member 10. Two first terminal pairs 150 protrude downward from the light-emitting unit 15. Two second terminal pairs 160 protrude downward from the light-receiving unit 16.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, with the key top 12 attached to the key switch 1, the user can operate the keyboard KB. When the user touches the key top 12 of the key switch 1 arranged on the keyboard KB and presses down the key top 12, the key switch 1 switches between the on and off states of the electric circuit, and the keyboard KB, having detected the switch in the on and off state, outputs an on signal for each key switch 1 to the connected electronic device, such as a personal computer. In addition, by releasing the depression of the key top 12, the released key switch 1 is urged upward by the elastic member 13 and returns to its original position.

The internal structure of the key switch 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic exploded perspective view showing an example of the key switch 1 described in the present application. FIG. 5 is a schematic top view showing an example of the key switch 1 described in the present application. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the key switch 1 described in the present application. FIG. 7 is a schematic oblique cross-sectional view showing an example of the key switch 1 described in the present application. FIG. 4 omits the key top 12. FIG. 5 omits the upper half 10a of the fixed member 10, the movable member 11, and the key top 12 to make the internal structure easier to understand. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 omit the key top 12 to make the internal structure easier to understand. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a state cut along a vertical plane including the line A-B shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a state cut along a vertical plane including the line A-B shown in FIG. 2 from a diagonally upward perspective. As described above, the key switch 1 includes various components such as a fixed member 10, a movable member 11, a key top 12, an elastic member 13, a contact member 14, a light-emitting unit 15, and a light-receiving unit 16.

The fixed member 10 will be described. The fixed member 10 is a housing having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is formed by combining an upper half 10a and a lower half 10b as shown in FIG. 4. An approximately square-shaped insertion opening 104 into which the movable member 11 is inserted is opened on the upper surface of the fixed member 10. A through hole 102 is opened near the center of the inner bottom surface of the fixed member 10. A plate-shaped light shielding plate 110 formed on the movable member 11 is inserted into the through hole 102 so as to be movable up and down. An insertion opening 103 is opened on the outside of the through hole 102, and an insertion wall 105 is erected from the inner bottom surface of the fixed member 10 so as to cover the periphery of the insertion opening 103. The light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 16 inserted from the insertion opening 103 are fixed in a state where they are sandwiched by the insertion wall 105. An elastic member 13 such as a compression coil spring that presses the movable member 11 in the opposite direction to the pressing direction is arranged on the outside of the light-emitting unit 15 and the light-receiving unit 16 so as to be wound around the light-emitting unit 15 and the light-receiving unit 16. An inner wall 106 is erected from the inner bottom surface of the fixed member 10 around the elastic member 13. The lower end of the elastic member 13 is attached to the inner bottom surface of the fixed member 10 and is positioned by the inner fitting wall 105 and the outer inner wall 106. A contact member 14 is press-fitted on the inner bottom surface of the fixed member 10 outside the inner wall 106 as a contact mechanism 17 (see FIG. 17, etc.) that can open and close a first circuit (see FIG. 17, etc.) described later by contacting and separating. The contact member 14 is formed into a square tube shape by combining two metal plates, and is fitted so as to surround the periphery of the inner wall 106. In addition, two terminals 140 extending from two metal plates protrude downward from the lower end of the contact member 14. The two terminals 140 pass through an insertion hole 100 opened in the inner bottom surface of the fixed member 10 and protrude further downward from the bottom surface of the fixed member 10.

The movable member 11 will be described. The movable member 11 has an approximately box-shaped external shape that is approximately square when viewed from above and has an open upper portion. An attachment portion 111 for attaching a key top 12 is formed on the upper portion of the movable member 11. From the center portion of the outer bottom of the approximately box-shaped movable member 11, a light-shielding plate 110 having an approximately rectangular plate shape extends downward and passes between the light-emitting unit 15 and the light-receiving unit 16. When the movable member 11 is pressed down and moves downward, the lower end of the light-shielding plate 110 protrudes downward through the through-hole 102 on the lower surface of the fixed member 10. The light-shielding plate 110 has a transmission hole 110a that allows light emitted from the light-emitting unit 15 to pass through. On the outer bottom surface of the movable member 11, a fitting groove portion 112 into which the upper end of the elastic member 13 is fitted is recessed in an approximately ring shape around the light-shielding plate 110. Furthermore, a pair of pressing side walls 113 extending downward are formed from a pair of opposing side surfaces of the roughly box-shaped movable member 11. Near the lower end of the pressing side wall 113 of the movable member 11, a contact pressing protrusion 113a (engagement portion) that presses the contact member 14 protrudes inward.

When the key top 12 is not being pressed by a pressing operation, the movable member 11 is located at the top end of its range of movement (hereafter referred to as the top dead center), and when it is being pressed, it moves to the bottom end of its range of movement (hereafter referred to as the bottom dead center). When released from the pressure, the movable member 11 is pressed upward by the elastic member 13 and moves from the bottom dead center to the top dead center.

The contact member 14 will be described. The contact member 14 is erected on the inner bottom surface around the inner wall 106 of the fixed member 10, and has two terminals 140 protruding downward from the bottom surface of the fixed member 10. The contact member 14 is formed with a contact portion 141 that opens and closes the first circuit in response to a pressing action accompanying the movement of the movable member 11. The contact portion 141 of the contact member 14 is configured such that the fixed piece 141a forming the side surface of the contact member 14 and the movable piece 141b that bends due to pressing are overlapped by two metal plates that constitute the contact member 14. The fixed piece 141a is located outside the movable piece 141b. The movable piece 141b bends when pressed by the contact pressing protrusion 113a of the moving movable member 11, and contacts the fixed piece 141a. When the pressing force is released, the movable piece 141b returns to its original shape and moves away from the fixed piece 141a. Contacts are protruding from the opposing surfaces of the fixed piece 141a and the movable piece 141b. The contact/separation of the fixed piece 141a and the movable piece 141b, which are formed from two metal plates that make up the contact member 14, opens and closes a first circuit connected to two terminals 140 of the contact member 14, and an ON signal based on the opening and closing is output from the keyboard KB to an electronic device such as a personal computer.

The light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 16 will be described. FIG. 8 is a schematic external view showing an example of the light emitting unit 15 provided in the key switch 1 described in the present application. The light emitting unit 15 provided in the key switch 1 emits light, and the light receiving unit 16 receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit 15. The light emitting unit 15 is configured using a light emitting element 151 such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode). The light emitting element 151 of the light emitting unit 15 is molded in a resin unit housing 152, and the first terminal pair 150 protrudes from the unit housing 152. Two approximately linear lead frames 153 are arranged inside the unit housing 152. One end of the lead frame 153 protrudes from the inside to the outside of the unit housing 152 and forms the first terminal pair 150. The other end side of the lead frame 153 is located inside the unit housing 152, and the light emitting element 151 is placed on it and bonded by a wire 154. The light emitting element 151, the lead frame 153, and the wire 154 are disposed at the bottom of a recess formed in the unit housing 152. The recess formed in the unit housing 152 is filled with a resin having a high transmittance, such as an epoxy resin, during the manufacturing process, and the components such as the light emitting element 151 are molded in the unit housing 152 in a state in which they can be seen from the outside. FIG. 8 shows the light emitting unit 15 in a state in which the unit housing 152 is filled with a resin having a high transmittance and the inside can be seen. The light receiving unit 16 is configured using a light receiving element 161 such as a PD (Photo Diode) or a PT (Photo Transistor) as a detection unit that detects light. The configuration of the light receiving unit 16 is substantially similar to that of the light emitting unit 15, so the description of the light emitting unit 15 should be taken into consideration and a detailed description will be omitted. Note that the light emitting element 151 and the first terminal pair 150 described as the configuration of the light emitting unit 15 should be read as the light receiving element 161 and the second terminal pair 160 when understanding the light receiving unit 16.

In the key switch 1, the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 16 are arranged so that the light emitting element 151 and the light receiving element 161 face each other, so that the light emitted from the light emitting element 151 of the light emitting unit 15 is received by the light receiving element 161 of the light receiving unit 16. When electricity is applied to the light emitting unit 15 through the first terminal pair 150, the light emitting element 151 of the light emitting unit 15 emits light. When the light receiving element 161 of the light receiving unit 16 detects light, the current flow state changes, and an ON signal based on the change in current flow state due to light reception is output from the second terminal pair 160.

9 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the key switch 1 described in the present application. FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view conceptually showing a part of the assembly process of the key switch 1, showing the process of incorporating the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 16 into the key switch 1. As shown in FIG. 9, the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 16 are fitted from below into the fixed member 10 after various members such as the movable member 11, the elastic member 13, and the contact member 14 are incorporated into the fixed member 10. The light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving unit 16, which can be externally incorporated into the fixed member 10, can also be removed from the fixed member 10 for the purpose of changing specifications, replacing parts, etc. The key top 12 is attached to the movable member 11 at the stage of being incorporated into the switch assembly 3 or the keyboard KB.

The operation of the key switch 1 described in the present application and configured as described above will now be described. FIG. 10 is a schematic top view of an example of the key switch 1 described in the present application. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of the key switch 1 described in the present application. FIG. 12 is a schematic top view of an example of the key switch 1 described in the present application. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of the key switch 1 described in the present application. FIGS. 11 and 13 show cross-sectional views taken along a vertical plane including line A-B shown in FIG. 2. FIGS. 10 and 12 omit the upper half 10a of the fixed member 10, the movable member 11, and the key top 12. FIGS. 11 and 13 omit the key top 12.

Figures 10 and 11 show the state in which the key top 12 of the key switch 1 is not pressed and the movable member 11 is located at the top dead center. When the key top 12 of the key switch 1 is not pressed and the movable member 11 is located at the top dead center, as illustrated in Figures 10 and 11, the movable piece 141b of the contact member 14 is separated from the fixed piece 141a, so there is no electrical continuity between the two terminals 140. Also, as illustrated in Figure 11, the light emitted from the light-emitting element 151 of the light-emitting unit 15 is blocked by the light-shielding plate 110 of the movable member 11 and does not reach the light-receiving element 161 of the light-receiving unit 16. Therefore, the light-receiving element 161 cannot detect light and does not output an ON signal.

12 and 13 show a state in which the key top 12 is pressed down from the state shown in Fig. 10 and 11 and the movable member 11 is located at the bottom dead center. When the movable member 11 moves from the top dead center to the bottom dead center, the contact pressing protrusion 113a protruding from the pressing side wall 113 of the movable member 11 presses the movable piece 141b of the contact member 14. The movable piece 141b is pressed and bends, contacting the fixed piece 141a, and the contact/disconnect state of the contact member 14 is switched. That is, the contact pressing protrusion 113a of the movable member 11 functions as an engagement portion that engages with the contact member 14, and as the movable member 11 moves, the contact pressing protrusion 113a as an engagement portion engages with the contact member 14, causing the contact/disconnect portion 141 to contact or disconnect. When the fixed piece 141a and the movable piece 141b of the contact member 14 come into contact, electrical continuity is established between the two terminals 140 of the contact member 14, and as shown by the arrows in FIG. 12, a current flows and the first circuit is closed.

When the movable member 11 is located at the bottom dead center, the light shielding plate 110 of the movable member 11 moves downward, and the transmission hole 110a of the light shielding plate 110 is positioned on the optical path between the light emitting element 151 of the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving element 161 of the light receiving unit 16. Therefore, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 13, the light emitted from the light emitting element 151 of the light emitting unit 15 passes through the transmission hole 110a of the light shielding plate 110 of the movable member 11 and reaches the light receiving element 161 of the light receiving unit 16. When the light receiving element 161 of the light receiving unit 16 detects the reception of light, the current flow state of the light receiving element 161 changes, and the second circuit is closed.

When the user releases the key top 12 from the state shown in Figures 12 and 13, the movable member 11, which is released from the pressure, is pressed from below by the elastic member 13 and moves to the top dead center. When the movable member 11 moves to the top dead center, it returns to the state shown in Figures 10 and 11. Therefore, the movable piece 141b of the contact member 14 moves away from the fixed piece 141a. In addition, the optical path between the light emitting element 151 of the light emitting unit 15 and the light receiving element 161 of the light receiving unit 16 is blocked by the light shielding plate 110.

<Switch assembly 3>
Next, an example of mounting the switch assembly 3 described in the present application in which the key switch 1 is attached to the board 2 will be described. The key switch 1 described in the present application is incorporated in the keyboard KB as the switch assembly 3 mounted on the board 2. Fig. 14 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of a first embodiment of the switch assembly 3 described in the present application. Fig. 14 shows the key switch 1 and the board 2 provided in the switch assembly 3 separated from each other so that the relationship between the key switch 1 and the board 2 can be easily understood. The board 2 is provided with a terminal mounting hole 20 through which a pair of terminals 140 are inserted, a first terminal pair mounting hole 21 through which the first terminal pair 150 is inserted, and a second terminal pair mounting hole 22 through which the second terminal pair 160 is inserted. The switch assembly 3 is configured such that the terminal 140, the first terminal pair 150, and the second terminal pair 160 of the key switch 1 are inserted into the terminal mounting hole 20, the first terminal pair mounting hole 21, and the second terminal pair mounting hole 22 opened in the board 2, and are attached to the board 2 by a mounting method such as soldering. Note that while Fig. 14 shows a form in which one key switch 1 is attached to one board 2, in reality, multiple key switches 1 are attached to one board 2. In addition to the key switch 1, various electronic components such as various circuits and elements are attached to the board 2 provided in the switch assembly 3, and the electronic components are electrically connected by wiring formed on the board 2 by a method such as etching.

15 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the second embodiment of the switch assembly 3 described in the present application. FIG. 15 shows another embodiment of the switch assembly 3, and the key switch 1 and the board 2 provided in the switch assembly 3 are shown separated so that the relationship between the key switch 1 and the board 2 can be easily understood. The board 2 has a terminal mounting hole 20, a first terminal pair mounting hole 21, and a second terminal pair mounting hole 22. The first terminal pair 150 of the light-emitting unit 15 is mounted in advance in the first terminal pair mounting hole 21 opened in the board 2 by a mounting method such as soldering, and the second terminal pair 160 of the light-receiving unit 16 is mounted in advance in the second terminal pair mounting hole 22 by a mounting method such as soldering. Then, in the assembly process, the key switch 1 not provided with the light-emitting unit 15 and the light-receiving unit 16 is mounted on the board 2 to which the light-emitting unit 15 and the light-receiving unit 16 are mounted in advance. The key switch 1 is mounted so as to cover the light-emitting unit 15 and the light-receiving unit 16 on the board 2. In addition, a pair of terminals 140 of the key switch 1 are inserted into the terminal mounting holes 20 and attached to the board 2 by a mounting method such as soldering.

16 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the third embodiment of the switch assembly 3 described in the present application. FIG. 16 shows yet another embodiment of the switch assembly 3, in which the key switch 1 and the board 2 of the switch assembly 3 are shown separated from each other so that the relationship between the key switch 1 and the board 2 can be easily understood. The board 2 has a terminal mounting hole 20. A conductive metal is pre-wired on the board 2 by a method such as etching, and the light-emitting unit 15 and the light-receiving unit 16 are pre-mounted on the wiring of the board 2 by a method such as surface mounting. The light-emitting unit 15 and the light-receiving unit 16 shown in FIG. 16 are optical units for surface mounting, and are directly mounted on the board 2. The key switch 1 is mounted so as to cover the light-emitting unit 15 and the light-receiving unit 16 on the board 2. A pair of terminals 140 of the key switch 1 are inserted into the terminal mounting hole 20 and mounted on the board 2 by a mounting method such as soldering.

As described above in the first to third embodiments, the switch assembly 3 in which the key switch 1 is attached to the substrate 2 can be formed in various ways.

Next, an example of the implementation of a keyboard KB equipped with the key switch 1 described in the present application will be described. FIG. 17 is a block diagram conceptually showing an example of a first embodiment of the keyboard KB described in the present application. The key switch 1 includes a contact mechanism 17 using members such as a contact member 14, and a contactless mechanism 18 using members such as a light-emitting unit 15 and a light-receiving unit 16. The keyboard KB also includes a signal output unit 4 that outputs an electrical signal to an external device such as a personal computer, and an output load unit 5 that outputs light emission, audio output, vibration, etc. The contact mechanism 17 opens and closes the circuit of the signal output unit 4, which is the first circuit, by the movement of the movable member 11, and outputs an electrical signal to an external device such as a personal computer. The contactless mechanism 18 opens and closes the circuit of the output load unit 5, which is the second circuit, by the movement of the movable member 11, and outputs light emission, audio output, vibration, etc. The first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 17 is an embodiment in which the first circuit and the second circuit are configured as different circuits, and in the first embodiment, by pressing the key top 12 of the keyboard KB, a signal is output to an external electronic device such as a personal computer, and light is emitted, sound is output, vibration is output, etc. This allows light emission, sound output, vibration, etc. to be produced when the keyboard KB is operated, making it possible to improve the characteristics of the keyboard KB, the switch assembly 3, and the key switch 1, such as expanding the functions. In addition, it is possible to design appropriately, such as opening and closing the circuit of the output load unit 5 with the contact mechanism 17, and opening and closing the circuit of the signal output unit 4 with the non-contact mechanism 18.

Figure 18 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a second embodiment of the keyboard KB described in the present application. The second embodiment is an example in which the first circuit and the second circuit are configured as the same circuit. In the second embodiment, the signal output unit 4 is used as a first circuit that opens and closes with a contact mechanism 17 and a second circuit that opens and closes with a contactless mechanism 18. By making the first circuit and the second circuit the same circuit, the signal output unit 4 is opened and closed by both the contact mechanism 17 and the contactless mechanism 18, so that even if a malfunction occurs in either the contact mechanism 17 or the contactless mechanism 18, the other can compensate. Therefore, it is possible to improve the characteristics, such as improving the reliability, of the keyboard KB and the key switch 1.

The embodiment of the keyboard KB described in the present application can be deployed in various forms regardless of the implementation example described using Figures 17 and 18. For example, a mechanism that opens and closes a circuit using an optical element such as the non-contact mechanism 18 requires continuous or intermittent current to the optical element, which can cause a problem with standby power. In order to solve such a problem, the contact mechanism 17 is used as a mechanism that opens and closes the current circuit to the optical element, making it possible to suppress standby power. Specifically, in the key switch 1, the non-contact mechanism 18 is turned off in a standby state by cutting off current to the non-contact mechanism 18. Then, when the contact mechanism 17 is turned on, it is possible to deploy the non-contact mechanism 18 in a form in which current is passed to the non-contact mechanism 18 to turn it on during the period in which it is in the on state or until a certain period has elapsed since it was turned on, thereby operating the non-contact mechanism 18. The non-contact mechanism 18 that is turned on by current can open and close a circuit in response to the operation of the key switch 1. In the above implementation example, a circuit for controlling the flow of electricity to multiple key switches 1 is mounted on the keyboard KB, but various other configurations are possible, such as mounting a circuit for controlling the flow of electricity for each switch assembly 3, or even for each key switch 1. In this way, the key switch 1, switch assembly 3, and keyboard KB described in this application can improve various characteristics, such as reducing standby power consumption.

As described above, the switch, switch assembly 3, and keyboard KB described in this application are equipped with a contact mechanism 17 using components such as the contact member 14, and a contactless mechanism 18 using components such as the light-emitting unit 15 and the light-receiving unit 16. This provides excellent effects such as the ability to expand functionality, improve reliability, and reduce standby power consumption, among other things, improving various characteristics.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be expanded into various other forms. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be interpreted in a restrictive manner. The technical scope of the present invention is explained by the claims, and is not bound by the text of the specification. Furthermore, all modifications and changes that fall within the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the contact member 14 comes into contact when the movable member 11 moves to the bottom dead center, and the light receiving element 161 receives light, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, it is possible to appropriately design the contact member 14 to move away from the movable member 11 when it moves to the bottom dead center, blocking the light emitted from the light emitting element 151, or the like. It is also possible to appropriately design the light emitted from the light emitting element 151 to be blocked/reflected rather than blocked/transmitted.

In addition, for example, in the above embodiment, the non-contact mechanism 18 is configured as an optical mechanism using a light-emitting element 151 that emits light and a light-receiving element 161 as a detector that detects the light as the detection target, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various mechanisms that do not have contacts can be used. For example, the non-contact mechanism 18 can be applied to various forms, such as configuring the non-contact mechanism 18 using a magnet that generates magnetic force and a Hall element as a detector that detects magnetic force as the detection target.

In addition, for example, in the above embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to a key input device such as a keyboard KB that mainly inputs characters, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to various key input devices such as key input devices dedicated to numeric keys such as a numeric keypad, and other electronic devices other than computers, such as various switches used in game machines.

KB Keyboard (key input device)
1. Key switch (switch)
10 Fixed member 11 Movable member 110 Light shielding plate 110a Transmission hole 113 Pressing side wall 113a Contact pressing protrusion (engagement portion)
12 key top 13 elastic member 14 contact member 140 terminal 141 contact/separation portion 141a fixed piece 141b movable piece 15 light emitting unit 151 light emitting element 16 light receiving unit 161 light receiving element (detection portion)
17 Contact mechanism 18 Non-contact mechanism 2 Board 3 Switch assembly
4 Signal output section 5 Output load section

Claims (10)

A switch including a fixed member and a movable member that moves in a pressing direction when pressed,
a contact member having a contact portion which comes into contact with and separates from the movable member by the movement of the movable member;
A light receiving element for detecting light,
The movable member has an engagement portion that engages with the contact member,
The engaging portion engages with the contact member as the movable member moves, thereby causing the contact-separation portion to contact and separate,
the contact portion contacts and separates with the movement of the movable member to open and close the first circuit,
a second circuit that is opened and closed by the movable member moving to transmit/block light detected by the light receiving element. 2. The switch of claim 1,
the movable member has a light shielding plate that blocks light to be received by the light receiving element,
A switch characterized in that, as the movable member moves, the light-shielding plate transmits/blocks light detected by the light-receiving element. A switch including a fixed member and a movable member that moves in a pressing direction when pressed ,
a contact member having a contact portion which contacts and separates when the movable member moves,
The movable member has an engagement portion that engages with the contact member,
The engaging portion engages with the contact member as the movable member moves, thereby causing the contact-separation portion to contact and separate,
the contact portion contacts and separates with the movement of the movable member to open and close the first circuit,
A non-contact mechanism is provided that can open and close a second circuit based on a detection result by a detection unit that detects a detection target in response to the movement of the movable member.
A switch characterized by: A switch according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The switch, wherein the first circuit and the second circuit are different circuits. A switch according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The switch, wherein the first circuit and the second circuit are the same circuit. A switch assembly including a switch having a fixed member and a movable member that moves in a pressing direction when pressed, and a substrate to which the fixed member of the switch is attached,
A light receiving element is provided to detect light,
The switch includes a contact member having a contact portion that is brought into contact with and separated from the movable member by the movement of the movable member,
The movable member has an engagement portion that engages with the contact member,
The engaging portion engages with the contact member as the movable member moves, thereby causing the contact-separation portion to contact and separate,
the contact portion contacts and separates with the movement of the movable member to open and close the first circuit,
a second circuit that is opened and closed by the movable member moving to transmit/block light detected by the light receiving element. 7. The switch assembly of claim 6 ,
The switch assembly, wherein the light receiving element is attached to the substrate by surface mounting. A switch assembly including a switch having a fixed member and a movable member that moves in a pressing direction when pressed , and a substrate to which the fixed member of the switch is attached,
A detection unit that detects a detection target;
a contact member having a contact portion which comes into contact with and separates from the movable member by the movement of the movable member;
Equipped with
The movable member has an engagement portion that engages with the contact member,
The engaging portion engages with the contact member as the movable member moves, thereby causing the contact-separation portion to contact and separate,
the contact portion contacts and separates with the movement of the movable member to open and close the first circuit,
A non-contact mechanism is provided that can open and close a second circuit based on a detection result by a detection unit that detects a detection target in response to the movement of the movable member.
A switch assembly comprising: A key input device having a plurality of key switches,
A key input device comprising the switch according to any one of claims 1 to 5 as a key switch provided therein. A key input device comprising a plurality of key switches and a switch assembly to which the key switches are attached,
A key input device comprising the switch assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 8 as the switch assembly.

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