JP6965091B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to a configuration of an operating member having a light emitting function with enhanced visibility in a dark place.

In an electronic device having an operating member such as a button, a configuration has been proposed in which a light emitting element is arranged inside the operating member so that the surface of the button is emitted by light guided through the button having light transmission.

For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique in which a light source is arranged directly under a button and the light of the light source is guided to an operation portion of the button via a refracting surface of a light guide knob.

Further, Patent Document 2 proposes a technique in which a reflective sheet is provided on both a key sheet provided with a plurality of operating members and a metal dome sheet attached to a substrate facing the key sheet. In this proposal, the light from the light emitting element is mutually reflected by the reflective sheet on the key sheet side and the reflective sheet on the metal dome side to guide the light to the operating member far from the light emitting element, thereby causing uneven brightness of a plurality of operating members. It is said that it can be prevented.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-100166 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-71943

However, in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to arrange the light source directly under the button, it is difficult to secure a sufficient space for arranging the switch functional parts. Further, when there are a plurality of buttons to be emitted, one light source is required for each button, which is disadvantageous in terms of reduction of manufacturing cost and improvement of productivity.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, since it is necessary to provide a reflective sheet for each of the key sheet and the metal dome sheet, it is disadvantageous in reducing the number of parts.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to make a plurality of operating members emit light with a small number of light sources without increasing the number of parts while achieving cost reduction and space saving, and it is possible to suppress the difference in emission brightness of each operating member. The purpose is to provide possible electronic devices.

In order to achieve the above object, the electronic device of the present invention can slide a plurality of light-transmitting operating members, a light emitting element arranged between the operating members adjacent to each other, and the operating member. It holds in comprises a base member having a first reflective portion that reflects divided toward one of the operating member and the other of the operating member of the operating member in which the adjacent light rays from the light emitting element, wherein at least a portion of the light beam incident on said operating member is reflected by the first reflecting section is characterized through Rukoto a step provided on the sliding surface of the pressing direction relative to the base member of the operating member.

According to the present invention, it is possible to make a plurality of operating members emit light with a small number of light sources without increasing the number of parts while achieving cost reduction and space saving, and it is possible to suppress the difference in emission brightness of each operating member. Possible electronic devices can be provided.

It is a perspective view which looked at the digital camera which is an example of embodiment of the electronic device of this invention from the back side. (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of related parts of a plurality of operation buttons. It is sectional drawing of the main part explaining the structure which guides the light ray of LED to the light emitting part of an operation button. It is a figure explaining the light emission characteristic of an LED. It is sectional drawing of the main part explaining how the light rays of two LEDs reach each light emitting part of three operation buttons. It is the outline drawing which looked at the flexible wiring board from the operation button side. It is a perspective view of the holding sheet metal. It is a figure which shows the wiring pattern in the vicinity of LED. (A) is a cross-sectional view showing a third condensing pattern wired to the LED mounting portion and the inclined region of the holding sheet metal, (b) is a cross-sectional view explaining the relationship between the inclined region and the light emission characteristics of the LED, (c). Is a cross-sectional view showing a third condensing pattern and a condensing direction.

Hereinafter, an example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a digital camera, which is an example of an embodiment of the electronic device of the present invention, as viewed from the rear side.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the digital camera 1 of the present embodiment (hereinafter referred to as a camera 1), a display unit 3 such as an LCD is provided on the back cover 2, and each operation is performed on the lower side of the display unit 3. Buttons 10 to 13 are provided side by side in the horizontal direction. By operating the operation buttons 10 to 13, the camera 1 is made to perform operations such as displaying the captured image on the display unit 3, erasing the image displayed on the display unit 3, and changing the display magnification of the image. be able to. The operation buttons 10 to 13 correspond to an example of a plurality of operation members of the present invention.

Light emitting units 10a to 13a are provided on the surfaces of the operation buttons 10 to 13, respectively, and by operating the light emitting indicator member 4 provided on the right side of the display unit 3 of the back cover 2, the light emitting units 10a to 10a to 13a are provided. 13a can be made to emit light. As a result, even when the camera 1 is operated in a dark place, it is possible to perform desired operations such as image display and image erasure without hesitation. The back cover 2 corresponds to an example of the exterior member of the present invention.

Next, with reference to FIG. 2, a configuration for causing the light emitting units 10a to 13a of the plurality of operation buttons 10 to 13 to emit light will be described. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view of related parts of operation buttons 10 to 13.

The operation buttons 10 to 13 are made of a light-transmitting material such as a transparent resin, and the light emitting portions 10a to 13a are arranged in the central portion. The periphery of the light emitting portions 10a to 13a of the operation buttons 10 to 13 is an operation surface, and the operation surface is painted black.

Further, the inner bottoms of the operation buttons 10 to 13 are provided with reflective surfaces 10b to 13b, and the inner side surfaces are provided with light receiving portions 10c to 13d. The reflecting surfaces 10b to 13b are configured at an angle at which the incident light rays are totally reflected. With such a configuration, the light rays incident from the light input units 10c to 13c are reflected by the reflecting surfaces 10b to 13b, and the light emitting units 10a to 13a can be made to emit light. Since the operation surfaces around the light emitting portions 10a to 13a of the operation buttons 10 to 13 are painted black, light does not pass through them. In the present embodiment, the light emitting units 10a to 13a have a simple circular shape, but they can also be formed into an arbitrary shape such as a figure representing the function of the camera 1.

The operation buttons 10 to 13 are movably held in the holding holes 20a to 23a formed in the button base 20 in the pressing direction. The button base 20 corresponds to an example of the base member of the present invention. Further, the button base 20 is provided with a first reflecting portion 201 and a second reflecting portion 202 between the holding hole 20a and the holding hole 21a, and the first reflecting portion 211 is provided between the holding hole 21a and the holding hole 22a. And a second reflecting portion 212 is provided. Further, the button base 20 is provided with a first reflecting portion 221 and a second reflecting portion 222 between the holding holes 22a and the holding holes 23a. The first reflecting unit 2011, 211,221 and the second reflecting unit 202, 212, 222 correspond to an example of the base reflecting unit of the present invention.

Rubber switches 30 to 33 are provided on the back side of the operation buttons 10 to 13 corresponding to the operation buttons 10 to 13. Conductive portions 301 to 304 are provided on the opposite sides of the rubber switches 30 to 33 from the operation buttons 10 to 13. When the conductive portions 301 to 304 come into contact with the detection patterns 400 to 403 provided on the flexible wiring board 40, it is detected that the operation buttons 10 to 13 are pressed.

Further, LEDs 50 to 54 as light emitting elements are mounted on the flexible wiring board 40. The LEDs 51 to 53 are arranged so as to be located between the rubber switches 30 to 33, and serve as a light source for causing the operation buttons 10 to 13 to emit light. Details on this will be described later.

A holding sheet metal 60 is arranged on the opposite side of the flexible wiring board 40 from the surface on which the LEDs 50 to 54 are arranged, and the holding sheet metal 60 is fastened to the back cover 2 by a screw or the like (not shown). The holding sheet metal 60 can withstand an external force when the operation buttons 10 to 13 are pressed. Further, the holding sheet metal 60 functions as a light-shielding member that blocks light from the LEDs 50 to 54 so as not to leak to the back surface side of the operation buttons 10 to 13. The sealing member 70 is arranged between the operation buttons 10 to 13 and the back cover 2, and prevents water droplets, dust, and the like from entering from the outer peripheral portion of the operation buttons 10 to 13.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a configuration for guiding the light rays of the LED 50 to the light emitting units 10a and 11a will be described. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining a configuration for guiding the light rays of the LED 50 to the light emitting portions 10a and 11a. As shown in FIG. 3, the LED 50 has a light emitting body 501, and the light emitting body 501 emits light having a predetermined wavelength by flowing a predetermined current. As shown in FIG. 3A, the light from the light emitter 501 enters the button base 20 and is reflected by the first reflecting unit 201.

The first reflecting unit 201 is composed of a first reflecting surface 201a that reflects the light ray A on the operation button 10 side and a first reflecting surface 201b that reflects the light ray B on the operation button 11 side. The first reflecting surfaces 201a and 201b are formed by a pair of inclined surfaces having an angle at which the light rays A and B from the LED 50 are totally reflected, respectively. Further, the position of the light emitting body 501 is shifted to the operation button 10 side with respect to the edge position where the first reflecting surface 201a and the first reflecting surface 201b intersect. Details on this point will be described later.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, a second reflecting unit 202 that reflects the light incident on the button base 20 from the light emitting body 501 of the LED 50 is provided on the outside of the first reflecting unit 201. The second reflecting unit 202 is composed of a second reflecting surface 202a that reflects the light ray C on the operation button 10 side and a second reflecting surface 202b that reflects the light ray D on the operation button 11 side. The second reflecting surfaces 202a and 202b are each formed by a pair of inclined surfaces having an angle at which the light rays from the LED 50 are totally reflected.

The light rays A and C reflected on the operation button 10 side enter the operation button 10 from the light entry unit 10c. The light receiving portion 10c has a stepped shape that is recessed by one step with respect to the sliding surface of the operation button 10 with respect to the button base 20 in the pushing direction. Therefore, even after the operation button 10 is repeatedly pressed, the surface state of the light receiving portion 10c does not change, and light rays can be stably transmitted. The light rays A and C that have passed through the light receiving portion 10c are reflected by the reflecting surface 10b in the direction of the light emitting portion 10a. Similarly, the light rays B and D reflected on the other operation button 11 side also enter the operation button 11 from the light input unit 11c, are reflected by the reflection surface 11b, and reach the light emitting unit 11a.

Here, the light emitting characteristics of the LED 50 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the angle with respect to the LED 50 in the circumferential direction and the light intensity A in the diameter direction. The direction facing the button base 20 directly above the LED 50 is 0 degree, and the left and right rear sides of FIG. 3 are 90 degree directions. The light intensity A is indicated by a relative value of 0 to 1. As is clear from FIG. 4, it can be seen that the light intensity A is the largest in the 0 degree direction and becomes almost zero in the vicinity of 90 degrees.

Therefore, as described with reference to FIG. 3, by providing the base first reflecting portion 201 and the second reflecting portion 202 directly above the LED 50, the light ray portion having the strongest intensity can be efficiently used as the operation buttons 10 and 11. It is possible to make it incident. As a result, the light emitting units 10a and 11a can be made to emit light brightly with a small amount of electric power.

In the present embodiment, the operation buttons 10 and 11 are exemplified by a transparent resin, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the operation buttons 10 and 11 may be a translucent resin capable of transmitting light rays. Since the translucent resin appropriately diffuses light rays, it may be preferable to use the translucent resin depending on the shapes of the light emitting portions 10a and 11b.

Further, the first reflecting portion 201, the second reflecting portion 202, and the reflecting surfaces 10b and 11b may not be completely reflected surfaces, but may have a certain degree of light diffusing effect as a matte surface. Further, even if the sealing member 70 is made of a light-transmitting material and the light rays leaking from the operation buttons 10 and 11 cause the sealing member 70 to emit light, it is effective in improving the visibility of the operating member.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, a configuration for suppressing the difference in the amount of light between the operation buttons will be described. Here, for the sake of brief explanation, the light rays of the two LEDs 50 and 51 incident on the three operation buttons 10, 11 and 12 will be described. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part for explaining how the light rays of the LEDs 50 and 51 reach the light emitting portions 10a to 12a of the operation buttons 10 to 12.

As described above, the light rays reflected by the first reflecting units 2011 and 211 and the light rays reflected by the second reflecting units 202 and 212 are incident on the operation buttons 10 to 13. Since the light rays reflected by the first reflecting units 2011 and 211 and the light rays reflected by the second reflecting units 202 and 212 are the same, here, only the light rays reflected by the first reflecting units 2011 and 211 are used. explain.

As described above, the LED 50 is arranged so as to be offset toward the operation button 10 with respect to the edge position where the first reflecting surface 201a and the second reflecting surface 201b intersect. Similarly, the LED 51 is also arranged so as to be offset toward the operation button 12 with respect to the edge position where the first reflecting surface 211a and the second reflecting surface 211b intersect.

In the present embodiment, among the light rays from the light emitter 501 of the LED 50, the light amount of the light rays A entering the operation button 10 and the light amount of the light rays B entering the operation button 11 are A: B = 2: 1. As described above, the position of the LED 50 is determined. On the other hand, among the light rays from the light emitting body 511 of the LED 51, the light amount of the light rays C entering the operation button 11 and the light amount of the light rays (D) entering the operation button 12 are C: D = 1: 2. The position of the LED 51 is determined. Therefore, the amount of light incident on each operation button is as follows.

Operation button 10: 2
Operation buttons 11: 1 + 1 = 2
Operation button 12: 2
Therefore, the amount of light incident on the operation buttons 10 to 12 becomes equal, and the emission brightness of the light emitting units 10a to 12a of the operation buttons 10 to 12 can be made equal. The light reflected by the second reflecting units 202 and 212 also enters the operation buttons 10 to 12 so as to satisfy the above ratio.

In addition, in FIG. 5, the case where the three operation buttons are illuminated by the two LEDs is illustrated, but as shown in FIG. 2, even when the four operation buttons are illuminated by the three LEDs, the amount of light incident on each operation button is large. The positional relationship between the first reflecting unit and the LED may be adjusted so as to be equal. Further, the same configuration is possible even when the four operation buttons are illuminated by two LEDs.

Next, the flexible wiring board 40 and the holding sheet metal 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9. FIG. 6 is an external view of the flexible wiring board 40 as viewed from the operation buttons 10 to 13 side. In the flexible wiring board 40, the exposed portions of the plurality of wiring patterns are each plated with gold to improve the contact with the rubber switches 30 to 33 and the light reflectivity of the LEDs 50 to 54.

In FIG. 6, the detection patterns 400 to 403 are wiring pattern exposed portions arranged under the rubber switches 30 to 33. The GND pattern and the detection signal pattern are alternately wired in the detection patterns 400 to 403. When the operation buttons 10 to 13 are pressed, the rubber switches 30 to 33 come into contact with and short-circuit both the GND pattern and the detection signal pattern, and the operation of the operation buttons 10 to 13 is detected by a control unit (not shown). NS.

The first reflection pattern 410 is a wiring pattern exposed portion wired around the LED 50, and reflects light toward the first reflection portion 201 above the LED 50. The second reflection pattern 411 is a wiring pattern exposed portion wired around the LED 51, and reflects light toward the first reflection portion 211 above the LED 51. The third reflection pattern 412 is a wiring pattern exposed portion arranged around the LED 52, and reflects light toward the first reflection portion 221 above the LED 52.

The fourth reflection pattern 416 is a wiring pattern exposed portion wired in the inclined region 64 (see FIG. 7) of the holding sheet metal 60, and reflects light toward the first reflection portion (not shown) above the LED 53. The fifth reflection pattern 418 is a wiring pattern exposed portion wired in the inclined region 66 (see FIG. 7) of the holding sheet metal 60, and reflects light toward the first reflection portion (not shown) above the LED 54.

The first condensing pattern 420 and the second condensing pattern 422 are wiring pattern exposed portions wired around the LED 50. The first condensing pattern 420 is wired between the detection pattern 400 and the LED 50, and the second condensing pattern 422 is wired between the detection pattern 401 and the LED 50. In the first condensing pattern 420, an arcuate pattern is formed so that the light from the LED 50 is condensing toward the first reflecting surface 201a, and in the second condensing pattern 422, the light from the LED 50 is condensing on the first reflecting surface. An arcuate pattern is formed so as to collect light toward 201b.

The fifth condensing pattern 430 and the fourth condensing pattern 432 are wiring pattern exposed portions wired around the LED 52. The fifth condensing pattern 430 is wired between the detection pattern 403 and the LED 52, and the fourth condensing pattern 432 is wired between the detection pattern 402 and the LED 52. In both the fourth condensing pattern 432 and the fifth condensing pattern 430, a wiring pattern is formed in an arc shape so that the light from the LED 52 is condensing toward the first reflecting portion 221 above the LED 52.

The third light collecting pattern 450 is a wiring pattern exposed portion wired in the inclined region 62 (see FIG. 7) of the holding sheet metal 60, and is a circle so that the light from the LED 51 is focused toward the first reflecting portion 211. An arc-shaped pattern is formed.

The distance from the operation button to the LED is the shortest between the operation button 10 and the LED 53, the distance between the operation button 10 and the LED 50, and the distance between the operation button 11 and the LED 50 are almost the same. The distance between the button 11 and the LED 51 is the longest. Since the distances between the operation buttons and the LEDs are different, there is a difference in the amount of light rays that the operation buttons directly receive from the LEDs without passing through the reflection patterns 410, 411 and the light collection patterns 420, 422.

For example, since the distance between the operation button 10 and the LED 53 is short and the distance between the operation button 11 and the LED 51 is long, the amount of light rays that the operation button 10 receives directly from the LED 53 is the light rays that the operation button 11 receives from the LED 51. Greater than quantity.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the holding sheet metal 60. The holding sheet metal 60 has inclined regions 62, 64, 66 inclined at a predetermined angle, respectively. The tilt angle of the tilt regions 62, 64, 66 is determined by the light emitting characteristics of the LEDs 51, 53, 54 mounted near the tilt region and the distance between the LEDs 51, 53, 54 and the tilt regions 62, 64, 66. NS. The details of the tilt angle will be described later with reference to FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a wiring pattern in the vicinity of the LED 50. In FIG. 8, the hatched portion shows a wiring pattern. As shown in FIG. 8, the first condensing pattern 420 has a lower wiring density (area occupied by the wiring pattern) than the second condensing pattern 422, and the condensing amount of the first condensing pattern 420 is larger. It is smaller than the light collection amount of the second light collection pattern 422.

As described above, there is a difference in the amount of light rays that each operation button receives directly from the LED, but by providing a difference in the amount of light that is collected in the light collection patterns 420 and 422, the amount of light that enters each operation button can be increased. Almost equal. Further, the amount of light rays can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the area of the reflection patterns 410 and 411.

FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view showing a third condensing pattern 450 wired to the mounting portion of the LED 51 and the inclined region 62, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the relationship between the light emitting characteristics of the inclined region 62 and the LED 51. 9 (c) is a cross-sectional view showing the third light-collecting pattern 450 and the light-collecting direction.

As shown in FIG. 9A, in the third light condensing pattern 450, the wiring pattern interval becomes narrower as it approaches the LED 51. In FIG. 9B, the arc-shaped broken line A represents the light emitting characteristics of the LED 51. As described above, the tilt angle of the tilt region 62 is calculated by the light emitting characteristics of the LED 51 and the distance between the LED 51 and the tilt region 62, and the tilt region 62 is a tangent line of the arc-shaped broken line A.

The broken line B and the alternate long and short dash line C in FIG. 9C indicate the reflection direction when the light from the LED 51 is reflected by the third light condensing pattern 450. When the light from the LED 51 hits the edge portion of the third condensing pattern 450 (the end of the wiring pattern in the direction of the LED 51), a part of the light is reflected in the direction of the first reflecting portion 211 as shown by the broken line B. Further, when the light from the LED 51 hits the wiring pattern surface of the third condensing pattern 450, it is reflected at the angle of incidence on the wiring pattern surface, so that it is reflected in the direction of the button base 20 like the alternate long and short dash line C. Therefore, when the light from the LED 51 is applied to the edge portion of the third condensing pattern 450, there is a high possibility that the light enters the first reflecting portion 211. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9A, the closer the LED 51 is, the narrower the wiring pattern interval of the third light collecting pattern 450 is so that the light hits the edge portion.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to make a plurality of operation buttons emit light with a small number of light sources without increasing the number of parts while reducing the cost and space, and the emission brightness of each operation button. The difference can be suppressed.

The configuration of the present invention is not limited to that illustrated in the above embodiment, and the material, shape, dimensions, form, number, arrangement location, etc. can be appropriately changed as long as the gist of the present invention is not deviated. Is.

For example, in the present embodiment, a push-operated operation button is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to a movable operation button other than the push-operated operation button, a touch-type operation button, and the like. Is.

1 Camera 10-13 Operation button 20 Button base 50-52 LED
2011,21,221 1st reflector 202,212,222 2nd reflector

Claims (8)

Multiple operating members with light transmission and
A light emitting element arranged between the operating members adjacent to each other,
It has a first reflecting portion that holds the operating member slidably and reflects light rays from the light emitting element separately toward one operating member and the other operating member that are adjacent to each other. With a base member ,
Wherein at least a portion of the light beam incident on said operating member is reflected by the first reflecting portion, electrons, characterized in passing Rukoto a step provided on the sliding surface of the pressing direction relative to the base member of the operating member device. The first reflecting unit and the light emitting element are arranged so that the amount of light rays reflected by the first reflecting unit and incident on the operating member is equal among the plurality of operating members. The electronic device according to claim 1. The first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the operating member is provided with a reflecting surface that reflects light rays reflected by the first reflecting portion and incident on the operating member in the direction of the operating surface of the operating member. Electronics. The electron according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a sealing member is provided between the exterior member and the operating member, and the sealing member is made of a material that transmits light rays. device. Multiple operating members with light transmission and
A light emitting element arranged between the operating members adjacent to each other,
It has a first reflecting portion that holds the operating member slidably and reflects light rays from the light emitting element separately toward one operating member and the other operating member that are adjacent to each other. With the base member
And a flexible wiring board, wherein the light emitting element is mounted,
A wiring pattern exposed portion in which the wiring pattern of the flexible wiring plate is exposed is arranged in the vicinity of the light emitting element of the flexible wiring plate, and the wiring pattern exposed portion emits light from the light emitting element to the base member. you wherein electronic devices that is reflected in the direction. The spacing between the wiring patterns of the wiring pattern exposed portion is such that the amount of light rays reflected by the wiring pattern exposed portion and the first reflecting portion and incident on the operating member is equal among the plurality of operating members. The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein the electronic device is determined. A light-shielding member that holds the flexible wiring board and blocks light rays from the light-emitting element is provided.
The light-shielding member has an inclined region inclined at a predetermined angle, and the wiring pattern exposed portion is arranged in the region held by the inclined region of the flexible wiring board. The electronic device according to claim 5 or 6. The electron according to claim 7 , wherein the predetermined angle is an angle calculated from the light emitting characteristics of the light emitting element and the distance between the light emitting element and the inclined region of the light shielding member. device.

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