US20010047928A1 - Key switch device and portable electronic device provided with the key switch device - Google Patents
Key switch device and portable electronic device provided with the key switch device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20010047928A1 US20010047928A1 US09/915,262 US91526201A US2001047928A1 US 20010047928 A1 US20010047928 A1 US 20010047928A1 US 91526201 A US91526201 A US 91526201A US 2001047928 A1 US2001047928 A1 US 2001047928A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- key switch
- mounting member
- support plate
- link
- switch device
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
- G06F1/1615—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function
- G06F1/1616—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers with several enclosures having relative motions, each enclosure supporting at least one I/O or computing function with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
- G06F1/1633—Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626
- G06F1/1635—Details related to the integration of battery packs and other power supplies such as fuel cells or integrated AC adapter
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- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
- G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
- G06F1/1633—Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626
- G06F1/1662—Details related to the integrated keyboard
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H3/00—Mechanisms for operating contacts
- H01H3/02—Operating parts, i.e. for operating driving mechanism by a mechanical force external to the switch
- H01H3/12—Push-buttons
- H01H3/122—Push-buttons with enlarged actuating area, e.g. of the elongated bar-type; Stabilising means therefor
- H01H3/125—Push-buttons with enlarged actuating area, e.g. of the elongated bar-type; Stabilising means therefor using a scissor mechanism as stabiliser
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H2219/00—Legends
- H01H2219/002—Legends replaceable; adaptable
- H01H2219/018—Electroluminescent panel
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H2239/00—Miscellaneous
- H01H2239/058—Containing a battery
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M6/00—Primary cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M6/14—Cells with non-aqueous electrolyte
- H01M6/18—Cells with non-aqueous electrolyte with solid electrolyte
- H01M6/181—Cells with non-aqueous electrolyte with solid electrolyte with polymeric electrolytes
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a key switch device having a guide member provided with two link members mutually rotatably disposed, one link member being supported at an upper end thereof with respect to an underside of a key top and at a lower end thereof to a support plate and the other link member being supported at an upper end thereof to the underside of the key top and a lower end thereof to the support plate, the guide member functioning of guiding vertical movement of the key top to thereby effect a switching operation.
- the present invention relates to a key switch device having mounting members for movably supporting the lower ends of the link members respectively, the mounting members being fixed on the support plate by a predetermined fixing manner, which can reduce manufacturing cost of the support plate and increase design flexibility of a keyboard provided with a plurality of the key switch devices.
- the present invention relates to a key switch device having a film sheet for performing a switching operation, the film sheet being disposed below a key top, and mounting members for movably supporting each lower end of two link members of a guide member, the mounting members being fixed on the film sheet, which can reduce manufacturing cost and increase design flexibility of a keyboard provided with a plurality of the key switch device, and achieve weight reduction of the keyboard.
- the present invention relates to a portable electronic device provided with a keyboard on which a plurality of key switch devices are arranged and a sheet-type secondary battery, and particularly to a portable electronic device capable of facilitating the design and manufacture thereof and improving the reliability.
- key switch devices each having a guide member constructed of a pair of link members mutually movably connected in an intersecting state, and the guide member serves to guide the vertical movement of a key top to effect a switching operation in association with the vertical movement of the key top.
- a key switch is disclosed in Japanese utility model application laid-open No. Hei 2-5236.
- This key switch is provided with a key top, an upper holder attached to an underside of the key top, a first lower holder and a second lower holder attached to a printed substrate, and two rectangular frames connected to each other in an X-shaped configuration as viewed in side elevation, which is disposed between the key top and the printed substrate.
- an upper portion of one of the rectangular frames is slidably supported in the upper holder between the lower surface of the key top and the upper holder, while leg portions of the rectangular frame are rotatably supported in the first holder.
- an upper portion of the other rectangular frame is rotatably supported in a groove of the upper holder, while leg portions of the rectangular frame are slidably supported in the second holder.
- a rubber switch is disposed on the printed substrate, and a convex portion of the key top, projecting downward, is engaged with the rubber switch.
- the rubber switch is provided with a movable contact disposed corresponding to a fixed contact disposed on the printed substrate.
- the above key switch is configured such that the key top is vertically moved with its horizontal position being maintained, no matter which portion of the key top is depressed by an operator. Accordingly, the movable contact of the rubber switch engaged with the key top is made into contact with the fixed contact of the printed substrate whenever the rubber switch is pushed upon depression of the key top, thus effecting a switching operation.
- Such projecting lower ends of the first and second lower holders may cause a difficulty in thickness reduction of the key switch and be against actual circumstances that the reduction of the thickness of a key switch is promoted.
- a guide supporting member constructed of two link members which are mutually rotatably connected is disposed between the key top and the substrate.
- a support shaft formed at an upper end of one of the link members is rotatably supported in the connecting portion formed on the underside of the key top and a support pin formed at a lower end of the link member is slidably supported in the slidably supporting portion of the substrate.
- a support pin formed at an upper end of the other link member is slidably supported in the connecting portion formed on the underside of the key top and a support shaft formed at a lower end of the link member is rotatably supported in the rotatably supporting portion of the substrate.
- the metal substrate is formed integrally with the mounting portions (supporting portions) by pressing, the mounting portions serving to slidably or rotatably support the support pins or shafts disposed on the lower parts of the link members.
- specifications such as the placement manner of key switches are generally determined in respective countries. If the key switch device is manufactured based on the specifications in the countries where the key switch device is to be used, plural types of a pressing die must be prepared to perform a suitable pressing work on a substrate in response to the respective specifications. Accordingly, the preparation of plural pressing dies, each being inherently expensive in cost, may cause the increase in cost of the key switch device.
- the metal substrate itself used in the above key switch device is considerably heavy, so that the whole key switch device increases in weight. This obstructs weight reduction of the key switch device.
- a portable electronic device such as a notebook-size personal computer and the like, provided with the above key switch devices and a secondary battery which is rechargeable plural times and is built-in a main unit of the electronic device.
- the secondary battery When the secondary battery is charged in advance from an exterior power source, the electronic device can work on the secondary battery even in a place or area where the power supply from the exterior power source is impossible. Due to the shape, weight, thickness, etc. of the secondary battery, however, the secondary battery often had a disadvantageous effect on the portability and shape of the electronic device.
- FIG. 40 One type of the electronic device provided with the secondary battery is shown in FIG. 40.
- a secondary battery 239 attached to the internal bottom of an electronic device 240 such as a notebook-size personal computer, supplies necessary electricity to the electronic device 240 even when the electronic device 240 is used in a place where power supply from an exterior power source is impossible.
- the secondary battery 239 various types having different shapes, weight, thickness are known. It is generally considered very large in thickness and weight.
- the electronic device 240 is provided with the secondary battery 239 which is selected from various types having different shapes, weight, thickness, etc.
- a designer has to design the electronic device 240 in consideration of the shape, weight, thickness, etc. of the secondary battery 239 in addition to the internal structure of the electronic device 240 . This may impose a burdensome work on the designer or take much time to develop the electronic device 240 .
- the electronic device 240 Because of the weight and the attachment position of the secondary battery 239 , furthermore, the electronic device 240 loses its center of balance, which may cause damage to the portability of the electronic device 240 .
- the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and has an object to overcome the above problems and to provide a key switch device having mounting members for movably supporting lower ends of two link members of a guide member guiding vertical movement of a key top, the mounting members being fixed on a support plate by a predetermined one of various fixing manners, thus eliminating the need of a pressing die used in the prior art, so that the key switch device can reduce the manufacturing cost of the support plate and increase the design flexibility of a keyboard provided with a plurality of the key switch devices.
- Another object of the present invention is providing a key switch device having mounting members for movably supporting lower ends of two link members of a guide member which guides vertical movement of a key top, the mounting members being fixed on a membrane switch member for conducting a switching operation by a predetermined fixing manner, thus eliminating the need of a pressing die used in the prior art, differently from the case where supporting portions are integrally formed in a support plate, so that the key switch device can reduce the manufacturing cost of the support plate, increase the design flexibility of a keyboard provided with a plurality of the key switch devices, and easily enable weight reduction.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable electronic device provided with a keyboard and a thin sheet-type secondary battery which can facilitate the design and manufacture of the portable electronic device and improve the reliability and safety of the same.
- a key switch device including a key top, a support plate disposed below the key top, a guide member provided with a first link and a second link which are mutually movably connected, an upper end of the first link and an upper end of the second link being movably engaged with an underside of the key top and a lower end of the first link and a lower end of the second link being movably engaged with the support plate, and a switching section which is disposed on the support plate and performs a switching operation in association with a vertical movement of the key top
- the key switch device includes a first shaft formed at the lower end of the first link, a second shaft formed at the lower end of the second link, and a mounting member for movably supporting the first and second shafts, the mounting member being fixed on a surface of the support plate.
- the mounting member is fixed on the surface of the support plate and movably supports the first and second shafts formed at the lower ends of the first and second links respectively of the guide member for guiding the vertical movement of the key top. Accordingly, the support plate has no need to be integrally formed with supporting portions for mounting the guide member by a press working and the like. This eliminates the necessity of an expensive pressing die, thus enabling the reduction of manufacturing cost of the support plate.
- a key switch device including a key top, a membrane switch member disposed below the key top, a guide member provided with a first link and a second link which are mutually movably connected, a switching member which performs a switching operation of the membrane member in association with a vertical movement of the key top, a first shaft formed at a lower end of the first link, a second shaft formed at a lower end of the second link, and a mounting member for movably supporting the first and second shafts, the mounting member being fixed on a surface of the membrane switch member.
- the mounting member is fixed on the surface of the membrane switch member and movably supports the first and second shafts formed at the lower ends of the first and second links respectively of the guide member for guiding the vertical movement of the key top. Accordingly, a support plate has no need to be integrally formed with supporting portions by a press working and the like. This eliminates the necessity of an expensive pressing die, thus enabling the reduction of manufacturing cost of the key switch device.
- a portable electronic device provided with a key switch device including a key top, a support plate disposed below the key top, a guide member provided with a first link and a second link which are mutually movably connected, an upper end of the first link and an upper end of the second link being movably engaged with an underside of the key top and a lower end of the first link and a lower end of the second link being movably engaged with the support plate, and a switching section which is disposed on the support plate and performs a switching operation in association with a vertical movement of the key top
- the key switch device includes a first shaft formed at the lower end of the first link, a second shaft formed at the lower end of the second link, and a mounting member for movably supporting the first and second shafts, the mounting member being fixed on an upper surface of the support plate.
- the above portable electronic device further includes a keyboard on which a plurality of the key switch devices are disposed, the keyboard being closely disposed on the upper surface of the support plate, and a sheet type secondary battery which is plural times rechargeable and is provided with at least a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte which are arranged in layers so that the electrolyte is positioned between the positive and negative electrodes, the battery being disposed on an undersurface of the support plate.
- a keyboard on which a plurality of the key switch devices are disposed, the keyboard being closely disposed on the upper surface of the support plate
- a sheet type secondary battery which is plural times rechargeable and is provided with at least a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte which are arranged in layers so that the electrolyte is positioned between the positive and negative electrodes, the battery being disposed on an undersurface of the support plate.
- the key switches configuring the keyboard are arranged on the upper surface of the support plate, while the sheet type secondary battery is closely disposed on the underside of the support plate. Accordingly, the keyboard and the secondary battery are integrated through the support plate, so that a designer can design the electronic device without considering the shape, arrangement position, and others of the secondary battery. This provides advantages in the design of the electronic device. In addition, there is no need to provide special elements or components for attaching the sheet type secondary battery to the electronic device. This is very effective in reducing manufacturing cost.
- the support plate to which the heat which generates in the charging of the secondary battery from an external power source is transmitted, is directly exposed to the air through clearances between the key switches, and thus the heat can be sufficiently dissipated. Accordingly, the reliability and safety of the electronic device can be improved.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a keyboard provided with key switch devices in a first preferred embodiment according to the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective partial view of the keyboard in the first preferred embodiment, where some of key tops of the key switch devices are omitted;
- FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the key switch devices in the first preferred embodiment, one of which is shown in an exploded state;
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of mounting members fixed on a support plate of the key switch device
- FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a fixing manner to fix a mounting member on a support plate with use of a suction head
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of mounting members fixed on a support plate in a key switch device in a second preferred embodiment according to the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of key switch devices in a third preferred embodiment according to the present invention, one of which is shown in an exploded state;
- FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a spot welding manner to fix mounting members on a support plate
- FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a soldering manner to fix mounting members on a support plate
- FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a laser-welding manner to fix mounting members on a support plate
- FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of an ultrasonic welding manner to fix mounting members on a support plate
- FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a caulking manner to fix mounting members on a support plate
- FIG. 13 is a side view of an alternative of the key switch devices in the first embodiment
- FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an alternative of the key switch devices in the second embodiment
- FIG. 15 is a side view of a first alternative of the mounting member in the first embodiment, fixed on a support plate;
- FIG. 16 is a side view of a second alternative of the mounting member in the first embodiment, fixed on a support plate;
- FIG. 17 is a side view of a third alternative of the mounting member in the first embodiment, fixed on a support plate;
- FIG. 18 is a schematic side view of a keyboard in a fourth preferred embodiment according to the present invention.
- FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective partial view of the keyboard, where some of key tops of the key switch devices are omitted;
- FIG. 20 is a schematic side view of the key switch devices in the fourth embodiment, one of which is shown in an exploded state;
- FIG. 21 is a schematic side view of an alternative of the key switch devices in the fourth embodiment.
- FIG. 22 is a perspective view of mounting members fixed on a PET film sheet of the key switch device in the fourth embodiment
- FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a mounting member when fixed on a PET film sheet with use of a suction head
- FIG. 24 is a perspective view of mounting members fixed on a PET film sheet in a key switch device in a fifth preferred embodiment according to the present invention.
- FIG. 25 is a schematic side view of key switch devices in a sixth preferred embodiment according to the present invention, one of which is shown in an exploded state;
- FIG. 26 is a side view of an alternative of the key switch devices in the fourth embodiment.
- FIG. 27 is a perspective view of an alternative of the key switch devices in the fifth embodiment, schematically showing a fixing state of mounting members on the PET film sheet;
- FIG. 28 is a side view of a first alternative of the mounting member in the fourth embodiment.
- FIG. 29 is a side view of a second alternative of the mounting member in the fourth embodiment.
- FIG. 30 is a sectional view of a third alternative of the mounting member in the fourth embodiment.
- FIG. 31 is a sectional view of a fourth alternative of the mounting member in the fourth embodiment.
- FIG. 32 is a sectional view of an alternative of the PET film sheet in the fourth embodiment.
- FIG. 33 is a perspective sectional view of an alternative of the PET film sheet in the fourth embodiment.
- FIG. 34 is a perspective view of a notebook-size personal computer provided with a keyboard having a plurality of key switch devices in a first through tenth preferred embodiments according to the present invention
- FIG. 35A is a side view of a keyboard and a sheet type secondary battery included in a notebook-size personal computer in the seventh embodiment, the secondary battery being illustrated in a sectional view;
- FIG. 35B is an enlarged view of a circled part B in FIG. 35A;
- FIG. 36 is a perspective view of a part of the keyboard and the secondary battery in the seventh embodiment
- FIG. 37A is a side view of a keyboard and a sheet type secondary battery in a notebook-size personal computer in an eighth preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the secondary battery being illustrated in a sectional view;
- FIG. 37B is an enlarged view of a circled part B in FIG. 37A;
- FIG. 38A is a side view of a liquid crystal display of a notebook-size personal computer provided with a sheet type secondary battery in a ninth preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the secondary battery being illustrated in a sectional view;
- FIG. 38B is an enlarged view of a circled part B in FIG. 38A;
- FIG. 39A is a side view of a keyboard and a sheet type secondary battery in a notebook-size personal computer in a tenth preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the secondary battery being illustrated in a sectional view;
- FIG. 39B is an enlarged view of a circled part B in FIG. 39A.
- FIG. 40 is a perspective view of a notebook-size personal computer provided with a secondary battery in a prior art.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the keyboard.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a part of the keyboard, in which some of key tops of the key switch devices are omitted.
- the keyboard is mounted on a notebook-size personal computer shown in FIG. 34.
- This notebook-size personal computer 201 is mainly provided with the keyboard 1 , a liquid crystal display 205 , and a power cord 207 through which electric power is supplied to the computer 201 .
- the keyboard 1 is provided with a thin support plate 2 made of aluminum and a plurality of key switch devices 3 . Those key switch devices 3 are arranged on the plate 2 in the longitudinal and transverse directions thereof as shown in FIGS. 2 and 34.
- An electrical insulating layer (not shown) is formed on the surface of the support plate 2 and a predetermined circuit pattern 4 is formed with a conductive ink and the like on the electrical insulating layer.
- a fixed contact pattern 5 is formed at a substantially center in each of the areas where the key switch devices 3 are disposed one-by-one on the circuit pattern 4 . The circuit pattern 4 with the contact pattern 5 is used to detect whether or not the key switch device 3 has been depressed.
- a pair of mounting members 6 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined distance therebetween on the upper surface of the support plate 2 and fixed thereto with an adhesive.
- the paired mounting members 6 are identical in structure, and one of them is explained below.
- the mounting member 6 is made in such a manner that linear metal such as aluminum or iron is worked into a predetermined shape and cut into a chip having the unit length of a key switch device 3 .
- the thus formed mounting member 6 has a rotatably supporting portion 7 and a slidably supporting portion 8 , as will be mentioned later.
- the rotatably supporting portion 7 has a recess and is so configured as to rotatably engage with a rotatable shaft 18 formed at a lower end of a first link 14 constructing a guide member 10 which guides the vertical movement of a key top 9 .
- the slidably supporting portion 8 has an elongated recess and is so configured as to slidably engage with a slidable shaft 20 formed at a lower end of a second link 15 .
- an adhesive for fixing the mounting member 6 to the support plate 2 a commercially available adhesive which is usable for high-density packaging of various chip components is used.
- a commercially available adhesive which is usable for high-density packaging of various chip components is used.
- an epoxy adhesive that is hardened in a short time and is excellent in heat-resistance to soldering, in electrical and mechanical properties, and in insulating properties.
- the mounting member 6 may be directly fixed on the support plate 2 or be fixed on the insulating resist layer formed on the support plate 2 . It is to be noted that if the mounting member 6 is directly fixed on the support plate 2 , the insulating resist layer is not provided on the portions of the support plate 2 where the mounting member 6 is to be adhered. The mounting member 6 is thus fixed, with an adhesion, directly on the support plate 2 in the portions uncoated with the insulating resist layer.
- FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the key switch devices, a left one of which is shown in an exploded state.
- the key switch device 3 is mainly constructed of the key top 9 , the guide member 10 for vertically movably supporting the key top 9 , a rubber spring 11 disposed under the guide member 10 and over the fixed contact pattern 5 of the circuit pattern 4 formed on the support plate 2 , and the pair of mounting members 6 .
- the circuit pattern 4 may be constructed of a membrane substrate including a single layer or two or three layers. In this case, some rubber springs have a movable electrode therein, and others have no movable electrode.
- the key top 9 is formed of a synthetic resin, such as an ABS resin. A predetermined character, symbol, and the like is provided on the upper surface of the key top 9 by printing or the like.
- the underside of the key top 9 is integrally provided with connecting portions 12 and 13 .
- the connecting portion 12 is positioned above the slidably supporting portion 8 of the mounting member 6 fixed on the support plate 2 and the connecting portion 13 is positioned above the rotatably supporting portion 7 , as viewed in FIG. 3.
- These connecting portions 12 and 13 may be constructed of components separately configured from the key top 9 and attached to the underside of the key top 9 .
- the guide member 10 is constructed of a first link 14 and a second link 15 which are intersected and mutually rotatably connected together at a fulcrum portion 16 .
- the first link 14 is provided with a slidable shaft 17 projecting outward (i.e., vertically to the drawing sheet) at an upper end of the first link 14 .
- This shaft 17 is horizontally slidably supported in the connecting portion 12 of the key top 9 .
- the first link 14 is also provided with a rotatable shaft 18 projecting outward (i.e., vertically to the drawing sheet) at a lower end of the first link 14 .
- This shaft 18 is rotatably supported in the rotatably supporting portion 7 of the mounting member 6 .
- the second link 15 is provided with a rotatable shaft 19 projecting outward at an upper end of the second link 15 .
- This shaft 19 is rotatably supported in the connecting portion 13 of the key top 9 .
- the second link 15 is also provided with a slidable shaft 20 projecting outward at a lower end of the second link 15 .
- This shaft 20 is horizontally slidably supported in the slidably supporting portion 8 of the mounting member 6 .
- the structures of the first and second links 14 and 15 constituting the guide member 10 are substantially the same as those of the link members disclosed in Japanese utility model No. 2,589,927. Accordingly, the detail description of the structures is referred thereto and omitted in the present specification.
- the rubber spring 11 is formed into an inverted cup-shape and of a rubber material, such as silicon or EPDM, which includes a movable contact (not shown) disposed on the internal upper wall of the rubber spring 11 . This movable contact is opposed to the fixed contact pattern 5 of the circuit pattern 4 on the support plate 2 . Above the rubber spring 11 , the fulcrum portion 16 of the guide member 10 is positioned.
- a rubber material such as silicon or EPDM
- the mounting member 6 in the first embodiment is provided with the slidably supporting portion 8 permitting sliding of the slidable shaft 20 of the second link 15 , the rotatably supporting portion 7 permitting rotating of the rotatable shaft 18 of the first link 14 , a first adhering portion 21 continuously extending from the slidably supporting portion 8 to the left in FIG. 4, a second adhering portion 22 connecting the supporting portions 7 and 8 , and a third adhering portion 23 continuously extending from the supporting portion 7 to the right in FIG. 4.
- the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 of the mounting member 6 are adhered to the support plate 2 through a first, second, and third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 , respectively, applied on the support plate 2 .
- the mounting member 6 is adhered to and fixed on the support plate 2 .
- the mounting member 6 having the above configuration is produced by continuously drawing a part of a flat linear material from a roll thereof and molding it into a predetermined shape, and cutting it by the unit length of the key switch device 3 .
- the mounting member 6 may be made of resin by molding.
- the mounting member 6 produced as above is fixed on the support plate 2 in the following manner; the support plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is first set in a predetermined position; then, the first, second, and third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 are applied to the support plate 2 in each position corresponding to the key switch device 3 by a known automatic adhesive applying device. With an automatic mounting device loading the mounting member 6 chipped as above, as shown in FIG.
- the mounting member 6 stuck to a suction head 27 under suction through suction holes 28 is placed on the support plate 2 such that the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 correspond to the first, second, and third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 , respectively, and then the mounting member 6 is pressed onto the support plate 2 by the suction head 27 at a predetermined pressure.
- the mounting member 6 is thus adhered to and fixed on the support plate 2 in a predetermined position through the first through third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 .
- the underside of the suction head 27 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the mounting member 6 as shown in FIG. 5, so that the head 27 can securely press the mounting member 6 to the first, second, and third adhesive layers 24 - 26 respectively.
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of mounting members fixed on a support plate in a key switch device in a second preferred embodiment according to the present invention.
- a mounting member 30 is provided with a rotatably supporting portion 31 and a slidably supporting portion 32 and first, second, and third adhering portions 33 , 34 , and 35 .
- the rotatably supporting portion 31 is so configured as to permit therein rotation of a rotatable shaft 18 of a first link 14 .
- the slidably supporting portion 32 is so configured as to permit therewithin horizontal sliding of a slidable shaft 20 of a second link 15 .
- the first adhering portion 33 continuously extends from the slidably supporting portion 32 to the left in FIG. 6.
- the second adhering portion 34 connects the supporting portions 31 and 32 .
- the third adhering portion 35 continuously extends from the rotatably supporting portion 31 to the right in FIG. 6.
- the first, second, and third adhering portions 33 , 34 , and 35 of the mounting member 30 are adhered to and fixed on the support plate 2 through a first, second, and third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 , respectively, applied on the support plate 2 .
- the mounting member 30 is fixed on the support plate 2 .
- the mounting member 30 having the above configuration is produced by continuously drawing a part of a needle-like linear material from a roll thereof and molding it into a predetermined shape, and cutting it by the unit length of the key switch device 3 .
- the thus produced mounting member 30 is fixed on the support plate 2 in the following manner; the support plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is first set in a predetermined position; then, the first, second, and third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 are applied to the support plate 2 in respective positions within the area corresponding to the key switch device 3 by a known automatic adhesive applying device.
- an automatic mounting device loading the mounting member 30 chipped as above, as shown in FIG.
- the mounting member 30 stuck to a mounting head (not shown) under suction is placed such that the first, second, and third adhering portions 33 , 34 , and 35 correspond to the first, second, and third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 , respectively, and then the mounting member 30 is pressed onto the support plate 2 by the mounting head at a predetermined pressure.
- the mounting member 30 is thus adhered and fixed on the support plate 2 in a predetermined position through the first through third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 .
- FIG. 7 is a perspective side view of a key switch device in the third embodiment.
- the key switch device 3 is mainly constructed of, like in the above mentioned embodiments, a key top 9 , a guide member 10 for supporting the key top 9 so as to permit the vertical movement of the key top 9 , a rubber spring 11 disposed under the guide member 10 and over a fixed contact pattern 5 of a circuit pattern 4 formed on a support plate 2 , and a pair of mounting members 40 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 7).
- the mounting member 40 is formed with a length covering a plurality of key switch devices 3 as shown in FIG. 7.
- the mounting member 40 has, in each of the portions which are in one-to-one correspondence with the key switch devices 3 , a rotatably supporting portion 41 for rotatably supporting a rotatable shaft 18 of a first link 14 and a slidably supporting portion 42 for slidably supporting a slidable shaft 20 of a second link 15 .
- a rotatably supporting portion 41 for rotatably supporting a rotatable shaft 18 of a first link 14
- a slidably supporting portion 42 for slidably supporting a slidable shaft 20 of a second link 15 .
- the part existing between the slidably supporting portion 42 associated with the right key switch device 3 and the rotatably supporting portion 41 associated with the left key switch device 3 is a first adhering portion 43
- the part existing between the supporting portions 41 and 42 for one key switch device 3 is a second adhering portion 44
- the part formed continuing from the supporting portion 41 associated with the key switch device 3 positioned in one end of the mounting member 40 is a third adhering portion 45 . It is to be noted that the number of key switch devices 3 associated with the mounting member 40 can optionally be determined according to various specifications for the keyboard 1 .
- the first, second, and third adhering portions 43 , 44 , and 45 of the mounting member 40 are adhered and fixed on the support plate 2 through the first, second, and third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 (see FIGS. 4 and 6), respectively.
- the mounting member 40 is thus adhered and fixed on the support plate 2 .
- the mounting member 40 is produced by continuously drawing a part of a flat linear material from a roll thereof and molding it into a predetermined shape, and cutting it by the length corresponding to a plurality of the key switch devices 3 .
- the thus produced mounting member 40 is fixed on the support plate 2 in the following manner, like in the above embodiments; the support plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is first set in a predetermined position; then, the first, second, and third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 are applied to the support plate 2 in respective positions within the area corresponding to the key switch device 3 by a known automatic adhesive applying device.
- the mounting member 40 With an automatic mounting device loading the long mounting member 40 , the mounting member 40 being held in the mounting device is placed such that the first, second, and third adhering portions 43 , 44 , and 45 correspond to the first, second, and third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 , respectively, and then the mounting member 40 is pressed onto the support plate 2 by a mounting head at a predetermined pressure. The mounting member 40 is thus adhered and fixed on the support plate 2 at a predetermined position through the first through third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 .
- each of the mounting members 6 , 30 , 40 in the first, second, and third embodiments is adhered and fixed on the support plate 2 through the first, second, and third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26
- those mounting members 6 , 30 , and 40 may be fixed on the support plate 2 with use of various fixing manners besides the above-mentioned adhering manner with an adhesion.
- the mounting member 6 can be fixed on the support plate 2 by a so-called spot-welding manner. This case is explained below in detail with reference to FIG. 8 which is an explanatory view schematically showing the spot welding manner to fix the mounting member 6 on the support plate 2 .
- the support plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is set in a predetermined position.
- the chipped mounting member 6 is set in a predetermined position on the support plate 2 with use of the automatic mounting device.
- the mounting member 6 is preferably temporarily fixed on the support plate 2 in the predetermined position with an adhesion and the like which will not interfere with the spot-welding.
- a spot welding device 52 provided with a pair of electrodes 50 and 51 is so positioned that the upper electrode 50 is made into contact with the first adhering portion 21 of the mounting member 6 and the lower electrode 51 is made into contact with the lower surface of the support plate 2 .
- soldering manner may be used for fixing the mounting member 6 on the support plate 2 . This manner is explained below with reference to FIG. 9.
- the support plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is set in a predetermined position with respect to an automatic soldering device. Then, first, second, and third cream soldering layers 53 , 54 , and 55 are applied onto the support plate 2 in correspondence to the key switch device 3 . Thereafter, with an automatic mounting device loading the mounting member 6 chipped as above, the mounting member 6 is placed on the support plate 2 such that the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 correspond to the first, second, and third cream soldering layer 53 , 54 , and 55 , respectively. The reflow soldering process is then carried out. As a result, the mounting member 6 is soldered to the support plate 2 .
- a laser-welding manner may be used for fixing the mounting member 6 on the support plate 2 . This manner is explained below with reference to FIG. 10.
- the support plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is set in a predetermined position.
- an automatic mounting device loading the mounting member 6 chipped as above, the mounting member 6 is placed in a predetermined position on the support plate 2 .
- the mounting member 6 is preferably fixed temporarily in the predetermined position with an adhesive which will not interfere with the laser-welding.
- a laser-welding device is operated to consecutively emit a laser beam 57 from a laser head 56 to the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 from above. As a result, the mounting member 6 is fixed on the support plate 2 .
- an ultrasonic welding manner may be used for fixing the mounting member 6 on the support plate 2 . This manner is explained below with reference to FIG. 11.
- the support plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is set in a predetermined position.
- an automatic mounting device loading the mounting member 6 chipped as above, the mounting member 6 is placed in a predetermined position on the support plate 2 .
- the mounting member 6 is preferably fixed temporarily in the predetermined position with an adhesive which will not interfere with the ultrasonic welding.
- An ultrasonic welding device provided with a pair of horns 58 and 59 is used. The upper horn 58 is made into contact with the first adhering portion 21 and the lower horn 59 is made into contact with the support plate 2 . Then, high-frequency is applied between the upper and lower horns 58 and 59 . This work is repeated in sequence on the second and third adhering portions 22 and 23 .
- the mounting member 6 is thus ultrasonic-welded to the support plate 2 .
- a caulking manner may also be used for fixing the mounting member 6 on the support plate 2 . This manner is explained with reference to FIG. 12.
- the support plate 2 is subjected to a so-called burring process to form cylindrical burring portions 60 in positions corresponding to the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 of the mounting member 6 .
- the mounting member 6 is formed with through-holes 61 in the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 .
- the support plate 2 is set in a predetermined position and, with an automatic mounting device loading the mounting member 6 chipped as above, the support plate 6 is placed on the support plate 2 such that the burring portions 60 of the support plate 2 are inserted in the through-holes 61 of the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 respectively.
- an upper punch 62 is placed on the burring portion 60
- a lower punch 63 is made into contact with the lower surface of the support plate 2 , and the caulking is effected.
- the head of the burring portion 60 is extended on each upper surface of the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 as shown in FIG. 12, so that the mounting member 6 is fixed on the support plate 2 by the caulking.
- each of the mounting members 6 , 30 , and 40 has the rotatably supporting portion 7 (or 31 , 41 ) which rotatably supports the rotatable shaft 18 formed at the lower end of the first link 14 of the guide member 10 and the slidably supporting portion 8 (or 32 , 42 ) which slidably supports the slidable shaft 20 formed at the lower end of the second link 15 , and the mounting member is fixed on the support plate 2 through the first, second, and third adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 . It is therefore unnecessary to form supporting portions in the support plate 2 by a press working. Accordingly, the need of a pressing die used in the press working is eliminated, and the manufacture cost of the support plate 2 can be reduced. The need of producing such a die is also eliminated, so that the manufacture of the support plate can be started earlier.
- the mounting member 6 ( 30 ) fixed on the support plate 2 is formed in a chip having the unit length of one key switch device 3 . Consequently, the design flexibility of the keyboard 1 having a plurality of the key switch devices 3 can be further increased when the key switch device 3 is manufactured so as to satisfy different specifications thereof on a country-to-country basis.
- the mounting member 40 is so designed as to have the length corresponding to a plurality of the key switch devices 3 disposed on the support plate 2 so that the shafts 18 of the first links 14 and the shafts 20 of the second links 15 are rotatably or slidably supported.
- the mounting member 40 is fixed on the support plate 2 through the adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 . Accordingly, the number of adhering steps for fixing the mounting members 40 to the support plate 2 can be decreased as compared with the first and second embodiments where the chipped mounting members 6 , 30 are fixed individually to the support plate 2 . This can reduce the cost of the key switch device 3 .
- the mounting member 6 of the key switch device 3 in the first embodiment is formed in a chip having the unit length of one key switch device 3
- the mounting member 6 may alternatively be formed of two separate supporting portions 7 A and 8 A as shown in FIG. 13.
- the mounting member 6 is configured of the supporting portions 7 A and 8 A separately formed, the forming pattern of the adhesive layers applied onto the support plate 2 are required changing in correspondence to the separate portions 7 A and 8 A.
- the mounting member 30 of the key switch device 3 in the second embodiment is made of a needle-like material
- the first, second, and third adhering portions 33 , 34 , and 35 which are associated with the adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 respectively may be shaped like a flat plate, as shown in FIG. 14.
- the adhering area of the adhering portions 33 , 34 , and 35 to the adhesive layers 24 , 25 , and 26 are extended, so that the mounting member 30 can firmly and securely fixed on the support plate 2 .
- the mounting member 6 of the key switch device 3 in the first embodiment is provided with the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 and the supporting portions 7 and 8 which are formed between the adhering portions, the mounting member 6 may be alternatively modified as below.
- a first alternative of the mounting member 6 may have a supporting portion 8 opening at one side (the left side in FIG. 15) and no first adhering portion 21 .
- a second alternative of the mounting member 6 may have the supporting portions 8 opening at opposite sides and no first and third adhering portions 21 and 23 , as shown in FIG. 16. It is to be noted that the forming pattern of the adhesive layers are needed changing according to those alternatives. In this case, like the shaft 20 of the second link 15 , the shaft 18 of the first link 14 is also slid in the supporting portion 8 .
- a third alternative of the mounting member 6 may have the first and third adhering portions 21 and 23 provided with end portions 21 A and 23 A which are bent downward as shown in FIG. 17 and function of positioning the mounting member 6 in place. When these end portions 21 A and 23 A are inserted in holes 2 A formed in the support plate 2 , the mounting member 6 can be placed in a predetermined position on the support plate 2 .
- FIGS. 18 and 19 a fourth preferred embodiment of a key switch device according to the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, in which a plurality of the key switch devices are arranged configuring a keyboard. It is to be noted that parts identical to those of the above first through third embodiments are indicated at the same reference numerals.
- the keyboard is mounted on a notebook-size personal computer shown in FIG. 34.
- This notebook-size personal computer 201 is mainly provided with the keyboard 101 , a liquid crystal display 205 , and a power cord 207 through which electric power is supplied to the computer 201 .
- the keyboard 101 is provided with a support plate 2 which is disposed between an upper and lower frames of a notebook-size personal computer and the like and a film sheet S made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) disposed on the support plate 2 (or an upper surface of the lower case), and a plurality of the key switch devices 3 arranged in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the plate 2 .
- a predetermined circuit pattern 4 is formed on the upper surface of the PET film sheet S with use of a conductive ink and the like.
- a fixed contact pattern 5 is formed at a substantially center in each of the areas where the key switches 3 are disposed one-by-one on the circuit pattern 4 .
- a pair of mounting members 6 are fixed in parallel at a predetermined distance therebetween on the PET film sheet S with an adhesive.
- the paired mounting members 6 are identical in structure and one is explained below.
- the mounting member 6 is made in such a manner that linear metal such as aluminum or iron is worked into a predetermined shape and cut into a chip having the unit length of one key switch device 3 .
- the mounting member 6 is so formed, like in the first embodiment, as to have a rotatably supporting portion 7 and a slidably supporting portion 8 .
- the rotatably supporting portion 7 with a recess is so configured as to rotatably engage with a rotatable shaft 18 formed at a lower end of a first link 14 constructing a guide member 10 which guides the vertical movement of a key top 9 .
- the slidably supporting portion 8 with an elongated recess is so configured as to slidably engage with a slidable shaft 20 formed at a lower end of a second link 15 .
- an adhesive for fixing the mounting member 6 to the PET film sheet S a commercially available adhesive which is usable for high-density packaging of various chip components is used.
- a commercially available adhesive which is usable for high-density packaging of various chip components is used.
- an epoxy adhesive that is hardened in a short time and is excellent in heat-resistance to soldering, in electrical and mechanical properties, and in insulating properties.
- the mounting member 6 may be directly fixed on the PET film sheet S.
- the PET film sheetS is first subjected to a pre-treatment to facilitate the adhesion of the adhesive to the sheet, an adhesive layer (for example, of UV ink and the like) suitable for the PET film sheet S is then formed thereon, and the adhesive is further applied onto the adhesive layer, so that the mounting member 6 is adhered on the adhesive layer with the adhesive.
- an adhesive layer for example, of UV ink and the like
- FIG. 20 is a schematic side view of the key switch devices, a left one of which is shown in an exploded state.
- the key switch device 3 is mainly constructed of a key top 9 , a guide member 10 for vertically movably supporting the key top 9 , a rubber spring 11 disposed under the guide member 10 and over the fixed contact pattern 5 of the circuit pattern 4 formed on the PET film sheet, and the pair of mounting members 6 .
- each structure of the key top 9 , the guide member 10 , and the rubber spring 11 , and the mounting member 6 are identical to those in the first embodiment. The detail explanation thereof is omitted.
- the mounting member 6 having the same configuration as that in the first embodiment is fixed on the PET film sheet S such that a first adhering portion 21 is adhered on the PET film sheet S through a first adhesive layer 124 applied on the sheet S, a second adhering portion 22 is adhered through a second adhesive layer 125 , a third adhering portion 23 is adhered through a third adhesive layer 126 applied on the sheet S. Accordingly, the mounting member 6 is adhered and fixed on the upper surface of the PET film sheet S.
- This mounting member 6 is fixed on the PET film sheet S in the following manner; the PET film sheet S which has been formed into a predetermined shape is first set in a predetermined position; then, the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 are applied to the PET film sheet S in each position corresponding to the key switch device 3 by a known automatic adhesive applying device. With an automatic mounting device loading the mounting member 6 chipped as above, as shown in FIG.
- the mounting member 6 stuck to a suction head 27 under suction through suction holes 28 is placed such that the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 correspond to the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 , respectively, and then the mounting member 6 is pressed onto the PET film sheet S by the suction head 27 at a predetermined pressure.
- the mounting member 6 is thus adhered and fixed on the sheet S in a predetermined position through the first through third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 .
- the underside of the suction head 27 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the mounting member 6 as shown in FIG. 23, so that the head 27 can securely press the mounting member 6 to the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 - 126 respectively.
- the key switch device 3 in the fourth embodiment is constructed such that the mounting member 6 is fixed on a single sheet of PET film S disposed on the support plate 2 , through an adhesive, but it may be modified as viewed in FIG. 21.
- FIG. 21 is a schematic side view of an alternative of the key switch 3 in the fourth embodiment.
- a membrane switch sheet MS having a three-layer configuration is disposed on the support plate 2 .
- This membrane switch sheet MS is constructed of an upper PET film sheet S 1 , a lower PET film sheet S 2 , and a spacer sheet S 3 disposed between the upper and lower sheets S 1 and S 2 .
- the lower PET film sheet S 2 having the same structure as that of the PET film sheet S in the fourth embodiment, is provided with a circuit pattern 4 and a fixed contact pattern 5 on the upper surface of the sheet S 2 .
- the upper PET film sheet S 1 is provided with a movable contact pattern (not shown) disposed in a position opposite to the fixed contact pattern 5 .
- the spacer sheet S 3 serves to separate the upper and lower sheets S 1 and S 2 and is provided with a switching hole 29 at a position where the fixed contact pattern 5 of the lower sheet S 2 is opposite to the movable contact pattern of the sheet S 1 .
- the mounting member 6 is fixed in the above mentioned manner as shown in FIG. 21.
- the switching operation of the key switch device 3 is effected by contact and separation between the movable contact pattern of the upper sheet S 1 and the fixed contact circuit 5 of the lower sheet S 2 . Accordingly, no movable contact is provided on the internal upper wall of the rubber spring 11 disposed on the upper PET film sheet S 1 .
- the fulcrum portion 16 connecting the first and second links 14 and 15 is accordingly lowered to gradually depress the rubber spring 11 .
- the rubber spring 11 is buckled.
- the internal upper wall of the rubber spring 11 depresses the upper PET film sheet S 1 from above and causes the movable contact pattern provided on the underside of the sheet S 1 to come into contact with the fixed contact pattern 5 formed on the upper surface of the sheet S 2 , thus effecting a predetermined switching operation.
- FIG. 24 is a perspective view of mounting members fixed on a PET film sheet S in a key switch device in the fifth preferred embodiment.
- a mounting member 30 which is identical to that in the above second embodiment, has a first, second, and third adhering portions 33 , 34 , and 35 . These first, second, and third adhering portions 33 , 34 , and 35 of the mounting member 30 are adhered and fixed on a PET film sheet S through a first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 , respectively, applied on the PET film sheet S. As a result, the mounting member 30 is adhered and fixed on the PET film sheet S.
- the mounting member 30 is fixed on the PET film sheet S in the following manner; the PET film sheet S which has been formed into a predetermined shape is first set in a predetermined position; then, the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 are applied to the sheet S in respective positions within the area corresponding to the key switch device 3 by a known automatic adhesive applying device.
- a known automatic adhesive applying device loading the mounting member 30 chipped as above, the mounting member 30 stuck to a mounting head (not shown) under suction is placed such that the first, second, and third adhering portions 33 , 34 , and 35 correspond to the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 , respectively.
- the mounting member 30 is pressed onto the PET film sheet S by the mounting head at a predetermined pressure.
- the mounting member 30 is thus adhered and fixed on the sheet S in a predetermined position through the first through third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 .
- FIG. 25 is a perspective side view of a key switch device in the sixth embodiment.
- the key switch device 3 is mainly constructed of, like in the above embodiments, a key top 9 , a guide member 10 for supporting the key top 9 so as to allow the vertical movement of the key top 9 , a rubber spring 11 disposed under the guide member 10 and over a fixed contact pattern 5 of a circuit pattern 4 formed on a PET film sheet, and a pair of mounting members 40 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 25).
- the mounting member 40 is formed with a length covering a plurality of key switch devices 3 arranged on the PET film sheet S as shown in FIG. 25.
- the mounting member 40 has, in each of the portions which are in one-to-one correspondence with the key switch devices 3 , a rotatably supporting portion 41 for rotatably supporting a rotatable shaft 18 of a first link 14 and a slidably supporting portion 42 for slidably supporting a slidable shaft 20 of a second link 15 .
- a rotatably supporting portion 41 for rotatably supporting a rotatable shaft 18 of a first link 14
- a slidably supporting portion 42 for slidably supporting a slidable shaft 20 of a second link 15 .
- the part existing between the slidably supporting portion 42 associated with the right key switch device 3 and the rotatably supporting portion 41 associated with the left key switch device 3 is a first adhering portion 43
- the part existing between the supporting portions 41 and 42 for one key switch device 3 is a second adhering portion 44
- the part formed continuing from the supporting portion 41 associated with the key switch device 3 positioned in one end of the mounting member 40 is a third adhering portion 45 . It is to be noted that the number of key switch devices 3 associated to the mounting member 40 can optionally be determined according to various specifications for the keyboard 101 .
- the first, second, and third adhering portions 43 , 44 , and 45 of the mounting member 40 are adhered and fixed on the PET film sheet S through the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 (see FIGS. 22 and 24), respectively.
- the mounting member 40 is thus adhered and fixed on the PET film sheet S.
- the mounting member 40 is produced by continuously drawing a part of a flat linear material from a roll thereof and molding it into a predetermined shape, and cutting it by the length corresponding to a plurality of the key switch devices 3 .
- the thus produced mounting member 40 is fixed on the PET film sheet S in the following manner, like in the above embodiments; the PET film sheet S which has been formed into a predetermined shape is first set in a predetermined position; then, the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 are applied to the PET film sheet S in respective positions within the area corresponding to the key switch device 3 by a known automatic adhesive applying device.
- the mounting member 40 With an automatic mounting device loading the long mounting member 40 , the mounting member 40 being held in the mounting device is placed such that the first, second, and third adhering portions 43 , 44 , and 45 correspond to the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 , respectively, and then the mounting member 40 is pressed onto the PET film sheet S by a mounting head at a predetermined pressure. The mounting member 40 is thus adhered and fixed in a predetermined position on the PET film sheet S through the first through third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 .
- each of the mounting members 6 , 30 , 40 in the fourth, fifth, and sixth embodiments is adhered and fixed on the PET film sheet S through the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 , those mounting members 6 , 30 , and 40 may be fixed on the PET film sheet S with use of various fixing manners besides the above-mentioned adhering manner with an adhesion.
- each of the mounting members 6 , 30 , and 40 has the rotatably supporting portion 7 (or 31 or 41 ) which rotatably supports the rotatable shaft 18 formed at the lower end of the first link 14 of the guide member 10 and the slidably supporting portion 8 (or 32 or 42 ) which slidably supports the slidable shaft 20 formed at the lower end of the second link 15 , and the mounting member is fixed on the PET film sheet S through the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 .
- the key switch device 3 is constructed such that the mounting member 6 is adhered and fixed on the upper PET film sheet S 1 constituting the membrane switch sheet MS through the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 . Accordingly, there is no need for forming supporting portions in the support plate and an expensive pressing die is no longer needed, thus enabling the reduction of manufacturing cost of the keyboard 101 . Since the need for producing such a die is eliminated, the manufacture can be started earlier.
- the mounting member 6 ( 30 ) fixed on the PET film sheet S is formed in a chip having a unit length of a key switch device 3 .
- the design flexibility of the keyboard 101 having a plurality of the key switch devices 3 can be further increased when the key switch devices 3 are manufactured so as to satisfy different specifications thereof on a country-to-country basis.
- the mounting member 40 is so designed as to have the length corresponding to a plurality of the key switch devices 3 disposed on the PET film sheet S so that the shafts 18 of the first links 14 and the shafts 20 of the second links 15 are rotatably or slidably supported.
- the mounting member 40 is fixed through the adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 in correspondence to each of rows of the key switch devices 3 . Accordingly, the number of adhering steps for fixing the mounting member 40 to the PET film sheet S can be decreased, thus reducing the cost of the key switch device 3 .
- the mounting member 6 ( 30 , 40 ) of the key switch device 3 in the fourth to sixth embodiments is made of linear metal and, instead thereof, may be made of linear resin.
- linear resin as the adhesive to adhere the mounting member 6 ( 30 , 40 ) on the PET film sheet S, an adhesive suitable for both of the PET film sheet and the resin forming the mounting member is preferably selected.
- the mounting member 6 of the key switch device 3 in the fourth embodiment is formed in a chip having the unit length of one key switch device 3
- the mounting member 6 may alternatively be formed of two separate supporting portions 7 A and 8 A as shown in FIG. 26.
- the mounting member 6 is constructed of the separately formed supporting portions 7 A and 8 A, the forming pattern of the adhesive layers applied onto the PET film sheet S are required changing in correspondence to the separate portions 7 A and 8 A.
- the mounting member 30 of the key switch device 3 in the fifth embodiment is made of a needle-like material
- the first, second, and third adhering portions 33 , 34 , and 35 which are associated with the adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 respectively may be shaped like a flat plate as shown in FIG. 27.
- the adhering area of the adhering portions 33 , 34 , and 35 to the adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 are extended, so that the mounting member 30 can be firmly and securely fixed on the PET film sheet S.
- the mounting member 6 in the fourth embodiment is provided with the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 and the supporting portions 7 and 8 which are formed between the adhering portions, the mounting member 6 may be alternatively modified as below.
- a first alternative of the mounting member 6 may have a supporting portion 8 opening at one side (the left side in FIG. 28) and no first adhering portion 21 .
- a second alternative of the mounting member 6 may have the supporting portions 8 opening at opposite sides and no first and third adhering portions 21 and 23 , as shown in FIG. 29. It is to be noted that the forming pattern of the adhesive layers are needed changing according to those alternatives. In this case, like the shaft 20 of the second link 15 , the shaft 18 of the first link 14 is also slid in the shaft 8 .
- a third alternative of the mounting member 6 may have the first and third adhering portions 21 and 23 provided with end portions 21 A and 23 A which are bent downward as shown in FIG. 30 and function of positioning the mounting member 6 in place. When these end portions 21 A and 23 A are inserted in holes 2 A formed in the PET film sheet S, the mounting member 6 can be placed in a predetermined position on the PET film sheet S.
- the mounting member 6 may integrally have projections 70 formed at both lower ends of the slidably supporting portion 8 and both lower ends of the rotatably supporting portion 7 , respectively. These projections 70 penetrate through fixing holes 21 B of the PET film sheet S, and the sheet S is subjected to annealing at about 150° C. This PET film sheet S is shrunk by the annealing. As a result, the projections 70 are firmly secured in the holes 21 B, thereby fixing the mounting member 6 on the PET film sheet S. In this alternative, the use of an adhesive can be eliminated.
- the PET film sheet S is provided with through holes 21 C and 21 D and a first, second, and third adhering layers 124 , 125 , and 126 on the underside of the sheet S.
- the mounting member 6 is disposed under a PET film sheet S such that the supporting portions 7 and 8 are upwardly inserted in the through holes 21 D and 21 C respectively, and the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 are adhered to the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124 , 125 , and 126 respectively.
- the mounting member 6 is adhered and fixed on the underside of the PET film sheet S. Since the supporting portions 7 and 8 are inserted in the through holes 21 D and 21 C, the mounting member 6 will not easily be separated from the PET film sheet S.
- the upper PET film sheet S 1 of the membrane switch sheet MS is provided with through holes 21 C and 21 D and applied with a second adhesive layer 125 A on the underside of the sheet S 1 and a second adhesive layer 125 B on the upper surface of the sheet S 2 opposite to the adhesive layer 125 A.
- the mounting member 6 is disposed under the upper PET film sheet S 1 such that the supporting portions 7 and 8 of the mounting member 6 are upwardly inserted in the through holes 21 D and 21 C respectively.
- the lower PET film sheet S 2 is made contact under pressure with the upper PET film sheet S 1 .
- the second adhering portion 22 of the mounting member 6 is adhered and fixed between the upper and lower PET film sheets S 1 and S 2 through the second adhesive layers 125 A and 125 B.
- the mounting member 6 is sandwiched between the PET film sheets S 1 and S 2 with the supporting portions 7 and 8 inserted in the through holes 21 D and 21 C respectively, so that the mounting member 6 will not be easily separated from the PET film sheet S.
- the first, second, and third adhering portions 21 , 22 , and 23 having a predetermined thickness can function as a spacer sheet S 3 . The use of the spacer sheet S 3 can be eliminated accordingly.
- the portable electronic device is embodied in a notebook-size personal computer shown in FIG. 34.
- this notebook-size personal computer (which is simply referred to as ‘computer’, hereinafter) 201 is provided with a keyboard 203 having key switch devices constructed as described in the above embodiments to instruct various operations of the computer, a liquid crystal display 205 which visually displays calculation results obtained in a central A 0 processing unit (CPU; not shown), a power cord 207 through which electric power is supplied from an external power source to the computer 201 , and a sheet-type secondary battery 209 (see FIG. 35) which will be mentioned later in detail, and others. It is to be noted that the internal structure of the computer 201 has been known and the detail explanation thereof is omitted.
- FIG. 35A is a schematic side view of the keyboard 203 and the sheet-type secondary battery 209 built in the computer 201 in the seventh embodiment.
- FIG. 35B is an enlarged view of the circled part B in the FIG. 35A.
- FIG. 36 is a schematic perspective view of the keyboard 203 and the sheet-type secondary battery 209 in the seventh embodiment.
- This battery 209 is rechargeable through the power cord 207 from an external electric power source and can supply electric power to the computer 201 to activate it even if no power is supplied from the external power source. Accordingly, the computer 201 can be used in a place such as outdoors where the power supply from the external power source is impossible.
- the keyboard 203 is constructed of a thin metal plate 211 made of aluminum and a plurality of key switches 213 disposed on the metal plate 211 in the longitudinal and transverse directions.
- the key switch 213 is provided with cross-linked legs 214 for permitting the vertical movement of the key switch 213 .
- the lower ends of the legs 214 are movably supported on the metal plate 211 with mounting members mentioned later.
- On the upper surface of the metal plate 211 there is provided an insulating resist layer not shown.
- a predetermined circuit pattern 215 is further provided on the insulating resist layer with the use of an electric conductive ink and the like. This circuit pattern 215 is used to detect whether or not the key switch has been depressed.
- a fixed contact pattern 217 is formed on the circuit pattern 215 at a substantially center within the area associated with each key switch 213 .
- a pair of mounting members 219 is fixed with an adhesive and the like on the upper surface of the metal plate 211 in each position where the key switch 213 is disposed. With the mounting members 219 supporting the legs 214 , a plurality of the key switches 213 are disposed on the metal plate 211 . It is to be noted that the mounting member 219 is made of linear metal such as aluminum or iron into a predetermined shape and cut into a chip having the unit length of one key switch 213 . As an adhesive for adhering the mounting member 219 on the metal plate 211 , a commercially available adhesive which is usable for high-density packaging of various chip components is used.
- the mounting member 219 may be directly fixed on the metal plate 211 or fixed on the insulating resist layer. It is to be noted that if the mounting member 219 is directly fixed on the metal plate 211 , the insulating resist layer is not provided on the portions of the metal plate 211 where the mounting member 219 is to be adhered. The mounting member 219 is thus fixed, with an adhesion, directly on the metal plate 211 in the portions uncoated with the insulating resist layer.
- the secondary battery 209 which has substantially the same surface area as that of the metal plate 211 is closely fixed to the opposite surface of the metal plate 211 to the surface mounting thereon the key switches 213 , with an adhesive and the like.
- This battery 209 is constructed of a positive electrode 220 , a negative electrode 222 , and an insulating member 221 which is an electrolyte disposed between the positive and negative electrodes 220 and 222 so that they are placed in layers, a positive electrode collecting member 218 provided on the positive electrode 220 , a negative electrode collecting member 223 provided on the negative electrode 222 , and a jacket member 216 which envelops the above elements.
- the supply of electric power to the computer 201 or the charge of the battery 209 from the external power source and the power cord 217 is effected.
- a combination of the elements constituting the secondary battery 209 is variously conceivable.
- the jacket member 216 made of an aluminum-evaporated film, the positive electrode 220 made of cobaltic acid lithium, and the negative electrode 222 made of copper foil can be combined to form the secondary battery 209 .
- solid polyelectrolyte is preferably used for the insulating member 221 . If the area and the thickness of the sheet-type secondary battery 209 is appropriately adjusted, the battery 209 with a desired capacity can be obtained.
- the battery 209 is so configured as to have a substantially equal area to the surface area of the metal plate 211 and a thickness adjusted according to the capacity needed for the computer 201 .
- the sheet-type secondary battery 209 is presented in various forms each having a thickness in a range of 0.3 mm (ultra-thin type) to 20 mm and an area in a range of 5 mm square (ultra-compact size) to an A5-size (large size). Since the capacity of the battery can be changed according to the area and thickness, the sheet-type secondary battery 209 can be appropriately selected in response to using purposes.
- All of the inside elements of the sheet-type secondary battery 209 constructed as above are solid, including the insulating member 221 which is solid polyelectrolyte. Accordingly, there is no possibility of leaking which may be caused in the case of overcharge when liquid electrolyte is used as an insulating member.
- the metal plate 211 to which the heat which generates in the secondary battery 209 in charging from the external power source is transmitted, is directly exposed to the air through clearances between the key switches 213 , and thus the heat can be sufficiently dissipated. As result, the reliability and safety of the computer 201 can be improved.
- the computer 201 is not required to have special structure or components for attachment of the sheet-type secondary battery 209 , which can reduce the manufacturing cost.
- FIGS. 34 and 37 an electronic device provided with a sheet-type secondary battery in an eighth embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 34 and 37.
- the sheet-type secondary battery and the notebook-size personal computer in the present embodiment have substantially the same structure as those in the-seventh embodiment. Accordingly, parts identical to those of the seventh embodiment are indicated at the same reference numerals. The following description is focused on the feature of the electronic device provided with the sheet-type secondary battery in the eighth embodiment.
- FIG. 37A is a schematic side view of the keyboard 203 and the sheet-type secondary battery 209 built in the computer 201 shown in FIG. 34.
- FIG. 37B is an enlarged view of the circled part B in the FIG. 37A.
- the battery 209 shown in FIG. 37A has substantially the same structure as that in the seventh embodiment, except that the battery 209 in the eighth embodiment has no jacket member in the upper side facing to the metal plate 211 and therefore the metal plate 211 functions as a negative electrode. Accordingly, with the positive electrode collecting member 218 and the metal plate 211 , the battery 209 can supply power to the computer 201 or can be charged from the external power source through the power cord 207 . since the metal plate 211 can also be used as a negative electrode collecting member as mentioned above, the negative electrode collecting member 223 shown in FIG. 37 may be removed as required.
- the keyboard 203 and the sheet-type secondary battery 209 are made in a unitary configuration such that the elements constituting the battery 209 are disposed on one surface of the metal plate 211 , while the keyboard 203 is disposed on another surface of the metal plate 211 .
- the designer can design the computer 201 without considering the shape, arrangement position, and others of the secondary battery. The burdensome work to the designer can be reduced accordingly.
- the metal plate 211 is also used as a negative electrode of the sheet type secondary battery 209 , the metal plate 211 if used in a part of a box-like outer metal frame of the computer 201 can act as a static protection shield, which is very advantageous.
- the keyboard 203 and the sheet-type secondary battery 209 are provided on the both surfaces of the metal plate 211 respectively, forming a unitary configuration. This eliminates the need for assembling the keyboard 203 and the sheet-type secondary battery 209 which are made as separate parts. As a result, the manufacturing steps and the number of parts can be decreased, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Since no superfluous space exists between the keyboard 203 and the battery 209 , the computer 201 can be effectively reduced as a whole in weight and size.
- the notebook-sized personal computer with the sheet-type secondary battery in the present embodiment has substantially the same structure as those in the seventh embodiment. Accordingly, parts identical to those of the seventh embodiment are indicated at the same reference numerals. The following description is focused on the feature of the electronic device provided with the sheet-type secondary battery in the ninth embodiment.
- FIG. 38A is a schematic side view of a cover member of the notebook-size personal computer 201 , which supports a crystal liquid display 205 shown in FIG. 34, including a sectional side view of the second battery mounted on the cover member.
- FIG. 38B is an enlarged view of a circled part B in the FIG. 38A.
- the liquid crystal display 205 is disposed on a metal plate 211 made of a thin aluminum plate.
- a sheet-type secondary battery 9 with substantially the same area as the surface area of the metal plate 211 is closely attached with an adhesive and the like.
- the battery 209 shown in FIG. 38A has substantially the same structure as that in the seventh embodiment, except that the battery 209 in the ninth embodiment has no jacket member in the upper side contacting the metal plate 211 and therefore the metal plate 211 functions as a negative electrode.
- the battery 209 can supply power to the computer 201 or can be charged from the external power source through the power cord 207 . Since the metal plate 211 can also be used as a negative electrode collecting member as mentioned above, the negative electrode collecting member 223 shown in FIG. 38 may be removed as required.
- the liquid crystal display 205 and the sheet-type secondary battery 209 are made in a unitary configuration such that the elements constituting the battery 209 are disposed on one surface of the metal plate 211 , while the keyboard 203 is disposed on another surface of the metal plate 211 .
- the designer can design the computer 201 without considering the shape, arrangement position, and others of the secondary battery. The burdensome work to the designer can be decreased accordingly.
- liquid crystal display 205 and the sheet-type secondary battery 209 are provided on the both surfaces of the metal plate 211 respectively, forming a unitary configuration. This eliminates the need for assembling the display 205 and the sheet-type secondary battery 209 which are made as separate parts. As a result, the manufacturing steps and the number of parts can be decreased, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Since no superfluous space exists between the display 205 and the battery 209 , the computer 201 can be effectively reduced as a whole in weight and size.
- the metal plate 211 is also used as a negative electrode of the sheet type secondary battery 209 , the metal plate 211 if used in a part of a box-like outer metal frame of the computer 201 can act as a static protection shield, which is very advantageous.
- the notebook-sized personal computer with the sheet-type secondary battery in the present embodiment has substantially the same structure as those in the seventh embodiment. Accordingly, parts identical to those of the seventh embodiment are indicated at the same reference numerals. The following description is focused on the feature of the electronic device provided with the sheet-type secondary battery in the tenth embodiment.
- FIG. 39A is a schematic side view of the keyboard 203 and the sheet-type secondary battery 209 built in the computer 201 shown in FIG. 34.
- FIG. 39B is an enlarged view of a circled part B in the FIG. 39A.
- the battery 209 shown in FIG. 39A has substantially the same structure as that in the seventh embodiment, except that the battery 209 in the tenth embodiment has an insulating resist layer (not shown) applied on the upper surface of the jacket member 216 , namely, the secondary battery 209 .
- a predetermined circuit pattern is formed on the insulating resist layer by using a conductive ink and the like. Through the circuit pattern, a depression condition of each of the key switches 203 can be detected.
- Under the sheet-type secondary battery 209 there is provided a reinforcing plate 230 for preventing the battery 209 from being deformed or curved by when the key switches 203 are depressed.
- the circuit pattern being formed on the jacket member 216 of the battery 209 , the keyboard 203 and the sheet-type secondary battery 209 have no need for including a special member for supporting the circuit pattern, which is advantageous to reduction in size and cost of the computer 201 .
- a notebook-sized personal computer provided with a sheet-type secondary battery is mentioned as an example of an electronic device according to the present invention. It is, however, needless to say that the same effect can be obtained if the present invention is applied to other portable electronic device, such as a word processor, provided with a keyboard or a crystal liquid display.
Abstract
In a key switch device 3, a guide member 10 constructed of a first and a second links 14 and 15, which guides a vertical movement of a key top 9, is movably mounted on a support plate 2 with a mounting member 6 provided with a rotatably supporting portion 7 which rotatably supports a rotatable shaft 18 formed at a lower end of the first link 14 and a slidably supporting portion 8 which slidably supports a slidable shaft 20 formed at a lower end of the second link 15. The mounting member 6 is fixed on the support plate 2 with a first, second, and third adhesive layers 24, 25, and 26.
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a key switch device having a guide member provided with two link members mutually rotatably disposed, one link member being supported at an upper end thereof with respect to an underside of a key top and at a lower end thereof to a support plate and the other link member being supported at an upper end thereof to the underside of the key top and a lower end thereof to the support plate, the guide member functioning of guiding vertical movement of the key top to thereby effect a switching operation. In particular, the present invention relates to a key switch device having mounting members for movably supporting the lower ends of the link members respectively, the mounting members being fixed on the support plate by a predetermined fixing manner, which can reduce manufacturing cost of the support plate and increase design flexibility of a keyboard provided with a plurality of the key switch devices.
- Furthermore, the present invention relates to a key switch device having a film sheet for performing a switching operation, the film sheet being disposed below a key top, and mounting members for movably supporting each lower end of two link members of a guide member, the mounting members being fixed on the film sheet, which can reduce manufacturing cost and increase design flexibility of a keyboard provided with a plurality of the key switch device, and achieve weight reduction of the keyboard.
- Furthermore, the present invention relates to a portable electronic device provided with a keyboard on which a plurality of key switch devices are arranged and a sheet-type secondary battery, and particularly to a portable electronic device capable of facilitating the design and manufacture thereof and improving the reliability.
- 2. Description of Related Art
- Conventionally, there have been proposed key switch devices each having a guide member constructed of a pair of link members mutually movably connected in an intersecting state, and the guide member serves to guide the vertical movement of a key top to effect a switching operation in association with the vertical movement of the key top. For example, such a key switch is disclosed in Japanese utility model application laid-open No. Hei 2-5236. This key switch is provided with a key top, an upper holder attached to an underside of the key top, a first lower holder and a second lower holder attached to a printed substrate, and two rectangular frames connected to each other in an X-shaped configuration as viewed in side elevation, which is disposed between the key top and the printed substrate.
- In this key switch, an upper portion of one of the rectangular frames is slidably supported in the upper holder between the lower surface of the key top and the upper holder, while leg portions of the rectangular frame are rotatably supported in the first holder. On the other hand, an upper portion of the other rectangular frame is rotatably supported in a groove of the upper holder, while leg portions of the rectangular frame are slidably supported in the second holder. Furthermore, a rubber switch is disposed on the printed substrate, and a convex portion of the key top, projecting downward, is engaged with the rubber switch. The rubber switch is provided with a movable contact disposed corresponding to a fixed contact disposed on the printed substrate.
- The above key switch is configured such that the key top is vertically moved with its horizontal position being maintained, no matter which portion of the key top is depressed by an operator. Accordingly, the movable contact of the rubber switch engaged with the key top is made into contact with the fixed contact of the printed substrate whenever the rubber switch is pushed upon depression of the key top, thus effecting a switching operation.
- However, in the above key switch disclosed in Japanese utility model application laid-open publication No. Hei 2-5236, the first and second lower holders attached to the printed substrate are all inserted in mounting holes formed in the printed substrate (see FIGS. 2 and 4 in the publication) and fixed therein. Therefore, each lower end of the first and second lower holders is made projecting downward from a lower surface of the printed substrate.
- Such projecting lower ends of the first and second lower holders may cause a difficulty in thickness reduction of the key switch and be against actual circumstances that the reduction of the thickness of a key switch is promoted.
- To conform the need of reduction in size and thickness of a keyboard with a sufficient key stroke being ensured, applicant of the present invention proposed a key switch device which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,283, in which an electrical circuit pattern is formed on an insulating layer provided on a metal substrate, and four mounting portions are formed integrally with the substrate by pressing and disposed surrounding a fixed contact pattern in the circuit pattern. Two of the four mounting portions are used as rotatably supporting portions, and the other two are used as slidably supporting portions.
- In the above switch device, a guide supporting member constructed of two link members which are mutually rotatably connected is disposed between the key top and the substrate. A support shaft formed at an upper end of one of the link members is rotatably supported in the connecting portion formed on the underside of the key top and a support pin formed at a lower end of the link member is slidably supported in the slidably supporting portion of the substrate. A support pin formed at an upper end of the other link member is slidably supported in the connecting portion formed on the underside of the key top and a support shaft formed at a lower end of the link member is rotatably supported in the rotatably supporting portion of the substrate.
- In the key switch disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,283, the metal substrate is formed integrally with the mounting portions (supporting portions) by pressing, the mounting portions serving to slidably or rotatably support the support pins or shafts disposed on the lower parts of the link members. Thus, this realizes a key switch device which can ensure a sufficient key stroke and reduce the size of the keyboard, especially the thickness thereof.
- However, a predetermined pressing work to integrally form the mounting portions with the substrate needs a relatively large pressing die in order to form the mounting portions in the whole area of the substrate. Since the pressing die is expensive, the cost of the key switch device is increased in association therewith.
- Furthermore, specifications such as the placement manner of key switches are generally determined in respective countries. If the key switch device is manufactured based on the specifications in the countries where the key switch device is to be used, plural types of a pressing die must be prepared to perform a suitable pressing work on a substrate in response to the respective specifications. Accordingly, the preparation of plural pressing dies, each being inherently expensive in cost, may cause the increase in cost of the key switch device.
- Furthermore, the metal substrate itself used in the above key switch device is considerably heavy, so that the whole key switch device increases in weight. This obstructs weight reduction of the key switch device.
- Meanwhile, there has also been known a portable electronic device, such as a notebook-size personal computer and the like, provided with the above key switch devices and a secondary battery which is rechargeable plural times and is built-in a main unit of the electronic device. When the secondary battery is charged in advance from an exterior power source, the electronic device can work on the secondary battery even in a place or area where the power supply from the exterior power source is impossible. Due to the shape, weight, thickness, etc. of the secondary battery, however, the secondary battery often had a disadvantageous effect on the portability and shape of the electronic device.
- One type of the electronic device provided with the secondary battery is shown in FIG. 40. A
secondary battery 239, attached to the internal bottom of anelectronic device 240 such as a notebook-size personal computer, supplies necessary electricity to theelectronic device 240 even when theelectronic device 240 is used in a place where power supply from an exterior power source is impossible. As thesecondary battery 239, various types having different shapes, weight, thickness are known. It is generally considered very large in thickness and weight. - In this way, since the
electronic device 240 is provided with thesecondary battery 239 which is selected from various types having different shapes, weight, thickness, etc., a designer has to design theelectronic device 240 in consideration of the shape, weight, thickness, etc. of thesecondary battery 239 in addition to the internal structure of theelectronic device 240. This may impose a burdensome work on the designer or take much time to develop theelectronic device 240. - Depending on the shape, thickness, and others of the
secondary battery 239, sufficient heat radiation can not be carried out against the heat generated in thesecondary battery 239 when charged from the exterior power source. Due to this insufficient heat radiation, theelectronic device 240 may rise in temperature. - Because of the weight and the attachment position of the
secondary battery 239, furthermore, theelectronic device 240 loses its center of balance, which may cause damage to the portability of theelectronic device 240. - The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and has an object to overcome the above problems and to provide a key switch device having mounting members for movably supporting lower ends of two link members of a guide member guiding vertical movement of a key top, the mounting members being fixed on a support plate by a predetermined one of various fixing manners, thus eliminating the need of a pressing die used in the prior art, so that the key switch device can reduce the manufacturing cost of the support plate and increase the design flexibility of a keyboard provided with a plurality of the key switch devices.
- Another object of the present invention is providing a key switch device having mounting members for movably supporting lower ends of two link members of a guide member which guides vertical movement of a key top, the mounting members being fixed on a membrane switch member for conducting a switching operation by a predetermined fixing manner, thus eliminating the need of a pressing die used in the prior art, differently from the case where supporting portions are integrally formed in a support plate, so that the key switch device can reduce the manufacturing cost of the support plate, increase the design flexibility of a keyboard provided with a plurality of the key switch devices, and easily enable weight reduction.
- Furthermore, another object of the present invention is to provide a portable electronic device provided with a keyboard and a thin sheet-type secondary battery which can facilitate the design and manufacture of the portable electronic device and improve the reliability and safety of the same.
- Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
- To achieve the purpose of the invention, there is provided a key switch device including a key top, a support plate disposed below the key top, a guide member provided with a first link and a second link which are mutually movably connected, an upper end of the first link and an upper end of the second link being movably engaged with an underside of the key top and a lower end of the first link and a lower end of the second link being movably engaged with the support plate, and a switching section which is disposed on the support plate and performs a switching operation in association with a vertical movement of the key top, wherein the key switch device includes a first shaft formed at the lower end of the first link, a second shaft formed at the lower end of the second link, and a mounting member for movably supporting the first and second shafts, the mounting member being fixed on a surface of the support plate.
- In the above key switch device according to the present invention, the mounting member is fixed on the surface of the support plate and movably supports the first and second shafts formed at the lower ends of the first and second links respectively of the guide member for guiding the vertical movement of the key top. Accordingly, the support plate has no need to be integrally formed with supporting portions for mounting the guide member by a press working and the like. This eliminates the necessity of an expensive pressing die, thus enabling the reduction of manufacturing cost of the support plate.
- Even if the specifications such as the placement of the key switch devices in a keyboard are different according to countries where the key switch device is to be used, it is sufficient to fix an appropriate mounting member on the support plate in agreement with the specifications on a country-to-country basis. This can increase the design flexibility of a keyboard having the key switch devices without preparation of a pressing die for the specifications in each country.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key switch device including a key top, a membrane switch member disposed below the key top, a guide member provided with a first link and a second link which are mutually movably connected, a switching member which performs a switching operation of the membrane member in association with a vertical movement of the key top, a first shaft formed at a lower end of the first link, a second shaft formed at a lower end of the second link, and a mounting member for movably supporting the first and second shafts, the mounting member being fixed on a surface of the membrane switch member.
- In the above key switch device according to the present invention, the mounting member is fixed on the surface of the membrane switch member and movably supports the first and second shafts formed at the lower ends of the first and second links respectively of the guide member for guiding the vertical movement of the key top. Accordingly, a support plate has no need to be integrally formed with supporting portions by a press working and the like. This eliminates the necessity of an expensive pressing die, thus enabling the reduction of manufacturing cost of the key switch device.
- Even if the specifications such as the key placement are different according to countries where the key switch device is to be used, it is sufficient to fix an appropriate mounting member on the membrane switch member in agreement with the specifications on a country-to-country basis. This can increase the design flexibility of a keyboard having the key switch devices without preparation of a pressing die for the specifications in each country.
- Since the mounting member is fixed on the surface of the membrane switch member, a support plate may be eliminated, which achieves the weight reduction of the key switch device.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable electronic device provided with a key switch device including a key top, a support plate disposed below the key top, a guide member provided with a first link and a second link which are mutually movably connected, an upper end of the first link and an upper end of the second link being movably engaged with an underside of the key top and a lower end of the first link and a lower end of the second link being movably engaged with the support plate, and a switching section which is disposed on the support plate and performs a switching operation in association with a vertical movement of the key top, wherein the key switch device includes a first shaft formed at the lower end of the first link, a second shaft formed at the lower end of the second link, and a mounting member for movably supporting the first and second shafts, the mounting member being fixed on an upper surface of the support plate.
- Preferably, the above portable electronic device further includes a keyboard on which a plurality of the key switch devices are disposed, the keyboard being closely disposed on the upper surface of the support plate, and a sheet type secondary battery which is plural times rechargeable and is provided with at least a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte which are arranged in layers so that the electrolyte is positioned between the positive and negative electrodes, the battery being disposed on an undersurface of the support plate.
- In the portable electronic device according to the present invention, the key switches configuring the keyboard are arranged on the upper surface of the support plate, while the sheet type secondary battery is closely disposed on the underside of the support plate. Accordingly, the keyboard and the secondary battery are integrated through the support plate, so that a designer can design the electronic device without considering the shape, arrangement position, and others of the secondary battery. This provides advantages in the design of the electronic device. In addition, there is no need to provide special elements or components for attaching the sheet type secondary battery to the electronic device. This is very effective in reducing manufacturing cost. The support plate, to which the heat which generates in the charging of the secondary battery from an external power source is transmitted, is directly exposed to the air through clearances between the key switches, and thus the heat can be sufficiently dissipated. Accordingly, the reliability and safety of the electronic device can be improved.
- The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification illustrate an embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the objects, advantages and principles of the invention.
- In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a keyboard provided with key switch devices in a first preferred embodiment according to the present invention;
- FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective partial view of the keyboard in the first preferred embodiment, where some of key tops of the key switch devices are omitted;
- FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the key switch devices in the first preferred embodiment, one of which is shown in an exploded state;
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of mounting members fixed on a support plate of the key switch device;
- FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a fixing manner to fix a mounting member on a support plate with use of a suction head;
- FIG. 6 is a perspective view of mounting members fixed on a support plate in a key switch device in a second preferred embodiment according to the present invention;
- FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of key switch devices in a third preferred embodiment according to the present invention, one of which is shown in an exploded state;
- FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a spot welding manner to fix mounting members on a support plate;
- FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a soldering manner to fix mounting members on a support plate;
- FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a laser-welding manner to fix mounting members on a support plate;
- FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of an ultrasonic welding manner to fix mounting members on a support plate;
- FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing a caulking manner to fix mounting members on a support plate;
- FIG. 13 is a side view of an alternative of the key switch devices in the first embodiment;
- FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an alternative of the key switch devices in the second embodiment;
- FIG. 15 is a side view of a first alternative of the mounting member in the first embodiment, fixed on a support plate;
- FIG. 16 is a side view of a second alternative of the mounting member in the first embodiment, fixed on a support plate;
- FIG. 17 is a side view of a third alternative of the mounting member in the first embodiment, fixed on a support plate;
- FIG. 18 is a schematic side view of a keyboard in a fourth preferred embodiment according to the present invention;
- FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective partial view of the keyboard, where some of key tops of the key switch devices are omitted;
- FIG. 20 is a schematic side view of the key switch devices in the fourth embodiment, one of which is shown in an exploded state;
- FIG. 21 is a schematic side view of an alternative of the key switch devices in the fourth embodiment;
- FIG. 22 is a perspective view of mounting members fixed on a PET film sheet of the key switch device in the fourth embodiment;
- FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a mounting member when fixed on a PET film sheet with use of a suction head;
- FIG. 24 is a perspective view of mounting members fixed on a PET film sheet in a key switch device in a fifth preferred embodiment according to the present invention;
- FIG. 25 is a schematic side view of key switch devices in a sixth preferred embodiment according to the present invention, one of which is shown in an exploded state;
- FIG. 26 is a side view of an alternative of the key switch devices in the fourth embodiment;
- FIG. 27 is a perspective view of an alternative of the key switch devices in the fifth embodiment, schematically showing a fixing state of mounting members on the PET film sheet;
- FIG. 28 is a side view of a first alternative of the mounting member in the fourth embodiment;
- FIG. 29 is a side view of a second alternative of the mounting member in the fourth embodiment;
- FIG. 30 is a sectional view of a third alternative of the mounting member in the fourth embodiment;
- FIG. 31 is a sectional view of a fourth alternative of the mounting member in the fourth embodiment;
- FIG. 32 is a sectional view of an alternative of the PET film sheet in the fourth embodiment;
- FIG. 33 is a perspective sectional view of an alternative of the PET film sheet in the fourth embodiment;
- FIG. 34 is a perspective view of a notebook-size personal computer provided with a keyboard having a plurality of key switch devices in a first through tenth preferred embodiments according to the present invention;
- FIG. 35A is a side view of a keyboard and a sheet type secondary battery included in a notebook-size personal computer in the seventh embodiment, the secondary battery being illustrated in a sectional view;
- FIG. 35B is an enlarged view of a circled part B in FIG. 35A;
- FIG. 36 is a perspective view of a part of the keyboard and the secondary battery in the seventh embodiment;
- FIG. 37A is a side view of a keyboard and a sheet type secondary battery in a notebook-size personal computer in an eighth preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the secondary battery being illustrated in a sectional view;
- FIG. 37B is an enlarged view of a circled part B in FIG. 37A;
- FIG. 38A is a side view of a liquid crystal display of a notebook-size personal computer provided with a sheet type secondary battery in a ninth preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the secondary battery being illustrated in a sectional view;
- FIG. 38B is an enlarged view of a circled part B in FIG. 38A;
- FIG. 39A is a side view of a keyboard and a sheet type secondary battery in a notebook-size personal computer in a tenth preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the secondary battery being illustrated in a sectional view;
- FIG. 39B is an enlarged view of a circled part B in FIG. 39A; and
- FIG. 40 is a perspective view of a notebook-size personal computer provided with a secondary battery in a prior art.
- A detailed description of preferred embodiments of a key switch device embodying the present invention will now be given referring to the accompanying drawings.
- First, the structure of a keyboard having a plurality of key switch devices arranged on a support plate in a first embodiment is described below. FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the keyboard. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a part of the keyboard, in which some of key tops of the key switch devices are omitted.
- The keyboard is mounted on a notebook-size personal computer shown in FIG. 34. This notebook-size
personal computer 201 is mainly provided with thekeyboard 1, aliquid crystal display 205, and apower cord 207 through which electric power is supplied to thecomputer 201. - As shown in FIG. 1, the
keyboard 1 is provided with athin support plate 2 made of aluminum and a plurality ofkey switch devices 3. Thosekey switch devices 3 are arranged on theplate 2 in the longitudinal and transverse directions thereof as shown in FIGS. 2 and 34. An electrical insulating layer (not shown) is formed on the surface of thesupport plate 2 and apredetermined circuit pattern 4 is formed with a conductive ink and the like on the electrical insulating layer. A fixedcontact pattern 5 is formed at a substantially center in each of the areas where thekey switch devices 3 are disposed one-by-one on thecircuit pattern 4. Thecircuit pattern 4 with thecontact pattern 5 is used to detect whether or not thekey switch device 3 has been depressed. - In each of the areas associated with the
key switch devices 3, a pair of mountingmembers 6 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined distance therebetween on the upper surface of thesupport plate 2 and fixed thereto with an adhesive. The paired mountingmembers 6 are identical in structure, and one of them is explained below. The mountingmember 6 is made in such a manner that linear metal such as aluminum or iron is worked into a predetermined shape and cut into a chip having the unit length of akey switch device 3. The thus formed mountingmember 6 has a rotatably supportingportion 7 and aslidably supporting portion 8, as will be mentioned later. Therotatably supporting portion 7 has a recess and is so configured as to rotatably engage with arotatable shaft 18 formed at a lower end of afirst link 14 constructing aguide member 10 which guides the vertical movement of akey top 9. Theslidably supporting portion 8 has an elongated recess and is so configured as to slidably engage with aslidable shaft 20 formed at a lower end of asecond link 15. - As an adhesive for fixing the mounting
member 6 to thesupport plate 2, a commercially available adhesive which is usable for high-density packaging of various chip components is used. For instance, preferably used is an epoxy adhesive that is hardened in a short time and is excellent in heat-resistance to soldering, in electrical and mechanical properties, and in insulating properties. The mountingmember 6 may be directly fixed on thesupport plate 2 or be fixed on the insulating resist layer formed on thesupport plate 2. It is to be noted that if the mountingmember 6 is directly fixed on thesupport plate 2, the insulating resist layer is not provided on the portions of thesupport plate 2 where the mountingmember 6 is to be adhered. The mountingmember 6 is thus fixed, with an adhesion, directly on thesupport plate 2 in the portions uncoated with the insulating resist layer. - Next, the structure of the
key switch device 3 is described with reference to FIG. 3 which is a schematic side view of the key switch devices, a left one of which is shown in an exploded state. Thekey switch device 3 is mainly constructed of thekey top 9, theguide member 10 for vertically movably supporting thekey top 9, arubber spring 11 disposed under theguide member 10 and over the fixedcontact pattern 5 of thecircuit pattern 4 formed on thesupport plate 2, and the pair of mountingmembers 6. Thecircuit pattern 4 may be constructed of a membrane substrate including a single layer or two or three layers. In this case, some rubber springs have a movable electrode therein, and others have no movable electrode. - The
key top 9 is formed of a synthetic resin, such as an ABS resin. A predetermined character, symbol, and the like is provided on the upper surface of the key top 9 by printing or the like. The underside of thekey top 9 is integrally provided with connectingportions portion 12 is positioned above theslidably supporting portion 8 of the mountingmember 6 fixed on thesupport plate 2 and the connectingportion 13 is positioned above therotatably supporting portion 7, as viewed in FIG. 3. These connectingportions key top 9 and attached to the underside of thekey top 9. - The
guide member 10 is constructed of afirst link 14 and asecond link 15 which are intersected and mutually rotatably connected together at afulcrum portion 16. Thefirst link 14 is provided with aslidable shaft 17 projecting outward (i.e., vertically to the drawing sheet) at an upper end of thefirst link 14. Thisshaft 17 is horizontally slidably supported in the connectingportion 12 of thekey top 9. Thefirst link 14 is also provided with arotatable shaft 18 projecting outward (i.e., vertically to the drawing sheet) at a lower end of thefirst link 14. Thisshaft 18 is rotatably supported in therotatably supporting portion 7 of the mountingmember 6. - The
second link 15 is provided with arotatable shaft 19 projecting outward at an upper end of thesecond link 15. Thisshaft 19 is rotatably supported in the connectingportion 13 of thekey top 9. Thesecond link 15 is also provided with aslidable shaft 20 projecting outward at a lower end of thesecond link 15. Thisshaft 20 is horizontally slidably supported in theslidably supporting portion 8 of the mountingmember 6. The structures of the first andsecond links guide member 10 are substantially the same as those of the link members disclosed in Japanese utility model No. 2,589,927. Accordingly, the detail description of the structures is referred thereto and omitted in the present specification. - The
rubber spring 11 is formed into an inverted cup-shape and of a rubber material, such as silicon or EPDM, which includes a movable contact (not shown) disposed on the internal upper wall of therubber spring 11. This movable contact is opposed to the fixedcontact pattern 5 of thecircuit pattern 4 on thesupport plate 2. Above therubber spring 11, thefulcrum portion 16 of theguide member 10 is positioned. - As shown in FIG. 4, the mounting
member 6 in the first embodiment is provided with theslidably supporting portion 8 permitting sliding of theslidable shaft 20 of thesecond link 15, therotatably supporting portion 7 permitting rotating of therotatable shaft 18 of thefirst link 14, a first adheringportion 21 continuously extending from theslidably supporting portion 8 to the left in FIG. 4, a second adheringportion 22 connecting the supportingportions portion 23 continuously extending from the supportingportion 7 to the right in FIG. 4. The first, second, and third adheringportions member 6 are adhered to thesupport plate 2 through a first, second, and thirdadhesive layers support plate 2. Thus, the mountingmember 6 is adhered to and fixed on thesupport plate 2. - The mounting
member 6 having the above configuration is produced by continuously drawing a part of a flat linear material from a roll thereof and molding it into a predetermined shape, and cutting it by the unit length of thekey switch device 3. Alternatively, the mountingmember 6 may be made of resin by molding. The mountingmember 6 produced as above is fixed on thesupport plate 2 in the following manner; thesupport plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is first set in a predetermined position; then, the first, second, and thirdadhesive layers support plate 2 in each position corresponding to thekey switch device 3 by a known automatic adhesive applying device. With an automatic mounting device loading the mountingmember 6 chipped as above, as shown in FIG. 5, the mountingmember 6 stuck to a suction head 27 under suction through suction holes 28 is placed on thesupport plate 2 such that the first, second, and third adheringportions adhesive layers member 6 is pressed onto thesupport plate 2 by the suction head 27 at a predetermined pressure. The mountingmember 6 is thus adhered to and fixed on thesupport plate 2 in a predetermined position through the first through thirdadhesive layers member 6 as shown in FIG. 5, so that the head 27 can securely press the mountingmember 6 to the first, second, and third adhesive layers 24-26 respectively. - The operation of the
key switch device 3 having the above construction is explained below. - When the
key top 9 is depressed, theslidable shaft 17 of thefirst link 14 is slid horizontally (leftward in FIG. 3) in the connectingportion 12 of thekey top 9 and, simultaneously, therotatable shaft 18 is rotated counterclockwise in the supportingportion 7 of the mountingmember 6. At the same time, therotatable shaft 19 of thesecond link 15 is rotated clockwise in the connectingportion 13 of thekey top 9 and, simultaneously, theslidable shaft 20 is slid horizontally (leftward in FIG. 3) in the supportingportion 8 of the mountingmember 6. Thefulcrum portion 16 connecting the first andsecond link rubber spring 11. When the amount of depression of therubber spring 11 exceeds a certain limit, therubber spring 11 is buckled. As a result, the movable contact provided on the internal upper wall of therubber spring 11 is made into contact with the fixedcontact pattern 5 of thecircuit pattern 4, thus effecting a switching operation. - When the depression force applied to the
key top 9 is removed, thefulcrum portion 16 of the first andsecond links rubber spring 11. In association therewith, theshafts first link 14 and theshafts second link 15 are operated reversely to the above, and thus thekey top 9 is returned to the original position shown in FIG. 3. - Next, a key switch device in a second preferred embodiment according to the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 6. The key switch device in this embodiment has substantially the same structure as in the first embodiment, except that the mounting
member 6 in the second embodiment is made of a needle-like linear material, which is different from the mountingmember 6 in the first embodiment made of a flat linear material. Accordingly, parts identical to those of the first embodiment are indicated at the same reference numerals. The following description is focused on the specific feature to the key switch device in the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of mounting members fixed on a support plate in a key switch device in a second preferred embodiment according to the present invention. - In FIG. 6, a mounting
member 30 is provided with arotatably supporting portion 31 and aslidably supporting portion 32 and first, second, and third adheringportions rotatably supporting portion 31 is so configured as to permit therein rotation of arotatable shaft 18 of afirst link 14. Theslidably supporting portion 32 is so configured as to permit therewithin horizontal sliding of aslidable shaft 20 of asecond link 15. The first adheringportion 33 continuously extends from theslidably supporting portion 32 to the left in FIG. 6. The second adheringportion 34 connects the supportingportions portion 35 continuously extends from therotatably supporting portion 31 to the right in FIG. 6. The first, second, and third adheringportions member 30 are adhered to and fixed on thesupport plate 2 through a first, second, and thirdadhesive layers support plate 2. As a result, the mountingmember 30 is fixed on thesupport plate 2. - The mounting
member 30 having the above configuration is produced by continuously drawing a part of a needle-like linear material from a roll thereof and molding it into a predetermined shape, and cutting it by the unit length of thekey switch device 3. The thus produced mountingmember 30 is fixed on thesupport plate 2 in the following manner; thesupport plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is first set in a predetermined position; then, the first, second, and thirdadhesive layers support plate 2 in respective positions within the area corresponding to thekey switch device 3 by a known automatic adhesive applying device. With an automatic mounting device loading the mountingmember 30 chipped as above, as shown in FIG. 5, the mountingmember 30 stuck to a mounting head (not shown) under suction is placed such that the first, second, and third adheringportions adhesive layers member 30 is pressed onto thesupport plate 2 by the mounting head at a predetermined pressure. The mountingmember 30 is thus adhered and fixed on thesupport plate 2 in a predetermined position through the first through thirdadhesive layers - Next, a key switch device in a third preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The key switch device in this embodiment has substantially the same structure as in the first and second embodiments, except that the mounting member in the third embodiment is formed having a length corresponding to a plurality of key switch devices aligned in a row on a support plate in the longitudinal and transverse directions respectively, while the mounting
members key switch device 3. Accordingly, parts identical to those of the first and second embodiments are indicated at the same reference numerals. The following description is focused on the feature of the key switch device in the third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a perspective side view of a key switch device in the third embodiment. - In FIG. 7, the
key switch device 3 is mainly constructed of, like in the above mentioned embodiments, akey top 9, aguide member 10 for supporting the key top 9 so as to permit the vertical movement of thekey top 9, arubber spring 11 disposed under theguide member 10 and over a fixedcontact pattern 5 of acircuit pattern 4 formed on asupport plate 2, and a pair of mounting members 40 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 7). - The mounting
member 40 is formed with a length covering a plurality ofkey switch devices 3 as shown in FIG. 7. The mountingmember 40 has, in each of the portions which are in one-to-one correspondence with thekey switch devices 3, a rotatably supportingportion 41 for rotatably supporting arotatable shaft 18 of afirst link 14 and aslidably supporting portion 42 for slidably supporting aslidable shaft 20 of asecond link 15. In such the long mountingmember 40 as shown in FIG. 7, for example, the part existing between the slidably supportingportion 42 associated with the rightkey switch device 3 and therotatably supporting portion 41 associated with the leftkey switch device 3 is a first adheringportion 43, and the part existing between the supportingportions key switch device 3 is a second adheringportion 44. The part formed continuing from the supportingportion 41 associated with thekey switch device 3 positioned in one end of the mounting member 40 (for example, in a right end in FIG. 7) is a third adheringportion 45. It is to be noted that the number ofkey switch devices 3 associated with the mountingmember 40 can optionally be determined according to various specifications for thekeyboard 1. - The first, second, and third adhering
portions member 40 are adhered and fixed on thesupport plate 2 through the first, second, and thirdadhesive layers member 40 is thus adhered and fixed on thesupport plate 2. - The mounting
member 40 is produced by continuously drawing a part of a flat linear material from a roll thereof and molding it into a predetermined shape, and cutting it by the length corresponding to a plurality of thekey switch devices 3. The thus produced mountingmember 40 is fixed on thesupport plate 2 in the following manner, like in the above embodiments; thesupport plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is first set in a predetermined position; then, the first, second, and thirdadhesive layers support plate 2 in respective positions within the area corresponding to thekey switch device 3 by a known automatic adhesive applying device. With an automatic mounting device loading the long mountingmember 40, the mountingmember 40 being held in the mounting device is placed such that the first, second, and third adheringportions adhesive layers member 40 is pressed onto thesupport plate 2 by a mounting head at a predetermined pressure. The mountingmember 40 is thus adhered and fixed on thesupport plate 2 at a predetermined position through the first through thirdadhesive layers - Although each of the mounting
members support plate 2 through the first, second, and thirdadhesive layers members support plate 2 with use of various fixing manners besides the above-mentioned adhering manner with an adhesion. Some of the fixing manners for fixing the mountingmember 6 on thesupport plate 2 in the first embodiment will be described below as examples. - When the
support plate 2 and the mountingmember 6 made of aluminum or iron and the like are used, for example, the mountingmember 6 can be fixed on thesupport plate 2 by a so-called spot-welding manner. This case is explained below in detail with reference to FIG. 8 which is an explanatory view schematically showing the spot welding manner to fix the mountingmember 6 on thesupport plate 2. - To fix the mounting
member 6 on thesupport plate 2 by the spot-welding, first, thesupport plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is set in a predetermined position. The chipped mountingmember 6 is set in a predetermined position on thesupport plate 2 with use of the automatic mounting device. At this time, the mountingmember 6 is preferably temporarily fixed on thesupport plate 2 in the predetermined position with an adhesion and the like which will not interfere with the spot-welding. Then, aspot welding device 52 provided with a pair ofelectrodes upper electrode 50 is made into contact with the first adheringportion 21 of the mountingmember 6 and thelower electrode 51 is made into contact with the lower surface of thesupport plate 2. By the passage of a high current between the upper andlower electrodes portions member 6 is welded-fixed on thesupport plate 2. - Alternatively, a soldering manner may be used for fixing the mounting
member 6 on thesupport plate 2. This manner is explained below with reference to FIG. 9. - To fix the mounting
member 6 on thesupport plate 2 by the soldering, thesupport plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is set in a predetermined position with respect to an automatic soldering device. Then, first, second, and third cream soldering layers 53, 54, and 55 are applied onto thesupport plate 2 in correspondence to thekey switch device 3. Thereafter, with an automatic mounting device loading the mountingmember 6 chipped as above, the mountingmember 6 is placed on thesupport plate 2 such that the first, second, and third adheringportions cream soldering layer member 6 is soldered to thesupport plate 2. - Alternatively, a laser-welding manner may be used for fixing the mounting
member 6 on thesupport plate 2. This manner is explained below with reference to FIG. 10. - To fix the mounting
member 6 on thesupport plate 2 by the laser welding, thesupport plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is set in a predetermined position. With an automatic mounting device loading the mountingmember 6 chipped as above, the mountingmember 6 is placed in a predetermined position on thesupport plate 2. At this time, the mountingmember 6 is preferably fixed temporarily in the predetermined position with an adhesive which will not interfere with the laser-welding. A laser-welding device is operated to consecutively emit alaser beam 57 from alaser head 56 to the first, second, and third adheringportions member 6 is fixed on thesupport plate 2. - Alternatively, an ultrasonic welding manner may be used for fixing the mounting
member 6 on thesupport plate 2. This manner is explained below with reference to FIG. 11. - To fix the mounting
member 6 on thesupport plate 2 by the ultrasonic welding, first, thesupport plate 2 which has been formed into a predetermined shape is set in a predetermined position. With an automatic mounting device loading the mountingmember 6 chipped as above, the mountingmember 6 is placed in a predetermined position on thesupport plate 2. At this time, the mountingmember 6 is preferably fixed temporarily in the predetermined position with an adhesive which will not interfere with the ultrasonic welding. An ultrasonic welding device provided with a pair ofhorns upper horn 58 is made into contact with the first adheringportion 21 and thelower horn 59 is made into contact with thesupport plate 2. Then, high-frequency is applied between the upper andlower horns portions member 6 is thus ultrasonic-welded to thesupport plate 2. - Furthermore, a caulking manner may also be used for fixing the mounting
member 6 on thesupport plate 2. This manner is explained with reference to FIG. 12. - To fix the mounting
member 6 on thesupport plate 2 by the caulking manner, first, thesupport plate 2 is subjected to a so-called burring process to formcylindrical burring portions 60 in positions corresponding to the first, second, and third adheringportions member 6. The mountingmember 6 is formed with through-holes 61 in the first, second, and third adheringportions support plate 2 is set in a predetermined position and, with an automatic mounting device loading the mountingmember 6 chipped as above, thesupport plate 6 is placed on thesupport plate 2 such that the burringportions 60 of thesupport plate 2 are inserted in the through-holes 61 of the first, second, and third adheringportions upper punch 62 is placed on the burringportion 60, while a lower punch 63 is made into contact with the lower surface of thesupport plate 2, and the caulking is effected. As a result, the head of the burringportion 60 is extended on each upper surface of the first, second, and third adheringportions member 6 is fixed on thesupport plate 2 by the caulking. - In the
key switch device 3 in the first, second, and third embodiments described above, each of the mountingmembers rotatable shaft 18 formed at the lower end of thefirst link 14 of theguide member 10 and the slidably supporting portion 8 (or 32, 42) which slidably supports theslidable shaft 20 formed at the lower end of thesecond link 15, and the mounting member is fixed on thesupport plate 2 through the first, second, and thirdadhesive layers support plate 2 by a press working. Accordingly, the need of a pressing die used in the press working is eliminated, and the manufacture cost of thesupport plate 2 can be reduced. The need of producing such a die is also eliminated, so that the manufacture of the support plate can be started earlier. - Even if the specifications of the
keyboard 1 provided with a plurality of thekey switch devices 3 are different on a country-to-country basis, it is sufficient to fix the mounting member 6 (30, 40) on thesupport plate 2 through theadhesive layers keyboard 1 having thekey switch devices 3 without preparation of a pressing die for the different specifications on a country-to-country basis. - In the
key switch device 3 in the first and second embodiments, the mounting member 6 (30) fixed on thesupport plate 2 is formed in a chip having the unit length of onekey switch device 3. Consequently, the design flexibility of thekeyboard 1 having a plurality of thekey switch devices 3 can be further increased when thekey switch device 3 is manufactured so as to satisfy different specifications thereof on a country-to-country basis. - In the third embodiment, the mounting
member 40 is so designed as to have the length corresponding to a plurality of thekey switch devices 3 disposed on thesupport plate 2 so that theshafts 18 of thefirst links 14 and theshafts 20 of thesecond links 15 are rotatably or slidably supported. In correspondence to each row of thekey switch devices 3, the mountingmember 40 is fixed on thesupport plate 2 through theadhesive layers members 40 to thesupport plate 2 can be decreased as compared with the first and second embodiments where the chipped mountingmembers support plate 2. This can reduce the cost of thekey switch device 3. - It is to be noted that the invention is not limited to the above preferred embodiment but various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
- For example, although the mounting
member 6 of thekey switch device 3 in the first embodiment is formed in a chip having the unit length of onekey switch device 3, the mountingmember 6 may alternatively be formed of two separate supportingportions member 6 is configured of the supportingportions support plate 2 are required changing in correspondence to theseparate portions - Although the mounting
member 30 of thekey switch device 3 in the second embodiment is made of a needle-like material, the first, second, and third adheringportions adhesive layers portions adhesive layers member 30 can firmly and securely fixed on thesupport plate 2. - Although the mounting
member 6 of thekey switch device 3 in the first embodiment is provided with the first, second, and third adheringportions portions member 6 may be alternatively modified as below. - A first alternative of the mounting
member 6 may have a supportingportion 8 opening at one side (the left side in FIG. 15) and no first adheringportion 21. - A second alternative of the mounting
member 6 may have the supportingportions 8 opening at opposite sides and no first and third adheringportions shaft 20 of thesecond link 15, theshaft 18 of thefirst link 14 is also slid in the supportingportion 8. - A third alternative of the mounting
member 6 may have the first and third adheringportions end portions member 6 in place. When theseend portions holes 2A formed in thesupport plate 2, the mountingmember 6 can be placed in a predetermined position on thesupport plate 2. - Next, a fourth preferred embodiment of a key switch device according to the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, in which a plurality of the key switch devices are arranged configuring a keyboard. It is to be noted that parts identical to those of the above first through third embodiments are indicated at the same reference numerals.
- The keyboard is mounted on a notebook-size personal computer shown in FIG. 34. This notebook-size
personal computer 201 is mainly provided with thekeyboard 101, aliquid crystal display 205, and apower cord 207 through which electric power is supplied to thecomputer 201. - In FIGS. 18 and 19, the
keyboard 101 is provided with asupport plate 2 which is disposed between an upper and lower frames of a notebook-size personal computer and the like and a film sheet S made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) disposed on the support plate 2 (or an upper surface of the lower case), and a plurality of thekey switch devices 3 arranged in the longitudinal and transverse directions of theplate 2. Apredetermined circuit pattern 4 is formed on the upper surface of the PET film sheet S with use of a conductive ink and the like. A fixedcontact pattern 5 is formed at a substantially center in each of the areas where thekey switches 3 are disposed one-by-one on thecircuit pattern 4. - In each of the areas associated with the
key switch devices 3, a pair of mountingmembers 6 are fixed in parallel at a predetermined distance therebetween on the PET film sheet S with an adhesive. The paired mountingmembers 6 are identical in structure and one is explained below. The mountingmember 6 is made in such a manner that linear metal such as aluminum or iron is worked into a predetermined shape and cut into a chip having the unit length of onekey switch device 3. The mountingmember 6 is so formed, like in the first embodiment, as to have a rotatably supportingportion 7 and aslidably supporting portion 8. Therotatably supporting portion 7 with a recess is so configured as to rotatably engage with arotatable shaft 18 formed at a lower end of afirst link 14 constructing aguide member 10 which guides the vertical movement of akey top 9. Theslidably supporting portion 8 with an elongated recess is so configured as to slidably engage with aslidable shaft 20 formed at a lower end of asecond link 15. - As an adhesive for fixing the mounting
member 6 to the PET film sheet S, a commercially available adhesive which is usable for high-density packaging of various chip components is used. For instance, preferably used is an epoxy adhesive that is hardened in a short time and is excellent in heat-resistance to soldering, in electrical and mechanical properties, and in insulating properties. The mountingmember 6 may be directly fixed on the PET film sheet S. Alternatively, it may be configured such that the PET film sheetS is first subjected to a pre-treatment to facilitate the adhesion of the adhesive to the sheet, an adhesive layer (for example, of UV ink and the like) suitable for the PET film sheet S is then formed thereon, and the adhesive is further applied onto the adhesive layer, so that the mountingmember 6 is adhered on the adhesive layer with the adhesive. - Next, the structure of the
key switch device 3 is described with reference to FIG. 20 which is a schematic side view of the key switch devices, a left one of which is shown in an exploded state. Thekey switch device 3 is mainly constructed of akey top 9, aguide member 10 for vertically movably supporting thekey top 9, arubber spring 11 disposed under theguide member 10 and over the fixed contact pattern5 of thecircuit pattern 4 formed on the PET film sheet, and the pair of mountingmembers 6. - It is to be noted that each structure of the
key top 9, theguide member 10, and therubber spring 11, and the mountingmember 6 are identical to those in the first embodiment. The detail explanation thereof is omitted. - The mounting
member 6 having the same configuration as that in the first embodiment is fixed on the PET film sheet S such that a first adheringportion 21 is adhered on the PET film sheet S through a firstadhesive layer 124 applied on the sheet S, a second adheringportion 22 is adhered through a secondadhesive layer 125, a third adheringportion 23 is adhered through a thirdadhesive layer 126 applied on the sheet S. Accordingly, the mountingmember 6 is adhered and fixed on the upper surface of the PET film sheet S. - This mounting
member 6 is fixed on the PET film sheet S in the following manner; the PET film sheet S which has been formed into a predetermined shape is first set in a predetermined position; then, the first, second, and thirdadhesive layers key switch device 3 by a known automatic adhesive applying device. With an automatic mounting device loading the mountingmember 6 chipped as above, as shown in FIG. 23, the mountingmember 6 stuck to a suction head 27 under suction through suction holes 28 is placed such that the first, second, and third adheringportions adhesive layers member 6 is pressed onto the PET film sheet S by the suction head 27 at a predetermined pressure. The mountingmember 6 is thus adhered and fixed on the sheet S in a predetermined position through the first through thirdadhesive layers member 6 as shown in FIG. 23, so that the head 27 can securely press the mountingmember 6 to the first, second, and third adhesive layers 124-126 respectively. - The operation of the
key switch device 3 having the above construction is explained below. - When the
key top 9 is depressed, theslidable shaft 17 of thefirst link 14 is slid horizontally (leftward in FIG. 20) in the connectingportion 12 of thekey top 9 and, simultaneously, therotatable shaft 18 is rotated counterclockwise in therotatably supporting portion 7 of the mountingmember 6. At the same time, therotatable shaft 19 of thesecond link 15 is rotated clockwise in the connectingportion 13 of thekey top 9 and, simultaneously, theslidable shaft 20 is slid horizontally (leftward in FIG. 20) in the supportingportion 8 of the mountingmember 6. Thefulcrum portion 16 connecting the first andsecond link rubber spring 11. When the amount of depression of therubber spring 11 exceeds a certain limit, therubber spring 11 is buckled. As a result, the movable contact provided on the internal upper wall of therubber spring 11 is made into contact with the fixedcontact pattern 5 of thecircuit pattern 4, thus effecting a switching operation. - When the depression force applied to the
key top 9 is removed, thefulcrum portion 16 of the first andsecond links rubber spring 11. In association therewith, theshafts first link 14 and theshafts second link 15 are operated reversely to the above, and thus thekey top 9 is returned to the original position shown in FIG. 20. - The
key switch device 3 in the fourth embodiment is constructed such that the mountingmember 6 is fixed on a single sheet of PET film S disposed on thesupport plate 2, through an adhesive, but it may be modified as viewed in FIG. 21. - FIG. 21 is a schematic side view of an alternative of the
key switch 3 in the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 21, a membrane switch sheet MS having a three-layer configuration is disposed on thesupport plate 2. This membrane switch sheet MS is constructed of an upper PET film sheet S1, a lower PET film sheet S2, and a spacer sheet S3 disposed between the upper and lower sheets S1 and S2. The lower PET film sheet S2, having the same structure as that of the PET film sheet S in the fourth embodiment, is provided with acircuit pattern 4 and a fixedcontact pattern 5 on the upper surface of the sheet S2. The upper PET film sheet S1 is provided with a movable contact pattern (not shown) disposed in a position opposite to the fixedcontact pattern 5. The spacer sheet S3 serves to separate the upper and lower sheets S1 and S2 and is provided with a switchinghole 29 at a position where the fixedcontact pattern 5 of the lower sheet S2 is opposite to the movable contact pattern of the sheet S1. - On the upper surface of the upper PET film sheet S1 of the membrane switch sheet MS constructed as above, the mounting
member 6 is fixed in the above mentioned manner as shown in FIG. 21. - It is to be noted that the switching operation of the
key switch device 3 is effected by contact and separation between the movable contact pattern of the upper sheet S1 and the fixedcontact circuit 5 of the lower sheet S2. Accordingly, no movable contact is provided on the internal upper wall of therubber spring 11 disposed on the upper PET film sheet S1. - When the
key top 9 of the key switch device 3 (shown in FIG. 21) in the alternative of the fourth embodiment is depressed, theslidable shaft 17 of thefirst link 14 is slid horizontally (leftward in FIG. 21) in the connectingportion 12 of thekey top 9 and, simultaneously, therotatable shaft 18 is rotated counterclockwise in therotatably supporting portion 7 of the mountingmember 6. At the same time, therotatable shaft 19 of thesecond link 15 is rotated clockwise in the connectingportion 13 of thekey top 9 and, simultaneously, theslidable shaft 20 is slid horizontally (leftward in FIG. 21) in the supportingportion 8 of the mountingmember 6. Thefulcrum portion 16 connecting the first andsecond links rubber spring 11. When the amount of depression of therubber spring 11 exceeds a certain limit, therubber spring 11 is buckled. As a result, the internal upper wall of therubber spring 11 depresses the upper PET film sheet S1 from above and causes the movable contact pattern provided on the underside of the sheet S1 to come into contact with the fixedcontact pattern 5 formed on the upper surface of the sheet S2, thus effecting a predetermined switching operation. - When the depression force applied to the
key top 9 is removed, on the other hand, thefulcrum portion 16 of the first andsecond links rubber spring 11. In association therewith, theshafts first link 14 and theshafts second link 15 are operated reversely to the above, and thus thekey top 9 is returned to the original position shown in FIG. 21. - Next, a key switch device in a fifth preferred embodiment according to the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG. 24. The key switch device in this embodiment has substantially the same structure as in the fourth embodiment, except that the mounting
member 6 in the fifth embodiment is made of a needle-like linear material, which is different from the mountingmember 6 in the fourth embodiment made of a flat linear material. Accordingly, parts identical to those of the fourth embodiment are indicated at the same reference numerals. The following description is focused on the feature of the key switch device in the fifth embodiment. FIG. 24 is a perspective view of mounting members fixed on a PET film sheet S in a key switch device in the fifth preferred embodiment. - In FIG. 24, a mounting
member 30, which is identical to that in the above second embodiment, has a first, second, and third adheringportions portions member 30 are adhered and fixed on a PET film sheet S through a first, second, and thirdadhesive layers member 30 is adhered and fixed on the PET film sheet S. - The mounting
member 30 is fixed on the PET film sheet S in the following manner; the PET film sheet S which has been formed into a predetermined shape is first set in a predetermined position; then, the first, second, and thirdadhesive layers key switch device 3 by a known automatic adhesive applying device. With an automatic mounting device loading the mountingmember 30 chipped as above, the mountingmember 30 stuck to a mounting head (not shown) under suction is placed such that the first, second, and third adheringportions adhesive layers member 30 is pressed onto the PET film sheet S by the mounting head at a predetermined pressure. The mountingmember 30 is thus adhered and fixed on the sheet S in a predetermined position through the first through thirdadhesive layers - Next, a key switch device in a sixth preferred embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 25. The key switch device in this embodiment has substantially the same structure as in the fourth and fifth embodiments, except that the mounting member in the sixth embodiment is so configured as to have a length corresponding to a plurality of key switch devices aligned in a row on a PET film sheet in the longitudinal and transverse directions, while the mounting
members key switch device 3. Accordingly, parts identical to those of the fourth and fifth embodiments are indicated at the same reference numerals. The following description is focused on the feature of the key switch device in the sixth embodiment. FIG. 25 is a perspective side view of a key switch device in the sixth embodiment. - In FIG. 25, the
key switch device 3 is mainly constructed of, like in the above embodiments, akey top 9, aguide member 10 for supporting the key top 9 so as to allow the vertical movement of thekey top 9, arubber spring 11 disposed under theguide member 10 and over a fixedcontact pattern 5 of acircuit pattern 4 formed on a PET film sheet, and a pair of mounting members 40 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 25). - The mounting
member 40 is formed with a length covering a plurality ofkey switch devices 3 arranged on the PET film sheet S as shown in FIG. 25. The mountingmember 40 has, in each of the portions which are in one-to-one correspondence with thekey switch devices 3, a rotatably supportingportion 41 for rotatably supporting arotatable shaft 18 of afirst link 14 and aslidably supporting portion 42 for slidably supporting aslidable shaft 20 of asecond link 15. In such the long mountingmember 40 as shown in FIG. 25, for example, the part existing between the slidably supportingportion 42 associated with the rightkey switch device 3 and therotatably supporting portion 41 associated with the leftkey switch device 3 is a first adheringportion 43, and the part existing between the supportingportions key switch device 3 is a second adheringportion 44. The part formed continuing from the supportingportion 41 associated with thekey switch device 3 positioned in one end of the mounting member 40 (for example, in a right end in FIG. 25) is a third adheringportion 45. It is to be noted that the number ofkey switch devices 3 associated to the mountingmember 40 can optionally be determined according to various specifications for thekeyboard 101. - The first, second, and third adhering
portions member 40 are adhered and fixed on the PET film sheet S through the first, second, and thirdadhesive layers member 40 is thus adhered and fixed on the PET film sheet S. - The mounting
member 40 is produced by continuously drawing a part of a flat linear material from a roll thereof and molding it into a predetermined shape, and cutting it by the length corresponding to a plurality of thekey switch devices 3. The thus produced mountingmember 40 is fixed on the PET film sheet S in the following manner, like in the above embodiments; the PET film sheet S which has been formed into a predetermined shape is first set in a predetermined position; then, the first, second, and thirdadhesive layers key switch device 3 by a known automatic adhesive applying device. With an automatic mounting device loading the long mountingmember 40, the mountingmember 40 being held in the mounting device is placed such that the first, second, and third adheringportions adhesive layers member 40 is pressed onto the PET film sheet S by a mounting head at a predetermined pressure. The mountingmember 40 is thus adhered and fixed in a predetermined position on the PET film sheet S through the first through thirdadhesive layers - Although each of the mounting
members adhesive layers members - In the
key switch device 3 in the fourth, fifth, and sixth embodiments described above, each of the mountingmembers rotatable shaft 18 formed at the lower end of thefirst link 14 of theguide member 10 and the slidably supporting portion 8 (or 32 or 42) which slidably supports theslidable shaft 20 formed at the lower end of thesecond link 15, and the mounting member is fixed on the PET film sheet S through the first, second, and thirdadhesive layers key switch device 3 is constructed such that the mountingmember 6 is adhered and fixed on the upper PET film sheet S1 constituting the membrane switch sheet MS through the first, second, and thirdadhesive layers keyboard 101. Since the need for producing such a die is eliminated, the manufacture can be started earlier. - Even if the specifications of the
keyboard 101 provided with a plurality of thekey switch devices 3 are different according to countries, it is sufficient to fix the mounting member 6 (30, 40) on the PET film sheet S through theadhesive layers keyboard 101 having thekey switch devices 3 without preparation of a pressing die for the different specifications on a country-to-country basis. - In the
key switch device 3 in the fourth and fifth embodiments, the mounting member 6 (30) fixed on the PET film sheet S is formed in a chip having a unit length of akey switch device 3. As a result, the design flexibility of thekeyboard 101 having a plurality of thekey switch devices 3 can be further increased when thekey switch devices 3 are manufactured so as to satisfy different specifications thereof on a country-to-country basis. - In the sixth embodiment, the mounting
member 40 is so designed as to have the length corresponding to a plurality of thekey switch devices 3 disposed on the PET film sheet S so that theshafts 18 of thefirst links 14 and theshafts 20 of thesecond links 15 are rotatably or slidably supported. The mountingmember 40 is fixed through theadhesive layers key switch devices 3. Accordingly, the number of adhering steps for fixing the mountingmember 40 to the PET film sheet S can be decreased, thus reducing the cost of thekey switch device 3. - It is to be noted that the invention is not limited to the above preferred embodiment but various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
- For example, the mounting member6 (30, 40) of the
key switch device 3 in the fourth to sixth embodiments is made of linear metal and, instead thereof, may be made of linear resin. In case of the use of linear resin, as the adhesive to adhere the mounting member 6 (30, 40) on the PET film sheet S, an adhesive suitable for both of the PET film sheet and the resin forming the mounting member is preferably selected. - Although the mounting
member 6 of thekey switch device 3 in the fourth embodiment is formed in a chip having the unit length of onekey switch device 3, the mountingmember 6 may alternatively be formed of two separate supportingportions member 6 is constructed of the separately formed supportingportions separate portions - Although the mounting
member 30 of thekey switch device 3 in the fifth embodiment is made of a needle-like material, the first, second, and third adheringportions adhesive layers portions adhesive layers member 30 can be firmly and securely fixed on the PET film sheet S. - Although the mounting
member 6 in the fourth embodiment is provided with the first, second, and third adheringportions portions member 6 may be alternatively modified as below. - A first alternative of the mounting
member 6 may have a supportingportion 8 opening at one side (the left side in FIG. 28) and no first adheringportion 21. - A second alternative of the mounting
member 6 may have the supportingportions 8 opening at opposite sides and no first and third adheringportions shaft 20 of thesecond link 15, theshaft 18 of thefirst link 14 is also slid in theshaft 8. - A third alternative of the mounting
member 6 may have the first and third adheringportions end portions member 6 in place. When theseend portions holes 2A formed in the PET film sheet S, the mountingmember 6 can be placed in a predetermined position on the PET film sheet S. - In a fourth alternative of the
key switch device 3 in the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 31, the mountingmember 6 may integrally haveprojections 70 formed at both lower ends of theslidably supporting portion 8 and both lower ends of therotatably supporting portion 7, respectively. Theseprojections 70 penetrate through fixingholes 21B of the PET film sheet S, and the sheet S is subjected to annealing at about 150° C. This PET film sheet S is shrunk by the annealing. As a result, theprojections 70 are firmly secured in theholes 21B, thereby fixing the mountingmember 6 on the PET film sheet S. In this alternative, the use of an adhesive can be eliminated. - Furthermore, in an alternative of the PET film sheet of the
key switch device 3 in the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 32, the PET film sheet S is provided with throughholes layers member 6 is disposed under a PET film sheet S such that the supportingportions holes portions adhesive layers member 6 is adhered and fixed on the underside of the PET film sheet S. Since the supportingportions holes member 6 will not easily be separated from the PET film sheet S. - In an alternative of the PET film sheet of the
key switch device 3 in the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 33, the upper PET film sheet S1 of the membrane switch sheet MS is provided with throughholes adhesive layer 125A on the underside of the sheet S1 and a secondadhesive layer 125B on the upper surface of the sheet S2 opposite to theadhesive layer 125A. The mountingmember 6 is disposed under the upper PET film sheet S1 such that the supportingportions member 6 are upwardly inserted in the throughholes portion 22 of the mountingmember 6 is adhered and fixed between the upper and lower PET film sheets S1 and S2 through the secondadhesive layers member 6 is sandwiched between the PET film sheets S1 and S2 with the supportingportions holes member 6 will not be easily separated from the PET film sheet S. In addition, the first, second, and third adheringportions - Next, description will be made on a portable electronic device provided with key switch devices in a seventh to tenth embodiments according to the present invention. The portable electronic device is embodied in a notebook-size personal computer shown in FIG. 34.
- As shown in FIG. 34, this notebook-size personal computer (which is simply referred to as ‘computer’, hereinafter)201 is provided with a keyboard 203 having key switch devices constructed as described in the above embodiments to instruct various operations of the computer, a
liquid crystal display 205 which visually displays calculation results obtained in a central A0 processing unit (CPU; not shown), apower cord 207 through which electric power is supplied from an external power source to thecomputer 201, and a sheet-type secondary battery 209 (see FIG. 35) which will be mentioned later in detail, and others. It is to be noted that the internal structure of thecomputer 201 has been known and the detail explanation thereof is omitted. - FIG. 35A is a schematic side view of the keyboard203 and the sheet-type
secondary battery 209 built in thecomputer 201 in the seventh embodiment. FIG. 35B is an enlarged view of the circled part B in the FIG. 35A. FIG. 36 is a schematic perspective view of the keyboard 203 and the sheet-typesecondary battery 209 in the seventh embodiment. Thisbattery 209 is rechargeable through thepower cord 207 from an external electric power source and can supply electric power to thecomputer 201 to activate it even if no power is supplied from the external power source. Accordingly, thecomputer 201 can be used in a place such as outdoors where the power supply from the external power source is impossible. - The keyboard203 is constructed of a
thin metal plate 211 made of aluminum and a plurality ofkey switches 213 disposed on themetal plate 211 in the longitudinal and transverse directions. Thekey switch 213 is provided withcross-linked legs 214 for permitting the vertical movement of thekey switch 213. The lower ends of thelegs 214 are movably supported on themetal plate 211 with mounting members mentioned later. On the upper surface of themetal plate 211, there is provided an insulating resist layer not shown. Apredetermined circuit pattern 215 is further provided on the insulating resist layer with the use of an electric conductive ink and the like. Thiscircuit pattern 215 is used to detect whether or not the key switch has been depressed. A fixedcontact pattern 217 is formed on thecircuit pattern 215 at a substantially center within the area associated with eachkey switch 213. - A pair of mounting
members 219 is fixed with an adhesive and the like on the upper surface of themetal plate 211 in each position where thekey switch 213 is disposed. With the mountingmembers 219 supporting thelegs 214, a plurality of thekey switches 213 are disposed on themetal plate 211. It is to be noted that the mountingmember 219 is made of linear metal such as aluminum or iron into a predetermined shape and cut into a chip having the unit length of onekey switch 213. As an adhesive for adhering the mountingmember 219 on themetal plate 211, a commercially available adhesive which is usable for high-density packaging of various chip components is used. For instance, preferably used is an epoxy adhesive that is hardened in a short time and is excellent in heat-resistance to soldering, in electrical and mechanical properties, and in insulating properties. The mountingmember 219 may be directly fixed on themetal plate 211 or fixed on the insulating resist layer. It is to be noted that if the mountingmember 219 is directly fixed on themetal plate 211, the insulating resist layer is not provided on the portions of themetal plate 211 where the mountingmember 219 is to be adhered. The mountingmember 219 is thus fixed, with an adhesion, directly on themetal plate 211 in the portions uncoated with the insulating resist layer. - On the other hand, the
secondary battery 209 which has substantially the same surface area as that of themetal plate 211 is closely fixed to the opposite surface of themetal plate 211 to the surface mounting thereon thekey switches 213, with an adhesive and the like. Thisbattery 209 is constructed of apositive electrode 220, anegative electrode 222, and an insulatingmember 221 which is an electrolyte disposed between the positive andnegative electrodes electrode collecting member 218 provided on thepositive electrode 220, a negativeelectrode collecting member 223 provided on thenegative electrode 222, and ajacket member 216 which envelops the above elements. Through those positive and negativeelectrode collecting members computer 201 or the charge of thebattery 209 from the external power source and thepower cord 217 is effected. - A combination of the elements constituting the
secondary battery 209 is variously conceivable. As an example, thejacket member 216 made of an aluminum-evaporated film, thepositive electrode 220 made of cobaltic acid lithium, and thenegative electrode 222 made of copper foil can be combined to form thesecondary battery 209. In particular, solid polyelectrolyte is preferably used for the insulatingmember 221. If the area and the thickness of the sheet-typesecondary battery 209 is appropriately adjusted, thebattery 209 with a desired capacity can be obtained. In the present embodiment, thebattery 209 is so configured as to have a substantially equal area to the surface area of themetal plate 211 and a thickness adjusted according to the capacity needed for thecomputer 201. Currently, such the sheet-typesecondary battery 209 is presented in various forms each having a thickness in a range of 0.3 mm (ultra-thin type) to 20 mm and an area in a range of 5 mm square (ultra-compact size) to an A5-size (large size). Since the capacity of the battery can be changed according to the area and thickness, the sheet-typesecondary battery 209 can be appropriately selected in response to using purposes. - All of the inside elements of the sheet-type
secondary battery 209 constructed as above are solid, including the insulatingmember 221 which is solid polyelectrolyte. Accordingly, there is no possibility of leaking which may be caused in the case of overcharge when liquid electrolyte is used as an insulating member. - The
metal plate 211, to which the heat which generates in thesecondary battery 209 in charging from the external power source is transmitted, is directly exposed to the air through clearances between thekey switches 213, and thus the heat can be sufficiently dissipated. As result, the reliability and safety of thecomputer 201 can be improved. - Furthermore, the
computer 201 is not required to have special structure or components for attachment of the sheet-typesecondary battery 209, which can reduce the manufacturing cost. - Next, an electronic device provided with a sheet-type secondary battery in an eighth embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 34 and 37. The sheet-type secondary battery and the notebook-size personal computer in the present embodiment have substantially the same structure as those in the-seventh embodiment. Accordingly, parts identical to those of the seventh embodiment are indicated at the same reference numerals. The following description is focused on the feature of the electronic device provided with the sheet-type secondary battery in the eighth embodiment.
- FIG. 37A is a schematic side view of the keyboard203 and the sheet-type
secondary battery 209 built in thecomputer 201 shown in FIG. 34. FIG. 37B is an enlarged view of the circled part B in the FIG. 37A. Thebattery 209 shown in FIG. 37A has substantially the same structure as that in the seventh embodiment, except that thebattery 209 in the eighth embodiment has no jacket member in the upper side facing to themetal plate 211 and therefore themetal plate 211 functions as a negative electrode. Accordingly, with the positiveelectrode collecting member 218 and themetal plate 211, thebattery 209 can supply power to thecomputer 201 or can be charged from the external power source through thepower cord 207. since themetal plate 211 can also be used as a negative electrode collecting member as mentioned above, the negativeelectrode collecting member 223 shown in FIG. 37 may be removed as required. - As mentioned above, the keyboard203 and the sheet-type
secondary battery 209 are made in a unitary configuration such that the elements constituting thebattery 209 are disposed on one surface of themetal plate 211, while the keyboard 203 is disposed on another surface of themetal plate 211. Thus, the designer can design thecomputer 201 without considering the shape, arrangement position, and others of the secondary battery. The burdensome work to the designer can be reduced accordingly. - Since the
metal plate 211 is also used as a negative electrode of the sheet typesecondary battery 209, themetal plate 211 if used in a part of a box-like outer metal frame of thecomputer 201 can act as a static protection shield, which is very advantageous. - In addition, the keyboard203 and the sheet-type
secondary battery 209 are provided on the both surfaces of themetal plate 211 respectively, forming a unitary configuration. This eliminates the need for assembling the keyboard 203 and the sheet-typesecondary battery 209 which are made as separate parts. As a result, the manufacturing steps and the number of parts can be decreased, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Since no superfluous space exists between the keyboard 203 and thebattery 209, thecomputer 201 can be effectively reduced as a whole in weight and size. - Next, an electronic device in a ninth preferred embodiment will be described hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 34 and 38. The notebook-sized personal computer with the sheet-type secondary battery in the present embodiment has substantially the same structure as those in the seventh embodiment. Accordingly, parts identical to those of the seventh embodiment are indicated at the same reference numerals. The following description is focused on the feature of the electronic device provided with the sheet-type secondary battery in the ninth embodiment.
- FIG. 38A is a schematic side view of a cover member of the notebook-size
personal computer 201, which supports acrystal liquid display 205 shown in FIG. 34, including a sectional side view of the second battery mounted on the cover member. FIG. 38B is an enlarged view of a circled part B in the FIG. 38A. - The
liquid crystal display 205 is disposed on ametal plate 211 made of a thin aluminum plate. On the back surface of themetal plate 211, opposite to the surface on which theliquid crystal display 205 is disposed, a sheet-typesecondary battery 9 with substantially the same area as the surface area of themetal plate 211 is closely attached with an adhesive and the like. Thebattery 209 shown in FIG. 38A has substantially the same structure as that in the seventh embodiment, except that thebattery 209 in the ninth embodiment has no jacket member in the upper side contacting themetal plate 211 and therefore themetal plate 211 functions as a negative electrode. Accordingly, with the positiveelectrode collecting member 218 and themetal plate 211, thebattery 209 can supply power to thecomputer 201 or can be charged from the external power source through thepower cord 207. Since themetal plate 211 can also be used as a negative electrode collecting member as mentioned above, the negativeelectrode collecting member 223 shown in FIG. 38 may be removed as required. - As mentioned above, the
liquid crystal display 205 and the sheet-typesecondary battery 209 are made in a unitary configuration such that the elements constituting thebattery 209 are disposed on one surface of themetal plate 211, while the keyboard 203 is disposed on another surface of themetal plate 211. Thus, the designer can design thecomputer 201 without considering the shape, arrangement position, and others of the secondary battery. The burdensome work to the designer can be decreased accordingly. - In addition, the
liquid crystal display 205 and the sheet-typesecondary battery 209 are provided on the both surfaces of themetal plate 211 respectively, forming a unitary configuration. This eliminates the need for assembling thedisplay 205 and the sheet-typesecondary battery 209 which are made as separate parts. As a result, the manufacturing steps and the number of parts can be decreased, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Since no superfluous space exists between thedisplay 205 and thebattery 209, thecomputer 201 can be effectively reduced as a whole in weight and size. - Since the
metal plate 211 is also used as a negative electrode of the sheet typesecondary battery 209, themetal plate 211 if used in a part of a box-like outer metal frame of thecomputer 201 can act as a static protection shield, which is very advantageous. - Next, an electronic device in a tenth preferred embodiment will be described hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 34 and 39. The notebook-sized personal computer with the sheet-type secondary battery in the present embodiment has substantially the same structure as those in the seventh embodiment. Accordingly, parts identical to those of the seventh embodiment are indicated at the same reference numerals. The following description is focused on the feature of the electronic device provided with the sheet-type secondary battery in the tenth embodiment.
- FIG. 39A is a schematic side view of the keyboard203 and the sheet-type
secondary battery 209 built in thecomputer 201 shown in FIG. 34. FIG. 39B is an enlarged view of a circled part B in the FIG. 39A. Thebattery 209 shown in FIG. 39A has substantially the same structure as that in the seventh embodiment, except that thebattery 209 in the tenth embodiment has an insulating resist layer (not shown) applied on the upper surface of thejacket member 216, namely, thesecondary battery 209. A predetermined circuit pattern is formed on the insulating resist layer by using a conductive ink and the like. Through the circuit pattern, a depression condition of each of the key switches 203 can be detected. Under the sheet-typesecondary battery 209, there is provided a reinforcingplate 230 for preventing thebattery 209 from being deformed or curved by when the key switches 203 are depressed. - The circuit pattern being formed on the
jacket member 216 of thebattery 209, the keyboard 203 and the sheet-typesecondary battery 209 have no need for including a special member for supporting the circuit pattern, which is advantageous to reduction in size and cost of thecomputer 201. - In the above seventh to tenth embodiments, a notebook-sized personal computer provided with a sheet-type secondary battery is mentioned as an example of an electronic device according to the present invention. It is, however, needless to say that the same effect can be obtained if the present invention is applied to other portable electronic device, such as a word processor, provided with a keyboard or a crystal liquid display.
- The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiment chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto, and their equivalents.
Claims (22)
1. A key switch device including;
a key top;
a support plate disposed below the key top;
a guide member provided with a first link and a second link which are mutually movably connected, an upper end of the first link and an upper end of the second link being movably engaged with an underside of the key top and a lower end of the first link and a lower end of the second link being movably engaged with the support plate; and
a switching section which is disposed on the support plate and performs a switching operation in association with a vertical movement of the key top;
wherein the key switch device includes:
a first shaft formed at the lower end of the first link;
a second shaft formed at the lower end of the second link; and
a mounting member for movably supporting the first and second shafts, the mounting member being fixed on a surface of the support plate.
2. The key switch device according to , wherein the mounting member is formed in a chipped configuration having a unit length of the key switch device.
claim 1
3. The key switch device according to , wherein a plurality of the key switch devices are disposed on the support plate, and the mounting member has a length required to movably support the first shaft of the first link and the second shaft of the second link of the guide member in each of the key switch devices.
claim 1
4. The key switch device according to , wherein the mounting member is fixed on the surface of the support plate with an adhesive applied to the surface of the support plate.
claim 1
5. The key switch device according to , wherein the support plate and the mounting member are made of metal material, and the mounting member is fixed on the surface of the support plate by welding.
claim 1
6. The key switch device according to , wherein the support plate and the mounting member are made of metal material, and the mounting member is fixed on the surface of the support plate by soldering.
claim 1
7. the key switch device according to , wherein the support plate and the mounting member are made of metal material, and the mounting member is fixed on the surface of the support plate by laser welding.
claim 1
8. The key switch device according to , wherein the support plate and the mounting member are made of metal material, and the mounting member is fixed on the surface of the support plate by ultrasonic welding.
claim 1
9. A key switch device including:
a key top;
a membrane switch member disposed below the key top;
a guide member provided with a first link and a second link which are mutually movably connected;
a switching member which performs a switching operation of the membrane member in association with a vertical movement of the key top;
a first shaft formed at a lower end of the first link;
a second shaft formed at a lower end of the second link; and
a mounting member for movably supporting the first and second shafts, the mounting member being fixed on a surface of the membrane switch member.
10. The key switch device according to , wherein the membrane switch member includes a film sheet provided with a switching electrode,
claim 9
the switching member performs a switching operation in cooperation with the film sheet and the switching electrode in association with a vertical movement of the key top.
11. The key switch device according to , wherein the membrane switch member includes a membrane switch sheet having a pair of an upper film sheet and a lower film sheet,
claim 9
the switching member performs a switching operation with the membrane switch sheet in association with a vertical movement of the key top.
12. The key switch device according to , wherein the mounting member is fixed on a surface of the upper film sheet of the membrane switch sheet.
claim 11
13. The key switch device according to , wherein the mounting member is formed in a chipped shape having a unit length of the key switch device.
claim 9
14. The key switch device according to , wherein a plurality of the key switch devices are disposed on the membrane switch member, and the mounting member has a length required to movably support the first shaft of the first link and the second shaft of the second link of the guide member in each of the key switch devices.
claim 9
15. The key switch device according to , wherein the mounting member is fixed on the surface of the membrane switch member with an adhesive applied to the surface of the membrane switch member.
claim 9
16. A portable electronic device provided with a key switch device including:
a key top;
a support plate disposed below the key top;
a guide member provided with a first link and a second link which are mutually movably connected, an upper end of the first link and an upper end of the second link being movably engaged with an underside of the key top and a lower end of the first link and a lower end of the second link being movably engaged with the support plate; and
a switching section which is disposed on the support plate and performs a switching operation in association with a vertical movement of the key top;
wherein the key switch device includes:
a first shaft formed at the lower end of the first link;
a second shaft formed at the lower end of the second link; and
a mounting member for movably supporting the first and second shafts, the mounting member being fixed on an upper surface of the support plate.
17. The portable electronic device according to , further including:
claim 16
a keyboard on which a plurality of the key switch devices are disposed, the keyboard being disposed on the upper surface of the support plate, and
a sheet type secondary battery which is plural times rechargeable and is provided with at least a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte which are arranged in layers so that the electrolyte is positioned between the positive and negative electrodes, the battery being closely disposed on an undersurface of the support plate.
18. The portable electronic device according to , wherein the switching section includes a circuit pattern for detecting whether or not the key switch has been depressed, the circuit pattern being formed on the upper surface of the support plate.
claim 17
19. The portable electronic device according to , wherein the sheet type secondary battery is so configured to have a surface area that is substantially the same as a surface area of the support plate.
claim 17
20. The portable electronic device according to , wherein the support plate is made of metal and used as a negative electrode of the sheet type secondary battery.
claim 17
21. The portable electronic device according to , wherein the electrolyte used in the sheet type secondary battery is solid electrolyte.
claim 17
22. The portable electronic device according to , further including a jacket member which covers a periphery of the sheet type secondary battery, wherein the switching section includes a circuit pattern for detecting whether or not the key switch has been depressed, the circuit pattern being formed on the jacket member.
claim 17
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/915,262 US6417470B2 (en) | 1998-09-10 | 2001-07-27 | Key top guided by scissors linkage located in mounting member with chipped configuration disposed on support plate |
US10/153,707 US6812420B2 (en) | 1998-09-10 | 2002-05-24 | Key switch operating mechanism assembly for electronic portable device |
Applications Claiming Priority (8)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP10-256286 | 1998-09-10 | ||
JP10256286A JP2000090772A (en) | 1998-09-10 | 1998-09-10 | Key switch device |
JP10-360555 | 1998-12-18 | ||
JP10360555A JP2000182575A (en) | 1998-12-18 | 1998-12-18 | Electronics with sheet-type secondary battery |
JP3260899 | 1999-02-10 | ||
JP11-032608 | 1999-02-10 | ||
US09/391,159 US6288457B1 (en) | 1998-09-10 | 1999-09-08 | Key switch device and portable key electronic device provided with the key switch device |
US09/915,262 US6417470B2 (en) | 1998-09-10 | 2001-07-27 | Key top guided by scissors linkage located in mounting member with chipped configuration disposed on support plate |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US09/391,159 Division US6288457B1 (en) | 1998-09-10 | 1999-09-08 | Key switch device and portable key electronic device provided with the key switch device |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US10/153,707 Division US6812420B2 (en) | 1998-09-10 | 2002-05-24 | Key switch operating mechanism assembly for electronic portable device |
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US20010047928A1 true US20010047928A1 (en) | 2001-12-06 |
US6417470B2 US6417470B2 (en) | 2002-07-09 |
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Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US09/391,159 Expired - Lifetime US6288457B1 (en) | 1998-09-10 | 1999-09-08 | Key switch device and portable key electronic device provided with the key switch device |
US09/915,262 Expired - Fee Related US6417470B2 (en) | 1998-09-10 | 2001-07-27 | Key top guided by scissors linkage located in mounting member with chipped configuration disposed on support plate |
US10/153,707 Expired - Fee Related US6812420B2 (en) | 1998-09-10 | 2002-05-24 | Key switch operating mechanism assembly for electronic portable device |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US09/391,159 Expired - Lifetime US6288457B1 (en) | 1998-09-10 | 1999-09-08 | Key switch device and portable key electronic device provided with the key switch device |
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Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US10/153,707 Expired - Fee Related US6812420B2 (en) | 1998-09-10 | 2002-05-24 | Key switch operating mechanism assembly for electronic portable device |
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JP2006156031A (en) * | 2004-11-26 | 2006-06-15 | Orion Denki Kk | Electronic equipment equipped with operating button |
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WO2018107443A1 (en) | 2016-12-15 | 2018-06-21 | Microsoft Technology Licensing, Llc. | Low-profile keyboard |
US10394342B2 (en) * | 2017-09-27 | 2019-08-27 | Facebook Technologies, Llc | Apparatuses, systems, and methods for representing user interactions with real-world input devices in a virtual space |
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US4876441A (en) * | 1984-03-27 | 1989-10-24 | Casio Computer Co., Ltd. | Card-like electronic apparatus |
JPH025236A (en) | 1988-06-23 | 1990-01-10 | Sharp Corp | Optical information recording/reproducing device |
JP2577359Y2 (en) * | 1992-06-09 | 1998-07-23 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | Key switch device |
US5504283A (en) | 1992-10-28 | 1996-04-02 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Key switch device |
JP2800617B2 (en) * | 1993-01-06 | 1998-09-21 | ブラザー工業株式会社 | Key switch |
JP2589927B2 (en) | 1993-02-19 | 1997-03-12 | 株式会社藤商事 | Nail hitting work line for ball game machines |
US5735390A (en) * | 1994-07-20 | 1998-04-07 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Keyswitch device |
US5758763A (en) * | 1995-08-17 | 1998-06-02 | Hosiden Corporation | Pantograph type keyboard switch |
US5874696A (en) * | 1996-08-12 | 1999-02-23 | Fujitsu Takamisawa Component Limited | Key switch, keyboard and portable information processing unit with keyboard |
US5767464A (en) * | 1996-12-05 | 1998-06-16 | Texas Instruments Incorporated | Electronic device low profile keyboard switch assembly with deployed and stored actuating mechanism |
JPH10223085A (en) * | 1997-02-10 | 1998-08-21 | Brother Ind Ltd | Long key support device |
US5769210A (en) * | 1997-02-11 | 1998-06-23 | Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd. | Scissors-type key switch |
US6288457B1 (en) * | 1998-09-10 | 2001-09-11 | Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Key switch device and portable key electronic device provided with the key switch device |
-
1999
- 1999-09-08 US US09/391,159 patent/US6288457B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
2001
- 2001-07-27 US US09/915,262 patent/US6417470B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2002
- 2002-05-24 US US10/153,707 patent/US6812420B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20020139652A1 (en) | 2002-10-03 |
US6288457B1 (en) | 2001-09-11 |
US6417470B2 (en) | 2002-07-09 |
US6812420B2 (en) | 2004-11-02 |
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