JP6844987B2 - Key unit and electronics - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a key unit provided in a housing of an electronic device and an electronic device provided with the key unit.

Conventionally, as a key unit (key structure) for operating a switch arranged inside an electronic device housing, a key body having a key top and a key attachment for attaching the key body to the housing are provided. Are known.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional key unit described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. 7, in Patent Document 1, the bar member 104 is pushed through the key top portion 105 through the second through hole 103 that penetrates the wall portion 102 of the housing 101 in the plane direction (in-plane direction of the wall portion 102). A key unit for attaching the key top portion 105 to the housing 101 by inserting the key top portion 105 into the guide portion 106 of the above is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-12563 (published on January 19, 2015)

However, in the conventional technique as described above, since the bar member 104 is inserted into the guide portion 106 of the key top portion 105, the thickness (depth) of the guide portion 106 becomes large. Therefore, in order to secure a space for arranging the guide portion 106, it is necessary to project a part of the wall portion 102 of the housing 101 inward of the housing 101. As a result, the above-mentioned conventional technique has a problem that the arrangement of parts inside the housing 101 is limited and the degree of freedom of arrangement of parts is reduced.

One aspect of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and by reducing the size of the key unit with a simple structure, the component arrangement in the housing of the electronic device is not restricted. The purpose is to improve the degree of freedom of.

In order to solve the above problems, the key unit according to one aspect of the present invention is a key unit provided on a wall portion of a housing of an electronic device and operating a switch arranged inside the housing. The key body and the key attachment include a key body provided on the outer surface side of the wall portion and a key attachment provided on the inner surface side of the wall portion to attach the key body to the wall portion. It is characterized in that it is engaged with each other in a through hole formed in the thickness direction of the wall portion.

According to one aspect of the present invention, by reducing the size of the key unit with a simple structure, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom in component arrangement without limiting the component arrangement in the housing of the electronic device. Play.

(A) is a front view showing the appearance of the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment, and (b) is a side view showing the appearance of the mobile terminal shown in (a). (A) is an enlarged view showing the inside of the dotted line frame shown in (b) of FIG. 1, and (b) is an exploded view of a key unit including a side key shown in (a). It is a cross-sectional view of AA'of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 2A. It is BB'cross-sectional view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 2 (a). It is sectional drawing which shows the main body side engaging part and the attachment side engaging part provided in the key unit which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. (A) is a plan view showing a side key included in the key unit according to the third embodiment, and (b) is an exploded view showing the key unit. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the conventional key unit.

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In the present embodiment, a case where the key unit according to one aspect of the present invention, which can be miniaturized with a simple structure, is applied to a side key of a mobile terminal will be described as an example.

Examples of mobile terminals to which the present invention is applied include smartphones, tablet terminals, PHS (Personal Handy-phone System), PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), mobile personal computers, mobile tools, electronic dictionaries, calculators, game machines, and the like. can do. However, the key unit according to one aspect of the present invention can be applied not only to a mobile terminal but also to other electronic devices.

(Mobile terminal configuration)
FIG. 1A is a front view showing the appearance of the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a side surface showing the appearance of the mobile terminal 1 shown in FIG. 1A. It is a figure. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the mobile terminal 1 is provided with a flat, substantially rectangular housing 2 on the front side, which accommodates a display 3 including a touch panel. Further, a side key 4 that functions as, for example, a power key of the mobile terminal 1 is provided on the wall portion 21 that forms the outer peripheral side wall of the housing 2. Inside the housing 2, various parts such as a circuit board on which various electronic parts are mounted, a battery, and a heat radiating sheet are housed.

(Description of key unit)
FIG. 2A is an enlarged view showing the inside of the dotted line frame shown in FIG. 1B, and FIG. 2B is a key including the side key 4 shown in FIG. 2A. It is an exploded view which shows the unit. In FIG. 2B, for convenience of explanation, the wall portion 21 of the housing 2 is shown as a perspective view.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the mobile terminal 1 includes a key unit including a side key (key body) 4, a key attachment 5, and a key pusher 6. The key unit operates a switch 7 arranged inside the housing 2 by pressing a side key 4 provided on the outer surface 22 of the wall portion 21 of the housing 2.

The switch 7 is mounted on a sub-circuit board 8 made of FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits) or the like, which is arranged substantially parallel to the inner surface 23 of the wall portion 21. Further, the switch 7 may be a tact switch mounted on a PWB (Printed Wiring Board).

The side key 4 is provided on the outer surface 22 side of the wall portion 21 of the housing 2 so as to be movable in the thickness direction of the wall portion 21. The side key 4 includes a key top portion 41 and a main body side engaging claw (main body side engaging portion) 42.

The key top portion 41 is a plate-shaped member having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The key top portion 41 is housed in a recess 24 formed on the outer surface 22 of the wall portion 21. The recess 24 has a substantially rectangular shape that can accommodate the key top portion 41.

The surface 43 of the key top portion 41 functions as a key top of the side key 4. Further, on the bottom surface 44 of the key top portion 41 on the opposite side of the surface 43, main body side engaging claws 42 having a substantially L-shaped cross section that can be engaged with the key attachment 5 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction thereof. It is rushed. The two main body-side engaging claws 42 are arranged so as to face different directions so that their orientations are reversed by 180 degrees. The main body side engaging claw 42 penetrates the wall portion 21 in the thickness direction and is inserted into the two engaging through holes 25 opened at the bottom surface of the recess 24.

The key attachment 5 is provided on the inner surface 23 side of the wall portion 21, and attaches the side key 4 to the wall portion 21 so that the side key 4 does not fall out from the wall portion 21. The key attachment 5 is inserted from the inner surface 23 side of the wall portion 21 so as to be embedded in the engaging through hole 25. The key attachment 5 includes a flange portion 51, a cylindrical portion 52, a waterproof ring 53, and an attachment side engaging claw (attachment side engaging portion) 54.

The flange portion 51 is a plate that comes into contact with the inner surface 23 of the wall portion 21 located around the engaging through hole 25 when the key attachment 5 is inserted into the engaging through hole 25 from the inner surface 23 side of the wall portion 21. It is a shaped member. As a result, the key attachment 5 is positioned, and the position shift of the key attachment 6 in the direction of the outer surface 22 of the wall portion 21 is prevented. The surface 51a of the flange portion 51 may be adhered to the inner surface 23 of the wall portion 21 located around the engaging through hole 25 with an adhesive or the like. This makes it possible to prevent the key attachment 5 from falling out of the engaging through hole 25. The key attachment 5 may be fixed to the inner surface 23 of the wall portion 21 by using a fastener such as a screw.

The cylindrical portion 52 is a substantially cylindrical member that is inserted into the engaging through hole 25. A waterproof ring 53 made of an elastic material is attached to the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 52. When the waterproof ring 53 is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the engaging through hole 25, the waterproof property of the engaging through hole 25 can be ensured. However, the waterproof ring 53 is not essential and can be omitted.

The fitting-side engaging claw 54 is a claw portion having a substantially L-shaped cross section attached to the tip end portion of the cylindrical portion 52. The fitting-side engaging claw 54 is configured to be able to engage with the main body-side engaging claw 42 of the side key 4.

The key press 6 is deformed as the user presses the side key 4, and presses the switch 7. The key pusher 6 penetrates the wall portion 21 in the thickness direction, and is inserted into the switch through hole 26 opened at the bottom surface of the recess 24 from the inner surface 23 side of the wall portion 21. The switch through hole 26 is formed between two engagement through holes 25 opened at the bottom surface of the recess 24.

The key press 6 includes a pressing plate 61, a cylindrical portion 62, and a shaft portion 63. The pressing plate 61 is a plate-shaped member attached to the end of the shaft portion 63 on the switch 7 side substantially in parallel with the switch 7. When the side key 4 is pressed, the pressing plate 61 moves in conjunction with the shaft portion 63 and presses the switch 7. By using the pressing plate 61, the switch 7 can be pressed more reliably.

The cylindrical portion 62 is a substantially cylindrical member made of an elastic material. The outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 62 comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the switch through hole 26 when the key pusher 6 is inserted into the switch through hole 26. As a result, the waterproof property of the switch through hole 26 can be ensured.

The shaft portion 63 is a substantially cylindrical member that moves in the thickness direction of the wall portion 21 when the side key 4 is pressed. The end of the shaft portion 63 on the side key 4 side is in contact with the bottom surface 44 of the key top portion 41. Therefore, the shaft portion 63 moves in the direction of the switch 7 together with the side key 4 when the user presses the side key 4. As a result, the switch 7 is pressed by the pressing plate 61 attached to the end of the shaft portion 63 on the switch 7 side.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA'of the mobile terminal 1 shown in FIG. 2A. As shown in FIG. 3, in the mobile terminal 1, the main body side engaging claw 42 having a substantially L-shaped cross section of the side key 4 is inserted into the engaging through hole 25 from the outer surface 22 side of the wall portion 21. Further, the attachment claw 54 having a substantially L-shaped cross section of the key attachment 5 is inserted into the engagement through hole 25 from the inner surface 23 side of the wall portion 21. Then, the main body side engaging claw 42 and the attachment side engaging claw 54 engage with each other in the engaging through hole 25.

As described above, in the mobile terminal 1, the main body side engaging claw 42 of the side key 4 and the attachment side engaging claw 54 of the key attachment 5 are engaged with each other in the engaging through hole 25. Therefore, the key attachment 5 makes it possible to easily attach the side key 4 to the wall portion 21 so that the side key 4 can move in the thickness direction of the wall portion 21. Therefore, in the mobile terminal 1, it is not necessary to project a part of the wall portion 21 of the housing 2 to the inside of the housing 2 in order to arrange the key unit as in the conventional case, and the wall portion 21 is provided. There is no need to form a through hole that penetrates in the plane direction (in-plane direction). Therefore, by reducing the size of the key unit with a simple structure, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom in the arrangement of parts without limiting the arrangement of parts in the housing 2 of the mobile terminal 1.

Further, in the mobile terminal 1, the key attachment 5 is inserted into the engaging through hole 25 from the inner surface 23 side of the wall portion 21. Specifically, the key attachment 5 is arranged so that a portion other than the flange portion 51 is located in the engaging through hole 25. Therefore, the space for arranging the key attachment 5 in the housing 2 can be reduced, so that the degree of freedom in arranging the parts in the housing 2 of the mobile terminal 1 can be further improved.

The shape of the engaging through hole 25 may be changed so that the entire key attachment 5 is arranged in the engaging through hole 25. For example, the shape of the engaging through hole 25 may be changed so that the bottom surface 51b of the flange portion 51 and the inner surface 23 of the wall portion 21 are located on the same surface. As a result, it is possible to eliminate the space for arranging the key attachment 5 in the housing 2, so that the degree of freedom in arranging the parts in the housing 2 of the mobile terminal 1 can be further improved.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB'of the mobile terminal 1 shown in FIG. 2A. As shown in FIG. 4, in the mobile terminal 1, the key press 6 is inserted into the switch through hole 26. At this time, the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 62 of the key pusher 6 is brought into close contact with the groove formed in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 26 for the switch. As a result, the waterproof property of the switch through hole 26 can be ensured.

Further, the end of the shaft portion 63 of the key pusher 6 on the side key 4 side abuts on the bottom surface 44 of the key top portion 41, and the pressing plate 61 is attached to the end of the shaft portion 63 on the switch 7 side. .. Therefore, when the user presses the side key 4, the shaft portion 63 moves in the direction of the switch 7 in conjunction with the side key 4, and the pressing plate 61 presses the switch 7 to operate the switch 7. ..

(Effect of mobile terminal)
As described above, the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment includes a key unit provided on the wall portion 21 of the housing 2 and operating the switch 7 arranged in the housing 2. The key unit includes a side key 4 provided on the outer surface 22 side of the wall portion 21 and a key attachment 5 provided on the inner surface 23 side of the wall portion 21 to attach the side key 4 to the wall portion 21. And the key attachment 5 are engaged with each other in the engaging through hole 25 penetrating in the thickness direction of the wall portion 21.

In the mobile terminal 1, the side key 4 and the key attachment 5 are engaged in the engaging through hole 25 penetrating in the thickness direction of the wall portion 21. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to project a part of the wall portion of the housing inward in order to arrange the key unit, and the wall portion 21 is penetrated in the plane direction (in-plane direction). There is no need to form holes.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to realize the mobile terminal 1 capable of improving the degree of freedom of component arrangement without limiting the component arrangement in the housing 2.

[Embodiment 2]
Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals will be added to the members having the same functions as the members described in the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the above-described first embodiment, the side key 4 and the key attachment 5 are engaged with each other by using the main body side engaging claw 42 having a substantially L-shaped cross section and the attachment side engaging claw 54 having a substantially L-shaped cross section. The configuration for engaging in the through hole 25 has been described.

However, the shapes of the main body side engagement and the mounting side engagement included in the switch unit according to one aspect of the present invention are not limited to the above configuration. The main body side engaging portion and the attachment side engaging portion may have a shape that allows the side key 4 and the key attachment 5 to be engaged in the engaging through hole 25.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the main body side engaging portion and the fixture side engaging portion shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, even if the attachment side engaging projection 54a having a substantially V-shaped cross section having a shape that is reversely tapered toward the side key 4 side is formed as the attachment side engaging portion of the key attachment 5. Good. Further, as the main body side engaging portion of the side key 4, a main body side engaging hole 42a having a shape into which an attachment protrusion 54a having a V-shaped cross section can be inserted is formed on the bottom surface 44 of the key top portion 41. May be good.

In the main body side engaging hole 42a and the fixture side engaging protrusion 54a having the above shape, for example, by forming the fixture side engaging protrusion 54a with an elastic material, for example, the side key 4 exerts an excessive force on the outer surface of the housing 2. Even when the side key 4 is pulled in the 22 direction, the side key 4 can be disengaged (fallen out) from the housing 2 without damaging the main body side engaging hole 42a and the fixture side engaging projection 54a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the key unit from being damaged and to reattach the detached side key 4 to the housing 2.

Contrary to the above configuration, the side key 4 is formed with a main body side engaging claw made of an elastic material having a substantially V-shaped cross section, and the fitting engaging claw can be inserted into the key fitting 5. Engagement holes may be formed.

[Embodiment 3]
Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals will be added to the members having the same functions as the members described in the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the first embodiment described above, the configuration in which the side key 4 is a push-type key provided so as to be movable in the thickness direction of the wall portion 21 has been described. However, the key unit according to one aspect of the present invention is not limited to the push type key unit, and can be applied to the slide type key unit.

FIG. 6A is a plan view showing a side key 4a included in the key unit according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 6B is an exploded view showing the key unit. In FIG. 6, for convenience of explanation, the side wall of the housing 2 is shown as a perspective view, and the pusher is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the key unit according to the present embodiment, the side key 4a is provided so as to be slidable (movable) along the surface direction of the wall portion 21. The side key 4a is suitably applied as, for example, a hold key (HLD key) of the mobile terminal 1.

In the present embodiment, the side key 4a is slidable in the moving direction a, which is the longitudinal direction of the wall portion 21. Therefore, the width of the recess 24a accommodating the key top portion 41 of the side key 4a in the moving direction a is formed larger than that of the recess 24 of the first embodiment.

Further, the width of the side key 4a of the attachment claw 54b of the key attachment 5 in the moving direction a is formed larger than that of the attachment side engagement claw 54 of the first embodiment. As a result, even when the side key 4a slides in the moving direction a, the engagement claw 42 on the main body side of the side key 4 and the engagement claw 54b on the attachment side of the key attachment 5 are not disengaged. Can be.

When the key unit according to one aspect of the present invention is applied to a slide-type key unit, a pusher having a structure that presses the switch 7 as the side key 4a slides may be adopted. Structurally, a structure may be added, a material may be changed, or the like to make the slide movement of the side key 4a smooth.

[Summary]
The key unit according to the first aspect of the present invention is a key unit provided on a wall portion of a housing of an electronic device (mobile terminal 1) and operates a switch arranged in the housing, and is an outer surface of the wall portion. A key body (side key 4) provided on the side and a key attachment provided on the inner surface side of the wall portion to attach the key body to the wall portion are included, and the key body and the key attachment include the key body and the key attachment. It is characterized in that it is engaged with each other in a through hole (engagement through hole 25) penetrating in the thickness direction of the wall portion.

In the above configuration, the key body and the key attachment are engaged in a through hole penetrating in the thickness direction of the wall portion. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to project a part of the wall portion of the housing to the inside of the housing in order to arrange the key unit, and the wall portion penetrates in the plane direction (in-plane direction). There is no need to form a through hole to form a through hole.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, by reducing the size of the key unit with a simple structure, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom in component arrangement without limiting the component arrangement in the housing of the electronic device. Can be realized.

In the key unit according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the key attachment may be inserted into the through hole from the inner surface side.

In the above configuration, since the key attachment is inserted into the through hole from the inner surface side of the wall portion, it is possible to reduce the space for arranging the key attachment in the housing. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the degree of freedom in arranging parts in the housing of the electronic device can be further improved.

In the key unit according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the key main body has a main body side engaging portion that is inserted into the through hole from the outer surface side and engages with the key attachment. The key attachment may have an engagement portion on the attachment side that is inserted into the through hole from the inner surface side and engages with the engagement portion on the main body side.

In the above configuration, the key main body can be easily attached to the wall portion by the key attachment by engaging the main body side engaging portion and the attachment side engaging portion with each other in the through hole. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the key unit can be miniaturized with a simpler structure.

In the key unit according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the main body side engaging portion and the attachment side engaging portion are engaged with each other (main body side engaging claw 42, attachment). It may be a side engaging claw 54).

According to the above configuration, since the key body and the key attachment are engaged with each other by using the engaging claws, the engagement structure of the key body and the key attachment can be simplified.

In the key unit according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, one of the main body side engaging portion and the attachment side engaging portion is an engaging projection made of an elastic material (attacher side engaging). The protrusion 54a) may be the other, and the other may be an engagement hole (main body side engagement hole 42a) into which the engagement protrusion can be inserted.

In the above configuration, the key body and the key fitting are engaged by an engaging protrusion made of an elastic material and an engaging hole into which the engaging protrusion can be inserted. Therefore, for example, even if the key body is pulled toward the outer surface of the housing by an excessive force, the key body can be disengaged from the housing without damaging the main body side engaging portion and the attachment side engaging portion. Can be. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the key unit from being damaged and to reattach the detached key body to the housing.

The electronic device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized by including the key units according to the first to fifth aspects.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, by reducing the size of the key unit with a simple structure, it is possible to realize an electronic device capable of improving the degree of freedom in component arrangement without limiting the component arrangement in the housing. be able to.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

1 Mobile terminal (electronic device)
2 Housing 21 Wall 4 Side key (key body)
5 Key fixture 7 Switch 22 Outer surface 23 Inner surface 25 Engagement through hole (through hole)
42 Main body side engaging claw (main body side engaging part)
42a Main body side engaging hole (main body side engaging part)
54 Mounting tool side engaging claw (Mounting tool side engaging part)
54a Mounting tool side engaging protrusion (Mounting tool side engaging part)
54b Mounting tool side engaging claw (Mounting tool side engaging part)

Claims (6)

A key unit provided on the wall of a housing of an electronic device and operating a switch arranged in the housing.
A key body provided on the outer surface side of the wall portion and
Including a key attachment provided on the inner surface side of the wall portion and attaching the key body to the wall portion.
The key attachment includes at least a first key attachment and a second key attachment.
The key body, the first key attachment, and the second key attachment engage with each other in separate through holes formed in the thickness direction of the wall portion.
The key attachment is a key unit including a waterproof ring that comes into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole. The key unit according to claim 1, wherein the key attachment is inserted into the through hole from the inner surface side. The key body has a body-side engaging portion that is inserted into the through hole from the outer surface side and engages with the key attachment.
The key unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the key fitting has a fitting-side engaging portion that is inserted into the through hole from the inner surface side and engages with the main body-side engaging portion. .. The key unit according to claim 3, wherein the main body side engaging portion and the fitting side engaging portion are engaging claws that can be engaged with each other. One of the main body side engaging portion and the fitting side engaging portion is an engaging protrusion made of an elastic material, and the other is an engaging hole into which the engaging protrusion can be inserted. The key unit according to claim 3. An electronic device comprising the key unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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