Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display peripheral interface input device – Touch panel
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-05
2003-03-18
Hjerpe, Richard (Department: 2674)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display peripheral interface input device
Touch panel
C345S170000, C345S168000, C341S022000, C341S023000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06535202
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a display screen switch, and more particularly to a display screen switch to be operated on a display screen on which switch information is displayed.
In recent years, in order to make a switch function a multi-purpose type, there was proposed a display screen switch to be operated on a display screen on which switch information is displayed.
As a display screen switch, there are some types of switches, such as a touch panel type which pushes down a touch panel itself on the display screen and another type which pushes down a transmit operational member on the display screen to make a contact type switch operate, or the like. The touch panel type lacks an input sense, as there is little operational stroke based on the push-down operation, but the type using the transmit operational m and a contact type switch does not lead to such disadvantage, as an operational stroke due to the push-down motion is enough.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present inventors previously investigated and proposed a structure in which a display screen switch using the transmit operational member and a contact type switch was used (Japanese Patent Application No. 11-149295: not prior art).
In
FIGS. 8
to
11
, a display screen switch
1
includes a plate-like case
3
arranged on a display screen
2
a
of a liquid crystal display
2
, a plurality of switch bodies
4
fixed to the case
3
, a transmit operational plate
5
as a plurality of clear keys arranged on the outside of the case
3
, a rubber
6
as a sheet-like elastic member intervened between a plurality of transmit operational plates
5
and the case
3
, and a cover
7
for supporting each transmit operational plate
5
.
The case
3
is made of ABS resin or polycarbonate resin, and includes a plate-like case body
3
a
arranged on a display screen
2
a
, and a plurality of juxtaposed transmit-illuminate windows
3
b
which are formed on the case body
3
a
so as to penetrate the case body
3
a
between the topside and the underside and through which switch information displayed on the display screen
2
a
is transmitted and illuminated to the transmit operational plate
5
side.
A plurality of switch bodies
4
are fixed to the respective positions of the case body
3
a
corresponding to a plurality of juxtaposed transmit-illuminate windows
3
b
and each switch body
4
has a contact using a metal contact.
Each transmit operational plate
5
includes a transparent display part
10
in which switch information is passed through transparently and displayed, a switch push-down part
11
provided on one side of the transparent display part
10
, a flange
12
provided over all the outside circumference of both transmit display part
10
and switch push-down part
11
, and an engagement wall part
13
provided extendedly at the down side of the flange
12
. Each transmit operational plate
5
is made of, for example, methacryl (acryl resin) or polycarbonate resin.
In the transparent display part
10
, a part which is required to transmit a light and a part which is not required to transmit a light are formed by a so-called two-color molding method of a transparent element and an opaque element. Further, in FIG.
10
and
FIG. 11
, a part which transmits a light is illustrated by a broken line hatching, while a part which prevents outer light leakage is shown by an ordinary resin-hatching. A top face
10
a
of the transparent display part
10
is a key top.
A rubber
6
is made of, for example, silicone gun and on the top face of the rubber
6
, a plurality of holes
6
a
are arranged. An engagement wall
13
of each transmit operational plate
5
is inserted into each hole
6
a
, respectively and the rubber
6
is engaged with each transit operational plate
5
to exhibit its elasticity.
A cover
7
is made of ABS resin or polycarbonate resin and includes a plate-like cover body part
7
a and a plurality of juxtaposed operational plate holes
7
b
which are formed on the cover body
7
a
so as to penetrate from both sides. The upper parts of the transparent display part
10
and the switch push-down part
11
of the transmit operational plate
5
are protruding from the operational plate hole
7
b
. The flange
12
of the transmit operational plate
5
is stuck to the case
3
by an elastic force of the rubber
6
. That is to say, a distance between an upper face of the case
3
and a lower face of the cover
7
is set in response to a dimension a little less than a distance between a lower face of the rubber
6
in a free condition (in no load state) and an upper face of the flange
12
of transmit operational plate
5
, and thus the transmit operational plate
5
is mounted downward in a little displaced way against an elastic force of the rubber
6
. In FIG.
10
and
FIG. 11
, reference numeral
14
is a face part.
In the above constitution, a many sorts of information is selectively displayed on the display screen
2
a
of the Liquid crystal display
2
, and switch information is displayed in a specified part of the display screen
2
a
corresponding to a plurality of transmit operational plate
5
. A plurality of switch information shown on the display screen
2
a
is transparently displayed on the surface of the transparent display part
10
in every transmit operational plate
5
. An operator looks at it and pushes a switch push-down part
11
of a desired transmit operational plate
5
. Then, the switch push-down part
11
displaces downward by an elastic deformation of the rubber
6
, and the switch push-down part
11
correspondingly pushes down the switch body
4
to activate the switch body
4
.
In the course of the operation, the plate-like case
3
and the thin transmit operational plate
5
are arranged in a multilayer state on the display screen
2
a
of the liquid crystal display
2
to activate the switch body
4
fixed to the case
3
by the push-down operation of the transmit operational plate
5
. Therefore, since a distance between the display screen
2
a
and an upper surface
10
a
of the transparent display part
10
in the transmit operational plate
5
which corresponds to a key top is short, an operator can easily observe switch information shown on the display screen
2
a.
If the switch push-down part
11
of the transmit operational plate
5
is pushed down, the rubber
6
is downward elastically deformed to activate the switch body
4
, while if the push operation of the switch push-part
11
is stopped, the rubber
6
returns to the original position due to elastic return/deformation. And the rubber
6
is arranged under the all circumference of the transmit operational plate
5
and the rubber
6
is stuck to the transmit operational plate
5
due to its elastic reaction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent dust, water, or the like which entered into an operational hole part
7
b
of the cover
7
from entering inside.
Nevertheless, in the display screen switch
1
as investigated above, as the transmit operational plate
5
and the rubber
6
are only stuck thereto by an elastic reaction of the rubber
6
or the like, it may be supposed that after assembled, the transmit operational plate
5
produces a positional slide due to vibration or the like.
To solve the above problems, the present invention has been proposed and it is an object of the present invention to provide a display screen switch in which a transmit operational plate does not produce a positional slide after built-in and a good assembly accuracy can be obtained.
Specifically, a display screen switch of the present invention comprising: a plate-like case arranged on a display screen and provided with a transmit-light window part in which switch information displayed on the display screen is transmitted; a switch body fixed to the case; a cover arranged on an upper side of the case and having a hole part; a transmit operational member including a transparent display part which transmits a visible light and on which the switch information is displayed, and a switch push-down part whi
Amari Takeyuki
Furuya Yoshiyuki
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Hjerpe Richard
Nguyen Kimnhung
Yazaki -Corporation
LandOfFree
Display screen switch does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Display screen switch, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Display screen switch will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3074130