阅读说明：本技术 电子设备 (Electronic device ) 是由 田村文雄 伊藤雅人 宫本旅人 柴山佳幸 于 2019-02-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种能够以低成本在壳体收纳按键的电子设备。电子设备(10)具备：支承板(30)；多个按键(25),在支承板(30)的上表面(30a)侧受到支承,在使用位置与收纳位置之间上下移动；和框架(26),作为能够在与支承板(30)的上表面(30a)平行的方向上相对于按键(25)相对移动的驱动部件发挥功能。按键(25)具有受压部(25b)。框架(26)具有相对于按键(25)相对移动从而与受压部(25b)接触的按压部(26c)。(the invention provides an electronic device capable of storing keys in a housing at low cost. An electronic device (10) is provided with: a support plate (30); a plurality of keys (25) supported on the upper surface (30a) of the support plate (30) and moving up and down between a use position and a storage position; and a frame (26) functioning as a driving member that can move relative to the key (25) in a direction parallel to the upper surface (30a) of the support plate (30). The key (25) has a pressure receiving portion (25 b). The frame (26) has a pressing part (26c) that moves relative to the key (25) and comes into contact with the pressure receiving part (25 b).)

1. An electronic device provided with a keyboard device, comprising:

A support plate;

A plurality of keys supported on the upper surface side of the support plate and moving up and down between a 1 st position where the keys are raised by an urging force of an elastic member and a 2 nd position where the keys are lowered against the urging force of the elastic member; and

A drive member relatively movable with respect to the key in a direction parallel to the upper surface of the support plate,

The key is provided with a pressed part,

The driving member has a pressing portion that comes into contact with the pressed portion by being relatively moved with respect to the key,

At least one of the pressure receiving portion and the pressing portion has an inclined surface, and when the pressure receiving portion and the pressing portion are moved relative to each other in a direction of contact, the pressure receiving portion is pressed by the pressing portion via the inclined surface, and the key is moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position.

2. The electronic device of claim 1,

The driving part is a frame dividing between adjacent keys.

3. The electronic device of claim 2,

Both the pressure receiving portion and the pressing portion have the inclined surface,

The frame has a plurality of key insertion holes into which the key is inserted so as to be movable up and down, and the inner wall surface of the key insertion hole is the pressing portion on which the inclined surface is formed,

The outer peripheral side surface of the key opposed to the pressing portion of the frame is the pressed portion on which the inclined surface is formed.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, comprising:

A main body case provided with the keyboard apparatus;

A display housing which is connected to the main body housing by a hinge mechanism so as to be rotatable with respect to the main body housing and is provided with a display; and

And a link mechanism that moves the support plate relative to the frame when the display housing is rotated relative to the main body housing.

5. The electronic device of claim 1,

the driving member is a rod-shaped sliding member extending along the direction in which the keys are arranged on the upper surface side of the support plate,

the pressed part is a protruding piece protruding from the outer peripheral side surface of the key,

the slide member has a driving hole as the pressing portion at a position facing the projecting piece.

6. The electronic device of claim 5,

the sliding member has a holding surface formed continuously with a lowermost portion of the pressing portion and extending in a direction parallel to an upper surface of the support plate,

when the sliding member moves and the pressing portion presses the pressure receiving portion to move the key from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position, the holding surface abuts against the pressure receiving portion to hold the key at the 2 nd position.

7. The electronic device of claim 5 or 6,

The keys are arranged side by side on the front, back, left and right,

The slide member extends along a front side portion or a rear side portion of the keys arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and is arranged in a plurality of rows in the front-rear direction.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, comprising:

A main body case provided with the keyboard apparatus;

A display housing which is connected to the main body housing by a hinge mechanism so as to be rotatable with respect to the main body housing and is provided with a display; and

And a link mechanism that moves the slide member relative to the support plate when the display housing is rotated relative to the main body housing.

9. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising:

A support member connected to a lower surface side of the support plate and moving up and down between a lowered position lowered by an urging force of a 2 nd elastic member and a raised position raised against the urging force of the 2 nd elastic member; and

A pointing stick supported on an upper surface of the support member, inserted into an opening formed in the support plate and exposed to a surface of the keyboard apparatus,

the drive member has a restricting portion that holds the support member at the raised position and restricts movement of the support member to the lowered position,

When the drive member and the key are relatively moved in a direction in which they approach each other, the restriction of the support member by the restriction portion is released, and the support member is moved from the raised position to the lowered position, and the track point is moved downward in the opening.

10. An electronic device provided with a keyboard device, comprising:

A support member which is connected to a lower surface side of a support plate of the keyboard device and moves up and down between a lowered position lowered by an urging force of an elastic member and a raised position raised against the urging force of the elastic member;

An operation member supported on an upper surface of the support member, inserted into an opening formed in the support plate, and exposed to a surface of the keyboard device; and

A drive member relatively movable with respect to the support plate in a direction parallel to an upper surface of the support plate,

the drive member has a restricting portion that holds the support member at the raised position and restricts movement of the support member to the lowered position,

when the drive member and the support plate are relatively moved with the support member located at the raised position, the restriction of the support member by the restriction portion is released, the support member is moved from the raised position to the lowered position, and the operation member is moved downward in the opening.

11. the electronic device of claim 10,

The support member has a pivot shaft portion pivotally coupled to a lower surface of the support plate at one end portion thereof, and a restricting inclined surface gradually inclined from bottom to top as it approaches the restricting portion at the other end portion thereof,

when the drive member and the support plate are relatively moved with the support member located at the lowered position, the restricting inclined surface climbs up the restricting portion, and the support member is moved from the lowered position to the raised position while the movement of the support member to the lowered position is restricted.

12. The electronic device according to claim 10 or 11, comprising:

a main body case provided with the keyboard apparatus and the operation member;

a display housing which is hinged to the main body housing so as to be rotatable and is provided with a display; and

a link mechanism that moves the support plate relative to the drive member when the display housing is rotated relative to the main body housing,

The operating member is a pointing stick that operates a cursor displayed on the display.

Technical Field

the present invention relates to an electronic device provided with a keyboard device.

background

For example, in an electronic apparatus such as a notebook PC having a structure in which a display housing is connected to a main body housing so as to be capable of being inverted from a position exceeding 180 degrees to a position exceeding 360 degrees with respect to the main body housing, a surface having a keyboard may come into direct contact with a desk or the like. Therefore, there is a fear that the key may be broken.

In general, a keyboard device including a plurality of keys elastically supported so as to be movable up and down is mounted on a main body case of such an electronic apparatus. In order to ensure high operability of the keyboard device, a certain degree of keystroke must be ensured in advance. Therefore, in order to avoid interference between the display and the keyboard device on the upper surface of the main body casing when the display casing is closed, the keyboard device itself needs to be made thinner to a certain extent.

The present applicant has proposed a structure in which each key can be pressed in patent document 1. According to this configuration, since the keys can be housed in the case without using a keyboard, the keys can be protected, and the electronic device can be made thinner as a whole when the display case is closed.

patent document 1: japanese patent No. 5980374

The configuration of patent document 1 has a problem of increasing cost because it includes a plurality of members for depressing keys in addition to the configuration of a normal keyboard device. In particular, in this configuration, a large number of special members such as a rotation shaft member that rotates in association with the rotation of the display housing and a pressing piece joined to the rotation shaft member are required, which leads to further increase in the cost of the members.

disclosure of Invention

the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device capable of housing a key in a housing at low cost.

an electronic device according to claim 1 of the present invention is an electronic device including a keyboard device, including: a support plate; a plurality of keys supported on the upper surface side of the support plate and moving up and down between a 1 st position raised by an urging force of an elastic member and a 2 nd position lowered against the urging force of the elastic member; and a driving member that is relatively movable with respect to the push button in a direction parallel to the upper surface of the support plate, wherein the push button has a pressure receiving portion, the driving member has a pressing portion that comes into contact with the pressure receiving portion by relatively moving with respect to the push button, at least one of the pressure receiving portion and the pressing portion has an inclined surface, and when the pressure receiving portion and the pressing portion are relatively moved in a direction of contact with each other, the pressure receiving portion is pressed by the pressing portion via the inclined surface, and the push button is moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position.

According to such a configuration, the pressure receiving portion and the pressing portion are provided in the key and the driving member, respectively, and the key can be held at the 2 nd position pressed downward from the 1 st position when not in use only by relatively moving the key and the driving member. Therefore, the key can be housed in the case at low cost without adding a plurality of special members for depressing the key, and the case can be made thin and light.

The driving member may be formed of a frame that divides adjacent keys. Accordingly, the keys can be moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position by the frame dividing the keys, and the number of components can be further reduced.

The frame may have a plurality of key insertion holes into which the key is inserted so as to be movable up and down, the inner wall surface of each key insertion hole may be the pressing portion on which the inclined surface is formed, and the outer peripheral side surface of the key facing the pressing portion of the frame may be the pressure receiving portion on which the inclined surface is formed. Accordingly, the push button can be moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position only by forming the inclined surfaces on the push button and the frame, respectively, and therefore, the structure can be further simplified, and the cost can be further reduced.

Alternatively, the following structure may be formed: the keyboard device includes a main body case provided with the keyboard device, a display case rotatably connected to the main body case by a hinge mechanism and provided with a display, and a link mechanism for moving the support plate relative to the frame when the display case is rotated relative to the main body case. Accordingly, the key can be appropriately set to the 1 st position or the 2 nd position according to the rotation angle of the display housing with respect to the main body housing.

Alternatively, the following structure may be formed: the driving member is a rod-shaped sliding member extending along the direction in which the keys are arranged on the upper surface side of the support plate, the pressure receiving portion is a protruding piece protruding from the outer peripheral side surface of the key, the sliding member is inserted with the protruding piece of each key being relatively movable, and a driving hole portion serving as the pressing portion is provided at a position facing the protruding piece. Accordingly, the key can be moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position only by moving the slide member, and therefore, the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

Alternatively, the following structure may be formed: the slide member has a holding surface formed continuously with a lowermost portion of the pressing portion and extending in a direction parallel to an upper surface of the support plate, and the holding surface is brought into contact with the pressure receiving portion when the push button is moved from the 1 st position to the 2 nd position by the movement of the slide member and the pressing portion pressing the pressure receiving portion, thereby holding the push button at the 2 nd position. Thus, the key can be held in the 2 nd position more reliably in advance.

Alternatively, the following structure may be formed: the keys are arranged in a row in the front-rear-left-right direction, and the slide member extends along the front side portion or the rear side portion of the keys arranged in the left-right direction, and is arranged in a plurality of rows in the front-rear direction. Thus, the sliding member can be disposed by utilizing the gap space between the keys.

alternatively, the following structure may be formed: the keyboard device includes a main body case provided with the keyboard device, a display case rotatably connected to the main body case by a hinge mechanism and provided with a display, and a link mechanism for moving the slide member relative to the support plate when the display case is rotated relative to the main body case. Accordingly, the key can be appropriately set to the 1 st position or the 2 nd position according to the rotation angle of the display housing with respect to the main body housing.

Alternatively, the following structure may be formed: a support member connected to a lower surface side of the support plate and moving up and down between a lowered position lowered by an urging force of a 2 nd elastic member and a raised position raised against the urging force of the 2 nd elastic member, a pointing stick supported by an upper surface of the support member and inserted into an opening formed in the support plate to be exposed to a surface of the keyboard apparatus, the drive member has a restricting portion for holding the support member at the raised position and restricting the support member from moving to the lowered position, when the driving member and the push button are relatively moved in a direction in which they approach each other, the restriction of the supporting member by the restricting portion is released, the support member is thereby moved from the raised position to the lowered position, and the track point is moved downward within the opening. Therefore, the track point can be pushed down and stored from the upper surface of the device simultaneously with the key when not in use, and the housing can be further thinned.

an electronic device according to claim 2 of the present invention is an electronic device including a keyboard device, including: a support member connected to a lower surface side of a support plate of the keyboard device and moving up and down between a lowered position lowered by an urging force of an elastic member and a raised position raised against the urging force of the elastic member; an operating member supported by an upper surface of the support member, inserted into an opening formed in the support plate, and exposed to a surface of the keyboard device; and a drive member that is movable relative to the support plate in a direction parallel to the upper surface of the support plate, wherein the drive member includes a restriction portion that holds the support member at the raised position and restricts movement of the support member to the lowered position, and when the drive member and the support plate have moved relative to each other in a state where the support member is located at the raised position, the restriction of the support member by the restriction portion is released, and the support member moves from the raised position to the lowered position, and the operation member moves downward in the opening.

With this configuration, the operation member exposed to the front surface of the keyboard device can be pushed down from the upper surface of the device and stored when not in use. Therefore, the operation member can be housed in the case, and the case can be made thin and light.

Alternatively, the following structure may be formed: the support member has a pivot shaft portion pivotally connected to a lower surface of the support plate at one end portion thereof, and a restricting inclined surface inclined gradually from bottom to top as it approaches the restricting portion at the other end portion thereof, and when the drive member and the support plate are relatively moved with the support member located at the lowered position, the restricting inclined surface ascends up to the restricting portion, and the support member is moved from the lowered position to the raised position while the support member is restricted from moving to the lowered position.

The present invention may further include: a main body case provided with the keyboard device and the operation member; a display housing rotatably connected to the main body housing by a hinge mechanism and provided with a display; and a link mechanism that moves the support plate relative to the drive member when the display housing is rotated relative to the main body housing, wherein the operation member is a pointing stick that operates a cursor displayed on the display.

According to the above aspect of the present invention, the key can be housed in the case at low cost.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an electronic apparatus according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2A is a side view of the electronic device shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 2B is a side view of the tablet PC in which the display housing is rotated in the opening direction from the state shown in fig. 2A to form a 360-degree position.

Fig. 3A is a side sectional view schematically showing a positional relationship between the keyboard apparatus and the frame in a state where the keys are located at the use positions.

Fig. 3B is a side sectional view schematically showing a positional relationship between the keyboard apparatus and the frame in a state where keys are formed into storage positions by the key position setting mechanism from the state shown in fig. 3A.

Fig. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of the key position setting mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the hinge mechanism and the link mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a development view schematically showing each cam member and the movable cylinder at the 0-degree position developed in the circumferential direction.

Fig. 6B is a developed view schematically showing each cam member and the movable cylinder at a 90-degree position developed in the circumferential direction.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view schematically showing a structure of a key having a flange provided on a pressure receiving portion.

Fig. 8 is a side cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a configuration in which a pressure receiving portion is formed on a plate provided on a side portion of a key.

fig. 9 is a side sectional view schematically showing an example of a configuration in which a pressure receiving portion is formed on the outer peripheral side surface on the left side of the key.

Fig. 10A is a side sectional view schematically showing the structure of the lever position setting mechanism that moves the track point up and down.

Fig. 10B is a side sectional view of the state shown in fig. 10A in which the track point is formed at the storage position by the lever position setting mechanism.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged plan view of a main part schematically showing the configuration of a key position setting mechanism mounted on the electronic apparatus according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the members of the key position setting mechanism shown in fig. 11.

Fig. 13A is a sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in fig. 11 schematically showing a state in which the keys are located at the use positions in the key position setting mechanism shown in fig. 11.

Fig. 13B is a sectional view in a state where the keys are formed into the storage positions by the key position setting mechanism from the state shown in fig. 13A.

fig. 14 is a plan view schematically showing an example of a configuration using the 2 nd front-rear slider instead of the left and right sliders.

Description of reference numerals

10. 10a … electronic device; 12L, 12R … hinge mechanisms; 14 … display housing; 16 … a main body housing; 16a, 25a, 26d, 30a … upper surface; 18 … display; 20 … keyboard means; 22 … track point; 25 … keys; 25b to 25e … on the outer peripheral side surface (pressure receiving portion); 26 … frame; 26a … key insertion hole; 26c, 72b …; 28. 28a … key position setting mechanism; 30 … a support plate; 36 … rubber dots; 38 … front and rear sliders; a 40 … linkage; a 64 … flange; 66a, 70a … pressure receiving portions; 70 … protruding piece; 72 … left and right sliders; 72a … drive aperture; 72c … holding surface; 74 … 2 nd front and rear slide; 80 … a lever position setting mechanism; 82 … support member; 84 … restriction; 86 … leaf spring.

Detailed Description

hereinafter, an electronic device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings by referring to appropriate embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an electronic device 10 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. Fig. 1 is a view of an electronic apparatus 10 in a use mode in which a display case 14 is opened from a main body case 16 by hinge mechanisms 12L and 12R, thereby forming a notebook PC, as viewed from above. Fig. 2A is a side view of the electronic device 10 shown in fig. 1. Fig. 2B is a side view of the tablet PC in a use state in which the display case 14 is rotated in the opening direction from the state shown in fig. 2A to form a 360-degree position.

The electronic apparatus 10 of the present embodiment is a flexible PC that can be used as a notebook PC and a tablet PC. The electronic apparatus 10 is in a notebook mode in which the display housing 14 is rotated at an angular position of about 90 to 180 degrees with respect to the main body housing 16, and can be suitably used as a notebook PC (see fig. 1 and 2A). The electronic apparatus 10 is set to a tablet mode (see fig. 2B) in which the display housing 14 is rotated to a 360-degree position with respect to the main body housing 16 and can be suitably used as a tablet PC. The electronic device 10 may be a typical notebook PC in which the display housing 14 is rotatable with respect to the main body housing 16 within an angle range of about 0 to 180 degrees. The electronic device 10 may be a mobile phone, a smartphone, an electronic organizer, or the like, in addition to the flexible PC and the notebook PC.

Hereinafter, with reference to the notebook mode shown in fig. 1 and 2A, in a direction viewed from a user who operates the keyboard apparatus 20 while viewing the display 18, the front side is referred to as the front side, the depth side is referred to as the rear side, the thickness direction of the main body case 16 is referred to as the vertical direction, and the width direction is referred to as the horizontal direction.

Regarding the angular position of the display housing 14 relative to the main body housing 16, a posture in which the front surface 14a and the upper surface 16a face each other, in other words, a posture in which the display 18 and the keyboard device 20 face each other is referred to as a 0-degree position in a state in which the display housing 14 is completely closed relative to the main body housing 16 (see the display housing 14 indicated by a two-dot chain line on the main body housing 16 in fig. 2A). Then, the description will be made with the 0-degree position as a reference and the display housing 14 is angled in the direction of turning in the opening direction. For example, a posture in which the front surface 14a of the display housing 14 is orthogonal to the upper surface 16a of the main body housing 16 is referred to as a 90-degree position. The posture in which the front surface 14a and the upper surface 16a are parallel to each other in the same direction (upward) is referred to as a 180-degree position (see the display housing 14 indicated by a two-dot chain line on the right side of the main body housing 16 in fig. 2A). The posture in which the back surfaces 14B and 16B of the display housing 14 and the main body housing 16 face each other is referred to as a 360-degree position (see fig. 2B). It is needless to say that the expressions of the 0 degree position, the 180 degree position, the 360 degree position, and the like may be an angular position slightly shifted from the correct angular position indicated by the angular number due to a difference in the structure of the main body casing 16, the display casing 14, or the hinge mechanisms 12L and 12R.

As shown in fig. 1, 2A, and 2B, the electronic apparatus 10 is configured such that the display housing 14 and the main body housing 16 are coupled to each other so as to be rotatable from a 0-degree position to a 360-degree position by a pair of left and right hinge mechanisms 12L and 12R (hereinafter, collectively referred to as "hinge mechanisms 12").

The display housing 14 is electrically connected to the main body housing 16 by a cable, not shown, passing through the hinge mechanism 12. The display 18 is constituted by, for example, a touch panel type liquid crystal display.

The main body case 16 is formed in a flat box shape, and the hinge mechanism 12 is provided at a rear end portion thereof. Various electronic components such as a substrate, a computing device, and a memory, which are not shown, are housed in the main body case 16. The keyboard device 20 is provided on the upper surface 16a of the main body casing 16. A pointing stick (operation member) 22 is provided substantially at the center of the keyboard apparatus 20. The track point 22 is an operation member for operating a cursor (mouse pointer) displayed on the display 18, and can be operated instead of the mouse. A touch panel 23 is provided on the front side of the keyboard apparatus 20. The touch panel 23 is used to operate a cursor (mouse pointer) displayed on the display 18. On the rear side of the touch panel 23, 3 function buttons are provided which function in association with cursor operations by the track point 22 or the touch panel 23.

The keyboard device 20 includes a plurality of key switches 24 arranged in a row in the front-rear-left-right direction. The gaps around the keys 25 constituting the operation surface of each key switch 24 are filled with a frame (driving member) 26. The keyboard device 20 has a structure of a separation type in which adjacent keys 25 are partitioned by a frame 26 and each is configured to have an independent structure.

The frame 26 is a mesh-like plate formed with a plurality of key insertion holes 26a (see also fig. 3A) for arranging the keys 25. In the present embodiment, the frame 26 is integrally molded with a cover member forming the upper surface 16a of the main body case 16, and is formed of a metal material such as magnesium or a resin material, for example. The frame 26 may be formed separately from the main body case 16 and fixed to the main body case 16.

The main body case 16 includes key position setting means 28 (see fig. 3A and 3B) for moving and holding the key 25 from the use position (1 st position) at the time of normal operation to the storage position (2 nd position) depressed downward at least at the 0 degree position and the 360 degree position. Thus, the electronic device 10 has a thin structure in which the key 25 does not protrude from the upper surface 16a of the main body case 16 at the 0-degree position and the 360-degree position. The up-and-down movement of the keys 25 formed by the key position setting mechanisms 28 is linked with the turning action of the display housing 14 formed by the hinge mechanism 12.

Fig. 3A is a side sectional view schematically showing a positional relationship between the keyboard apparatus 20 and the frame 26 in a state where the keys 25 are located at the use positions. Fig. 3B is a side sectional view schematically showing the positional relationship between the keyboard apparatus 20 and the frame 26 in a state where the keys 25 are formed into the storage positions by the key position setting mechanism 28 from the state shown in fig. 3A.

As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the keyboard apparatus 20 includes a key switch 24 that supports the key 25 by a guide mechanism 29 so as to be movable up and down, and a support plate 30 that supports the key switch 24 on the upper surface 30a side. The support plate 30 has a 3-layer structure including a substrate 31, a diaphragm 32 laminated on the upper surface of the substrate 31, and a backlight 33 laminated on the lower surface of the substrate 31.

The substrate 31 is obtained by cutting and punching a thin metal plate such as an aluminum plate, and serves as a mounting plate for the key switch 24. All the key switches 24 share 1 substrate 31. The diaphragm 32 is, for example, a three-layer switch plate that closes the contacts when pressed. When the diaphragm 32 is pressed at a position where the fixed contact and the movable contact overlap, the fixed contact and the movable contact are brought into close contact with each other, thereby closing the contacts. In addition to the 3-layer structure, the diaphragm 32 may be a structure of a contact switch that short-circuits an electric circuit using a conductive portion made of rubber, for example. The diaphragm 32 has through holes at respective positions, and the guide mechanism 29 is landed on the upper surface of the substrate 31 through the through holes. The diaphragm 32 may be laminated on the lower surface side of the substrate 31. The backlight 33 guides and reflects light emitted from a light source such as an LED element, and illuminates each key 25 from the lower surface side. The backlight 33 may be omitted or a waterproof sheet may be provided instead.

The key 25 is disposed above the support plate 30 so as to be movable up and down via a guide mechanism 29 and a rubber dome (elastic member) 36. The key 25 is molded of resin or the like, and has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The key 25 has an upper surface 25a serving as an operation surface, and peripheral side surfaces 25b, 25c, 25d, and 25e extending downward from 4 side edges of the upper surface 25 a.

The guide mechanism 29 supports the key 25 to be movable up and down, and is attached between the substrate 31 and the key 25 so as to be foldable. The guide mechanism 29 is, for example, a pantograph structure in which 2 frames are mounted in a cross shape. The rubber dome 36 is an elastic member that presses the diaphragm 32 when the button 25 is pressed, and restores the button 25 to its original position when the pressing operation of the button 25 is released. The rubber dome 36 is arranged between the membrane 32 and the key 25. The rubber dome 36 is made of a flexible elastic material such as silicone rubber. The key 25 is elastically supported by the rubber dome 36 in a state of being guided by the guide mechanism 29 so as to be movable up and down.

When the operation button 25 is pressed, the key switch 24 elastically deforms the rubber dome 36 by the operation force and presses the diaphragm 32, so that the diaphragm 32 closes the contact. When the push operation of the key 25 is released, the elastic restoring force of the rubber dome 36 returns the key 25 to the original position (use position), and the diaphragm 32 opens the contact.

next, a configuration example of the key position setting mechanism 28 for depressing and holding each key 25 to the storage position will be described. Fig. 4 is a plan view schematically showing the structure of the key position setting mechanism 28.

As shown in fig. 3A, 3B and 4, the key position setting mechanism 28 has a key 25, a frame 26, front and rear sliders 38, and a link mechanism 40.

As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the outer peripheral side surface 25B on the front side of the key 25 is formed of an inclined surface that is low in front and high in back and gradually inclines from top to bottom from the back toward the front. Hereinafter, the front outer peripheral side surface 25b is also referred to as a pressure receiving portion 25 b.

The frame 26 is movably placed on the upper surface 30a of the support plate 30, and is coupled to the support plate 30 using a step screw 42. The keyboard device 20 has a plurality of guide long holes 44 penetrating the support plate 30 in the plate thickness direction and extending in the front-rear direction. The stepped screw 42 is screwed to the lower surface 26b of the frame 26 with a screw portion 42a through a guide elongated hole 44. At this time, the stepped portion 42b of the stepped screw 42 is movably disposed in the guide long hole 44 while abutting against the lower surface 26b of the frame 26. Thus, the support plate 30 is supported so as to be immovable in the vertical direction between the head portion 42c of the step screw 42 and the lower surface 26b of the frame 26 and movable along the long guide hole 44. In other words, the support plate 30 and the key switches 24 supported by the support plate 30 are coupled to the frame 26 (main body case 16) so as to be movable in the front-rear direction relative to the frame 26 (main body case 16) along the guide long holes 44.

The frame 26 has a pressing portion 26c on the inner wall surface on the front side facing the pressure receiving portion 25b of the key 25 among the inner wall surfaces on the four sides of the key insertion hole 26 a. The pressing portion 26c is a slope surface with a low front and a high rear, which gradually slopes upward from the front side toward the rear side, and is disposed slidably opposite the pressure receiving portion 25 b. When the push button 25 is in the use position, the rear end edge of the pressing portion 26c is positioned so as to cover substantially the front end edge of the pressure receiving portion 25b from above (see fig. 3A). Thus, the gap between the pressure receiving portion 25b and the pressing portion 26c is hidden when the keyboard apparatus 20 is viewed from above. When the push button 25 is in the storage position, the rear end edge of the pressing portion 26c is close to the rear end edge of the pressure receiving portion 25b, and the upper surface 25a of the push button 25 is substantially flush with the upper surface 26d of the frame 26.

The front-rear slider 38 is a rectangular plate provided slidably in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body case 16. The front and rear sliders 38 are provided in a pair on the left and right sides of the keyboard device 20, and are connected to side edge portions of the support plate 30, specifically, side edge portions of the base plate 31. The front-rear slider 38 slides in the front-rear direction by receiving a driving force from the link mechanism 40, thereby moving the keyboard apparatus 20, in other words, the support plate 30 and the key switches 24 supported by the support plate 30 in the front-rear direction.

The link mechanism 40 is a mechanism that links the rotation operation of the display housing 14 by the hinge mechanism 12 and the operation of the front and rear sliders 38. Before describing the link mechanism 40, a configuration example of the hinge mechanism 12 will be described.

Fig. 5 is a plan view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the hinge mechanism 12 and the link mechanism 40. Hereinafter, as shown in fig. 5, the structures of the left hinge mechanism 12L and the left link mechanism 40 will be representatively described as the link mechanism 40 and the link mechanism 40 linked with the link mechanism 40. The right hinge mechanism 12R and the right link mechanism 40 linked to the right hinge mechanism 12R have the same structure except that they have a bilaterally symmetrical structure, and therefore, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in fig. 5, the hinge mechanism 12 includes a 1 st shaft 46 extending in the left-right direction, a 2 nd shaft 47 provided parallel to the 1 st shaft 46, and a box-shaped hinge housing 48 (see also fig. 2A and 2B) that rotatably supports and houses the 1 st shaft 46 and the 2 nd shaft 47.

The 1 st shaft 46 is fixed to the main body case 16 by a mounting plate 46a fixed to one end portion, and rotates integrally with the main body case 16. The 2 nd shaft 47 is fixed to the display housing 14 by a mounting plate 47a fixed to one end portion, and rotates integrally with the display housing 14. The other ends of the 1 st shaft 46 and the 2 nd shaft 47 are supported in a rotatable state inside the hinge housing 48. In the case of the present embodiment, the 1 st shaft 46 and the 2 nd shaft 47 rotate synchronously via a gear train, not shown, housed in the hinge housing 48.

The 1 st shaft 46 has a 1 st cam member 50 and a 2 nd cam member 51 fitted to the outer peripheral surface of a portion to be the outside of the hinge housing 48, and a movable cylinder 52 inserted between the cam members 50 and 51. The cam members 50 and 51 are disposed with a space for the movable cylinder 52 to move therebetween, and are fitted to each other in a state where they are not rotatable with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st shaft 46. The movable cylinder 52 is inserted around the 1 st shaft 46 in a rotatable and axially movable state with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the 1 st shaft 46.

The 1 st cam member 50 has a 1 st cam surface 54 whose axial position changes in the circumferential direction on the end surface on the movable cylinder 52 side. The 2 nd cam member 51 has a 2 nd cam surface 55 whose axial position changes in the circumferential direction on the end surface on the movable cylinder 52 side.

The movable cylinder 52 is fixed to a slide link 56 supported on the surface of the mounting plate 46a so as to be movable in the left-right direction. The movable cylinder 52 has a 1 st pressure receiving surface 57 and a 2 nd pressure receiving surface 58, whose axial positions vary along the circumferential direction, on the left and right end surfaces, respectively. One end of a coil spring 60 is caught on the right side surface of the slide link 56. The other end of the coil spring 60 is locked to a locking pin 61 provided to protrude from the surface of the mounting plate 46 a. The coil spring 60 constantly presses the slide link 56 in the direction in which the movable cylinder 52 moves toward the 1 st cam member 50.

The slide link 56 has a link plate 56a protruding to the front side. A hole 56b is formed in the coupling plate 56a, and a coupling pin 62a protruding from the swing link 62 is rotatably inserted into the hole 56 b. The swing link 62 is a substantially L-shaped plate in plan view. The swing link 62 is rotatably coupled to the slide link 56 by a coupling pin 62a at an end of a portion that becomes a short side of the L shape, and is rotatably coupled to a rear end of the front and rear sliders 38 by a link pin 62b at an end of a portion that becomes a long side of the L shape. A portion of the swing link 62 which becomes an L-shaped corner is rotatably supported with respect to the attachment plate 46a using a rotation shaft 62 c.

fig. 6A and 6B are developed views schematically showing the cam members 50 and 51 and the movable cylinder 52 developed in the circumferential direction. Fig. 6A shows the positional relationship at the 0-degree position, and fig. 6B shows the positional relationship at the 90-degree position. Arrows shown in fig. 6A and 6B show the actions of the respective cam members 50, 51 and the movable cylinder 52 in the case of rotating the display housing 14 from the 0-degree position toward the 360-degree position. In other words, in the case where the display housing 14 is made to rotate from the 360 degree position toward the 0 degree position, each of the cam members 50, 51 and the movable cylinder 52 acts in the direction opposite to the arrow shown in fig. 6A and 6B.

As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the 1 st cam surface 54 of the 1 st cam member 50 includes a 1 st operating surface 54a and a 2 nd operating surface 54c that are spirally displaced in the axial direction (left-right direction) in the circumferential direction, and a 1 st wobbling surface 54B and a 2 nd wobbling surface 54d that extend in the circumferential direction. The 2 nd cam surface 55 of the 2 nd cam member 51 has a 1 st operating surface 55a and a 2 nd operating surface 55c that are spirally displaced in the axial direction (left-right direction) in the circumferential direction, and a 1 st wobbling surface 55b and a 2 nd wobbling surface 55d that extend in the circumferential direction.

the 1 st pressure receiving surface 57 of the movable cylinder 52 includes a 1 st pressure receiving surface 57a and a 2 nd pressure receiving surface 57b that are spirally displaced in the axial direction (left-right direction) in the circumferential direction, and a free-swing surface 57c that extends in the circumferential direction. The 2 nd pressure receiving surface 58 includes a free-swing surface 58a extending in the circumferential direction, and a 1 st pressure receiving surface 58b and a 2 nd pressure receiving surface 58c that are spirally displaced in the axial direction (left-right direction) in the circumferential direction. The 1 st pressure receiving surface 57 is disposed to face the 1 st cam surface 54 in a slidable contact manner, and the 2 nd pressure receiving surface 58 is disposed to face the 2 nd cam surface 55 in a slidable contact manner.

In the 1 st cam surface 54 and the 1 st pressure receiving surface 57, the 1 st actuation surface 54a is in sliding contact with the 1 st pressure receiving surface 57a from the 0 degree position to the 30 degree position (see fig. 6A). Therefore, the movable cylinder 52 gradually moves to the left side (the 2 nd cam surface 55 side). During the period from the 30 degree position to the 180 degree position, the 1 st rocking surface 54B is in sliding contact with the top portion between the 1 st pressure receiving surface 57a and the 2 nd pressure receiving surface 57B (see fig. 6B). Therefore, the movable cylinder 52 does not move. During the period from the 180-degree position to the 270-degree position, the top portion between the 1 st pressure receiving surface 57a and the 2 nd pressure receiving surface 57b is in sliding contact with the 2 nd operating surface 54 c. Therefore, the movable cylinder 52 gradually moves to the right side (the 1 st cam surface 54 side). During the period from the 270 degree position to the 360 degree position, the 2 nd rocking surface 54d is in sliding contact with the top portion between the 1 st pressure receiving surface 57a and the 2 nd pressure receiving surface 57 b. Therefore, the movable cylinder 52 does not move.

In the 2 nd cam surface 55 and the 2 nd pressure receiving surface 58, the 2 nd pressure receiving surface 58c (see fig. 6A) is in sliding contact with the 1 st actuation surface 55a from the 0 degree position to the 30 degree position. Therefore, the movable cylinder 52 gradually moves to the left side (the 2 nd cam surface 55 side). During the period from the 30 degree position to the 180 degree position, the 1 st rocking surface 55B is in sliding contact with the apex portion between the 1 st pressure receiving surface 58B and the 2 nd pressure receiving surface 58c (see fig. 6B). Therefore, the movable cylinder 52 does not move. During the period from the 180-degree position to the 270-degree position, the 2 nd operation surface 55c is in sliding contact with the 1 st pressure receiving surface 58 b. Therefore, the movable cylinder 52 gradually moves to the right side (the 1 st cam surface 54 side). During the period from the 270 degree position to the 360 degree position, the 2 nd rocking surface 55d is in sliding contact with the top portion between the 1 st pressure receiving surface 58b and the 2 nd pressure receiving surface 58 c. Therefore, the movable cylinder 52 does not move.

In other words, in conjunction with the operation of rotating the display case 14 relative to the main body case 16 via the hinge mechanism 12, the link mechanism 40 moves the movable cylinder 52 leftward and rightward, whereby the slide link 56 moves leftward and rightward, and the swing link 62 swings. As a result, the front and rear sliders 38 move forward and backward.

Next, the operation of the key position setting mechanism 28 at the time of the turning operation of the display housing 14 will be explained.

First, when the monitor case 14 is located at the 0 degree position, the movable cylinder 52 (the slide link 56) is located at a position where it is moved to the 1 st cam member 50 side (rightmost side in fig. 6A) to the maximum, and the front-rear slider 38 is located at a position where it is moved to the front side to the maximum. In this state, as shown in fig. 3B, the keyboard apparatus 20 is located at a position where the movement is made to the front side to the maximum extent. Therefore, the push button 25 is held at the storage position where the pressure receiving portion 25b is pressed and depressed by the pressing portion 26c of the frame 26. Therefore, the upper surfaces 25a of the keys 25 are flush with the upper surface 26d of the frame 26 or are located slightly lower than the upper surface 26d of the frame 26, and the upper surface of the keyboard apparatus 20 is formed in a planar shape. As a result, the display case 14 closed with respect to the main body case 16 does not interfere with the key 25, and the thickness of the electronic device 10 is reduced as much as possible.

Next, when the display housing 14 is rotated in the opening direction from the 0 degree position, the hinge housing 48 of the hinge mechanism 12 is also rotated, and the cam surfaces 54 and 55 of the cam members 50 and 51 are brought into sliding contact with the pressure receiving surfaces 57 and 58 of the movable cylinder 52.

during the period from the 0-degree position to the 30-degree position, the movable cylinder 52 (slide link 56) gradually moves toward the 2 nd cam member 51 side (left side in fig. 6A), and the front and rear sliders 38 gradually move toward the rear side. When the front-rear slider 38 moves forward, the keyboard apparatus 20 also moves backward. Therefore, the push button 25 moves relatively to the rear side with respect to the frame 26, and the pressure receiving portion 25b comes into sliding contact with the pressing portion 26c and gradually separates from the pressing portion 26 c. As a result, the pressure receiving portion 25b gradually rises along the pressing portion 26c, and therefore the key 25 also rises by the urging force of the rubber dome 36.

At the 30-degree position, the movable cylinder 52 (slide link 56) is at a position most moved toward the 2 nd cam member 51 (leftmost side in fig. 6A), and the front-rear slider 38 is at a position most moved rearward. In this state, as shown in fig. 3A, the keyboard apparatus 20 is located at a position most moved to the rear side. Therefore, the push button 25 is at a use position where the pressure receiving portion 25b is separated from the pressing portion 26c of the frame 26 and is lifted to the maximum extent. In other words, in the electronic device 10, the key 25 is in the use position protruding upward from the upper surface 26d of the frame 26 at the stage when the display housing 14 is opened to the 30-degree position, and therefore the keyboard device 20 is in the usable state.

During the period from the 30 degree position to the 180 degree position, as shown in fig. 6B, the position of the movable cylinder 52 (slide link 56) in the left-right direction does not change. Therefore, the position of the front and rear sliders 38 is not changed, and the key 25 is maintained at the use position (see fig. 3A). In other words, in the electronic apparatus 10, the keyboard device 20 is maintained in a usable state while assuming a 30 to 180 degree position for use as a notebook PC.

During the period from the 180-degree position to the 270-degree position, as is clear from fig. 6A and 6B, the movable cylinder 52 (slide link 56) gradually moves toward the 1 st cam member 50 side (the right side in fig. 6A), and the front and rear sliders 38 gradually move toward the front side. Therefore, the keyboard apparatus 20 also moves to the front side. In other words, the key 25 moves to the front side relatively with respect to the frame 26, and the pressed portion 25b comes into sliding contact with the pressed portion 26c and is pressed by the pressed portion 26 c. As a result, the pressure receiving portion 25b gradually descends along the pressing portion 26c, and therefore the key 25 also descends against the urging force of the rubber dome 36.

at the 270 ° position, the movable cylinder 52 (slide link 56) is at a position where it is moved to the 1 st cam member 50 side (rightmost side in fig. 6A) to the maximum, and the front and rear sliders 38 are at a position where they are moved to the frontmost side. In this state, as shown in fig. 3B, the key 25 is held at the storage position as in the case of the 0-degree position. Therefore, the upper surfaces 25a of the keys 25 are flush with the upper surface 26d of the frame 26 or are located slightly lower than the upper surface 26d of the frame 26, and the upper surface of the keyboard apparatus 20 is formed in a planar shape.

During the period from the 270 degree position to the 360 degree position, as is clear from fig. 6A and 6B, the position of the movable cylinder 52 (slide link 56) in the left-right direction does not change. Therefore, the position of the front and rear sliders 38 is not changed, and the push button 25 is maintained at the storage position (see fig. 3B). In other words, the upper surface 16a of the main body case 16, which is the rear surface of the tablet PC of the electronic apparatus 10, is formed in a flat plate shape, so that there is no uneven shape formed by the key 25. Therefore, when the tablet PC is used, the keyboard device 20 does not become an obstacle.

On the other hand, when the display housing 14 positioned at the 360-degree position is rotated in the closing direction, an operation in the opposite direction to the above-described rotation in the opening direction is generated. That is, as the display housing 14 is rotated from the 360-degree position to the 180-degree position via the 270-degree position, the key 25 gradually rises and returns to the use position at the 180-degree position.

The use position of the key 25 is maintained from the 180 degree position to the 30 degree position. Then, as the display housing 14 is rotated from the 30 degree position to the 0 degree position, the movable cylinder 52 (slide link 56) gradually moves toward the 1 st cam member 50 side (the right side in fig. 6A) this time, and the front and rear sliders 38 gradually move toward the front side. Therefore, the keyboard apparatus 20 also moves forward, and therefore the key 25 moves forward relative to the frame 26, and the pressure receiving portion 25b is in sliding contact with the pressing portion 26c and is pressed by the pressing portion 26 c. As a result, the pressure receiving portion 25b gradually descends along the pressing portion 26c, and therefore the key 25 also descends against the urging force of the rubber dome 36. Then, at the 0-degree position, as shown in fig. 3B, the key 25 is again held at the storage position. As a result, since the key 25 is flush with or slightly lower than the upper surface 26d of the frame 26, the display 18 can be closed without interfering with the key 25.

As shown in fig. 7, the key 25 may be configured such that the pressure receiving portion 25b is provided with a flange 64. That is, the key position setting mechanism 28 of the configuration example shown in fig. 3 causes the outer peripheral side surface 25b on the front side of the key 25 to function as the pressure receiving portion 25 b. Therefore, when the pressure receiving portion 25b repeats the sliding movement with the pressing portion 26c of the frame 26, the pressure receiving portion 25b may be rubbed or worn by the material of the two portions. Therefore, as shown in fig. 7, for example, a pair of left and right projecting flanges 64 extending in the sliding direction (front-rear direction) in which the pressing portion 26c slides may be provided. Then, the left and right flanges 64 of the pressure receiving portion 25b are in sliding contact with the pressing portion 26c, and therefore, the pressure receiving portion 25b itself can be suppressed from being rubbed or abraded. In the key 25, instead of providing the flange 64, the pressure receiving portion 25b may be coated with a surface coating or the like to suppress abrasion of the pressure receiving portion 25 b.

As shown in fig. 8, in the key 25, instead of the front outer peripheral side surface 25b functioning as the pressure receiving portion 25b, for example, a plate 66 is formed on the right outer peripheral side surface 25e, and a pressure receiving portion 66a similar to the pressure receiving portion 25b may be provided on the front surface of the plate 66. In this case, the pressing portion 26c of the frame 26 may be formed at a position extending along the one outer peripheral side surface 25e of the key 25. In such a configuration, when the key 25 moves in the front-rear direction relative to the frame 26, the pressure receiving portion 66a slides relative to the pressing portion 26c, and the key 25 moves between the use position and the storage position. Further, since the plate 66 protrudes to the side surface of the key 25 and is covered with the frame 26, the plate 66 is not exposed to the external appearance of the keyboard apparatus 20. The plate 66 and the pressure receiving portion 66a may be provided on the outer peripheral side surface 25d facing the left side of the key 25 or on both the outer peripheral side surfaces 25d and 25e of the left and right sides.

As shown in fig. 9, the key 25 may have, for example, an outer peripheral side surface 25d facing the left side as a pressure receiving portion 25d, instead of having the outer peripheral side surface 25b on the front side as the pressure receiving portion 25 b. In this case, the supporting plate 30 of the keyboard device 20 may be configured to move in the left-right direction when the front-rear slider 38 moves in the front-rear direction, for example, by the same configuration as the driving direction changing unit 68 shown in fig. 10. The pressing portion 26c of the frame 26 is formed on the inner wall surface on the left side of the key insertion hole 26a facing the outer peripheral side surface 25d of the key 25. Therefore, in such a configuration, when the key 25 moves in the left-right direction relative to the frame 26, the pressure receiving portion 25d slides relative to the pressing portion 26c, and the key 25 moves between the use position and the storage position. The key 25 may have an outer peripheral side surface 25e facing the right side as a pressure receiving portion 25 e. In addition, in the case of a configuration in which the keyboard apparatus 20 is moved in the left-right direction, the sheet 66 and the pressure receiving portion 66a shown in fig. 8 may be provided on the outer peripheral side surface 25b (25c) on the front side (rear side) of the key 25.

The electronic device 10 may include a lever position setting mechanism 80 that moves the pointing stick 22 between a use position where the pointing stick is raised and a storage position where the pointing stick is lowered, similarly to the keys 25.

Fig. 10A is a side sectional view schematically showing the structure of the lever position setting mechanism 80 for moving the track point 22 up and down, and schematically shows the positional relationship between the track point 22 and the frame 26 in a state where the track point 22 is located at the use position. Fig. 10B is a side sectional view in a state where the track point 22 is set to the storage position by the lever position setting mechanism 80 from the state shown in fig. 10A.

the lever position setting mechanism 80 includes a support member 82 and a restricting portion 84 provided to the frame 26.

the support member 82 is vertically movable between a lowered position (see fig. 10B) in which it is lowered by the urging force of the plate spring (2 nd elastic member) 86 and a raised position (see fig. 10A) in which it is raised against the urging force of the plate spring 86, in the lower surface 30B side of the support plate 30. The leaf spring 86 is interposed between the support member 82 and the lower surface 30b of the support plate 30, and constantly biases the support member 82 in a direction of moving downward. The support member 82 has a front end portion coupled to the support plate 30 via a pivot shaft portion 82a, and a rear end portion provided with a restricting inclined surface 82 b. The restricting inclined surface 82b is an inclined surface that is low in front and high in back and gradually inclines upward from the front side toward the back side. The support member 82 supports the track point 22 via a support base 88 disposed on the front upper surface of the restricting inclined surface 82 b. The pointing stick 22 is exposed to the upper surface of the keyboard apparatus 20 through the opening 30d of the support plate 30 and the opening 26e of the frame 26. The pivot shaft portion 82a may have a pivot structure, or may have a structure in which, for example, a distal end portion of the support member 82 is rotatably engaged with a hook-shaped portion projecting downward from the substrate 31.

The restricting portion 84 is a substantially L-shaped plate that passes through the opening 30e of the support plate 30, extends downward from the lower surface 26b of the frame 26, and then is bent toward the front side. The restricting portion 84 has a front end portion with a front inclined surface (front end inclined surface 84a) that is inclined from the front to the rear and gradually decreases from the rear toward the front.

In the lever position setting mechanism 80, as shown in fig. 3A, in a state where the push button 25 is located at the use position, as shown in fig. 10A, the restricting inclined surface 82b of the support member 82 is held on the upper surface 84b of the restricting portion 84 of the frame 26. Thus, the track point 22 is in a use position protruding above the upper surface of the keyboard apparatus 20. As a result, the keyboard apparatus 20 can use the track point 22 together with the keys 25.

In the lever position setting mechanism 80, as shown in fig. 3B, in a state where the push button 25 is located at the storage position, the keyboard apparatus 20 moves forward, and therefore, as shown in fig. 10B, the restricting inclined surface 82B of the supporting member 82 slides down to the front side of the restricting portion 84. Therefore, the support member 82 is located at the lowered position by the urging force of the leaf spring 86, and the pointing stick 22 is located at the storage position buried from the upper surface of the keyboard apparatus 20. Therefore, the keyboard apparatus 20 is in a state in which the track point 22 is also in the housed position together with the key 25, and is further reduced in weight.

Further, when the pointing stick 22 located at the storage position shown in fig. 10B moves the keyboard apparatus 20 backward again in accordance with the turning operation of the display case 14, the restricting inclined surface 82B climbs up the front end inclined surface 84a of the restricting portion 84, and is thus held again at the use position shown in fig. 10A. In the case where the keyboard apparatus 20 is configured to move in the left-right direction as in the configuration example shown in fig. 9, the support member 82 and the restriction portion 84 may be arranged along the left-right direction.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged plan view schematically showing a main part of the configuration of key position setting means 28A mounted on electronic device 10A of embodiment 2. Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the members of the key position setting mechanism 28A shown in fig. 11. Fig. 13A is a sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII in fig. 11 schematically showing a state in which the key 25 is located at the use position in the key position setting mechanism 28A shown in fig. 11. Fig. 13B is a sectional view in a state where the keys 25 are formed into the storage positions by the key position setting mechanism 28A from the state shown in fig. 13A. In the electronic device 10A according to embodiment 2, the same reference numerals are given to the same elements as those of the electronic device 10 according to embodiment 1 described above or elements having the same functions and effects, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 11 to 13B, the key position setting mechanism 28A has a projecting piece 70 provided to the key 25, left and right sliders (driving member, sliding member) 72, front and rear sliders 38, and a link mechanism 40.

the protruding pieces 70 protrude from the outer peripheral side surface 25c on the rear side of the key 25, and 1 or more are provided along the left-right direction. For example, the key 25 shown in fig. 11 is an alphabet key, and the key 25 has 2 protruding pieces 70. For example, the key 25 shown in fig. 12 is a key having a long left and right such as a shift key, and the key 25 has 4 protruding pieces 70. A pressure receiving portion 70a, which is an inclined surface that gradually inclines from top to bottom from the right side toward the left side, is provided on the left side surface of each projecting piece 70.

The left and right sliders 72 are prism-shaped members extending in the left and right parallel direction of the keys 25 on the upper surface 30a side of the support plate 30. The left and right sliders 72 are made of a resin material such as POM or a metal material such as aluminum. The left and right sliders 72 are supported on the upper surface 30a of the support plate 30 so as to be movable in the left-right direction, and are hidden on the lower surface side of the frame 26. The left and right sliders 72 have driving hole portions 72a at positions corresponding to the respective projecting pieces 70 of the respective keys 25. A pressing portion 72b, which is an inclined surface that gradually inclines upward from the left side toward the right side, is provided on the inner wall surface on the left side of the driving hole portion 72 a. The left and right sliders 72 have holding surfaces 72c continuous with the pressing portions 72b of the driving hole portions 72 a. The holding surface 72c is formed continuously with the lowermost portion of the pressing portion 72b and extends leftward in parallel with the upper surface 30a of the support plate 30.

the driving hole 72a allows the protrusion piece 70 of the key 25 to be inserted in a relatively movable state. At this time, the pressing portion 72b is disposed to face the pressure receiving portion 70 a. When the push button 25 is in the use position, the pressure receiving portion 70a is positioned at the uppermost portion of the pressing portion 72b (see fig. 13A). When the push button 25 is in the storage position, the pressure receiving portion 70a is positioned on the holding surface 72c by the pressing portion 72B (see fig. 13B).

in the present embodiment, the driving direction changing unit 68 is provided between the front and rear sliders 38 and the left and right sliders 72, and the left and right sliders 72 are configured to move in the left and right directions when moving in the front and rear directions of the front and rear sliders 38. The driving direction changing portion 68 is constituted by, for example, a crank-shaped guide hole 68a formed in a plate protruding from the front and rear sliders 38, and a guide pin 68b provided to protrude from an end portion of the left and right sliders 72 and inserted into the guide hole 68 a. The guide hole 68a has an inclined shape gradually inclined from the rear side toward the front side from the right side to the left side. When the front and rear sliders 38 move forward in the driving direction changing portion 68, the left and right sliders 72 move rightward by the guide of the guide hole 68a to the guide pin 68 b. Conversely, when the front and rear sliders 38 move rearward, the left and right sliders 72 move leftward.

In the case of the electronic apparatus 10A, the keyboard device 20 is separated from the front and rear sliders 38 and fixed to the main body casing 16. Therefore, in the electronic apparatus 10A, when the display housing 14 is located at the 0-degree position, the left and right sliders 72 are located at the rightmost positions as shown in fig. 13B. Therefore, the push button 25 is held at the receiving position where the pressure receiving portion 70a is positioned on the holding surface 72c by the pressing portions 72b of the left and right sliders 72. Therefore, the upper surface 25a of the key 25 is positioned coplanar with the upper surface 26d of the frame 26 or slightly lower than the upper surface 26d of the frame 26, and the upper surface of the keyboard apparatus 20 is configured to be flat. As a result, the display case 14 closed with respect to the main body case 16 does not interfere with the key 25, and the thickness of the electronic device 10 is reduced as much as possible. Further, since the left and right sliders 72 do not receive a torsional load as in the case of the above-described conventional turning shaft member, they can be formed of the above-described resin material, and thus can be easily made thinner and lighter. In the electronic device 10A, the portions of the push buttons 25 and the protruding pieces 70 are buried in the recesses 30c formed in the diaphragm 32 and the substrate 31 of the support plate 30 (see fig. 13B).

Next, when the monitor case 14 is rotated from the 0 degree position to the opening direction, the left and right sliders 72 gradually move to the left side in accordance with the movement of the front and rear sliders 38 to the rear side in the period from the 0 degree position to the 30 degree position. Therefore, the push button 25 moves to the right side relative to the left and right sliders 72, and the pressure receiving portion 70a comes into sliding contact with the pressing portion 72 b. As a result, the pressure receiving portion 70a gradually rises along the pressing portion 72b, and therefore the key 25 also rises by the urging force of the rubber dome 36.

Since the front-rear slider 38 is at the position of 30 degrees moved to the rear side to the maximum, the push button 25 is at the use position where the pressure receiving portion 70a is positioned at the uppermost portion of the pressing portion 72b and the pair is raised to the maximum as shown in fig. 13A. In other words, in the electronic device 10A, the keys 25 are in the use positions protruding upward from the upper surface 26d of the frame 26 at the stage when the display case 14 is opened to the 30-degree position, and therefore the keyboard device 20 is in the usable state.

Note that, in the key position setting mechanism 28A, the keys 25 are operated during the period from the 30 degree position to the 360 degree position, as in the case of the key position setting mechanism 28 of the electronic apparatus 10 described above, and therefore, detailed description is omitted. In addition, also in the case of the key position setting mechanism 28A, in the case of performing the turning action in the closing direction of the display housing 14 positioned at the 360 degree position, the action in the opposite direction to the above-mentioned turning action in the opening direction is generated, as in the case of the key position setting mechanism 28 of the electronic apparatus 10. In other words, when the display housing 14 is rotated from the 30 degree position to the 0 degree position, the front-rear slider 38 is gradually moved to the front side, and the left-right slider 72 is gradually moved to the right side. Therefore, the pressure receiving portion 70a is in sliding contact with the pressing portion 72b, and is pressed by the pressing portion 72 b. As a result, the pressure receiving portion 70a gradually descends along the pressing portion 72b, and therefore the key 25 also descends against the urging force of the rubber dome 36. Then, at the 0-degree position, as shown in fig. 13B, the key 25 is again held at the storage position.

As shown in fig. 14, the projecting piece 70 may be provided on the outer peripheral side surfaces 25d and 25e of one or both of the left and right sides, instead of the outer peripheral side surface 25c on the rear side. In this case, the 2 nd forward/backward slider 74 extending in the forward/backward direction of the key 25 may be used on the left and right side portions of the key 25 by sliding together with the forward/backward slider 38 in place of the left and right sliders 72 in the forward/backward direction. The 2 nd forward/backward slider 74 may have the same configuration as the left/right sliders 72 except that the left/right sliders 72 are arranged in the forward/backward direction.

As described above, the electronic device 10(10A) of the above embodiment includes the support plate 30, the plurality of keys 25 supported on the upper surface 30A side of the support plate 30 and moving up and down between the use position and the storage position, and the frame 26 (left and right sliders 72) functioning as a driving member relatively movable with respect to the keys 25 in the direction parallel to the upper surface 30A of the support plate 30. The push button 25 has pressure receiving portions 25b (25d, 25e, 66a, 70a) which are gradually inclined from top to bottom in a direction approaching the frame 26 (left and right sliders 72). The frame 26 (left and right sliders 72) has a pressing portion 26c (72b) that is inclined gradually from bottom to top toward the key 25. When the frame 26 (left and right sliders 72) and the key 25 are relatively moved in the direction of approaching each other, the pressure receiving portions 25b (25d, 25e, 66a, 70a) are pressed by the pressing portions 26c (72b), and the key 25 is moved from the use position to the storage position.

Therefore, in the electronic device 10(10A), the pressure receiving portions 25b (25d, 25e, 66a, 70A) and the pressing portions 26c (72b) are provided in the key 25 and the frame 26 (left and right sliders 72), respectively, and the key 25 can be held at the storage position pressed downward when not in use only by relatively moving the key 25 and the frame 26 (left and right sliders 72). Therefore, as in the conventional technique, it is not necessary to add a plurality of special members for pressing the key 25, so that the key 25 can be housed in the main body case 16 at low cost, and the main body case 16 can be made thin and light. In the above embodiments, the pressure receiving portions 25b (25d, 25e, 66a, 70a) and the pressing portions 26c (72b) are both inclined surfaces, but at least one of the pressure receiving portions 25b (25d, 25e, 66a, 70a) and the pressing portions 26c (72b) may be formed of an inclined surface, and the push buttons 25 can be pushed down to the storage positions.

The electronic device 10 is configured such that the support plate 30 supporting the key 25 is directly moved by the front and rear sliders 38. The electronic apparatus 10A is configured to convert the movement of the front-rear slider 38 in the front-rear direction into the movement of the left-right slider 72 in the left-right direction via the driving direction converting unit 68. Therefore, as in the conventional technique described above, the electronic device 10 or 10A can use the amount of movement of the front-rear slider 38 for the movement of the key 25 to the storage position with less transmission loss than the configuration in which the rotary shaft member is rotated by the movement of the front-rear slider 38 and the pressing piece joined to the rotary shaft member is moved vertically. As a result, even if the amount of movement of the front-rear slider 38 in the front-rear direction is reduced, the push button 25 can be reliably moved to the storage position, and the load on the hinge mechanism 12 can be reduced. Further, since the electronic device 10 or 10A can reduce the amount of movement of the front-rear slider 38 in the front-rear direction, the movement of the front-rear slider 38, which has conventionally been started from the vicinity of the 70-degree position, can be started from the vicinity of the 30-degree position when the display case 14 is closed toward the 0-degree position, for example, as described above. Therefore, when the electronic devices 10 and 10A are used in the notebook mode, the keys 25 do not start to be lowered even when the display case 14 is closed to, for example, about 50 degrees, and convenience is high.

as shown in fig. 3B, the electronic device 10 is set such that the sliding direction distance of the pressing portion 26c is longer than the sliding direction distance of the pressure receiving portion 25B. Therefore, when the key 25 is in the storage position, the pressing portion 26c has a margin in the sliding distance compared to the pressure receiving portion 25b, and therefore, it is possible to absorb the tolerance when the moving distance of the keyboard apparatus 20 exceeds the set value. Substantially as shown in fig. 13B, the electronic device 10A has a holding surface 72c continuous with the pressing portion 72B. Therefore, it is possible to absorb the tolerance when the moving distance of the left and right sliders 72 exceeds the set value when the push button 25 is at the storage position.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified freely without departing from the scope of the present invention.

As described above, the front-rear slider 38 is moved rearward when the display housing 14 is opened from the 0-degree position, and the front-rear slider 38 is moved forward when the display housing is closed from the 360-degree position. The relationship between the rotational direction of the monitor case 14 and the moving direction of the front-rear slider 38 may be reversed, and specifically, the front-rear slider 38 may be moved forward when the monitor case 14 is opened, and the front-rear slider 38 may be moved backward when the monitor case is closed. In this case, in the key position setting mechanism 28, the pressing portion 26c on the frame 26 side may be configured to slidably face the pressure receiving portion 25c, provided not on the outer peripheral side surface 25b on the front side but on the outer peripheral side surface 25c on the rear side. Similarly, the other key position setting mechanisms 28A and lever position setting mechanisms 80 may also be appropriately modified in structure.

As described above, the key position setting mechanism 28 has been exemplified as a structure in which the keyboard apparatus 20 is moved by the front-rear slider 38, but a structure may be employed in which the frame 26 is moved by the front-rear slider 38 to fix the keyboard apparatus 20 to the main body casing 16.

As described above, the lever position setting mechanism 80 is used in combination with the key position setting mechanism 28 of the electronic apparatus 10 as an example, but the lever position setting mechanism 80 may be mounted separately. As described above, the support member 82 of the lever position setting mechanism 80 is rotated by the rotating shaft 82a and moved up and down, but the support member 82 may be moved up and down by a vertical lifting mechanism not shown. The lever position setting mechanism 80 may be applied to an operation member other than the track point 22, for example, various buttons provided around the keyboard apparatus 20.

As described above, the left and right sliders 72 are illustrated as being disposed along the rear side portion of the key 25, but the left and right sliders 72 may be disposed along the front side portion of the key 25. The left and right sliders 72 may be integrally configured with the frame 26. In this case, the frame 26 may be moved by the front and rear sliders 38, or the keys 25 (keyboard apparatus 20) may be moved relative to the frame 26 (left and right sliders 72) in the same manner as in the configuration example shown in fig. 3A and 3B.

As described above, the key position setting mechanisms 28, 28A and the lever position setting mechanism 80 exemplify a structure in which the rotation of the hinge mechanism 12 is transmitted to the front and rear sliders 38 via the link mechanism 40. Instead of the mechanical link mechanism 40, for example, an actuator such as an electric motor driven in accordance with the rotation angle of the display housing 14 formed by the hinge mechanism 12 may be used to move the keyboard device 20, the left and right sliders 72, the frame 26, and the like via the front and rear sliders 38 or without via the front and rear sliders.

As described above, for example, the key 25 located at the storage position at the 0 degree position is located at the use position at the 30 degree position, but the switching angle of the position of the key 25 may be other than the 30 degree position.