Keyboard

Abstract

A vertical keyboard, which is used with key top pressing direction set to a substantially horizontal direction, includes a housing having opening portions into which the key tops are fitted. A lower internal surface of the opening portion is inclined with respect to a direction perpendicular to the surface of the housing, in a downward direction from the keyboard interior toward the keyboard surface side. This can reduce adhesion or accumulation of dust or dirt in a space between the lower internal surface of the opening portion and the lower internal surface of the key top.

Claims

1. A vertical keyboard installed in a position along a direction of gravity, the keyboard comprising: a mounting plate for fixing key switches, the mounting plate being disposed along a plane extending in the direction of gravity; key tops attached to sliding portions of the key switches fixed to the mounting plate; and a housing having an outer surface with opening portions into which the key tops are fitted, wherein, when the keyboard is installed in a state where a press direction of each of the key tops is a downwardly inclined direction having an angle of α degrees (0°<α<90°) with respect to a horizontal direction, a lower internal surface of each of the opening portions of the housing has at least a portion which connects with the outer surface of the housing and which is inclined downwardly at an angle of β degrees (0°<β<90°) with respect to the horizontal direction from an interior to an exterior of the keyboard, wherein the keyboard is installed and kept along the direction of gravity, which is a vertical direction of the keyboard while the keyboard is in use, for entering data into a numerical controller for controlling a machine tool, and the keyboard is a part of a control panel of the numerical controller.

2. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the lower internal surface of each of the opening portions is an elliptic arc shape.

3. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard is mounted on the numerical controller for controlling the machine tool, and the numerical controller is subjected to airborne dust around the keyboard, and a mist of oil and dirt on a hand of an operator.

4. The keyboard according to claim 1, further comprising: a first space defined by an upper internal surface of one of the opening portions of the housing and an upper internal surface of a respective key top among the key tops; and a second space defined by the lower internal surface of said one of the opening portions of the housing and a lower internal surface of the respective key top.

5. The keyboard according to claim 4, wherein the upper internal surface of said one of the opening portions of the housing extends in parallel with the upper internal surface of the respective key top, and the lower internal surface of said one of the opening portions of the housing is inclined with respect to the lower internal surface of the respective key top.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The forgoing and other objects and feature of the invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part including a key top in a keyboard according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates the part including the key top illustrated in FIG. 1 in detail.

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part including a key top in a keyboard according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part including a key top in a keyboard according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

(6) FIG. 5 illustrates a vertical keyboard.

(7) FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a part including a key top in a conventional keyboard.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(8) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. The same reference numerals as those in the known art are used to components the same as or similar to the known art.

(9) A basic structure of the control panel 1 into which a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention is fitted is similar to that illustrated in FIG. 5. As illustrated in FIG. 5, a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention is a vertical keyboard 3 provided with a housing 7 having opening portions into which key tops 4 are to be fitted.

(10) With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the keyboard (vertical keyboard) according to a first embodiment of the present invention is described.

(11) The keyboard includes the housing 7, a mounting plate 11, a sliding portion (plunger) 14, and the key top 4. The mounting plate 11 is used to fix a key switch 13 through a printed board 12. The sliding portion 14 is a plunger for the key switch 13. The key top 4 is fixed to the sliding portion 14. The printed board 12 has wiring for connection to the key switch 13. A cross section of the key top 4 parallel to a keyboard surface 8 has a quadrilateral shape. The mounting plate 11 is fixed to the housing 7 with a fixing means, for example, a screw (not illustrated). The housing 7 is provided with the opening portions into which the key tops 4 are to be fitted. An operator pushes the key top 4 in a press direction 17 to move the key top 4 in a keyboard interior 9 direction. When the operator releases his/her finger, the key top 4 moves toward a keyboard surface 8 with the help of an elastic member (not illustrated).

(12) The opening portions in the housing 7 are described. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a first space 5 exists between an upper surface 18 of the opening portion of the housing 7 and an upper surface 19 of the key top 4. A second space 6 exists between a lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7 and a lower internal surface 21 of the key top 4.

(13) The keyboard illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is the vertical keyboard 3. The keyboard 3 includes the mounting plate 11 for fixing the key switch 13, the key top 4 attached to the sliding portion of the key switch 13, which has been fixed to the mounting plate 11, and the housing 7 having the opening portion corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the key top 4 so that the key top 4 fits into the opening portion. When the vertical keyboard 3 is used in a state where the press direction 17 of the key top 4 is substantially horizontal direction, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the upper surface 18 of the opening portion of the housing 7 is substantially perpendicular to the surface of the housing 7, whereas the lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7 is inclined with respect to the direction perpendicular to the surface of the housing 7 in the downward direction from the keyboard interior 9 toward the keyboard surface 8.

(14) The inclination of the lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7 with respect to the direction perpendicular to the surface of the housing 7 in the downward direction from the keyboard interior 9 toward the keyboard surface 8 allows dust and dirt (dust 10) to be drawn by gravity toward the keyboard surface 8 side. This can reduce adhesion or accumulation of the dust and dirt (dust 10) in the second space 6 between the lower internal surface 21 of the key top 4 and the lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7.

(15) With reference to FIG. 3, a keyboard (vertical keyboard) according to a second embodiment of the present invention is described.

(16) The vertical keyboard 3 is inclined an angle of α degrees (0°≦α≦90°) with respect to the vertical direction, and then, the lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7 is inclined an angle of β degrees (0°<β<90°) with respect to the horizontal direction. That is, when the vertical keyboard 3 is used in the inclined state, the lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7 is inclined in the downward direction toward the keyboard surface 8 side.

(17) The lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7 is inclined in the downward direction toward the keyboard surface 8 side. The inclination β of the lower internal surface 20 in the opening portion of the housing 7 allows the dust and dirt (dust 10) to be drawn by gravity toward the keyboard surface 8 side. This can reduce adhesion or accumulation of the dust and dirt (dust 10) in the second space 6 between the lower internal surface 21 of the key top 4 and the lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7.

(18) With reference to FIG. 4, a keyboard (vertical keyboard) according to a third embodiment of the present invention is described.

(19) As illustrated in FIG. 4, in the keyboard according to the embodiment, the lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7 has a vertical cross section of an elliptic arc shape. In the lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7, at least front portion connecting with the surface of the housing 7 viewed from the keyboard surface 8 is inclined at an angle of β degrees (0°<β<90°) with respect to the horizontal direction in a downward direction from the interior to exterior of the vertical keyboard 3.

(20) The elliptic arc shape of the cross section of the lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7 allows the dust and dirt (dust 10) to be drawn by gravity toward the keyboard surface 8 side. This can reduce adhesion or accumulation of the dust and dirt (dust 10) in the second space 6 between the lower internal surface 21 of the key top 4 and the lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7.

(21) The cross-sectional shape of the key top 4 on a plane parallel to the keyboard surface 8 may be a triangle, a quadrangle, or an ellipse. In a case of the key top 4 having a triangular cross section, the lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7 opposite to the base of the triangle has a structure similar to that in the above-described embodiments. In a case of the key top 4 having an elliptic cross section, the lower internal surface 20 of the opening portion of the housing 7 opposite to a part lower than the center line of the elliptic shape has a structure similar to that in the above-described embodiments.