Panasonic Corporation

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Naoki Tatehata

Yousuke Chikahisa

Koji Tanabe

Tsutomu Aisaka

Takefumi Inoue

Hirotoshi Watanabe

Kazunari Nishihara

Toshinari Noda

Hiroshi Nakayama

Masahiro Ito

Shigeo Furukawa

Katsuya Morinaka

Naoki Sera

Norifumi Sata

Kazuo Fujiwara

Tetsuro Shimamura

Teruyuki Kimata

Makoto Sadakane

Shinji Ohkawa

Yoshihiko Tsujikawa

Satoshi Ueda

Nobuhisa Takahashi

A light guide sheet includes a material sheet having a film shape, first and second illuminations portion provided on the material sheet for diffusing light. The material sheet has a slit having substantially a strip shape provided therein and provided around the first illumination portion. The slit has a first edge and a second edge opposite to the first edge. The first edge faces the first illumination portion. The material sheet includes a first bridge and a second bridge linking the first edge of the first slit to the second edge across the first slit. This light guide sheet provides a movable contact assembly which is easily fabricated and provides preferable illuminating.

Light guide sheet and movable contact assembly including the same

A touch panel includes multiple belt-like lower electrodes formed on a light transparent base sheet and multiple belt-like upper electrodes placed away from the lower electrodes with a predetermined distance therebetween and in a direction crossing with the lower electrodes at right angles. The lower and upper electrodes are made of light transmissive and electrically conductive resin, so that they can be formed in a simple way such as printing. The foregoing structure thus allows obtaining the touch panel manufactured in a simple way at a lower cost.

Touch panel, and movable contact unit and switch using the same touch panel

An input device includes an input section formed of a display sheet and a coordinate input sheet, and a switch section allowing a push-input and placed on a substrate at a place corresponding to a display section of the display sheet. A foamed layer containing air and working as an insulating resin layer is placed between the input section and the substrate. The input section is supported via the foamed layer.

Input device

A light guide sheet is adapted to be used with a light emitter. The light guide sheet includes a light-transmissive base, a light inlet section having bonded to a lower surface of the base, and an illumination section for diffusing the light entering into the base. The light inlet section has an upper surface and an edge surface connected to the upper surface. The upper surface of the light inlet section is bonded to the lower surface of the base. Light emitted from the light emitter enters into the edge surface the light inlet section. The light inlet section causes the entering light to enter into the base. The light inlet section has a refractive index lower than a refractive index of the base. The light guide sheet provides a movable contact assembly capable of reliably illumination inexpensively.

Light guide sheet and movable contact assembly using the same

A movable contact point made of a thin conductive metal sheet in an approximate dome shape is attached to the lower surface of a transparent base sheet, and the base sheet is provided at the upper or the lower surface with a fluorescent layer in the location above the movable contact point. Since, in the make-up, light can be made available for illumination in many colors other than that generated from a light emitting device, a movable contact element, as well as a switch formed using the contact element, that offers various illuminating modes can be implemented in a simple structure.

Movable contact element and switch using the same

A touch panel has a plurality of band-like optically transmissive lower electrodes and upper electrodes formed at predetermined intervals in directions perpendicular to each other on an upper surface of an optically transparent base sheet. A dome-like movable contact is formed from a conductive metal sheet which is mounted under the touch panel. A light guide sheet with a plurality of convex-concave light emitting portions is formed on an optically transparent substrate, which is disposed between the touch panel and the movable contact. Accordingly, uniform illumination can be attained by using only one or two light emitting elements, and it is possible to obtain a movable contact body capable of inexpensive and reliable illumination.

Movable contact body and switch using same

A planar image and a mark are displayed on a display having an outer periphery. A region is provided on the display. The region has a boundary distanced from the outer periphery of the display. The mark is moved with respect to the planar image on the display when the mark is positioned in the region. The planar image is scrolled in a direction directed from the region to the mark on the display when the mark is positioned at an outside of the region. This method allows the mark to be positioned efficiently.

Method of displaying planar image

A concavo-convex light emitting section provided on an under surface of a base material is formed of a synthetic resin with inorganic oxide dispersed therein. A larger amount of light is reflected by inorganic oxide having a large refractive index and dispersed inside the synthetic resin, to cause a plurality of light emitting sections to emit bright light with a small number of light emitting elements. A light guiding sheet capable of making bright and uniform illumination and a movable contact body using the same are realized with a simple configuration.

Light guiding sheet and movable contact body using the same

A movable contact unit includes a light-guide sheet, a cover sheet, a movable contact, and a light-transmissive light-guide portion. The light-guide sheet includes a film-shaped substrate, and a convex and concave luminescent portion provided on the substrate. The cover sheet faces the substrate. A dome-shaped resilient movable contact made of a thin metal sheet is attached to the cover sheet at a position corresponding to the luminescent portion. The light-guide portion is provided on the cover sheet at a position other than an area where the movable contact is disposed or on the light-guide sheet at a position other than an area where the light-guide portion is disposed. If the light-guide portion is provided on the light-guide sheet, the movable contact may be attached to the light-guide sheet without using the cover sheet.

Movable contact unit and switch using the same

An input device for constructing an inputting operation unit for various electronic apparatus and a method of manufacturing the input device are provided. The input device allows push-down inputting operation and position inputting operation using the same operating unit. The input device has a position input sensor provided under a key, and a base sheet having a movable contact joined to its bottom face depending on the location where the key is disposed, and a columnar section is disposed in a manner sandwiched between the position input sensor and the base sheet at the center of the movable contact.

Input device and manufacturing method thereof

The movable contact unit with a light-guiding function has the following structure. An uneven section is formed in a section that is to be lighted on the lower surface of a TPU base sheet. A film with a refractive index of light lower than that of the base sheet is disposed beneath the lower surface of the base sheet in a manner that the uneven section is embedded in the film. Besides, an adhesive layer is disposed beneath the film so as to hold a movable contact. The movable contact unit structured above is effectively employed for a lighted panel switch capable of reducing loss in amount of light and providing the section that is to be lighted with required illuminance.

Movable contact unit with light-guiding function and lighted panel switch using the same

A light guide sheet and a movable contact element using the single sheet have a simple structure and can be variously illuminated. The light guide sheet includes irregular-shaped light extracting elements formed on a film-like base material; and light-transmissive, belt-shaped light guide parts each connecting a predetermined number of groups of the light extracting elements. In addition, dome-shaped movable contacts formed of a conductive sheet metal are arranged on the bottom surfaces of the light extracting elements.

Light guide sheet and movable contact element using the same

A light shielding part includes a slit provided between a first light guide body and a second light guide body, and an attenuation part which has unevenness formed by print and is additionally provided near end sides of the first light guide body and the second light guide body. The light shielding part can prevent light from being transmitted between the first light guide body and the second light guide body. With this configuration, when illumination parts of the first and second light guide bodies are illuminated, it is possible to illuminate the illumination parts of the first and second light guide bodies at different timings without the illumination part of one light guide body being illuminated with light leaked from the other light guide body.

Light guide sheet, movable contact structure using the light guide sheet, method of manufacturing the movable contact structure, and switch using the light guide sheet and the movable contact structure

A light-guide sheet includes a light transmissive film substrate, and luminescent protrusions formed at predetermined points on the substrate. At least one of the substrate and each of the luminescent protrusions is colored to a color tone that absorbs yellow light more than blue light. Alternatively, a reflective layer colored to a color tone that absorbs yellow light more than blue light is provided on at least one of the top and bottom faces of the substrate.

Light-guide sheet, movable contact unit and switch using the same

A movable contact assembly includes a movable contact having a dome shape, a base sheet contacting an upper surface of the movable contact, a columnar portion provided on an upper surface of the base sheet, and a light guide sheet provided on an upper surface of the columnar portion. The light guide sheet has a light-receiving surface for introducing light into the light guide sheet, and allows the introduced light to be emitted from an upper surface of the light guide sheet. The base sheet includes a dome portion having a concave lower surface, and a flat portion connected with an outer edge of the dome portion. The columnar portion is positioned on the upper surface of the dome portion away from the outer edge of the dome portion of the base sheet. This movable contact assembly provides a switch illuminating its upper surface and being activated easily with a preferable feeling.

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Kyoto, Japan

Naoki Tatehata