A keypad assembly includes a keypad having at least one elastic layer and at least one key button on the elastic layer, a waveguide for transmitting and guiding light therethrough, the waveguide being placed below the elastic layer and having at least one reflection pattern to reflect light toward a respective key button, and a switch substrate under the waveguide and having at least one switch corresponding to the respective key button.

Disclosed is optical switching keyboard apparatus employing identically constructed aligned matrix panels forming the apparatus housing as well as defining collimated light beams focused upon a photodetector matrix disposed in an area on a circuit board which extends transverse to and through slotted apertures in the aligned panels. Coded electrical signals are provided by the translation of coded shutters into selected light interrupting relationship with the beams, the coded shutters effective...

Each component of a modular encoder can be formed so as to be fixed to a rotary shaft of a rotating unit in a horizontal direction (a direction of a shaft line of a rotary shaft). Consequently, the modular encoder can easily be assembled and fixed, and reliability of fixation can be enhanced at the same time. In addition, the modular encoder has an elliptical shape so that a size thereof can be reduced in a direction in which a dimension should be decreased. Furthermore, if the holding member is...

This optoelectronic, finger-operated keyboard for use in industrial measurement equipment is designed to achieve an optimum signal-to-noise ratio and minimize the drop in the intensity of the infrared emitters during the service life of the measurement equipment. The keys for generating respective associated operation signals (n1, n2, n3) have an infrared-transmitting cover (1), one infrared emitter (3) per key disposed at the inside (12) of the cover and emitting light collimated virtually perp...

A multi-plane optical membrane switch for use for example in a keyboard matrix is formed by two flat, planar, clear, plastic members disposed in parallel, separated relationship and each having individual light conducting guides or channels thereon. The channels of the lower plane are disposed at right angles to the channels of the upper plane. The upper set of light guides includes integral, gently curving coupler taps disposed at the intersection of the upper and lower guides for coupling the ...

A photoelectric keyboard for typewriters and similar machines comprises two parallel plate modules spaced one above the other, the upper plate module comprising a plate of transparent material having holes supporting and guiding light transparent depressible key stems, and having cutouts supporting light sources, and the lower plate module comprising a printed circuit board supporting photo elements opposite the ends of key stems. The ends of the transparent key stems are, in normal position, sp...

A contactless switch which comprises a paired light-emitting diode and photoelectric transistor and a shutter means for temporarily blocking light passing from the diode to the transistor. A method for the production of this switch is also described. The above diode and transistor are mounted on terminal members stamped in a metal strip, which terminal members are connected by webs as molded but trimmed off from each other in assembling. The terminal members are embedded at least partially in a ...

A musical apparatus which controls a variety of parameters of musical tones by detecting motion of an object in a space adjacent to the musical apparatus. More specifically, the musical apparatus may comprise a musical tone signal generator which generates a musical tone signal, at least one light source which radiates light beams into a space adjacent to the musical apparatus, at least one light detector which detects at least two light beams reflected from an object in the space and generates ...

A key input apparatus includes a light beam source, a plurality of input keys operable for varying the color of a light beam or intercepting a group or groups of light beams, an optical detector for detecting variations in the color of the light beam or interception of the group or groups of light beams, and a circuit for identifying operated keys based on outputs of the optical detector.

A full N-key rollover capability information entry device includes first and second sets of intersecting light guides oriented at an angle to one another which may comprise a mesh of waveguides that together form a self-supporting planar sheet of a substantially transparent material at the wavelength of light introduced into one end of at least one of the first and second sets of light guides. This permits each intersection to comprise a common portion of both a light guide of the first set and ...