JP2001215288A - Composite switch, and electronic apparatus and electronic watch equipped with composite switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a composite switch installed on an electronic watch or the like, easily operable in continuous tracing by a finger and easily scrollable on an image plane displayed, for example, on a liquid crystal display part. SOLUTION: An operation end part of a moving shaft 41 for pressing a dome switch 29 having plural pairs of a fixed contact 39 and a moving contact 37 is covered by silicon rubber 49 and retained integrally. The periphery of the silicon rubber 49 is fixed adhesively on a box body 27, and a part in contact with the box body 27 has a leg part 53 when a switching operation is executed, to thereby obtain elasticity of reset.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the structure of a switch provided in an electronic device, for example, an electronic timepiece.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As switches provided in electronic devices, particularly portable electronic devices typified by electronic watches and the like, switches suitable for complex button operations are desired. That is, in addition to having a plurality of sets of fixed contacts and movable contacts, and in addition to performing an operation of pressing each group independently, it is suitable for a complex button operation of performing a stroke operation of continuously tracing a plurality of fingers with a finger. This is desirable because a large number of functions of the electronic device can be performed with a small number of switches. Among them, by performing a stroke operation, for example, regarding a display screen of a liquid crystal display unit, scrolling for continuously moving and displaying a plurality of screens for displaying a large amount of information can be easily performed.

[0003] A switch intended for this complex button operation has not yet appeared on the market. As an approximation, there is a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-167347 as a structure of a switch having a plurality of sets of fixed contacts and movable contacts. This switch is used, for example, as a switch for a power window of an automobile. As shown in FIG. 4, a switch button 1 operated by an operator swings around a swing axis 3, and the swing causes the switch button 1 to move. One of the two pressing members 5, 5 arranged below the swing shaft 3 is pressed below 1, and a rubber contact 7 made of an elastic body provided below each pressing member 5 is pressed, The movable contact 9 arranged inside the rubber contact 7 comes into contact with the fixed contact 11 to turn on the switch.

[0004]

However, even if the technology disclosed in the above publication is used for a switch for performing a complex button operation, friction and displacement between the switch button 1 and the pressing member 5 easily occur, and the Operation may become unstable. Further, in order for the swinging switch button 1 to sufficiently increase the component force for pushing the pressing member 5, the pressing member 5 must be separated from the swing shaft 3 to some extent. It was something that would make it bigger.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a switch in which the switching operation is prevented from becoming unstable due to friction or displacement and the entire switch is not enlarged. The purpose is to:

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a plurality of fixed contacts, a movable contact supported by an elastic member so as to be able to contact and separate from each fixed contact, and A movable shaft that can reciprocate in the axial direction that presses each movable contact to perform the contact and separation, and an operating end opposite to the pressing end that performs the pressing of the plurality of movable shafts is integrally covered. And a soft member having elasticity for holding. Or, furthermore, the soft member is characterized in that it has a leg in a portion that comes into contact with the housing to which the soft member is attached, or further, the fixed contact, the movable contact, the movable shaft, and the soft member are at least Three sets are provided, and a plurality of operations can be performed according to the order of contact and separation and the speed. Alternatively, the soft member is made of silicon rubber, urethane rubber, or natural rubber. Alternatively, the composite switch is characterized in that a periphery of the soft member is closely attached to a housing, and a waterproof gasket is provided around the movable shaft so as to be slidable with respect to the housing.

[0007] Alternatively, such a composite switch is provided,
An electronic apparatus characterized in that a plurality of functions can be exhibited by changing a direction of a stroke operation of a composite switch, that is, a direction in which a plurality of contacts are continuously traced and separated by a finger, or a speed is changed. Alternatively, there is provided an electronic timepiece including such a composite switch, and capable of exhibiting a plurality of functions by changing the direction or speed of a stroke operation of the composite switch.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A switch according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The electronic device according to this embodiment is a wristwatch 21. A composite switch 25 according to this embodiment is provided on a side surface 23 of the wristwatch 21.

A dome-shaped switch 29 is disposed at the innermost part of the structure of the composite switch 25 and supported by a housing 27 and the like. This dome-shaped switch 29 has two film members 31 and 33 bonded together, and one of the film members 31
Is formed with a dome-shaped space 35. A movable contact 37 is formed in a pattern inside the dome shape.
The dome-shaped portion exhibits more elasticity due to its shape.

On the other flat film member 33, fixed contacts 39 are provided in a pattern. The switch pattern of the fixed contact 39 has a configuration in which, for example, a switch electrode and a ground electrode are formed adjacent to each other, and both electrodes are short-circuited by contact with the movable contact 37. In this dome switch 29, the fixed contact 39 and the movable contact 37
Are provided in three sets.

In order to press the dome-shaped portion from the outside corresponding to each set, a movable shaft 41 is arranged on the housing 27, and a total of three movable shafts are provided. The movable shaft 41 presses the dome-shaped portion of the dome-shaped switch to cause the movable contact 37 to move toward and away from the fixed contact 39, so that the movable shaft 41 can reciprocate in the axial direction. Further, a waterproof gasket 43 for waterproofing is provided around the center of the movable shaft 41 so as to be slidable with respect to the housing 27.

An operation end 47 opposite to the pressing end 45 on which the movable shaft 41 presses is made of a silicone rubber 4 made of a soft member.
9, so that the soft member forms the so-called button of the switch.

That is, a concave portion 51 for holding the operation end portion 47 of the movable shaft 41 is formed in the silicone rubber 49, and a leg portion 53 projecting in a cylindrical shape is formed around the concave portion 51.
Is formed, and the elasticity for returning the movable shaft 41 in the switching operation is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the elasticity.
The silicone rubber 49 has an elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the right side in the figure, and the periphery of the rectangular shape is fitted into the rectangular concave portion 55 of the housing 27 and is closely attached with an adhesive or the like.

(Operation) When performing a stroke operation,
Along the surface of the silicone rubber 49, the finger is slid while being pressed with a finger, and is pressed so as to continuously trace the operation end 47 of each movable shaft 41. Many types of stroke operations are possible.

That is, two operations can be performed depending on the direction of the stroke operation, that is, whether the stroke is performed from the upper side or the lower side in the drawing, and the length of the stroke operation, that is, two movable shafts 41 are pushed or three movable shafts are pushed. Two operations can be performed by pressing or pressing. Therefore, four operations of a total of 2 × 2 can be performed. Further, by changing the speed of the stroke operation, a plurality of (for example, n) operations can be performed. Therefore, a total of 4 run operations can be performed.

Further, since each of the movable shafts 41 can be pressed and operated alone to perform three operations, a total of 4n + 3 operations can be performed as a complex button operation. Furthermore, the function can be changed, for example, from the up-down direction to the left-right direction by performing a stroke operation by pressing another button in combination with another button. Therefore, one compound switch 25 can exhibit many functions.

By performing the stroke operation capable of performing many operations, the electronic timepiece 21 can exhibit many functions. As these functions, for example, a large amount of data such as pictures and characters displayed on the screen 57 of the liquid crystal display unit can be browsed while scrolling the screen 57. You can also view world time data set for many countries around the world, browse chronograph data, browse phone number memory data, or schedule data entered by the operator. Or can be viewed. The moderation feeling (click feeling) of the button operation is obtained by the dome switch 29, and the return of the movable shaft 41 is obtained by the elasticity of the silicone rubber 49 and the elasticity of the leg 53.

(Effect of this embodiment) According to the above embodiment, the friction for converting the circular motion into the reciprocating motion like the swinging switch button 1 and the pressing member 5 as in the prior art. And there is no displacement in the friction portion. In addition, it is possible to prevent the entire switch from being enlarged in order to sufficiently increase the component force for pressing the pressing member 5 by the switch button 1.

When the stroke operation is performed, the movable shaft 4
Since the one operation end 47 is integrally covered with the silicone rubber 49, the friction of the finger is small and the sliding is good, so that the operation is easy. In addition, the touch of the finger is soft and the operation feeling is good.

In addition to the elasticity of the dome-shaped switch 29, the elasticity of the silicone rubber 49 and the elasticity of the leg portion 53 deformed by pressing return return the movable shaft 41 in the direction in which the switch is separated. Excellent returnability. In addition, a long reciprocating motion of the movable shaft 41 can be obtained by deforming or returning the leg 53, so that the operational feeling in the stroke operation becomes clear. If the elasticity of the return is obtained by a metal spring or the like instead of the leg 53, the switch structure becomes thicker, but the switch structure can be made thinner.

Further, depending on the material of the silicon rubber 49,
It is possible to prevent static electricity and the like generated in the human body from being transmitted to the movable shaft 41 and the like, and it is possible to prevent noise due to the static electricity. Furthermore, the periphery of the silicon rubber 49 is closely attached and the waterproof gasket 43 is provided, so that high waterproofness can be obtained. Also, even if friction occurs due to the waterproof gasket 43, the resilience is prevented from being impaired by the elasticity of the silicone rubber 49 and the elasticity of the leg portion 53 when the deformation returns.

(Other Embodiments) In the above embodiment, double waterproofing is achieved by the silicone rubber 49 closely contacted and the waterproof gasket 43 provided around the movable shaft 41. In the embodiment, either one of the waterproofing means may be provided, or no waterproofing means may be provided.

Further, in the above embodiment, the soft member is the silicone rubber 49, but in other embodiments, the soft member may be made of another material. For example, urethane rubber or natural rubber can be used. In the above embodiment, the fixed contact 3
Although three sets of 9, the movable contact 37, and the movable shaft 41 are provided, in other embodiments, two sets or four or more sets may be provided.

Further, in the above embodiment, the soft member has the legs 53 so as to further increase or decrease the elasticity for the movable shaft 41 to return.
In another embodiment, the legs may be omitted if the soft member itself has sufficient elasticity.

In the above embodiment, the dome switch 29 has been described as an example having a structure in which the movable contact 37 is supported so as to be able to contact and separate from the fixed contact 39. Is not necessarily limited to the dome-shaped switch 29, and it is also possible to use, for example, a rubber contact (also referred to as a rubber switch) 7 exemplified in the prior art.

In the above embodiments, an electronic timepiece has been described as an example of an electronic device. However, in other embodiments, the present invention is not necessarily limited to an electronic timepiece, and other electronic devices can be used. In particular, it is desired to implement the present invention in a portable electronic device that requires a smaller total number of switches provided.

Further, in the above embodiment, the length of each of the three drive shafts 41 provided is the same, but in other embodiments, the lengths can be different. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, by shortening the length of the central movable shaft 41, the entire shape of the soft member (41), that is, the shape of the button can be made into a curved shape with the center recessed as a whole. It is possible. With such a curved shape, the positions of the three movable shafts 41 can be easily understood only by feeling of a finger. This makes the operation of the switch easier.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The friction between the oscillating switch button and the pressing member as in the prior art is small, and there is no deviation in the frictional portion. Furthermore, since there is no switch button that swings around the swing axis as in the related art, it is also necessary to enlarge the entire switch in order to sufficiently increase the component force for pushing the pressing member by the switch button. can avoid.
In addition, when performing a stroke operation of continuously tracing with a finger, the operating end of the movable shaft is integrally covered with a soft member, so that the friction of the finger is small and the sliding is good, so that the operation is easy and the finger is easy to operate. Has a soft touch, good operation feeling,
The elasticity of the soft member as well as the elastic body that supports the movable contact causes the movable shaft to return in the direction that the switch separates, so the switch has excellent returnability, and the elasticity when the pressed and deformed leg returns. Thereby, the retrievability is further improved.

Further, since the legs are deformed or returned, a long reciprocating motion of the movable shaft can be obtained, so that the operational feeling in the stroke operation becomes clear, and if a metal spring or the like is used instead of the legs. The switch structure can be made thinner than in the case of obtaining elasticity of return, and furthermore, four types of operations can be performed by changing the direction and length of stroke operation (whether two or three movable axes are pushed). Three types of operations can be performed by operating, and a plurality of types of operations can be performed by changing the speed of the stroke operation.Therefore, a large number of operations can be performed. Can be prevented, noise can be prevented, and the periphery of the soft member can be tightly sealed, so that waterproofing can be achieved. Further, the waterproof gasket can further enhance the waterproofness.

Further, even if friction occurs due to the waterproof gasket, the elasticity of the soft member and the elasticity at the time when the deformation of the leg portion is restored can prevent the return property from being impaired.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view of an electronic timepiece provided with a composite switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of a portion of the composite switch of FIG. 1; FIG. 2B is a sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an overall view of an electronic timepiece provided with a composite switch according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 Electronic timepiece (electronic device) 23 Side surface 25 Composite switch 27 Housing 29 Dome switch 31, 33 Film member 35 Space 37 Movable contact 39 Fixed contact 41 Movable shaft 43 Waterproof gasket 45 Pressing end 49 Silicon rubber 51 Depression 53 Leg 55 recess

Claims (7)

[Claims] A plurality of fixed contacts; a movable contact supported by an elastic member so as to be able to contact and separate from each of the fixed contacts;
A movable shaft that can reciprocate in the axial direction that presses each of the movable contacts to perform the contact and separation, and an operation end portion that is opposite to a pressing end portion that performs the pressing of the plurality of movable shafts. And a soft member having elasticity for holding the composite switch. 2. The composite switch according to claim 1, wherein the soft member has a leg portion at a portion in contact with a housing to which the soft member is attached. 3. The composite switch according to claim 1, wherein at least three sets of the fixed contact, the movable contact, the movable shaft, and the soft member are provided. 4. The composite switch according to claim 1, wherein the soft member is made of silicon rubber, urethane rubber, or natural rubber. 5. A flexible gasket is provided around the movable member around the movable member, wherein the flexible member is attached in close contact with a housing.
The composite switch according to claim 1, wherein the composite switch is slidably provided on a housing side. 6. A compound switch according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein a plurality of functions can be exhibited by changing a direction or a speed of a stroke operation of the compound switch. Electronic equipment. 7. A composite switch according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein a plurality of functions can be exhibited by changing the direction or speed of the stroke operation of the composite switch. Electronic clock.