CN109994333B

CN109994333B - Button assembly for button switch, button switch and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN109994333B
Application number: CN201711481219.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张大海
Original assignee: Schneider Electric Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Schneider Electric Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2017-12-29
Filing date: 2017-12-29
Publication date: 2022-06-24
Anticipated expiration: 2037-12-29
Also published as: AU2018274879A1; AU2018274879B2; CN109994333A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a button assembly for a button switch, and an electronic device. The button assembly includes: a button body; a driver configured to drive operation of the push button switch; and the elastic resetting piece is configured to reset the driving piece, and at least one of the elastic resetting piece and the driving piece and the button body are integrally formed by elastic materials. With this arrangement, the number of parts in the push switch can be reduced. In this way, the manufacturing cost of the push switch can be reduced, and the assembly time can be reduced.

Description

Button assembly for button switch, button switch and electronic equipment

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of push button switches, and more particularly, to a button assembly for a push button switch, and an electronic device.

Background

A push button switch is a typical type of switch that alternately turns on and off one circuit or alternately turns on two circuits by repeated pressing operations of a push button.

A conventional push button switch generally includes a push button, a slidable or rotatable driving member, an elastic member for restoring the driving member, and a connector for assembling the driving member to the push button. When the push button is pressed, the driving member can drive the swing rod of the push button switch to deflect between two positions, so that the circuit is switched on or off or the two circuits are switched on alternately. When the button is released, the resilient member, such as a spring or a spring wire, can return the actuator to the initial position. In such a push button switch, the push button, the driving member, the elastic member and the connecting member are separate components. This increases both the manufacturing cost of the push button switch and complicates assembly due to the large number of parts and small size. In addition, the push button switch is not easily controlled due to a long chain of sizes of the push button switch. In addition, the provision of a separate resilient member results in a limited space being occupied inside the switch, making the volume (particularly the height dimension) of the switch large.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the foregoing, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a button assembly for a button switch, and an electronic device to solve at least part of the problems existing in the conventional button switch described above.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a button assembly for a button switch, the button assembly including: a button body; a driver configured to drive operation of the push button switch; and an elastic reset piece configured to reset the driving piece, wherein at least one of the elastic reset piece and the driving piece and the button body are integrally formed by elastic materials.

In one embodiment, the button body has an opening portion provided therein; the driving piece is arranged in the opening part; and the elastic reset piece comprises a pair of elastic reset pieces, the pair of elastic reset pieces are respectively configured to connect the driving piece to the button body, and the pair of elastic reset pieces, the button body and the driving piece are integrally formed by the elastic material.

In one embodiment, the drive member comprises: a first portion and a second portion spaced apart and extending in parallel; and a connecting portion connecting the first portion and the second portion.

In one embodiment, the first portion includes a first main surface and a second main surface disposed opposite to each other in a pressing direction of the push button switch, the first main surface having a first driving portion including a first driving surface disposed thereon; and the second portion includes a third main surface and a fourth main surface that are disposed opposite to each other in the pressing direction, the third main surface being provided thereon with a second driving portion that includes a second driving surface, the first driving surface and the second driving surface facing each other.

In one embodiment, the second major surface and the fourth major surface are substantially coplanar with the pressing surface of the button body.

In one embodiment, the pair of elastic restoring members includes a first elastic restoring member and a second elastic restoring member; the first elastic reset piece is connected between the first side of the connecting part and the first wall of the opening part; and the second elastic reset piece is connected between the second side of the connecting part and the second wall of the opening part, the first side and the second side of the connecting part are opposite to each other, and the first wall and the second wall of the opening part are opposite to each other.

In one embodiment, the first elastic restoring member and the second elastic restoring member respectively include at least one bending portion.

In one embodiment, the resilient material comprises polycarbonate or polyoxymethylene resin.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a push button switch including any one of the push button assemblies as described above.

In one embodiment, the push button switch further comprises: an actuating mechanism configured to be deflectable upon actuation of the driver; and a conductive bridge coupled to the actuating mechanism and capable of switching the state of the push button switch upon actuation of the actuating mechanism.

According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electronic device including any one of the push switches described above.

In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, at least one of the resilient return member and the driver member is integrally formed with the button body from a resilient material. With this arrangement, the number of parts in the push switch can be reduced. In addition, since the total number of parts of the push switch becomes small, the manufacturing cost of the push switch is reduced, and the assembling time is reduced. In addition, at least one of the elastic reset piece and the driving piece is integrally formed with the button body, so that the height space occupied by the driving piece and the elastic reset piece in the button switch is reduced. In this way, the push button switch using the push button assembly according to the present disclosure can be designed to have a smaller height, so that the push button switch can be easily installed in more places. In addition, integrally forming at least one of the resilient return member and the driving member with the button body provides a shorter dimensional chain, thereby making the button switch easier to control.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more readily understood through the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by way of example and not limitation in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a button assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the button assembly shown in FIG. 1 viewed in another direction;

FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged partial schematic view of the button assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device including a push button switch according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the electronic device shown in fig. 4.

Detailed Description

The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to various exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings. It should be understood that these examples are described merely to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and further implement the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. It should be noted that where feasible, similar or identical reference numerals may be used in the figures and that similar or identical reference numerals may indicate similar or identical functions. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the invention described herein.

The structure of the button assembly for the button switch according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 1 to 3. Fig. 1 illustrates a structural schematic view of a button assembly 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, fig. 2 illustrates a structural schematic view when the button assembly 100 illustrated in fig. 1 is viewed in another direction, and fig. 3 illustrates a partially enlarged schematic view of the button assembly 100 illustrated in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, in general, the push button assembly 100 described herein includes a push button body 1, a driver 2, a first elastic restoring member 3, and a second elastic restoring member 3'. The button body 1 is provided with an opening 101. The opening 101 is adapted to receive other components, for example the driver 2 may be arranged in the opening 101. The driver 2 may be used to drive the operation of a push button switch. For example, when the driver 2 drives a rocker of a push button switch, the push button switch may be caused to switch between an on state and an off state, as will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 4 and 5. The first and second elastic restoring members 3 and 3' may connect opposite sides of the driving member 2 to the button body 1, respectively. The elastic restoring members 3, 3', the button body 1 and the driving member 2 may be integrally formed of an elastic material.

In one embodiment, the resilient material may be, for example, a plastic material such as polycarbonate or polyoxymethylene resin or the like. Plastic materials such as polycarbonate and polyoxymethylene resin can provide good elastic deformability, which on the one hand can increase the movement amplitude of the driver 2 relative to the button body 1 when the button body 1 is pressed, and on the other hand can accurately restore the driver 2 to the initial position when the button body 1 is released. In other embodiments, the elastic material may be of other types as long as it provides good elastic deformability, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

In one embodiment, the elastic restoring member 3, 3', the button body 1 and the driving member 2 may be integrally formed by an injection molding process. In other embodiments, the button assembly 100 may also be manufactured by other processes, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

With the above arrangement, functions that can be realized by a plurality of parts in the conventional push button switch can be realized by using only one part of the push button assembly 100 that is integrally formed. In addition, since the total number of parts becomes small, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the push switch and to reduce the assembling time. Furthermore, since the elastic return members 3, 3 ', the button body 1 and the driver 2 are integrated into a single part, the height occupied by the driver 2 and the elastic return members 3, 3' within the push button switch is reduced. In this way, the push button switch using the push button assembly 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be designed to have a smaller height so as to easily install the push button switch to more locations. In addition, integrating the resilient return members 3, 3', the button body 1 and the driver 2 into a single piece provides a shorter dimensional chain, making the button switch easier to control.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 1-3, the driver 2 may comprise a first portion 201, a second portion 202 and a connecting portion 203. The first portion 201 and the second portion 202 are spaced apart at a distance and extend parallel to each other. The first connection 203 is connected between the first portion 201 and the second portion 202.

The first portion 201 may include a first main surface 211 and a second main surface 212 disposed opposite to each other in the pressing direction P of the push button switch. First major surface 211 may be provided with a first drive 214 comprising a first drive surface 213. Likewise, the second portion 202 may include a third main surface 221 and a fourth main surface 222 disposed opposite to each other in the pressing direction P. A second drive portion 224 including a second drive surface 223 may be disposed on the third major surface 221. The first driving surface 213 and the second driving surface 223 face each other to drive a swing lever of the push button switch, which will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 4 and 5.

In one embodiment, the first and

second driving portions

214 and 224 may be formed in a wedge shape. In other embodiments, the first and

second driving portions

214, 224 may also have other shapes as long as they can provide the first and second driving surfaces 213, 223 facing each other, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

In one embodiment, the first drive surface 213 and the second drive surface 223 are adapted to cooperate with a rocker in a push button switch to drive the rocker to deflect, thereby switching the on-off state of the push button switch. The first driving surface 213 and the second driving surface 223 are also used for converting the reaction force received by the first driving surface 213 and the second driving surface 223 from the swing link into a component force along the connecting line direction of the first driving portion 214 and the second driving portion 224, so that the driving member 2 moves along the connecting line direction of the first driving portion 214 and the second driving portion 224. In order to facilitate the swing lever of the driving push button switch to swing by a sufficient angle to accomplish the operation of switching the on-off state of the push button switch and to convert the force from the swing lever into a component force in a direction along a line connecting the first driving part 214 and the second driving part 224, the first driving surface 213 and the second driving surface 223 may be inclined or curved with respect to the first main surface 211 and the third main surface 221, respectively.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the second major surface 212 and the fourth major surface 222 can be substantially coplanar with the pressing surface 102 of the button body 1. In other embodiments, second major surface 212 and fourth major surface 222 may be higher or lower than pressing surface 102, as the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

In one embodiment, the first elastic restoring member 3 may be connected between the first side 231 of the connection portion 203 and the first wall 111 of the opening portion 101. Also, a second elastic restoring member 3' may be connected between the second side 232 of the connection portion 203 and the second wall 112 of the opening portion 101. The first side 231 and the second side 232 of the connection part 203 are opposite to each other, and a direction of a line between the first side 231 and the second side 232 of the connection part 203 is substantially perpendicular to a direction of a line between the first driving part 214 and the second driving part 224. The first wall 111 and the second wall 112 of the opening portion 101 are opposed to each other. In another embodiment, the first and second elastic restoring members 3 and 3' may be respectively connected between the bottom surface 103 of the button body 1 and the driver 2. In other embodiments, the first and second elastic restoring members 3 and 3' may also be connected between the button body 1 and the driver 2 at other locations, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, the first elastic restoring member 3 and the second elastic restoring member 3' may respectively include at least one bending portion 301. By providing the bending portion 301, the lengths of the first elastic restoring member 3 and the second elastic restoring member 3' can be increased. The increased length of the elastic return members 3, 3' enables to increase their elastic deformability, further increasing the amplitude of the linear movement of the driver 2 with respect to the push-button body 1. It should be understood that the elastic return members 3, 3' may be bent once or several times in various possible directions and sequences. In some embodiments, the elastic return members 3, 3' may also not have a bend, as the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

The button assembly 100 shown in fig. 1-3 includes a pair of resilient return members 3, 3' for exemplary purposes only to illustrate the principles of the present disclosure. In other embodiments, the button assembly 100 may include a plurality of pairs of elastic restoring members, wherein each pair of elastic restoring members may respectively connect opposite sides of the driving member 2 to the button body 1.

In the button assembly 100 shown in fig. 1 to 3, the elastic restoring members 3, 3', the button body 1 and the driving member 2 are integrally formed, which is merely for the purpose of example to explain the principles of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, it is possible to only integrate the button body 1 with the driver 2, while the elastic return member is provided separately. In other embodiments, the button body 1 and the elastic restoring member may be formed integrally, and the driving member 2 may be provided separately. Furthermore, it is possible to use only a single elastic return element instead of the elastic return elements 3, 3' arranged in pairs. The purpose of reducing the total number of parts in the push button switch can be achieved by the above-mentioned manner, so that the manufacturing cost of the push button switch can be reduced, and the assembly time can be reduced.

The button assembly 100 described above can be applied to various types of button switches. The operating principle of the push button switch 200 including the above-described push button assembly 100 and the electronic device 500 including such a push button switch 200 will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 illustrates a schematic structural view of an electronic device 500 including the push button switch 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and fig. 5 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of the electronic device 500 illustrated in fig. 4. The electronic device 500 may be of various types, such as a patch panel (also known as a patch panel), a wall switch, and so forth. The principles of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in connection with a patch panel, which, however, is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the push button switch 200 may include any of the push button assemblies 100 described above. In addition to the button assembly 100, the button switch 200 may further include an actuating mechanism 4 and a conductive bridge 5. The actuating mechanism 4 is capable of deflection upon actuation of the driver 2. The conductive bridge 5 may be coupled to the actuating mechanism 4 and may be capable of switching the state of the push button switch 200 upon actuation of the actuating mechanism 4. In addition, the push button switch 200 may further include a button cover 600. The button cover 600 is adapted to be mounted to the pressing surface 102 of the button body 1 to provide a smooth operation surface for a user.

In one embodiment, the actuation mechanism 4 may include a transition piece 401 and a rocker 402. When the user presses the button cover 600, the first driving surface 213 and the second driving surface 223 of the driver 2 can drive the transition piece 401 to deflect, thereby further driving the swing link 402 to swing. The oscillation of the oscillating bar 402 can then switch the conductive bridge 5 between the contact and disconnection positions with the stationary contact 700. In this way, the push button switch 200 can be caused to switch between the on state and the off state. Accordingly, the jack 800 of the wiring board can be turned on or off by pressing the button cover 600. One or more sets of jacks 800 may be provided on a patch panel, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the actuation mechanism 4 may also include only the rocker 402, and not the transition piece 401. In this case, when the user presses the button cover 600, the first driving surface 213 and the second driving surface 223 of the driver 2 can directly drive the swing link 402 to be deflected, thereby achieving the switching of the button switch 200 between the on state and the off state.

Although claims have been formulated in this application to particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure also includes any novel feature or any novel combination of features disclosed herein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalisation thereof, whether or not it relates to the same aspect as presently claimed in any claim.

Claims

1. An electronic device (500) comprising:

a housing having an opening provided therein, and

a push button switch (200) mounted to the housing, the push button switch (200) including a push button assembly (100), the push button assembly (100) including:

a button body (1) mounted into the bore and including an opening (101) through the button body (1);

a driver (2) received in the opening (101), the driver (2) including a first driving surface and a second driving surface disposed opposite to each other and spaced apart from each other, the first driving surface and the second driving surface being used for driving deflection of a rocker (402) of an actuating mechanism (4) of the push button switch (200) to switch an on-off state of the push button switch (200);

a pair of elastic return members (3, 3') arranged on opposite sides of the driver (2) and each connected between the driver (2) and the push button body (1) to return the driver (2); and

a button cover (600) mounted to the button body (1) to provide an operating surface for a user;

wherein the elastic reset pieces (3, 3'), the button body (1) and the driving piece (2) are integrally formed by elastic materials.

2. The electronic device (500) according to claim 1, wherein the driver (2) comprises:

a first portion (201) and a second portion (202) extending spaced apart and in parallel; and

a connection (203) connecting the first portion (201) and the second portion (202).

3. The electronic device (500) of claim 2,

the first portion (201) comprises a first main surface (211) and a second main surface (212) arranged opposite to each other in a pressing direction (P) of the push button switch (200), the first main surface (211) being provided with a first driving portion (214) comprising the first driving surface (213); and

the second portion (202) comprises a third main surface (221) and a fourth main surface (222) arranged opposite to each other in the pressing direction (P), the third main surface (221) being provided with a second driving portion (224) comprising the second driving surface (223).

4. The electronic device (500) of claim 3, wherein the second major surface (212) and the fourth major surface (222) are substantially coplanar with a pressing surface (102) of the button body (1);

the first drive surface (213) and the second drive surface (223) are inclined or curved with respect to the first main surface (211) and the third main surface (221), respectively.

5. The electronic device (500) of claim 2,

the pair of elastic restoring elements (3, 3 ') comprises a first elastic restoring element (3) and a second elastic restoring element (3');

the first elastic reset piece (3) is connected between a first side (231) of the connecting part (203) and a first wall (111) of the opening part (101); and

the second elastic restoring member (3') is connected between a second side (232) of the connecting portion (203) and the second wall (112) of the opening portion (101), the first side (231) and the second side (232) of the connecting portion (203) are opposite to each other, and the first wall (111) and the second wall (112) of the opening portion (101) are opposite to each other.

6. The electronic device (500) according to claim 5, wherein the first and second elastic restoring members (3, 3') each comprise at least one kink (301).

7. The electronic device (500) of claim 1,

wherein the elastic material comprises polycarbonate or polyoxymethylene resin.

8. The electronic device (500) of claim 1, further comprising:

an actuating mechanism (4) configured to be deflectable upon actuation of the driver (2); and

a conductive bridge (5) coupled to the actuating mechanism (4) and capable of switching the state of the push-button switch (200) upon actuation of the actuating mechanism (4).