EP0042381B1 - Switch structure with touch element - Google Patents

Switch structure with touch element Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0042381B1
EP0042381B1 EP80901665A EP80901665A EP0042381B1 EP 0042381 B1 EP0042381 B1 EP 0042381B1 EP 80901665 A EP80901665 A EP 80901665A EP 80901665 A EP80901665 A EP 80901665A EP 0042381 B1 EP0042381 B1 EP 0042381B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
switch
layer
resiliently deformable
finger
flexible
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
EP80901665A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0042381A1 (en
Inventor
Eric John Marshall
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
ERIC MARSHALL DESIGN INTERNATIONAL Ltd
Original Assignee
ERIC MARSHALL DESIGN INTERNATIONAL Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by ERIC MARSHALL DESIGN INTERNATIONAL Ltd filed Critical ERIC MARSHALL DESIGN INTERNATIONAL Ltd
Priority to AT80901665T priority Critical patent/ATE11612T1/de
Publication of EP0042381A1 publication Critical patent/EP0042381A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0042381B1 publication Critical patent/EP0042381B1/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H13/00—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch
    • H01H13/70—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard
    • H01H13/702—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard with contacts carried by or formed from layers in a multilayer structure, e.g. membrane switches
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H13/00—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch
    • H01H13/50—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a single operating member
    • H01H13/52—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a single operating member the contact returning to its original state immediately upon removal of operating force, e.g. bell-push switch
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2215/00—Tactile feedback
    • H01H2215/002—Longer travel
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2217/00—Facilitation of operation; Human engineering
    • H01H2217/006—Different feeling for different switch sites
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2221/00—Actuators
    • H01H2221/036—Return force
    • H01H2221/038—Fluid
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2221/00—Actuators
    • H01H2221/036—Return force
    • H01H2221/042—Foam

Definitions

  • the invention relates to an electrical switch structure for actuation with the finger-tip of an operator, for example for the operation of an electrical typewriter, a computer terminal or other electronic machine into which information must be fed.
  • switch means of that kind in which there is no movable element to be moved by the finger-tip in the course of an actuation of the switch e.g. known proximity switches
  • there is no relative movement of the finger-tip surface after making contact with the exposed surface of the switch means and accordingly there is no "touch", in the sens of relative movement, experienced by the operator who must assume that the mere contacting of the switch means has in fact actuated the switch means.
  • non-shiftable switch means indicates hereinafter a switch means which has a proximity switch element to be approached by the finger-tip to cause actuation of the switch
  • shiftable switch means indicates hereinafter a switch means having first and second switch portions which are respective movable and fixed contact elements, the movable one of which requires to be moved to cause actuation of the switch.
  • Patent Specification USA 4024368 LITTON discloses an electrical switch structure, for actuation with the finger tips, having a switch including dome switches (60, 62), and a multi-layer touch member overlying and touching said dome switches and including a flexible and resiliently compressible key pad (16) exposed for finger contact, a cushion (2) abutting the dome switches (60, 62) and resiliently deformable across its thickness dimension, and an indicator package (18) disposed between and abutting the key pad (16) and the cushion (20) and including a thin and flexible base plate (44) with light emitting devices (54, 56) encapsulated thereon in a hard protective module, the module being positioned between each key cap and its dome switch, the arrangement being such that force applied by finger pressure to a key cap (32) or (34) to tend to urge it towards the dome switches (60, 62) causes compression of the key cap, and movement of the indicator package to compress the cushion (20) across its thickness dimension to result in actuation of the dome switches.
  • an electrical switch structure for actuation with the finger tip having:
  • an electrical switch structure for actuation with the finger tip having:
  • FIG. 1 there is shown an electrical switch structure having switch means of non-shiftable type, the switch means 1 being a known proximity switch. It suffices to state that the switch is actuated by the placing of a finger tip onto, or very near to, the upper surface 2. Such a switch may be operated by simply placing the fingertips onto the exposed upper surface 2, but there is a correspondingly "dead” touch for the operator.
  • a flexible finger-contact sheet 3 which is spaced from the upper surface 2.
  • a zone 4 of a resilient loading medium which may be air or other gas at atmospheric pressure, or resiliently deformable material such as an elastomeric or plastics material in solid or cellular state. Any combination of such gas, liquid and material may be provided in the zone 4 between the sheet 3 and the surface 2.
  • the zone 4 may be compartmented, provided with different exhaust or displacement paths, or otherwise modified from location to location of switching positions so as to provide different "touch" characteristics at different locations of the sheet 3. This may be useful, for example, to lessen the relative pressure to be applied by a typist's third and fourth fingers. Similarly, the physical characteristics of any material included in the zone 4 may be modified from location to location.
  • switch structure has been illustrated as including boundary spacer means 5 between the sheet 3 and the surface 2, these may be omitted and the sheet 3 caused to contact the surface 2, say at edge portions.
  • the sheet 3 and/or the surface 2 may be provided with projections extending towards the other to act as spacer means, and/or to limit approaching movement of the sheet 3 towards the surface 2.
  • FIG. 2 there is shown a switch means of the shiftable type. It suffices to state that the switch 9 is actuated by movement, with the finger-tip, of an element 10 of the switch in the direction of the arrow "A", with respect to the remainder of the switch 9.
  • the element 10 is physically connected to the remainder of the switch, and is situated beneath a finger-contact sheet 11 which is spaced above the switch 9 by a zone 12 having any of the characteristics described above for the zone 4 of Figure 1.
  • Figure 3 shows a construction which is similar to that of Figure 2, and to which the same characteristics and modifications may be applied, but wherein the shiftable switch element 10a is normally flush with, or below, the upper surface of the switch 9, the underside of the finger-contact sheet 11 or its equivalent.
  • the sheet 3 or 11 may be in plate or strip form, and marked with switch indications or. left unmarked, and may be physically modified at areas to indicate where finger-tip contact is desired, e.g. provided with raised or depressed areas to assist in seeing, and finding with the finger-tip, the required switch location.
  • the desired "touch”, involving extent of movement for switch operation and the desired resistance to finger-tip movement, may be imparted to the switch means irrespective of the natural "touch", or lack of it, in the switch means as manufactured.

Landscapes

  • Push-Button Switches (AREA)
  • Switches That Are Operated By Magnetic Or Electric Fields (AREA)
EP80901665A 1979-09-12 1980-09-12 Switch structure with touch element Expired EP0042381B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AT80901665T ATE11612T1 (de) 1979-09-12 1980-09-12 Schaltstruktur mit beruehrungselement.

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB7931627 1979-09-12
GB7931627 1979-09-12

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0042381A1 EP0042381A1 (en) 1981-12-30
EP0042381B1 true EP0042381B1 (en) 1985-01-30

Family

ID=10507776

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP80901665A Expired EP0042381B1 (en) 1979-09-12 1980-09-12 Switch structure with touch element

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0042381B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS56501142A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
AT (1) ATE11612T1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE3070065D1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB2081456B (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
WO (1) WO1981000787A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
NZ215956A (en) * 1985-04-29 1988-07-28 Macfarlane A & K Pty Ltd Variable keystroke pressure keyboard: pressure regulated bag compressible between the keyboard base and keys
US4990900A (en) * 1987-10-01 1991-02-05 Alps Electric Co., Ltd. Touch panel
US5089671A (en) * 1989-12-15 1992-02-18 Val Ranetkins Underwater zoom switch
EP0546003B1 (de) * 1990-08-30 1994-12-21 PLATZ, Karl-Otto Druckschaltelement
EP0952599A3 (de) * 1998-04-20 2000-01-19 Company for Technology Transfer and Patents Sark-Kistner Drucktastenschalter
EP1429357A1 (en) 2002-12-09 2004-06-16 IEE INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONICS & ENGINEERING S.A. Foil-type switching element with multi-layered carrier foil
EP1429355A1 (en) * 2002-12-09 2004-06-16 IEE INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONICS & ENGINEERING S.A. Foil-type switching element

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3382338A (en) * 1966-04-26 1968-05-07 Ibm Pushbutton actuator for elastomeric switch
US3503031A (en) * 1969-02-11 1970-03-24 Control Data Corp Printed circuit keyboard
US4017848A (en) * 1975-05-19 1977-04-12 Rockwell International Corporation Transparent keyboard switch and array
US4046975A (en) * 1975-09-22 1977-09-06 Chomerics, Inc. Keyboard switch assembly having internal gas passages preformed in spacer member
US4024368A (en) * 1975-10-02 1977-05-17 Litton Systems, Inc. Switch assembly having selective actuation sensitivity
CA1104182A (en) * 1977-06-24 1981-06-30 Peter Strandwitz Touch switch

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, vol. 10, no. 6, issued 1967 November (Armonk, New York, US), A. Caswell et al.: "Bounceless multiple contact switch" see pages 699 and 700 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2081456A (en) 1982-02-17
WO1981000787A1 (en) 1981-03-19
JPS56501142A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1981-08-13
ATE11612T1 (de) 1985-02-15
GB2081456B (en) 1984-07-25
DE3070065D1 (en) 1985-03-14
EP0042381A1 (en) 1981-12-30

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