JP2001052563A - Key switch device and its assembling method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily assemble link members and a holder member by locking the lower end of a first link member in a third locking part of the holder member, locking the lower end of a second link member in a fourth locking part of the holder member, and fixing a circuit board and a supporting member to the lower side of the holder member. SOLUTION: In a key switch 1, a turning locking part 15 and a sliding locking part 16 are installed on the bottom surface of a key top 2, and a sliding locking groove 28a and a turning locking groove 27a are formed in a holder member 7, in the lower diagonal position of the turning locking part 15 and the sliding locking part 16. A first link 4 and a second link 5 are locked in the turning and sliding locking grooves of the holder member 7, and guide the vertical motion of the key top 2. Two contacts of a circuit board 9 are switched according to the vertical motion with conductive rubber 30, and after the first and second links 4, 5 are locked in the holder member 7, the circuit board 9 and a reinforcing plate 10 are fixed to the holder member 7. The first and second links 4, 5 are easily assembled with the holder member 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key switch device applied to a keyboard used as an input device of a word processor, a personal computer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a key switch device generally has a structure in which an insulating film circuit board is sandwiched between a holder member and a switch support plate, as described in the specification and drawings attached to Japanese Patent Application No. 3-330160. have.

On the film circuit board, a fixed contact pattern in which two types of switching circuits and fixed contacts extending from each circuit are combined in a comb-like pattern is printed, and the fixed contact pattern is formed at a position corresponding to the fixed contact pattern. Is provided with a rubber spring formed in an inverted cup shape. The rubber spring has a movable contact inside, and a switching operation is performed by pressing the rubber spring.

Further, an actuator composed of two link members is installed on the holder member corresponding to the rubber spring, and a keytop is mounted on the upper end of the actuator. When the operator presses the keytop,
In response, the actuator guides the keytop to the upper part of the corresponding rubber spring, and presses down the rubber spring. When the pressing amount exceeds a certain amount, the movable contact inside the rubber spring comes into contact with the fixed contact pattern, and the fixed contact is short-circuited, so that switching is performed.

[0005] The switch support plate corresponds to a lower cover of the keyboard device, and enhances the rigidity of the keyboard device and increases the reliability of key input.

[0006]

However, in the key switch device described in the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 3-330160, the assembly of the holder member and the two link members constituting the actuator is simple and easy. There is a problem that it cannot be easily performed.

That is, to assemble the key switch device, first, with the circuit board sandwiched between the holder member and the switch support plate, the holder member and the switch support plate are fixed to each other, and one of the links is connected. After assembling the member and the other link member in an intersecting manner to form an actuator, the two locking pins formed on one of the link members are pressed into the locking holes of the locking portions of the holder member. At this time, the press-fitting of each locking pin into the locking hole is performed by utilizing the resin elasticity of each locking pin, but it is difficult to position each locking pin in the locking hole. Pressing work is likely to be unstable. Therefore, this press-fitting operation was considerably complicated.

[0008] Two locking pins formed on the other link member are press-fitted into locking grooves of locking portions of the holder member. Even in such a case, since the press-fitting operation is performed by using the resin elasticity of each locking pin, it is undeniable that the pressing-in operation is a complicated operation as described above.

As described above, Japanese Patent Application No. Hei.
In the key switch device described in the specification of No. 0, the linking operation between each link member and the holder member of the actuator is performed by using the resin elasticity of each member.
Since each locking pin needs to be locked while being positioned inside each locking groove, there has been a problem that it is necessary to repeatedly perform a complicated press-fitting operation throughout the entire assembling operation of the key switch device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and a key switch device capable of easily assembling a holder member and a link member for guiding the vertical movement of a key top. And an assembling method thereof.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key switch device comprising: a key top having a first locking portion and a second locking portion formed on a lower surface; And a third locking portion at a diagonal position of the first locking portion and a fourth locking portion at a diagonal position of the second locking portion.
A holder member having a locking portion formed thereon, and a first link member which is locked to each of the locking portions of the key top and the holder member, guides the vertical movement of the key top, and is movably connected to each other; A key switch device comprising: a second link member; a circuit board having a switching portion that performs a switching operation in accordance with the vertical movement of the key top; and a support member that supports the circuit board,
With the link member and the second link member assembled, the first
After the lower ends of the link member and the second link member are respectively locked to the third locking portion and the fourth locking portion of the holder member, the circuit board and the support member are fixed to the lower side of the holder member. And

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key switch device comprising: a key top having a first locking portion and a second locking portion formed on a lower surface; and a key top provided below the key top. A holder member having a third locking portion at a diagonal position of the first locking portion and a fourth locking portion at a diagonal position of the second locking portion; and each of the key top and the holder member. The first link member and the second link member movably connected to each other while being locked by the locking portions to guide the vertical movement of the key top, and perform a switching operation in accordance with the vertical movement of the key top. A method of assembling a key switch device including a circuit board having a switching unit and a support member supporting the circuit board, wherein a link assembling step of assembling the first link member and the second link member;
A locking step of locking the lower end of the assembled first link member to the third locking portion of the holder member and locking the lower end of the second link member to the fourth locking portion of the holder member; And fixing the circuit board and the support member to the lower side of the holder member.

In the method of assembling the key switch device according to the present invention, first, the first link member and the second link member are assembled. Thus, the first link member and the second link member are movably connected to each other. In the assembled state, the first link member and the second link member can be handled as an integral member, and the handling is easier than when each is handled alone. Next, the lower end of the first link member assembled as described above is locked by the third locking portion of the holder member, and the lower end of the first link member is thus locked by the third locking portion. In the locked state, the lower end of the second link member is locked to the fourth locking portion of the holder member. After this,
In a state where both link members are locked and held by the holder member,
The circuit board and the support member are fixed to the lower side of the holder member. Thereby, the assembly of the first link member, the second link member, and the holder member is completed.

When the switching operation is performed by the key switch device assembled as described above, the key top is pressed down against the urging force of the urging member. When the keytop is pressed, the keytop is guided downward via the first link member and the second link member with the pressing. The switching operation is performed via the switching unit of the circuit board based on the key top pressing operation. still,
When the pressing of the keytop is released, the keytop is returned to the original non-pressed position via the urging force of the urging member.

[0015]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of one of a plurality of key switches 1 arranged on a keyboard. The key switch 1 has a key top 2, an X-shaped first link 4 and a second link 5 in a side view. And a cap-shaped rubber spring 6 pressed by the guide support means 3
A holder member 7 made of synthetic resin for supporting the guide support means 3 and a lower surface of the holder member 7 such that the switching portions 29, 29 (see FIG. 7) face the mounting holes 7a of the holder member 7. A flexible printed circuit board 9 to be stretched;
And a reinforcing plate 10 stretched on the lower surface thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the rubber spring 6 is provided with a mounting hole for the holder member 7 so as to cover above the switching portions (electric contact portions) 29, 29 (see FIG. 7) on the printed circuit board 9. 7a. The rubber spring 6 of the present invention is made of electrically insulating silicone rubber or EPDM (ethylene propylene diene methylene) or the like, and has a substantially disk-shaped thick head in plan view and a truncated head extending downward from the periphery of the head. It is integrally formed in a downwardly open cap shape including a conical dome portion and a thick flange portion extending radially outward in a substantially horizontal direction on the outer periphery of the dome portion. When the keytop is depressed, the switching portions 29, 2 are provided on the lower surface of the head of the rubber spring 6 pressed by the pressing portion 26 on the lower surface of the connection intersection between the first link 4 and the second link 5.
Both switching parts are electrically turned on by contacting the contact part of No. 9.
The movable contact portion 30 made of conductive rubber having conductivity for turning off is fixed. The entire rubber spring 6 may be formed to have conductivity by dispersing and filling conductive particles such as carbon black in silicone rubber.

The key top 2 formed of a synthetic resin such as an ABS resin is provided with characters such as numerals and letters on the upper surface (surface) by engraving or printing. Key top 2
A longitudinal groove-shaped slide for locking the pin portions 11a, 11b on the upper free end side of the first link 4 to be described later in a substantially horizontal direction so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction of the key top 2. The locking portions 16, 16 and the hole-shaped rotation locking portions 15, 15 for locking the pin portions 13 a, 13 b at the upper free end of the second link 5 only for rotation are integrally provided. The pair of left and right locking members 17, 17 having the front and rear lengths are integrally formed or bonded to each other with an adhesive or the like to protrude (see FIG. 5).

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b),
The first link 4 and the second link 5 made of a synthetic resin such as a glass fiber reinforced synthetic resin will be described in detail. FIG. 4A is a plan view of the first link 4, and FIG. 4B is a plan view of the second link 5. The first link 4 has a base 18 and an upper and lower free end 1
9 and 20, which are integrally formed in a substantially H-shape in plan view. A support hole 21 is formed in the side surface of the base 18 in a lateral direction, and an arm portion extending from both left and right ends of the lower free end 20. Pin portions 12a, 12b are provided on the side surfaces of 20a, 20b, respectively.
Is projected sideways, and a pin 1 is provided on the side of the upper free end 19.
1a and 11b are protruded sideways.

The second link 5 also has a base 22 and an upper and lower free end 2.
3 and 24 to form a substantially H-shape integrally in plan view. A pivot shaft 25 is protruded laterally from one side surface of the base 22, and the pivot shaft 25 is rotatably fitted into the support hole 21 of the first link 4.

On the side surfaces of the arms 24a and 24b extending from the left and right ends of the lower free end 24 of the second link 5, pin portions 14a and 14b are provided to project sideways, respectively. Project the pin portions 13a and 13b laterally. In this embodiment, the pin portions 1 above and below the center line of the support hole 21 in the first link 4 in a side view.
The distance from the center line of the pivot shaft 25 in the second link 5 to the pin portions 13a and 14a is equal to the distance to the center line of the first link 12a. With this configuration, as described below, the key top 2 is displaced around the pin portions 12a and 12b on the lower free end side of the first link 4 so that the key top 2 is held by the holder member 7. Can be moved up and down in parallel with the upper surface of the.

Although not shown, downwardly convex polygon-shaped pressing portions are formed on the lower surfaces of the base portion 18 of the first link 4 and the base portion 22 of the second link 5, respectively. The upper surface of the head may be pressed.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a part of a holder member 7 made of synthetic resin such as glass fiber reinforced synthetic resin. In this embodiment, the holder member 7 is flat. The holder member 7 is provided with a substantially rectangular mounting hole 7a into which a flange at the lower end of the cap-shaped rubber spring 6 can be inserted so as not to be displaced. The rotation locking portion 27 and the sliding locking portion 28 having a longitudinally longitudinal groove shape are integrally formed by injection so that the locking portions 27 and 28 are opened downward. In this case, the rotation locking portion 27
The downward U-shaped locking groove 27a and the longitudinally extending U-shaped locking groove 28 in the sliding locking portion 28 are formed so as to open in the normal direction to the back surface of the holder member 7. If this is the case, the die-cutting operation after injection molding of the synthetic resin becomes extremely easy, and there is no need to use a slide die.

Then, the links 4 and 5 are connected to the pivot shaft 25 in advance.
And, it is assembled in an X shape in a side view at the position of the support hole 21. As a result, the first link 4 and the second link 5 are movably connected to each other. In the assembled state, the first link 4 and the second link 5 can be handled as an integral member, and the handling is easier than when each is handled alone. Next, the upper pin portions 11a, 11b, 13a, 1 of both links 4, 5
3b is inserted into the rotation locking portions 15, 15 and the sliding locking portions 16, 16 of the key top 2, and then the gap between the lower end free ends 20, 24 of both links 4, 5 is reduced. Then, the pins 12a, 12b, 14a, and 14b are inserted so as to protrude from the mounting holes 7a to the back side of the holder member 7, and then,
The distance between the lower free ends 20 and 24 of the links 4 and 5 is increased, and the lower end pins 12 a and 12 b of the first link 4 are inserted into the rotation locking portions 27 and 27 from below. ,
The pins 14a, 14b on the lower end side of the second link 5 are inserted into the sliding locking portions 28, 28 so as to slide back and forth from below, and then the printed circuit board 9 is mounted on the lower surface of the holder member 7.
If the reinforcing plate 10 is stretched and fixed, the links 4 and 5 do not fall off the holder member 7. Further, the pin portions 14a, 14b of the first link 4 are locked to the sliding locking portions 28, 28 of the holder member 7, and the pin portions 12 of the second link 5 are locked.
Since the printed board 9 and the reinforcing plate 10 are fixed to the lower surface of the holder member 7 after the a and 12b are locked to the rotation locking portion 27 of the holder member 7, the first link 4 and the second link
When each of the pin portions 14a, 14b, 12a, 12b of the link 5 is locked to the sliding locking portion 28 and the rotation locking portion 27, respectively, Is open, and there is nothing that hinders the locking operation of each of the pin portions 14a, 14b, 12a, 12b with respect to the sliding locking portion 28 and the rotation locking portion 27. As a result, the pin portions 14a, 14b, 12a, 12b of the links 4, 5 can be very easily locked to the sliding locking portion 28 and the rotation locking portion 27 of the holder member 7, respectively. It is possible to easily assemble the holder members 7, 4 and 5. At this time, if the work is performed with the back surface of the holder member 7 facing upward, the work becomes easier.

Also, the pin portions 11a, 11b and 14a,
14b and the shape and dimensions of the sliding engagement portions 16 and 28
The link 4 and the second link 5 are determined so as to be substantially immobile in the left-right direction in FIG. 3 and not to hinder the sliding of the pin portions 11a, 14a in the left-right direction in FIG. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the tip of each pin portion slides substantially in contact with the outer side surface of the corresponding sliding engagement portion.
Therefore, the pivot shaft 25 is prevented from coming out of the support hole 21.

With this configuration, when the key top 2 is depressed, the first link 4 rotates downward (clockwise in FIG. 1) about the rotation locking portion 27 of the holder member 7.
On the other hand, the second link 5 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1 around the pivot shaft 25. Then, the head of the rubber spring 6 is pressed downward by the pressing portion 26 near the cross connection portion of the two links 4 and 5, and the movable contact 30 on the lower surface thereof contacts the switching portions 29 and 29 to perform a switching operation. It is.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 shows the pivot 2 of the second link 5.
5, a large-diameter head 25 a is formed at the distal end, and a substantially C-shaped holding member 31 is formed on the intermediate lower surface of the base portion 18 of the first link 4 and opened downward and viewed from the side. By fitting the support shaft 25 in a direction crossing the axis thereof, it is possible to prevent the pair of links 4 and 5 from coming off after assembling them in an X-shape and to prevent the lateral displacement (the interval between the links 4 and 5 is expanded). In this case, the holder member 7
Link 4 to the rotation locking portion 27 and the sliding locking portion 28
The work of mounting the pin portion 5 is further facilitated.

FIGS. 9 to 12 show a case in which the holder member 7 'is formed in a downwardly convex curved shape, and the upper surface of the key tops 2 of the key switches 1 arranged in a large number on the keyboard has an upwardly convexly curved envelope surface 35. FIG.
In this embodiment, a downwardly curved holder member 7 ′ similar to the envelope surface 35 is attached to the operation portion hole 33 of the synthetic resin upper case 32 of the keyboard with screws 34.

Since the shapes and structures of the key top 2, the first link 4, the second link 5, and the rubber spring 6 in this embodiment are the same as those in each of the above embodiments, detailed description will be omitted.

Conventionally, a stem protruding downward from the lower surface of the key top is inserted into a stem guide portion formed on the holder member to guide and support the key top so as to be able to move up and down. In order to make the moving direction the normal direction of the envelope curved surface, when injection molding integrally with the holder member so as to insert the guide hole of the stem guide portion in the normal direction, a pair of upper and lower molding dies is used. Of these, a large number of slide dies corresponding to the guide holes are radially mounted on one of the molding dies in a slidable manner. Then, the operation of injecting the molten synthetic resin into the cavity formed by the pair of upper and lower molding dies and solidifying the resin, and extracting the slide dies in the normal direction must be performed.

In order to form the guide hole of the stem guide portion so as to be inserted in the normal direction as described above, a molding die becomes complicated, and a process of mounting and extracting a slide die is required. The problem is that the production cost of the keyboard rises.

In this embodiment, the rotation locking portion 27 'and the sliding locking portion 28' formed integrally on the left and right side edges of the mounting hole 7'a in the synthetic resin holder member 7 'are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the opening directions of the downward U-shaped rotation locking grooves 27a 'and sliding locking grooves 28'a in all the locking portions 27' and 28 'are parallel. To form.

As described above, the opening directions of the downwardly U-shaped rotation locking grooves 27a 'and sliding locking grooves 28'a in all the locking portions 27' and 28 'are formed in parallel. However, the pin portions 12a, 12b, 14a, 1 that fit into the respective locking grooves
The height position of 4b is located on an envelope surface similar to the envelope surface 35. Therefore, the upper surfaces of all the key tops 2 arranged on the holder member 7 'are also substantially along the envelope surface 35. And the vertical movement direction of each key top 2 is the normal direction of the envelope surface 35. Also in this embodiment, the lower surface (back surface) of the holder member 7 'is
And a reinforcing plate 10 is provided on the lower surface thereof.

One embodiment of a method of forming the holder member 7 'is, for example, a pair of upper and lower molding dies 36, 3 shown in FIG.
When the synthetic resin is injected into the cavity 38 between the mating surfaces of the holder 7 and the holder member 7 ′ and the rotation locking portion 27 ′ and the sliding locking portion 28 ′ are integrally formed, Projection 3 corresponding to dynamic locking groove 27a 'and sliding locking groove 28'a
The direction in which the lower mold 36 having the components 9 and 40 is removed is set so that the side surfaces of all the projections 39 and 40 are parallel to each other.

In this way, the projections 39 and 40 can be formed integrally with the lower mold 36, and the operation can be performed in one direction of the mold withdrawal. The molding work of 7 'becomes extremely easy, and the cost for manufacturing the mold is reduced.

It is needless to say that the present embodiment can be applied to the case where the upper case 32 of the keyboard and the holder member 7 'are integrally formed.

In the above-mentioned embodiment in which the holder member is formed in a flat shape or a downwardly convex curved shape, the material of the holder member is a thin metal plate such as aluminum, steel plate or the like. Rotation locking parts 27, 2
Even when the 7 'and the sliding engagement portions 28, 28' are molded at a time, the invention of each of the above embodiments can be applied by using a molding die similar to that described above.

Further, a substrate such as a membrane switch circuit board may be used instead of the flexible printed circuit board 9 forming the switching section 29, and the invention can be applied to a variable capacity keyboard.

[0039]

As described above, according to the key switch device and the method of assembling the same according to the present invention, the lower end of the first link member is locked to the third locking portion of the holder member, and the second link is locked. After the lower end of the member is locked to the fourth locking portion of the holder member, the circuit board and the supporting member are fixed to the lower side of the holder member. Nothing prevents the work of locking each lower end to the part. Thus, the lower end of each link member can be extremely easily locked to the third locking portion and the fourth locking portion of the holder member, and the assembly of each link member and the holder member can be easily performed. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a key switch.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a pressed state of a key top.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1;

4A is a plan view of a first link, and FIG. 4B is a plan view of a second link.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the key top.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a rubber spring and a mounting hole.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a mounting hole of a holder member.

FIG. 8 is a side view of another embodiment of the connecting means of the pair of links.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of another embodiment of the keyboard.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged side sectional view of a main part of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a downwardly convex curved holder member.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a molding die.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Key switch 2 Key top 3 Guide support means 4 1st link 5 2nd link 6 Rubber spring 7, 7 'Holder member 7a, 7'a Mounting hole 9 Printed circuit board 10 Reinforcement plate 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b Pin part 13a , 13b, 14a, 14b Pin portion 15, 27, 27 'Rotating locking portion 16, 28, 28' Sliding locking portion 27a, 27'a Rotating locking groove 28a, 28'a Sliding locking groove 18, 22 Base 21 Support hole 25 Pivot shaft 31 Holder 32 Upper case 35 Envelope 36, 37 Mold 38 Cavity 39, 40 Projection

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] August 11, 2000 (2008.1.
1)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Full text

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Document Name] Statement

Patent application title: KEY SWITCH DEVICE AND ITS ASSEMBLING METHOD

[Claims]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key switch device applied to a keyboard used as an input device of a word processor, a personal computer or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a key switch device generally has a structure in which an insulating film circuit board is sandwiched between a holder member and a switch support plate, as described in the specification and drawings attached to Japanese Patent Application No. 3-330160. have.

On the film circuit board, a fixed contact pattern in which two types of switching circuits and fixed contacts extending from each circuit are combined in a comb-like pattern is printed, and the fixed contact pattern is formed at a position corresponding to the fixed contact pattern. Is provided with a rubber spring formed in an inverted cup shape. The rubber spring has a movable contact inside, and a switching operation is performed by pressing the rubber spring.

Further, an actuator composed of two link members is installed on the holder member corresponding to the rubber spring, and a keytop is mounted on the upper end of the actuator. When the operator presses the keytop,
In response, the actuator guides the keytop to the upper part of the corresponding rubber spring, and presses down the rubber spring. When the pressing amount exceeds a certain amount, the movable contact inside the rubber spring comes into contact with the fixed contact pattern, and the fixed contact is short-circuited, so that switching is performed.

[0005] The switch support plate corresponds to a lower cover of the keyboard device, and enhances the rigidity of the keyboard device and increases the reliability of key input.

[0006]

However, in the key switch device described in the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 3-330160, the assembly of the holder member and the two link members constituting the actuator is simple and easy. There is a problem that it cannot be easily performed.

That is, to assemble the key switch device, first, with the circuit board sandwiched between the holder member and the switch support plate, the holder member and the switch support plate are fixed to each other, and one of the links is connected. After assembling the member and the other link member in an intersecting manner to form an actuator, the two locking pins formed on one of the link members are pressed into the locking holes of the locking portions of the holder member. At this time, the press-fitting of each locking pin into the locking hole is performed by utilizing the resin elasticity of each locking pin, but it is difficult to position each locking pin in the locking hole. Pressing work is likely to be unstable. Therefore, this press-fitting operation was considerably complicated.

[0008] Two locking pins formed on the other link member are press-fitted into locking grooves of locking portions of the holder member. Even in such a case, since the press-fitting operation is performed by using the resin elasticity of each locking pin, it is undeniable that the pressing-in operation is a complicated operation as described above.

As described above, Japanese Patent Application No. Hei.
In the key switch device described in the specification of No. 0, the linking operation between each link member and the holder member of the actuator is performed by using the resin elasticity of each member.
Since each locking pin needs to be locked while being positioned inside each locking groove, there has been a problem that it is necessary to repeatedly perform a complicated press-fitting operation throughout the entire assembling operation of the key switch device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and a key switch device capable of easily assembling a holder member and a link member for guiding the vertical movement of a key top. And an assembling method thereof.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key switch device comprising: a key top having a first locking portion and a second locking portion formed on a lower surface; And a third locking portion at a diagonal position of the first locking portion and a fourth locking portion at a diagonal position of the second locking portion.
A holder member having a locking portion formed thereon, and a first link member which is locked to each of the locking portions of the key top and the holder member, guides the vertical movement of the key top, and is movably connected to each other; A key switch device comprising: a second link member; a circuit board having a switching portion that performs a switching operation in accordance with the vertical movement of the key top; and a support member that supports the circuit board,
With the link member and the second link member assembled, the first
After the lower ends of the link member and the second link member are respectively locked to the third locking portion and the fourth locking portion of the holder member, the circuit board and the support member are fixed to the lower side of the holder member. And

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a key switch device comprising: a key top having a first locking portion and a second locking portion formed on a lower surface; and a key top provided below the key top. A holder member having a third locking portion at a diagonal position of the first locking portion and a fourth locking portion at a diagonal position of the second locking portion; and each of the key top and the holder member. The first link member and the second link member movably connected to each other while being locked by the locking portions to guide the vertical movement of the key top, and perform a switching operation in accordance with the vertical movement of the key top. A method of assembling a key switch device including a circuit board having a switching unit and a support member supporting the circuit board, wherein a link assembling step of assembling the first link member and the second link member;
A locking step of locking the lower end of the assembled first link member to the third locking portion of the holder member and locking the lower end of the second link member to the fourth locking portion of the holder member; And fixing the circuit board and the support member to the lower side of the holder member.

In the method of assembling the key switch device according to the present invention, first, the first link member and the second link member are assembled. Thus, the first link member and the second link member are movably connected to each other. In the assembled state, the first link member and the second link member can be handled as an integral member, and the handling is easier than when each is handled alone. Next, the lower end of the first link member assembled as described above is locked by the third locking portion of the holder member, and the lower end of the first link member is thus locked by the third locking portion. In the locked state, the lower end of the second link member is locked to the fourth locking portion of the holder member. After this,
In a state where both link members are locked and held by the holder member,
The circuit board and the support member are fixed to the lower side of the holder member. Thereby, the assembly of the first link member, the second link member, and the holder member is completed.

When the switching operation is performed by the key switch device assembled as described above, the key top is pressed down against the urging force of the urging member. When the keytop is pressed, the keytop is guided downward via the first link member and the second link member with the pressing. The switching operation is performed via the switching unit of the circuit board based on the key top pressing operation. still,
When the pressing of the keytop is released, the keytop is returned to the original non-pressed position via the urging force of the urging member.

[0015]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of one of a plurality of key switches 1 arranged on a keyboard. The key switch 1 has a key top 2, an X-shaped first link 4 and a second link 5 in a side view. And a cap-shaped rubber spring 6 pressed by the guide support means 3
A holder member 7 made of synthetic resin for supporting the guide support means 3 and a lower surface of the holder member 7 such that the switching portions 29, 29 (see FIG. 7) face the mounting holes 7a of the holder member 7. Flexible printed circuit board (circuit
Substrate) 9 and a reinforcing plate 10 stretched on the lower surface side thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the rubber spring 6 is provided with a mounting hole for the holder member 7 so as to cover above the switching portions (electric contact portions) 29, 29 (see FIG. 7) on the printed circuit board 9. 7a. The rubber spring 6 of the present invention is made of electrically insulating silicone rubber or EPDM (ethylene propylene diene methylene) or the like, and has a substantially disk-shaped thick head in plan view and a truncated head extending downward from the periphery of the head. It is integrally formed in a downwardly open cap shape including a conical dome portion and a thick flange portion extending radially outward in a substantially horizontal direction on the outer periphery of the dome portion. When the keytop is depressed, the switching portions 29, 2 are provided on the lower surface of the head of the rubber spring 6 pressed by the pressing portion 26 on the lower surface of the connection intersection between the first link 4 and the second link 5.
Both switching parts are electrically turned on by contacting the contact part of No. 9.
The movable contact portion 30 made of conductive rubber having conductivity for turning off is fixed. The entire rubber spring 6 may be formed to have conductivity by dispersing and filling conductive particles such as carbon black in silicone rubber.

The key top 2 formed of a synthetic resin such as an ABS resin is provided with characters such as numerals and letters on the upper surface (surface) by engraving or printing. Key top 2
A longitudinal groove-shaped slide for locking the pin portions 11a, 11b on the upper free end side of the first link 4 to be described later in a substantially horizontal direction so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction of the key top 2. The locking portions 16, 16 and the hole-shaped rotation locking portions 15, 15 for locking the pin portions 13 a, 13 b at the upper free end of the second link 5 only for rotation are integrally provided. The pair of left and right locking members 17, 17 having the front and rear lengths are integrally formed or bonded to each other with an adhesive or the like to protrude (see FIG. 5).

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b),
The first link 4 and the second link 5 made of a synthetic resin such as a glass fiber reinforced synthetic resin will be described in detail. FIG. 4A is a plan view of the first link 4, and FIG. 4B is a plan view of the second link 5. The first link 4 has a base 18 and an upper and lower free end 1
9 and 20, which are integrally formed in a substantially H-shape in plan view. A support hole 21 is formed in the side surface of the base 18 in a lateral direction, and an arm portion extending from both left and right ends of the lower free end 20. Pin portions 12a, 12b are provided on the side surfaces of 20a, 20b, respectively.
Is projected sideways, and a pin 1 is provided on the side of the upper free end 19.
1a and 11b are protruded sideways.

The second link 5 also has a base 22 and an upper and lower free end 2.
3 and 24 to form a substantially H-shape integrally in plan view. A pivot shaft 25 is protruded laterally from one side surface of the base 22, and the pivot shaft 25 is rotatably fitted into the support hole 21 of the first link 4.

On the side surfaces of the arms 24a and 24b extending from the left and right ends of the lower free end 24 of the second link 5, pin portions 14a and 14b are provided to project sideways, respectively. Project the pin portions 13a and 13b laterally. In this embodiment, the pin portions 1 above and below the center line of the support hole 21 in the first link 4 in a side view.
The distance from the center line of the pivot shaft 25 in the second link 5 to the pin portions 13a and 14a is equal to the distance to the center line of the first link 12a. With this configuration, as described below, the key top 2 is displaced around the pin portions 12a and 12b on the lower free end side of the first link 4 so that the key top 2 is held by the holder member 7. Can be moved up and down in parallel with the upper surface of the.

Although not shown, downwardly convex polygon-shaped pressing portions are formed on the lower surfaces of the base portion 18 of the first link 4 and the base portion 22 of the second link 5, respectively. The upper surface of the head may be pressed.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a part of a holder member 7 made of synthetic resin such as glass fiber reinforced synthetic resin. In this embodiment, the holder member 7 is flat. The holder member 7 is provided with a substantially rectangular mounting hole 7a into which a flange at the lower end of the cap-shaped rubber spring 6 can be inserted so as not to be displaced. The rotation locking portion 27 and the sliding locking portion 28 having a longitudinally longitudinal groove shape are integrally formed by injection so that the locking portions 27 and 28 are opened downward. In this case, the rotation locking portion 27
The downward U-shaped locking groove 27a and the longitudinally extending U-shaped locking groove 28 in the sliding locking portion 28 are formed so as to open in the normal direction to the back surface of the holder member 7. If this is the case, the die-cutting operation after injection molding of the synthetic resin becomes extremely easy, and there is no need to use a slide die.

Then, the links 4 and 5 are connected to the pivot shaft 25 in advance.
And, it is assembled in an X shape in a side view at the position of the support hole 21. As a result, the first link 4 and the second link 5 are movably connected to each other. In the assembled state, the first link 4 and the second link 5 can be handled as an integral member, and the handling is easier than when each is handled alone. Next, the upper pin portions 11a, 11b, 13a, 1 of both links 4, 5
3b is inserted into the rotation locking portions 15, 15 and the sliding locking portions 16, 16 of the key top 2, and then the gap between the lower end free ends 20, 24 of both links 4, 5 is reduced. Then, the pins 12a, 12b, 14a, and 14b are inserted so as to protrude from the mounting holes 7a to the back side of the holder member 7, and then,
The distance between the lower free ends 20 and 24 of the links 4 and 5 is increased, and the lower end pins 12 a and 12 b of the first link 4 are inserted into the rotation locking portions 27 and 27 from below. ,
The pins 14a, 14b on the lower end side of the second link 5 are inserted into the sliding locking portions 28, 28 so as to slide back and forth from below, and then the printed circuit board 9 is mounted on the lower surface of the holder member 7.
If the reinforcing plate 10 is stretched and fixed, the links 4 and 5 do not fall off the holder member 7.

The pin portions 14a, 14 of the first link 4
b is locked to the sliding locking portions 28, 28 of the holder member 7, and the pin portions 12a, 12b of the second link 5 are locked to the rotation locking portion 27 of the holder member 7. 9 and the reinforcing plate 10 are fixed to the lower surface of the holder member 7, so that each pin portion 14 of the first link 4 and the second link 5
a, 14b, 12a, and 12b, respectively,
8, when locking to the rotation locking portion 27, the sliding locking portion 28,
The lower portion of the rotation locking portion 27 is open, and accordingly, the sliding locking portion 28, each pin portion 14a with respect to the rotation locking portion 27,
Nothing interferes with the locking operation of 14b, 12a, 12b. Thus, the pin portions 14 of the links 4 and 5
a, 14b, 12a, and 12b can be extremely easily locked to the sliding locking portion 28 and the rotation locking portion 27 of the holder member 7, and the assembly of the links 4, 5 and the holder member 7 can be performed. It can be done easily. At this time, if the work is performed with the back surface of the holder member 7 facing upward, the work becomes easier.

The pin portions 11a, 11b and 14a,
14b and the shape and dimensions of the sliding engagement portions 16 and 28
The link 4 and the second link 5 are determined so as to be substantially immobile in the left-right direction in FIG. 3 and not to hinder the sliding of the pin portions 11a, 14a in the left-right direction in FIG. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the tip of each pin portion slides substantially in contact with the outer side surface of the corresponding sliding engagement portion.
Therefore, the pivot shaft 25 is prevented from coming out of the support hole 21.

With this configuration, when the key top 2 is pressed, the first link 4 rotates downward (clockwise in FIG. 1) around the rotation locking portion 27 of the holder member 7.
On the other hand, the second link 5 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 1 around the pivot shaft 25. Then, the head of the rubber spring 6 is pressed downward by the pressing portion 26 near the cross connection portion of the two links 4 and 5, and the movable contact 30 on the lower surface thereof contacts the switching portions 29 and 29 to perform a switching operation. It is.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 shows the pivot 2 of the second link 5.
5, a large-diameter head 25 a is formed at the distal end, and a substantially C-shaped holding member 31 is formed on the intermediate lower surface of the base portion 18 of the first link 4 and opened downward and viewed from the side. By fitting the support shaft 25 in a direction crossing the axis thereof, it is possible to prevent the pair of links 4 and 5 from coming off after assembling them in an X-shape and to prevent a lateral displacement (an increase in the interval between the links 4 and 5) . In this case, the holder member 7
Link 4 to the rotation locking portion 27 and the sliding locking portion 28
The work of mounting the pin portion 5 is further facilitated.

FIGS. 9 to 12 show a case where the holder member 7 'is formed in a downwardly convex curved shape, and the upper surface of the key tops 2 of the key switches 1 arranged in a large number on the keyboard has an envelope surface 35 having a downwardly convex curved shape.
In this embodiment, a downwardly curved holder member 7 ′ similar to the envelope surface 35 is attached to the operation portion hole 33 of the synthetic resin upper case 32 of the keyboard with screws 34.

Since the shapes and structures of the key top 2, the first link 4, the second link 5, and the rubber spring 6 in this embodiment are the same as those in the above-described embodiments, detailed description will be omitted.

Conventionally, a stem protruding downward from the lower surface of the key top is inserted into a stem guide formed on the holder member to guide and support the key top so as to be vertically movable. In order to make the moving direction the normal direction of the envelope curved surface, when injection molding integrally with the holder member so as to insert the guide hole of the stem guide portion in the normal direction, a pair of upper and lower molding dies is used. Of these, a large number of slide dies corresponding to the guide holes are radially mounted on one of the molding dies in a slidable manner. Then, the operation of injecting the molten synthetic resin into the cavity formed by the pair of upper and lower molding dies and solidifying the resin, and extracting the slide dies in the normal direction must be performed.

In order to form the guide hole of the stem guide portion so as to be inserted in the normal direction as described above, a molding die becomes complicated, and a process of mounting and extracting a slide die is required. The problem is that the production cost of the keyboard rises.

In this embodiment, the rotation locking portion 27 'and the sliding locking portion 28' formed integrally on the left and right side edges of the mounting hole 7'a in the synthetic resin holder member 7 'are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, the opening directions of the downward U-shaped rotation locking grooves 27a 'and sliding locking grooves 28'a in all the locking portions 27' and 28 'are parallel. To form.

As described above, the opening directions of the downwardly U-shaped rotary locking grooves 27a 'and sliding locking grooves 28'a in all the locking portions 27' and 28 'are formed to be parallel. However , the pin portions 12a, which fit into the locking grooves 27a ', 28'a ,
The height positions of 12b, 14a, and 14b are located on an envelope surface similar to the envelope surface 35. Therefore, the upper surfaces of all the key tops 2 arranged on the holder member 7 'are also located on the envelope surface 35. And the vertical movement direction of each key top 2 is the normal direction of the envelope surface 35. Also in this embodiment, the lower surface (back surface) side of the holder member 7 'is stretched so as to be covered with the printed circuit board 9, and the reinforcing plate 10 is stretched under the lower surface.

One embodiment of a method of forming the holder member 7 'is, for example, a pair of upper and lower molding dies 36, 3 shown in FIG.
When the synthetic resin is injected into the cavity 38 between the mating surfaces of the holder 7 and the holder member 7 ′ and the rotation locking portion 27 ′ and the sliding locking portion 28 ′ are integrally formed, Projection 3 corresponding to dynamic locking groove 27a 'and sliding locking groove 28'a
The direction in which the lower mold 36 having the components 9 and 40 is removed is set so that the side surfaces of all the projections 39 and 40 are parallel to each other.

[0036] In this way, since the the lower mold 36 can be integrally formed projections 39 and 40, and opening direction of the mold can be at once its work in one direction,
The work of molding the holder member 7 'becomes extremely easy, and the cost for manufacturing the mold is reduced. The upper case 32 of the keyboard
Needless to say, the present embodiment can also be applied to the case where the and the holder member 7 'are integrally formed.

In the above-described embodiment in which the holder member is formed in a flat shape or a downwardly convex curved shape, the material of the holder member is a thin metal plate such as aluminum, steel plate or the like . 7'a and rotation locking part 2
When the moldings 7, 27 'and the sliding engagement portions 28, 28' are molded at once, the invention of each of the above embodiments can be applied by using a molding die similar to that described above.

Further, a substrate such as a membrane switch circuit board may be used instead of the flexible printed circuit board 9 forming the switching section 29, and the invention can be applied to a variable capacity keyboard.

[0039]

As described above, according to the key switch device and the method of assembling the same according to the present invention, the lower end of the first link member is locked to the third locking portion of the holder member, and the second link is locked. After the lower end of the member is locked to the fourth locking portion of the holder member, the circuit board and the supporting member are fixed to the lower side of the holder member. Nothing prevents the work of locking each lower end to the part. Thus, the lower end of each link member can be extremely easily locked to the third locking portion and the fourth locking portion of the holder member, and the assembly of each link member and the holder member can be easily performed. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a key switch.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a pressed state of a key top.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 1;

4A is a plan view of a first link, and FIG. 4B is a plan view of a second link.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the key top.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a rubber spring and a mounting hole.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a mounting hole of a holder member.

FIG. 8 is a side view of another embodiment of the connecting means of the pair of links.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view of another embodiment of the keyboard.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged side sectional view of a main part of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a downwardly convex curved holder member.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a molding die.

[Description of Signs] 1 Key switch 2 Key top 3 Guide support means 4 First link 5 Second link 6 Rubber spring 7, 7 'Holder member 7a, 7'a Mounting hole 9 Printed circuit board (circuit board) 10 Reinforcement plate 11a , 11b, 12a, 12b Pin portions 13a, 13b, 14a, 14b Pin portions 15, 27, 27 'Rotation locking portions 16, 28, 28' Sliding locking portions 27a, 27'a Rotation locking grooves 28a , 28'a Sliding lock groove 18, 22 Base 21 Support hole 25 Pivot shaft 31 Holder 32 Upper case 35 Envelope 36, 37 Mold 38 Cavity 39, 40 Projection

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Drawing

[Correction target item name] FIG.

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

FIG. 10

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Makoto Watanabe 15-1, Naeshiro-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya-shi Inside Brother Industries, Ltd. (72) Inventor Isao Mochizuki 15-1 Naeshiro-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya-city Brother Industries, Ltd. Inside

Claims (2)

[Claims] A key top having a first locking portion and a second locking portion formed on a lower surface thereof, the key top being disposed below the key top;
A holder member having a third locking part at a diagonal position of the locking part and a fourth locking part at a diagonal position of the second locking part; and a locking part of the key top and the holder member. A first link member and a second link member which are locked and guide the key top up and down, and which are movably connected to each other; and a switching section which performs a switching operation in accordance with the key top up and down movement. A key switch device comprising: a circuit board; and a support member for supporting the circuit board, wherein lower ends of the first link member and the second link member in a state where the first link member and the second link member are assembled. The key switch device, wherein the circuit board and the support member are fixed to a lower side of the holder member after the parts are respectively locked to the third locking part and the fourth locking part of the holder member. 2. A key top having a first locking portion and a second locking portion formed on a lower surface thereof, the key top being disposed below the key top,
A holder member having a third locking part at a diagonal position of the locking part and a fourth locking part at a diagonal position of the second locking part; and a locking part of the key top and the holder member. A first link member and a second link member which are locked and guide the key top up and down, and which are movably connected to each other; and a switching section which performs a switching operation in accordance with the key top up and down movement. A method for assembling a key switch device comprising: a circuit board; and a support member for supporting the circuit board, wherein a link assembling step of assembling the first link member and the second link member; A locking step of locking the lower end of the link member to the third locking portion of the holder member and locking the lower end of the second link member to the fourth locking portion of the holder member; Components Method of assembling a keyswitch device characterized by comprising a fixing step of fixing the lower side of the holder member.