JP2002093274A - Switch device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To slowly increase push-down load and output and to improve the operativity by elongating the push-down stroke in a switch device providing the analog output by push-down operation of a key top. SOLUTION: This switch device 8 is so constituted that a click rubber 11 composed of a compression-deformable click rubber body 9 and flexible legs 10 diagonally downward extending from the bottom end outer circumferential part of the click rubber body 9 is mounted on a base plate 5 having an electrode fixed thereon and at the same time stored in the casing 6 mounted on the base plate, the key top 7 penetrated through the casing 6 and projected upward the casing 6 is mounted on the upper end of the click rubber body 9, and the click rubber body 9 is press-contacted with the electrode by the push-down operation of the key top 7 so as to generate the analog output. The switch device is provided with a hollow part 12 opened upward in the central upper part of the click rubber body 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a switch device, and more particularly, to a switch device configured to generate an analog output by pressing a click rubber to an electrode by pressing a keytop. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional switch device of this type will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 1 denotes a switch device. The switch device 1 has a click rubber body 2 made of silicon or the like, which is substantially compressible and deformable, and extends obliquely downward from an outer peripheral portion of a lower end of the click rubber body 2. A click rubber 4 comprising a flexible leg 3 is provided. The click rubber 4 is mounted on a substrate 5 such as a printed circuit board to which electrodes (not shown) are fixed, and is also mounted on the substrate 5. It is housed in the mounted casing 6. Further, a key top 7 that penetrates through the casing 6 and protrudes above the casing 6 is mounted on the upper end of the click rubber body 2.

The click rubber 4 is connected to one end of a power supply for generating a pulse, and the substrate 5 is connected to the other end of the power supply.

The switch device 1 generates an analog output when the key top 7 is depressed and the click rubber body 2 is pressed against the electrode fixed to the substrate 5.

FIG. 6 shows load and output characteristics of the switch device 1 with respect to a pressing displacement. When the key top 7 is depressed, the load F of the switch device 1 increases according to the depressing displacement S. When the key top 7 reaches the displacement S1, the load F1
When the load F1 is reached, the flexible leg 3 bends and the load F suddenly decreases, and when the displacement S2 is reached, that is, when the click rubber body 2 comes into contact with the electrode, the load F2
Down to Thereafter, when the displacement S further increases and the click rubber body 2 is compressed and deformed, the load F also rises rapidly according to the displacement S, and reaches the load F3 when the displacement F reaches the displacement S3.

On the other hand, when the click rubber body 2 comes into contact with the electrode, that is, at the time of the displacement S2, an output P1 is generated, and further, as the displacement S increases, the output P also rises rapidly and at the displacement S3, the output P2 Reach

However, as described above, after the click rubber main body 2 comes into contact with the electrode, the load F and the output P suddenly increase as the displacement S increases, and the switch F1 and the load F3 also change. Because the displacement difference between the displacement S2 and the displacement S3 until reaching P2 is short, that is, since the push-down stroke is short, the operability is poor for the operator of the switch device 1, and smooth operability cannot be obtained. .

Therefore, in a switch device in which an analog output is obtained by a key top depressing operation, a technique to be solved to improve the operability by slowly increasing the depressing load and output and increasing the depressing stroke. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve this problem.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed to achieve the above-mentioned object, and has a click rubber body which can be compressed and deformed, and which extends downward and obliquely from the outer periphery of the lower end of the click rubber body. A click rubber consisting of flexible legs is placed on the substrate to which the electrodes are fixed, and
Housed in a casing mounted on the substrate, and
A key top penetrating the casing and protruding above the casing is mounted on the upper end of the click rubber main body, and the click rubber main body is pressed against the electrode by a pressing operation of the key top to generate an analog output. In the switch device configured as described above, the present invention provides a switch device having a hollow portion that opens upward in the upper center of the click rubber body.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS. For convenience of description, the same components as those of the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 8 denotes a switch device. The switch device 8 is a click rubber body 9 made of silicon or the like which is substantially compressible and deformable, and extends downward and obliquely from the outer periphery of the lower end of the click rubber body 9. Substrate 5 on which the click rubber 11 composed of the flexible leg 10 and the electrode is fixed.
A hollow portion 12 that is placed on the upper portion and that opens upward at the center upper portion of the click rubber body 9 is provided.
Accordingly, the upper outer peripheral portion 13 of the click rubber body 9 that forms the outside of the hollow portion 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is configured to be easily deformed by a pressing force.

When the key top 7 is pushed down, as shown in FIG. 2, the click rubber body 9 is pushed down and the flexible leg 10 is bent, and further, the click rubber body forming the hollow portion 12 is formed. 9 of the upper outer peripheral portion 1
3 is slightly deformed, and the click rubber body 9 and the electrode come into close contact with each other. As a result, an output is generated in the switch device 8.

When the key top 7 continues to be depressed, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper outer peripheral portion 13 is further deformed, and the click rubber body 9 is also compressed and deformed.
The output of the switch device 8 rises slowly based on the compression deformation of the upper outer peripheral portion 13 and the click rubber body 9.

FIG. 4 shows the load and output characteristics of the switch device 8 with respect to the pressing displacement. When the key top 7 is depressed, the load F of the switch device 8 increases according to the depressing displacement S. When the key device 7 reaches the displacement S11, the load F
11 and the load F11, the flexible leg 10
Is bent and the load F is suddenly reduced to reach the displacement S12, that is, when the click rubber body 9 comes into contact with the electrode, the load F12 is reduced to the load F12. Thereafter, when the displacement S further increases, that is, when the upper outer peripheral portion 13 is further deformed and the click rubber main body 9 is compressed and deformed, the load F also rises slowly according to the displacement S and becomes the displacement S13. The load reaches F13.

On the other hand, when the click rubber body 9 contacts the electrode, that is, at the time of the displacement S12, the output P11
Occurs, and the output P also rises slowly as the displacement S increases, and reaches the output P12 at the displacement S13.

Thus, as described above, after the click rubber body 9 comes into contact with the electrode, the load F and the output P increase slowly as the displacement S increases. F13 and the output P12, but the displacement S12 and the displacement S1 which reach the load F13 and the output P12.
The displacement difference from the switch device 3 becomes longer, that is, the pushing stroke becomes longer, and the operability of the operator of the switch device 8 is remarkably improved.

The present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention extends to the modified ones.

[0017]

As described in detail in the above embodiment, the present invention relates to a switch device configured to generate an analog output by pressing a click rubber body to an electrode by pressing a key top. Since the hollow portion that opens upward is provided at the upper center of the click rubber main body, after the click rubber main body and the electrode come into contact by the pressing operation of the key top, the outside of the hollow portion is further pressed by the pressing operation. By further deforming the upper outer peripheral portion of the click rubber body to be formed, the pushing load and output of the switch device rise slowly, and the pushing displacement,
That is, the operability of the operator is remarkably improved because the push-down stroke becomes longer.

Thus, according to the present invention, there is provided a switch device in which an analog output is obtained by pressing a key top.
This is an invention that has a very significant effect, such as a function of slowly increasing the push-down load and output and increasing the push-down stroke to improve operability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention and is a partially cutaway front view of a switch device.

FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of the present invention, and is a partially cutaway front view of the switch device in a state where a click rubber main body is in contact with an electrode.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway front view of the switch device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which an upper outer peripheral portion of a click rubber main body is deformed.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention and is a load and output characteristic diagram with respect to a downward displacement of a switch device.

FIG. 5 shows a conventional example, and is a partially cutaway front view of a switch device.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a conventional example, in which a load and an output characteristic with respect to a downward displacement of a switch device are shown.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 5 board 6 casing 7 key top 8 switch device 9 click rubber body 10 flexible leg 11 click rubber 12 hollow part

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A click rubber comprising a compressible deformable click rubber main body and a flexible leg extending obliquely downward from an outer peripheral portion of a lower end of the click rubber main body is mounted on a substrate to which electrodes are fixed. And a key top that is housed in a casing mounted on the substrate, and is mounted on the upper end of the click rubber main body and penetrates the casing and protrudes upward from the casing. In a switch device configured so that the click rubber body is pressed against the electrode to generate an analog output by a pressing operation, a hollow portion that opens upward is provided at the upper center of the click rubber body. Characteristic switch device.