JP2002313185A - Slide operation switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To construct a slide operation switch with small number of parts, easy to assemble despite the small size, clearly displaying the direction of operation. SOLUTION: A pair of electrodes 7, 7 are mounted to respective inner surface of side wall parts 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D at four sides of a main body case 2, and an elastic energizing member 4, having a holding part 4A, four protruded parts 4B, an opening 4C, and a slit S, is installed in the main body case 2, and conduction bodies 9 are formed at the four sides of the holding part 4A of the energizing member 4, and a slide member 5 is fitted to the inside of the opening 4C of the energizing member 4 through a guiding mechanism T so as to move parallel with the main body case 2. By the above, a key top connected to the slide member 5 is constructed so as to freely move in crucial directions and in the directions combining the above.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a slide member slidably housed in a case, a biasing member for biasing the slide member to a neutral position, and a biasing force of the biasing member. And a conducting portion that reaches an electrically conducting state when the sliding member is operated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10-302576 discloses a slide switch having the above-mentioned structure. With a piece, this 4
The slider is configured to be operable in the cross direction by being provided between the two elongated contact pieces, and the slider is held at the neutral position by the biasing force from the elongated contact piece when not operated. When the slider is operated, the elongated member is elastically deformed and comes into contact with the fixed contact so that the operating state can be electrically detected. An input device (switch) similar to the slide switch configured as described above is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-235240. In this conventional technique, a disk-shaped or ring-shaped input device is provided. The ring-shaped boss of the operation board is fitted into the common contact, and the common contact is configured to be operable via an operation knob protruding from the operation board. By arranging the position contacts, when the operation knob is operated, the common contacts and the position contacts come into contact with each other so that the operation state can be electrically detected.

[0003]

This type of switch is required to be miniaturized and to be easily assembled.
However, considering the former configuration of the prior art, the use of four elongated members increases the number of components, and assembling becomes more troublesome depending on the number of components. In particular, it is conceivable to reduce the size by downscaling with this structure, but simply reducing the size of each component makes it difficult to handle individual components, resulting in troublesome assembly and room for improvement. There is.

Considering the latter configuration of the prior art, it is considered that this configuration has a small number of components and can be easily miniaturized. However, in the latter of the conventional techniques, it is not only technically difficult to form the common contact into an endless ring with a material capable of conducting, but also in this configuration, the common contact is electrically conducted. In addition, since the conductive path must be maintained even when the position of the common contact changes, the structure becomes more complicated. ing.

Further, in the latter configuration, since the ring-shaped boss is fitted into the common contact, the operation board is rotated inside the annular portion of the common contact, and the common contact is fixed to the printed board. Is inevitable to rotate. For example, even if the operation direction is indicated by writing characters (right and left characters, characters such as UP and DOWN) corresponding to the operation direction on the operation knob, There is a discrepancy in the relationship between the direction indicated by characters and the like and the position contact point, and there is room for improvement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to rationally construct a slide-operation-type switch that has a small number of parts, is easy to assemble even if it is miniaturized, and can also specify the operation direction.

[0007]

The features, functions and effects of the slide operation type switch according to the first aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Features] A slide member slidably housed in the case, an urging member for urging the slide member to a neutral position, and a case where the slide member is operated against the urging force of the urging member. And a conducting portion that reaches an electrically conducting state, wherein the sliding member is connected to an operated portion disposed outside the case, and maintains a posture with respect to the case. It is movably supported via a guide mechanism that performs parallel movement,
A flexible member in which the urging member has a holding portion that fits and holds the slide member, and a protrusion formed on the inner surface of the case from the holding portion along a plane parallel to the operation direction of the slide member. The conductive portion is formed of a material, the electrode formed on the inner surface of the case, and a conductor provided in a holding portion of the urging member at a position facing the electrode,
In a state where the slide member is fitted and held in the holding portion of the urging member, if the slide member is in a non-operation state, the slide member is held at the neutral position, and the conductor and the electrode are separated from each other. The state is such that the state is maintained, and by operating the slide member in the direction in which the conductor is formed, the conductor and the electrode come into contact with each other to reach a conductive state.

According to the above feature, the biasing member is made of a flexible material having a holding portion, and the position of the sliding member is adjusted by fitting and holding the sliding member in the holding portion. Since it is determined, assembling becomes easier as compared with a case where the slide member is biased by using a plurality of spring members. In addition, since the slide member moves parallel to the case via the guide mechanism while maintaining the posture, the posture of the operated member connected to the slide member can be maintained. Furthermore, the urging member has a protruding portion that contacts the inner surface of the case,
Since the position in the case is determined, the slide member in the non-operating state is held at the neutral position, and in this neutral position, the protruding member separates the conductor provided on the holding portion from the electrode on the inner surface of the case and the non-conductive state. Maintain state. Then, by operating the slide member, the conductor and the electrode provided on the holding portion come into contact with each other against the urging force of the urging member to reach an electrically conductive state. As a result, not only the number of parts can be reduced, but also the assembly is easy even if the size is reduced, the operation direction can be specified for the operated member placed outside the case, and the function as a switch can be sufficiently achieved. The slide-operated switch to be fulfilled was rationally configured.

The features, operations and effects of the slide switch according to the second aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Features] In the slide operation type switch of claim 1,
The case is configured to include four inner wall surfaces that are square when viewed in a direction orthogonal to the operation plane of the slide member, and the holding portion of the urging member is parallel to the inner wall surfaces of the four sides of the case. The four-sided opposing surface is separated from the inner wall surfaces of the four sides, and is formed in an annular shape, and the protruding portion is formed in a direction projecting from the holding portion to the corner inside the case, and the guide mechanism is provided. A first guide portion linearly formed on a bottom wall surface in a posture orthogonal to the inner wall surface, a guide body movably supported along the first guide portion, A second guide portion movably supporting the slide member in a direction orthogonal to the first guide portion, wherein the electrodes are formed on respective inner wall surfaces of the four sides of the case. The conductor is formed on the opposite surface of the side. In, lies in that the slide member is configured to be freely operated in a cross direction with respect to the neutral position.

According to the above feature, the projection formed on the biasing member projects to the corner inside the case, and this projection contacts the corner inside the case to contact the biasing member. The position will be determined. In addition, even when the slide member is operated in any of the cross directions, the urging force for restoring the slide member to the neutral position is applied from the urging member, so that the four forces as shown in the former of the prior art are applied. There is no need to use members. Furthermore, by providing four electric conductors for the biasing member and four electrodes on the inner wall surface of the case, the relative positional relationship between the electric conductors does not change, and the sliding member can be moved in four directions. When the operation is performed in either direction, the conductor and the electrode come into contact with each other, and the state of this operation can be electrically detected. In addition, when the slide member is operated, the guide body can be moved in any of the cross directions along the bottom wall surface, and the posture of the slide member can be maintained. As a result, it is possible to detect operations in four directions based on the neutral position without increasing the number of components, and to maintain the posture of the operated member.

The features, functions and effects of the slide operation type switch according to the third aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Features] In the slide operation type switch of claim 2,
The present invention is characterized in that a slit connected to an opening of the holding portion into which the slide member is fitted is formed in the projecting portion.

According to the above-mentioned feature, when the slide member is operated, the slit of the projecting portion where the stress acts is enlarged to allow the operation of the slide member, and the slide member is moved to the corner of the case. Even when the slide member is operated in the direction of the part, the slit is enlarged and the operation of the slide member is permitted, so that there is no deformation such as crushing the protrusion. As a result, a good operational feeling can be obtained in any direction while avoiding the disadvantage of damaging the elastic member.

The features, functions and effects of the slide operation type switch according to the fourth aspect of the present invention are as follows. [Feature] The slide-operated switch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first guide portion is formed of a guide hole formed in the bottom wall surface, and has a size covering the guide hole on an outer surface side of the bottom wall surface. In that the closing material is disposed.

[Operation / Effect] According to the above-mentioned feature, by adopting a structure in which a guide hole is formed, a bottom structure can be obtained with a simple structure as compared with, for example, a structure having a rail-shaped member on the bottom wall surface. The slide member can be operated along the wall surface, and by covering the guide hole with the closing material, entry of foreign matter from outside the case can be prevented. As a result, the slide member can be favorably guided along the bottom wall surface with a simple structure.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, in the non-operation state, the key top 1 as an artificial operation piece is held at the neutral position N (non-operation position), and the key top 1 is moved in the X direction based on the neutral position N, A slide-operation-type switch is configured to electrically detect that operation has been performed in a Y direction orthogonal to this direction and in a direction obtained by combining the X direction and the Y direction.

The slide operation type switch is provided in a remote controller of a home appliance, a mobile phone, a controller of a game machine, a panel of an automobile, and the like.
A panel or the like of home appliances is arranged between the key top 1 and the case C. The present invention is characterized in that the slide-operated switch facilitates miniaturization and assembly, and also prevents rotation of the key top 1, and its configuration will be described below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the case C comprises a case body 2 disposed on the lower side in the figure and a lid 3 covering an opening of the case body 2. The urging member 4 and the slide member 5 are arranged inside the inside 2, the sheet material 6 is arranged at a position covering the upper part thereof, and the key top 1 is arranged above the lid 3. It is.

When viewed in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slide member 5 (viewed in the direction shown in FIG. 4), the case body 2 has four side walls 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D and a bottom wall 2E so as to form a square. Is formed in a shape opened upward using a resin material such as an ABS resin or a PPS resin. This case body 2
Of the four side walls 2A, 2B, 2C, 2
A support portion 2F which is shallower than the central portion is formed in the vicinity of the four corners formed by D, and a copper alloy or the like is formed on the inner surfaces of the four side walls 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D forming a square. And a pair of electrodes 7, 7 made of a good conductor of
Conductive terminals 8, 8 formed integrally with 7 protrude from the outer surface of the case body 2. Further, four side walls 2A, 2B, 2
A plurality of engaging projections 2G are formed on the outer surfaces of C and 2D, and the cover 3 is made of aluminum or iron such that the cover 3 is square and large enough to cover the opening of the case body 2 and has an opening 3A at the center. The cover 3 is formed of a thin plate made of a metal material or a resin material such as PET, and a protruding portion provided at the end of the lid 3 has an opening shape that can engage with the engagement protrusion 2G of the case body 2. An engagement portion 3B is formed.

The urging member 4 is made of silicon rubber, ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM) or nitrile rubber (NBR).
An elastic material (an example of a flexible material) that is elastically deformed elastically and electrically insulated is used, and the urging member 4 has a square annular shape smaller than the case body 2. 4A and four projecting portions 4B projecting outward from the corners of the holding portion 4A,
Further, it is formed to a thickness that can be stored in the case body 2. A slit S is formed in the protruding portion 4B so as to be continuous with the opening 4C of the holding portion 4A, and opposing surfaces of the four sides of the holding portion 4A that face the side walls 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D of the case body 2. In contrast, a conductive conductor 9 containing carbon or the like in a base such as a resin is integrally formed.

In particular, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the biasing member 4 used in the slide operation type switch is extruded and formed into a cylindrical shape in which a holding portion 4A and a projecting portion 4B are integrally formed. A step of bonding and fixing a strip-shaped conductor 9 to the outer surface of the holding portion 4A of the molded product, or a process of integrally extruding the holding portion 4A and the protruding portion 4B.
10 and 11, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, when extruding the holding portion 4A and the protruding portion 4B, the side walls 2A, 2A and 2B of the case body 2 among the four sides of the holding portion 4A.
B, 2C, and 2D, a step of forming a projection 4D at a portion facing the projection 4D, and forming a layer of the conductor 9 on the outer surface of the projection 4D using a technique of tampo printing (pad printing) with conductive ink or conductive paint. Thus, a tubular body in which the belt-shaped conductor 9 is integrally formed is produced, and the tubular body is cut into a thickness that can be stored in the case main body 2.

The urging members 4 can also be manufactured one by one by using a mold. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 9, a good conductor such as a copper alloy is used. May be integrated by inserting the conductive member 9.

The slide member 5 is formed of a resin material so as to have a shape that is in close contact with the inner surface of the opening 4C of the holding portion 4A of the urging member 4.
A is formed. The slide member 5 is connected to the case body 2 via the guide mechanism T in the X direction, the Y direction,
And it is slidably supported in a direction combining the X direction and the Y direction.

That is, the guide mechanism T has a projection 11T formed on the lower surface thereof for engaging with the guide hole 2T formed in a posture parallel to the X direction with respect to the bottom wall 2E of the case body 2, and
In addition, the slide member 11 is formed of a resin-made slide body 11 having a shape in which the longitudinal direction as a whole is perpendicular to the guide hole 2T (posture perpendicular to the Y direction). Is formed on the lower surface.
The guide hole 2T corresponds to the first guide portion, the slide body 11 corresponds to the second guide portion, the guide body 11 is slidable in the X direction, and the slide member 5 is moved relative to the guide body 11 in the Y direction. As a result, the slide member 5 does not change its posture with respect to the case 2 (without rotating), and thus the X direction, the Y direction, and
The X-direction and the Y-direction are combined to be freely slidable in the direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a blocking member 13 made of a resin film is disposed at a position covering the bottom surface (outer surface) of the bottom wall 2E of the case 2, and foreign matter enters the case through the guide hole 2T. This prevents any inconvenience. or,
The sheet material 6 has a low coefficient of friction and good sliding properties, and is large enough to be accommodated in the case body 2 and has a square penetration smaller than the sliding member 5 when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the sliding member 5. A hole 6A is formed. Further, a shaft portion 1A that fits into the engagement hole 5A of the slide member 5 is formed on the lower surface side of the key top 1.

Since each part is constructed as described above, when assembling this slide operation type switch, the slide body is inserted into the case body 2 with the projection 11T on the lower surface being engaged with the guide hole 2T. 11, the slide member 5 is set in a state where the slide body 11 is fitted into the guide groove 5T on the lower surface, and the urging member 4 is set in a state where the slide member 5 is fitted in the opening 4C. Then, the sheet material 6 is overlaid on the upper surface, and the cover 3 is pressed toward the case body 2 so that the engaging portions 3B of the cover 3 corresponding to the plurality of engagement protrusions 2G of the case body 2 are engaged. As a result, the lid 3 is fixed to the case body 2, and after reaching this state, the opening 3 of the lid 3 is closed.
A, the shaft portion 1A of the key top 1 is inserted from above into the engagement hole 5 of the slide member 5 with the opening 6A of the sheet material 6 inserted therethrough.
The slide operation type switch is completed through the step of press-fitting into A and engaging and connecting. When the slide operation type switch is mounted, the conductive terminals 8 of the switch are overlapped with the closing member 13 being arranged between the upper surface of the pattern of the substrate (not shown) and the lower surface of the outer slide switch. Or by connecting the conductive terminal 8 of the slide-operated switch to the terminal of the board.

The slide-operated switch assembled as described above does not operate the key top 1, that is, when the key top 1 is in the neutral position N, the inside thereof is attached as shown in FIG. The slide member M is positioned at the center of the case main body 2 by the urging force of the urging member 4, and the electrodes 7, 7 of the case main body 2 and the conductor 9 provided on the urging member 4 are separated from each other. , 7 and the corresponding conductor 9 are maintained in an insulated state.

Next, the key top 1 is attached to the side walls 2A, 2B,
As a direction orthogonal to 2C and 2D (a direction along any of the X direction and the Y direction), for example, when operated in the direction of the left side wall 2D in FIG. 5, the slide body 11 moves along the guide hole 2T. Moving, as shown in the figure,
One side of the holding portion 4A of the urging member 4 facing the lower side in the operation direction is displaced toward the side wall 2D, and the pair of electrodes 7, 7 of the side wall 2D and the urging member 4 are displaced. Conductor 9
Comes into contact with each other to bring the pair of electrodes 7 into a conductive state. When the biasing member 4 is displaced in this way, the slits S, S of the projecting portions 4B, 4B at two positions sandwiching one side of the holding portion 4 displaced in this way are enlarged, and this slide is performed. The displacement is allowed while applying an elastic biasing force to the member 5 in the restoring direction.

The direction of the key top 1 toward the corner of the main case 2 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
In the case where the operation is performed in the intermediate direction between A and the left side wall 2D, the slide member 11 moves along the guide hole 2T and the slide member 5 moves along the slide body 11 at the same time. As shown, the holding portion 4 of the biasing member 4
A, the side wall 2 corresponding to two sides on the lower side in the operation direction
A, simultaneously displaced toward the side wall 2D,
A, the pair of electrodes 7, 7 of the side wall 2D and the two conductors 9, 9 of the urging member 4 come into contact at the same time, and the corresponding pair of electrodes 7, 7 are brought into a conductive state. Further, when the urging member 4 is displaced in this manner, the slit S of the protruding portion 4B on the lower side in the sliding direction of the slide member 5 expands to allow the movement of the slide member 5 and expands in this way. The slits S, S of the projecting portions 4B, 4B at the two positions sandwiching the slit S are enlarged to allow displacement while applying an elastic urging force to the slide member 5 in the restoring direction.

As described above, according to the present invention, the biasing member 4 which can be handled as one part is formed by using a flexible material such as resin which is easily elastically deformed and easy to manufacture, and is provided with the projection 4B. The key top 1 as an artificially operated piece can be held at the neutral position N by the urging force from the urging member 4 when not operated, while not using a plurality of spring materials or the like. When the key top 1 is operated, the slit S formed in the urging member 4 expands as necessary, so that the operation direction can be electrically detected without deteriorating the operation feeling. ing. In addition, when the key top 1 is operated, the slide member 5 supporting the key top 1 is translated by the guide mechanism T without changing the attitude with respect to the case 2. The posture is not changed, and as shown in FIG.
Even when characters such as "W", "R", and "L" are described, the direction of the characters does not change and there is no error in the operation direction.

In particular, when the key top 1 is operated in an intermediate direction in which the X direction and the Y direction are combined, regardless of the direction in which the operation is hindered by the projection 4B, The operation can be performed with a light operating force by opening the slit S of the protruding portion 4B that is located greatly. Even when the operation is performed in the intermediate direction, the electrodes 7 provided on the two side walls are simultaneously operated. It is possible to detect that the operation has been performed after reaching the conduction state. And
Since the slide operation type switch of the present invention has a very small number of parts, it is easy to assemble even if the size is reduced, and the number of failures can be reduced.

[Other Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, instead of the guide groove 2T, the bottom wall 2E of the case 2 may be provided with a guide groove in which the bottom wall 2E has a groove shape. It is also possible to implement by forming or forming a guide rail projecting from the bottom wall 2E.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a slide operation type switch.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a slide operation type switch.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a slide operation type switch.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional plan view of a slide operation type switch.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional plan view of a slide operation switch in a state where a slide member is operated.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional plan view of a slide operation switch in a state where a slide member is operated.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a manufacturing mode of an urging member.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a biasing member.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the biasing member.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a different manufacturing mode of the urging member.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the biasing member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 operated part 2 case 2T guide hole 4 biasing member 4A holding part 4B protruding part 5 slide member 7 electrode 9 conductor 13 closing member N neutral position S slit T guide mechanism

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A slide member slidably housed in a case, an urging member for urging the slide member to a neutral position, and operating the slide member against the urging force of the urging member. And a conducting portion that reaches an electrically conducting state when the switch is operated, wherein the sliding member is connected to an operated portion disposed outside the case, and has a posture with respect to the case. A holding mechanism that fits and holds the slide member, and a plane parallel to the operating direction of the slide member from the holding section; A flexible material having a protruding portion formed to protrude toward the inner surface of the case along the electrode, wherein the conductive portion is provided with an electrode formed on the inner surface of the case and the urging member at a position facing the electrode. And a conductor provided on a holding portion of the member. If the sliding member is in a non-operating state in a state where the sliding member is fitted and held in the holding portion of the urging member, the sliding member is neutral. Held in position, and the conductor and the electrode are maintained in a separated state, and by operating the slide member in the direction in which the conductor is formed, the conductor and the electrode are configured to contact and reach a conductive state. Slide operation switch. 2. The case is provided with four sides of an inner wall surface that is square when viewed in a direction perpendicular to an operation plane of the slide member, and a holding portion of the urging member is formed of four sides of the case. In a posture parallel to the inner wall surface, it is formed in an annular shape with four opposing surfaces spaced apart from the four inner wall surfaces, and the projecting portion is formed in a direction extending from the holding portion to the corner inside the case. A first guide portion formed linearly with respect to a bottom wall surface in a posture orthogonal to the inner wall surface;
A guide body movably supported along the guide part, and a second guide part movably supporting the slide member in a direction perpendicular to the first guide part with respect to the guide body, The electrode is formed on each of the four inner surfaces of the case, and the conductor is formed on the opposing surfaces of the four sides facing the electrodes, so that the slide member can be operated in the cross direction based on the neutral position. 2. The slide operation type switch according to claim 1, wherein the switch is freely configured. 3. The slide operation type switch according to claim 2, wherein a slit connected to an opening of the holding portion into which the slide member is fitted is formed in the projecting portion. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first guide portion is formed of a guide hole formed in the bottom wall surface, and a closing member large enough to cover the guide hole is disposed on an outer surface side of the bottom wall surface. 3. The slide operation type switch according to 1 or 2.