JP2004047467A - Push button switch for vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a push button switch for a vending machine reducing a renewal cost and capable of bringing closer to a flat front panel by replacing only a case and lens while a watertight structure of a circuit board is maintained in the renewal of the vending machine. <P>SOLUTION: A switch comprising a silicone cover 9, the circuit board 5, and a base 1 is installed at the back of a front panel 14, and a case part comprising a case 12 and a lens 11 is arranged on the surface of the front panel 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a push button switch for a vending machine, and more particularly to a push button switch for a vending machine in which only a case and a lens can be replaced while maintaining a watertight structure of a circuit board at the time of renewal of the vending machine, thereby reducing renewal cost. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
9 and 10 show a partial sectional structure of a conventional push button switch for a vending machine. FIG. 9 is an upper sectional view, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. This vending machine push button switch is a switch unit called an interlock switch having a plurality of push button switches, and is inserted into an insertion hole (not shown) of a front panel (not shown) of the vending machine. ), And the packing is fixed through a screw to the base 1 from the rear surface of the front panel so as to prevent water from infiltrating into the vending machine. When the purchaser inserts a predetermined coin into the vending machine, the LED 7a (can be sold) mounted on the circuit board 5 together with the circuit element 6 and the like is turned on. On the other hand, when the sold product is sold out, the LED 7b (sold out) mounted on the circuit board 5 is turned on. The light of the LED 7a or 7b passes through the light passage hole 8b of the reflect case 8, and is radiated to the outside through the silicon cover 9, the name plate 10, and the lens 11 while being reflected by the reflective surface 8a. The name plate 10 has a display pattern (sellable and sold out) that transmits light at a position corresponding to the LEDs 7a and 7b. When the LED 7a is lit and selling is possible, when the purchaser presses the lens 11, the silicon cover 9 is compressed and deformed, and the switch 9a turns on a switch (not shown) of the circuit board 5 to sell the product for sale. It is carried out to the mouth. The lens 11 is exposed from the opening of the case 12 and is prevented from coming off by engaging the engaging portion 12a of the case 12 with the engaging portion 11a. The case 12 is fixed to the base 1 by welding by ultrasonic waves. ing. The circuit board 5 is watertightly protected from external raindrops and the like by the silicon cover 9. The connector 3 is connected to a control unit (microcomputer chip) inside the vending machine. An insertion unit 4 is provided on the outer periphery, and the packing 2 is made watertight.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, according to the conventional vending machine push button switch, when the vending machine is renewed, if the lens and the case are dirty, the vending machine is replaced with a new vending machine push button switch, so the renewal cost is increasing. Was. Further, since the entire switch is exposed on the surface of the front panel, it is not possible to meet the demand for flattening the front panel.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to replace only the case and the lens while maintaining the watertight structure of the circuit board during the renewal of the vending machine, thereby reducing the renewal cost and making the vending machine closer to a flat front panel. To provide a push button switch.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a case located on a front side of a front panel of a vending machine, an insertion portion located in an insertion hole formed in the case so as to be exposed from the case, and the front panel. A lens having an engaging portion located in the formed lens hole and having an outer shape larger than the insertion hole, and operated by a switch operation; and a lens located on the back side of the front panel and turned on based on the switch operation. And a circuit board having a switch to be provided.
[0005]
Further, in order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a circuit board on which a switch that is turned on and off by a switch operation and a light emitting element that is turned on by the switch being turned on and off is mounted on an elongated base and deformed by the switch operation. A switch unit that water-tightly surrounds the circuit board on the base with a light-transmitting elastic cover, and a pressing force based on the switch operation is transmitted to the light-transmitting elastic cover with a lens, and the lens is opened from the opening of the case. A case portion that holds the lens between the translucent elastic cover by the case while exposing a part to the front surface, wherein the switch portion is disposed on a back surface of a front panel forming a product display room; Arranging the case section on a surface of a front panel, integrating the switch section and the case section by a fixing means such as a screw; Providing a push button switch for an automatic vending machine that is able to remove the casing and the lens of the case portion by solving fixed with.
It is preferable that the translucent elastic cover is configured to be located between the light emitting element and the lens and function as light guiding means.
[0006]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
1 (a) and 1 (b) show a first embodiment of the present invention, in which a case portion composed of a case 12 and a lens 11 is located on the surface of a front panel 14 forming a product exhibition room. On the back surface of the panel 14, there is located a switch portion in which only a cover inhibiting member 13 that covers a base (not shown) having the insertion portion 4 and the connector 3 is exposed. The unit and the switch unit are integrally attached to the sheet metal 15.
[0007]
FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the switch unit and the case unit. A circuit board 5 having LEDs 7a, 7b, circuit elements 6, switches (not shown), etc. on the base 1 is provided. A translucent silicon cover 9 that is located and covers the circuit board 5 in a watertight manner on the base 1 is engaged with the base 11 at an end. The silicon cover 9 has a switch 9a made of conductive rubber, and is inscribed in the lens 11 via a name plate 10 having a light transmitting portion of a predetermined mark. The silicon cover 9 has a space inside, and is inscribed by a reflective case 8 having a reflective surface 8a and a light passage hole 8b. The end of the silicon cover 9 is suppressed by a cover suppressing member 13. The cover suppressing member 13 has the packing 2 between the cover suppressing member 13 and the front panel 14. A switch unit is constituted by the above-described components, and is located on the back surface of the front panel 14 except that a part of the silicon cover 9 and the reflect case 8 is exposed on the surface.
[0008]
On the other hand, the case portion is located on the surface of the front panel 14 and includes the case 12 and the lens 11. The lens 11 is engaged with the edge of the insertion hole of the case 12 by the engagement portion 11a, and the insertion portion 11b is located in the insertion hole. A name plate 10 is sandwiched between the lens 11 and the silicon cover 9. The case 12 has a boss 16 having a screw hole inside, the front panel 14 has a lens hole 14a and a boss hole 14b, and the base 1 has a screw hole 17. A boss packing 20 is provided between the periphery of the boss 16 of the case 12 and the front panel 14, and a case packing 18 is provided between the upper half of the case 12 and the front panel 14. The case 12, the cover suppressing member 13, and the base 1 are attached to a sheet metal 19 with screws 15, and the insertion portion 4 and the connector 3 protrude inside the sheet metal 19.
[0009]
FIG. 3 shows an AA cross section of FIG. 2, and the same members are indicated by the same reference numerals, so that duplicate explanations will be omitted, but the case packing 18 is provided in the upper half of the case 12 and the lower half thereof. Is not provided, even if moisture enters inside, it escapes from the lower part and does not accumulate inside.
[0010]
FIG. 4 shows a BB section of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 shows a CC section of FIG. In all cases, the same members are indicated by the same reference numerals, and thus redundant description is omitted, but the case packing 18 is provided only in the upper half of the case 12.
[0011]
FIG. 6 shows that the case 12 can be removed by removing the screw 15, and when the case 12 is removed, the lens 11 can also be removed. Therefore, when the case 12 and the lens 11 become dirty, only the case 12 and the lens 11 can be replaced with new ones. On the other hand, only one of the case 12 and the lens 11 may be replaced.
[0012]
As is clear from the above embodiment, the switch portion is on the back surface of the front panel 14 and only the case portion is exposed on the surface of the front panel 14, so that the front panel 14 can be approached to be flattened.
[0013]
FIGS. 7 and 8 show a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the same members as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals. Have concave light receiving portions 9A and 9B, and guide the light of the LEDs 7a and 7b to the lens 11. Therefore, the reflect case 8 becomes unnecessary.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the vending machine push button switch of the present invention, the switch portion is located on the back surface of the front panel, and only the case portion is located on the surface of the front panel. And the case and the lens can be easily replaced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows a push button switch for a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a front view and (b) is a side view. FIG. 2 is a cross-section showing the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2 FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2 FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 2 FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a push-button switch for a vending machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 10 is an upper sectional view showing a partial sectional structure of the push button switch. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
1, base 2, packing 3, connector 4, insertion portion 5, circuit board 6, circuit elements 7a, 7b, LED
8, reflection case 8a, reflection surface 8b, light passage hole 9, silicon cover 9a, switch 10, name plate 11, lens 11a, engagement portion 11b, insertion portion 13, cover suppressing member 14, front panel 14a, lens hole 14b. , Boss hole 15, screw 16, boss 17, screw hole 18, packing

Claims (1)

A case located on the front side of the front panel of the vending machine,
An insertion portion located in an insertion hole formed in the case so as to be exposed from the case, and an engagement portion located in a lens hole formed in the front panel and having an outer shape larger than the insertion hole. , A lens operated by a switch operation,
And a circuit board having a switch located on the back side of the front panel and turned on based on the switch operation.

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