JP2005339880A - Connector terminal structure of switch case - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector terminal structure of a switch case allowing each fixed terminal to be easily attached to the switch case at a low cost, and capable of reducing attaching manhours. <P>SOLUTION: This connector terminal structure of a switch case is provided with an operation member 20, a dome-like movable terminal 30, a plurality of the fixed terminals 50, 50, and the switch case 10 having a recessed part 10a opened upward and a connector 13 connected to another apparatus; and the respective fixed terminals 50, 50 are mounted side by side on the inner bottom surface 10b of the recessed part 10a. The nearly L-shaped tubular connector 13 is mounted from the outer bottom surface of the recessed part 10a toward the outside. Lock parts 13c capable of locking one-side ends of the respective fixed terminals 50, 50 are formed on the inside wall of the connector 13. The respective fixed terminals 50, 50 each have a U-shaped form, and are mounted so that one-side ends thereof are projected toward a tip of the connector 13, and the other-side ends thereof are allowed to contact the movable terminal 30 and to catch it by elastic action. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector terminal structure of a switch case. More specifically, when a manipulation member is pressed, a movable terminal comes into contact with a plurality of fixed terminals, and these fixed terminals are electrically connected to each other. Concerning structure.

As a connector terminal structure of this type of switch case, for example, the technique shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 is already known.
In the technique illustrated in FIG. 5, the switch is configured by the switch case 110, the operation member 120, the dome-shaped movable terminal 130, the cover member 140, and the two fixed terminals 150. The switch case 110 has a concave portion 110a having an upper opening, and a cylindrical connector 113 is provided on the side surface thereof outwardly. Further, the switch case 110 is provided with crank-shaped metal thin plate-like fixing terminals 150 and 150 arranged in parallel so that one end protrudes into the opening hole 113a of the connector 113 and the other end is exposed to the inner bottom surface 110b of the recess 110a. Has been. Then, the movable terminal 130 is placed above the fixed terminals 150 and 150 exposed on the inner bottom surface 110b, and the operation member 120 and the cover member 140 are attached from above. In this state, since the fixed terminals 150 and 150 are separated from the movable terminal 130, the switch is in an off state.

  Next, the operation of the switch configured as described above will be described. When the operation portion 146 disposed substantially at the center of the cover member 140 is pressed downward, the operation member 120 is pushed downward along the guide 112 provided on the inner wall of the recess 110a. Then, the pressing body 126 disposed at the central lower end of the operation member 120 elastically deforms the upper surface 130a of the movable terminal 130 and pushes it downward, so that the movable terminal 130 and the fixed terminals 150 and 150 come into contact with each other. The fixed terminals 150 and 150 are electrically connected, and the switch is turned on. Thereafter, when the pressure on the operation unit 146 is released, the upper surface of the movable terminal 130 is restored to the original dome shape by the elastic restoring force, so that the movable terminal 130 and the fixed terminals 150 and 150 are separated, and the switch returns to the off state. Accordingly, the operation member 120 is also configured to return upward.

  Moreover, when the technique shown in FIG. 6 is compared with FIG. 5, the structure which assembles each fixed terminal 151 and 151 with respect to the switch case 110 differs, and only the difference is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 6, each of the fixed terminals 151 and 151 is a thin metal plate, and has an insertion hole (not shown) at its inner end, and is inserted into a protrusion 110c provided to protrude from the inner bottom surface 110b. It has been crimped. Similarly to FIG. 5, the switch can be turned on by pressing the operation unit 146 downward, and the switch can be turned off by releasing the press.

For example, Patent Document 1 is known as prior art document information related to the invention of this application.
JP-A-9-147666

  However, in the connector terminal structure of the switch case shown in FIG. 5, each fixed terminal 150, 150 is assembled to the switch case 110 by insert molding, and the introduction of the molding equipment is expensive. In addition to this, the number of man-hours for assembly work increased. Further, in the connector terminal structure of the switch case shown in FIG. 6, each fixed terminal 151, 151 is assembled to the switch case 110 by caulking, and the introduction of the caulking equipment is expensive, so that the manufacturing cost of the switch only increases. Rather, the number of man-hours for assembly work increased.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a switch case connector terminal structure capable of easily and inexpensively assembling each fixed terminal to the switch case and reducing the number of assembling steps. The issue is to provide.

The present invention is for achieving the above object, and is configured as follows.
The invention described in claim 1
An operation member, a dome-shaped movable terminal, a plurality of fixed terminals, and a switch case having a concave portion with an upper opening and a connector connected to another device, and each fixed terminal on an inner bottom surface of the concave portion of the switch case Are arranged side by side, the movable terminal is placed in a non-contact manner with each of the fixed terminals, and the operation member is placed thereabove. When the operation member is pressed, the movable terminals are fixed to the plurality of fixed terminals. A connector terminal structure of a switch case that comes into contact with a terminal and electrically connects between these fixed terminals, and has an opening L that communicates with the recess from the outer bottom surface of the recess toward the outside. A cylindrical connector is provided, and an inner wall of the connector is formed with a locking portion capable of locking one end of each fixed terminal. Each of the fixed terminals is U-shaped, one end of which protrudes toward the tip of the connector, and the other end of the switch is in contact with the movable terminal when the movable terminal is pressed from above. In this configuration, the inner bottom surface of the concave portion of the case and the engaging portion of the connector are mounted so as to be held by an elastic action. According to this configuration, each fixed terminal has an elastic action because the metal thin plate is formed in a U shape. Therefore, each fixed terminal can be attached to the switch case so as to be held by this elastic action. Therefore, each fixed terminal can be easily assembled to the switch case at low cost, and the number of assembling steps can be reduced.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the switch case connector terminal structure according to the first aspect, wherein the switch terminal includes a support member that holds the fixed terminals mounted on the switch case. According to this configuration, it is possible to hold the state in which each of the fixed terminals is attached to the switch case by the support member. Accordingly, the fixing terminals are securely fixed without any play in the mounting of the fixing terminals.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the connector terminal structure of the switch case according to claim 2, wherein the support member is formed with a locking claw that can be attached to the switch case. is there. According to this configuration, the state in which the support member is mounted on the switch case can be held by the locking claw.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a switch according to the present invention. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and are diagrams for sequentially explaining the switch assembly process according to the present invention. 4 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 1, (A) shows the off state of the switch according to the present invention, and (B) shows the on state of the switch according to the present invention. Also, “the locking portion that can lock each fixed terminal on its inner wall” described in the present invention is “up and down direction so as to block the opening hole 13a in the connector 13” described in the embodiment. A blocking wall 13b is provided at the center of the blocking wall 13b, which corresponds to locking holes 13c and 13c "into which two fixed terminals 50 and 50 to be described later can be inserted. As shown in FIG. 1, with respect to the switch case 10, an operation member 20, a dome-shaped movable terminal 30, a cover member 40, and a plurality of (for example, two, which will be described below as an example). The fixed terminals 50 and 50 and the support member 60 are mounted to constitute a switch. Hereinafter, each of these parts will be described in order.

First, the switch case 10 will be described.
The switch case 10 has a concave portion 10a having an upper opening, and a substantially L-shaped cylindrical connector 13 having an opening hole 13a communicating with the concave portion 10a from the outer surface side of the inner bottom surface 10b, which is a concave surface of the concave portion 10a, outward. Is provided. The connector 13 is provided with a blocking wall 13b in the vertical direction so as to block the opening hole 13a, and a locking hole into which two fixed terminals 50, 50 to be described later can be inserted at the approximate center of the blocking wall 13b. 13c and 13c are formed.

  The switch case 10 is provided with three guides 12, 12, 12 in the vertical direction, and is slidable with guide grooves 22, 22, 22 of the operation member 20 described later. Further, locking claws 14 and 18 are provided on the side surface of the switch case 10 so as to protrude outwardly in a curved state, and a locking hole 44a of the cover member 40 and a locking hole 66a of the support member 60, which will be described later, respectively. And can be locked. The switch case 10 is formed of a rigid resin.

The operation member 20 will be described.
The operation member 20 has a hollow box shape whose bottom surface is open. And the guide groove 22,22,22 is formed in the up-down direction at the side surface, and each guide groove 22,22,22 is fitted in the guide 12,12,12 of the said switch case 10 from upper direction. The operation member 20 can be attached to the switch case 10. Further, notches 24 and 24 are formed in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, respectively, so as to leave four corners at the lower end portion of the operation member 20. A pressing body 26 that hangs down from the center is formed on the inner surface of the upper surface, and a lower end of the pressing body 26 protrudes from a lower end portion of the operation member 20 so that a movable terminal 30 described later can be pushed in. The main body of the operation member 20 is integrally formed with a rigid resin, and the pressing body 26 is integrally formed with a soft resin.

The movable terminal 30 will be described.
The movable terminal 30 is elastic in the vertical direction because the metal thin plate is formed in a dome shape. Further, a plurality of cutout portions 30b (three places in FIG. 1) are formed in the outer peripheral portion of the movable terminal 30, and a fixed terminal 50 described later can be inserted into the movable terminal 30 in a non-contact manner by the cutout portion 30b. Yes. In addition, a pressing surface 30 a serving as a pressing portion from the pressing body 26 is formed on the upper surface of the movable terminal 30.

The cover member 40 will be described.
The cover member 40 has a hollow box shape with an open bottom surface. A locking hole 44 a is formed on the side surface of the switch case 10 so that the cover member 40 can be locked with the locking claw 14 in a state where the cover member 40 is mounted on the switch case 10 from above. Moreover, since the peripheral part of the upper surface hangs downward, it has a sealing property. In addition, a protruding operation portion 46 serving as a pressing portion from the user is formed on the upper surface of the cover member 40 so as to be positioned above the pressing body 26 of the operation member 20. Each side surface of the cover member 40 is integrally molded with a rigid resin, and the upper surface is integrally molded with a soft resin.

The fixed terminal 50 will be described.
The fixed terminal 50 is a U-shaped metal thin plate. The distance between the opposing ends (L1 in FIG. 1) is the same as or slightly smaller than the distance between the inner bottom surface 10b of the switch case 10 and the locking hole 13c of the connector 13 (L2 in FIG. 1). The fixed terminal 50 can be mounted so as to be sandwiched between the inner bottom surface 10b and the locking hole 13c by its elastic action. As shown in the figure, a pair of fixed terminals 50 are provided so as not to contact each other. Each of the fixed terminals 50 and 50 is also a terminal for connection with an external device, and the connector 13 facilitates connection with the external device.

The support member 60 will be described.
The support member 60 has an insert 62 that can be inserted from above the switch case 10 to the bottom surface of the opening 13a of the connector 13 with the fixed terminals 50 and 50 being mounted on the switch case 10, and the insert 62 is inserted into the support member 60. In this state, it is configured by integral molding of a closing body 64 that closes the opening surface of the switch case 10 and a hanging body 66 that hangs down from an end of the closing body 64.
The hanging body 66 is formed with a locking hole 66a capable of locking the locking claw 18 of the switch case 10. The support member 60 is formed of a rigid resin.

  Next, a method for assembling the switch by assembling the above-described members to the switch case 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2A, the movable terminal 30 is placed on the inner bottom surface 10b of the switch case 10 from above, and the operation member 20 is further inserted. Then, as shown in FIG. 2B, the inner surface of one end (the upper end in FIG. 2B) of each fixed terminal 50 is pressed against the inner bottom surface 10b. Here, the fixed terminals 50 and 50 should not come into contact with the movable terminal 30. Therefore, when the movable terminal 30 is placed, the movable terminal 30 is placed so that the cutout portion 30b is disposed on the insertion side of each fixed terminal 50, 50. The other end of each fixed terminal 50, 50 is inserted into the locking holes 13c, 13c of the connector 13, and the fixed terminals 50 are juxtaposed so as to be sandwiched by an elastic action and mounted on the switch case 10. Here, “parallel arrangement” means “installed side by side so as to be parallel”.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3 (A), the insertion body 62 of the support member 60 is inserted into the opening hole 13a connected to the connector 13 of the switch case 10 from above, and the switch is made to the locking hole 66a of the hanging body 66. The case locking claw 18 is locked and the insert 62 is attached to the switch case 10. When the support member 60 is thus mounted on the switch case 10, the force acts in the direction in which the fixed terminals 50, 50 are brought into contact and pushed by the insertion body 62 (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3A). By the support member 60, the fixed terminals 50 and 50 are securely fixed without generating play in the mounting of the fixed terminals 50 and 50.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3 (B), the cover member 40 is put on the switch case 10 from above, and the locking claw 14 of the switch case 10 is locked in the locking hole 44a so that the cover member 40 is attached to the switch case 10. To do. When mounted in this manner, the peripheral edge portion of the upper surface of the cover member 40 covers the opening edge of the switch case 10 and thus has a high sealing property.

Next, the operation of the switch assembled as described above will be described.
FIG. 4A shows a state before the cover member 40 is pressed. As is clear from this figure, since there is a gap between the movable terminal 30 and each of the fixed terminals 50, 50, the switch is in an OFF state. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the operation portion 46 of the cover member 40 is pressed downward from above, the operation member 20 is moved downward along the guide 12 provided on the inner wall of the recess 10a. It is pushed in. Then, the pressing body 26 disposed at the lower end of the center of the operation member 20 elastically deforms the upper surface 30a of the movable terminal 30 and pushes it downward, so that the movable terminal 30 and the fixed terminals 50 and 50 come into contact with each other. The fixed terminals 50 and 50 are electrically connected, and the switch is turned on. Thereafter, when the pressure on the operation unit 46 is released, the upper surface of the movable terminal 30 is restored to the original dome shape by the elastic restoring force, whereby the movable terminal 30 and each fixed terminal 50, 50 are separated, and the switch returns to the off state. Accordingly, the operation member 20 is also configured to return upward.

  Further, each of the locking claws 14 and 18 of the switch case 10 described above is formed so as to protrude outwardly in a curved state and is formed of a resin having rigidity. When fitted into the locking hole 44a and the locking hole 66a of the support member 60 and locked, a sense of moderation can be obtained, and the switch case 10 can be used even when the operating portion 46 of the cover member 40 faces downward. On the other hand, a sufficient holding force is secured. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to, for example, a back door switch provided at the rear of the vehicle.

  The above-mentioned “resin having flexibility” is “elastomer”. Here, the “elastomer” is a polymer having rubber elasticity at room temperature. For example, styrene elastomer (SBC), olefin elastomer (TPO), PVC elastomer (TPVC), urethane elastomer (TPU), polyester elastomer (TPEE), polyamide elastomer (TPAE), fluorine elastomer, chlorination There are cross-linked ethylene copolymer alloy (Alcrine) and chlorinated polyethylene (CPE). The above-mentioned elastomers may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  The “resin having rigidity” is a resin having rigidity higher than that of the elastomer. For example, polyacetal (POM), polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyamide, polyvinyl acetate, acrylonitrile = styrene copolymer (AS), acrylonitrile = butadiene = styrene copolymer (ABS), etc. There are thermosetting resins such as thermoplastic resins, phenol resins, epoxy resins, unsaturated polyester resins, urea resins, melamine resins, polyurethane resins, and silicone resins. The above resins may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The contents described above are only related to one embodiment of the present invention, and do not mean that the present invention is limited to the above contents.
As an embodiment of the “locking portion capable of locking each fixed terminal on the inner wall” described in the present invention, “the connector 13 is provided with a blocking wall 13b in the vertical direction so as to block the opening hole 13a. There has been described an example in which locking holes 13c, 13c "into which two fixing terminals 50, 50 described later can be inserted at the approximate center of the blocking wall 13b, but is not limited thereto. Any structure may be used as long as one end of the two fixed terminals 50 and 50 can be locked in the opening hole 13a.

It is a disassembled perspective view of the switch which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and is a view for explaining the order of the switch assembly process according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of steps subsequent to FIG. 2. FIGS. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views taken along line B-B in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 1A illustrates an off state of a switch according to the present invention, and FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the switch in the past. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the other form of the switch in the past.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Switch case 10a Recess 10b Inner bottom surface 13 Connector 13a Opening hole 13b Blocking wall 13c Locking hole 18 Locking claw 20 Operation member 30 Movable terminal 40 Cover member 50 Fixed terminal 60 Support member

Claims (3)

An operation member, a dome-shaped movable terminal, a plurality of fixed terminals, and a switch case having a concave portion with an upper opening and a connector connected to another device, and each fixed terminal on an inner bottom surface of the concave portion of the switch case Are arranged side by side, the movable terminal is placed in a non-contact manner with each of the fixed terminals, and the operation member is placed thereabove. When the operation member is pressed, the movable terminals are fixed to the plurality of fixed terminals. A connector terminal structure of a switch case that comes into contact with a terminal and electrically connects between these fixed terminals,
A substantially L-shaped cylindrical connector having an opening communicating with the recess from the outer bottom surface of the recess to the outside is provided, and one end of each fixed terminal can be locked to the inner wall of the connector A locking part is formed,
Each of the fixed terminals is
It has a U-shape, one end of which protrudes toward the tip of the connector, and the other end is in contact with the movable terminal when the movable terminal is pressed from above. A connector terminal structure of a switch case, which is mounted so as to be sandwiched by an elastic action between the engaging portion of the connector. The connector terminal structure of the switch case according to claim 1,
A connector terminal structure of a switch case, comprising a support member that holds the fixed terminals mounted on the switch case. The switch terminal connector terminal structure according to claim 2,
In the support member,
A connector terminal structure for a switch case, wherein a locking claw that can be attached to the switch case is formed.

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