JP2005353545A - Push switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a push switch of a two-step system offering a good operational feeling by a simple constitution and a small number of components. <P>SOLUTION: The push switch comprises: a case 30 made of a square bottom surface and sidewalls enclosing the bottom surface, the case 30 having a notch 36 formed in one of a pair of opposing sidewalls and a projection 37 that is trapezoidal in cross section and formed the an inner surface of the other one of the pair of the sidewalls except both ends 34a, 34b located along the direction of sides; first to third fixed contacts 41-43 disposed at the top face 37a of the projection 37 and the ends 34a, 34b; a slider 60 slidably housed in the case 30 and having a pressing part 62 projecting form the notch 36; a twisted coil spring 50 journaled to the slider 60 and having a pair of free ends 52a, 53a bought into contact with the top face 37a; and a cover 70. The twisted coil spring 50 is pressed by the pressing part 62, and the free ends 52a, 53a thereby slide on the top face 37a to slip down to the ends 34a, 34b one by one. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a push switch, and more particularly to a two-stage push switch that performs a two-stage connecting operation by a pressing operation.

FIG. 6 shows a configuration described in Patent Document 1 as a conventional configuration example of this type of push switch (push button switch). In this push switch 10, two disc spring-shaped plates made of an elastic conductive material are shown. Click plates (movable contact members) 11 and 12 are used.
A circular recess 14 is formed in the bottom surface inside the housing 13, a pair of fixed contacts (not visible in the figure) 15 are disposed around the recess 14, and a center fixed contact 16 is disposed in the center. . The periphery of the recess 14 is an annular surface 17, and a pair of fixed contacts 18 are disposed on the annular surface 17.

The lower click plate 11 is placed on and contacted with the pair of fixed contacts 15, and the upper click plate 12 is placed on and contacted with the pair of fixed contacts 18. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 21 denotes an insulating plate, 22 denotes a push button, 23 denotes a top plate, and the insulating plate 21 having the circular hole 24 is placed on the annular surface 17. The push button 22 has a protrusion 22 a on the lower surface thereof in contact with the click plate 12 and protrudes to the outside through a square hole 25 of the upper surface plate 23.
In the push switch 10 having the above-described structure, when the push button 22 is pressed, the click plate 12 is reversed and brought into contact with the click plate 11 as a first operation, whereby the fixed contacts 18 and 15 are brought into conduction. . When the push button 22 is further pressed, the click plate 11 is reversed and comes into contact with the central fixed contact 16 as a second operation, whereby the fixed contacts 18 and 15 and the central fixed contact 16 are all in a conductive state. When the pressing is released, the conduction is sequentially released in the reverse order. The insulating plate 21 prevents the click plate 11 from splashing when it returns to its original state.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-52986

The two-stage push switch configured as described above can obtain a moderation feeling (click feeling) by reversing the use of a disc spring-like click plate, but is obtained by the click plate. The stroke is not large, and in the case of a small one that is used in a small device such as a mobile phone, the stroke of both click plates is only about 0.3 mm, for example. It was easy to produce.
In addition, since two click plates are required, the number of parts is increased accordingly.

  In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a push switch that is simple in configuration, has a small number of parts, has a good operational feeling, and can easily cope with a long stroke.

  According to the present invention, the push switch includes a rectangular bottom surface portion and a side wall surrounding the bottom surface portion, a notch is formed in one of a pair of side walls facing each other, and a cross section is formed on the other inner surface except for both side end portions. A case in which a trapezoidal protrusion is formed, a first fixed contact disposed on the top surface of the protrusion, second and third fixed contacts disposed on both ends, and sliding on the case A slider that is freely accommodated and has a pressing portion protruding outside from the notch, a torsion coil spring having a coil portion pivotally supported by the slider, and a pair of free ends abutting against the top surface, and a case. The torsion coil spring is pressed by the pressing portion, and a pair of free ends slides on the top surface and slides down to the both end portions sequentially.

According to the present invention, the pair of free ends of the torsion coil spring slide down sequentially by the pressing operation and come into contact with the fixed contact, thereby performing a two-stage connection operation (contact switching). Only one torsion coil spring is used as the movable contact member, and the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the conventional one using two disc-shaped click plates like this type of push switch. it can.
In addition, since a feeling of moderation occurs when the free end of the torsion coil spring slides down from the top surface of the protrusion, a good operation feeling can be obtained.

  Furthermore, for example, if the opening of the pair of arms of the torsion coil spring is narrowed, the stroke can be increased, that is, it can easily cope with a long stroke, and in this respect, it has excellent operability. A two-stage push switch can be obtained.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a two-stage push switch according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded view of each part. First, the configuration of each unit will be described with reference to FIG.
The case 30 includes a rectangular bottom surface portion 31 and low side walls 32 to 35 surrounding the bottom surface portion 31, and has a very flat shape. A central portion of the side wall 32 is notched to form a notch 36, and a protrusion 37 is formed on the inner surface of the side wall 34 facing the side wall 32.

The projecting portion 37 is formed excluding the side end portions 34a and 34b of the side wall 34, and has a trapezoidal cross section. The surfaces from the top surface 37a to the both end portions 34a and 34b are inclined surfaces 37b and 37c. Note that the lengths of both end portions 34a and 34b are not the same, and the length of the end portion 34a is larger than that of the end portion 34b.
A locking projection 38 for locking a cover, which will be described later, protrudes from the outer surface of the side wall 34. Similarly, a pair of locking projections 39 protrude from the outer surfaces of the side walls 33, 35 facing each other. ing.

The case 30 having the above-described structure is made of resin, and the three fixed contacts 41 to 43 are insert-molded and embedded, and the first fixed contact 41 is the top surface 37a of the protrusion 37. In FIG. 3, the surface is embedded in the vicinity of the slope 37c. The second and third fixed contacts 42 and 43 are respectively embedded in the inner surfaces of both end portions 34 a and 34 b of the side wall 34. The other ends of the fixed contacts 41 to 43 made of these metal pieces are led out from the outer surface of the side wall 34 to the terminals 41a to 43a, respectively.
The torsion coil spring 50 forms a movable contact, and free ends (tips) 52a and 53a of a pair of arms 52 and 53 extended from the coil portion 51 are bent in an arc shape.

The slider 60 is made of resin, and includes a rectangular accommodating portion 61 accommodated in the case 30 and a pressing portion 62 protruding from one side of the accommodating portion 61. The accommodation portion 61 is formed with a rectangular recess 63 whose side opposite to the pressing portion 62 is open, and a shaft 64 projects from the recess 63.
The cover 70 is made of a thin metal plate and includes a rectangular flat plate portion 71 and three side plate portions 72 bent from three sides thereof. The side plate portions 72 facing each other correspond to the locking protrusions 39 of the case 30. A pair of locking windows 73 are respectively formed, and the remaining side plate portion 72 is formed with a locking window 74 corresponding to the locking protrusion 38 of the case 30.

The case 30, the torsion coil spring 50, the slider 60, and the cover 70 are assembled by attaching the torsion coil spring 50 to the slider 60 with the coil portion 51 pivotally supported on the shaft 64 of the slider 60, and the housing portion 61 of the slider 60 is attached to the case The cover 70 is attached after being accommodated in the cover 30, and the cover 70 is locked by engaging the locking projections 39 and 38 of the case 30 with the locking windows 73 and 74, respectively. The cover 30 covers the upper surface of the case 30.
The push switch 80 assembled as described above has a structure as shown in FIG. 1, and the slider 60 is slidably accommodated in the case 30, and the pressing portion 62 is exposed from the notch 36 of the case 30 to the outside. Protruding. The pair of free ends 52 a and 53 a of the torsion coil spring 50 are in contact with the top surface 37 a of the protrusion 37 of the case 30, and the torsion coil spring 50 causes the slider 60 to project the pressing portion 62 from the case 30. Be energized by.

In this example, the torsion coil spring 50 is arranged so as to be symmetrical with respect to the center line 40 of the case 30, while the protrusion 37 has its center at the center due to the difference in length between both ends 34 a and 34 b. In other words, the length of the left and right top surfaces 37a sandwiching the center line 40 in FIG. 1B is shorter on the right side.
Next, the operation of the push switch 80 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3A shows an initial state (non-operating state) as in FIG. 1B. In this state, the free ends 52a and 53a of the torsion coil spring 50 are located on the top surface 37a of the projecting portion 37. The free end 53 a is in contact with the fixed contact 41.

When the pressing portion 62 is pressed, the slider 60 is pressed, whereby the torsion coil spring 50 is pressed and the pair of arms 52 and 53 are opened. The free ends 52a and 53a slide on the top surface 37a in a direction away from each other. First, the free end 52a slides from the top surface 37a to the end portion 34a and contacts the fixed contact 42. FIG. 3B shows this state, and the fixed contacts 41 and 42 are connected in this state. Further, when the free end 52a slides down the slope 37b of the protrusion 37, a feeling of moderation occurs.
FIG. 3C shows a state where the pressing portion 62 is further pressed. In this state, the free end 53 a also slides down from the top surface 37 a to the end portion 34 b and contacts the fixed contact 43. Therefore, in this state, the connection is switched and the fixed contacts 42 and 43 are connected. A moderation feeling is also generated when the free end 53a slides down the slope 37c of the protrusion 37.

When the pressing is released, the slider 60 is pushed up by the elastic restoring force of the torsion coil spring 50, the arms 52 and 53 of the torsion coil spring 50 are closed, and the original state of FIG. 3A is restored.
As described above, this push switch has a structure in which the pair of free ends 52a and 53a of the torsion coil spring 50 forming the movable contact slides and slides down sequentially by a pressing operation, thereby providing a good sense of moderation. At the same time, switching of contacts (two-stage connection operation) can be performed.
Accordingly, as compared with the conventional two-stage push switch 10 shown in FIG. 6 which requires two click plates as the movable contact members, only one torsion coil spring is used. The number of parts can be reduced.

For example, in the structure shown in FIG. 1B, if the two arms 52 and 53 of the torsion coil spring 50 are narrowed (the angle formed by the arms 52 and 53), the free ends 52a and 53a slide down from the top surface 37a. The sliding distance can be increased, and the stroke can be increased accordingly. Therefore, it is possible to easily cope with the longer stroke, and in addition, by selecting the thickness of the wire of the torsion coil spring 50 The operating force can be easily adjusted.
In a push switch using a click plate, in order to obtain a large stroke, the size of the click plate must be increased or the bending shape must be changed. In the structure using a torsion coil spring, the wire material is simply wound and cut, so that such a mold investment is unnecessary, and even a large stroke can be easily produced with general-purpose equipment.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4A, the protrusion 37 has a center of the left and right top surfaces 37a sandwiching the center line 40 with the center line coincident with the center line 40 of the case 30. On the other hand, the length of the shaft 64 that pivotally supports the torsion coil spring 50 is slightly shifted from the center line 40 toward the fixed contact 42 side.
On the other hand, FIG. 4B shows that the torsion coil spring 50 in FIG. 1B and FIG. 4A is symmetric with respect to the center line 40 or a line parallel thereto, but is asymmetrical, and the arm 52 opens with respect to the center line 40. Is larger than the opening of the arm 53, and the centers of the shaft 64 and the protrusion 37 coincide with the center line 40.

Even if the structures as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B are employed, the operation performance similar to that of the push switch 80 shown in FIG. 1 can be obtained, that is, the play of the torsion coil spring 50 can be performed by the pressing operation of the pressing portion 62. The ends 52a and 53a slide on the top surface 37a and sequentially slide onto the fixed contacts 42 and 43 at both ends 34a and 34b.
FIG. 5 shows, as an example of use of the two-stage push switch according to the present invention, a case where it is mounted on a cellular phone substrate (main substrate) in comparison with the conventional example. FIG. 5A is shown in FIG. FIG. 5B shows a mounting example of the push switch 80 according to the present invention shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, 91 denotes a substrate, 92 denotes an LCD (liquid crystal display), and 93 denotes a key switch.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the conventional push switch 10 needs to be mounted on the same plane as the other key switches 93 because of its structure and shape, and requires a mounting space on the surface of the substrate 91. Although there is a problem that it is difficult to secure a space, the push switch 80 according to the present invention can be mounted on the back surface of the substrate 91 as shown in FIG. It will be a thing that can save Note that the push switch according to the present invention is suitable for use in, for example, a shutter switch for a digital camera.

The figure which shows one Example of the push switch by this invention, A is a side view, B is a top view which abbreviate | omitted the cover. The disassembled perspective view of the push switch shown in FIG. The figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the push switch shown in FIG. The figure for demonstrating the other Example of the push switch by this invention. 1A is a perspective view showing a state where a conventional push switch is mounted on a substrate of a mobile phone, and FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing a state where the push switch shown in FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the example of a conventional structure of a two-stage push switch.

Claims (2)

Consists of a square bottom surface and a side wall surrounding the bottom surface, a notch is formed on one of a pair of side walls facing each other, and a protrusion having a trapezoidal cross section is formed on the other inner surface except for both side ends. Case and
A first fixed contact disposed on the top surface of the protrusion;
Second and third fixed contacts disposed at both ends;
A slider that is slidably accommodated in the case, and a pressing portion that protrudes outward from the notch,
A torsion coil spring in which a coil portion is pivotally supported by the slider and a pair of free ends are in contact with the top surface;
It consists of a cover that covers the case,
The torsion coil spring is pressed by the pressing portion and has a structure in which a pair of free ends slide on the top surface and slide down to the both end portions sequentially. The push switch according to claim 1,
The torsion coil spring is disposed so as to be symmetrical with respect to the center line of the case,
The push switch is characterized in that the protrusion is formed to be shifted from the center line.

Images