JP2006032263A - Board unit with dome switch and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a board unit with dome switches capable of surely protecting the dome switches from static electricity with a relatively simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: The dome switches are formed on a surface of a printed circuit board 27. In the dome switches, dome-shaped electrodes 29 are stuck to the surface of the printed circuit board 27. An air hole is partitioned in each electrode 29. An insulator film 32 completely covers up the electrodes 29 of the dome switches and circumferences thereof. Thus, the dome switches are protected from static electricity. The insulator film 32 is locally bonded to the printed circuit board 27 around the electrodes 29. Closeness of a space is avoided between the insulator film 32 and the printed circuit board 27. Entrance and exit of air in the inside and outside of the electrodes 29 through the air holes can surely be secured. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a so-called dome switch.

So-called dome switches are widely known. The dome switch includes, for example, a dome-shaped resin film that is bonded to the surface of a printed circuit board. A conductive film is formed inside the resin film. When the top of the dome is pushed toward the surface of the printed circuit board, the conductive film on the resin film contacts the conductive film on the printed circuit board, that is, the contact. As a result, conduction of the dome switch is achieved.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-148056 JP 2001-43764 A JP-A-8-286797

  Air holes are defined in the resin film. According to such an air hole, the entrance and exit of air is ensured inside and outside the dome-shaped resin film. When such air entry / exit is blocked, the inside of the dome-shaped resin film is completely sealed. As a result of the closed air escape, deformation of the resin film cannot be realized. Dome switch conduction cannot be realized. On the other hand, static electricity enters the resin film from these air holes. The accumulation of static electricity impedes the function of the dome switch.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate unit with a dome switch that can reliably protect a dome switch from static electricity with a relatively simple configuration.

  To achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a printed circuit board, a dome switch that partitions an air hole in a dome-shaped electrode that is bonded to the surface of the printed circuit board, and the dome switch electrode and its surroundings are covered. There is provided a substrate unit with a dome switch comprising an insulator film that is locally bonded to a printed circuit board around an electrode of the dome switch.

  In such a substrate unit with a dome switch, the dome switch can be protected from static electricity by the action of the insulator film. Static electricity can be prevented from entering the electrode of the dome switch through the air hole. And since adhesion | attachment is implemented locally around an electrode, sealing of space between an insulator film and a printed circuit board is avoided. Air can enter and exit from the inside and outside of the electrode through the air holes.

  Such a substrate unit with a dome switch can be incorporated into various electronic devices. For example, an electronic device includes a housing, a switch button that is disposed in an opening partitioned into the housing and is displaceable toward an internal space of the housing, a printed circuit board that is accommodated in the housing, and a printed circuit board A dome-shaped electrode that is bonded to the surface of the dome-shaped electrode, and an air hole is defined between the dome-switched electrode and the switch button projection, and the dome-shaped electrode receives the driving force of the projection extending from the switch button. What is necessary is just to provide the dome switch and the surroundings, and the insulator film which adhere | attaches a printed circuit board locally around the electrode of a dome switch. In this electronic device, since the insulator film is sandwiched between the electrode and the protrusion, the electrode can avoid contact of the protrusion. The insulator film can physically protect the electrode.

  According to the second invention, the printed circuit board, the plurality of dome switches for partitioning the air holes in the dome-shaped electrodes bonded to the surface of the printed circuit board, the electrodes of the plurality of dome switches and the surroundings thereof are covered and concealed. There is provided a substrate unit with a dome switch, comprising a single insulating film bonded to a printed circuit board between electrodes.

  In such a substrate unit with a dome switch, the dome switch can be protected from static electricity by the action of the insulating film, as described above. Static electricity can be prevented from entering the electrode of the dome switch through the air hole. And since adhesion | attachment is implemented locally around an electrode, sealing of space between an insulator film and a printed circuit board is avoided. Air can enter and exit from the inside and outside of the electrode through the air holes. In this board unit with a dome switch, since one insulating film is used for a plurality of dome switches, the cost of parts can be reduced and the mounting process can be simplified.

  Such a substrate unit with a dome switch can be incorporated into various electronic devices. For example, an electronic device is housed in a housing, a plurality of switch buttons that are individually disposed in a plurality of openings partitioned into the housing, and can be displaced toward the internal space of the housing. A plurality of dome switches for receiving a driving force of a protrusion extending from the switch button by the dome-shaped electrode, and a plurality of dome switch electrodes, and a dome-shaped electrode bonded to the surface of the printed circuit board A plurality of dome switches and a single insulator film that covers and hides the periphery of the dome switches and is bonded to the printed circuit board between the electrodes of the dome switches may be provided. In this electronic device, as described above, since the insulator film is sandwiched between the electrode and the protrusion, the electrode can avoid contact of the protrusion. The insulator film can physically protect the electrode.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the dome switch can be reliably protected from static electricity with a relatively simple configuration.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows the appearance of an electronic apparatus, that is, a notebook personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “notebook personal computer”) 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The notebook computer 11 includes a main body housing 12 that houses a motherboard, for example. Electronic circuit elements such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory are mounted on the motherboard. The CPU executes various arithmetic processes based on, for example, software programs and data temporarily stored in the memory. Similarly, the software program and data may be stored in a mass storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) housed in the main body housing 12.

  Input devices such as a keyboard 13 and a pointing device 14 are incorporated in the main body housing 12. The user of the notebook personal computer 11 can input various commands and data to the CPU by the functions of the input devices 13 and 14. For example, a touch pad may be used as the pointing device 14.

  A display device 15 is connected to the main body housing 12. The display device 15 includes a display housing 17 that houses a flat display panel such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel 16. The display housing 17 is coupled to the main body housing 12 so as to be rotatable around a rotation shaft 18 set at one end of the main body housing 12. In this way, the display housing 17 can be rotated relative to the main body housing 12. Based on such rotational movement, the display device 15 can be overlaid on the main body housing 12. Various texts and graphics can be displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display panel 16 based on arithmetic processing of the CPU and operations of the input devices 13 and 14.

  The main body housing 12 includes a switch cover 21. For example, three openings 22 are formed in the switch cover 21. A switch button 23 is arranged in each opening 22. The switch button 23 can be displaced toward the internal space of the main body housing 12. The displacement of the switch button 23 is defined in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the switch cover 21. In realizing such displacement, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the switch button 23 is supported by the elastic member 24 in the opening 22. Each switch button 23 is formed with the protrusion 25 extending in the above-described vertical direction. The switch button 23 may be molded from a hard plastic material such as polycarbonate.

  A printed circuit board unit 26 is accommodated inside the main body housing 12, that is, inside the switch cover 21. The printed circuit board unit 26 includes a flexible printed circuit board 27 extending in parallel with the switch cover 21. Three dome switches 28 are arranged on the flexible printed circuit board 27 in accordance with the number of switch buttons 23.

  Each dome switch 28 includes a dome-shaped electrode 29 bonded to the surface of the flexible printed circuit board 27. As is well known, the electrode 29 includes a resin film dome that divides a space between the electrode 29 and the surface of the flexible printed circuit board 27 and a conductive film formed inside the dome. For example, a resin material such as polyester or polycarbonate may be used for the resin film. On the other hand, a conductive film is formed on the surface of the flexible printed circuit board 27 so as to face the conductive film at a predetermined interval. When the top of the dome is pushed toward the surface of the flexible printed circuit board 27, the conductive films come into contact with each other. The conductive film is individually connected to a conductive pattern stretched around the flexible printed circuit board 27.

  An air hole 31 is defined in the dome of the electrode 29. The air hole 31 ensures the entry and exit of air inside and outside the dome. When the top of the dome is pushed in with a predetermined pushing force, the air in the dome is released from the air holes. As a result, dome deformation is achieved. When the top of the dome is released from the pushing force, the atmosphere is introduced into the dome through the air holes. As a result, the dome can be restored to its original shape.

  One insulating film 32 is disposed between each electrode 29, 29, 29 and the three openings 22, 22, 22. The insulator film 32 is sandwiched between the individual electrodes 29 and the corresponding projections 25 of the switch button 23. When the switch button 23 is displaced, the driving force of the protrusion 25 is received at the top of the dome. At this time, the insulator film 32 is sandwiched between the protrusion 25 and the dome. Thus, the dome of the electrode 29 can avoid contact with the protrusion 25. Insulator film 32 physically protects the dome of electrode 29. The insulator film 32 may be made of a resin material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). A relatively hard resin may be used as the resin material.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the insulator film 32 completely covers the electrodes 29, 29, 29 of the dome switches 28, 28, 28. Moreover, the insulator film 32 completely covers the periphery of the electrodes 29, 29, 29. Therefore, static electricity entering from the openings 22, 22, 22 is blocked by the insulating film 32. Thus, the electrodes 29, 29, 29 of the dome switches 28, 28, 28 are protected from static electricity. At this time, it is desirable that the insulator film 32 spreads more outward than the outer edges of the openings 22, 22, 22. Since only the insulator film 32 is used to block static electricity, the distance between the printed circuit board 27 and the switch cover 21 can be sufficiently narrowed.

  In the printed board unit 26, the insulator film 32 is bonded to the flexible printed board 27. Adhesion is performed locally around the electrode 29 of the dome switch 28. Here, the double-sided adhesive tape 33 is applied along a virtual straight line extending between the adjacent electrodes 29 and 29. Therefore, sealing of the space between the insulator film 32 and the flexible printed circuit board 27 is avoided. Thus, breathing of the dome of the electrodes 29, 29, 29 is allowed based on the air hole 31 described above. The deformation of the dome can be realized reliably.

  In the printed circuit board unit 26 as described above, one insulating film 32 may be disposed in common with respect to the plurality of dome switches 28 as described above. An insulator film 32 may be disposed. In addition, instead of the double-sided adhesive tape 33 described above, an adhesive or other bonding method, a clip or other fixing method may be employed.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing an external appearance of an electronic apparatus, that is, a notebook personal computer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a vertical sectional view of a switch cover and a switch button. It is a disassembled perspective view of a printed circuit board unit.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Electronic device (notebook personal computer), 21 Case (switch cover), 22 Opening, 23 Switch button, 25 Protrusion, 26 Substrate unit with dome switch (printed circuit board unit), 27 Printed circuit board (flexible printed circuit board), 28 Dome switch, 29 electrodes, 31 air holes, 32 insulator film.

Claims (4)

  A printed circuit board, a dome switch that divides air holes into a dome-shaped electrode that is bonded to the surface of the printed circuit board, and covers and conceals the electrode of the dome switch and its surroundings, and adheres locally to the printed circuit board around the electrode of the dome switch A substrate unit with a dome switch.   A printed circuit board, a plurality of dome switches that define air holes in a dome-shaped electrode that is bonded to the surface of the printed circuit board, and a plurality of dome switch electrodes and their surroundings, and the printed circuit board between the dome switch electrodes A substrate unit with a dome switch, comprising: an insulating film adhered to the substrate.   A housing, a switch button disposed in an opening partitioned by the housing and displaceable toward the internal space of the housing, a printed circuit board accommodated in the housing, and a dome that is bonded to the surface of the printed circuit board A dome switch that divides air holes into a shaped electrode and receives the driving force of the projection extending from the switch button with the dome shaped electrode, and is disposed between the electrode of the dome switch and the projection of the switch button to surround the dome switch and its surroundings. An electronic device comprising: an insulating film that is concealed and locally adhered to a printed circuit board around an electrode of a dome switch.   A housing, a plurality of switch buttons individually disposed in a plurality of openings partitioned into the housing and displaceable toward the internal space of the housing, a printed circuit board accommodated in the housing, and a printed circuit board A plurality of dome switches that receive a driving force of a protrusion extending from the switch button by the dome-shaped electrode, and a plurality of dome switch electrodes and a switch button protrusion An electronic apparatus comprising: a plurality of dome switches and a single insulating film that covers and conceals the periphery of the dome switches and is bonded to a printed circuit board between the electrodes of the dome switches.

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