JP2006100211A - Switch device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a switch device in which contact point action is stable even in the case the edge part is depressed and a click feel of the built-in switch is improved. <P>SOLUTION: This is the switch device 1 which operates a switch 5 by reversing its thrust according to the pushing operation of an operating button 10, and comprises an insulating case 2, a printed-circuit board 3, a switch 5 installed at the rear face side of the printed-circuit board 3, a support table 11 for operating button to support the operating button 10, a movable piece 15 of lever shape which is rotated centered on a fulcrum provided on the case 2 side and pushing operates an actuator 5a of the switch, and a drive arm 20 which is arranged between the movable piece 15 and the operating button 10 and adds a thrust to the movable piece 15 by rotating centered on the fulcrum provided on the case 2 side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a switch device configured to operate a switch by reversing the pressing force in accordance with a pressing operation of an operation button, and particularly relates to an improvement in the vicinity of the operation mechanism portion.

  As a prior art of this type of switch device with a display, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, a printed circuit board 101 is arranged in a case 100 substantially parallel to the front surface of the case 100 and a part of the printed circuit board 101 is part of the case 100. The display 102 and the built-in switch 103 are attached to the front and rear surfaces of the printed circuit board 101, and the depth of the switch can be reduced by effectively using the space in the front and rear direction in the case 100. What is played is known (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-36888).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-36888

However, the switch device with a display described in Patent Document 1 has the following problems.
(1) As the area of the operation button 104 increases, the amount of operation of the portion 105a of the movable piece 105 decreases due to the tilt of the operation button 104 when the end is pressed, and the built-in switch 103 cannot be operated. Further, in order to improve the phenomenon, even if the portion 105a of the movable piece 105 is easily expanded in the X direction, the load on the movable piece 105 becomes unbalanced, and the movable piece 105 is inclined, and the built-in switch 103 is moved. Since the force is not transmitted sufficiently, the contact operation tends to become unstable.

(2) Although the contact of the built-in switch 103 is reversed by the operation of the operation button 104, the operation button 104 is operated to some extent even after the reversal, and an overload is applied to the built-in switch 103. Therefore, the movable piece 105 is given elasticity to reduce the overload on the built-in switch 103. For this reason, the click of the built-in switch 103 is absorbed by the elasticity of the movable piece 105, and the operation button 104 is sufficiently provided. The click feeling is not communicated.
In summary, as a first problem, as the operation button 104 becomes larger, when the end is pressed, a stable downward force is not applied to the movable piece 105, so that the contact operation becomes unstable.
Further, as a second problem, if an overload is applied to the built-in switch 103, the life of the built-in switch 103 is reduced, so that the movable piece 105 is made elastic so that an extra load is not applied to the built-in switch 103. ing. For this reason, the elasticity of the movable piece 105 absorbs the click feeling of the built-in switch 103, and a sufficient click feeling is not transmitted to the operation button 104.

  The present invention has been conceived in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a switch device that is stable in contact operation even when pushed to the end, and that improves the click feeling of the built-in switch. Is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is attached to a case, a mounting plate in the case and disposed substantially parallel to the front surface, and a rear surface side of the mounting plate. A switch device comprising a switch and an operation button fitted in the front portion of the case so as to be movable in a pressing direction, and operating the switch by reversing the pressing force according to the pressing operation of the operation button, Arranged in the bottom of the case, pivoted around a fulcrum provided on the case side, and arranged between the movable piece and the operation button, a lever-like movable piece that presses the actuator of the switch When the operation button is pressed, the movable piece is rotated about an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the movable piece provided around the fulcrum, and the movable piece is driven to rotate by applying a pressing force to the movable piece. Driving arm And having a, the.

  With the above configuration, when the operation button is pressed, the drive arm rotates and applies a pressing force to the movable piece. Therefore, even when the operation button is pushed, the drive arm is not greatly inclined, and the operation amount of the movable piece due to the rotation of the drive arm is hardly affected. As a result, stable contact operation can be obtained.

  Further, the invention according to claim 2 is the switch device according to claim 1, wherein the operation button is supported by an operation button support base, and the operation button support base is pressed in the case within the case. The operation button is configured to be movably fitted, and configured to transmit the pressing force of the operation button to the drive arm via the operation button support base.

  As described above, the same operation and effect as in the first aspect of the invention can also be obtained by transmitting the pressing force of the operation button to the drive arm via the operation button support base.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the switch device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the mounting plate is a printed board, and a display is attached to the front side of the printed board. A part of the printed circuit board is taken out of the case.

  With the above configuration, it can be applied to a switch device with a display.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the switch device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the case is provided with an overload prevention rib for preventing overload to the switch. The movable piece is a rigid body.

  With the above configuration, the click feeling of the switch can be improved. In the present specification, the term “rigid body” means a case where the thickness of the movable piece is 0.5 mm or more and the longitudinal elastic modulus is 100 GPa or more.

The present invention has the following effects.
(1) Even when the end is pushed, the drive arm is only slightly tilted but not greatly tilted. Therefore, the operation of the movable piece is hardly affected, and the contact operation is stabilized.

  (2) By providing an overload prevention rib to the switch, the movable piece can be brought close to a rigid body, the amount of the movable piece absorbing the click feeling of the switch can be reduced, and the click feeling of the switch can be improved. it can.

  Hereinafter, the switch device concerning the present invention is explained in full detail based on an embodiment. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(Embodiment)
1 is a plan view of the switch device according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view with the operation button removed, FIG. 5 is a plan view with the printed circuit board removed in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a plan view with the operation button support partially removed in FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the switch device. In the present embodiment, a switch device with a display will be described as an example of the switch device according to the present invention.

  The button switch device with a display 1 has a printed circuit board 3 disposed substantially parallel to the front surface of the case 2 in an insulating case 2 whose front side (upper side in FIG. It is made to go out from one side part for external connection. A display 4 such as an LED display is attached to the front side of the printed circuit board 3 in the case 2, and a switch 5 such as a tact switch is placed back-to-back with the display 4 on the rear side of the printed circuit board 3. The actuator 5a is attached to the rear side. The display 4 and the switch 5 are soldered to the printed circuit board 3.

  A translucent operation button 10 is fitted in the front portion of the case 2 so as to be movable in the pressing direction as indicated by an arrow X (see FIG. 2). The operation button 10 may be transparent or translucent, or may be colored. A frame-shaped operation button support base 11 is disposed below the operation button 10, and the operation button 10 is supported by the operation button support base 11. As clearly shown in FIG. 8, guide grooves 12 extending in the vertical direction are formed at the four corners of the outer peripheral surface of the operation button support base 11, and the protrusions formed on the inner peripheral surface of the case 2. 13 is fitted in the guide groove 12, and the support base 11 is guided by the case 2 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. Therefore, the operation button 10 is supported by the operation button support 11 so as to be movable in the pressing direction with respect to the case 2.

  Further, two bent lever-like movable pieces 15 are juxtaposed in the left-right direction in FIG. 2 at the bottom of the case 2. Support protrusions 15a and 15b are formed on both sides of the movable piece 15, respectively. The support protrusions 15 a and the support protrusions 15 b are positioned on a straight line parallel to the printed circuit board 3, and the support protrusions 15 a and 15 b are formed on the support fitting portions 2 a and 2 b formed on the inner surface of the case 2. Accordingly, the movable piece 15 can be rotated with the support fitting portions 2a and 2b as fulcrums (hereinafter referred to as fulcrum 1). Therefore, the movable piece 15 functions as a lever having the long side portion 15c as a power point, the support fitting portions 2a and 2b as fulcrums, and the short side end portion 15d as an action point.

  In addition, the movable piece 15 in this Embodiment consists of phosphor bronze, and the thickness is set to about 0.8 mm. Thereby, the movable piece 15 functions as a thing close | similar to a rigid body. As a result, the click feeling can be improved as will be described later. That is, as described above, the conventional movable piece is made of phosphor bronze and has a thickness of about 0.15 to 0.20 mm and has elasticity, but the click feeling is absorbed due to this. As a result, there is a problem that the click feeling is not transmitted. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by setting the thickness of the movable piece 15 to about 0.8 mm, the movable piece 15 is brought closer to a rigid body, thereby improving the click feeling. When the movable piece 15 is brought close to a rigid body, an excessive load may be applied to the switch 5, but in order to solve this, the side wall of the recess 40 in which the overload prevention rib 16 is formed on the bottom surface of the case 2 is provided. Is provided. The overload prevention rib 16 may be installed at a position corresponding to a position where the full stroke of the actuator 5a is pushed (a position indicated by an imaginary line 41 in FIG. 9 (1)). You may make it provide in the position (position shown by the virtual line 42 of FIG. 9 (2)) corresponding to the position which added the allowable pushing amount to the full stroke.

  In addition, a pair of drive arms 20 is disposed between the operation button support 11 and the movable piece 15. The drive arm 20 has a pair of side portions 20a located on the side of the long side portion of the movable piece 15 and the long side portion of the movable piece 15 in the vertical direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2) between the side portions 20a. It is comprised from the connection part 20b to connect. The end portion 20a1 of the side portion 20a is fitted into support fitting portions 2c and 2d formed on the inner surface of the case 2. As a result, the drive arm 20 is rotatable with the support fitting portions 2c and 2d as fulcrums (hereinafter referred to as fulcrum 2). The rotation axis of the drive arm 20 connecting the support fitting portions 2c and 2d is parallel to the rotation axis of the movable piece 15 connecting the support fitting portions 2a and 2b. Further, both ends 20A (see FIG. 8) of the coupling portion 20b of the drive arm 20 are in contact with the lower surface of the operation button support base 11.

  With such a configuration, when the operation button 10 is pressed, the pressing force is transmitted to both ends 20A of the connecting portion 20b of the drive arm 20 via the operation button support base 11, whereby the drive arm 20 rotates. Thus, the connecting portion pushes the long side portion 15 c of the movable piece 15, whereby the short side portion 15 d rises due to the lever principle and pushes the actuator 5 a of the switch 5. That is, in accordance with the pressing operation of the operation button 10, the pressing force is reversed in the direction opposite to the pressing direction to operate the switch actuator 5a.

  Next, the operation of the switch device having the above configuration will be described. First, when the push button 10 is pressed, the pressing force is transmitted to both ends 20A of the connecting portion 20b of the drive arm 20 via the push button support base 11. As a result, the drive arm 20 rotates around the fulcrum 2. Then, the central portion of the connecting portion 20 b of the drive arm 20 pushes the long side portion 15 c of the movable piece 15. Thereby, a pressing force acts over a wide area of the long side portion 15c, and the movable piece 15 rotates around the fulcrum 1 without being inclined. Due to the rotation of the movable piece 15, the short side portion 15 d of the movable piece 15 is raised by the lever principle and the actuator 5 a of the switch 5 is pushed.

  Next, the short side portion 15d of the movable piece 15 comes into contact with the overload prevention rib 16, and the pushing of the actuator 5a stops. That is, no further load is applied to the actuator 5a. At this time, since the movable piece 15 is close to a rigid body, the problem of absorbing the click feeling of the switch 5 by using the elastic movable piece 15 can be solved. The overload prevention rib 16 prevents an overload from acting on the switch 5 and prevents the life of the switch 5 from being shortened.

  In this way, the pressing force of the operation button 10 is transmitted to the movable piece 15 through the drive arm 20, so that even when the operation button 10 is pushed, the inclination of the drive arm 20 is slight, and therefore the movable piece 15. Since a stable vertical force is applied, a stable contact operation can always be obtained. Therefore, when the area of the operation button 10 is increased, it is possible to realize a switch device that can always obtain a stable contact operation even when end pressing occurs.

(Other matters)
(1) Although the switch device with a display has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this and can be widely applied to other switch devices.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the thickness of the movable piece 15 is increased to approach the rigid body, but the material of the movable piece 15 may be changed to a material having a large longitudinal elastic modulus. It is also possible to change both the thickness and the material of 15 so as to be close to a rigid body. In the present specification, the term “rigid body” means the case where the thickness of the movable piece is 0.5 mm or more and the longitudinal elastic modulus is 100 GPa or more as described above, and is therefore included in this condition. The movable piece 15 having a thickness and a longitudinal elastic modulus can be used. For example, in the case of the movable piece 15 made of phosphor bronze (the longitudinal elastic modulus of phosphor bronze is 110 GPa), the thickness is about 0.8 mm in the above embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this. What is necessary is just 0.5 mm or more. Further, when the movable piece is made of a material other than phosphor bronze, a material having a longitudinal elastic modulus of 100 GPa or more may be used, and the thickness thereof may be 0.5 mm or more.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the pressing force of the operation button 10 is configured to be transmitted to the drive arm 20 via the operation button support base 11, but the operation button support base 11 is omitted. The pressing force of the operation button 10 may be transmitted directly to the drive arm 20.

  The present invention can be preferably implemented in a switch device with a display.

It is a top view of the switch apparatus concerning an embodiment. It is arrow AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is arrow BB sectional drawing of FIG. It is a top view of the state which removed the operation button in the switch apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a top view of the state which removed the printed circuit board in FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state where an operation button support is removed in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 5. It is a disassembled perspective view of the switch apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the specific installation position of the rib for overload prevention. It is sectional drawing of a prior art example. It is a top view which shows the internal structure of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

1: Switch device 2: Case
3: Printed circuit board 4: Display
5: Switch 5a: Actuator 10: Operation button 11: Operation button support base 15: Movable piece 16: Overload prevention rib 20: Drive arm

Claims (4)

A case, a mounting plate in the case and disposed substantially parallel to the front surface, a switch mounted on the rear surface side of the mounting plate, and an operation button fitted in the front portion of the case so as to be movable in the pressing direction. A switch device that operates the switch by reversing the pressing force according to the pressing operation of the operation button,
A lever-shaped movable piece that is arranged in the bottom of the case, rotates around a fulcrum provided on the case side, and presses the actuator of the switch;
It is arranged between the movable piece and the operation button, and is rotated about an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the movable piece around a fulcrum provided on the case side by a pressing operation of the operation button, A driving arm that applies a pressing force to the movable piece to drive the movable piece to rotate;
A switch device comprising:   The operation button is supported by an operation button support base, and the operation button support base is fitted in the case so as to be movable in the pressing direction of the operation button. The switch device according to claim 1, wherein the switch device is configured to transmit to the drive arm via a switch.   The switch according to claim 1, wherein the mounting plate is a printed board, and a display is attached to the front side of the printed board, and a part of the printed board is exposed outside the case. apparatus. 4. The switch device according to claim 1, wherein the case is provided with an overload prevention rib for preventing overload on the switch, and the movable piece is a rigid body.