JP2008077850A - Push switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a push switch capable of solving a problem of a conventional push switch. <P>SOLUTION: A button part 41 facing to a contact 76 of a membrane switch 7 is formed of an elastic material excelling in moldability. When the button 41 is pressed in order to close the contact 76, a printable flexible sheet 10 bending so as not to restrict the flexure of the button part 41 is jointed to a surface of an elastic body 4 facing to the membrane switch 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a push switch.

  Conventionally, a press sensor described in JP-A-2005-38812 is known as a press-type input device.

  This pressure sensor is composed of a composite sheet and a membrane sheet.

  The composite sheet is laminated on the membrane sheet. The composite sheet has an elastic member and a reinforcing member. The reinforcing member is bonded to the back surface of the elastic member, and restricts the elastic member from being bent more than a predetermined amount when the elastic member is pressed.

  The membrane sheet has a plurality of contacts.

When a part of the composite sheet is pressed, the deformation of the elastic member is restricted by the reinforcing member, so that the deformation range of the composite sheet changes continuously according to the magnitude of the pressing force. Therefore, in this press sensor, the number of contacts to be closed can be changed with high accuracy in proportion to the magnitude of the pressing force.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-38812 (see paragraphs 0028 to 0032 and 0043, FIG. 5)

  In the above-described pressure sensor, since silicone rubber is adopted as the material of the elastic member, it is difficult to print on the elastic member. In addition, since this elastic member is too soft, the formability is poor. For example, even if an attempt is made to form a pressing portion having a certain shape on the surface of the elastic member, the desired shape may not be obtained. Furthermore, the touch during operation was not good.

  Further, the above-described press sensor has a problem in that the pressing load required to close the contact is increased because the elastic plate restricts the elastic member from being bent by a predetermined amount or more.

  This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, The subject is providing the press switch which can solve the trouble of the conventional press switch.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the press switch of the invention of claim 1 has a press switch body having a contact and a press switch body disposed on the press switch body and facing the contact, and has excellent formability. An elastic body made of a transparent material and a surface of the elastic body facing the pressing switch main body are joined, and the bending of the pressing portion is not limited when the pressing portion is pressed in a direction in which the contact is closed. And a printable flexible sheet that bends like this.

  As described above, since the elastic body is formed of a transparent material excellent in formability, it is easy to make the shape of the elastic body as intended.

  In addition, a printable flexible sheet is joined to an elastic body made of a transparent material with excellent formability, so if you print on the flexible sheet, you can see the print through the elastic body. Can do.

  Furthermore, since the elastic body is formed of a material excellent in formability, the touch when the elastic body is pressed is not too soft, and a good feel can be obtained when the elastic body is pressed.

  In addition, since a printable flexible sheet that is bent so as not to limit the bending of the pressing portion is joined to the surface of the elastic body that faces the pressing switch body, it is possible to obtain decorativeness by printing as described above. An increase in the pressing load of the pressing portion can be avoided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the press switch according to the first aspect, the pressing portion is convex.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the press switch according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a pressing element facing the pressing portion is provided on a surface of the flexible sheet facing the switch body. To do.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the press switch according to the first, second, or third aspect, a pressing force reducing portion is provided in a portion of the flexible sheet that substantially faces the peripheral portion of the pressing portion. Features.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the press switch according to the fourth aspect, the pressing force reducing portion is a cut.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the press switch according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein a plurality of protrusions projecting toward the switch main body are provided in a portion of the flexible sheet that substantially faces the periphery of the pressing portion. These pin-shaped spacers are arranged.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the press switch according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the material having excellent formability is urethane acrylic, and the material of the flexible sheet is PET. And

  As described above, according to the present invention, the appearance of the elastic body can be improved by printing applied to the flexible sheet, the elastic body has excellent formability, and a good feel as a press switch is obtained during operation. be able to.

  In addition, an increase in pressing load required to close the contact can be avoided while obtaining decorativeness by printing.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 is a cross-sectional view of a pressure switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the pressure switch shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pusher sheet and spacer shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a state where the pressing switch shown in FIG. 1 is pressed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the press switch includes a sheet 3, an elastic body 4, a pusher sheet 5, a press switch body 7, and a spacer 9.

  The sheet 3 has flexibility, is a printable sheet, and is transparent. PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is used as the material of the sheet 3.

  The elastic body 4 has a substantially sheet shape and includes a plurality of button portions (pressing portions) 41, a connecting portion 42, and an edge portion 43. The plurality of button portions 41 are arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions, and are opposed to contacts 76 of the press switch body 7 described later. The connecting part 42 connects the plurality of button parts 41 to each other. The connecting portion 42 is thinner than the pressing portion 41. The edge portion 43 surrounds the plurality of button portions 41. The thickness of the edge portion 43 is substantially the same as the thickness of the connecting portion 42. The plurality of button portions 41, the connecting portions 42, and the edge portions 43 are excellent in formability and are integrally formed of urethane acrylic that is a colorless and transparent elastic material. In the case of this embodiment, in order to obtain a good feel of the button part 41, the thickness of the button part 41 is set to 0.5 mm or more and 2 mm or less, and the thickness of the sheet 3 is set to 0.02 mm or more and 0.2 mm. When set to the following, a good feel of the button 41 was obtained. The surface of the elastic body 4 is subjected to surface processing such as embossing and spin finishing.

  The pusher sheet 5 is composed of one sheet 51 and a plurality of pushers 52. The sheet 51 is made of the same material as the sheet 3 and is transparent. The sheet 51 is adhered to the lower surface of the sheet 3 with an adhesive (not shown) or a double-sided tape. The pusher 52 is hemispherical. The pusher 52 is joined to the lower surface of the sheet 51. The pusher 52 is smaller than the button part 41, and the center of the surface of the pusher 52 on the sheet 51 side and the center of the surface of the button part 41 on the sheet 3 side substantially coincide. The pusher 52 is made of transparent urethane acryl, and it is suitable that this urethane acryl has a rubber hardness equal to or higher than that of the urethane acryl of the elastic body 4. The surface of the pusher 52 is subjected to surface processing by embossing.

  The sheet 3 and the sheet 51 are bonded to each other to constitute a flexible sheet 10 that can be printed. The flexible sheet 10 is disposed opposite to the pressing switch body 7. Printing is performed on at least one of the sheet 3 and the sheet 51. The flexible sheet 10 can bend so as not to limit the bending of the button part 41 when the button part 41 is pressed to close a contact point 76 described later. In this embodiment, the thickness of the flexible sheet 10 (the sum of the thickness of the sheet 3 and the thickness of the sheet 51) is set to 0.04 mm or more and 0.4 mm or less.

  A membrane switch is used as the press switch body 7. The press switch body 7 has a tail portion 7a that is electrically connected to another device (see FIG. 2). The press switch body 7 includes an upper membrane sheet 71, a lower membrane sheet 72, a spacer 73, a movable contact 74 and a fixed contact 75. A conductor pattern (not shown) is formed on the lower surface of the upper membrane sheet 71. A conductor pattern (not shown) is formed on the upper surface of the lower membrane sheet 72. The spacer 73 is formed of a double-sided tape having a plurality of holes 73a. Each hole 73 a faces the pusher 52. An upper membrane sheet 71 is attached to the upper surface of the spacer 73, and a lower membrane sheet 72 is attached to the lower surface of the spacer 73. The movable contact 74 is attached to the lower surface of the portion facing the hole 73 a of the upper membrane sheet 71 and is electrically connected to the conductor pattern of the upper membrane sheet 71. The fixed contact 75 is attached to the upper surface of the portion facing the hole 73a of the lower membrane sheet 72, and is electrically connected to the conductor pattern of the lower membrane sheet 72. The movable contact 74 and the fixed contact 75 are made of carbon. The movable contact 74 and the fixed contact 75 constitute a contact 76.

  The spacer 9 has a frame shape and is flexible. The pusher sheet 5 is bonded to the upper surface of the spacer 9 by an adhesive, and the press switch body 7 is bonded to the lower surface of the spacer 9 by an adhesive.

  The pressing switch is mounted on the upper surface of the printed wiring board 21.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the central button portion 41 is pressed with the finger F in the switch pressing direction D, the button portion 41 is bent, the movable contact 74 is pressed by the pusher 52 and contacts the fixed contact 75, and the contact 76. Closes.

  According to 1st Embodiment, the external appearance of the elastic body 4 can be improved by the printing given to the flexible sheet | seat 10, it is excellent in the shaping | molding property of the elastic body 4, and has a favorable touch as a press switch at the time of operation. Further, it is possible to avoid an increase in the pressing load of the button portion 41 while obtaining a decorative property by printing the flexible sheet 10.

  Further, since the pusher sheet 5 is adopted, the quality of the elastic body 4 and the pusher sheet 5 can be controlled separately, and the elastic body 4 and the pusher sheet 5 are all defective at a time. In addition, even if one of the elastic body 4 and the pusher sheet 5 is defective, the other can be utilized, and the yield is better than when the pusher 52 is formed directly on the back surface of the elastic body 4.

  Further, since the presser 52 is subjected to the embossing process, it is possible to prevent the pusher 52 from sticking to the press switch body 7 and to reduce the peeling sound generated when the presser 52 is separated from the press switch body 7. Can be made.

  Further, since the rubber hardness of the pusher 52 is equal to or higher than the rubber hardness of the elastic body 4, the movement of the button portion 41 can be efficiently transmitted to the contact 76, and the rubber hardness of the pusher 52 is the rubber of the elastic body 4. Compared with the case where the hardness is smaller than the hardness, the contact 76 can be closed with a small operation amount.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a pressing switch according to a second embodiment of the present invention is pressed, FIG. 6 is a plan view of a part of the presser sheet of the pressing switch shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. It is a partial expanded sectional view of the press switch shown.

  Portions common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. Only the main differences will be described below.

  The pusher sheet 205 of the second embodiment is different from the pusher sheet 5 of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the sheet 251 of the pusher sheet 205 is formed with a plurality of cuts (pressing force reducing portions) 251 a. The cut 251a substantially opposes the peripheral part of the button part 41 in the switch pressing direction D. The flexible sheet 210 includes a sheet 3 and a sheet 251.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the button portion 41 is pressed in the switch pressing direction D with the finger F, the button portion 41 is bent and the flexible sheet 210 is bent. At this time, a cut 251a is formed in the sheet 251a. Therefore, the button part 41 can be pushed in with a smaller force.

  According to the second embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the button portion 41 can be pressed with a smaller force.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a press switch according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a plan view of a part of a presser sheet of the press switch shown in FIG.

  The pusher sheet 305 of the third embodiment is different from the pusher sheet 5 of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a plurality of dot spacers (pin-shaped spacers) 53 are formed on the lower surface of the sheet 351 of the pusher sheet 305. The plurality of dot spacers 53 are arranged on the sheet 351 so as to surround an area of the sheet 351 facing the button portion 41 in the switch pressing direction D. There is a slight gap between the lower end of the dot spacer 53 and the press switch body 7. The flexible sheet 310 includes a sheet 3 and a sheet 351.

  When the pressure switch according to the first embodiment is bent in an arc shape, the gap between the pusher 52 and the contact 76 becomes small at the center of the pressure switch. On the other hand, when the pressing switch according to the third embodiment is bent in an arc shape, the gap between the pusher 52 and the contact 76 is hardly changed by the dot spacer 53. Therefore, even if the press switch according to the third embodiment is arranged on a curved surface, there is little risk of malfunction. Moreover, the pressing load of the button part 41 can be reduced compared to other pressing switches that can be arranged on the curved surface.

  According to the third embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, malfunctions can be prevented, and the push switch can be used on a curved surface.

  10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a pressing switch according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is pressed, FIG. 11 is a plan view of a part of the pressing sheet of the pressing switch shown in FIG. 10, and FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the press switch shown.

  Portions common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. Only the main differences will be described below.

  The presser sheet 405 of the fourth embodiment is different from the presser sheet 5 of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, the sheet 451 of the pusher sheet 405 is formed with a plurality of cuts (pressing force reducing portions) 451 a and a plurality of dot spacers 53. The notches 451a and the dot spacers 53 are arranged on the sheet 451 so as to surround the area of the sheet 451 that faces the button portion 41 in the switch pressing direction D. There is a slight gap between the lower end of the dot spacer 53 and the press switch body 7. The flexible sheet 410 is composed of a sheet 3 and a sheet 451.

  According to the fourth embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, the contact 76 can be closed with a smaller force, a malfunction can be prevented, and the push switch can be prevented. Can be used on a curved surface.

  In the above-described embodiment, the elastic body 4 is made of urethane acrylic, but the material of the elastic body 4 is not limited to urethane acrylic.

  Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although the pressing part of the elastic body 4 was made into the convex button part 41, it does not necessarily need to form a pressing part in convex shape, an unevenness | corrugation is eliminated and the whole elastic body 4 is substantially flat. You may form in plate shape. In this case, the location of the pressing portion may be clarified by printing the flexible sheets 10, 210, 310, 410. Moreover, you may form the press part of the elastic body 4 in concave shape.

  The material of the pusher 52 need not be the same material as the elastic body 4, but a material having a rubber hardness equal to or higher than the rubber hardness of the elastic body 4 is desirable.

  Further, the pusher 52 does not need to be transparent.

  Although the pusher 52 is provided on the elastic body 4 on the side of the press switch body 7, the pusher 52 is not necessarily provided on the elastic body 4.

  Further, it is not always necessary to perform surface processing on the surfaces of the elastic body 4 and the pusher 52.

  Note that the sheet 3 and the sheets 5, 205, 305, and 405 do not need to be transparent.

  In the above-described embodiment, the flexible sheets 10, 210, 310, and 410 are composed of the sheet 3 and the sheets 51, 251, 351, and 451, but the flexible sheets 10, 210, 310, and 410 are You may comprise one sheet or three or more sheets.

  In the second and fourth embodiments, the cuts 251 a and 451 a are provided in the sheets 251 and 451 as the pressing force reduction unit, but the cuts may be provided in the sheet 3.

  In the second and fourth embodiments, the cuts 251a and 451a are used as the pressing force reduction unit. However, the pressing force reduction unit is not limited to the cuts 251a and 451a. It may be a hole.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a press switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the push switch shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the presser sheet and the spacer shown in FIG. 1 when viewed obliquely from below. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the pressing switch shown in FIG. 1 is pressed. FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a state in which a pressing switch according to a second embodiment of the present invention is pressed. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a part of the pusher sheet of the push switch shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the press switch shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a press switch according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a plan view of a part of the pusher sheet of the push switch shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a pressing switch according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is pressed. FIG. 11 is a plan view of a part of the pusher sheet of the push switch shown in FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the press switch shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

3 Sheet 4 Elastic body 41 Button part (pressing part)
5,205,305,405 Pusher sheet 51,251,351,451 Sheet 251a, 451a Cutting (pressing force reducing part)
52 Pusher 53 Dot spacer (pin-shaped spacer)
7 Membrane switch (Press switch body)
76 Contact 10, 210, 310, 410 Flexible sheet D Switch pressing direction

Claims (7)

A press switch body having a contact;
An elastic body formed in a transparent material having a pressing portion facing the contact point and having a pressing portion that is stacked on the pressing switch body, and excellent in formability;
A printable flexible sheet that is bonded to a surface of the elastic body facing the pressing switch body and bends so as not to limit the bending of the pressing portion when the pressing portion is pressed in a direction in which the contact is closed. A press switch comprising:   The press switch according to claim 1, wherein the pressing portion is convex.   3. The press switch according to claim 1, wherein a pressing element facing the pressing portion is provided on a surface of the flexible sheet facing the switch body. 4.   The press switch according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein a pressing force reducing portion is provided at a portion of the flexible sheet that is substantially opposed to a peripheral portion of the pressing portion.   The press switch according to claim 4, wherein the pressing force reducing portion is a cut.   6. A plurality of pin-shaped spacers that protrude toward the switch body are disposed at a portion of the flexible sheet that substantially faces the periphery of the pressing portion. 1. A push switch according to item 1.   The press switch according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the material having excellent formability is urethane acrylic, and the material of the flexible sheet is PET.

Images