JP2008251323A - Panel integrated type push-button switch member and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thin-type push button member having excellent waterproofness and dustproofness, high durability, and less contact failure. <P>SOLUTION: The panel integrated type push-button switch member 1 is equipped with a panel 2 having hole parts 1a for exposing key tops 3, an elastic film 4 which is a film to constitute a part of the key tops 3 and kept into close contact with or adhered to the rear face of the panel 2 and which is protruded from the hole parts 1a, and an elastic body 5 which constitutes a part of the key tops 3 and which fills recessed parts 12 formed on the rear side of the elastic film 4 protruded from the hole parts 1a, and when the elastic film 4 which is protruded from the hole parts 1a is pressed in, by downward bending of the key tops 3 in a region of the hole parts 1a, the key tops 3 comes into contact with switches arranged downward the elastic body 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a panel-integrated pushbutton switch member in which a panel and a switch are integrated, and a method for manufacturing the same.

  In recent years, electronic devices such as mobile phones, portable music players, PDAs, remote entry keys, and smart entry keys have been required to be thinner. In order to reduce the thickness of an electronic device, it is essential to reduce the thickness of a push button switch provided in the electronic device.

  Hereinafter, a mobile phone will be described as an example of an electronic device. As a conventional push button switch member, for example, one having the following structure is known. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a conventionally known push button switch member 50. The push button switch member 50 has a structure in which an upper portion of the key top 53 is exposed from a hole 52 formed in a predetermined position of the panel 51. A substrate 54 is disposed below the panel 51, and a fixed contact 55 is disposed on the surface of the substrate 54 facing the panel 51. The key top body 56 of each key top 53 is disposed above each fixed contact 55. Each key top 53 is in contact with the substrate 54 by a skirt-like thin portion 57 surrounding the fixed contact 55. In addition, a presser 58 having a conduction region 65 ′ is formed on the lower surface of each key top body 56 and at a position directly above the fixed contact 55. Therefore, when the key top 53 is pressed down, the thin portion 57 is bent, so that the key top main body 56 is lowered and the conduction region 65 ′ of the pressing element 65 comes into contact with the fixed contact 55. On the other hand, when the depression of the key top 53 is released, the key top 53 returns to the original height by the restoring force of the thin portion 57. As a result, the presser 58 is separated from the fixed contact 55 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

There are also conventionally known push button switch members as described below. FIGS. 10A and 10B are a plan view of a conventionally known push button switch member 60 and a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the push button switch member 60, respectively. The uppermost panel 61 of the push button switch member 60 is provided with a slit 62 that serves as a partition for the key top 63. The slit 62 is formed so as to leave one side of the key top 63. As shown in FIG. 10B, a rubber-like elastic sheet 64 is disposed on the back surface of the key top 63, and a part of the rubber-like elastic sheet 64 is inserted into the slit 62. In addition, a pressing element 65 having a conduction region 65 ′ is formed on the back surface of the rubber-like elastic sheet 64. A substrate 66 to which a fixed contact 67 is fixed is disposed below the rubber-like elastic sheet 64. The key top 63 can be bent up and down with the connecting portion 68 on the side without the slit 62 as a fulcrum. For this reason, when the key top 63 is pushed in, the key top 63 bends as indicated by an arrow B shown in FIG. 10B with the connecting portion 68 as a fulcrum, and the conduction region 65 ′ of the pressing element 65 contacts the fixed contact 67 ( For example, see Patent Document 2).
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-183080 (FIG. 2) JP 2006-156333 A (FIG. 1)

  However, the above-described conventional pushbutton switch members 50 and 60 have the following problems. Since the push button switch member 50 has a skirt-like thin portion 57 in order to be movable up and down, it is necessary to secure a certain distance between the substrate 54 and the panel 51. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the thickness. In addition, since the thin portion 57 is easily damaged during repeated use, there is a problem that the durability is poor. Further, since the key top 53 and the panel 51 are separate, there is a problem that the inside of the push button switch member 50 is not sealed, and the waterproof and dustproof properties are poor.

  On the other hand, the push button switch member 60 does not have the skirt-like thin portion 57 and a part of the panel 61 is the key top 63, so that the thickness can be reduced. Further, since the rubber-like elastic sheet 64 is inserted into the slit 62, there is a certain degree of hermeticity. However, when the key top 63 is pushed in, the pressing element 65 moves obliquely downward rather than directly below, so that the pressing element 65 does not necessarily contact the fixed contact 67 reliably and may cause a contact failure. In addition, there is also a problem that, during repeated use, the restoring force of the key top 63 becomes weak, and the key top 63 becomes difficult to completely return to the original state.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, that is, to provide a push button switch member that is thin, excellent in waterproofness / dustproofness, high in durability, and less in contact failure.

  In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a panel having a hole for exposing a key top and a film constituting a part of the key top, which is in close contact with or adhered to the back surface of the panel and protrudes from the hole. An elastic film that forms part of the key top and an elastic body that fills the recess formed on the back side of the elastic film protruding from the hole, and when the elastic film protruding from the hole is pushed in, The panel-integrated pushbutton switch member is in contact with the switch disposed below the elastic body by the downward bending of the keytop in the hole region.

  When such a panel-integrated pushbutton switch member is employed, there is no need to provide a movable part below the panel, and the switch can be turned on and off only by deformation of the key top itself protruding from the hole of the panel. The thickness can be reduced, and the movable part is hardly damaged and the durability is increased. In addition, since the back surface of the panel and the elastic film are in close contact with each other, the inside of the push button switch member is highly sealed, and is excellent in waterproof and dustproof properties. Further, such a panel-integrated pushbutton switch member is less likely to cause poor contact because the lower surface of the keytop is pushed right below when the keytop is pushed in.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing the above-described panel-integrated pushbutton switch member, wherein the position of the hole and the recess in which the key top is exposed in one mold having the recess at the key top location. A panel is arranged in accordance with the position and an elastic film is placed on the panel, an elastic material supply process for supplying an elastic material on the elastic film, and a mold The panel-integrated pushbutton switch manufacturing method includes: forming the panel, the elastic film, and the elastic body integrally by applying pressure to the elastic film and the elastic material.

  By adopting this manufacturing method, it is possible to obtain a pushbutton switch member that is thin, excellent in waterproofness / dustproofness, high durability, and few contact defects. Further, since the elastic film is stretched by the molding pressure of the elastic body filled in the concave portion of the mold, it can be molded in a state where the panel, the elastic film and the elastic body are in close contact with each other. Therefore, the elastic body does not protrude from the surface side of the panel.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pushbutton switch member that is thin, excellent in waterproofness / dustproofness, high in durability, and with few contact failures.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a panel-integrated pushbutton switch member and a manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking a pushbutton switch member of a mobile phone as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a panel-integrated pushbutton switch member (hereinafter simply referred to as “pushbutton switch member”) 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the pushbutton switch member 1 shown in FIG. 1 taken along line AA. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the panel 2 constituting the panel-integrated pushbutton switch member 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the push button switch member 1 when the key top 3 is pushed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the pushbutton switch member 1 according to the present embodiment mainly includes a panel 2, an elastic film 4, and an elastic body 5. The key top 3 is formed by the elastic film 4 and the elastic body 5 protruding from the panel 2. An adhesive layer 6 is interposed between the back surface of the panel 2 (the lower surface of the panel 2 in FIG. 3) and the elastic film 4. Further, the elastic film 4 and the elastic body 5 are bonded or in close contact with each other. Therefore, the panel 2, the elastic film 4 and the elastic body 5 are integrated.

  Panel 2 eventually becomes part of the box of the mobile phone. As shown in FIG. 2, the panel 2 is provided with a hole 1 a for allowing the key top 3 to protrude from the back surface. As the panel 2, a substantially rectangular flat plate made of polymethyl methacrylate can be suitably used. However, the panel 2 is not limited to a substantially rectangular flat plate. The material of the panel 2 may be a polymer such as ABS, polycarbonate, polypropylene, or polybutylene terephthalate, or a metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, copper, titanium, magnesium, or an alloy made of various metals.

  The thickness of the panel 2 is not particularly limited, but is preferably a thickness that is less likely to be deformed by the pressing operation of the push button and can meet the demand for thinness. Specifically, a panel 2 having a thickness of 0.1 mm or more and 1 mm or less is particularly suitable. The panel 2 can be formed into an arbitrary shape by injection molding or extrusion molding. The hole 1a of the panel 2 may be formed by cutting after forming, or may be formed by cutting after forming. The panel 2 may be a decorative panel decorated on the back or front surface by printing or the like.

  The elastic film 4 is bonded to the back surface of the panel 2 with an adhesive. However, the elastic film 4 and the back surface of the panel 2 may be brought into close contact with each other without using an adhesive. The portion of the elastic film 4 protruding from the hole 1 a of the panel 2 forms a part of the key top 3. As the material of the elastic film 4, a soft material that can be deformed when pressed from above can be suitably used. Specifically, the elastic film 4 having a thickness of about 10 μm to about 200 μm and a Shore A hardness of 20 to 90 is particularly suitable. Examples of such an elastic film 4 include films of urethane resin, thermoplastic elastomer, silicone rubber, or natural rubber. Further, the elastic film 4 may be decorated.

  On the back side of the elastic film 4 protruding from the hole 1a, an elastic body 5 constituting a part of the key top 3 is filled. Further, a presser 7 is formed on the lower surface of the elastic body 5. Therefore, when the portion of the key top 3 is depressed, the key top 3 is deformed so as to sink downward as shown in FIG. Contact a contact (not shown). As described above, since there is no portion other than the key top 3 that moves downward when the key top 3 is pushed in, the push button switch member 1 can be thinned. As a material of the elastic body 5, a soft resin that is bent and bent when pressed with a finger is preferably used. As the elastic body 5, for example, thermoplastic elastomer, synthetic or natural rubber, silicone rubber, urethane resin, or the like can be used.

  Hereinafter, an example of the manufacturing method of the pushbutton switch member 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a main process flow of the manufacturing process of the push button switch member 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The manufacturing process of the pushbutton switch member 1 includes a process of decorating at least one of the panel 2 and the elastic film 4 (step S100), an overlapping process of superposing the panel 2 and the elastic film 4 (step S101), A molding step (step S102) in which a laminated body in which the panel 2 and the elastic film 4 are overlapped is inserted into a mold, the raw material of the elastic body 5 is supplied from above the elastic film 4 in the laminated body, and press molding is performed. And a release step (step S103) for releasing the push button switch member 1 from the mold. Hereafter, each said process is demonstrated in detail, referring drawings.

  6 is a cross-sectional view of the laminated body 8 in which the panel 2 and the elastic film 4 are overlapped, cut along a line similar to the AA line in FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a state in which the laminate 8 composed of the panel 2 and the elastic film 4 and the raw material 9 of the elastic body 5 are put in the mold 10.

  First, at least one of the panel 2 and the elastic film 4 is decorated (step S100). The elastic film 4 and the panel 2 are decorated by, for example, coloring, printing, vapor deposition, or painting. As the decoration, various characters, symbols, and numbers may be displayed at the position of the key top 3, or a color, a pattern, a pattern, or the like may be applied to a part or the whole. Since the elastic film 4 is decorated in a flat state, it can be decorated up to the boundary portion of the panel 2. Furthermore, when both the elastic film 4 and the panel 2 are transparent, it is possible to prevent the pattern from being peeled off by the operation by printing the pattern on the surface of the elastic film 4 opposite to the panel 2. Moreover, the design with a sense of unity can be comprised by printing on the elastic film 4 using a highly transparent raw material for the panel 2.

  Subsequent to step S100, the panel 2 and the elastic film 4 are overlaid (step S101). In this step, the panel 2 and the elastic film 4 are overlapped and integrated via the adhesive layer 6. A laminate of the panel 2 and the elastic film 4 is referred to as a laminate 8.

  Next, the raw material 9 of the laminated body 8 and the elastic body 5 is disposed at a predetermined place of the mold 10. The mold 10 includes a recess 12 that matches the shape of the key top 3 and a recess 13 for manufacturing the presser 7 in order to manufacture the final shape of each key top 3. The laminate 8 is arranged so that the panel 2 faces the recess 12 and the elastic film 4 faces the recess 13. Moreover, the laminated body 8 is arrange | positioned according to the position of the hole 1a of the panel 2, and the position of the recessed part 12. FIG. In addition, the raw material 9 of the elastic body 5 is placed between the laminate 8 and the recess 13.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the push button switch member 1 is press-molded.

  Next, the mold 10 is tightened to perform press molding for integrating the laminate 8 and the elastic body 5 (step S102). Then, first, the elastic film 4 and the elastic body 5 are softened. Next, the elastic film 4 is stretched along the shape of the recess 12 by the pressure of the elastic body 5. Further, the elastic body 5 is filled in the concave portion of the elastic film 4 and solidified or cured. Note that in the case of a combination of materials in which the elastic body 5 and the elastic film 4 are not easily bonded, an adhesive may be applied to the contact portion between the elastic body 5 and the elastic film 4. In addition, the elastic body 5 is also filled in the recess 13 for producing the pressing element 7. Thus, the presser 7 is formed. Finally, the mold 10 is opened, and the push button switch member 1 is released from the mold 10 (step S103).

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a method for manufacturing a panel-integrated pushbutton switch member (hereinafter simply referred to as “pushbutton switch member”) according to the second embodiment will be described. The forms shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 described above are also common to the second embodiment.

  The push button switch member 1 manufactured by the method for manufacturing the push button switch member according to the second embodiment has the same structure as the push button switch member 1 according to the first embodiment described above. For this reason, while using the same code | symbol about the structure of the pushbutton switch member 1 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the manufacturing method according to the second embodiment, injection molding in which the elastic material 9 is injected toward the elastic film 4 in step S102 is used. Specifically, from the elastic film 4 side, a molten resin or the like serving as the elastic material 9 is injected at a high pressure toward the recess 12 (step S102). As a result, the elastic film 4 is stretched so as to be pushed into the hole 1a. At the same time, the molten resin is filled in the recesses of the elastic film 4. After the molten resin is solidified and the key top 3 is formed, the mold 10 is opened, and the push button switch member 1 is released from the mold 10 (step S103).

  When injecting the molten resin, the injection pressure and the resin inflow rate can be adjusted as appropriate, so that it is easy to prevent the elastic film 4 from being broken when it is stretched so as to be pushed into the hole 1a.

  Further, as the raw material 9 of the elastic body to be injection-molded, thermosetting elastomer, synthetic rubber, silicone rubber, urethane resin or the like can be used. Furthermore, a thermoplastic elastomer such as a polyester, polyurethane, polystyrene, or polyamide thermoplastic elastomer can be suitably used as the elastic material 9.

  The preferred embodiments of the pushbutton switch member 1 and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various modifications. It is.

  For example, in each embodiment, the presser 7 is formed at the same time as the key top 3 is formed by molding the elastic body 5, but the presser 7 may not be formed at the same time as the key top 3 is formed. Good. After the push button switch member 1 is released from the mold 10, a separately produced presser 7 may be bonded. In that case, the concave portion 13 for producing the pressing element 7 is not necessary in the mold 10.

  Further, step S101 may be omitted, and the panel 2 and the elastic film 4 may be disposed in step S102. At that time, an adhesive may be interposed between the panel 2 and the elastic film 4.

  Moreover, when it is not necessary to decorate the panel 2 or the elastic film 4, step S100 may be omitted. Further, after step S103, the panel 2 or the key top 3 may be decorated.

  The present invention can be used in industries that manufacture or use electronic devices equipped with a switch member.

1 is a plan view of a panel-integrated pushbutton switch member according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the panel used for the panel integrated type pushbutton switch member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing when the panel integrated type pushbutton switch member shown in FIG. 1 is cut by AA. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of the panel-integrated pushbutton switch member when the key top is pushed down from the state shown in FIG. 3. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of each process of the manufacturing method of the panel integrated pushbutton switch member which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the laminated body which piled up the panel and the elastic film manufactured in the manufacturing method of the panel integrated type pushbutton switch member which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the state which put the laminated body which consists of a panel and an elastic film, and the raw material of the elastic body 5 in the metal mold | die. It is an AA section line sectional view showing the state where the panel integral type pushbutton switch member concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention is press-molded. It is sectional drawing of a conventionally well-known pushbutton switch member. FIG. 10 is a plan view (A) and a sectional view (B) of a conventionally known push button switch member different from the push button switch member shown in FIG. 9.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Panel integrated type pushbutton switch member 1a Hole part 2 Panel 3 Keytop 4 Elastic film 5 Elastic body 9 Elastic raw material 10 Mold 12 Recessed part

Claims (2)

A panel having a hole for exposing the key top;
A film constituting a part of the key top, which is in close contact with or adhered to the back surface of the panel and protrudes from the hole,
An elastic body that constitutes a part of the key top and fills a recess formed on the back side of the elastic film protruding from the hole;
With
When the elastic film protruding from the hole portion is pushed in, the key top comes into contact with a switch disposed below the elastic body by bending downward of the key top in the region of the hole portion. Panel-integrated pushbutton switch member. A method for manufacturing a panel-integrated pushbutton switch member according to claim 1,
In one mold having a recess at the key top location, a panel is placed by aligning the position of the hole exposing the key top with the position of the recess, and an elastic film is placed on the panel. Superposition process;
An elastic material supply step for supplying an elastic material on the elastic film;
A molding step of integrally molding the panel, the elastic film and the elastic body by applying pressure to the elastic film and the raw material of the elastic body in the mold;
A method for manufacturing a panel-integrated pushbutton switch member comprising:

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