JP2010176888A - Switch unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a switch unit which has superior durability and enables a proper press to a movable contact even if the area of a press surface of the movable contact is small. <P>SOLUTION: The switch unit 100 includes: a movable electrode 10 which is formed into a domed shape against a board 30 and changes the conductivity of at least two fixed electrodes 80 and 81 that are disposed on the board 30 to elastically deform to be enclosed in the dome shape; and a first projection 20 which is disposed opposite to the convex crown 10a of the movable electrode 10 and presses the movable electrode 10 in response to an external load to cause the movable electrode 10 to deform. The first projection 20 is formed by silk printing so that the front end 20a of the first projection 20 be thinner than the root 20b of the first projection 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a switch unit including an operation switch for operating various devices.

  Conventionally, a switch unit including an operation switch for operating various devices (for example, industrial devices and consumer devices) has been used. As this type of switch unit, there are a switch unit described in Patent Document 1 and a panel switch described in Patent Document 2, which are cited below.

  The switch unit described in Patent Document 1 protrudes upward or downward from the fixed contact provided on the switch board, the movable contact that can be electrically connected to the fixed contact by elastic deformation, and the top of the movable contact. A protrusion and a pressing operation member having a flat lower surface for pressing the movable member are configured. In this switch unit, when the key top is pushed down with a finger, the top of the movable contact is pressed through the protrusion of the fixing sheet, the movable contact is elastically deformed, and the two fixed contacts are moved through the movable contact. Conduct. When the finger is released, the movable contact returns to its original position from the elastically deformed state.

  Further, the panel switch described in Patent Document 2 includes a plurality of individual movable contacts made of a conductive metal thin plate having a dome-like shape with a lower opening, and a plurality of individual movable contacts in a specific arrangement state. A base film that holds the upper surface of each movable contact with an adhesive layer formed on the lower surface, and a protruding member that is fixed to each of the upper surface position of the base film corresponding to each central portion of the movable contact by an adhesive. It is configured with.

JP 2003-100170 A JP 2004-186202 A

  As described above, the switch unit described in Patent Document 1 includes a protrusion protruding upward or downward at the top of the movable contact. For example, when the protruding portion protrudes upward, a load may be applied and damaged in long-term use. On the other hand, for example, when the protruding portion protrudes downward, it is less likely to be damaged than when it protrudes upward. However, since all the protrusions are formed from the root part to the tip part with a constant size, even if the area required to press the movable contact is small and the diameter required for the projection part is small, the same as the root part There was no choice but to press with a large protrusion. For this reason, the durability of the surface to be pressed on the movable contact side may be deteriorated.

  In the panel switch described in Patent Document 2, a projecting member is provided on the upper surface of the film, and a necessary operating force or the like is set by changing the diameter of an adhesive that adheres the projecting member. However, there is a risk of damage due to a decrease in durability due to the protruding member being positioned on the upper surface of the film or due to adhesion.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a switch unit that is excellent in durability and can appropriately press the movable contact even when the area of the surface that the movable contact presses is small. .

  In order to achieve the above object, the switch unit according to the present invention is characterized in that the switch unit is formed in a dome shape with respect to the substrate, and is elastically deformed to be included in the dome shape so as to be provided on the substrate. A movable electrode that changes the conductive state of the electrode, and a first protrusion that is disposed to face the convex top portion of the movable electrode and that elastically deforms by pressing the movable electrode in accordance with a load from the outside; , And the first protrusion is formed by silk printing so that the tip of the first protrusion is thinner than the root of the first protrusion.

  With such a characteristic configuration, since the first protrusion is formed on the side facing the movable electrode, it is possible to suppress the deviation in the surface direction between the first protrusion and the movable electrode when pressed. Therefore, it becomes possible to press a movable electrode appropriately. Moreover, since the front-end | tip part of a 1st projection part is formed more narrowly than the root part, it becomes possible to improve durability. That is, even if a thin first protrusion is required due to the shape and characteristics of the movable electrode, the first protrusion is thick because the base of the first protrusion is thick. Can be made difficult to break. Furthermore, since the first protrusion is formed by silk printing, it can be realized at a low cost.

  In addition, it is preferable that the silk printing is performed so as to form a plurality of layers including at least the tip portion and the root portion.

  With such a configuration, the first protrusion is formed by a plurality of layers of silk printing, and therefore, a tip that is narrower than the root of the first protrusion can be easily formed. In addition, the position and height of the first protrusion can be formed with high accuracy and can be formed at low cost.

  Further, it is preferable that the first protrusion is formed on a surface of the film member facing the movable electrode with a predetermined gap from the substrate.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the displacement at the time of pressing as compared with the case where the protrusion is provided on the outer surface of the switch unit.

  Further, it is preferable that a second protrusion is formed on the top of the convex shape so as to face the first protrusion.

  With such a configuration, the second protrusion can be formed in front of the first protrusion, so that the click feeling when the switch unit is pressed can be stabilized. In addition, since the first protrusion and the second protrusion can be formed close to or in contact with each other, it is possible to suppress displacement during pressing.

  Further, it is preferable that the second protrusion is formed by a joining member that fixes a first cover member that covers the convex top portion to the movable electrode.

  With such a configuration, the stress generated according to the load from the object can be dispersed. Therefore, it is possible to improve the click feeling when the switch unit is pressed.

It is a figure which shows typically the switch unit side surface cross section which concerns on 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the switch unit side surface cross section which concerns on 1st embodiment. It is a top view which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship of the movable electrode which concerns on 1st embodiment, a 1st cover member, and a joining member. It is a figure which shows typically the switch unit side surface cross section which concerns on 2nd embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the switch unit side surface cross section which concerns on 2nd embodiment. It is a top view which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship of the movable electrode which concerns on 2nd embodiment, a 1st cover member, and a joining member. It is a figure which shows typically the switch unit side surface cross section which concerns on 3rd embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the switch unit side surface cross section which concerns on 3rd embodiment. It is a top view which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship of the movable electrode which concerns on 3rd embodiment, a 1st cover member, and a joining member.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section from a side surface direction of a switch unit 100 according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in the side direction along an axis orthogonal to the axis showing the cross section of FIG. The switch unit 100 includes a movable electrode 10 and a first protrusion 20.

  The movable electrode 10 is formed in a dome shape with respect to the substrate 30. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dome shape means that when the movable electrode 10 is disposed on the substrate 30, the convex shape top portion 10 a of the movable electrode 10 does not contact the substrate 30. This is a shape having at least a gap between the convex shape top portion 10 a and the substrate 30. Therefore, a closed space 15 is formed between the movable electrode 10 and the substrate 30.

  Further, the substrate 30 can be a substrate that is assembled together with a signal processing unit (not shown) that processes a signal related to the switch operation by the switch unit 100, or only the switch unit 100 is assembled. A dedicated substrate may be used. The substrate 30 may be a rigid substrate or a flexible substrate. With respect to such a substrate 30, the movable electrode 10 is formed of an elastic member that can be elastically deformed. Moreover, although mentioned later, the movable electrode 10 functions also as an electrode. Therefore, the movable electrode 10 is formed from an electric conductor such as metal.

  The movable electrode 10 is elastically deformed to change the conduction state of at least two fixed electrodes 80 and 81 provided on the substrate 30 enclosed in a dome shape. Here, at least two fixed electrodes 80 and 81 are respectively formed on the substrate 30 and function as electrodes. The inclusion in the dome shape means that at least two fixed electrodes 80 and 81 are disposed so as to be located in the closed space 15 formed by the movable electrode 10 and the substrate 30. In order to facilitate understanding, the present embodiment will be described assuming that there are two fixed electrodes 80 and 81.

  In FIG. 1, the fixed electrode 81 is disposed at the end of the movable electrode 10 and is always in contact with the movable electrode 10. In this case, the fixed electrode 81 may have a shape that can be easily arranged in accordance with the shape of the end of the movable electrode 10. On the other hand, the fixed electrode 80 is disposed so as not to contact the movable electrode 10. Therefore, when the movable electrode 10 is not pressed, the two fixed electrodes 80 and 81 and the movable electrode 10 are in an open state. When the movable electrode 10 is pressed and elastically deformed and the movable electrode 10 comes into contact with the fixed electrode 80, the fixed electrode 80 and the fixed electrode 81 are short-circuited via the movable electrode 10. Thus, the movable electrode 10 has a function of changing the conduction state by setting the two fixed electrodes 80 and 81 to an open state or a short state.

  The 1st projection part 20 is arranged facing the convex shape top part 10a of movable electrode 10, and presses movable electrode 10 according to the load from the outside, and makes it elastically deform. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first protrusion 20 is formed so that the movable electrode 10 side has a convex shape. Therefore, the first protrusion 20 is arranged so that the convex shape faces the convex top portion 10 a of the movable electrode 10. Then, the movable electrode 10 is pressed according to a load from the outside to be elastically deformed.

  Here, the first protrusion 20 is formed by silk printing so that the tip 20 a of the first protrusion 20 is thinner than the root 20 b of the first protrusion 20. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first protrusion 20 includes at least a tip 20a and a root 20b. And the front-end | tip part 20a is formed so that it may become thinner than the root part 20b.

  At this time, silk printing is performed so as to form a plurality of layers including at least the tip portion 20a and the root portion 20b. In the present embodiment, the silk printing is composed of two layers of the tip portion 20a and the root portion 20b, but it is of course possible to form the silk printing by three or more layers. Here, as described above, the first protrusion 20 is formed on one surface 40a of the film member 40 by silk printing.

  First, the root portion 20b of the first protrusion 20 is formed. In the present embodiment, the first protrusion 20 is described as being circular. In such a case, it is preferable to form the base portion 20b with a diameter of, for example, 2.5 mm. Then, silk printing is again performed on the root portion 20b with the same shape (for example, a diameter of 1.5 mm) smaller than the size of the root portion 20b (diameter 2.5 mm). Thereby, the front-end | tip part 20a is formed. Thus, the 1st projection part 20 which consists of the base part 20b and the front-end | tip part 20a thinner than the said base part 20b is formed.

  And the film member 40 in which the 1st projection part 20 was formed in this way is arrange | positioned so that the 1st projection part 20 may face the substrate 30 side. In the present embodiment, the first protrusion 20 has been described as being formed in a circular shape, but may be formed in a square shape or other shapes. Further, the size is not limited to the above. In any form, by forming the first protrusion 20 by silk printing, the position and height can be formed with high accuracy and can be formed at low cost.

  The first protrusion 20 is preferably formed on the surface 40 a on the movable electrode 10 side of the film member 40 that is opposed to the substrate 30 with a predetermined gap l. The predetermined gap 1 is the distance between the surface 30a of the substrate 30 and the surface 40a facing the movable electrode 10 among the surfaces of the film member 40. Between this gap l, the 1st projection part 20, movable electrode 10, fixed electrodes 80 and 81, etc. are arranged.

  Further, at least the convex top portion 10 a is covered with the first cover member 50. The end of the first cover member 50 is fixed on the substrate 30 by a joining member 60 such as an adhesive seal. The joining member 60 fixes the movable electrode 10 to the first cover member 50. Such a 1st cover member 50 and the joining member 60 can be simply comprised by using the sheet-like adhesive tape which consists of two layers. In such a case, the first cover member 50 can be the first-layer adhesive tape 50, and the joining member 60 can be the second-layer adhesive tape 60. In the following description, the first cover member 50 will be described as the first-layer adhesive tape 50, and the bonding member 60 will be described as the second-layer adhesive tape 60. Therefore, the movable electrode 10 is bonded by the first-layer adhesive tape 50 and the second-layer adhesive tape 60 and is lifted in a dome shape.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a second protrusion 70 is formed on the convex top 10 a so as to face the first protrusion 20. The second protrusion 70 is formed of a second-layer adhesive tape that fixes the first-layer adhesive tape 50 covering the convex top portion to the movable electrode 10. That is, the height of the first-layer adhesive tape 50 is increased by the thickness of the second-layer adhesive tape 60 to form the second protrusion 70, and the degree of bonding with the first protrusion 20 and the outside Thus, it is possible to adjust the strength of the stress when the movable electrode 10 is pressed. As described above, the second protrusion 70 is formed of at least a two-layer structure including the first-layer adhesive tape 50 and the second-layer adhesive tape 60. Thus, since the 2nd projection part 70 is formed facing the 1st projection part 20, it becomes possible to press a movable electrode reliably and to make it elastically deform.

  Here, FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view showing the arrangement relationship of the movable electrode 10, the first-layer adhesive tape 50, and the second-layer adhesive tape 60. In FIG. 3, the first-layer adhesive tape 50 is shown by cutting out the lower left half region for easy understanding of the configuration. 3 is a cross-sectional axis showing the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, and II-II line is a cross-sectional axis showing the cross-sectional view of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the movable electrode 10 is formed in a circular shape when viewed from above. Therefore, the movable electrode 10 is formed in a dome shape having the convex top portion 10a.

  The second-layer adhesive tape 60 is formed with an opening 61 as shown in FIG. That is, in the cross section taken along the line I-I, the second-layer adhesive tape 60 is provided in an unbroken state as shown in FIG. 1, and in the cross section taken along the line II-II, as shown in FIG. It is bonded with an opening 61 between the second layer adhesive tape 60 bonded to the top portion 10a and the second layer adhesive tape 60 bonded to the end portion. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, there is an area between the movable electrode 10 and the first-layer adhesive tape 50 that does not include the second-layer adhesive tape 60. By providing such an opening 61, it is possible to improve the click feeling when the switch unit 100 is pressed.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the switch unit 100 according to the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment described above in that the first-layer adhesive tape 50 has an opening 51. Except for the point that the first-layer adhesive tape 50 has the opening 51, the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above. Therefore, the difference will be mainly described below.

  FIG. 4 is a view schematically showing a cross section from the side surface direction of the switch unit 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view in the side direction along an axis orthogonal to the axis showing the cross section of FIG. FIG. 6 is an upper perspective view showing the arrangement relationship of the movable electrode 10, the first-layer adhesive tape 50, and the second-layer adhesive tape 60. In addition, the IV-IV line in FIG. 6 is a sectional axis which shows the sectional view of FIG. 4, and the VV line is a sectional axis which shows the sectional view of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first-layer adhesive tape 50 is formed with an opening 51. That is, in the cross section taken along the line IV-IV, the first-layer adhesive tape 50 is provided in an unbroken state as shown in FIG. 4, and in the cross section taken along the line V-V, a convex shape as shown in FIG. An opening 51 is provided between the first-layer adhesive tape 50 bonded to the top portion 10 a and the first-layer adhesive tape 50 bonded from the edge to the end of the movable electrode 10. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the movable electrode 10 is different from the first embodiment in that there are regions that are not attached to the first-layer adhesive tape 50 and the second-layer adhesive tape 60.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment according to the present invention will be described. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the switch unit 100 according to the present embodiment is different from the second embodiment described above in the shape of the opening 51 included in the first-layer adhesive tape 50. Since it is the same as that of the above-mentioned 2nd embodiment except the point from which the shape of the opening part 51 which the adhesive tape 50 of the 1st layer has differs, it demonstrates below centering on this difference.

  FIG. 7 is a view schematically showing a cross section from the side surface direction of the switch unit 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view taken along an axis orthogonal to the axis showing the cross section of FIG. FIG. 9 is an upper perspective view showing the arrangement relationship of the movable electrode 10, the first-layer adhesive tape 50, and the second-layer adhesive tape 60. In addition, the VII-VII line in FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional axis which shows the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7, and the VIII-VIII line is a cross-sectional axis which shows the cross-sectional view of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, as in the second embodiment, the first-layer adhesive tape 50 is formed with an opening 51. However, the shape of the opening 51 is different from that of the second embodiment. That is, in the cross section taken along the line VII-VII, as shown in FIG. 7, the first-layer adhesive tape 50 is configured to have an opening 51 in one region from the convex top portion 10 a to the end. . Further, in the cross section taken along the line VIII-VIII, as shown in FIG. 8, as shown in FIG. And an opening 51 between the first-layer adhesive tape 50. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the opening 51 is not composed of two openings 51 as in the second embodiment, but is composed of one opening 51.

[Other Embodiments]
In the embodiment described above, it is assumed that there are two fixed electrodes 80 and 81 provided on the substrate. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. Of course, it is possible to employ a configuration in which three or more fixed electrodes 80 and 81 are provided.

  In the above embodiment, the convex top portion 10 a is covered with the first cover member 50, and the second protrusion 70 is formed by the second layer adhesive tape 60 that fixes the movable electrode 10 to the first layer adhesive tape 50. It was described as being formed. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. Of course, it is possible to configure the switch unit 100 without the second protrusion 70, and it is also possible to configure the second protrusion 70 by other methods.

  In the above-described embodiment, the second protrusion 70 is described as having a two-layer structure including the first-layer adhesive tape 50 and the second-layer adhesive tape 60. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. Of course, the second protrusion 70 may be formed of at least a two-layer structure including the first-layer adhesive tape 50 and the second-layer adhesive tape 60, that is, a structure of three or more layers.

  In the embodiment described above, the first protrusion 20 is described as being formed twice by silk printing of the tip 20a and silk printing of the root 20b. However, the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. Of course, it is possible to form the first protrusion 20 by performing silk printing three or more times.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a switch unit that is excellent in durability and can appropriately press the movable contact even when the area of the pressing surface of the movable contact is small.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Movable electrode 10a: Convex-shaped top part 15: Closed space 20: 1st protrusion part 20a: Tip part 20b: Root part 30: Board | substrate 30a: Surface 40: Film member 50: 1st layer adhesive tape (1st Cover member)
51: Opening 60: Second layer adhesive tape (joining member)
61: Opening 70: Second protrusion 80: Fixed electrode 81: Fixed electrode 100: Switch unit

Claims (5)

A movable electrode that is formed in a dome shape with respect to the substrate, and is elastically deformed to change a conduction state of at least two fixed electrodes provided on the substrate included in the dome shape;
A first protrusion that is disposed opposite to the convex top portion of the movable electrode and that elastically deforms by pressing the movable electrode in accordance with an external load;
With
The first projecting portion is a switch unit formed by silk printing so that a tip portion of the first projecting portion is thinner than a root portion of the first projecting portion.   The switch unit according to claim 1, wherein the silk printing is performed so as to form a plurality of layers including at least the tip portion and the root portion.   3. The switch unit according to claim 1, wherein the first protrusion is formed on a surface of the film member facing the movable electrode with a predetermined gap from the substrate.   4. The switch unit according to claim 1, wherein a second protrusion is formed on the top of the convex shape so as to face the first protrusion. 5.   5. The switch unit according to claim 4, wherein the second protrusion is formed by a joining member that fixes a first cover member that covers the convex top portion to the movable electrode.

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