JP2010244896A - Push-button switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a push-button switch which is thinned while securing the strength of a regulation wall to regulate movement of an elastic member. <P>SOLUTION: In the push-button switch, a synthetic resin-made housing 2, a push-button 7, and the elastic member 11 are equipped, and accompanied with buckling deformation of the elastic member 11 pressed by the push-button 7, a movable contact 10 is pressed and moved by a protrusion 11c of the elastic member 11 to come into contact with a fixed contact 8a while accompanied with restoration from buckling of the elastic member 11, the movable contact 10 is separated from the fixed contact 8a. Around the elastic member 11, first regulation walls 12A to 12D and second regulation walls 13A to 13D are installed which intermittently form a ring shape and regulate movement of the elastic member 11. The movable contact 10 is formed by molding a metal plate, and includes a base part 10a and a tongue-like part 10b extended in a cantilever manner from this base part 10a. The first regulation walls 12A to 12D are formed by bending the outer peripheral edge part of the base part 10a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a push button switch that presses a weight-like elastic member with a push button to cause buckling deformation, thereby pushing a movable contact over the elastic member to contact a fixed contact.

  A conventional push button switch of this type has a housing made of synthetic resin and a push button provided on the housing so as to be capable of being pressed. The fixed contact is positioned opposite the push button inside the housing. The movable contact is located between the push button and the fixed contact, and can be elastically deformed in the direction of the fixed contact. The elastic member is a conical and hollow member, and is positioned between the push button and the fixed contact in a posture that forms a diverging shape in the direction of the fixed contact.

  In the conventional push button switch configured as described above, when the push button is pressed, the push button presses the elastic member to buckle and deform. Along with this, the inner part of the elastic member pushes the movable contact to contact the fixed contact. When the pressing operation force on the push button is removed, the elastic member restores from the buckled state while pushing back the push button. Along with this, the movable contact is separated from the fixed contact.

  Around the elastic member, an annular restriction wall for restricting the movement of the elastic member is provided. The restriction wall is formed integrally with the housing.

  For the conventional pushbutton switch described here, refer to Patent Document 1.

Japanese Patent No. 3918327

  By the way, downsizing of pushbutton switches is desired. One means for downsizing is to make the regulating wall thin. However, the regulation wall needs to be strong enough to withstand the pressing force received from the elastic member during buckling deformation. As described above, the resin regulation wall formed integrally with the housing is thin while ensuring strength. It was difficult to do.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a push button switch that can be thinned while ensuring the strength of a restriction wall that restricts the movement of an elastic member.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

[1] The present invention includes a housing made of synthetic resin, a push button provided in the housing so as to be capable of being pressed, a fixed contact located opposite to the push button inside the housing, and the push button and the fixed contact. A movable contact that is elastically deformable in the direction of the fixed contact, a hollow elastic member that is positioned between the push button and the fixed contact, and has a divergent shape in the direction of the fixed contact; and A restriction wall that continuously or intermittently forms a ring around the periphery and restricts movement of the elastic member, and the movable contact is elastically deformed as the elastic member pressed by the push button is buckled and deformed. A pushbutton switch that is pushed and moved by an inner part of the member to come into contact with the fixed contact, and the movable contact is separated from the fixed contact as the elastic member is restored from buckling; Characterized in that it is a manufacturing of the plate-like portion.

  According to the present invention described in “[1]”, since the restriction wall is a metal plate-like portion, it can be made thin while ensuring the strength of the restriction wall that restricts the movement of the elastic member.

[2] The present invention is the invention described in [1], wherein the movable contact is a metal member, and includes a base portion and a tongue-like portion extending in a cantilever form from the base portion, Is formed integrally with the outer peripheral edge of the base.

  According to the present invention described in “[2]”, since the restriction wall is formed on the metal movable contact, the number of parts can be prevented from increasing even if the restriction wall is made of metal. it can.

[3] The present invention is the invention described in “[1]”, wherein the movable contact is formed by molding a metal plate, and has a base portion and a tongue-like portion extending from the base portion in a cantilever shape. The restriction wall is formed by bending an outer peripheral edge portion of the base portion.

  According to the present invention described in “[3]”, the metal regulating wall can be easily provided.

[4] The present invention is the invention according to “[1]”, wherein the housing has a quadrangular prism shape, and the fixed contact, the one end side inside the housing on the side opposite to the side where the push button is located, A movable contact and the restriction wall are provided, and a restriction wall made of a synthetic resin integral with the housing is provided separately from the metal restriction wall, and the metal restriction wall includes the elastic member and the housing 4. The synthetic resin regulation wall is located between each of the two side walls, and is located between the elastic member and each of the four corners of the housing.

  When the housing has a quadrangular prism shape, the distance between the elastic member and the side wall of the housing needs to be widened if the restriction wall is to be thickened, but the distance between the elastic member and the corner of the housing is large. This is larger than the interval between the side wall portions, and it is not necessary to provide the regulating wall with a sufficient thickness for securing the strength. In consideration of this, the present invention described in “[4]” is that the metal regulation wall is located between the elastic member and each of the four side wall portions of the housing, and the synthetic resin regulation wall is The structure is located between the elastic member and each of the four corners of the housing. As a result, when the periphery of the elastic member is intermittently surrounded by the restriction wall, all the restriction walls need not be made of metal, and the complexity of the structure of the push button switch associated with the provision of the metal restriction wall is suppressed. be able to.

  In the present invention, since the restriction wall is made of a metal plate-like portion, the restriction wall can be thinned while ensuring the strength of the restriction wall. Therefore, it is possible to contribute to downsizing of the push button switch.

It is a side view of the pushbutton switch which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the pushbutton switch shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a top view showing a state where a push button is removed from the push button switch shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a top view showing a state where an elastic member is further removed from the pushbutton switch in the state shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the movable contact shown in FIG. 5.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pushbutton switch 1 according to the present embodiment includes a synthetic resin housing 2 and a pushbutton 7 provided on the housing 2 so as to be capable of being pressed. As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 2 is formed in a square shape with a chamfered shape when viewed from above, and has a quadrangular prism shape as a whole. As shown in FIG. 3, the housing 2 is hollow. The housing 2 is open at one end side and the other end side is closed by the bottom plate portion 4. The push button 7 is inserted into the housing 2 and is positioned so as to protrude from the opening 3. The push button 7 is slidable with respect to the housing 2 in the opening direction of the housing 2 (vertical direction in FIG. 3).

  A conductive member 8 is fixed to the bottom plate portion 4 of the housing 2 by insert molding. One end side of the conductive member 8 forms a fixed contact 8 a exposed to the inside of the housing 2. The fixed contact 8 a is located opposite the push button 7 in the center of the bottom plate portion 4.

  The other end of the conductive member 8 protrudes outside the housing 2 and forms an external terminal 8b. The external terminal 8b is soldered when mounted on an electronic device or the like.

  A movable contact 10 is located between the push button 7 and the fixed contact 8a. The movable contact 10 is formed by molding a metal plate, and has an annular base portion 10a positioned so as to surround the fixed contact 8a, and a tongue-like shape extending from the base portion 10a toward the inside of the housing 2 in a cantilever shape. Part 10b. The tongue-shaped portion 10b has an inclined posture in which the free end is located farther from the fixed end (the end portion on the base portion 10a side) of the tongue-shaped portion 10b, and can thereby be elastically deformed in the direction of the fixed contact 8a. It has become.

  A conductive member 8 and another conductive member 9 are fixed to the bottom plate portion 4 of the housing 2 by insert molding. One end portion of the conductive member 9 is exposed from the bottom plate portion 4 to the inside of the housing 2 and is always in contact with the base portion 10 a of the movable contact 10. The other end of the conductive member 9 protrudes to the side opposite to the aforementioned external terminal 8b to form an external terminal 9a. This external terminal 9a is also soldered when mounted on an electronic device or the like.

  A conical hollow elastic member 11 is located between the push button 7 and the fixed contact 8a. The elastic member 11 has a divergent posture in the direction of the fixed contact 8a and covers the tongue-like portion 10b of the movable contact 10 and the fixed contact 8a. The end of the elastic member 11 on the fixed contact 8 a side is positioned so as to overlap the base 10 a of the movable contact 10. A column-shaped operated portion 11 b that is less elastically deformed than the skirt portion 11 a that is the main body of the elastic member 11 is formed on the top portion of the elastic member 11 that faces the push button 7. The operated portion 11b is always in contact with the push button 7. A cylindrical projection 11 c is formed on the inner side of the elastic member 11 so as to protrude in the direction of the tongue-shaped portion 10 b of the movable contact 10.

  Around the elastic member 11, four first restriction walls 12A to 12D and four second restriction walls 13A to 13D are located. The first restriction walls 12A to 12D and the second restriction walls 13A to 13D are alternately arranged, and the first restriction walls 12A to 12D and the second restriction walls 13A to 13D form an annular shape as a whole. Yes.

  The first restriction walls 12 </ b> A to 12 </ b> D are respectively positioned between the elastic member 11 and the side wall portions 5 </ b> A to 5 </ b> D of the housing 2. As shown in FIG. 6, the first restriction walls 12 </ b> A to 12 </ b> D are metal plate-like portions formed by bending the outer peripheral edge portion of the base portion 10 a of the movable contact 10.

  The second restriction walls 13 </ b> A to 13 </ b> D are located between the elastic member 11 and each of the four corners 6 </ b> A to 6 </ b> D of the housing 2. The second restriction walls 13 </ b> A to 13 </ b> D are synthetic resin plate-like portions formed integrally with the housing 2.

  The push button switch 1 configured as described above operates as follows.

  When the push button 7 is pressed against the elastic force of the elastic member 11, the skirt portion 11 a of the elastic member 11 bulges the end of the skirt portion 11 a on the fixed contact 8 a side to the outside. In a state of being blocked by 12D and the second restriction walls 13A to 13D, buckling deformation occurs. Accordingly, the tongue-like portion 10b of the movable contact 10 is pushed and moved by the protrusion 11c of the elastic member 11 and comes into contact with the fixed contact 8a. As a result, the conductive member 8 and another conductive member 9 are conducted by the movable contact 10 and the push button switch 1 is turned on.

  When the push operation force on the push button 7 is removed in the ON state of the push button switch 1, the elastic member 11 is restored from the buckling. Along with this, the tongue-like portion 10b of the movable contact 10 is also restored and separated from the fixed contact 8a. As a result, the conductive member 8 and another conductive member 9 become non-conductive, and the push button switch 1 is turned off.

  According to the pushbutton switch 1 according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  According to the pushbutton switch 1, since the first restriction walls 12A to 12D are metal plate-like portions, the first restriction walls 12A to 12D for restricting the movement of the elastic member 11 can be thinned while ensuring the strength. it can. Therefore, it is possible to contribute to downsizing of the push button switch.

  According to the pushbutton switch 1, since the first restriction walls 12A to 12D are formed integrally with the metal movable contact 10, even if the first restriction walls 12A to 12D are made of metal, the number of parts does not increase. Can be.

  According to the pushbutton switch 1, since the first restriction walls 12A to 12D are formed by bending the outer peripheral edge of the base 10a of the movable contact 10, the metal first restriction walls 12A to 12D are It can be easily provided.

  When the housing 2 has a quadrangular prism shape like the push button switch 1, the distance between the elastic member 11 and each of the side wall portions 5A to 5D of the housing 2 needs to be increased if the restriction wall is to be thickened. Since the interval between the elastic member 11 and each of the four corners 6A to 6D of the housing 2 is wider than the interval between the elastic member 11 and each of the side walls 5A to 5D of the housing 2, it is not necessary. The regulation wall can be provided with a sufficient thickness for securing the strength. In consideration of this, the pushbutton switch 1 is configured such that the first metal regulation walls 12A to 12D are positioned between the elastic member 11 and each of the four side walls 5A to 5D of the housing 2, and are made of synthetic resin. 2 Restriction walls 13A to 13D are configured to be positioned between the elastic member 11 and each of the four corners 6A to 6D of the housing 2. Accordingly, when the periphery of the elastic member 11 is intermittently surrounded by the restriction wall, it is not necessary to make all the restriction walls made of metal, and the structure of the pushbutton switch 1 is complicated due to the provision of the metal restriction wall. Can be suppressed.

  In the pushbutton switch 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the first restriction walls 12 </ b> A to 12 </ b> D are formed integrally with the movable contact 10, but may be separate from the movable contact 10. The separate first restriction walls 12A to 12D are formed by connecting the crown-shaped member formed with the first restriction walls 12A to 12D from the push button 7 side to the end of the elastic member 11 on the fixed contact 8a side. The walls 12 </ b> A to 12 </ b> D are arranged so as to protrude toward the bottom plate part 4 of the housing 2, and the first restriction walls 12 </ b> A to 12 </ b> D are press-fitted into the bottom plate part 4 and fixed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pushbutton switch 2 Housing 3 Opening part 4 Bottom plate part 5A-5D Side wall part 6A-6D Corner part 7 Pushbutton 8 Conductive member 8a Fixed contact 8b External terminal 9 Conductive member 9a External terminal 10 Movable contact 10a Base part 10b Tongue 11 Elastic member 11a Skirt portion 11b Operated portion 11c Protrusions 12A to 12D First restriction walls 13A to 13D Second restriction walls

Claims (4)

A housing made of synthetic resin, a push button provided in the housing so as to be capable of being pressed, a fixed contact located opposite to the push button inside the housing, and the fixed contact located between the push button and the fixed contact A movable contact that can be elastically deformed in the direction, a hollow elastic member that is located between the push button and the fixed contact and has a divergent shape in the direction of the fixed contact, and is continuously or intermittently around the elastic member. A regulation wall that forms a ring and regulates the movement of the elastic member;
As the elastic member pressed by the push button is buckled and deformed, the movable contact is pushed and moved by the inner part of the elastic member to contact the fixed contact, and the elastic member is restored from buckling. The movable contact is a pushbutton switch that moves away from the fixed contact,
The pushbutton switch, wherein the restriction wall is a metal plate-like portion. In the invention of claim 1,
The movable contact is a metal member, and has a base portion and a tongue-like portion extending from the base portion in a cantilever shape,
The push button switch, wherein the restriction wall is formed integrally with an outer peripheral edge portion of the base portion. In the invention of claim 1,
The movable contact is formed by molding a metal plate, and has a base portion and a tongue-like portion extending from the base portion in a cantilever shape,
The push button switch, wherein the restriction wall is formed by bending an outer peripheral edge portion of the base portion. In the invention of claim 1,
The housing has a quadrangular prism shape, and the fixed contact, the movable contact, and the restriction wall are provided on one end side of the housing on the side opposite to the side where the push button is located,
Apart from the metal regulation wall, a synthetic resin regulation wall integral with the housing is provided,
The metal regulation wall is located between the elastic member and each of the four side walls of the housing,
The pushbutton switch, wherein the synthetic resin regulating wall is located between the elastic member and each of the four corners of the housing.

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