JP2011100626A - Lever switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lever switch applicable to various kinds of electronic devices, wherein down-sizing can be achieved and a reliable electric contact and separation can be obtained. <P>SOLUTION: In the lever switch, outside projection parts 14D and 14E on the right and left lower ends of a lever 14 which is locked in a free rocking on a case 11 are formed shorter than a central projection part 14C, and a sliding body 15 is moved by the central projection part 14C up to a prescribed position and thereafter by the outside projection parts 14D and 14E formed short. Thus, an amount of movement of the sliding body 15 in the case 11 can be made little and a right and left dimension can be made smaller and bending of a movable contact 16 which is pushed toward both ends of the sliding body 15 can be made smaller, and as a result, moreover, the whole of the switch can be downsized and a reliable electric contact/separation between a movable contact 16 and a stationary contact 13 can be obtained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lever switch used mainly in various electronic devices for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium and the operation of a mechanism.

  In recent years, as various electronic devices such as personal computers and electronic cameras have become smaller and more advanced, even in lever switches used for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium such as a disk or the operation of a mechanism such as opening and closing of a door. There is a demand for a small, thin and reliable operation.

  Such a conventional lever switch will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional lever switch. In FIG. 5, 1 is a substantially box-shaped case made of insulating resin with the front open, 2 is a common contact made of conductive metal thin plate, and 3 is a fixed contact. A common contact 2 is fixed to the lower inner wall 1 and a pair of fixed contacts 3 facing the left and right inner walls are implanted and fixed.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes a lever made of an insulating resin, which is pivotably locked above the case 1 with a substantially arcuate fulcrum part 4A as a fulcrum, and an upper operation part 4B protrudes upward from the upper surface of the case 1, A tooth-shaped central protrusion 4C is formed at the lower end, and outer protrusions 4D and 4E having the same length as the central protrusion 4C are formed on the left and right sides in parallel.

  Reference numeral 5 denotes a sliding body made of an insulating resin, which is housed in the case 1 so as to be movable in the left-right direction, and has teeth on the upper surface that mesh with the central protrusion 4C and the outer protrusions 4D, 4E at the lower end of the lever 4. A pair of protruding portions 5A and 5B having a shape are provided.

  Further, 6 is a movable contact made of an elastic metal thin plate, and a central connection portion 6A is elastically contacted with the common contact 2 by a substantially U-shaped biasing portion 6B, and a substantially U-shaped arm portion extending left and right. The left and right ends of the sliding body 5 are in elastic contact with 6C and 6D inward.

  Further, contact portions 6E and 6F are formed at the distal ends of the arm portions 6C and 6D in a slightly bent state, and the contact portions 6E and 6F are in elastic contact with the inner walls on the left and right sides of the case 1. A lever switch is configured by covering the front surface of the case 1 in which the lever 4, the sliding body 5 and the like are housed with a plate-like cover (not shown) or the like.

  The lever switch configured as described above is placed on a wiring board (not shown) having a plurality of wiring patterns formed on the upper and lower surfaces thereof, and is connected to the common contact 2 and the fixed portion extending outward from the case 1. The contact 3 is soldered to a predetermined wiring pattern and electrically connected to an electronic circuit (not shown) of the device.

  In the above configuration, when a recording medium such as a disk is inserted / removed, or a door is opened / closed, the operation portion 4B protruding from above the case 1 is pressed by these, and the lever 4 has the fulcrum portion 4A as a fulcrum, for example, as shown in FIG. As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 6, the slider 5 swings to the right, and the central protrusion 4C at the lower end of the lever 4 presses the protrusion 5A, so that the sliding body 5 moves to the left.

  Then, the arm portion 6C on the left side of the movable contact 6 pressed against the left end of the sliding body 5 bends, the contact portion 6E at the tip elastically slides downward on the left inner wall of the case 1, and the contact portion 6E moves to the left. The common contact 2 and the left fixed contact 3 are electrically connected via the movable contact 6.

  Further, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7, in the state where the lever 4 is swung to the end, the central protrusion 4C is disengaged from the protrusion 5A, and the outer protrusion 4E presses the protrusion 5B. Further moves to the left, and the arm portion 6C of the movable contact 6 is further bent.

  Then, when the pressing force to the lever 4 is released, the contact portion 6E is elastically slid upward and separated from the fixed contact 3 by the elastic return force of the movable contact 6 in which the arm portion 6C is bent. When the arm 6C is pressed, the sliding member 5 moves to the right, whereby the lever 4 swings to the left, and the operation unit 4B returns to the neutral position shown in FIG.

  When the lever 4 swings to the left, the sliding body 5 moves to the right, contrary to the above, the arm 6D to the right of the movable contact 6 is bent, and the contact 6F is to the right of the case 1. The inner side wall is elastically slid downward, the contact portion 6F comes into contact with the right fixed contact 3, and the common contact 2 and the right fixed contact 3 are electrically connected via the movable contact 6. Is called.

  In addition, the electrical circuit of the device detects the insertion / extraction of a recording medium such as a disk, the opening / closing of a door, etc. from the electrical contact / separation of the switch, and various functions of the device are activated. Yes.

  That is, the lever 4 is swung to the right or left by inserting / removing a recording medium such as a disk or the door is opened / closed, and the sliding member 5 is moved to the left or right to move the arm 6C of the movable contact 6 or By bending 6D, the common contact 2 and the left or right fixed contact 3 are electrically connected to and separated from each other, and the electronic circuit of the device causes the presence or absence of a recording medium such as a disk, or the like. It was comprised so that operation | movement of a mechanism, such as opening and closing of a door, might be detected.

  As prior art document information related to the invention of this application, for example, Patent Document 1 is known.

JP 2003-132765 A

  However, in the above conventional lever switch, as the lever 4 swings, the sliding body 5 moves in the case 1 in the left-right direction, so the size in the left-right direction is reduced and the entire switch is downsized. This is difficult, and the bending of the arm portions 6C and 6D becomes large, and the force for swinging the lever 4 becomes heavy.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lever switch that can be miniaturized and can be securely connected and disconnected.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a lever switch is configured by forming left and right outer protrusions at a lower end of a lever that is swingably locked to a case so as to be shorter than a center protrusion. By moving the moving body up to a predetermined position with the central protrusion and then with the outer protrusion formed short, the amount of movement of the sliding body within the case is reduced and the movable body is pressed against both ends of the sliding body. Since the deflection of the contact is also reduced, the lateral dimensions can be reduced, the entire switch can be reduced in size, and a lever switch capable of reliably connecting and disconnecting the movable contact and the fixed contact can be obtained. It is what you have.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to achieve an advantageous effect that it is possible to realize a lever switch that can be miniaturized and can be securely connected and separated.

Sectional drawing of the lever switch by one embodiment of this invention Exploded perspective view Cross section during the same operation Cross section during the same operation Cross-sectional view of a conventional lever switch Cross section during the same operation Cross section during the same operation

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

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a lever switch according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lever switch, and 11 is a substantially box shape made of an insulating resin such as a liquid crystal polymer or polyphenylene sulfide. , 12 is a common contact made of a conductive metal thin plate such as a copper alloy, 13 is also a fixed contact, a common contact 12 on the inner wall below the case 11, and a pair of fixed contacts 13 facing the left and right inner walls, Each of them is planted and fixed by insert molding.

  Reference numeral 14 denotes a lever made of an insulating resin such as liquid crystal polymer or nylon. The lever 14 is pivotably locked above the case 11 with a substantially arcuate fulcrum part 14A as a fulcrum, and the upper operation part 14B is provided in the case 11. Projecting upward from the upper surface, the lower end is provided with a tooth-shaped central protrusion 14C, and outer protrusions 14D and 14E formed in parallel to the left and right, which are shorter than the central protrusion 14C.

  Reference numeral 15 denotes a sliding body made of an insulating resin such as liquid crystal polymer or polyphenylene sulfide, which is accommodated in the case 11 so as to be movable in the left-right direction, and has a central projection 14C and an outer projection 14D at the lower end of the lever 14 on the upper surface. , 14E, and a pair of tooth-shaped protrusions 15A and 15B are provided.

  Further, 16 is a movable contact made of an elastic metal thin plate such as a copper alloy, and the central connection portion 16A is elastically contacted to the common contact 12 by a slightly bent U-shaped biasing portion 16B and extends to the left and right. The left and right ends of the sliding body 15 are in elastic contact with the substantially U-shaped arm portions 16C and 16D.

  Further, substantially U-shaped contact portions 16E and 16F are formed at the ends of the slightly bent arm portions 16C and 16D, and the contact portions 16E and 16F are elastically contacted with the inner side walls on the left and right sides of the case 11. Yes.

  Further, 17 is a plate-like cover made of steel, copper alloy or the like, and this cover 17 covers the front surface of the case 11 in which the movable contact 16, the lever 14, the sliding body 15, etc. are housed, thereby constituting a lever switch. .

  The lever switch configured as described above is placed on a wiring board (not shown) having a plurality of wiring patterns formed on the upper and lower surfaces thereof, and is connected to the common contact 12 extending outward from the case 11 or fixed. The contact 13 is soldered to a predetermined wiring pattern and electrically connected to an electronic circuit (not shown) of the device.

  In the above configuration, when a recording medium such as a disk is inserted / removed, or the door is opened / closed, the operation portion 14B protruding from above the case 11 is pressed by these, and the lever 14 has the fulcrum portion 14A as a fulcrum. As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 3, the slider 15 swings to the right, and the central protrusion 14C at the lower end of the lever 14 presses the protrusion 15A, so that the sliding body 15 moves to the left.

  Then, the arm portion 16C on the left side of the movable contact 16 pressed against the left end of the sliding body 15 bends, and the contact portion 16E at the tip elastically slides downward on the left inner wall of the case 11 so that the contact portion 16E moves to the left. The common contact 12 and the left fixed contact 13 are electrically connected via the movable contact 16.

  Furthermore, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, when the lever 14 is swung to the end, the central protrusion 14C is disengaged from the protrusion 15A, and the outer protrusion 14E formed shorter than this protrudes from the protrusion 15B. By pressing, the sliding body 15 further moves to the left, and the arm portion 16C of the movable contact 16 is further bent.

  At this time, since the dimension of the lever 14 at the tip of the outer protrusion 14E from the swing center of the lever 14 is shorter than the tip of the center protrusion 14C, the protrusion 15B is pressed by the outer protrusion 14E. The amount of movement of the sliding body 15 after that becomes smaller than that when the projecting portion 15A is pressed by the central projecting portion 14C, and the deflection of the arm portion 16C becomes smaller.

  That is, until the contact portion 16E contacts the left fixed contact 13, the sliding body 15 moves greatly and the arm portion 16C also bends greatly, but after the contact portion 16E contacts the fixed contact 13, The movement of the sliding body 15 is reduced, and the bending of the arm portion 16C pressed to the left end of the sliding body 15 is also reduced.

  Then, when the pressing force to the lever 14 is released from this state, the contact portion 16E is elastically slid and slides upward due to the elastic return force of the movable contact 16 in which the arm portion 16C is bent. The slider 15 is pressed by the arm portion 16C and moved to the right direction, whereby the lever 14 swings leftward, and the operation portion 14B returns to the neutral position shown in FIG.

  When the lever 14 swings to the left, the sliding body 15 moves to the right, contrary to the above, the arm 16D to the right of the movable contact 16 bends, and the contact 16F moves to the right of the case 11 The inner side wall is elastically slid downward, the contact portion 16F comes into contact with the right fixed contact 13, and the common contact 12 and the right fixed contact 13 are electrically connected via the movable contact 16. Is called.

  Also in this case, until the contact portion 16F comes into contact with the right fixed contact 13, the central projection 14C presses the projection 15B, and the sliding body 15 moves greatly to the right. Thereafter, the outer protrusion 14D formed short presses the protrusion 15A, and the moving amount of the sliding body 15 is reduced.

  Then, the electrical circuit of the device detects the insertion / extraction of a recording medium such as a disk or the opening / closing of a door from the electrical contact / separation of the switch, and various functions of the device are operated.

  That is, the lever 14 is swung to the right or the left by moving a recording medium such as a disk or opening / closing a door or the like, and the sliding body 15 is moved to the left or the right. By bending 16D, the common contact 12 and the left or right fixed contact 13 are electrically connected to and separated from each other, and the electrical circuit of the device causes the presence or absence of a recording medium such as a disk, or the like. It is configured to detect the operation of a mechanism such as opening / closing of a door.

  Further, as described above, by forming the left and right outer projections 14D and 14E at the lower end of the lever 14 shorter than the center projection 14C, the amount of movement of the sliding body 15 is reduced, and at both ends of the sliding body 15 Since the bending of the arm portions 16C and 16D of the movable contact 16 to be pressed is also reduced, the size of the case 11 in the left-right direction can be reduced accordingly.

  That is, until the sliding body 15 is in a predetermined position and the contact portions 16E and 16F come into contact with the left and right fixed contacts 13, the outer projecting portion 14D and the outer projecting portion 14D formed short at the central projecting portion 14C. Since the amount of movement of the sliding body 15 in the case 11 is reduced by moving it at 14E, the size of the case 11 in the left-right direction can be reduced and the entire switch can be downsized. Yes.

  Furthermore, until the contact portions 16E and 16F come into contact with the fixed contact 13, the sliding member 15 is largely moved by the central protrusion 14C, and the arm portions 16C and 16D of the movable contact 16 are greatly bent, Since the contact portion 16E or 16F does not reduce the force that contacts the fixed contact 13, so-called contact pressure, the movable contact 16 and the fixed contact 13 can be reliably electrically connected and separated. .

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, the left and right outer projections 14D and 14E at the lower end of the lever 14 that is swingably locked to the case 11 are formed shorter than the central projection 14C, and the sliding body 15 is formed. By moving to the predetermined position with the central protrusion 14C and thereafter with the outer protrusions 14D and 14E formed short, the amount of movement of the sliding body 15 within the case 11 is reduced, and both ends of the sliding body 15 are moved. Since the deflection of the movable contact 16 pressed by the actuator is reduced, the lateral dimensions can be reduced, the entire switch can be miniaturized, and the movable contact 16 and the fixed contact 13 can be reliably electrically connected and separated. Can be obtained.

  In the above description, when the lever 14 is swung, the contact portions 16E and 16F elastically slide downward on the inner wall of the case 11 and contact the fixed contact 13, but the lever 14 is neutral. The present invention can also be implemented by a configuration in which the contact portions 16E and 16F are elastically contacted with the fixed contact 13 in the position and are separated from the fixed contact 13 by the swing of the lever 14 and are electrically disconnected.

  The lever switch according to the present invention can be reduced in size and can be reliably connected and separated, and is useful as a detection switch mainly used in various electronic devices.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Case 12 Common contact 13 Fixed contact 14 Lever 14A Supporting point 14B Operation part 14C Center protrusion part 14D, 14E Outer protrusion part 15 Slider 15A, 15B Protrusion part 16 Movable contact 16A Connection part 16B Energizing part 16C, 16D Arm part 16E , 16F Contact part 17 Cover

Claims (1)

A substantially box-shaped case in which a common contact and a fixed contact are planted on the inner wall; a lever which is swingably locked to the case and has a central protrusion and left and right outer protrusions formed at the lower end; The sliding body, which is housed in the case so as to be movable in the left-right direction and has a protrusion that meshes with the central protrusion or the outer protrusion on the upper surface, and the central connection portion are elastically contacted with the common contact, and contact between both ends. A lever switch comprising a movable contact elastically contacting the inner wall of the case or the fixed contact, and having an outer protrusion at the lower end of the lever shorter than the central protrusion.

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