JP2011258447A - Membrane switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a membrane switch capable of setting the magnitude of a load for switching on.SOLUTION: The membrane switch is flexible and includes: a pair of insulation substrates 11, 16 facing each other; a first conductive circuit which is formed on a facing surface of one insulation substrate 11 and has a first electrode 121; a second conductive circuit which is formed on a facing surface of the other insulation substrate 16, and has a second electrode 151 that is provided at a position corresponding to the first electrode, and a wiring part for connecting to the second electrode 151; and a spacer that is held between the pair of insulation substrates 11,16 and forms a gap 132 between the first electrode 121 and the second electrode 151, at least part of the second electrode 151 being at a higher position than the wiring part.

Description

  The present invention relates to a membrane switch and a switch unit.

  A first substrate having a first terminal portion on one end side and a first electrode portion on the other end side on one surface of the film-shaped substrate; A second conductor that has a second terminal portion on one end side and a second electrode portion on the other end side and is insulated from the first conductor on one surface of the film-like substrate; A film-like member provided on the one surface side of the substrate slightly parallel to the film-like substrate with a spacer interposed therebetween, and the film-like substrate in the film-like member A first conductor, a second conductor, and a third conductor provided on the side surface, wherein at least one of the part of the film-like base material and part of the film-like member bends. A membrane switch is known in which the third conductor conducts and turns on the switch. Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-38828 A

  However, in the above membrane switch, when setting the magnitude of the load to turn on the switch, it is conceivable to set the opening area of the spacer, but since the size of the membrane switch is determined in advance by circuit design etc., the spacer It was difficult to set the size of the opening area and adjust the load.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to set the height from the circuit portion to the contact point of the electrode, which is formed on the surface of the insulating substrate, and to set the magnitude of the load for turning on the switch. It is to provide a membrane switch that can be used.

  The present invention has flexibility, a pair of opposing insulating substrates, a first conductive circuit formed on an opposing surface of the one insulating substrate and having a first electrode, and the other insulating substrate A second conductive circuit having a second electrode provided at a position corresponding to the first electrode and a wiring portion connected to the second electrode, and the pair of insulations A spacer sandwiched between the substrates and forming a gap between the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein at least a part of the second electrode is formed on the second conductive circuit. The above-mentioned problem is solved by a membrane switch characterized by being at a position higher than the position.

  In the above invention, a load adjusting portion formed between the second electrode and the other insulating substrate may be further provided.

  In the above invention, the position of the other insulating substrate corresponding to the gap may be convex toward the one insulating substrate.

    In the above invention, the second electrode and the load adjusting unit may be formed of the same material.

    Moreover, in the said invention, a load adjustment part may be formed with insulating resin.

    In the above invention, the second electrode may have a dome shape toward the first electrode.

    Moreover, in the said invention, a load adjustment part may be formed with photocurable resin.

    In the above invention, the second conductive circuit is disposed below the first conductive circuit, and the opposing surface of the first conductive circuit facing the second conductive circuit is planar. May be.

    In the above invention, the second electrode may include at least two electrode layers, and the two electrode layers may be formed of different conductive materials.

    Moreover, it has two or more membrane switches which concern on the said invention, At least one part of the 2nd electrode contained in one membrane switch among several membrane switches is higher than the position of the 2nd electrode contained in another membrane switch The above problem is solved by the membrane switch unit in the position.

  According to the present invention, since at least a part of the second electrode is at a position higher than the position of the wiring portion, the switch can be easily turned on.

It is a top view of the membrane switch unit which concerns on embodiment of invention. It is a top view of the membrane switch of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is a top view which shows the manufacturing process of the membrane switch of FIG. It is a top view which shows the manufacturing process of the membrane switch of FIG. It is a top view of the spacer sheet | seat of FIG. It is a top view of the membrane switch of a comparative example. It is sectional drawing of the membrane switch which concerns on other embodiment of invention. It is sectional drawing of the membrane switch which concerns on other embodiment of invention. It is sectional drawing of the membrane switch which concerns on other embodiment of invention. It is sectional drawing of the membrane switch which concerns on other embodiment of invention. It is sectional drawing of the membrane switch which concerns on other embodiment of invention.

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

<< First Embodiment >>
FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the membrane switch unit of the present embodiment. 2 shows a plan view of the membrane switch 10 in which the portion X in the membrane switch unit of FIG. 1 is enlarged, and FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the membrane switch unit of this example includes a plurality of membrane switches 10, and the membrane switch 10 includes a pair of insulating sheets, an insulating substrate 11 and an insulating substrate 16, spacers to be described later. It is formed by overlapping through. The insulating substrate 11 and the insulating substrate 16 are flexible insulating films, and are sheets made of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or PEN. On the main surfaces of the insulating substrate 11 and the insulating substrate 16, a conductor 12 and a conductor 15 made of silver, copper, carbon or the like are formed by screen printing or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, electrodes 121 are formed on the insulating substrate 11 at positions where the respective membrane switches 10 are formed, and wirings 122 are connected to the electrodes 121. One end of the wiring 122 is concentrated on the tail portion 101 of the insulating substrate 11. Similarly, electrodes 151 are formed on the insulating substrate 16 at positions where the respective membrane switches 10 are formed, and wirings 152 are connected to the electrodes 151. One end of the wiring 152 is concentrated on the tail portion 101 of the insulating substrate 11. The circuit design of the conductor 12 is appropriately designed according to the arrangement position of the electrode 121 and the connection form between the electrode 121 and the wiring 122, and the same applies to the conductor 15.

  Next, the detailed structure of the membrane switch 10 of this example is demonstrated using FIG. In the membrane switch 10, the insulating substrate 16 is disposed on the lower side, and the conductor 15 and the insulating portion 17 are formed on the main surface of the insulating substrate 16. The conductor 15 is formed by the electrode 151 and the wiring 152. The electrode 151 and the wiring 152 are formed by screen printing and have the same thickness. Therefore, the electrode 151 and the wiring 152 are integrally formed. The insulating substrate 11 is on the upper side of the insulating substrate 16 and is disposed with the conductor 12 and the conductor 15 facing each other. The conductor 12 is formed by the electrode 121 and the wiring 122. The electrode 121 and the wiring 122 are formed by screen printing and have the same thickness. Further, the electrode 151 and the wiring 152 are integrally formed. Thereby, the main surfaces of the insulating substrate 11 and the insulating substrate 16 face each other.

  The spacer sheet 13 is made of the same material as that of the insulating substrates 11 and 12, has openings 131 corresponding to the electrodes 121 and 151, and the adhesive material 14 is formed on both surfaces of the spacer sheet 13. Then, the insulating substrate 11 and the insulating substrate 16 are fixed by sandwiching the spacer sheet 13 via the adhesive material 14. The spacer sheet 13 is formed of an insulating film. As described above, the opening 131 is provided in the spacer sheet 13, and the insulating substrate 11, the insulating substrate 16, and the spacer sheet 13 are arranged so that the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 face each other in the opening 131. Therefore, a gap 132 is formed between the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 by the spacer sheet 13.

  The insulating portion 17 is formed on the main surface of the insulating substrate 16 and below the electrode 151, and is formed between the electrode 121 and the insulating substrate 16. The insulating portion 17 has a dome shape and has a circular shape when viewed from above. As for the thickness of the insulating portion 17, when the bottom surface of the insulating portion 17 (the main surface of the insulating substrate 16) is used as a reference, the height of the central portion is the highest and decreases toward the periphery. The insulating portion 17 is disposed so as to face the opening 131 on the insulating substrate 16 side, and is disposed so as to fit in the gap 132. The electrode 151 is in contact with the insulating portion 17, and the conductor 15 is formed on the main surface of the insulating substrate 16 so as to cover the insulating portion 17. Since the surface of the electrode 151 is formed along the surface of the insulating portion 17, the electrode 151 has a dome shape toward the electrode 121.

  When a load is applied to the electrode 121 at the apex portion of the electrode 151, the electrode 121 is deformed toward the electrode 151. When the membrane switch 10 is turned on, at least the point A shown in FIG. 151 is contacted.

  That is, the electrode in contact with the electrode 121 and the contact point A of the electrode 151 are disposed on the portion where the thickness of the insulating portion 17 is large and are higher than the position of the wiring 152. In other words, the electrode 151 has a shape protruding toward the facing surface of the insulating substrate 11 facing the insulating substrate 16. In other words, the portion including the contact A of the electrode 151 is raised toward the insulating substrate 11. Thereby, at least a part of the electrode 151 is formed at a position higher than the position of the wiring 152.

  Next, the manufacturing method of the membrane switch 10 of this example is demonstrated using FIGS. 4 shows a plan view of the membrane switch after the insulating portion 17 is formed on the insulating substrate 16, and FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the membrane switch after the conductor 15 is formed on the insulating substrate 10 of FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the spacer sheet 13.

  First, an insulating film sheet having a thickness of 100 μm, for example, is prepared as the insulating substrate 16. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, on the main surface of the insulating substrate 16, a solder resist is printed by screen printing at a position where the electrode 151 is formed and dried to form an insulating portion 17 having a thickness of 40 μm, for example. To do.

  Then, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a silver pattern is printed on the main surface of the insulating substrate 16 so as to cover the insulating portion 17, and dried to form a conductor 15 having a thickness of 10 μm, for example. With respect to the conductor 15, the electrode 151 is formed at a position covering the insulating portion 17, and the wiring 152 is formed at a position connected to the electrode 151. The diameter of the insulating part 17 is 2.5 mm, for example, and the diameter of the electrode 151 is 3.0 mm, for example.

  Similarly, an insulating film sheet having a thickness of 100 μm, for example, is prepared as the insulating substrate 11, and a silver pattern is printed on the main surface of the insulating substrate 11 and dried to form a conductor 12 having a thickness of 10 μm, for example. The With respect to the conductor 12, the electrode 121 is formed at a position corresponding to the electrode 151. The diameter of the electrode 121 is, for example, 3.0 mm. The difference from the insulating substrate 16 is that the insulating portion 17 is not formed on the insulating substrate 11.

  For example, a spacer sheet 13 having a thickness of, for example, 50 μm and provided with an opening 131 having a diameter of 5.0 mm, for example, as shown in FIG. Between. A double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive material is used for the adhesive layer 14. Further, the electrode 121 of the insulating substrate 11 and the electrode 151 of the insulating substrate 16 are disposed at a position facing the opening 131, and the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 are opposed to each other. Thereby, a gap 132 is formed between the electrode 121 and the electrode 151.

  Next, this example formed by the above manufacturing method and the membrane switch of the following comparative example, the ON load and the ON stroke were measured, and the results are described below.

  For the membrane switch 10 of this example, the insulating substrate 11 and the insulating substrate 16 are manufactured by Teijin DuPont Films Co., Ltd. Model number: HSL Thickness: 100 μm, and the silver paste is manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd. Model number: DX-351H -30, Solder-resist was manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd. Model number: SN9000, and the double-sided adhesive was manufactured by Toyo Ink Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Model number: DF9720.

  On the other hand, the membrane switch of the comparative example is as shown in FIG. The membrane switch 10 of this example is different in that the insulating portion 17 is not provided, and the remaining configuration is the same. The materials used are also the same. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a membrane switch of a comparative example, and corresponds to FIG.

  The measurement is performed by using an actuator having a diameter of 2 mm and having a flat tip, and applying a load to the electrode 121 of each membrane switch, and the magnitude of the on-load when the circuit resistance becomes 100Ω (N: Newton) and on-stroke size (mm). The measurement results are shown in Table 1. In addition, the sample number of this example and the comparative example was prepared 4 each, and each measured.

  As shown in Table 1, the membrane switch 10 of this example can reduce the on-load magnitude and the on-stroke magnitude relative to the comparative membrane switch.

  By the way, in the membrane switch 10, the size of the opening 131 of the spacer sheet 12 that adjusts the thickness of the insulating substrate 11 or the insulating substrate 16 is adjusted in order to adjust and reduce the size of the on load and the on stroke. It is conceivable to adjust the thickness of the spacer sheet 13 and the adhesive layer 14. However, the adjustment of the thickness of the insulating substrate 11 or the insulating substrate 16 has a limit in reducing the thickness in order to maintain the rigidity of the film. Moreover, since the size of the opening 131 is determined in the circuit design including the electrode 121 or the electrode 151, it is difficult to adjust the size. Moreover, since the thickness of the spacer sheet 13 and the adhesive layer 14 is related to the adhesive force between the insulating substrate 11 and the insulating substrate 16, there is a limit to the adjustment of the thickness.

  In addition, when the thickness of the insulating substrate 11, the insulating substrate 16, or the spacer sheet 13 is reduced, it becomes difficult to handle the component parts during the switch assembly process or the screen printing process. For example, the film may be bent. As a result, there is a problem that the working time is extended, and the film may be broken and damaged.

  In this example, since at least a part of the electrode 151 is made higher than the position of the wiring 152, the part can be in contact with the electrode 121, and the distance between the contact points of the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 can be shortened. The ON load of the switch 10 can be reduced. Also, unlike the conventional case, the thickness of the insulating substrate 11, the insulating substrate 17, or the spacer sheet 13 is not adjusted and thinned, so that it is not subject to the restrictions on the design film thickness, preventing a decrease in productivity, and being on The load can be reduced and the switch can be easily turned on.

  Also, in this example, by defining the thickness of the insulating portion 17, at least a part of the position of the electrode 151 is made higher than the position of the wiring 152, the contact distance between the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 is adjusted, and the membrane switch Ten on-loads can be set. Thereby, compared with the conventional membrane switch, the magnitude | size of the on load or on stroke of a switch can be adjusted easily.

  In the conductor 15 of this example, at least a part of the electrode 151 has a dome shape toward the electrode 121. Thereby, since the electrode 151 does not have a corner and does not have a pointed portion, when the electrode 151 is formed on the opposing surface of the insulating substrate 16 on the insulating substrate 11 side, the electrode 151 has a corner or a pointed portion. Can be prevented, and the durability of the conductor 15 can be enhanced. In addition, when the membrane switch 10 is turned on, the electrode 121 is in contact with the apex portion of the dome-shaped electrode 151 as a contact point. Therefore, in this example, the amount of the electrode material other than the apex portion can be reduced. .

  In this example, the conductor 15 is disposed below the conductor 12, at least a part of the electrode 151 is made higher than the position of the wiring 152, and the opposing surface of the conductor 12 on the insulating substrate 16 side is It shall be flat. Since the insulating substrate 11 and the conductor 12 bend when the membrane switch 10 is turned on, it is preferable to improve the durability of the conductor 12 over the conductor 15. Therefore, in this example, the opposing surface of the conductor 12 on the insulating substrate 16 side is planar, and the opposing surface of the conductor 15 on the insulating substrate 11 side is convex or dome-shaped. Thereby, in this example, since the conductor 15 is disposed on the side that is not easily bent when the switch is turned on, the durability as a switch can be improved against the bending.

  Further, in the plurality of membrane switches 10 included in the membrane switch unit of this example, at least a part of the conductor 15 of one membrane switch 10 is positioned higher than the position of the conductor 15 of the other membrane switch 10. Also good. Thereby, this example can set the ON load of the one membrane switch 10 and the other membrane switch 10 to be different.

  The membrane switch 10 of the present example is configured such that the position of the contact point of the electrode 151 that contacts the electrode 121 is higher than the position of the wiring 152, but the distance between the electrode 121 and the contact point in the gap 132. However, it may be shorter than the distance between the other electrode 121 and the electrode 151. Further, the gap 132 may be configured such that the contact point of the electrode 151 in the conductor 15 is the highest with respect to the insulating substrate 16.

  In this example, the insulating portion 17 may be formed of a photocurable resin. When the insulating portion 17 is formed of a thermosetting resin, volume shrinkage occurs due to evaporation of the solvent. However, when the insulating portion 17 is formed of a photocurable resin, the material is cured by irradiating light, and the volume is reduced. In this example, since the shrinkage hardly occurs, the thickness of the insulating portion 17 can be easily adjusted, and the distance between the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 can be easily set.

  In this example, the membrane switch 10 shown in FIG. 3 has an insulating substrate 16 having a conductor 15 disposed below the insulating substrate 11 for the sake of explanation. You may arrange in.

  Note that the electrode 121 of this example corresponds to the “first electrode” of the present invention, the conductor 12 corresponds to the “first conductive circuit”, the electrode 151 corresponds to the “second electrode” of the present invention, and the wiring 152. Corresponds to a “wiring portion”, and the conductor 15 corresponds to a “second conductive circuit”. Further, the spacer sheet 13 and the adhesive layer 14 of this example, or the spacer sheet 13 correspond to the “spacer” of the present invention.

  The insulating portion 17 is a member that adjusts the height from the main surface of the insulating substrate 16 to the contact point of the electrode 151 and adjusts the magnitude of the on load, and is included in the “load adjusting portion” of the present invention.

<< Second Embodiment >>
FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of a membrane switch 10 according to another embodiment of the invention. This example differs from the first embodiment described above in that the insulating portion 17 is not provided, and instead the conductor 15 is stacked in a plurality of layers. The description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment described above in other configurations is incorporated as appropriate. Hereinafter, the membrane switch 10 of this example will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the membrane switch 10 of this example, a plurality of conductors 15 are formed on the opposing surface of the insulating substrate 16. The conductor 15 has a plurality of layers in the gap 132 and a single layer in a portion sandwiched by the spacer sheet 13. The multi-layered conductor 15 has a three-layer structure of an electrode 151a, an electrode 151b, and an electrode 151c in order from the lower layer. The electrode 151 a is in the same layer as the wiring 152. The plurality of layers of the conductor 15 are formed by printing a silver pattern a plurality of times and drying it. Accordingly, since the wiring 152 is formed using a single layer and the electrode 151 is formed using a plurality of layers, the position of the contact point of the electrode 151 that is in contact with the electrode 121 is higher than the position of the wiring 152.

  In the membrane switch 10 of this example, at least a part of the electrode 151 is positioned higher than the wiring 152 and the distance between the contact points of the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 can be shortened, so that the on-load of the membrane switch 10 is reduced. be able to. Further, since the conductor 15 of this example is formed of the same material from the lowermost layer to the uppermost layer, the position of the contact point of the electrode 151 is made higher than the position of the wiring 152 without imposing a load on the production process. The on-load of 10 can be reduced.

  In this example, at least a part of the electrode 151 is positioned higher than the wiring 152, and the contact distance between the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 is adjusted according to the number of layers by defining the number of layers of the conductor 15. In addition, the on load of the membrane switch 10 can be set, and the on load or the on stroke of the switch can be easily adjusted.

  In this example, as described above, the height from the main surface of the insulating substrate 16 to the contact point of the electrode 151 is adjusted by the electrodes 151a and 151b below the uppermost electrode 151c, and the electrodes 151a and 151b are adjusted. The electrode 151b is included in the “load adjusting unit” of the present invention.

  Further, the plurality of layers of the conductor 15 are not necessarily three layers, and may be two layers or four layers or more.

  In this example, the position of the contact point of the electrode 151 is set higher than the position of the wiring 152, but the position of the contact point of the electrode 121 in contact with the electrode 151 in the gap 132 may be set lower than the position of the wiring 122.

  In this example, the insulating portion 17 is formed between the insulating substrate 16 and the conductor 15. However, the insulating portion 17 may be formed between the insulating substrate 11 and the electrode 12 in the gap 132.

<< Third Embodiment >>
FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view of a membrane switch 10 according to another embodiment of the invention. This example differs from the above-described second embodiment in the structure of the conductor 15 in the gap 132. The description of the same configurations as those of the first and second embodiments described above in other configurations is incorporated as appropriate. Hereinafter, the membrane switch 10 of this example will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the membrane switch 10 of this example, a plurality of conductors 15 are formed on the opposing surface of the insulating substrate 16. The conductor 15 has a plurality of layers in the gap 132 and is a single layer in a portion sandwiched by the spacer sheet 13. The portion of the conductor 15 having a plurality of layers has a structure of two layers of an electrode 151d and an electrode 151e in order from the lower layer. The electrode 151e is the same layer as the wiring 152 and is integrally formed.

  About the manufacturing method of the conductor 15, the electrode 151d is first formed on the opposing surface of the insulating substrate 16 by printing and drying the silver pattern, and then the silver pattern is printed and dried so as to cover the electrode 151b. The electrode 151e and the wiring 152 are formed on the opposing surface of the insulating substrate 16. Accordingly, since the wiring 152 is formed of a single layer and the electrode 151 is formed of a plurality of layers, the position of the contact point of the electrode 151 that is in contact with the electrode 121 is higher than the position of the wiring 152.

  In the membrane switch 10 of this example, at least a part of the electrode 151 is positioned higher than the wiring 152, and the distance between the contact points of the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 can be shortened. be able to. Further, since the conductor 15 of this example is formed of the same material from the lowermost layer to the uppermost layer, at least a part of the electrode 151 is positioned higher than the wiring 152 without imposing a load on the production process. The on load of can be reduced.

  Further, in this example, by defining the number or thickness of the conductor 151d in the gap 132, the contact distance between the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 is adjusted according to the number or thickness of the conductor 151d. Ten on-loads can be set, and the on-load or on-stroke magnitude of the switch can be easily adjusted.

  In this example, as described above, in the gap 132, the height from the main surface of the insulating substrate 16 to the contact point of the electrode 151 is adjusted by the electrode 151d, and the electrode 151a and the electrode 151b It is included in the “adjustment unit”.

  Further, the plurality of layers of the conductor 15 do not necessarily have to be two layers, and may have three or more layers.

<< 4th Embodiment >>
FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view of a membrane switch 10 according to another embodiment of the invention. This example is different from the first embodiment described above in that the insulating portion 17 is not provided, and the conductor 41 is provided instead. The description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment described above in other configurations is incorporated as appropriate. Hereinafter, the membrane switch 10 of this example will be described with reference to FIG.

The membrane switch 10 of this example includes a conductor 15 and a conductor 41 on the facing surface of the insulating substrate 16. The conductor 41 is disposed in the gap 132 and is formed on the main surface of the electrode 151. The conductor 41 is formed of a conductive material different from that of the conductor 15 and is electrically connected to the conductor 15. When the membrane switch 10 is turned on, the conductor 41 comes into contact with the electrode 121, and thus has an action as an electrode of the switch. Accordingly, since the wiring 152 is formed with a single layer and the electrode portion is formed with a plurality of layers, the position of the contact point of the conductor 41 in contact with the electrode 121 is higher than the position of the wiring 152.

  In the membrane switch 10 of this example, at least a part of the electrode 151 is positioned higher than the wiring 152, and the distance between the contact points of the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 can be shortened. be able to. In addition, by defining the thickness of the conductor 41 in the gap 132, the contact distance between the electrode 121 and the conductor 41 can be adjusted according to the thickness, and the on load of the membrane switch 10 can be set. The on-load or on-stroke magnitude of the switch can be easily adjusted.

<< 5th Embodiment >>
FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of a membrane switch 10 according to another embodiment of the invention. This example is different from the first embodiment described above in that the insulating portion 17 is not provided, and the conductor 51 is provided instead. The description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment described above in other configurations is incorporated as appropriate. Hereinafter, the membrane switch 10 of this example will be described with reference to FIG.

  The membrane switch 10 of this example includes a conductor 15 and a conductor 41 on the facing surface of the insulating substrate 16. The conductor 51 is disposed in the gap 132 and is formed on the main surface of the insulating substrate 16. Then, the conductor 15 is formed on the main surface of the insulating substrate 16 and the main surface of the conductor 41 so as to cover the conductor 51. The conductor 51 is formed of a conductive material different from that of the conductor 15 and is electrically connected to the conductor 15. Accordingly, since the wiring 152 is formed with a single layer and the electrode portion is formed with a plurality of layers, at least a part of the electrode 151 in contact with the electrode 121 is at a position higher than the position of the wiring 152.

  In the membrane switch 10 of this example, at least a part of the electrode 151 is positioned higher than the wiring 152, and the distance between the contact points of the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 can be shortened. be able to. In addition, by defining the thickness of the conductor 51 in the gap 132, the contact distance between the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 can be adjusted according to the thickness, and the on load of the membrane switch 10 can be set. The size of the on load or on stroke of the switch can be easily adjusted.

  In the present example, as described above, in the gap 132, the height from the main surface of the insulating substrate 16 to the contact point of the electrode 151 is adjusted by the conductor 51, and the electrode 51 is the “load adjusting portion” of the present invention. "include.

<< 6th Embodiment >>
FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of a membrane switch 10 according to another embodiment of the invention. This example does not include the insulating portion 17 as compared with the first embodiment described above, and instead, the shape of the insulating substrate 16 is different. The description of the same configuration as that of the first embodiment described above in other configurations is incorporated as appropriate. Hereinafter, the membrane switch 10 of this example will be described with reference to FIG.

  The insulating substrate 16 of the membrane switch 10 of this example is formed in a convex shape toward the facing surface of the insulating substrate 16, in other words, the insulating substrate 11 in the gap 132. The convex insulating substrate 16 is formed by protruding a portion corresponding to the electrode 151 from below by embossing. The conductor 15 is formed on the facing surface of the insulating substrate 16 so that the electrode 151 is disposed on the convex portion of the insulating substrate 16. Accordingly, the position of the contact point of the electrode 151 that is in contact with the electrode 121 is higher than the position of the wiring 152, and in the conductor 15, at least a part of the electrode 151 including the contact point has a dome shape.

  In this example, since at least a part of the electrode 151 is positioned higher than the wiring 152 and the distance between the contact points of the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 can be shortened, the on-load of the membrane switch 10 can be reduced. In the gap 132, the contact distance between the electrode 121 and the electrode 151 can be adjusted according to the height of the recessed portion of the insulating substrate 16, and the on load of the membrane switch 10 can be set. Alternatively, the size of the on stroke can be adjusted.

  In the conductor 15 of this example, at least a part of the electrode 151 has a dome shape toward the electrode 121. Accordingly, since the electrode 151 does not have a corner and does not have a pointed portion, the electrode 151 is prevented from being broken by the corner or the pointed portion when the electrode 151 is formed on the facing surface of the insulating substrate 16. The durability of the conductor 15 can be increased. In addition, when the membrane switch 10 is turned on, the electrode 121 is in contact with the apex portion of the electrode 151 on the dome as a contact point. Therefore, in this example, the amount of the electrode material other than the apex portion can be reduced. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Membrane switch 11 ... Insulating substrate 12 ... Conductor 121 ... Electrode 122 ... Wiring 13 ... Spacer sheet 131 ... Opening part 132 ... Gap 14 ... Adhesive layer 15 ... Conductor 151 ... Electrode 151a, 151b, 151c, 151d, 151e ... Electrode 152 ... wiring 16 ... insulating substrate 17 ... insulating part 41 ... conductor 51 ... conductor

Claims (10)

A pair of opposing insulating substrates having flexibility;
A first conductive circuit formed on an opposing surface of the one insulating substrate and having a first electrode;
A second conductive circuit formed on the opposite surface of the other insulating substrate and having a second electrode provided at a position corresponding to the first electrode and a wiring portion connected to the second electrode When,
A spacer sandwiched between the pair of insulating substrates and forming a gap between the first electrode and the second electrode;
The membrane switch, wherein at least a part of the second electrode is at a position higher than the position of the wiring portion. The membrane switch according to claim 1, further comprising a load adjustment portion formed between the second electrode and the other insulating substrate. The membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein a position corresponding to the gap of the other insulating substrate is convex toward the one insulating substrate. The membrane switch according to claim 2, wherein the second electrode and the load adjusting portion are formed of the same material. The membrane switch according to claim 2, wherein the load adjusting portion is formed of an insulating resin. The membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode has a dome shape toward the first electrode. The membrane switch according to claim 2, wherein the load adjusting portion is formed of a photocurable resin. The second conductive circuit is disposed below the first conductive circuit,
The membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein a facing surface of the first conductive circuit facing the second conductive circuit is planar. The second electrode has at least two electrode layers,
The membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein the two electrode layers are formed of different conductive materials. Having a plurality of membrane switches according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Among the plurality of membrane switches, at least a part of the second electrode included in one membrane switch is located higher than the position of the second electrode included in the other membrane switch. .

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