JP2013131507A - Illumination type push-button switch and console panel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase the quantity of light illuminating sides of an operation button.SOLUTION: On an underside 70b of a transmission plate 70 of an illumination type push-button switch 1, a structure 700 is provided which refracts light from an LED 21, and is configured such that the refracted light is reflected in the transmission plate 70 and guided to an upper peripheral wall part 71 of the transmission plate 70. On a top side 70u of the transmission plate 70, a structure 710 which reflects or refracts light emitted from the transmission plate 70 is provided in a region narrower than the region where the structure 700 is provided.

Description

  The present invention relates to an illuminated push button switch and an operation panel provided with the illuminated push button switch.

  The illuminated pushbutton switch is, for example, an elevator upward and downward indicating switch mounted on an elevator landing wall, a door mounted in the elevator, a door closing, and a floor number indicating switch. It's being used. In general, an illuminated pushbutton switch employs a structure in which a switch body is actuated by pressing and operating an operation surface of a pushbutton to push and displace an operation plunger. Further, the illumination type push button switch incorporates illumination means using a light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) in order to indicate that the switch body has been operated.

  Recent illuminated pushbutton switches are required to provide excellent design illumination. For example, in the push button switch described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, not only the operation surface of the push button but also the periphery of the push button is illuminated.

  Specifically, in the push button switch described in Patent Document 1, a tapered hole is formed at the center of the operation plunger, and light from the LED is reflected by the surface where the tapered hole is formed and guided to the peripheral portion. It has come to be. In the illuminated pushbutton switch described in Patent Document 2, the inside of the operation unit is formed in a mortar shape. Thereby, the light emitted from the light emitting element can be bent at the inclined portion inside the operation portion, and the surrounding portion can be illuminated.

JP 2005-011672 A (published on January 13, 2005) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-064358 (published Mar. 06, 1998)

  In order to diversify the design of illumination in the peripheral portion, it is required to increase the amount of light that illuminates the peripheral portion.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a push button switch with an increased amount of light for illuminating the side of the operation button.

  The illumination type push button switch according to the present invention is an illumination type push button in which, when a user presses the operation button, the switch body operates and light from the light source passes through the transmission plate to illuminate the operation button. In order to solve the above problems, the light source side of the transmission plate is a structure that refracts light from the light source, and the refracted light is reflected in the transmission plate. And a structure that is guided to the periphery of the transmission plate, and that reflects or refracts light emitted from the transmission plate on the operation button side of the transmission plate. Is further provided, and the region in which the operation button side structure is provided is narrower than the region in which the light source side structure is provided.

  According to the above configuration, the light from the light source is refracted by the structure, and the refracted light is reflected in the transmission plate and guided to the periphery of the transmission plate. Since refraction is used instead of reflection, the structure can be provided in a region where light from the light source is directly projected. Therefore, the amount of light propagating to the side of the transmission plate can be increased, and the amount of light for illuminating the side of the operation button can be increased.

  Further, a structure that reflects or refracts the light emitted from the transmission plate is further provided on the operation button side of the transmission plate, so that the light that has passed through the transmission plate can be made uniform. The illumination of the operation buttons can be made uniform.

  The structure on the operation button side may be provided in a region where the amount of light emitted from the transmission plate is large. On the other hand, the structure on the light source side is preferably provided in a region where light from the light source is incident on the transmission plate. Therefore, the area where the operation button side structure is provided may be narrower than the area where the light source side structure is provided.

  In addition, the said structure may be formed integrally with the permeation | transmission board, and may each be formed as a different body.

  In the illuminated pushbutton switch according to the present invention, it is preferable that a plurality of the light sources are provided. In this case, since the amount of light incident on the transmission plate increases, the operation surface and the side of the operation button can be illuminated more brightly.

  The center of the region where the structure is provided is the center of the plurality of irradiation regions where the light from the plurality of light sources is irradiated to the transmission plate, or the midpoint or the center of gravity at the center of the plurality of irradiation regions. It is preferable that

  Further, the center of the region where the light source side structure is provided is the center of gravity at the center of the plurality of irradiation regions where the light from the plurality of light sources is irradiated to the transmission plate, respectively. The center of the region where the structure is provided is preferably the center of the plurality of irradiation regions. Further, since the structure on the operation button side only needs to reflect or refract light, the inclination angle of the convex and concave portions may be smaller in the structure on the operation button side than the structure on the light source side. .

  In the illuminated pushbutton switch according to the present invention, the transmission plate may be a part of a plunger that regulates a pressing direction of the operation button. In this case, it is not necessary to newly provide the transmission plate, and the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  Note that the above-described effects can be achieved even with an operation panel provided with the illuminated push button switch having the above-described configuration. Thereby, it is possible to realize an operation panel having an excellent design related to illumination.

  As described above, the illuminated pushbutton switch according to the present invention can be provided with a structure in a region where light from a light source is directly projected by utilizing refraction instead of reflection. The amount of light propagating in the direction can be increased, and the amount of light that illuminates the side surface of the operation button can be increased.

It is sectional drawing of the illumination type pushbutton switch which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the outline | summary of the said illumination type pushbutton switch. FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the illuminated push button switch. It is a bottom view of the plunger in the said illumination type pushbutton switch. It is a perspective view which shows the shape of the convex part in the structure formed in the lower surface of the permeation | transmission board of the said plunger. It is sectional drawing which shows the change of propagation of the light by the said structure. (A) is a graph showing in which direction the light incident on the transmission plate is refracted by the inclination of the convex portion, and (b) is for explaining the incident angle α and the refraction angle β in the graph. FIG. It is the schematic explaining the effect by the change of the dimension of the said convex part. It is a graph which shows distribution of the light quantity in the operation button of the said pushbutton switch. It is sectional drawing which shows the example of the shape and arrangement | positioning of the said convex part. It is sectional drawing for demonstrating concretely the average inclination angle between pitches. It is sectional drawing which shows one modification of the said structure. It is the schematic which shows another modification of the said structure. It is the figure contained in the bottom face of the convex part in the said structure, and was cut in the straight line which passes along the center of this bottom face. It is a perspective view which shows the other modification of the said structure. It is sectional drawing of the pushbutton switch in another embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the plunger in the said pushbutton switch. It is a perspective view which shows the shape of the convex part in the structure formed in the upper surface of the permeation | transmission board of the said plunger. It is the schematic which shows the change of propagation of the light by the said structure. It is the schematic which shows the example of the formation range of a structure in the case of using two LED in the pushbutton switch in another embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows distribution of the light quantity irradiated to the lower surface of the permeation | transmission board of the plunger in the said pushbutton switch about each light quantity of two LED, and the light quantity which synthesize | combined these. It is the schematic which shows the example of the formation range of the said structure in the case of using three LED in the said pushbutton switch. It is the schematic which shows the example of the formation range of the said structure in the case of using four LED in the said pushbutton switch.

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an outline of the illuminated push button switch of the present embodiment. 3 is an exploded view of the illuminated push button switch, and FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

  The illuminated pushbutton switch 1 of the present embodiment is used as, for example, an upward or downward indicating switch provided on an elevator operation panel attached to a wall surface of an elevator hall. Hereinafter, the illuminated push button switch 1 is abbreviated as “push button switch 1”.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a printed circuit board 2 is attached to the lower surface of the base member 3 and the spring 4, the link mechanism 5, the movable cover 6, and the plunger 7 are attached to the upper surface of the base member 3. , And the operation buttons 8 are sequentially accommodated.

  The printed circuit board 2 has a long plate shape. On the upper surface of the printed circuit board 2, a switch body 20 is provided at the tip, a chip-like LED 21 serving as an illumination light source is provided at the center, and a connector 22 is provided at the base. Each is implemented. The switch body 20 includes a push button 200 on the upper surface, and the switch body 20 is provided with a cushion rubber 23 so as to cover the upper surface.

  The base member 3 has openings 30 and 31 in which areas where the switch body 20 and the LEDs 21 of the printed circuit board 2 are arranged are opened. As a result, the switch main body 20 passes through the opening 30 and comes into contact with the movable cover 6 via the cushion rubber 23. Further, light from the LED 21 passes through the opening 31 and is irradiated upward. In addition, the base member 3 has a large number of engaging pieces 32 protruding upward to engage with various members.

  The link mechanism 5 is a frame-shaped structure composed of two lever bodies, and the distal end portion 50 and the proximal end portion 51 are moved in conjunction with the vertical direction. Further, the two springs 4 are disposed between the base end portion 50 of the link mechanism 5 and the base member 3.

  The movable cover 6 is a plate-like member that covers the link mechanism 5, and the distal end portion 60 and the proximal end portion 61 are engaged with the distal end portion 50 and the proximal end portion 51 of the link mechanism 5, respectively. Thereby, the movable cover 6 can move in the vertical direction together with the distal end portion 50 and the proximal end portion 51 of the link mechanism 5. Further, the movable cover 6 has a circular opening 62 at the center, and four locking pieces 63 for locking with the plunger 7 and the operation button 8 project inward from the opening 62. Yes.

  The plunger 7 has an upper peripheral wall portion 71 formed upward from the upper surface periphery of the circular transmission plate 70, and a lower peripheral wall portion 72 formed downward from the inner side of the lower surface periphery. The lower peripheral wall portion 72 has a structure that fits with the locking piece 63 of the movable cover 6, and a part of the lower peripheral wall portion 72 extends downward and engages with the engaging piece 32 of the base member 3. As a result, the movement of the plunger 7 is restricted in the vertical direction.

  The operation button 8 has a peripheral wall portion 81 formed downward from the periphery of the circular transmission plate 80, and the upper peripheral wall portion 71 of the plunger 7 is fitted inside the peripheral wall portion 81. Thereby, the movement of the operation button 8 is restricted in the vertical direction (pressing direction). Further, four locking pieces 82 for locking to the movable cover 6 protrude outward from the tip of the peripheral wall portion 81. The upper surface of the transmission plate 80 is an operation surface operated by the user.

  The plunger 7 and the operation button 8 are made of a transmissive material such as polycarbonate or acrylic. Further, the plunger 7 is preferably one having a high light transmittance. On the other hand, the light transmittance of the operation button 8 is appropriately selected from the viewpoint of space design by illumination.

  In the push button switch 1 configured as described above, when the user presses the operation button 8 with a finger or the like, the operation button 8 and the movable cover 6 are moved downward by the plunger 7 and the link mechanism 5. Then, when the movable cover 6 presses the push button 200 of the switch body 20 via the cushion rubber 23, the switch body 20 performs a switch operation such as switching on.

  Further, when electric power is supplied to the mounting component of the printed circuit board 2 from the outside via the connector 22, the LED 21 emits light based on the switch operation of the switch body 20 or an instruction from the outside. At this time, the light from the LED 21 passes through the opening 31 of the base member 3, the opening 62 of the movable cover 6, and the plunger 7 to illuminate the operation button 8.

  When the user lifts his / her finger from the operation button 8, the link mechanism 5 is moved upward by the restoring force of the spring 4, thereby moving the movable cover 6, the plunger 7 and the operation button 8 upward. Return to the original position.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a structure 700 that refracts light from the LED 21 is formed on the lower surface 70 b of the transmission plate 70 of the plunger 7, that is, the surface on the LED 21 side. In this structure 700, the refracted light is reflected in the transmission plate 70 and guided to the upper peripheral wall portion 71 which is a peripheral portion. In this embodiment, since refraction is used instead of reflection, the structure 700 can be provided in a region where light from the LED 21 is directly projected. Therefore, the amount of light propagating to the upper peripheral wall portion 71 can be increased, and the amount of light that illuminates the peripheral wall portion 81 of the operation button 8 can be increased.

  Note that the opening 31 of the base member 3 is desirably formed in a tapered shape that becomes wider as it travels upward in order to efficiently irradiate light from the LED 21 upward. The tapered formation surface is preferably formed in a mirror shape. Similarly, it is desirable that a plate-like mirror member be provided in the vicinity of the LED 21 on the printed circuit board 2.

  Hereinafter, details of the structure 700 will be described. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the plunger 7. In the illustrated example, the structure 700 has a large number of convex portions (convex concave portions) 701 arranged in a staggered manner on the lower surface 70 b of the transmission plate 70. In addition, the wider the region where the convex portion 701 is formed, the better. Therefore, the region where the light from the LED 21 is irradiated is desirable. In addition, the area is a circular area having a radius of 10 mm in the illustrated example, but is appropriately determined depending on the size of the light source, the positional relationship between the light source and the optical component, the directivity of the light source, and the like.

  5A and 5B show the shape of the convex portion 701. FIG. 5A is a perspective view, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view. As shown in the figure, the convex portion 701 has a rounded cone tip. This is in consideration of ease of processing and strength, but is not limited to this, and the tip may be sharp.

  In the illustrated example, the convex portion 701 has an inclination angle θ of 65 degrees. The inclination angle is an angle formed between the bottom surface (the lower surface 70b of the transmission plate 70) and the conical generatrix. The largest of the convex portions 701 has a bottom diameter of 0.5 mm, a height of 0.263 mm, and a radius of curvature of the rounded tip is 0.2 mm.

  FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1 and shows how light from the LED 21 is propagated by the structure 700 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. In the figure, the solid line indicates the light passing through the lower surface 70 b of the transmission plate 70, and the alternate long and short dash line indicates the light passing through the convex portion 701.

  As shown in FIG. 6, since the light incident on the lower surface 70 b of the transmission plate 70 is refracted upward, it is refracted and passes through the upper surface 70 u of the transmission plate 70 and reaches the transmission plate 80 of the operation button 8. . On the other hand, the light incident on the convex portion 701 of the transmission plate 70 is refracted laterally. The light refracted laterally is totally reflected within the transmission plate 70 and reaches the upper peripheral wall 71 when the incident angle on the upper surface 70 u of the transmission plate 70 is equal to or greater than the critical angle of total reflection.

  Therefore, it can be understood that the light that illuminates the peripheral wall portion 81 of the operation button 8 increases by forming the convex portion 701 on the lower surface 70 b of the transmission plate 70. Further, since the convex portions 701 are discretely arranged, it can be understood that the transmission plate 80 of the operation button 8 is illuminated by the light that has passed through the lower surface 70b of the transmission plate 70.

  In FIG. 6, the convex portion 701 is pointed. However, referring to FIG. 6, the light that has passed near the apex of the convex portion 701 is incident again on the conical surface of the convex portion 701, and is totally reflected. The transmission plate 80 of the button 8 is reached. From this, even if the convex part 701 is sharp or rounded, it can be considered that the amount of light that illuminates the peripheral wall part 81 of the operation button 8 is not so much affected.

  Next, a desirable range of the inclination angle θ will be described. FIG. 7A is a graph showing a result of simulating in which direction the light incident on the transmission plate 70 is refracted by the inclination of the convex portion 701. The material of the transmission plate 70 is polycarbonate. FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram for explaining the incident angle α and the refraction angle β in the graph. As illustrated, the incident angle α is an angle formed between the normal line of the lower surface 70 b of the transmission plate 70 and the light incident direction, and the refraction angle β is the normal line of the lower surface 70 b of the transmission plate 70 and the light refraction. The angle made with the direction. Note that the lower surface 70b of the transmission plate 70 has an inclination angle θ of 0 degree.

  Referring to the graph shown in FIG. 7A, it can be understood that the refraction angle β increases as the inclination angle θ increases. It can also be understood that the refraction angle β increases as the incident angle α increases. In order to guide light to the side, the refraction angle β should be equal to or greater than the critical angle of total reflection. In the case of polycarbonate, the critical angle is 39 degrees. Further, the amount of light decreases as the incident angle α increases. Therefore, in order to allow a certain amount of light to reach the side, it is considered to use light having an incident angle α of 40 degrees or more with a certain intensity of light intensity. In order for this light to reach the side, the refraction angle β only needs to be 39 degrees or more. Therefore, it can be understood from the graph shown in FIG. 7A that the inclination angle θ should be 40 degrees or more.

  On the other hand, if the tip of the convex portion 701 is too sharp, that is, if the apex angle is too narrow, the strength becomes weak. In other words, the inclination angle θ should be small. From the past results, it has been confirmed that there is no problem when the apex angle is 50 degrees (inclination angle θ is 65 degrees) in polycarbonate. If a material harder than acrylic or the like is used, there is no problem even if the apex angle is about 30 degrees (inclination angle θ is 75 degrees). Therefore, it can be understood that the inclination angle θ is preferably 40 degrees or more and 75 degrees or less, and particularly preferably around 65 degrees. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the weakness of strength can be suppressed by rounding the tip of the convex portion 701.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the dimension of the convex portion 701 becomes smaller as the distance from the center of the transmission plate 70 increases. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the effect of such a change in the dimensions of the convex portion 701. In the figure, the thicker the arrow, the greater the amount of light (light intensity).

  As shown in FIG. 8, the light from the LED (light source) 21 is emitted toward the center of the transmission plate 70, so that a large amount of light is applied to the central portion of the transmission plate 70, and the peripheral portion of the transmission plate 70. The amount of light applied to the is reduced.

  On the other hand, as can be understood from FIG. 4, the ratio of the convex portions 701 per unit region in the transmission plate 70 is large in the central portion and small in the peripheral portion. Therefore, in the central part of the transmission plate 70, the ratio of the light irradiated to the convex part 701 is large, so the ratio of the light irradiated to the side increases. Moreover, since the ratio of the light irradiated to the convex part 701 is low in the peripheral part of the transmission plate 70, the ratio of the light irradiated to the side becomes low. As a result, the light that passes through the transmission plate 70 and irradiates the transmission plate 80 of the operation button 8 is suppressed because the amount of light applied to the central portion is suppressed and the amount of light applied to the peripheral portion is maintained or increased. Can be improved.

  FIG. 9 is a graph showing the result of simulating the distribution of the amount of light in the operation button 8 of the push button switch 1. In the graph of the figure, the solid line is the present example, and the broken line is the comparative example. In the comparative example, the structure 700 is omitted from the push button switch 1 of this embodiment.

  The graph of FIG. 9A shows the distribution of the amount of light applied to the transmission plate 80 of the operation button 8, the vertical axis indicates the brightness, and the horizontal axis is a straight line passing through the center of the transmission plate 80. The distance from the center is shown. Further, the graph of (b) in the figure shows the amount of light applied to the peripheral wall portion 81 of the operation button 8, the vertical axis shows the brightness, and the horizontal axis shows the circumference of the circumference of the peripheral wall portion 81. The distance from the position is shown.

  Referring to FIG. 9, the push button switch 1 of the present embodiment is less uniform in light intensity at the central portion of the transmission plate 80 and maintained at the peripheral portion than the push button switch of the comparative example, so that uniformity is maintained. Can be seen to improve. Furthermore, it can be understood that the amount of light in the peripheral wall portion 81 is increased by 1.8 times and the uniformity is maintained.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the dimension of the convex portion 701 is reduced as the distance from the center of the transmission plate 70 increases, but various other shapes and arrangements are conceivable. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1 and shows an example of the shape and arrangement of the convex portions 701 in the present embodiment. In FIG. 10, the convex portion 701 is highlighted. Further, the vertical hatching in FIG. 10 indicates the light emitted from the LED 21 to the lower surface 70 b without being irradiated to the convex portion 701 of the transmission plate 70.

  Similar to the convex portion 701 shown in FIG. 4, the convex portion 701 shown in FIG. 10A has the same spacing as the convex portion 701 as the distance from the LED 21, but the size is reduced. Referring to (a) of FIG. 8, the region irradiated on the lower surface 70 b of the transmission plate 70 becomes larger than the region irradiated on the convex portion 701 of the transmission plate 70 as the distance from the LED 21 increases. It can be understood that the effect shown in FIG.

  The convex portions 701 shown in FIG. 10B have the same dimensions as the distance from the LED 21 is increased, but the interval between the convex portions 701 is increased. Referring to FIG. 8B, the region irradiated on the lower surface 70b of the transmission plate 70 becomes larger than the region irradiated on the convex portion 701 of the transmission plate 70 as the distance from the LED 21 increases. It can be understood that the effect shown in FIG.

  In the convex portion 701 shown in FIG. 10C, as the distance from the LED 21, the interval between the convex portions 701 is the same, but the inclination angle θ is reduced. Referring to (c) of the figure, it can be understood that the area irradiated on the lower surface 70b of the transmission plate 70 and the area irradiated on the convex portion 701 of the transmission plate 70 are not changed even when separated from the LED 21. it can.

  On the other hand, referring to the graph of FIG. 7A, the refraction angle β decreases as the tilt angle θ decreases. That is, the ratio of the light irradiated to the side becomes low. Therefore, in the case of the convex portion 701 shown in FIG. 10C, since the proportion of light irradiated to the side decreases as the distance from the LED 21 increases, the same effect as that shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be obtained. become.

  When the shape and arrangement of the convex portions 701 in FIGS. 10A to 10C are generalized, they are as follows. That is, the inclination angle at the convex portion 701 is θ, the inclination angle at the lower surface 70b is 0 degree, and the inclination angle between the pitches of the convex portions 701, that is, from the center of a certain convex portion 701 to the center of the adjacent convex portion 701. An average value of magnitude (absolute value) is defined as an average pitch angle between pitches.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view for specifically explaining the pitch-to-pitch average inclination angle. As illustrated, the protrusions _{701 i} · ₇₀₁ i _{+ 1} adjacent the tilt angle and θ _i · θ _{i + 1,} respectively, the radius of the bottom surface and _{r i} · _r i _{+ 1,} respectively, the distance between _{d i.} At this time, the pitch p _i = r _i + d _i + r _{i + 1} , and the average pitch inclination angle avg_pitch (θ) _i is expressed by the following equation.
avg_pitch (θ) _i = (| θ _i | × r _i + 0 × d _i + | θ _{i + 1} | × r _{i + 1} ) / p _i (1).

From the above equation (1), it can be understood that the average pitch angle avg_pitch (θ) _i between pitches can be reduced by performing the following for the adjacent convex portions 701 _i and 701 _{i + 1} . That is, the pitch interval p _i is increased as shown in FIG. 10B, the bottom surface radius r _i · r _{i + 1} , that is, the size is reduced as shown in FIG. As shown in (c), the inclination angle θ _i · θ _{i + 1} may be reduced.

  Therefore, if the protrusions 701 are formed and arranged so that the average inclination angle between pitches decreases as the distance from the LED 21 increases, that is, as the distance from the center of the transmission plate 70 increases, the same as in FIGS. It can be understood that there is an effect.

  In the present embodiment, the convex portions 701 are arranged in a staggered manner, but the invention is not limited to this, and any arrangement such as a radial shape, a spiral shape, a concentric circle shape, or a random shape may be used as long as it is a discrete arrangement. Arrangement can be made. Further, in the present embodiment, the conical convex portion 701 is used, but a convex portion 701 having an arbitrary shape having an inclined surface such as a pyramid can be used.

  Next, modified examples of the structure 700 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. 1 and shows a modification of the structure 700 of the present embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 12, as the structure 700, a large number of concave portions (convex concave portions) 702 are disposed instead of a large number of convex portions 701.

  As shown in FIG. 12, even in the concave portion 702, light can be emitted to the side similarly to the convex portion 701, so that the same effect as the effect shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be achieved. When the transmission plate 70 is formed by cutting, the concave portion 702 is easier to form than the convex portion 701. On the other hand, when the transmission plate 70 is formed by molding, the concave portion 702 is easier to manufacture the mold than the convex portion 701. Note that both the concave portion 702 and the convex portion 701 may be disposed.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating another modification of the structure 700 according to the present embodiment. In the example shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, the shape of the convex portion 703 is a part of a sphere (respectively a hemisphere and a part thereof) instead of a cone. In this case, processing of the convex part 703 becomes easy.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 13, the convex portion 703 having a shape whose inclination changes can evaluate the inclination angle θ as follows. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along a straight line included in the bottom surface of the convex portion 703 and passing through the center of the bottom surface. As shown in the figure, the cross section of the convex portion 703 is subdivided along the straight line l, and in the subdivided region, the angle formed by the line s _i connecting the intersections and the straight line l is the inclination angle θ _{i of the} region. And Then, the average value avg (θ) of the magnitude (absolute value) of the inclination angle in all of the subdivided regions is calculated as in the following equation. The calculated average value is evaluated as the inclination angle θ of the convex portion 703.
avg (θ) = Σ (| θ _i | × Δx _i ) / ΣΔx _i (2).

In the example of FIG. 13, the convex portion 703 is a hemisphere or a part thereof, and can be expressed by an equation. In this case, the above equation (2) can be calculated by replacing the integral. As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 13A, when the convex portion 703 is a hemisphere, the average value avg (θ) is 45 degrees. Further, when the convex portion 703 is a part of a hemisphere as shown in FIG. 13B, the average value avg (θ) is assumed, where a is the radius of the hemisphere and b is the radius of the bottom surface of the convex portion 703. Can be calculated by the following equation.
tan (avg (θ)) = {a− (a ² −b ² ) ^1/2 } / b (3).

  FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing another modification of the structure 700 according to the present embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the structure 700 having a shape obtained by rotating a triangle around the normal line of the transmission plate passing through the center of the transmission plate 70 is arranged concentrically from the center of the transmission plate 70. It has become. Also in this case, the base angle of the triangle becomes the inclination angle θ, and the same effects as those shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be obtained. Thus, the structure 700 may be a structure in which continuous structures are discretely arranged.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of the push button switch 1 according to the present embodiment. Compared with the push button switch 1 shown in FIG. 1, the push button switch 1 shown in FIG. 16 passes through the transmission plate 70 from the LED 21 to the upper surface 70 u of the transmission plate 70 of the plunger 7, that is, the surface on the operation button 8 side. The structure 710 that reflects light is newly formed, and the other configurations are the same. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure which has the function similar to the structure demonstrated in the said embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Hereinafter, details of the structure 710 will be described. FIG. 17 is a plan view of the plunger 7. In addition, the area | region enclosed with the dashed-dotted line has shown the area | region where the convex part 701 is formed in the lower surface 70b of the permeation | transmission board 70. FIG.

  In the example of FIG. 17, the structure 710 has a large number of convex portions (convex concave portions) 711 arranged in a staggered manner on the upper surface 70 u of the transmission plate 70. As shown in FIG. 9, the region where the convex portion 711 is formed may be formed in a region where the amount of light passing through the transmission plate 70 is large, that is, in the central region of the transmission plate 70 with reference to FIG. 9. . In the illustrated example, the region is a circular region having a radius of 3 mm. It is determined appropriately depending on changes.

  In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 17, the region where the convex portion 711 of the structure body 710 is formed is preferably narrower than the region where the convex portion 701 of the structure body 700 is formed, and in particular, the convex portion 711 is formed. The radius of the circular region is preferably less than or equal to half the radius of the circular region where the convex portion 701 is formed.

  FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing the shape of the convex portion 711. The convex portion 711 shown in the figure is different from the convex portion 701 shown in FIG. 5 in that the inclination angle θ is small, and the other shapes are the same. In the example of FIG. 18, the convex portion 711 has an inclination angle θ of 45 degrees. The largest of the convex portions 711 has a bottom surface diameter of 0.5 mm, a height of 0.13 mm, and a radius of curvature of the rounded tip is 0.2 mm.

  FIG. 19 is a schematic view showing how light from the LED 21 propagates by the structure 710 shown in FIGS. 17 and 18. FIGS. 19A to 19C show cases where the inclination angle θ is 45 degrees, 60 degrees, and 30 degrees, respectively. The material of the transmission plate 70 is polycarbonate.

  As shown in FIG. 19A, when the inclination angle θ is 45 degrees, the light propagating through the transmission plate 70 is totally reflected twice by the convex portion 711 on the upper surface 70u and returns to the lower surface 70b. . Therefore, the light quantity at the center of the transmission plate 80 of the operation button 8 can be further suppressed, and the uniformity of the light quantity that illuminates the transmission board 80 can be further improved.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 19B, when the inclination angle θ is 60 degrees, the light propagating through the transmission plate 70 is totally reflected and refracted by the convex portion 711 on the upper surface 70u and emitted to the side. become. Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, when the inclination angle θ is 30 degrees, the light propagating through the transmission plate 70 is partially reflected by the convex portion 711 on the upper surface 70u and the transmission plate 70 side. The other part is refracted and emitted obliquely upward. Accordingly, even in these cases, the light amount at the center of the transmission plate 80 of the operation button 8 can be suppressed, and the uniformity of the light amount for illuminating the transmission plate 80 can be improved.

  Therefore, it can be understood that the convex portion 711 on the upper surface 70 u of the transmission plate 70 preferably has an inclination angle θ of 30 degrees to 60 degrees, and particularly preferably around 45 degrees. Further, since the convex portion 701 on the lower surface 70b of the transmission plate 70 preferably has an inclination angle θ of around 65 degrees, the convex portion 711 on the upper surface 70u has a smaller inclination angle θ than the convex portion 701 on the lower surface 70b. Can be understood. Similarly to FIG. 10, the convex portions 711 may be formed and arranged so that the average inclination angle between pitches decreases as the distance from the LED 21 increases, that is, as the distance from the center of the transmission plate 70 increases.

  In the present embodiment, a large number of convex portions 711 are arranged as the structure 710, but the structure 710 can be modified in the same manner as the structure 700 shown in FIGS.

[Embodiment 3]
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The push button switch 1 of the present embodiment is different from the push button switch 1 shown in FIG. 1 in that a plurality of LEDs 21 are used as an illumination light source, and accordingly, the structure 700 of the transmission plate 70 is used. -The formation range of 710 is different, and the other configurations are the same. The brightness of the push button switch 1 can be improved by increasing the number of light sources. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the structure which has the function similar to the structure demonstrated in the said embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the formation range of the structures 700 and 710 when two LEDs 21a and 21b are used. (A) of the figure shows the center of the circular region Cg where the structures 700 and 710 are formed as the midpoint at the center of the two irradiation regions where the light from the two LEDs 21 is irradiated to the transmission plate 70, respectively. An example is shown. Moreover, (b) of the figure shows an example in which the centers of the circular regions Ca and Cb where the structures 700 and 710 are formed are the centers of the two irradiation regions, respectively. In the figure, the centers of the two irradiation areas are indicated by white squares, and the centers of the circular areas Cg, Ca, and Cb are indicated by crosses.

  FIG. 21 is a graph showing the distribution of the amount of light with which the lower surface 70b of the transmission plate 70 is irradiated with respect to the respective light amounts of the two LEDs 21a and 21b and the combined light amount. In the graph of the figure, the vertical axis represents the brightness, and the horizontal axis represents the distance from the center in a straight line passing through the center of the lower surface 70b of the transmission plate 70.

  Referring to FIGS. 20 and 21, in the case of FIG. 20A, the structures 700 and 710 are formed in the circular region Cg centering on the position where the combined light amount of the LEDs 21 a and 21 b becomes the maximum value. Become. In the case of FIG. 20B, the structures 700 and 710 are formed in the circular areas Ca and Cb around the position where the light quantity of each of the LEDs 21a and 21b becomes the maximum value. In any case, since the structures 700 and 710 are arranged around the bright position, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment where the number of LEDs 21 is one can be obtained.

  The structure 700 formed on the lower surface 70b of the transmission plate 70 is intended to guide light incident on the transmission plate 70 from the LEDs 21a and 21b to the side. For this reason, it is desirable that the region where the structure 700 is formed has a shape shown in FIG. The structure body 710 formed on the upper surface 70 u of the transmission plate 70 is intended to suppress the amount of light emitted from the transmission plate 70. Therefore, it is desirable that the region where the structure body 710 is formed has a shape shown in FIG. In fact, the simulation results in these cases were good. It should be noted that the region in which the structures 700 and 710 are formed may be aligned with any of the shapes shown in FIGS.

  In addition, when the number of LED21 is three or more, you may utilize the combination of the midpoint of the center of any two said irradiation area | regions, However, It is preferable to utilize the gravity center in the center of all the said irradiation area | regions.

  FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a formation range of the structures 700 and 710 when three LEDs 21 are used. In FIG. 6A, the center of the circular region Cg where the structures 700 and 710 are formed becomes the center of gravity at the center of the three irradiation regions where the light from the three LEDs 21 is irradiated to the transmission plate 70, respectively. An example is shown. Moreover, (b) of the figure shows an example in which the centers of the circular regions Ca to Cc where the structures 700 and 710 are formed are the centers of the three irradiation regions, respectively. In the figure, the centers of the three irradiation areas are indicated by white squares, and the centers of the circular areas Cg and Ca to Cc are indicated by crosses.

  FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the formation range of the structures 700 and 710 when four LEDs 21 are used. In FIG. 6A, the center of the circular region Cg where the structures 700 and 710 are formed becomes the center of gravity at the center of the four irradiation regions where the light from the four LEDs 21 is irradiated to the transmission plate 70, respectively. An example is shown. Moreover, (b) of the figure shows an example in which the centers of the circular regions Ca to Cd where the structures 700 and 710 are formed are the centers of the four irradiation regions, respectively. In the figure, the centers of the four irradiation areas are indicated by white squares, and the centers of the circular areas Cg and Ca to Cd are indicated by crosses.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the structures 700 and 710 are formed on the transmission plate 70 of the plunger 7, but the structures 700 and 710 are formed on the other two transmission plates, respectively. The plate may be configured to be attached to the lower surface 70b and the upper surface 70u of the transmission plate 70, respectively. However, forming the structures 700 and 710 on the transmission plate 70 of the plunger 7 can reduce the number of parts and reduce the cost.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the plunger 7 and the operation button 8 are made into a different body, you may form integrally. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although LED21 is utilized as a light source for illumination, arbitrary light sources, such as an incandescent lamp, a laser, and a fluorescent lamp, can be utilized.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the circular operation button 8 and the permeation | transmission board 70 are utilized, the thing of arbitrary shapes, such as a square shape, can be utilized. In this case, it is desirable to match the region where the structures 700 and 710 are formed on the transmission plate 70 to the shape.

  By the way, in the above-described illuminated pushbutton switch, the structure may be a structure in which convex and concave portions which are at least one of an inclined convex portion and a concave portion are discretely arranged. In this case, the light incident on the region where the convex and concave portions are provided is guided to the peripheral portion of the transmission plate, while the light incident on the other region passes through the transmission plate and reaches the operation button. The illumination of the operation buttons can be sufficiently ensured.

  Examples of the convex and concave portions include a cone, a pyramid, and a part of a sphere, and a rotating body formed by rotating a triangle or a circle around an axis.

  In the illuminated pushbutton switch, the convex concave portion is a pitch interval that is an average value of the inclination angles between adjacent convex concave portions as the distance from the center of light irradiated from the light source to the transmission plate increases. It is preferable that the average inclination angle is small.

  Specifically, the convex portion is reduced in size, the interval between the convex portions is increased, or the convex portion is inclined as the distance from the center of the light irradiated from the light source to the transmission plate is increased. It is preferable that the angle is small.

  In general, the amount of light from the light source is large in the central portion and small in the peripheral portion. On the other hand, according to said structure, the ratio of the light guide | induced to the side by the said structure becomes larger in a center part than a peripheral part. Therefore, the light passing through the transmission plate can be made uniform, and the illumination of the operation buttons can be made uniform.

  As described above, the illuminated push button switch according to the present invention can increase the amount of light that illuminates the side surface of the operation button, and thus can be applied to any illuminated button switch such as an illuminated touch button switch.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Illuminated pushbutton switch 2 Printed circuit board 3 Base member 4 Spring 5 Link mechanism 6 Movable cover 7 Plunger 8 Operation button 20 Switch body 21 LED (light source)
31 Opening portion 70 Transmission plate 70b Lower surface 70u Upper surface 71 Upper peripheral wall portion 72 Lower peripheral wall portion 80 Transmission plate 81 Peripheral wall portions 700 and 710 Structure 701 Convex portion (convex concave portion)
702 Concave part (convex concave part)
703 Convex part 710 Structure 711 Convex part (convex concave part)

Claims (7)

When the user presses the operation button, the switch main body operates, and the light from the light source is transmitted through the transmission plate to illuminate the operation button.
The light source side of the transmission plate is a structure that refracts light from the light source so that the refracted light is reflected in the transmission plate and guided to the periphery of the transmission plate. A structure is provided,
A structure that reflects or refracts light emitted from the transmission plate is further provided on the operation button side of the transmission plate,
An illuminated pushbutton switch, wherein a region where the operation button side structure is provided is narrower than a region where the light source side structure is provided.   2. The illuminated push button switch according to claim 1, wherein the light source includes a plurality of light sources.   The center of the region where the structure is provided is the center of the plurality of irradiation regions where the light from the plurality of light sources is irradiated to the transmission plate, or the center point or the center of gravity at the center of the plurality of irradiation regions. The illuminated pushbutton switch according to claim 2, wherein: There are a plurality of light sources,
The center of the region where the structure on the light source side is provided is the center of gravity at the center of the plurality of irradiation regions where the light from the plurality of light sources is irradiated to the transmission plate, respectively.
The illuminated push button switch according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a center of the region where the structure on the operation button side is provided is a center of the plurality of irradiation regions. . The structure is a structure in which convex and concave portions that are at least one of an inclined convex portion and a concave portion are discretely arranged,
The illuminated push according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the structure on the operation button side has a smaller inclination angle of the convex and concave portions than the structure on the light source side. Button switch.   The illumination type push button switch according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the transmission plate is a part of a plunger that regulates a pressing direction of the operation button.   An operation panel comprising the illuminated push button switch according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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