JP3069594U - Push-button switch - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide an inexpensive switch that can perform an ON / OFF operation with a sufficient stroke and a good click feeling and that can detect a magnitude of an operation amount given as a pressing force. SOLUTION: An intermediate displacement plate 120 made of a metal plate is arranged on a printed board 110 having electrode patterns E1 to E3, and a strain body 130 made of silicon rubber is placed thereon.
Are arranged and fixed with the fixture 140. Operation button 150
Is pressed, the connection portion 132 is bent, and the electrode F0 is
1 and E2 to be in a conductive state and turned ON. When the operation button 150 is further pressed, the elastic deformation portion 134 is elastically deformed and crushed, and the intermediate displacement plate 120 is pushed down. Since the capacitance value of the capacitance element C constituted by the electrode E3 and the intermediate displacement plate 120 changes according to the amount of depression of the intermediate displacement plate 120, the magnitude of the pressing force can be detected.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Technical field to which the invention belongs]

 The present invention relates to a push button switch, and more particularly to a push button switch capable of detecting not only binary information of ON / OFF but also a magnitude of an operation amount applied as a pressing force.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 2. Description of the Related Art Pushbutton switches are used as input means for inputting ON / OFF information in various electric appliances. In particular, inexpensive push button switches using silicone rubber have become widespread as operation buttons for various remote controllers, mobile phones, game machines, and the like. Normally, silicon rubber having a bowl-like shape is placed on an electronic substrate in a prone state, and the bottom of the bowl is pressed into contact with an electrode pattern on the substrate. This contact state is electrically detected and turned on. A type that recognizes the / OFF state is used. With this type of push button switch, a large stroke corresponding to the height of the bowl-shaped portion can be obtained, and a unique click feeling based on the elastic deformation of the bowl-shaped silicone rubber can be obtained. For this reason, the operator can easily and intuitively recognize whether the vehicle is in the ON state or the OFF state through the tactile sense, and extremely good operability can be obtained.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

 Normally, a push button switch is used as an input device for inputting binary information of ON / OFF, and turns on when an operator presses a button and turns off when the button is released. It is common to do. However, for input devices such as personal computers, game machines, and mobile phones, input of such binary information is becoming insufficient. There is a need for more detailed information input, such as whether the state is the ON state based on the amount. Generally, pressure sensors and force sensors are used as devices for quantitatively measuring the applied pressing force and the like. However, as an input device such as a personal computer, a game device, and a mobile phone, a device that can detect the magnitude of an operation amount while maintaining the operational feeling as a push button switch is desired. Specifically, when performing an operation from the OFF state to the ON state, a sufficient stroke and a good click feeling are obtained, and the operator recognizes that the state has shifted from the OFF state to the ON state by the tactile sense of the fingertip. In addition, there is a demand for an inexpensive device capable of detecting the magnitude of an operation amount given as a pressing force by an operator.

[0004] Therefore, the present invention provides that when performing ON / OFF operation input, a sufficient stroke and a good click feeling are obtained, and the magnitude of the operation amount given as a pressing force by the operator is reduced. An object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive push button switch having a function of quantitatively detecting.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 (1) A first aspect of the present invention is a push button switch, comprising: an operation button for receiving a pressing force by an operator; and a base for supporting the operation button so as to be movable by the applied pressing force. A plate, a displacement portion located between the operation button and the substrate and displaced based on a pressing force applied to the operation button, a fixed portion fixed to the substrate, and a connection for connecting the displacement portion and the fixed portion. An operating body attached to the upper surface of the substrate, an elastically deformable member formed on the lower surface of the displacement portion and having a property of elastically deforming, and a displacement electrode for a switch formed on the lower surface of the elastically deformable member. And a switch fixed electrode formed at a position facing the switch displacement electrode on the substrate; and a capacitive element configured to change the capacitance value due to the displacement of the displacement portion. The part has flexibility and the displacement part When a force is applied, the connection portion bends, causing the displacement portion to displace with respect to the substrate. If no force is applied to the displacement portion, the switch displacement electrode and the switch fixed electrode are displaced. When a predetermined amount of force directed vertically to the substrate acts on the displacement portion, the switch displacement electrode and the switch fixed electrode come into contact with each other, and the predetermined amount of When a force larger than the force acts on the displacement portion, the elastically deformable body undergoes elastic deformation, so that the contact between the switch displacement electrode and the switch fixed electrode is maintained, and the electrostatic capacitance of the capacitive element is maintained. The switch is constituted by a switch displacement electrode and a switch fixed electrode, and the ON / OFF state of the switch is detected by electrically detecting the contact state of both electrodes. It is possible to recognize the magnitude of the pressing force applied to the operation button by electrically detecting the change in the capacitance value of the capacitance element after this switch is turned on. Things.

(2) According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the push button switch according to the first aspect described above, an operating body having a bowl-shaped portion is prepared, and the bowl is turned down. As described above, the working body is attached to the upper surface of the substrate, the portion corresponding to the bottom of the bowl is used as a displacement portion, the portion corresponding to the side of the bowl is used as a connection portion, and the portion corresponding to the mouth of the bowl is used as a fixing portion. It is the one that was made.

(3) According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the push button switch according to the second aspect, an intermediate displacement plate is disposed between the substrate and the operating body. One part is fixed to the substrate as a displacement plate fixing part, and another part of this intermediate displacement plate constitutes a displacement plate displacement part that is displaced by the displacement of the displacement part or the deformation of the connection part. The capacitance element is constituted by the capacitance element fixed electrode formed in the above, and the capacitance element displacement electrode formed in the displacement plate displacement portion.

(4) A fourth aspect of the present invention is the push button switch according to the third aspect described above, wherein the intermediate displacement plate is constituted by a flexible plate-shaped member having a bowl-shaped portion. This intermediate displacement plate is mounted on the upper surface of the board so that the bowl is turned down, and an opening window for inserting an elastically deformable body is formed in a portion corresponding to the bottom of the bowl. The part constitutes the displacement plate displacement part, the part corresponding to the mouth of the bowl constitutes the displacement plate fixing part, and the displacement plate displacement part generates displacement by physical contact of the displacement part or the connection part. Things.

(5) According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the push-button switch according to the fourth aspect, the intermediate displacement plate is formed of a metal material, and the intermediate displacement plate itself is used as a displacement for the capacitive element. This is used as an electrode.

(6) According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the push button switch according to the fourth aspect, the intermediate displacement plate is formed of a synthetic resin material, and the intermediate displacement plate is formed of a metal film formed on the lower surface thereof. Thus, a displacement electrode for a capacitance element is formed.

(7) A seventh aspect of the present invention is the push button switch according to the sixth aspect, wherein a first electrode for an additional switch is formed on an upper surface of the intermediate displacement plate, and a lower surface of the displacement portion is provided. A second electrode for an additional switch is formed at a position facing the first electrode for the additional switch, and the additional switch is constituted by these two electrodes. Thus, additional information regarding the pressing force applied to the operation button can be obtained.

(8) According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the push-button switch according to the seventh aspect, one of the pair of opposing electrodes constituting the additional switch is connected to a single electrode. The contact state of the opposing electrode can be detected by forming an electrode layer and the other electrode by a pair of electrode layers that are electrically independent from each other, and by electrically detecting a conduction state between the pair of electrode layers. It was made.

(9) A ninth aspect of the present invention is the pushbutton switch according to the first or second aspect, wherein the fixed electrode for the capacitor formed on the upper surface of the substrate and the lower surface of the displacement portion are formed. The capacitive element is constituted by the capacitive element displacement electrode.

(10) According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the push button switch according to the ninth aspect described above, a wiring for electrically connecting the displacement electrode for the capacitor and the displacement electrode for the switch is provided. When the displacement electrode and the fixed electrode for the switch come into contact with each other, the capacitance between the fixed electrode for the switch and the fixed electrode for the capacitor is measured to determine the capacitance of the capacitor. Can be detected.

(11) According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the push button switch according to the ninth or tenth aspect, at least one of the fixed electrode for the capacitor and the displacement electrode for the capacitor is provided. This is constituted by a substantially annular electrode, and the annular electrode is arranged with an axis passing through substantially the center of the displacement portion and perpendicular to the substrate as a central axis.

(12) According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the push-button switch according to the ninth aspect described above, two sets of capacitive elements, a signal input capacitive element and a signal output capacitive element, are provided. Each fixed electrode of the capacitive element is composed of a separate electrode that is electrically independent of each other, and each displacement electrode of these capacitive elements is composed of a single electrode that is electrically connected to each other. Periodic signal supply means for supplying a periodic signal to the electrode; and periodic signal detection means for detecting a periodic signal induced on the fixed electrode of the signal output capacitance element. When a periodic signal is supplied, the pressing force applied to the operation button is obtained based on the magnitude of the periodic signal detected by the periodic signal detecting means. .

(13) According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the push button switch according to the first to twelfth aspects, the switch displacement electrode is formed of a single electrode layer, and the switch fixed electrode is formed. It is composed of a pair of electrode layers that are electrically independent from each other, and by electrically detecting the conduction state between the pair of electrode layers, the contact state between the switch displacement electrode and the switch fixed electrode can be detected. It was done.

(14) According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the push button switch according to the first to thirteenth aspects, the operating body and the elastically deforming portion are constituted by a strain generating body integrally formed of rubber. That's what I did.

[0019]

[Embodiment of the invention]

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiments. §1. 1. Configuration of First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a structure of a push button switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The main components of the push button switch are a substrate 110, an intermediate displacement plate 120, a flexure element 130, a fixture 140, and an operation button 150. Here, for convenience of explanation, an XYZ three-dimensional coordinate system is defined as shown in the figure, and the arrangement of each component will be described with reference to this coordinate system. That is, in FIG. 1, the origin O is defined in the center of the upper surface of the substrate 110, the X axis is in the right horizontal direction in the figure, the Z axis is in the vertical direction in the figure, and the Y axis is in the direction perpendicular to the paper. Is defined. Here, the upper surface of the substrate 110 is a surface included in the XY plane, and the Z axis passes through the centers of the substrate 110, the intermediate displacement plate 120, and the strain body 130.

The substrate 110 is a general printed circuit board for an electronic circuit. In this example, a glass epoxy substrate is used. Of course, a film-like substrate such as a polyimide film may be used as the substrate 110. However, in the case of a film-like substrate, since it has flexibility, it can be mounted on any supporting substrate having sufficient rigidity. It is preferable to use it by arranging it in a space. FIG. 2 is a top view of the substrate 110. Please refer to each coordinate axis for the positional relationship with the sectional side view of FIG. A cross section of the substrate 110 shown in the top view of FIG. 2 cut along the X axis is shown in the side cross sectional view of FIG. Note that, for convenience, a part of the periphery of the substrate 110 is not illustrated in the top view of FIG. 2 indicates the position of the intermediate displacement plate 120 (a top view is shown in FIG. 3 and a side sectional view is shown in FIG. 4), and the rectangular broken line in FIG. (A top view is shown in FIG. 5).

As shown in FIG. 2, a circuit pattern is printed on the upper surface of the substrate 110. That is, a pair of electrodes E1 and E2 are formed immediately near the origin O, and a substantially annular electrode E3 is formed outside the pair of electrodes E1 and E2. As described later, the electrodes E1 and E2 are electrodes used for the operation of the device as ON / OFF switches, and are hereinafter referred to as fixed electrodes for switches. The electrode E3 is an electrode used for detecting the magnitude of the pressing force applied to the operation button 150 by constituting a capacitive element, and is hereinafter referred to as a fixed electrode for a capacitive element. The wiring layers L1 to L3 are conductive layers for electrically connecting the electrodes E1 to E3 to the terminals T1 to T3, and the terminals T1 to T3 are connected to an external electronic circuit. Will be. Each of the electrodes E1 to E3, each of the wiring layers L1 to L3, and each of the terminals T1 to T3 are conductive patterns formed on the substrate 110. The substrate 110 is formed by a conventional general printed circuit board. It can be mass-produced using technology. In the side sectional view of FIG. 1, illustration of the wiring layers L1 to L3 and the terminals T1 to T3 is omitted to avoid complication of the drawing.

The intermediate displacement plate 120 is composed of a substantially circular metal plate as shown in the top view of FIG. However, as shown in the side sectional view of FIG. 4, the central portion has a dome-like shape such as a bowl-down. Here, the mouth portion of the bowl of the intermediate displacement plate 120 and the surrounding flat plate portion are referred to as a displacement plate fixing portion 121, and the bowl-shaped portion raised in a dome shape is referred to as a displacement plate displacement portion 122. To At four positions of the intermediate displacement plate 120, displacement plate mounting claws 123 are formed. The displacement plate mounting claw 123 is formed by cutting out a part of a circular metal plate and bending it downward. As shown in FIG. 2, a slit-shaped displacement plate mounting hole H1 for inserting the four sets of the displacement plate mounting claws 123 is provided on the upper surface of the substrate 110, and the displacement plate mounting hole H1 is displaced. By inserting the plate mounting claws 123, the intermediate displacement plate 120 can be mounted on the substrate 110. The circular hole provided outside the displacement plate mounting hole H1 is a strain body mounting hole H2 as described later. When fixing the intermediate displacement plate 120 to the substrate 110, the displacement plate attachment claw 123 may be bent on the lower surface side of the substrate 110.

As described above, the intermediate displacement plate 120 is attached to the upper surface of the substrate 110 in such a manner that the bowl is turned down. Here, a circular opening window H3 is formed in a portion corresponding to the bottom of the bowl. Although it is fixed to the substrate 110 by the displacement plate fixing portion 121, the intermediate displacement plate 120 is made of a flexible plate member (in this case, a metal plate). Therefore, when a physical force acts on the displacement plate displacement portion 122, a partial bending occurs, and displacement occurs. In particular, since a portion around the opening window H3 forms a free end, a sufficient displacement can be generated. The intermediate displacement plate 120 having such a form can be easily mass-produced by pressing a single metal plate.

On the other hand, the structure of the flexure element 130 is shown in the top view of FIG. The flexure element 130 shown in this example is composed of a fixed part 131, a connection part 132, a displacement part 133, and an elastic deformation part 134, and can be supplied as an integrally molded product of silicon rubber. Are suitable. The fixing portion 131 is a portion fixed to the upper surface of the substrate 110, and four strain-generating body mounting pins 135 protrude from the lower surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate 110 is provided with four flexure element mounting holes H2, and the four flexure element mounting pins 135 are inserted into the flexure element mounting holes H2 to raise the flexure element mounting holes H2. The strain body 130 can be fixed to the upper surface of the substrate 110. The displacement portion 133 is a portion located at the center of the strain body 130 and, as shown in FIG. 1, is disposed immediately above the origin O defined at the center of the substrate 110 and has a pressing force from the operator. This is the part that is displaced by the movement. The fixed part 131 and the displacement part 133 are connected by a connection part 132. The connecting portion 132 has flexibility, and when a force acts on the displacement portion 133, the connecting portion 132 bends, so that the displacement portion 133 is displaced with respect to the substrate 110.

The operation button 150 is a component that directly receives a pressing force from the operator, and is arranged above the displacement portion 133 as shown in FIG. Although not shown, the operation buttons 150 are arranged on the substrate 110 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction. A description of a specific structure for mounting the operation button 150 on the substrate 110 will be omitted here. Usually, the operation button 150 is made of a resin such as plastic, but the material is not particularly limited. The operator operates this push button switch by applying a pressing force to the upper surface of the operation button 150 using a finger. When the operation button 150 is moved downward in the figure by the pressing force, the pressing force is transmitted to the displacement portion 133 by the lower surface, and the displacement portion 133 is also displaced downward. The upper portion of the displacement section 133 can be used as an operation button. In this case, the operation button 150 can be omitted.

In the example shown here, the fixing portion 131, the connection portion 132, the displacement portion 133, and the elastic deformation portion 134 are all made of silicon rubber. In particular, since the connecting portion 132 has a small thickness, the connecting portion 132 is likely to be elastically deformed, and is the portion that is most likely to bend. In the present application, the term “flexibility” and the term “elastic deformation” are used almost synonymously, and depending on whether attention is paid to the property of bending or the property of elastic deformation. We will use these words appropriately. Here, the “flexibility” required for the connection portion 132 is defined as the degree of flexibility that the displacement portion 133 causes enough displacement for the ON / OFF operation as the push button switch by the operation of the operator. That would be. On the other hand, the elastically deformable portion 134 is a column-shaped component whose central axis is the Z axis, as shown by a broken line in FIG. 5, and is formed on the lower surface of the displacement portion 133. The elastic deformation portion 134 needs to have a property of elastic deformation. Here, the “elastic deformability” required for the elastic deforming portion 134 is a deformability enough to generate a deformation sufficient to perform the operation of detecting the magnitude of the pressing force applied by the operator. become.

As shown in FIG. 1, an electrode F 0 is formed on the bottom surface of the elastic deformation portion 134. The electrode F0 is an electrode facing the fixed electrodes E1 and E2 for the switch formed on the upper surface side of the substrate 110, and is an electrode that generates a displacement together with the displacement of the displacement portion 133. I will call it. In this example, the switch displacement electrode F0 is made of conductive rubber. However, if it is made of a conductive ink layer, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

In the example shown here, the entire flexure element 130 is prepared as an integrally molded product of silicon rubber. However, functionally, the fixing section 131 and the connection section of the flexure element 130 are provided. Since the three parts 132 and 133 have a function of generating a displacement, the term "acting body" will be used as a generic term for these three parts. That is, the working body is composed of three parts, the fixed part 131, the connecting part 132, and the displacement part 133. The working body and the elastic deformation part 134 constitute the strain body 130.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the push button switch according to the first embodiment, an intermediate displacement plate 120 is disposed on a substrate 110, and a strain body 130 is further disposed thereon, and finally, These are mounted on the substrate 110 by the mounting fixture 140. In other words, an operation body having a bowl-shaped portion is prepared, and this operation body is mounted on the upper surface of the substrate 110 so that the bowl is in a prone state, and a portion corresponding to the bottom of the bowl is displaced 133 The portion corresponding to the side portion of the bowl is used as the connection portion 132, and the mouth portion of the bowl and its surrounding portion are used as the fixing portion 131. Further, the elastically deformable portion 134 is disposed at a position just inserted into the opening window H3 provided in the intermediate displacement plate 120. In short, the elastically deformable portion 134 does not hinder the displacement of the opening window H3. Is formed.

§2. Following the operation of the first embodiment will be described operation of the push button switch according to the first embodiment. This device has a push button switch operation that detects ON / OFF operation input (hereinafter referred to as ON / OFF detection operation), and a magnitude of a pressing force further applied to the operation button 150 after the ON state. Operation (hereinafter, referred to as a pressing force detecting operation) for detecting the force. The structure shown in FIG. 1 shows a state when no force acts on the displacement portion 133. In this state, assuming that the operator applies a force (force in the −Z-axis direction) to push down the operation button 150 toward the substrate 110, as shown in the side sectional view of FIG. In addition, the connecting portion 132 is elastically deformed and bent, and the displacement portion 133 is displaced downward together with the elastically deformable portion 134, and eventually the switch displacement electrode F0 formed on the bottom surface of the elastically deformable portion 134 becomes It comes into contact with a pair of fixed switch electrodes E1 and E2 formed on the upper surface of the substrate 110. Here, when the operator applies a force (further force in the −Z-axis direction) that further pushes down the operation button 150, as shown in the side sectional view of FIG. 134 is elastically deformed and collapsed. As a result, the displacement portion 133 is further displaced downward, and the deformed portion of the connection portion 132 (or the bottom surface of the displaced displacement portion 133) physically contacts the intermediate displacement plate 120, and the displacement plate displacement portion 122 Is displaced downward.

Here, if the elastic deformation of the connecting portion 132 is made higher than the elastic deformability of the elastic deforming portion 134 (specifically, as shown in the drawing, the thickness of the connecting portion 132 is reduced. The pressing operation described above is perceived by the operator as a two-step operation. That is, the first-stage operation is an operation of pressing the displacement portion 133 with a relatively light force, as in the operation of turning on a conventional general push button switch. This operation gives a relatively large stroke and a good click feeling. Due to the operation in the first stage, the connecting portion 132 is bent, and the structure of the device changes from the state shown in FIG. 1 to the state shown in FIG. The operation in the second stage corresponds to an operation of pressing the displacement portion 133 with a stronger force after turning on the push button switch. The stroke of this operation is small, and no click feeling occurs. By the operation of the second stage, the elastic deformation portion 134 is elastically deformed and crushed, and the structure of the device changes from the state shown in FIG. 6 to the state shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the push button switch according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8A shows an equivalent circuit of a part involved in the ON / OFF detection operation, which is operated by the above-described first-stage operation. That is, the switch fixed electrodes E1 and E2 are electrically insulated from each other in the state shown in FIG. 1, and therefore, the terminals T1 and T2 are insulated. However, when a predetermined amount of force directed in the Z-axis direction (−Z-axis direction in consideration of the sign) acts on the displacement portion 133, the same applies to the state shown in FIG. 6 (or the state shown in FIG. 7). The switch displacement electrode F0 comes into contact with the switch fixed electrodes E1 and E2. Therefore, the fixed electrodes E1 and E2 for the switch are short-circuited, and the terminals T1 and T2 are electrically connected. Eventually, the vertical displacement of the displacement portion 133 corresponds to the ON / OFF operation of the switch SW in the circuit shown in FIG. 8A, and the conduction state between the terminals T1 and T2 is monitored by an external circuit. By doing so, it is possible to detect ON / OFF operation input.

On the other hand, FIG. 8B shows an equivalent circuit of a part involved in the pressing force detection operation, and the operation is performed by the above-described second stage operation. As shown in FIG. 2, a substantially annular fixed element E3 for a capacitor is formed on the substrate 110, and a displacement plate displacement part 122 made of a metal plate is disposed above the electrode E3. Are facing each other. Therefore, as shown in the equivalent circuit of FIG. 8B, the capacitance element C is formed by the electrode E3 and the displacement plate displacement portion 122 (referred to as a displacement electrode for the capacitance element). The capacitance value of the capacitance element C can be measured as a capacitance value between the displacement plate mounting claw 123 and the terminal T3.

When the above-described second-stage operation is performed, as shown in FIG. 7, the displacement plate displacement portion 122 is displaced downward by the deformation of the connection portion 132 (or by the displacement of the displacement portion 133). The distance between the electrodes of the capacitance element C changes, and the capacitance value changes. As described above, the capacitance element C is a capacitance element configured to change the capacitance value due to the displacement of the displacement portion 133. Before and after the operation of the second stage, no change occurs in the equivalent circuit shown in FIG. 8A, and the switch SW remains in the closed state (ON state), but the equivalent circuit shown in FIG. Regarding the circuit, a change occurs in the capacitance value of the capacitance element C. By detecting this change, the magnitude of the pressing force applied to the operation button 150 can be detected. That is, in the equivalent circuit shown in FIG. 8B, if the capacitance value of the displacement plate mounting claw 123 and the terminal T3 is monitored by an external circuit, the magnitude of the applied pressing force can be recognized.

Note that the direction of the pressing force to be applied to the operation button 150 should originally be in the negative direction of the Z axis, but in reality, some components in the X axis direction or Y axis direction are mixed. Will be. In this case, a slight deviation occurs in the displacement direction of the displacement portion 133. In order to make it possible to perform detection to some extent accurately even if such a deviation occurs, the fixed electrode E3 for the capacitive element is constituted by a substantially annular electrode, and the Z axis is the central axis. (Generally, at least one of the fixed electrode for the capacitor element and the displacement electrode for the capacitor element is constituted by a substantially annular electrode, which is arranged around the Z axis. Just fine).

As described above, the push button switch according to the present embodiment can perform two types of operations: an ON / OFF detection operation and a pressing force detection operation. That is, when the operator performs an operation of pushing down the operation button 150 as a first-stage operation, an ON / OFF operation input having a sufficient stroke and a good click feeling can be performed. The ON / OFF state can be detected as a conduction state between the terminals T1 and T2 in the equivalent circuit shown in FIG. From this state, when the operator applies a further downward (Z-axis negative) pressing force to the operation button 150 as a second-stage operation, the magnitude of the pressing force is reduced as shown in FIG. Can be detected based on the capacitance value of each capacitance element in the equivalent circuit shown in FIG. As described above, when performing ON / OFF operation input, a sufficient stroke and a good click feeling can be obtained, and the magnitude of the operation amount given as the pressing force by the operator is quantitatively detected. It becomes possible. Moreover, since the structure is relatively simple, it can be mass-produced as an inexpensive push button switch.

§3. Modifications of First Embodiment Hereinafter, some modifications of the first embodiment will be described. First, in the above-described embodiment, the intermediate displacement plate 120 is made of a metal material, and a part of the intermediate displacement plate 120 (the displacement plate displacement portion 122) is used as it is as the displacement electrode for the capacitive element. The plate 120 does not necessarily need to be formed of a metal plate. FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing an example of the intermediate displacement plate 120A made of a synthetic resin material. In this example, a base structure 125A is made of a synthetic resin material such as PET or polyimide, and a metal film 124A is formed on the lower surface of the base structure 125A to form an intermediate displacement plate 120A. Although the base structure 125A itself is an insulator, the metal film 124A formed on the lower surface functions as a displacement electrode for a capacitor. Synthetic resin materials such as PET and polyimide are low in cost, easy to process, and suitable for mass production. The metal film 124A can be easily formed by evaporating a metal such as aluminum. In addition, since a PET film in which a metal film is already deposited is also commercially available, if such a commercially available material is used, the intermediate displacement plate 120A having the structure shown in FIG. Can be obtained.

The intermediate displacement plate 120B shown in FIG. 10 also comprises a base structure 125B made of a synthetic resin material such as PET or polyimide, and forms a metal film 124B on its lower surface to be used as a displacement electrode for a capacitive element. In addition, an electrode group made of a metal film is formed on the upper surface. FIG. 11 shows a top view of the intermediate displacement plate 120B. In substantially the same manner as the intermediate displacement plate 120 shown in FIG. 3, a peripheral displacement plate fixing portion 121B and a bowl-shaped displacement plate displacement portion 122B are provided, and are attached to the substrate by displacement plate attaching claws 123B. In addition, wiring portions 126B are formed at both ends, and terminals T11 to T18 are arranged. As illustrated, eight electrodes E11 to E18 are formed in the bowl-shaped displacement plate displacement portion 122B. Here, these electrodes are referred to as additional switch first electrodes. The first electrodes for additional switches E11 to E18 are connected to terminals T11 to T18 by wiring layers L11 to L18. All of these electrodes, wiring layers, and terminals can be formed by screen printing on the base structure 125B. The side sectional view shown in FIG. 10 shows a state where the intermediate displacement plate 120B shown in FIG. 11 is cut along the X axis.

When such an intermediate displacement plate 120B is used, it is necessary to use a flexure element 130B corresponding to this. FIG. 12 is a bottom view of the center portion of the strain body 130B. The flexure element 130B has substantially the same form as the flexure element 130 shown in FIG. 5, but for convenience of illustration, FIG. 12 shows only a portion inside the connection portion 132B. As shown in the figure, in the strain body 130B, an electrode F0 is formed on a portion corresponding to the lower surface of the elastic deformation portion 134B, and an electrode F1 is formed on a portion corresponding to the lower surface of the displacement portion 133B ( In FIG. 12, the electrode portions are hatched in order to clearly show the portions where the electrodes F0 and F1 are formed.)

FIG. 13 is a side sectional view of a push button switch using an intermediate displacement plate 120B as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 and a flexure element 130B as shown in FIG. As clearly shown in FIG. 13, the entire structure of the flexure element 130B is substantially the same as that of the above-described flexure element 130. That is, the fixing portion 131B, which is a portion around the strain body 130B, is fixed to the substrate 110B, and the flexible connecting portion 132B supports the central displacement portion 133B. A cylindrical elastic deformation portion 134B is formed on the lower surface of the displacement portion 133B, and a switch displacement electrode F0 is formed on the lower surface of the elastic deformation portion 134B. On the other hand, a step and an annular electrode F1 are formed on the lower surface of the displacement portion 133B, and this point is different from the above-described strain generating body 130. The arrangement of the annular electrode F1 is as shown in the bottom view of FIG. Here, this electrode F1 is referred to as an additional switch second electrode. This additional switch second electrode F1 may be made of any material as long as it is a conductive material. However, in practice, like the switch displacement electrode F0, it is made of conductive rubber or conductive ink. It may be formed.

On the other hand, as shown in the side sectional view of FIG. 13, the intermediate displacement plate 120B is disposed on the substrate 110B in a state where the wiring portions 126B at both ends are bent. On the substrate 110B, wiring layers LL11 to LL16 are formed at positions where they contact the terminals T11 to T16 (only the wiring layers LL11 and LL13 are shown in FIG. 13). After all, the eight additional switch first electrodes E11 to E18 shown in FIG. 11 are connected to the wiring layers LL11 to LL18 formed on the upper surface side of the substrate 110B via the wiring layers L11 to L18 and the terminals T11 to T18. Will be connected. Further, although not shown in FIG. 13, the metal film 124B formed on the lower surface of the intermediate displacement plate 120B is also connected to a predetermined wiring layer of the substrate 110B. As described above, the intermediate displacement plate 120B is placed on the substrate 110B, and the fixing member 140B is placed on the intermediate displacement plate 120B, and the operation button 150B is further attached.

The basic operation of the push button switch having such a configuration is exactly the same as that of the push button switch shown in FIG. That is, the ON / OFF detection operation can be performed by the contact state between the fixed electrodes E1 and E2 for the switch formed on the substrate 110B and the displacement electrode F0 for the switch. The pressing force detecting operation can be performed by the capacitance element C constituted by the fixed electrode E3 and the metal film 124B functioning as the capacitance element displacement electrode.

However, in this modification, since an additional switch is provided, it is possible to obtain additional information on the pressing force applied to the operation button 150B by the information from the additional switch. Become. That is, when the eight additional switch first electrodes E11 to E18 shown in FIG. 11 are compared with the annular additional switch second electrode F1 shown in FIG. 12, they are formed at positions facing each other. You can see that. If the contact state between the opposing first electrode and second electrode is electrically detected, additional information regarding the pressing force applied to the operation button 150B can be obtained. That is, when a vertically downward pressing force is applied to the operation button 150B, the additional switch second electrode F1 comes into contact with the additional switch first electrodes E11 to E18. If the conduction state of E11, E12, the pair of first electrodes E13, E14, the pair of first electrodes E15, E16, or the pair of first electrodes E17, E18 is monitored, the contact state of these two opposing electrodes is monitored. Can be recognized. This means that this push button switch has an additional switch function with the electrode F1 as a contact in addition to the switch function with the electrode F0 as a contact.

Therefore, for example, when a vertically downward pressing force is gradually applied to the operation button 150B, the switch displacement electrodes F0 are formed on the substrate 110B and the switch fixed electrodes E1, E2 are formed. Before (or after, conversely, after) contact with the second switch F2, if the ring-shaped second electrode for additional switch F1 is set to contact the first electrodes for additional switch E11 to E18, then It can function as a stage switch.

In the above-described additional switch, of the pair of opposing electrodes constituting the additional switch, one electrode is formed by a single electrode layer, and the other electrode is a pair of electrically independent electrodes. The contact state of the counter electrode can be detected by electrically detecting the conduction state between the pair of electrode layers. For example, in the case of an additional switch composed of the electrodes E11, E12 and F1, one electrode is composed of a single electrode layer F1, and the other electrode is composed of a pair of electrode layers E11 and E12 that are electrically independent from each other. The contact state of the counter electrode is detected by electrically detecting the conduction state between the electrode layers E11 and E12. This is a consideration so that the wiring layer needs to be provided only on one side. That is, in the case of the above-described additional switch, the wiring only needs to be performed for the electrodes E11 to E18 on the intermediate displacement plate 120B side shown in FIG. 11, and for the electrode F1 on the strain body 130B side shown in FIG. No wiring is required.

The same applies to the relationship between the fixed electrodes E1 and E2 for the switch for detecting the ON / OFF operation and the displacement electrode F0 for the switch. That is, in each of the embodiments described here, the switching displacement electrode F0 is constituted by a single electrode layer, and the switching fixed electrodes E1 and E2 are constituted by a pair of electrode layers which are electrically independent from each other. Therefore, by electrically detecting the conduction state between the switch fixed electrodes E1 and E2, the contact state between the switch displacement electrode F0 and the switch fixed electrodes E1 and E2 can be detected. Therefore, it is sufficient to perform wiring only on the switch fixed electrodes E1 and E2 side (in other words, on the substrate side), and on the switch displacement electrode F0 side (in other words, on the strain body side), no wiring is required. No need to do.

As described above, the wiring can be easily formed as a printed pattern on the substrate side, whereas the wiring is avoided as much as possible because each part is displaced or deformed on the flexure element side. Is preferred. The electrode configuration as described above is very suitable for such a situation. Of course, the above-described electrode configuration is not essential for implementing the present invention, and therefore, for example, only the electrode E1 is provided on the substrate side as a fixed electrode for a switch, and strain is applied as a displacement electrode for a switch. By providing only the electrode F0 on the body side and providing wiring to both electrodes, it is possible to adopt a method of directly observing the conduction state of both electrodes. However, in practice, it is preferable to adopt the electrode configuration as described above and omit the wiring on the strain body side.

§4. Configuration diagram of a second embodiment 14 is a side sectional view showing a structure of a push button switch according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The main components of this push button switch are a substrate 210, a strain body 230, a fixture 240, and an operation button 250. These components are the board 110, the strain body 130, and the like in the push button switch shown in FIG. , The attachment 140, and the function of the operation button 150 are substantially the same. However, there is no component corresponding to the intermediate displacement plate 120 shown in FIG. 1, and the fixing portion 231 of the strain body 230 is directly fixed on the substrate 210. The point where the cylindrical displacement portion 233 is supported by the connection portion 232 having a bowl shape and the column-shaped elastically deformed portion 234 is formed on the lower surface of the displacement portion 233 are as shown in FIG. Same as button switch. An electrode pattern similar to the electrode pattern shown in FIG. 2 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate 210. The fixed electrodes E21 and E22 for the switch (corresponding to E1 and E2 in FIG. 2) and the fixed electrodes for the capacitor are formed. An electrode E23 (corresponding to E3 in FIG. 2) is arranged. FIG. 15 shows only these electrode patterns (electrode portions are hatched for easy recognition of the patterns, and the wiring layers are not shown).

On the other hand, three types of electrodes are formed on the strain body 230 side. That is, the disk-shaped electrode F20 formed on the bottom surface of the cylindrical elastic deformation portion 234 and the bottom surface of the displacement portion 233 (a portion corresponding to the periphery of the portion where the elastic deformation portion 234 is formed) are formed. An annular electrode F28 and a cylindrical electrode F29 formed on the side surface of the columnar elastic deformation portion 234. The disc-shaped electrode F20 is an electrode facing the fixed electrodes E21 and E22 for the switch, and functions as a displacement electrode for the switch (corresponding to the electrode F0 in the push-button switch in FIG. 1). The annular electrode F28 is an electrode facing the fixed electrode E23 for the capacitive element, and functions as a displacement electrode for the capacitive element (corresponding to the displacement plate displacement portion 122 in the push button switch in FIG. 1). Further, the cylindrical electrode F29 is an electrode that simply functions as a wiring layer, and serves to short-circuit the electrode F20 and the electrode F28. Although the electrodes F20, F28, and F29 are described here as separate electrodes for convenience of description, in practice, the electrodes F20, F28, and F29 are integrally formed so as to cover the lower surface of the displacement portion 233 and the side surface and the lower surface of the elastic deformation portion 234. These three types of electrodes F20, F28, and F29 are formed by the conductive layer thus formed. These electrodes may be made of any material as long as it is a conductive material. However, in practice, it is preferable that the electrodes be made of conductive rubber or conductive ink. Further, since the electrode 29 only has to function as a wiring layer, it is not always necessary to cover the entire side surface of the elastic deformation portion 234.

The ON / OFF detection operation of this push button switch is exactly the same as the operation according to the above-described first embodiment. That is, when the operator pushes the operation button 250 downward as a first-stage operation, the connection portion 232 is elastically deformed, and the switch displacement electrode F20 comes into contact with the switch fixed electrodes E21 and E22. Thus, conduction between the electrodes E21 and E22 is established. The basic principle of the pressing force detection operation in the second stage operation of the push button switch is the same as the operation of the device of the above-described first embodiment. That is, the capacitance element C is formed by the capacitance element fixed electrode E23 formed on the substrate 210 side and the capacitance element displacement electrode F28 formed on the strain element 230 side. Based on the change in the capacitance value of the element C, the pressing force applied in the second-stage operation can be detected (the detection principle is as described in §2).

FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the push button switch shown in FIG. This circuit diagram shows a state where the electrodes E21 to E23 formed on the substrate 210 are connected to the terminals T21 to T23 by a wiring layer. The electrode F20 functions as a switch SW by changing the state of contact / non-contact with the electrodes E21 and E22. The ON / OFF state of the switch SW can be detected by monitoring the conduction state between the terminals T21 and T22. As described above, the electrode F20 is connected to the electrode F28 via the electrode F29, and the electrode F28 functions as a displacement electrode for the capacitance element facing the fixed electrode E23 for the capacitance element on the substrate 210 side, and The element C is formed.

The advantage of the embodiment shown here is that no wiring needs to be provided on the strain body 230 side. As described above, three types of electrodes F20, F28, and F29 are formed on the strain generating element 230 side, but it is not necessary to wire these electrodes to the outside. In the circuit diagram of FIG. 16, the terminals T21 to T23 are connected to an external circuit, but the electrodes F20, F28 and F29 are not connected to the external circuit and are in a floating state. However, when the electrode F20 comes into contact with the electrodes E21 and E22, the electrode F28 comes into a state connected to the terminals T21 and T22. For example, if the terminal T21 is fixed to a predetermined potential V (V = 0 may be grounded), the ON / OFF state of the switch SW is determined depending on whether or not the terminal T22 has reached the equipotential V. Can be recognized. Then, when the switch SW is turned on, the electrode F28 is also fixed at the voltage V, and is no longer in a floating state. As already described in §2, in the push-button switch according to the present invention, the operation in the second stage is based on the assumption that the operation in the first stage has already been performed and the switch SW is maintained in the ON state. Therefore, when the force acting by the operation of the second stage is detected based on the capacitance value of the capacitance element C 1, the switch SW is always in the ON state. Therefore, even if no external wiring is performed for the electrode F28, the electrode F28 is always connected to the terminals T21 and T22 when it is necessary to detect the capacitance value of the capacitive element C. There is no problem because it is in the state. In other words, the capacitance value of the capacitance element C is detected as a capacitance value between the terminal T21 or T22 (fixed electrode for switch) and the terminal T23 (fixed electrode for capacitance element). Become.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment in which the wiring is not provided on the strain generating body 230 side, and the wiring may be provided on both the substrate 210 side and the strain generating body 230 side. FIG. 17 is a side sectional view of an embodiment in which wiring is provided on both sides. The first difference from the embodiment shown in FIG. 14 is that the electrode F28 on the strain generating element 230 side is provided with wiring by the wiring layer L28. In this example, a wiring layer L28 is formed along the lower surface of the connection portion 232, and another wiring layer LL28 that contacts an end of the wiring layer L28 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate 210. The wiring layer LL28 on the substrate 210 side is connected to a terminal T28 not shown. The second difference is an electrode pattern formed on the upper surface of the substrate 210. FIG. 18 shows this electrode pattern (for easy recognition of the pattern, the electrode portion is hatched, and the wiring layer is not shown). The fixed electrodes E21 and E22 for the switch in the pattern shown in FIG. 15 are replaced by the annular electrode E20 in the pattern shown in FIG. This is because, since the wiring is provided on the strain generating body 230 side, it is sufficient to provide a single electrode as the fixed electrode for the switch formed on the substrate side.

FIG. 19 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the push button switch shown in FIG. The first difference from the circuit of FIG. 16 is that the electrode F28 is connected to the terminal T28 via the wiring layers L28 and LL28, and the second difference is that the electrode F28 is connected to the pair of electrodes E21 and E22. Are integrated into a single electrode E20, and the terminals T21 and T22 are also integrated into a single terminal T20. The ON / OFF detection operation can be performed by monitoring the conduction state between the terminal T20 and the terminal T28. Further, the detection of the capacitance value of the capacitance element C can be performed by measuring the capacitance value between the terminal T28 and the terminal T23.

The push-button switch according to the second embodiment eliminates the need for the intermediate displacement plate required in the push-button switch according to the first embodiment described in §1. And the cost can be further reduced. Practically, similarly to the device described in §1, if the substrate 210 is formed of a printed circuit board and the strain generating body 230 is formed of silicon rubber, a structure suitable for mass production can be obtained. In this case, the electrode pattern on the substrate 210 may be formed as a metal pattern on a printed circuit board, and the electrode pattern on the strain generating element 230 may be formed of conductive rubber or conductive ink. Also in the push button switch according to the second embodiment, a function as a push button switch having a sufficient stroke and a good click feeling can be obtained, and the magnitude of the pressing force can be detected. Become.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 14 or FIG. 17, when no force is applied to the displacement portion 233, the distance between the opposing electrodes forming the capacitive element is relatively large. The measured value of the capacitance value becomes almost zero. Therefore, even when the position of the elastically deformable portion 234 slightly fluctuates due to the temperature characteristics and the hysteresis characteristics during deformation of the silicone rubber constituting the flexure element 230, the output in the state where no force acts is very stable. It will be.

§5. Configuration of Third Embodiment FIG. 20 is a side sectional view showing the structure of a push button switch according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The main components of this push button switch are a substrate 310, a strain body 330, a fixture 340, and an operation button 350. These components are the push button switches shown in FIG. Performs substantially the same functions as the substrate 210, the strain body 230, the mounting fixture 240, and the operation button 250. That is, the strain body 330 includes the fixing portion 331, the connection portion 332, the displacement portion 333, and the elastic deformation portion 334. The fixing portion 331 is positioned on the substrate 310 by the flexure element mounting pins 335 provided on the lower surface, and is fixed by the mounting member 340. Further, the cylindrical displacement portion 333 is supported by a connection portion 332 having a bowl shape.

The major difference between the device shown in FIG. 20 and the device shown in FIG. 14 lies in the electrode pattern. The electrode pattern formed on the substrate 310 of the apparatus shown in FIG. 20 is shown in FIG. 21 (electrodes are hatched so that the pattern can be easily recognized, and the wiring layer is not shown). As shown, four electrodes E31 to E34 are formed on the substrate 310. Of the four electrodes, the electrodes E31 and E32 are fixed electrodes for switches, and the electrodes E33 and E34 are fixed electrodes for capacitive elements. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 20, two types of electrodes are formed on the strain body 330 side. That is, a disk-shaped electrode F30 formed on the bottom surface of the cylindrical elastic deformation portion 334 and a bottom surface of the displacement portion 333 (a portion corresponding to the periphery of the portion where the elastic deformation portion 334 is formed) are formed. Ring-shaped electrode F35. The disc-shaped electrode F30 is an electrode facing the fixed electrodes E31 and E32 for the switch, and functions as a displacement electrode for the switch. The ring-shaped electrode F35 is an electrode facing the fixed electrodes E33 and E34 for the capacitance element, and functions as a displacement electrode for the capacitance element.

FIG. 22 is a bottom view of a central portion of the strain body 330 (only a portion inside the connection portion 332 is shown). In FIG. 22, the electrode portions are hatched so that the patterns of the electrodes F30 and F35 are clear. The ON / OFF detection operation of this push button switch is exactly the same as the operation of the push button switch according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment described above. That is, when the operator pushes down the operation button 350 as the first-stage operation, the connection portion 332 is elastically deformed, and the switch displacement electrode F30 comes into contact with the switch fixed electrodes E31 and E32. And conduction between the electrodes E31 and E32 is established. Therefore, if the conduction state between the electrodes E31 and E32 is monitored, the operation input of the ON / OFF can be detected.

On the other hand, the principle of detecting the second-stage operation input by the push-button switch is slightly different from that described above. FIG. 23 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of a portion related to the capacitive element in the push-button switch shown in FIG. This circuit diagram shows a state in which the electrodes E33 and E34 formed on the substrate 310 are connected to the terminals T33 and T34 by a wiring layer. The state where a pair of capacitive elements C33 and C34 is formed due to the presence is shown. Here, the capacitor C33 is referred to as a signal input capacitor, and the capacitor C34 is referred to as a signal output capacitor. These two sets of capacitive elements C33, C34 are eventually composed of electrically independent fixed electrodes E33, E34 and a single electrically conductive displacement electrode F35.

As shown in the circuit diagram of FIG. 23, a fixed periodic signal S33 (for example, a sine signal) is applied to the fixed electrode E33 of the signal input capacitive element C33 from the periodic signal supply means M1 via the terminal T33. Wave) is supplied. This periodic signal S33 propagates to the displacement electrode F35 through the capacitive coupling of the capacitive element C33, and further to the fixed electrode E34 of the signal output capacitive element C34 through the capacitive coupling of the capacitive element C34. Will be propagated. Therefore, the periodic signal S34 induced at the fixed electrode E34 is detected by the periodic signal detecting means M2 via the terminal T34. When such a circuit is used, the periodic signal S34 having a predetermined size is supplied by the periodic signal supply means M1, and the periodic signal S34 can be detected by the periodic signal detection means M2. The magnitude of the pressing force applied to the operation button 350 can be obtained based on the magnitude of S34. This is because the greater the pressing force, the smaller the distance between the electrodes of the capacitive elements C33 and C34, and as a result, the coefficient of the capacitive coupling increases and the amplitude of the induced periodic signal S34 also increases.

The advantage of the embodiment shown here is that it is not necessary to provide any wiring on the strain body 330 side. As shown in FIG. 22, electrodes F30 and F35 are formed on the lower surface of the flexure element 330, and these electrodes can be made of conductive rubber or conductive ink. Since the displacement portion 333 is surrounded by a flexible connection portion 332, a wiring layer needs to be provided along the connection portion 332 in order to wire the electrodes F <b> 30 and F <b> 35. Of course, it is possible to form such a wiring layer along the connecting portion as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 17, but in consideration of the fact that the connecting portion is always a part that bends, The wiring layer along the connection may break. Therefore, practically, it is preferable to avoid wiring on the strain body side as much as possible. In the embodiment shown here, since the detection using the capacitive coupling of the capacitive element is performed, the advantage that the wiring on the strain body side becomes unnecessary can be obtained.

§6. Other Modifications As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to some embodiments. Here, modifications which can be applied to all or some of these embodiments will be described.

First, a modified example of the elastically deformable portion will be described. The features of the push button switch according to the present invention include an original function as a push button switch for detecting an ON / OFF operation input, and a magnitude of a pressing force further applied after being turned ON by the original function. And a function for detecting The sensitivity at the time of detecting the pressing force is closely related to the elastic deformation of the elastic deformation portion. In other words, the pressing force detected by this push button switch is a force applied to elastically deform the elastically deformable portion, so that the detection sensitivity is determined depending on the elastic deformability of the elastically deformable portion. Become. Therefore, if an elastically deformed portion that generates elastic deformation with a small force is prepared, a pushbutton switch (a highly sensitive pushbutton switch) suitable for detecting relatively small force can be configured. On the other hand, if an elastic deformation part is prepared so that elastic deformation does not occur unless a considerably strong force is applied, a push button switch (low sensitivity push button switch) suitable for detecting relatively large force is prepared. ) Can be configured.

One way to adjust the elastic deformability is through the choice of material. That is, by forming the elastic deformation portion from a material having an elastic coefficient corresponding to the detection sensitivity, an apparatus having a desired detection sensitivity can be realized. For example, the modification shown in the side sectional view of FIG. 24 is an example in which only the elastically deformable portion 434A is made of a different material. This example is an example of a push button switch having a structure in which a strain body 430A is mounted on a substrate 410 by a mounting tool 440, and corresponds to the embodiment described in §4 or §5. The electrodes formed on the substrate 410 and the electrodes formed on the strain body 430A, the wiring layers and the operation buttons are not shown. The flexure element 430A is constituted by an operating body composed of a fixing portion 431, a connection portion 432, and a displacement portion 433, an elastic deformation portion 434A, and a flexure element attachment pin 435. Of these portions, Only the elastically deforming portion 434A is made of another material. For example, the hardness of silicone rubber can be adjusted by changing its components. Therefore, if the elastically deformable portion 434A is made of silicon rubber containing a component exhibiting a soft property, the detection sensitivity can be increased. Conversely, if the elastic deformation portion 434A is made of silicon rubber containing a component exhibiting a hard property, the detection sensitivity can be increased. Can be reduced.

Another method of adjusting elastic deformation is shape selection. For example, if a groove corresponding to the detection sensitivity is formed in the elastically deformed portion, a device having a desired detection sensitivity can be realized. For example, the modification shown in the side sectional view of FIG. 25 is an example using an elastic deformation portion 434B having a groove G1 on a side surface portion. The flexure element 430B is composed of an operating body composed of a fixing section 431, a connection section 432, and a displacement section 433, an elastic deformation section 434B, and a flexure element attachment pin 435, all of which are of the same material. For example, it is integrally molded using silicon rubber. However, by adjusting the size or depth of the groove G1 formed in the elastically deformable portion 434B, the elastic deformability of the elastically deformable portion 434B can be changed, and the detection sensitivity can be adjusted. it can.

The modification shown in the side sectional view of FIG. 26 is an example in which a groove is formed on the bottom surface of the elastic deformation portion. That is, the elastically deformable portion 434C is used for the flexure element 430C shown here. The elastically deforming portion 434C may be made of the same material as the working body (the fixing portion 431, the connecting portion 432, and the displacement portion 433) or may be made of a different material. The feature of the elastic deformation portion 434C is that an annular groove G2 is formed on the bottom surface. FIG. 27 (a) is a side sectional view showing only the elastically deformable portion 434C, and FIG. 27 (b) is a bottom view thereof. The elastically deforming portion 434C includes a central portion α, a thin portion β, and a peripheral portion γ. The thin portion β corresponds to a region where the annular groove G2 is formed. If the groove G2 is formed at a position corresponding to the fixed electrode for a capacitive element formed on the substrate 410, even if the bottom surface of the elastically deformable portion 434C contacts the upper surface of the substrate 410, the capacitance can be reduced. Since there is no direct contact with the element fixed electrode, it is possible to prevent a short circuit between the opposing electrodes constituting the capacitive element.

When the elastically deforming portion 434C having such a shape is used, the detection sensitivity can be adjusted depending on the width of the groove formed on the bottom surface. For example, in the case of the elastically deforming portion 434C shown in FIG. 27, when a pressing force is applied from above, a force large enough to crush the block-shaped central portion α and the thin wall-shaped peripheral portion γ is applied. If it is added, a detection output can be obtained from the capacitive element. However, in the example shown in FIG. 28, since the width of the groove G3 is smaller than that of the groove G2 shown in FIG. 27, the thickness of the wall forming the peripheral portion γ increases, and the wall forming the peripheral portion γ increases. Are less likely to collapse and the detection sensitivity is slightly reduced. The example shown in FIG. 29 is an example in which the width of the groove is increased. That is, the width of the groove G4 shown in FIG. 29 is wider than that of the groove G2 shown in FIG. 27, and the wall forming the surrounding portion γ has disappeared. Therefore, the detection sensitivity will be improved.

As described above, the method of adjusting the detection sensitivity of the pressing force by adjusting the elastic deformation of the elastic deformation portion 434 has been described. However, if the elastic deformation of the connection portion 432 is adjusted, the ON / OFF of the connection may be adjusted. It is possible to adjust the click feeling when performing operation input. For example, if the thickness of the connection portion 432 is reduced, a push button switch having a lighter click feeling can be formed. Conversely, if the thickness of the connection portion 432 is increased, a stronger click feeling can be obtained. A push button switch having a symbol can be formed. Actually, in consideration of both the elastic deformability of the connection portion 432 and the elastic deformability of the elastic deformation portion 434, the click feeling at the time of the ON / OFF detection operation and the sensitivity at the time of the pressing force detection operation are optimal. It is preferable to design so that For example, first, the operation button is pressed by a relatively weak force to turn on the push button switch, and the operation input of a desired size is given by applying a strong force to further press the operation button. It becomes possible. Such an operation input is suitable for an input operation of a game machine, a mobile phone, or the like.

FIG. 30 is a side sectional view showing an example in which an insulating film is formed on the surface of a fixed electrode for a capacitor formed on a substrate. The substrate 210 shown here is the substrate 210 used in the apparatus of FIG. On this substrate 210, fixed electrodes E21 and E22 for switches and a fixed electrode E23 for capacitance elements are formed. Here, the fixed electrodes E21 and E22 for the switch need to make electrical contact with the displacement electrode F20 for the switch, so that they need to be exposed as they are. However, since the fixed electrode E23 for the capacitance element is an electrode constituting the capacitance element, it is preferable to cover the surface with an insulating film J as shown in the figure. Of course, the surface of the capacitive element displacement electrode formed on the strain body may be covered with an insulating film.

FIG. 31 is a top view showing a modification of the intermediate displacement plate 120 shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 32 is a side sectional view thereof. The intermediate displacement plate 120 shown in FIG. 3 has a substantially circular shape when viewed from above, whereas the intermediate displacement plate 120C shown in FIG. 31 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above. That is, a displacement plate fixing portion 121C is formed at both left and right ends, and a displacement plate displacement portion 122C is formed at the center. As shown in FIG. 32, the displacement plate displacement portion 122C has a protruding structure, and an opening window H3 is formed at the center. Such an intermediate displacement plate 120C is mounted on the substrate by the displacement plate mounting claws 123C. As described above, the shape of each component used in the various embodiments described above can be appropriately changed in design.

[0072]

[Effect of the invention]

 As described above, according to the push button switch of the present invention, when performing ON / OFF operation input, a sufficient stroke and a good click feeling can be obtained, and the operation amount given as the pressing force by the operator. An inexpensive push-button switch having the function of quantitatively detecting the size of a button can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a structure of a push button switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention at a position along the X axis.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a substrate 110 of the push button switch shown in FIG. 1, and a cross section of the substrate 110 taken along the X axis is shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the intermediate displacement plate 120 of the push button switch shown in FIG. 1, and a cross section of the intermediate displacement plate 120 taken along the X axis is shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a section of the intermediate displacement plate 120 shown in FIG. 3 taken along the X axis.

5 is a top view of the strain body 130 of the push button switch shown in FIG. 1, and a cross section of the strain body 130 taken along the X axis is shown in FIG.

6 is a diagram showing a state in which an operation input in an ON state is given by applying a pressing force for depressing the operation button 150 to the push button switch shown in FIG. 1 at a position along the X axis. It is a side sectional view.

FIG. 7 shows an operation button 15 from the state shown in FIG.
FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view at a position along the X axis showing a state in which the elastically deforming portion 134 is crushed by elastic deformation when a pressing force for further depressing 0 is applied, and the pressing force applied at this time is detected. .

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the push button switch shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view at a position along the X axis showing an intermediate displacement plate 120A which is a modification of the intermediate displacement plate 120 shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing a middle displacement plate 120B as still another modification example of the middle displacement plate 120 shown in FIG. 4 at a position along the X axis.

11 is a top view of the intermediate displacement plate 120B shown in FIG. 10, and a cross section of the intermediate displacement plate 120B cut along the X axis is shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of a center portion of a strain body 130B used with the intermediate displacement plate 120B shown in FIG. 10 (electrodes F0 and F1 are hatched).

FIG. 13 is a side sectional view of a push button switch using the intermediate displacement plate 120B shown in FIG. 10 and the strain body 130B shown in FIG. 12, each of which is cut along the X axis. It is shown.

FIG. 14 is a side sectional view showing a structure of a push button switch according to a second embodiment of the present invention at a position along the X axis.

15 is a top view showing an electrode pattern formed on the upper surface of the substrate 210 of the push button switch shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the push button switch shown in FIG.

FIG. 17 is a side sectional view at a position along the X axis showing a modification of the push button switch shown in FIG. 14;

18 is a top view showing an electrode pattern formed on the top surface of the substrate 210 of the push button switch shown in FIG.

19 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the push button switch shown in FIG.

FIG. 20 is a side sectional view showing a structure of a push button switch according to a third embodiment of the present invention at a position along the X axis.

21 is a top view showing an electrode pattern formed on the top surface of the substrate 310 of the push button switch shown in FIG.

FIG. 22 is a bottom view of the center portion of the strain body 330 of the push button switch shown in FIG. 20 (electrode F3).
The portions 0 and F35 are hatched.)

FIG. 23 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the push button switch shown in FIG.

FIG. 24 is a side sectional view at a position along the X axis showing a modification in which the material of the elastic deformation portion is changed.

FIG. 25 is a side cross-sectional view at a position along the X axis showing a modification in which a groove is formed on the side surface of the elastic deformation portion.

FIG. 26 is a side cross-sectional view at a position along the X axis showing a modification in which a groove is formed on the bottom surface of the elastic deformation portion.

FIG. 27 is a side sectional view and a bottom view of the elastic deformation portion 434C shown in FIG. 26.

28 is a side sectional view and a bottom view showing a first modification of the elastic deformation portion 434C shown in FIG. 27.

FIG. 29 is a side sectional view and a bottom view showing a second modification of the elastic deformation portion 434C shown in FIG. 27.

FIG. 30 is a side sectional view showing a modification in which an insulating film J is formed on a fixed electrode for a capacitor formed on a substrate.

FIG. 31 is a top view showing a modification of the intermediate displacement plate shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 32 is a side sectional view of the intermediate displacement plate 120C shown in FIG. 31 at a position along the X axis.

[Explanation of symbols]

 110, 110B ... substrates 120, 120A, 120B, 120C ... intermediate displacement plates 121, 121B, 121C ... displacement plate fixing portions 122, 122B, 122C ... displacement plate displacement portions 123, 123B, 123C ... displacement plate mounting claws 124A, 124B ... Metal film 125A, 125B ... base structure 126B ... wiring part 130 ... strain generator 131, 131B ... fixed part 132, 132B ... connection part 133, 133B ... displacement part 134, 134B ... elastic deformation part 135 ... strain generator attachment pin 140, 140B mounting fixture 150, 150B operating button 210 board 230 strain generator 231 fixing part 232 connecting part 233 displacement part 234 elastic deformation part 240 mounting fixture 250 operating button 310 board 330 Flexure element 331 ... Fixed part 332 ... Connection part 333 ... Displacement part 334 ... Deformable portion 335… Flexure body mounting pin 340… Mounting tool 350… Operation button 410… Board 430 A, 430 B, 430 C… Flexure body 431… Fixed portion 432… Connection portion 433… Displacement portion 434 A, 434 B, 434 C Part 435: Flexure element mounting pin 440: Fixture C, C33, C34: Capacitance element E1 to E23: Electrode F0 to F29: Electrode G1 to G4: Groove H1: Displacement plate mounting hole H2: Flexure body mounting hole H3: Opening window J ... Insulating film L1 to L18 ... Wiring layer LL11, LL13, LL28 ... Wiring layer M1 ... Periodic signal supply means M2 ... Periodic signal detection means O ... Origin of coordinate system S33, S34 ... Periodic signal SW ... Switch T1 to T28 ... Terminal α ... Center part β ... Thin part γ ... Peripheral part

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Nobumitsu Taniguchi 4-73, Sugaya, Ageo-shi, Saitama Inside Wako Co., Ltd.

Claims (14)

[Utility model registration claims] An operation button for receiving a pressing force from an operator; a substrate supporting the operation button so as to be movable by the pressing force; and a substrate positioned between the operation button and the substrate. A displacement part displaced based on the pressing force applied to the operation button, a fixed part fixed to the substrate, and a connection part connecting the displacement part and the fixed part, the substrate An operating member attached to an upper surface; an elastic deformable member formed on a lower surface of the displacement portion and having a property of elastic deformation; a switch displacement electrode formed on a lower surface of the elastic deformable member; A fixed electrode for a switch formed at a position facing the displacement electrode for a switch, and a capacitance element configured to change a capacitance value due to displacement of the displacement portion. Flexible , When the force to the displacement portion is applied, causing the connection portion is bent,
When the displacement portion generates displacement with respect to the substrate, and when no force acts on the displacement portion, the switch displacement electrode and the switch fixed electrode maintain a non-contact state, and On the other hand, when a predetermined amount of force acting in the vertical direction acts on the displacement portion, the switch displacement electrode and the switch fixed electrode come into contact with each other, and a force larger than the predetermined amount of force is applied. When acting on the displacement portion, the elastic deformation body undergoes elastic deformation, so that the capacitance value of the capacitance element is increased while the switch displacement electrode and the switch fixed electrode maintain a contact state. The switch is constituted by the switch displacement electrode and the switch fixed electrode, and the switch is turned on by electrically detecting the contact state of both electrodes. OF
F state can be recognized, and by electrically detecting a change in capacitance value of the capacitance element after the switch is turned on, the magnitude of the pressing force applied to the operation button A push button switch characterized by being able to recognize a button. 2. The push-button switch according to claim 1, further comprising an operation body having a bowl-shaped portion, and mounting the operation body on the upper surface of the substrate so that the bowl is turned down. A push button switch using a portion corresponding to a bottom portion as a displacement portion, a portion corresponding to a side portion of a bowl as a connection portion, and a portion corresponding to a mouth portion of the bowl as a fixing portion. 3. The push button switch according to claim 2, wherein an intermediate displacement plate is disposed between the substrate and the working body, and a part of the intermediate displacement plate is fixed to the substrate as a displacement plate fixing portion. Another part of the intermediate displacement plate constitutes a displacement plate displacement portion that is displaced by displacement of the displacement portion or deformation of the connection portion, and is formed on the fixed electrode for the capacitance element formed on the upper surface of the substrate and the displacement plate displacement portion. A push-button switch, wherein a capacitive element is constituted by said capacitive element displacement electrode. 4. The push-button switch according to claim 3, wherein the intermediate displacement plate is formed by a flexible plate-shaped member having a bowl-shaped portion, and the intermediate displacement plate is placed in a prone state. A plate is mounted on the upper surface of the substrate, and an opening window for inserting an elastically deformable body is formed in a portion corresponding to a bottom portion of the bowl, and a portion around the opening window constitutes a displacement plate displacement portion. A push button switch, wherein a corresponding portion forms a displacement plate fixing portion, and the displacement plate displacement portion is displaced by physical contact of the displacement portion or the connection portion. 5. The push button switch according to claim 4, wherein the intermediate displacement plate is made of a metal material, and the intermediate displacement plate itself is used as a displacement electrode for a capacitive element. 6. The push button switch according to claim 4, wherein the intermediate displacement plate is formed of a synthetic resin material, and the displacement electrode for the capacitance element is formed of a metal film formed on a lower surface thereof. switch. 7. The push button switch according to claim 6, wherein a first electrode for an additional switch is formed on an upper surface of the intermediate displacement plate,
A second electrode for the additional switch is formed on the lower surface of the displacement portion at a position facing the first electrode for the additional switch, and the additional switch is constituted by these two electrodes, and the contact state of both electrodes is electrically detected. A push-button switch capable of obtaining additional information on the pressing force applied to the operation button. 8. The push-button switch according to claim 7, wherein one of a pair of opposing electrodes constituting the additional switch is constituted by a single electrode layer, and the other electrode is electrically connected to each other. Constructed by a pair of independent electrode layers, by electrically detecting the conduction state between the pair of electrode layers,
A push button switch, wherein a contact state of the counter electrode can be detected. 9. The push-button switch according to claim 1, wherein the fixed element for the capacitance element formed on the upper surface of the substrate and the displacement electrode for the capacitance element formed on the lower surface of the displacement portion constitute a capacitance element. A push button switch, characterized in that: 10. The push button switch according to claim 9, wherein a wiring is provided for electrically connecting the displacement electrode for the capacitive element and the displacement electrode for the switch, and the contact between the displacement electrode for the switch and the fixed electrode for the switch is provided. A push button, wherein the capacitance value of the capacitance element can be detected by measuring the capacitance value between the fixed electrode for the switch and the fixed electrode for the capacitance element. switch. 11. The push button switch according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the fixed electrode for the capacitive element and the displacement electrode for the capacitive element is constituted by a substantially annular electrode,
A push button switch, wherein the ring-shaped electrode is disposed around an axis passing through substantially the center of the displacement portion and perpendicular to the substrate. 12. The push-button switch according to claim 9, further comprising: two sets of capacitive elements, a signal input capacitive element and a signal output capacitive element, wherein each fixed electrode of the capacitive element is electrically independent. A periodic signal supply unit configured by separate electrodes, each of the displacement electrodes of these capacitive elements is configured by a single electrode that is electrically conductive to each other, and a periodic signal is supplied to a fixed electrode of the signal input capacitive element; A periodic signal detecting means for detecting a periodic signal induced on a fixed electrode of the signal output capacitive element, wherein the periodic signal supplying means supplies a periodic signal having a predetermined magnitude, A push button, wherein the magnitude of the pressing force applied to the operation button is determined based on the magnitude of the periodic signal detected by the signal detecting means. Down switch. 13. The push button switch according to claim 1, wherein the switch displacement electrode is constituted by a single electrode layer, and the switch fixed electrode is electrically isolated from a pair of electrode layers. A push-button switch, wherein a contact state between the switch displacement electrode and the switch fixed electrode can be detected by electrically detecting a conduction state between the pair of electrode layers. . 14. The push button switch according to claim 1, wherein the acting body and the elastically deformable portion are constituted by a strain body integrally formed of rubber.