JP3174253B2 - Rubber contact switch - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rubber contact switch, and more particularly to a rubber contact switch capable of following a smooth three-dimensional curved surface such as an instrument panel of an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 shows an example of a conventional low current switch used for controlling a power window motor (see Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-106039).

A lower printed wiring board 51 is mounted on an under cover 50, and an upper printed wiring board 53 is mounted on an upper case 52. A key switch 54 is mounted on the lower printed wiring board 51 and an upper printed wiring board 53 is mounted thereon. A rubber contact sheet 55 is attached on the upper side. A push pin 57 for operating the rubber contact sheet 55 is attached to the key top 56, and a plunger 58 for operating the key switch 54 is attached to the push pin 57.

[0004]

In recent years, with the advance of molding technology, the shape of instrument panels and door panels of automobiles has become the mainstream of smooth three-dimensional curved surfaces with emphasis on design and safety. ing.

However, since the above-mentioned conventional switches use hard printed wiring boards 51 and 53, they cannot be applied to a curved surface, and even if the undercover 50 or the upper case 52 is formed into a curved surface, the printed circuit board cannot be printed. Wiring board 5
Only the portions 1 and 53 must be formed in a planar shape, and it is difficult to configure the entire switch device into a shape that follows a smooth curved surface.

A space is provided between the under cover 50 and the printed wiring boards 51 and 53, and the entire under cover 50 is provided to enhance the waterproof effect of the internal mechanism.
Since it is necessary to cover with the upper case 52 and shield the outside, there is a problem that the thickness of the entire device is inevitably increased, resulting in an increase in size and weight.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the above points, and can follow the three-dimensional curved surface shape of a member to be mounted.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a thin, lightweight, and highly waterproof rubber contact switch.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
An undercover whose bottom portion is formed in a three-dimensional curved surface shape following the shape of the attached member, a circuit body inside the switch routed along the bottom surface portion, and the circuit body so as to cover the circuit body. A rubber contact sheet attached along the bottom surface, an electronic component in the switch penetrating the rubber contact sheet, and connected to the circuit body in a non-penetrating state with respect to the bottom surface; And an upper case provided on the under cover.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the rubber contact switch can be fitted to the curved surface portion of the member to be mounted so that it can be mounted well, and the circuit body and the rubber contact sheet can be arranged along the bottom surface of the under cover. Therefore, it can be configured to be thin and lightweight as a whole. Also,
Since the electronic components in the switch are attached to the bottom portion in a non-penetrating state, and a part of the electronic components is not exposed to the outside, there is no possibility of a short circuit due to the influence of external water.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the rubber contact switch according to the first aspect, wherein the circuit body is formed integrally with a bottom portion of the under cover.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the circuit body can be formed integrally with the bottom portion by the transfer method or the two-shot method, and the circuit body can accurately follow the three-dimensional curved surface shape of the bottom portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the rubber contact switch according to the first aspect, wherein the circuit body is a printed circuit body formed on a flexible wiring board.

Therefore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, a normal manufacturing process can be employed for both undercover molding and printing of the flexible wiring board, and the flexible wiring board can follow the three-dimensional curved surface shape of the bottom portion without difficulty.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the rubber contact switch according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a bottomed mounting hole is formed in a bottom portion of the undercover, and the mounting hole is formed in the mounting hole. Insert the feet of the electronic components inside the switch,
It is characterized by being soldered to the circuit body.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the feet of the electronic components in the switch are accommodated in the mounting holes, positioning and temporary fixing at the time of soldering become possible, and the soldering work can be performed. In addition to the above, it is possible to prevent the foot portion from penetrating to the back surface of the bottom portion, thereby eliminating the risk of short-circuit due to the influence of external water. After soldering, the soldered portion can be stably maintained by fixing the circuit body.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the rubber contact switch according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the bottom surface portion has a connector connection portion having a slit opened on the back surface of the bottom surface portion. And a circuit conductor extending from the inner wall surface of the connector connecting portion to the inner surface of the slit, and communicating with the circuit body.

According to the present invention, when a connector connected to a wire harness or the like connected to an electronic device in an automobile is inserted into the connector connecting portion, the spring terminal of the connector is connected to the circuit conductor. Contact and conduct.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on an embodiment shown in the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of a rubber contact switch according to the present invention. A rubber contact switch A comprises an under cover 1, a rubber contact sheet 2, and an upper case 3. I have.

The undercover 1 is a square dish having a side wall 4 and a bottom 5 and is adapted to the shape of a three-dimensional molded body such as an instrument panel of an automobile or a bezel. Is formed into a smooth three-dimensional curved surface. Since the undercover 1 requires a soldering step as described later, a heat-resistant resin such as AB
SG resin, super engineering plastic PI resin, FRP resin and the like are used.

A circuit body 6 is integrally formed on the bottom surface 5 of the under cover 1. The circuit body 6 is a circuit body formed by, for example, a transfer method in which a circuit body on a transfer film is circuit-transferred simultaneously with the formation of the undercover 1, or a so-called two-shot method by electroless plating on the bottom surface 5. . A plurality of contact portions 7 are formed on the circuit body 6.

A convex portion 10 is formed on the surface of the bottom portion 5.
A mounting hole 8 having a bottom is formed in the projection 10. The circuit body 6 is also formed on the projection 10. Reinforcing ribs 9 are formed on the back surface of the bottom surface portion 5 so that the bottom surface portion 5
However, sufficient strength can be provided (see FIG. 2).

At the end of the bottom portion 5, a rectangular connector connection portion 13 having a slit 12 opening on the back surface of the bottom portion 5 is provided.
Is formed, and a circuit conductor 6a extending from the inner wall surface of the connector connection portion 13 to the inner surface of the slit 12 and communicating with the circuit body 6 is formed.
Are formed (see FIGS. 1 and 3A). A connector 14 connected to a wire harness or the like connected to an electronic device in the automobile is inserted into the connector connection portion 13. The connector 14 is provided with a spring terminal 16 connected to the lead wire 15 as shown in FIG. 3, and when the connector 14 is inserted into the slit 12, the spring terminal 16 comes into contact with the circuit conductor 6a and becomes conductive. ing.

The rubber contact sheet 2 has a dome contact 17 corresponding to the contact portion 7 of the circuit body 6 and a through hole 18 corresponding to the mounting hole 8 of the bottom surface 5. A fixing boss 2 is provided on the back surface of the rubber contact sheet 2.
The fixing boss 20 is inserted into the hole 21 of the bottom portion 5 of the under cover 1, and the through hole 18 is fitted into the projection 10 of the bottom portion 5, whereby the rubber contact sheet 2 is formed. The under cover 1 is closely mounted on the bottom surface 5 so as to cover the circuit body 6 while following the curved surface of the bottom surface 5 (see FIG. 2).

The upper case 3 includes a side wall 24 and a top surface 2.
5, and has a smooth three-dimensional curved surface shape according to the shape of the undercover 1. The upper case 3 is fitted to the outside of the under cover 1, and is fixed by locking a locking claw 25 of the under cover 1 and a locking hole 26 of the upper case 3.

The upper case 3 has a switch operating mechanism B
(See FIG. 2). The switch operating mechanism B includes a holder 27 formed on the upper case 3,
The holder 27 includes a key top 30 that is swingably supported via a shaft 38 and a push pin 29 that is slidably attached to a guide hole 28 of the holder 27.
The upper end of the push pin 29 is the tapered portion 3 of the key top 30.
1 and the lower end is in contact with the dome contact 17. The push pins 29 are arranged perpendicular to the curved surfaces of the undercover 1 and the upper case 3, so that a uniform force acts on the contact dome 17, so that the contact 7 can be the same as the conventional one.

The foot portion 33 of the LED 32, which is an electronic component in the switch, is inserted into the mounting hole 8, and is soldered to the circuit body 6.
Then, the illumination display unit 35 on the upper surface of the key top 30 is illuminated with the light of the LED 32. Since the mounting hole 8 is formed as a bottomed hole, the foot 33 of the LED 32 does not protrude from the rear surface of the bottom 5 and is protected from external factors such as water, thereby eliminating the possibility of a short circuit. Also,
At the time of soldering, the feet 33 of the LED 32 can be positioned and temporarily fixed, so that the soldering operation is facilitated.

A moderation pin 37 and a spring 36 are attached to the holder 27 on the left side of FIG. 2, and the upper end of the moderation pin 37 is in contact with the inner surface of the key top 30. As mentioned above,
The switch operation mechanism B including the key top 30, the push pin 29, the LED 32, and the like is merely an example, and another well-known mechanism may be used.

As described above, in the rubber contact switch A of the first embodiment, since the circuit body 6 is integrally formed on the bottom surface portion 5 of the under cover 1, the under cover 1
Can be formed into an arbitrary curved surface shape,
Since the circuit body 6 and the rubber contact sheet 2 covering the circuit body 6 are arranged along the bottom surface 5, the circuit body 6 can be made thin and lightweight as a whole, and has excellent waterproofness.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show a rubber contact switch C according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
A flexible wiring board 40 is used as the circuit body 6, the flexible wiring board 40 is arranged along the bottom surface 5 of the undercover 1, and the rubber contact sheet 2 covers the circuit body 6 of the flexible wiring board 40. It is arranged.

The flexible wiring board 40 is formed by forming a circuit body 6 similar to that of the first embodiment on a flexible insulating board 41 by a printing method. An exposed connecting portion 42 is formed,
By inserting the connection portion 42 into the slit 12 of the connector connection portion 13, connection with the spring terminal 16 of the connector 14 can be performed as in FIG.

A convex portion 43 is formed on the rear surface of the bottom portion 5 of the undercover 1, and a bottomed mounting hole 8 is formed in the convex portion 43, and the foot 33 of the LED 32 is inserted into the mounting hole 8. . The foot 33 of the LED 32 is soldered 34 to the circuit body 6 of the flexible wiring board 40. Since the upper case 3, the switch operating mechanism B, and the like are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description is omitted.

As described above, in the rubber contact switch C of the second embodiment, since the flexible wiring board 40 is used as the circuit body 6, the under cover 1 can be formed into an arbitrary curved surface shape. In addition, since the circuit body 6 is provided on the flexible wiring board 40, the undercover 1 can be manufactured only by a normal molding process, and the flexible wiring board 40 can be manufactured by a normal printing method, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, the flexible wiring board 4
Since the rubber contact sheet 2 and the rubber contact sheet 2 covering the same are arranged along the bottom surface 5, the overall structure can be made thin and lightweight, and has excellent waterproofness.

Further, since the foot portion 33 of the LED 32 is soldered to the flexible wiring board 40, there is no need to use a heat-resistant material as the undercover 1, and the cost can be reduced accordingly.

[0035]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the undercover is formed in a three-dimensional curved shape following the shape of the member to be mounted, the rubber contact switch can be mounted. The circuit inside the switch and the rubber contact sheet that covers it can be arranged along the bottom part, so that it can be configured to be thin and lightweight as a whole. In addition, it is possible to form an arbitrary curved surface shape following the curved surface of the attached member. In addition, since the electronic components in the switch are mounted in a non-penetrating state with respect to the bottom surface and a part of the electronic components is not exposed to the outside, there is no danger of short-circuiting due to the influence of external water, and excellent water resistance. It has become.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the circuit body is formed integrally with the bottom portion of the undercover, the circuit body is thinner in addition to the effect of the first aspect of the invention.
Since it can be configured to be lightweight and no other circuit components are required, the cost can be reduced by reducing the number of components, and the circuit body can accurately follow the three-dimensional curved shape of the bottom portion.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the circuit body is constituted by a printed circuit body formed on a flexible wiring board. Since it can be soldered to a flexible wiring board, the undercover can be formed of a non-heat-resistant material, and the material cost can be reduced accordingly.
The undercover can be manufactured by a normal molding process, and the flexible wiring board can also be manufactured by a normal printing method, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the foot of the electronic component in the switch is inserted into the bottomed mounting hole of the undercover, the positioning and temporary fixing of the foot during soldering can be performed. In addition to being possible, the foot of the electronic component in the switch fits into the mounting hole and does not penetrate the back surface of the bottom, so that there is no danger of short-circuit of the foot.
In addition to the effects of the invention described in any one of the above, the soldering work is easy and the waterproofness is further improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the slit is opened in the bottom portion of the undercover and the connector connection portion is provided integrally with the undercover, a connector with a board as a separate component is not required. As a result, the configuration can be simplified, and as a result, in addition to the effects of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 4, the number of parts and the weight can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a rubber contact switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a main part of the rubber contact switch according to the first embodiment.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are longitudinal side views of a connector connecting portion of the rubber contact switch according to the first embodiment, FIG.
(B) shows the connection state.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a rubber contact switch according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a main part of a rubber contact switch according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a vertical side view of a conventional rubber contact switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Under cover 2 Rubber contact sheet 3 Upper case 5 Bottom part 6 Circuit body 8 Mounting hole 12 Slit 13 Connector connection part 32 LED (electronic component) 33 Foot part (of LED) 34 Soldering 40 Flexible wiring board A, C Rubber contact Switch B Switch operation mechanism

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-61-116720 (JP, A) JP-A-5-314864 (JP, A) JP-A-9-107192 (JP, A) 72522 (JP, U) JP 6-64339 (JP, U) JP 6-72260 (JP, U) JP 1-77225 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01H 9/02-9/04 H01H 13/70 H01H 9/16

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] An undercover having a bottom surface formed in a three-dimensional curved surface shape following the shape of a member to be mounted; a circuit body inside a switch routed along the bottom surface portion; A rubber contact sheet attached along the bottom portion so as to cover; and an electronic component in the switch penetrating the rubber contact sheet and connected to the circuit body in a non-penetrating state with respect to the bottom portion. And a switch operating mechanism, and an upper case mounted on the under cover. 2. The rubber contact switch according to claim 1, wherein the circuit body is formed integrally with a bottom portion of the under cover. 3. The rubber contact switch according to claim 1, wherein said circuit body is a printed circuit body formed on a flexible wiring board. 4. A bottomed mounting hole is formed in a bottom portion of the under cover, and a foot portion of the electronic component in the switch is inserted into the mounting hole and soldered to the circuit body. Item 4. The rubber contact switch according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 5. A connector connecting portion having a slit opening on a back surface of the bottom portion, and a circuit conductor communicating with the circuit body is formed from an inner wall surface of the connector connecting portion to an inner surface of the slit. The rubber contact switch according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: