JP3276181B2 - Surface panel for membrane 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 surface panel for a membrane switch capable of reliably performing a switch input and maintaining a beautiful appearance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a movable contact operating portion 3 is integrally formed with a spacer panel 1 via a windowed portion 2 of a spacer panel 1 via a connection portion 4 having spring properties, and at least the windowed portion is directed outward from the spacer panel. There was a membrane switch front panel 7 covered with a cover sheet 5 having a button portion 6 protruding from the front side (see FIG. 6). The upper surface of the connection portion 4 having the spring property and the upper surface of the spacer panel 1 were on the same horizontal plane, and there was a space between the connection portion 4 and the back surface of the button portion 6 of the cover sheet 5.

A membrane switch 10 has a movable contact 9 such as a conductive rubber diaphragm disposed opposite a fixed contact 8 such as a printed circuit board.
The movable contact 9 is brought into contact with the fixed contact 8 by releasing the panel so that the movable contact 9 is positioned below the movable contact 9 and pressing the movable contact operating portion 3 through the button portion of the cover sheet 5. To turn on and off electrically (see FIG. 7).

[0004]

However, since the button portion of the cover sheet does not have a strong restoring force against pressing, the button portion of the cover sheet becomes plastic during repeated switching on and off. Deformation or further plastic deformation may cause repeated cracks, which may impair the appearance of the membrane switch surface panel.

Also, since the movable contact operating portion does not always contact the button portion of the cover sheet, the switch is turned on and off.
When it is turned off, first, the button is pressed to contact the movable contact operating part, and then the movable contact operating part is pressed in two steps by pressing it through the button part. Sometimes I mistakenly thought that the switch input was completed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a surface panel for a membrane switch which can perform a switch input reliably and does not impair a beautiful appearance.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a surface panel for a membrane switch according to the present invention is characterized in that a movable contact actuating portion is connected to a spacer through a connecting portion having a spring property at a window opening of a spacer panel. In the membrane switch front panel, which is integrally formed with the panel and at least the window opening portion is covered with a cover sheet having a button portion projecting outward from the spacer panel, the connection portion extends along the back surface of the button portion of the cover sheet. It was configured to be.

Hereinafter, a surface panel for a membrane switch according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the membrane switch front panel of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the back side of the button portion of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is the membrane switch front panel of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a back portion of the button portion of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the back portion of the button portion.

[0010] 1 is a spacer panel, 2 is a windowed portion, 3
Is a movable contact operating portion, 4 is a connecting portion, 5 is a cover sheet, 6
Denotes a button unit, and 7 denotes a membrane switch front panel.

The cover sheet 5 used in the membrane switch front panel 7 of the present invention has a button portion 6.
At least the window opening 2 is covered.

The cover sheet 5 is made of a material such as a resin sheet made of a polyester resin, a polypropylene resin, a polyethylene resin, a polyvinyl chloride resin, a polystyrene resin, a polycarbonate resin, a polymethyl methacrylate resin, and a polyamide resin. It should be excellent in transparency, printing adhesion, punching workability, button workability, and have a certain degree of bending and restoring force against pressing.

The button portion 6 is a portion where the cover sheet material is protruded by embossing. What is embossing?
A method in which a sheet material is pressed by using a pair of dies with corresponding upper and lower mold dies so that the surface shape of the sheet material is reversed without changing the thickness of the sheet material. It is. The cover sheet 5 may be provided on the panel surface simultaneously with the injection molding. In this case, the button portion 6 may be formed by closing the injection mold and embossing the cover sheet 5 by resin pressure. Good.

The cover sheet 5 may be provided with a decoration such as a button display by a normal printing method such as a gravure printing method or a screen printing method.

The spacer panel 1 used in the membrane switch front panel 7 of the present invention maintains a constant gap between the movable contact and the fixed contact. The movable contact operating portion 3 is integrally formed with the intermediary of the movable contact operating portion 4.

The movable contact operating section 3 has a movable guide function of a switch composed of a movable contact and a fixed contact, and when the button section 6 is pressed, the movable contact operating section 3
Moves downward to activate the movable contact. Further, a plurality of movable contact operating portions 3 may be provided in the window cutout portion 2 of the spacer panel 1 (see FIG. 5).

The connecting section 4 is for supporting the movable contact operating section 3 on the spacer panel 1, and has a spring property so that the movable contact operating section can move up and down. In particular, the connecting portion 4 of the present invention is characterized in that it extends along the back surface of the button portion 6 of the cover sheet 5. In addition, connection part 4
May be connected to the movable contact operating section 3 at the shortest distance along the back surface of the button section 6 as shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the back surface of the button portion 6 may be connected to the movable contact operating portion 3 along a spiral shape. The spiral connection portion 4 is preferable because more excellent spring properties can be obtained.

The materials of the spacer panel 1, the movable contact operating portion 3 and the connecting portion 4 include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin, acrylic styrene resin, polystyrene resin, polycarbonate resin, methacryl resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polybutylene terephthalate resin, and polypropylene resin. For example, a material that can obtain the spring property of the connection portion 4 is used.

In order to provide the cover sheet 5 on the panel surface, the cover sheet 5 is adhered using an adhesive or the cover sheet 5 is molded so that the button portions 6 protrude outward from the spacer panel 1. By injecting the molten resin into the mold and disposing the molten resin in the mold, it is provided on the surface of the panel at the same time as the molding of the spacer panel or the like.

[0020]

The connecting portion of the front panel for a membrane switch of the present invention has a shape following the back surface of the button portion of the cover sheet.

That is, since the connection portion along the back surface of the button portion supports the button portion from the back surface and helps the button portion to restore its shape after being pressed by its spring property, the switch is turned on and off many times. Repeatedly, the button portion of the cover sheet is not plastically deformed, and furthermore, the plastic deformation is not repeated and a crack is not generated.

[0022]

Since the present invention has the above-described structure, the following effects can be obtained. That is, in the present invention, since the button portion does not undergo plastic deformation or cracking, the appearance of the membrane switch front panel is not spoiled.

Further, since the connecting portion is always in contact with the button portion, when the switch is turned on / off, the pressing of the button portion and the pressing of the movable contact operating portion integrally formed on the spacer panel via the connecting portion are performed. Are performed at the same time, and a switch input can be reliably performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing one embodiment of a surface panel for a membrane switch of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a back side portion of the button unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the membrane switch front panel of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a back side portion of the button unit of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the back side of the button part.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an example of a conventional surface panel for a membrane switch.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of a conventional membrane switch using a membrane switch front panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Spacer panel 2 Window opening part 3 Movable contact operating part 4 Connection part 5 Cover sheet 6 Button part 7 Surface panel for membrane switch 8 Fixed contact 9 Movable contact 10 Membrane switch

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-63-225446 (JP, A) JP-A-4-206119 (JP, A) JP-A-62-65738 (JP, U) JP-A-3-20638 52929 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model 6-19235 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Utility Model 59-194243 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Utility Model 55-174638 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Utility Model 62-188022 (JP, U) JP-A-3-80935 (JP, U) JP-A 62-152327 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01H 21/00 H01H 13/04

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A movable contact operating portion is integrally formed with a spacer panel through a connection portion having a spring property at a window opening portion of the spacer panel, and at least the window opening portion has a button portion projecting outward from the spacer panel. A surface panel for a membrane switch covered with a cover sheet, wherein a connection portion extends along a back surface of a button portion of the cover sheet.