JP3446083B2 - Multi-directional operation 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 multidirectional operation switch used for an input operation section of a device such as a mobile phone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a multidirectional operation switch of this type, for example, a four-directional switch with a center click is used. This switch has a total of five switches arranged in the center and four directions around it (front, rear, left and right). By pressing down the center of the keytop, you can operate the center switch, and either the front, back, left or right of the keytop can be operated. By pressing and tilting the key top, the switch (peripheral switch) located on the pressed side can be operated.

FIG. 1A shows, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-
331329 shows a conventional example of a structure of such a four-way switch with a center click,
A central movable contact 1 is provided on a printed wiring board 11 in which a plurality of fixed contacts (not shown) adjacent to each other with a space are formed in pairs.
2 and the peripheral movable contact 13 are arranged, and the key top 14 is arranged thereon. Central movable contact 1
Reference numeral 2 is made of an elastic metal plate processed into a dome shape, and when its top is pressed, it inverts to come into contact with a pair of fixed contacts on the printed wiring board 11 and establish electrical continuity between the fixed contacts. This turns on the central switch. By this reversing operation, a desired click feeling (moderation) can be obtained.

On the other hand, as for the peripheral movable contact 13, for example, both ends of a strip-shaped elastic metal plate are bent so that both ends form an L shape outwardly, and both ends are installed on the printed wiring board 11.
The intermediate portion has a shape that is parallel to and faces the pair of fixed contacts with a required gap, and the intermediate portion is elastically deformed by being pressed to come into contact with the pair of fixed contacts. The central movable contact 12 and the peripheral movable contact 13 are fixed on the printed wiring board 11 by a single-sided adhesive sheet 15 so as to cover them. On the key top 14,
A flange 16 is provided on the lower surface side of the peripheral surface, and the flange 16 is provided on the housing 17 to engage the locking portion 1.
By being locked by 8, the key top 14 is prevented from coming off and is housed in the hole 19 of the housing 17.

A central movable contact 1 is provided on the lower surface of the key top 14.
2 corresponding to the central pressing protrusion 21 and each peripheral movable contact 13
1 is provided with a peripheral pressing protrusion 22 corresponding to FIG.
As shown in A, the central pressing protrusion 21 and the central movable contact 12 are elastically contacted with each other in the non-operating state.
Is elastically pressed against the locking portion 18. The height of the central pressing protrusion 21 from the back surface of the key top is larger than the height of the peripheral pressing protrusion 22. In the conventional multi-directional operation switch having the above structure, the center movable contact 1 is depressed by pushing down the center of the key top 14.
Although 2 is inverted and the central switch is turned on, at this time, since the peripheral pressing protrusion 22 is lower in height than the central pressing protrusion 21, the peripheral movable contact 13 does not contact the fixed contact, that is, the peripheral switch is not turned on. I won't.

However, when the peripheral edge of the key top 14 is pushed to turn on the peripheral switch, the key top 14 is supported by the locking portion 18 of the housing 17 on the opposite side to the pushed side as shown in FIG. 1B. And tilt. Therefore, the peripheral movable contact 13 on the pushed side is pressed by the peripheral pressing protrusion 22 and at the same time, the central movable contact 12 is also pressed by the central pressing protrusion 2.
If the center movable contact is largely deformed by the center pressing protrusion 21, the reversal occurs and the center switch is also turned on. This means that the central switch is operated unnecessarily, the pressing force on the key top 14 is required correspondingly, and a click feeling is generated, so that the operation feeling is significantly impaired and there is a problem in operability. It was.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of this problem, an object of the present invention is to prevent the central switch from being turned on when operating (turning on) the peripheral switches, so that excellent operability can be obtained. It is to provide a multi-directional operation switch.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided a multidirectional operation switch which has a central switch and a plurality of peripheral switches provided around the central switch and which presses a key top to drive a desired switch. A wiring board having a central fixed contact and a plurality of peripheral fixed contacts arranged on a circumference surrounding the central fixed contact, the central fixed contact and the central fixed contact arranged to face each other. A dome-shaped central movable contact that forms a switch, a peripheral movable contact that is disposed on each of the peripheral fixed contacts so as to face each other, and a peripheral movable contact that forms a corresponding peripheral switch together with the facing peripheral fixed contacts, and above the central movable contact. A central plate portion arranged, a plurality of legs bent from the periphery of the central plate portion toward the wiring board, and a central lower surface of the central plate portion protruding toward the wiring board. A frame having a fulcrum portion formed thereon and fixed to the wiring board, a key top located above the frame, and an opening for accommodating the key top, and fixed on the wiring board. A housing, a base portion that faces the lower surface of the keytop with the central plate portion of the frame interposed therebetween, a plurality of arm portions that are radially extended from the base portion and are fixed to the lower surface of the keytop, and the base portion. An engaging portion rotatably engaged with the fulcrum portion of the frame formed at the center of the upper surface of the frame, and a central pressing protrusion formed at the center of the lower surface of the base portion facing the central movable contact. A pusher having a pusher having an empty space for rotatably accommodating the central plate portion of the frame between the upper surface of the base portion of the pusher and the lower surface of the key top. There has been formed (claim 1).

With this configuration, the center of rotation of the key top is not the end on the side opposite to the pressing end of the key top in the diametrical direction as in the case of the prior art, but the key top of the key top with which the frame and the pusher engage. Since the rotation center is almost the center, there is little possibility that the peripheral switch and the central switch are simultaneously driven. In the multi-directional operation switch, peripheral pressing protrusions facing the peripheral movable contacts may be provided on the lower surface of each arm portion of the pusher on the lower surface of each arm portion of the pusher (claim 2). It may be provided on the lower surface of the key top (claim 4).

In the multi-directional operation switch, for example, a plurality of holding pieces are projected on the inner peripheral surface of the opening of the housing, and the leg portions are bent outward in an L-shape. The tip ends of the leg portions of the frame are sandwiched and fixed between and the wiring board (claim 5). Alternatively, a slit for accommodating the base portion of the pusher is formed in the center, and a mounting plate having the leg portion of the frame mounted across the slit is provided between the housing and the wiring board, The peripheral pressing protrusion formed on the lower surface of the key top faces the peripheral movable contact through the slit (claim 6). With this configuration, the thickness of the multidirectional operation switch can be reduced.

Alternatively, the central portion has an opening for accommodating the pusher and an annular ridge formed on the periphery of the opening, and the annular ridge is fitted in an annular fitting groove formed on the lower surface of the key top. The elastic sheet is provided between the housing and the wiring board (claim 7).
With this configuration, foreign matter can be prevented from entering the rotation mechanism. Alternatively, an annular plate portion,
An attachment plate having a plurality of frame support protrusions protruding from the inner peripheral edge of the annular plate portion toward the center, the frame being arranged at the center, and the leg portions of the frame being fixed to the frame support protrusions, respectively; , A double-sided adhesive sheet having a central portion cut out, for adhering the annular plate portion of the mounting plate to the wiring board, and the peripheral pressing protrusions and the pushers of the key top are provided for cutting the double-sided adhesive sheet. It is located above the removed area (claim 8). This configuration facilitates the assembly of the multidirectional switch.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The four-way switch will be described below as an example of the multi-directional operation switch. 2 is a perspective view of a four-way switch having a central switch, FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the four-way switch of FIG. 2, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are four of the four-way switch of FIG.
The figure which shows the A-4A cross section and 4B-4B cross section, FIGS.
B and 5C are cross-sectional views illustrating an operating state.

As shown in FIG. 3, a central fixed contact 32 and four peripheral fixed contacts 33 are formed on the surface of the printed wiring board 31. The four peripheral fixed contacts 33 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of a circle centered on the central fixed contact 32. The central fixed contact 32 is composed of an annular electrode 32a cut at one place and a circular electrode 32b formed concentrically inside the annular electrode 32a. The peripheral fixed contact 33 includes a U-shaped electrode 33a and a rod-shaped electrode 33b formed in the U-shape. Reference numeral 34 indicates a lead line drawn from these electrodes.

The dome-shaped central movable contact 35 positioned upward corresponding to the central fixed contact 32 and the four peripheral movable contacts 36 positioned upward corresponding to each peripheral fixed contact 33 are substantially rectangular. Is formed integrally with each other by punching out the four holes 38 adjacent to the four sides of the elastic metal plate 37 forming the above and pressing. The center movable contact 35 is formed at the center of the elastic metal plate 37 and is supported by four bridges 37B extending diagonally from the four corners. The peripheral movable contact 36 is formed along each side of the elastic metal plate 37. That is, the peripheral movable contact 36 is formed in a flat strip shape, and the intermediate portion 36b supported by both end portions 36a is formed at a predetermined height with respect to the plate surface of the elastic metal plate 37. The elastic metal plate 37 is composed of a beryllium copper plate or a stainless plate having spring properties. Central fixed contact 3
2 and the dome-shaped central movable contact 35, the central switch 32
0 is formed, and the peripheral fixed contact 33 and the peripheral movable contact 36 form a peripheral switch 330.

The rectangular one-sided adhesive sheet 39 is formed by positioning the elastic metal plate 37, which is integrally formed with the central movable contact 35 and the peripheral movable contact 36, at a predetermined position on the surface of the printed wiring board 31. Is a sheet for fixing to the surface of the printed wiring board 31, and an adhesive surface is formed on the lower surface. Here, the key top 40 and the housing 10 will be described. The key top 40 is configured in a substantially disc shape. An accommodation hole 10H for accommodating the key top 40 is arranged in the center of the housing 10 having a rectangular plate shape. The holding piece 11 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the housing hole 10H of the housing 10 so as to project toward the center at a position corresponding to the tip of the leg portion 72 of the frame 70 described later.

The pusher 50 made of synthetic resin is attached to the lower surface side of the key top 40. This pusher 5
0 is a base 51 whose center coincides with the central fixed contact 32,
It is composed of four arm portions 52 extending radially from the base portion 51 at equal angular intervals of 90 °. The upper surface of the base 51 is the arm 5
The concave portion 51R is lower than the upper surface of No. 2. On the lower surface of the base portion 51, a central pressing protrusion 5CP corresponding to the central movable contact 35 as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B is formed. A peripheral pressing protrusion 5PP as shown in FIG. 4A corresponding to each peripheral movable contact 36 is formed on the lower surface of the tip of each arm portion 52. The height of the central pressing protrusion 5CP from the lower surface of the pusher 50 is larger than the height of the peripheral pressing protrusion 5PP.

As shown in FIG. 3, the frame 70 is radially extended from the central plate portion 71 and the arm of the pusher 50 by 45 degrees at an equal angular interval of 90 ° from the central plate portion 71, and is bent downward at the intermediate portion. And the front ends thereof are further bent outwardly to form four legs 72.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the fulcrum portion 7 is provided on the lower surface side of the central plate portion 71.
1P is formed. The fulcrum portion 71P is a spherical projection. The frame 70 is formed by die-cutting and pressing a metal plate having a spring property such as a stainless plate. The frame 70 becomes the center of rotation of the keytop 40 that is inclined by pressing the peripheral edge.

At the center of the upper surface of the base portion 51 of the pusher 50, the pusher 50 is rotated with respect to a fulcrum portion 71P formed on the frame 70,
Alternatively, an engaging portion 50R for engaging and separating is formed. The engaging portion 50R is formed as a concave portion having a curved surface that engages with the spherical projection of the fulcrum portion 71P. Next, the assembly of each member will be described mainly with reference to FIG. An elastic metal plate 37 having movable contacts 35 and 36 integrally formed on the surface of the printed wiring board 31 is mounted and positioned, and a single-sided adhesive sheet 39 is covered and fixed. On the other hand, key top 4
0 and the pusher 50 are such that the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 is placed in the recess 51R of the pusher 50 and the fulcrum portion 71P of the frame 70 is engaged with the engaging portion 50R.
The upper surface of the arm portion 52 is adhered and fixed to the four pedestals 41P formed on the lower surface of the key top 40 so as to face the arm portion 52. As a result, the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 is housed and held in the space 4G formed between the central portion of the pusher 50 and the lower surface of the key top 40. The key top 40 in which the frame 70 and the pusher 50 are incorporated is inserted into the housing hole 10H from above the housing 10.
Then, the key top 40 is rotated in the circumferential direction so that the leg portion 72 of the frame 70 is positioned below the holding piece 11. In that state, attach the housing to the single-sided adhesive sheet 3
9 with the leg portion 72 of the frame 70 sandwiched between the holding piece 11 and the one-sided adhesive sheet 39.
0 is fixed to the wiring board 31 by screwing (not shown).

As described above, the central switch 32 having the appearance shown in FIG. 2 and the sectional shape shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B is used.
A 4-way switch with 0 is completed. In this four-way switch, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 is positioned above the central movable contact 35,
Central movable contact 35, central pressing protrusion 5CP, engaging portion 50R
And the fulcrum part 71P is located on the same axis. The central movable contact 35 and the central pressing protrusion 5CP are in elastic contact with each other, so that the engaging portion 50R and the fulcrum portion 71P are also in elastic contact with each other when the key top 40 is not pressed.

5A, 5B and 5C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the above-described four-way switch. 5A and 5B show the case where the left and right peripheral edges of the key top 40 are respectively pressed, and FIG. 5C shows the case where the center of the key top 40 is pressed. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, by pressing the peripheral edge of the key top 40 to incline the key top 40, the corresponding peripheral movable contact 36 is pressed by the peripheral pressing protrusion 5PP on the operated side, As a result, the peripheral movable contact 36 is elastically deformed and comes into contact with the peripheral fixed contact 33, thereby electrically connecting the electrodes 33a and 33b (see FIG. 3).

At this time, since the key top 40 rotates about the fulcrum 71P of the frame 70 as a fulcrum as shown in the figure, when the peripheral portion of the key top 40 is depressed, no pressing force is applied to the central movable contact 35. Central movable contact 3
5 does not reverse operation and the central switch does not conduct. On the other hand, when the center of the key top 40 is pressed as shown in FIG. 5C, the central moving contact 35 is pressed by the central pressing protrusion 5CP, and the central moving contact 35 is reversed and comes into contact with the central fixed contact 32. It conducts with 32b. In this case, since the peripheral pressing protrusion 5PP is lower in height from the lower surface of the pusher 50 than the central pressing protrusion 5CP, the peripheral switch contacts do not conduct. In either case, key top 40
When the pressure on the movable contact is released, the movable contact returns to the original state.

The central portion of the pusher 50 and the key top 40
In each of the above operations, the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 prevents the rotational displacement about the fulcrum portion 71P of the integrated key top 40 and pusher 50 as a fulcrum in the gap 4G formed between the lower surface of the frame 70 and the lower surface of the pusher 50. Not set to dimensions. Frame 70
In this example, the space 4G for accommodating the central plate portion 71 is formed by providing the pusher 50 with a recess 51R (see FIG. 3). In this example, the gap 4G for accommodating the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 is formed by providing the pusher 50 with a recess 51R.
It is also possible to form the upper surface of the pusher 50 as a flat surface without providing the above by increasing the pedestal 41P of the key top 40 to a required height.

By integrally forming the central movable contact 35 and the peripheral movable contact 36 with one elastic metal plate 37 as shown in this example, the number of parts can be reduced and the assembling can be easily performed. Further, since the frame 70 is fixed to the printed wiring board 31 at the same time by attaching the housing 10 to the printed wiring board 31 by the holding piece 11 provided in the accommodation hole 10H, a new member for fixing is required. Not. The frame 70 is made of metal in this example, but may be made of resin, for example. However, metal is more preferable in terms of strength (rigidity).

In FIG. 6, the height of the intermediate portion 36b of each peripheral movable contact 36 in the above-described first embodiment is increased so that the peripheral movable contact 36 and the peripheral pressing protrusion 5PP corresponding to the peripheral movable contact 36 in the non-operated state of the key top 40. Is a modified example in which the key tops 40 come into contact with each other, and by adopting such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the fluctuation of the key tops 40 when the center of the key tops 40 is pushed down, and to stabilize the key tops 40. . A feature of the present invention is that the pusher 50 is fixed to the key top 40, and the central plate portion 71 to the frame 7 disposed between the key top 40 and the pusher 50.
That is, the leg portion 72 of 0 protrudes and is fixed to the wiring board 31, whereby the key top 40 is connected to the wiring board 31. Moreover, a gap 4G is formed between the key top 40 and the pusher 50 so that the lower surface of the key top 40 (or the upper surface of the pusher 50) can rotate with respect to the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 fixed to the wiring board 31. Is formed.

In the above-mentioned first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, in the assembled multidirectional operation switch,
The pusher 50 is elastically biased to the lower surface side of the frame 70 by the elastic force of the central movable contact 35, and the central plate portion 71
Fulcrum portion 71P of the engaging portion 50 formed on the pusher 50
It is in elastic contact with R. In this state, between the lower surface of the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 and the upper surface of the pusher 50 facing the central plate portion 71, the central plate portion of the fulcrum portion 71P is formed so that a gap g that allows the pusher to rotate by a desired angle is formed. The height h from the lower surface and the depth d (not shown) of the engaging portion 50R from the upper surface of the pusher recess 54 are determined to be d + g = h, g> 0. At this time, a gap is also formed between the upper surface of the central plate portion 71 and the lower surface of the key top 40 facing the central plate portion 71, the size of which allows the maximum required rotation angle of the pusher, and as shown in FIG. 5C. It is set to be larger than the minimum pressing distance of the key top 40 required to press the center of the key top 40 to turn on the central switch 320.

The basic configuration and the necessary conditions are common to all other embodiments described later. In the above-described first embodiment, each movable contact is integrally formed, but the dome-shaped central movable contact and the four peripheral movable contacts are separate bodies, and the peripheral movable contact is also the dome-shaped movable contact. Similarly, by using a movable contact formed in a dome shape, or by putting a separate metal dome inside the peripheral movable contact, it is possible to give the peripheral movable contact a more reliable click feeling. Is also good. Second Embodiment In the first embodiment described above, the central switch and the four peripheral switches can be operated independently by pressing the key top 40. However, since the pusher 50 made of synthetic resin is thick, the shape of the multi-directional operation switch becomes thick, and it takes a lot of time to align the leg portion 72 of the frame 70 under the holding piece 11 and sandwich the leg portion 72 of the frame 70 with the wiring board 31. Since the direction operation switch assembly workability is poor, and the central movable contact 35 and the peripheral movable contact 36 are integrally formed of the same thin metal sheet of spring property, multiple switches are turned on at the same time by an excessive pressing force on the key top. In that case, the switches are short-circuited, which poses a problem that the design of the electronic circuit in which the multidirectional operation switch is used is restricted. Therefore, an embodiment in which this point is improved will be described below.

7 to 10 show a second embodiment of the present invention. The multidirectional operation switch of the second embodiment shown in the perspective view of FIG. 7 has an exploded view of the wiring board 31, which includes a board 31B and a printed wiring sheet 31A attached to the surface thereof. A central fixed contact 32 and four peripheral fixed contacts 33 are formed on the surface of the printed wiring sheet 31A. The four peripheral fixed contacts 33 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of a circle centered on the central fixed contact 32. Central fixed contacts 32 and 4
Each of the peripheral fixed contacts 33 is composed of a central circular electrode and an annular electrode which are concentrically formed. These fixed contacts 3
A lead line 34 is drawn from 2, 33.

The dome-shaped central movable contact 35 and the four dome-shaped peripheral movable contacts 36 are individually provided, and each constitutes a reversal contact which is click-reversed. The central fixed contact 32 and the dome-shaped central movable contact 35 form a central switch 320, and the peripheral fixed contact 33 and the dome-shaped peripheral movable contact 36.
Thus, the peripheral switch 330 is formed. The rectangular one-sided adhesive sheet 39 having the lower surface as an adhesive surface is provided with the central movable contact 35.
And four peripheral movable contacts 36 on the printed wiring sheet 3
The central fixed contact 32 and the four peripheral fixed contacts 33 formed on the surface of 1A are positioned so as to cover the annular electrodes and fixed there. 31H is a through hole.

The pusher 50 for pressing the dome-shaped central movable contact 35 is formed by stamping from a metal plate, and has an arm portion 52 extending radially from the plate-shaped base portion 51 so as to form a cross. The mounting portion 53 is formed by bending the tip of the arm portion 52 so as to rise at a right angle from the plate surface of the base portion 51. A spherical central pressing protrusion 5CP protruding downward is formed in the central portion by press working. The frame 70 is formed by stamping and stamping a metal plate, and has a substantially rectangular center plate portion 71,
It consists of four guide legs 72 (see FIG. 10) formed at each corner of the central plate 71. The center of the central plate 71 is also pressed downward to form a spherical fulcrum 71P.
Are formed to project.

The four guide leg portions 72 of the frame 70 are inserted and fixed in the four insertion holes 61H (see FIG. 10) formed in the mounting plate 60, and the holes 39 of the single-sided adhesive sheet 39 are further provided.
H and the hole 31H of the wiring board 31 are inserted. In addition, a thick cross-shaped slit 6 is provided at the center of the mounting plate 60.
0S is formed at 45 degrees with the diagonal direction of the four through holes 61H. The base portion 51 of the pusher 50 is located at the center of the cross slit 60S, and the arm portion 52 enters the branch of the cross slit 60S. This pusher 5
The base portion 0 of 0 is located within the thickness of the cross slit 60S of the mounting plate 60, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and the mounting plate 60 functions as a spacer.

As in the case of the first embodiment described above, the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 is provided at the center of the lower surface of the key top 40 so as to form a gap 4G between the lower surface of the key top 40 and the upper surface of the pusher 50. A substantially rectangular central recess 41R (see FIG. 9A) in which is loosely fitted is formed, and a mounting piece slit 41S (FIG. 9A) into which the mounting portion 53 of the pusher 50 is fitted outside each side of the rectangular central recess 41R. ) Has been formed. Further, in this embodiment, the boss 41B (see FIG. 10) is formed in the lower surface region of the key top 40 corresponding to the circumferential intermediate position of the peripheral switches 330 adjacent to each other on the same circumference.
(Refer to FIG. 3) is formed so as to prevent adjacent switches from being turned on at the same time. In addition, in the second embodiment, the central movable contact 35 has the pusher 50.
The peripheral movable contact 36 is pressed by the central pressing protrusion 5CP, whereas the peripheral movable contact 36 is formed on the lower surface of the key top 40 so as to correspond to each peripheral movable contact.
(See FIG. 9A), the pressure is directly driven through the slit 60S.

A key top 4 is provided at the center of the housing 10.
A keytop accommodating hole 10H in which 0 is positioned is formed. Here, the assembly of the four-way switch will be described. First, the dome-shaped central movable contact 3 is attached to the central fixed contact 32 and the peripheral fixed contact 33 formed on the printed wiring sheet 31A joined to the surface of the substrate 31B.
5 and the dome-shaped peripheral movable contact 36 are positioned, and the single-sided adhesive sheet 39 is attached to the printed wiring sheet 31 from above.
Stick on A and fix.

As shown in FIG. 10, the guide leg portion 72 of the frame 70 is inserted into the insertion hole 61H until the lower surface of the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 reaches the upper surface of the mounting plate 60, and the guide leg piece 72 is made of an adhesive. Are bonded and fixed to the mounting plate 60.
Alternatively, the cross section of the insertion hole 61H may be formed to be small so that the guide leg piece 7
Press in 2. The central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 attached to the attachment plate 60 is interposed between the lower surface of the key top 40 and the pusher 50, and the pusher 50 is attached to the attachment piece slit 41S formed on the lower surface of the key top 40.
The fitting portion 53 is press-fitted to connect these three members. As a result, the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 is held rotatably in the central concave portion 41R on the lower surface of the key top 40 relative to the key top 40. Here, in this state, the guide leg pieces 72 of the frame 70 protruding downward from the mounting plate 60 are inserted into the through holes 39H of the one-sided adhesive sheet 39 and the through holes 31H of the wiring board 31 to attach the mounting plate 60 to the one-sided adhesive sheet. The wiring board 31, the mounting plate 60, and the housing 10 are superposed on each other by positioning on 39, and they are integrated by joining, screwing, or another method.

Since the gap 4G is formed between the lower surface of the key top 40 and the pusher 50 so as to satisfy the conditions described in the first embodiment, the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 fixed to the wiring board 31 is , When the key top 40 is pressed, it does not become an obstacle for tilt displacement. Key top 40
The lower surface of the pusher 50 and the pusher 50 are joined together by press-fitting the attachment portion 53 of the pusher 50 into the slit 41S of the key top 40. However, this portion is also joined to each other by an adhesive agent. can do.

A cross-shaped slit 60S is formed in the central portion of the mounting plate 60, and there is a risk that dust and water droplets may enter from the gap between the keytop 40 and the keytop accommodating hole 10H through this slit 60S. The entry of water droplets and dust can be prevented by joining a dustproof and dripproof sheet to the lower surface of the mounting plate 60. It is also possible to prevent water droplets and dust from entering by surrounding the slit 60S on the lower surface of the mounting plate 60 and fixing the seal ring by bonding. In the four-way switch assembled as described above, the central switch 320 and the four peripheral switches 330 can be independently operated by pressing the key top 40 as in the first embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the pusher 50 formed of synthetic resin in the first embodiment is changed to the pusher 50 formed by processing a metal plate.
The four-way switch can be made thinner. Further, since each movable contact is provided independently, even if a plurality of switches are turned on at the same time, a short circuit between the switches does not occur. Further, by forming the boss 41B in the circumferential intermediate portion of the lower surface region of the key top corresponding to the circumferential intermediate portions of the neighboring peripheral switches, it is possible to prevent simultaneous pushing operation of the neighboring peripheral switches. it can. Third Embodiment A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14.

A through hole 31H is formed in the wiring board 31. A central fixed contact 32 and four peripheral fixed contacts 33 are formed on the surface of the printed wiring sheet 31A. Fixed contacts 32, 33 and movable contact 3 facing them
The configurations and arrangements of 5 and 36 are the same as those in the second embodiment, and the movable contacts 35 and 36 are positioned and fixed on the printed wiring sheet 31A by the single-sided adhesive sheet 39 as in the second embodiment. Therefore, the description thereof will be omitted. The cross-shaped pusher 50 made of a metal plate that presses the dome-shaped central movable contact 35 has four arm portions 52 extending in a cross shape from the base portion 51 as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. The base 51 has a mounting portion 53 that is bent so that the tip thereof rises, and a spherical pressing protrusion 5CP is formed at the center of the base 51 by pressing downward.

A frame 70 made of a metal plate is extended from a corner portion of a substantially rectangular central plate portion 71 in a direction perpendicular to the central plate portion 71 in the direction of the wiring board 31, and has four leg portions 72 having guide pieces 72G at their tips. . These legs 72 are the central plate 71
A stepped portion 72S is formed in the middle so that the height is a desired height from the wiring board 31. A spherical fulcrum portion 71P is formed by projecting downward at the center of the central plate portion 71. The rectangular elastic sheet 80 made of a flexible rubber sheet has a peripheral frame portion 81 having a relatively large thickness formed on the periphery thereof so that the flexible portion is supported, and the key top 4 has a central portion.
Central recess 4 smaller than diameter 0 and under the key top
An opening 80H having a diameter larger than 1R is provided, and an annular ridge 82 having a relatively large thickness is formed around the opening 80H.

The key top 40 is integrally formed with a key top sheet 40A that spreads around the key top 40. As shown in FIG. 12, the key top 40 is formed around the key top 40 so that the key top 40 can be inclined toward the peripheral switch. Four arcuate notches 40C are formed in the key top sheet 40A. The elastic sheet 80 is sandwiched between the key top sheet 40A and the single-sided adhesive sheet 39, and the elastic sheet is provided in the annular fitting groove 41G (FIG. 13A) formed outside the central recess 41R on the lower surface of the key top 40. An annular ridge 82 of 80 is elastically fitted. On the lower surface of the key top 40, a central recess 41 in which the frame 70 is loosely fitted and arranged.
R is formed.

The pusher 50 and the frame 70 are housed inside the opening 80H of the elastic sheet 80. Further, similarly to the second embodiment, a boss 41B (FIG. 14) is formed so as to project in the lower surface area of the key top 40 corresponding to the circumferential center of the peripheral switches 330 adjacent to each other. A keytop housing hole 10H for housing and positioning the keytop 40 is formed in the center of the housing 10. Housing 1
Elastic sheet 80 and key top 40 arranged under 0
The key top 40 can be operated in a state where the key top 40 is joined to the annular ridge 82 by the annular fitting groove 41G, and therefore foreign matter such as dust or liquid can be prevented from entering the pressing mechanism of the switch.

In the assembly of the third embodiment, first, the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 is held between the four mounting portions 53 of the pusher 50, and the mounting portion 53 is pressed into the slit 41S on the lower surface of the key top. Next, the frame 70 and the pusher 50 are inserted into the opening 80H of the elastic sheet 80, and the annular ridge 82 of the elastic sheet 80 is fitted and fixed in the elastic sheet fitting groove 41G on the lower surface of the key top 40, and the elastic sheet 80
And key top sheet 40A are overlaid. Next, the elastic sheet 80 is positioned and arranged on the single-sided adhesive sheet 39,
The pusher 50 is held between the four leg portions 72 of the frame 70, and the guide piece 72G of the leg portion 72 of the frame 70 is held until the step portion 72S of the leg portion 72 of the frame 70 hits the one-sided adhesive sheet 39. 39 through holes 39H,
Through hole 31 of printed wiring sheet 31A and substrate 31B
It is made to project to the back surface of the board 31B via H, and the frame 70 and the cross-shaped pusher 50 are crimped here to form the wiring board 31.
Attach to.

As a result, the cross-shaped pusher 5 is formed on the upper surface of the central switch 320 formed on the printed wiring sheet 31A.
The 0 and the frame 70 can be positioned. Finally, the housing 10 is superposed on the key top sheet 40A so that the key top 40 is accommodated in the accommodation hole 10H, and the substrate 10B, the elastic sheet 80, and the key top sheet 40A are laminated to form the housing 10. Is fixed by screwing or other method. However, in this embodiment, since the key top 40 is held by the elastic sheet 80, the attachment portion 53 is not provided on the pusher 50, and the arm portion 52 of the pusher 50 is simply moved by the elastic force of the central movable contact 35. You may make it press on the lower surface.

Also in the third embodiment described above, the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 made of a metal plate is housed inside the central recess 41R of the key top 40, and is made of a metal plate for pressing the dome-shaped central movable contact 35. By incorporating the cross-shaped pusher 50 in the key top 40, the four-way switch can be made thin. Then, by forming the boss 41B in the circumferentially intermediate portion of the lower surface region of the key top corresponding to the peripheral switches adjacent to each other, it is possible to prevent the adjacent peripheral switches from being simultaneously pressed. Fourth Embodiment In the above-described embodiments, the frame 70 has the guide piece 72G of the leg portion 72 thereof inserted into the hole of the wiring board 31 and fixed by caulking, so that the assembling work is complicated, and this point is improved. Examples will be described below with reference to FIGS.

In the fourth embodiment, the top surface of the key top 40 is formed as shown by the line in FIG. 17A so that the design (shape, color) of the key top can be easily changed according to the customer's needs. The top face 41F to be used is separately formed, and the top face 41F having a desired design is attached to the key top for use. Therefore, in the perspective view of the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the top face 41F is not attached. The parts of the fourth embodiment shown in the exploded perspective view in FIG. 16 are to replace the key top 40, the mounting plate 60, the frame 70, and the pusher 50 in the second embodiment of FIG.
The frame 70, the pusher 50, and the double-sided adhesive sheet 80 are shown. The housing 10, the wiring board 31, the central and peripheral movable contacts 35 and 36, and the single-sided adhesive sheet 39 shown in FIG. 8 are also provided as shown in FIGS. 17A to 17D, but they are not shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 16, in this fourth embodiment, the key top 40 is made of a synthetic resin, for example, and the key top 40 has an annular portion 41.
And four support protrusions 42 projecting from the inner circumference thereof toward the center at intervals of 90 degrees. In the fourth embodiment, the space 4 for accommodating and holding the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70
G is defined inside the annular portion 41 of the key top 40 between the lower surface of the top face 41F to be attached later and the upper surface of the pusher 50. Further, in the fourth embodiment, the boss 41B (see FIGS. 10 and 14) provided on the lower surface of the key top so as not to drive two adjacent peripheral movable contacts at the same time in the second and third embodiments is not provided, but rather two bosses are provided. Although the adjacent peripheral movable contacts can be simultaneously driven, the boss 41B may be provided in the fourth embodiment, and conversely, the boss 41 in the second and third embodiments.
B may not be provided and the adjacent peripheral movable contacts may be driven at the same time.

A through slit 42S is formed in each of the support protrusions 42, and a mounting portion 53 that rises at a right angle from the four arm portions 52 of the pusher 50 similar to that shown in the second embodiment of FIG. 17, the four sides of the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 similar to that shown in FIG. 8 are held in between and inserted into the slits 42S of the key top 40, and the protruding tips are shown in FIG.
Key top 40 is folded as shown in A to 17D.
Is fixed to the support protrusion 42 of the. In this embodiment, the pressing protrusion 5CP of the pusher 50 is a flat protruding surface as shown in FIGS.
Is prevented from being locally pressed excessively and deformed irreversibly. The configuration in which the protruding surface of the pressing protrusion 5CP of the pusher 50 is flat as described above can be applied to all the other embodiments.

An annular mounting plate 60 made of synthetic resin has an annular portion 61 and four support protrusions 62 which are formed so as to protrude toward the center at 90 degree intervals from the inner periphery thereof. As shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the legs of the frame 70 are inserted into the mounting slits 62S formed in the supporting projections 62 of the mounting plate 60, and the tip ends thereof are bent outward and fixed. When the pusher 50 holds the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 and attaches it to the key top, the support protrusion 42 of the key top 40 and the support protrusion 62 of the attachment plate 60 are offset from each other by 45 degrees. The two diametrical directions of the opposing support protrusions 42 of the same coincide with the direction of the straight line connecting the corresponding two peripheral movable contacts 36.

The lower surface of the mounting plate 60 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in B, the mounting pins 61P are integrally formed in a protruding manner, and these pins 61P are inserted and fixed in the pin holes 81H (FIG. 16) formed in the double-sided adhesive sheet 80 and the pin holes 31H formed in the wiring board 31. It Therefore, the leg portion of the frame 70 is not directly inserted and fixed to the wiring board 31, but is attached to the printed wiring board 31 via the mounting plate 60.
Will be indirectly fixed to. The circular double-sided adhesive sheet 80 is obtained by attaching the mounting plate 60 to the single-sided adhesive sheet 3 in FIG.
The base 51 of the pusher 50, the four arms 52, and the four pressing protrusions 4PP (FIG. 17A) formed on the lower surface of the key top 40 are used to attach the sheet 8 to the sheet 8.
A thick cross-shaped cutout 8 at the center so that it is not glued to 0
1C is formed.

In the fourth embodiment, the frame 70 is fixed to the mounting plate 60, the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 is held by the mounting portion 53 of the arm 52, and the frame 70 is key-topped by the pusher 50 from below. 40, the mounting portion 53 is the slit 42S of the key top 40.
And then bend the tip to the outside to fix it. The double-sided adhesive sheet 80 is pasted on the single-sided adhesive sheet 39 shown in FIG. 8 at a predetermined position so that the peripheral switches 330 respectively corresponding to the four protruding regions of the cross-shaped cutout 81C of the sheet 80 are located, All that is required is to attach the mounting plate 80 thereon.

FIG. 17A shows a cross section taken along line 17-17 in FIG. 15 in an opened state where the key top is not depressed. When the left end of the key top 40 is pressed down in this state, the key top rotates around the fulcrum 71P of the frame as shown in FIG. 17B, and the peripheral movable contact is pressed and reversed by the pressing protrusion 4PP of the key top 40. At this time, no large pressure is applied to the central movable contact 35. FIG. 17C shows a sectional view when the right end of the key top 40 is pressed. FIG. 17D shows a cross section when the center of the key top 40 is pressed down. Since the frame 70 is fixed to the wiring board 31, the pusher 50 is separated from the frame and the pressing protrusion 5 is pressed.
CP presses and reverses the central movable contact 35.

Instead of the integrated central movable contact and peripheral movable contact used in the first embodiment described above, the individual movable contacts used in the second, third and fourth embodiments are used. Alternatively, on the contrary, the integrated movable contact used in the first embodiment may be used instead of the individual movable contact in the second, third and fourth embodiments. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the four-way switch with the center click is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to, for example, an eight-way switch with the center click.

[0052]

As described above, according to the present invention, the central plate portion 71 of the frame 70 having the leg portions fixed to the wiring board is used as the pusher 50 having the arm portion 52 fixed to the lower surface of the key top 40. It is housed in a gap 4G formed between the lower surface of the key top 40 and the fulcrum portion 7 at the center of the frame 70.
Since the key top 40 rotates about 1P, the peripheral edge of the key top 14 on the diametrically opposite side is pressed against the peripheral edge of the key top 14 as in the conventional multidirectional operation switch shown in FIG. Since the contacting flange 18 of the housing 17 does not rotate as a supporting point, the central switch and one peripheral switch are not easily turned on at the same time.

[Brief description of drawings]

1A is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of a conventional multidirectional operation switch, and B is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of 45 degrees with FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the multidirectional operation switch of FIG.

4 is a sectional view taken along line 4A-4A in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along line 4B-4B in FIG.

FIG. 5A is 4A-4A for explaining the operation of the first embodiment.
Sectional view, B is 4A-4A for explaining the operation of the first embodiment
Sectional view, C is 4A-4A for explaining the operation of the first embodiment
Sectional view.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 4A-4A showing a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG.

9 is a 9-9 sectional view in FIG. 7 for explaining the operation of the second embodiment, B is a 9-9 sectional view in FIG. 7 for explaining the operation of the second embodiment, and C is 9-9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 7 for explaining the operation of the second embodiment. FIG.

10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 13A is a diagram for explaining the operation of the third embodiment.
13 is a 13-13 sectional view in FIG. 1, B is a 13-13 sectional view in FIG. 11 for explaining the operation of the third embodiment, and C is a 13-13 sectional view in FIG. 11 for explaining the operation of the third embodiment. Fig.

14 is a cross-sectional view of 1404 in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment.

16 is a partially exploded perspective view of FIG.

FIG. 17A is a diagram for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment.
5 is a 17-17 sectional view of FIG. 5, B is a 17-17 sectional view of FIG. 15 for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment, and C is a 17-17 sectional view of FIG. 15 for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 17D is a sectional view taken along line 17-17 of FIG. 15 for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 18A is a diagram for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment.
18 is a 18-18 sectional view of FIG. 5, B is a 18-18 sectional view of FIG. 15 for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment.

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A multi-directional operation switch having a central switch and a plurality of peripheral switches provided around the central switch and driving a desired switch by depressing a key top. A wiring board having a plurality of peripheral fixed contacts arranged on a circumference surrounding the contacts, and a dome-shaped central movable contact that is arranged to face the central fixed contact and that forms the central switch together with the central fixed contact. A peripheral movable contact that is disposed on each of the peripheral fixed contacts so as to face each other and that forms a corresponding peripheral switch together with the facing peripheral fixed contacts, and a central plate portion that is disposed above the central movable contact. A plurality of legs bent from the periphery of the central plate toward the wiring board, and a fulcrum formed so as to project from the lower center surface of the central plate toward the wiring board. A frame fixed to the wiring board, a keytop located above the frame, an opening for accommodating the keytop, the housing fixed on the wiring board, and the central plate portion of the frame. A base portion that faces the lower surface of the key top with a plurality of arms interposed therebetween, a plurality of arm portions that are radially extended from the base portion, and are fixed to the lower surface of the key top, and the frame formed at the center of the upper surface of the base portion. A pusher having an engaging portion that rotatably engages with the fulcrum portion, and a central pressing protrusion formed facing the central movable contact at the center of the lower surface of the base portion; A space is formed between the upper surface of the base portion and the lower surface of the key top so as to rotatably accommodate the central plate portion of the frame. 2. The multidirectional operation switch according to claim 1, wherein a peripheral pressing protrusion facing each peripheral movable contact is provided on a lower surface of each arm portion of the pusher. 3. The multidirectional operation switch according to claim 2, wherein the central movable contact, the central pressing protrusion, and the fulcrum portion and the engaging portion are elastically contacted with each other when the key top is not operated. 4. The multidirectional operation switch according to claim 1, wherein a peripheral pressing protrusion facing each peripheral movable contact is provided on a lower surface of the key top. 5. The multidirectional operation switch according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of holding pieces are provided on an inner peripheral surface of the opening of the housing, and the leg portions are bent outward in an L shape. The tips of the legs of the frame are sandwiched and fixed between the holding pieces and the wiring board. 6. The multidirectional operation switch according to claim 4, wherein a slit for accommodating the base portion of the pusher is formed in the center, and a mounting plate on which the leg portion of the frame is mounted across the slit is the housing. A peripheral pressing protrusion formed on the lower surface of the key top is sandwiched between the wiring boards and faces the peripheral movable contact through the slit. 7. The multi-directional operation switch according to claim 4, which has an opening for accommodating the pusher in a central portion and an annular ridge formed on a peripheral edge of the opening, and is formed on a lower surface of the key top. An elastic sheet having the annular ridge fitted in the annular fitting groove is provided between the housing and the wiring board. 8. The multi-directional operation switch according to claim 4, further comprising an annular plate portion and a plurality of frame supporting protrusions protruding from the inner peripheral edge of the annular plate portion toward the center, wherein the frame is located at the center. A mounting plate is provided, in which the legs of the frame are fixed to the frame supporting protrusions, respectively, and a double-sided adhesive sheet with a cutout in the center for bonding the annular plate portion of the mounting plate to the wiring board. The peripheral pressing protrusion of the key top and the pusher are located on the cut out region of the double-sided adhesive sheet.