JP5835841B2 - Push switch - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a push switch for a lateral push operation, and more particularly, to a push switch with good operability even when downsized.

  In recent years, a push switch for a lateral push operation is often used as an operation switch disposed on the side of a mobile phone such as a smartphone. In smartphones, it is necessary to arrange more parts in a limited space as the functionality increases.

  In the future, as smartphones become more sophisticated, smaller push switches are required to place more parts in a limited space.

  As a conventional push switch, a push switch described in Patent Document 1 below is known.

  Hereinafter, the push switch described in Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 10 is an external view of the push switch SW. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the push switch SW.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the push switch SW described in Patent Document 1 is a switch that is fixed by insert molding so that the center fixed contact CC and the outer fixed contact OC are exposed on the bottom surface of the recess BT that is open at the front. It has a main body SB, and includes receiving portions CT formed outwardly projecting on both sides and the rear surface of the switch main body SB, and is attached to a notch formed at the end of the printed wiring board. In this case, the rear portion of the switch body SB is in contact with the rear end surface of the notch, and the lower surface of the receiving portion CT is formed in an insulating resin shape that can be placed in contact with the upper surface of the printed wiring board. The case CA, the dome-shaped movable contact MC made of a thin elastic metal plate, the outer peripheral end of which is placed on the outer fixed contact OC and accommodated in the recess BT of the case, and the dome-shaped movable contact MC are connected to the case CA. The sheet member ST held and protected by the CA, the operating body AC arranged to be movable back and forth in the case CA so that the dome-shaped movable contact MC can be pressed at the rear end, and the operating body attached to the case CA and operated on the rear surface It consists of a cover CV for holding AC, and a terminal TR that is electrically connected to a central fixed contact CC and an outer fixed contact OC provided in the recess BT of the case CA.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the cover CV has an opening OM through which the operating body AC can be inserted, and the width of the opening OM in the vertical direction is the vertical direction of the surface of the cover CV having the opening OM. The width dimension in the left-right direction of the opening OM is smaller than the width dimension in the left-right direction of the surface on which the cover CV has the opening OM.

Japanese Patent No. 3959916

  The push switch SW described in Patent Document 1 is a push switch that has no particular problem in use when used normally.

  However, when the push switch SW is downsized, the opening OM and the operating portion BT that is actually operated of the operating body AC are also reduced accordingly, and the operating area of the operating portion BT may be small and the operability may be deteriorated. there were.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems and provides a push switch that can maintain operability even when the device is downsized.

The push switch according to claim 1 presses the movable contact plate, a housing having a plurality of fixed contacts, a movable contact plate disposed in the housing and being brought into and out of contact with the plurality of fixed contacts in response to a pressing operation. An operation unit for the above, a cover that is fitted to the housing and prevents the operation unit from falling off, and a sheet member that is disposed between the movable contact plate disposed in the housing and the operation unit, The movable contact plate is disposed in contact with a part of the plurality of fixed contacts, the operation unit is disposed so as to be able to press the movable contact plate, and the operation unit performs a pressing operation on the base and the base from the outside. A push switch having an opening through which the button portion can be inserted, and the housing is a pair of guides that guide the operation portion that moves in response to an external operation. Has id wall, said guide wall is spaced sandwiching the region in which the plurality of stationary contacts disposed, wherein the operating portion disposed in the space formed by the housing and the cover, the sheet member And the movable contact plate is covered with the cover in the two opposite directions and covered by the guide wall in the other two opposite directions, and is perpendicular to the direction in which the operation unit is pressed. On the other hand, one width dimension of the opening is expanded to substantially the same dimension as one width dimension of the cover, and one width dimension of the button part is one width dimension of the base part. It has the characteristic that it is the substantially same dimension.

  The push switch according to claim 2 is characterized in that the cover has a front plate provided with the opening, and the front plate is divided by the opening.

The push switch according to claim 3 , wherein when the base portion is viewed from the surface side from which the button portion protrudes, each of the four corners of the base portion has inclined surfaces formed in a chamfered shape, The guide wall surface corresponding to the inclined surface has a feature that guide portions for guiding the inclined surface are respectively formed.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the one width dimension of the button section and the one width dimension of the operation section are the same dimension, the size of the button section can be increased and the product can be downsized. Even if it is a case, there exists an effect that operativity can be maintained. Further, the operation unit, the sheet member, and the movable contact plate, which are integrally disposed in the housing by the cover, are covered with the cover in one width direction, and the outside is covered with the guide wall in the other width direction. Thus, it is possible to reduce the size of the housing in the direction of covering the outside, and to provide a downsized push switch having dust resistance equivalent to that of the conventional structure .

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to dispose the operation portion even in a region that could not be disposed conventionally by making one width dimension of the opening and one width dimension of the cover the same. Thus, it is possible to increase the size of the button portion, and to maintain the operability more reliably even when the product is downsized.

According to the invention of claim 3 , by operating the inclined surface portion provided in the operation portion with the guide portion provided in the guide wall, the movement of the operation portion becomes smooth, and the push switch has good operability even if it is downsized. It is possible to provide the effect.

2 is an exploded perspective view showing components of the push switch 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the front surface of the push switch. It is a figure which shows the rear surface of the push switch. It is a figure which shows the housing. It is a figure which shows the movable contact plate. It is a figure which shows the sheet member. It is a figure which shows the operation part. It is a figure which shows the cover. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the push switch. It is an external view of push switch SW. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of push switch SW.

[First Embodiment]
The push switch 1 in the first embodiment will be described below.

  First, the configuration of the push switch 1 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing components of the push switch 1. FIG. 2 is a view showing the front surface of the push switch 1. FIG. 3 is a view showing the back surface of the push switch 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the push switch 1 includes a housing 11 having a plurality of fixed contacts 16, a movable contact plate 12 that is arranged in the housing 11 and that is separated from and in contact with the plurality of fixed contacts 16 according to a pressing operation, and a movable contact plate The sheet member 13 that holds the 12 in the housing 11 in a state where it can be separated from the fixed contact 16, and a part that protrudes from the front side of the housing 11, for moving the movable contact plate 12 by pressing operation An operating body 14 and a cover 15 that is fitted to the housing 11 and prevents the operating body 14 from falling off are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the push switch 1, a part of the lower side of the housing 11 can be disposed in a notch portion SL provided in the board BO of the electrical product, and the operation body 14 is disposed in the housing 11. This push switch is movable in the direction from the front side to the rear side (arrow A direction). Note that the shape of the substrate BO is simply shown for explanation, and the shape varies depending on various electric products.

  Next, component parts will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a view showing the housing 11, FIG. 4A is a view showing the front side of the housing 11, and FIG. 4B is a view showing the rear side of the housing 11. FIG. 5 is a view showing the movable contact plate 12, FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the movable contact plate 12, and FIG. 5B is a view showing a side surface of the movable contact plate 12. FIG. 6 is a view showing the sheet member member 13. 7 is a diagram showing the operation unit 14, FIG. 7A is a diagram showing the front side of the operation unit 14, and FIG. 7B is a diagram showing the rear side of the operation unit 14. FIG. 8 is a view showing the cover 15, FIG. 8A is a view showing the upper side of the cover 15, and FIG. 8B is a view showing the lower side of the cover 15.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 11 is made of a synthetic resin material and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Further, the housing 11 has a base part 11a, and a fixed contact 16 that is partially exposed from the surface of the housing 11 is formed integrally with the base part 11a by insert molding. The fixed contact 16 is made of a metal plate.

  In the center of the front surface of the base portion 11a, there is provided an arrangement portion 11b of the movable contact plate 12 which is formed in a substantially elliptical concave shape and on which the movable contact plate 12 can be arranged. The first fixed contact 16a, which is a part, is exposed and provided at the left and right ends of the arrangement part 11b. The second fixed contact 16b is a part of the fixed contact 16 and is not electrically connected to the first fixed contact 16a. Is exposed.

  Reinforcing pieces formed by extending a part of the second fixed contact 16b formed integrally with the housing 11 to the position corresponding to the fitting part 11e in the left and right direction at the left and right ends on the upper front side of the base part 11a. 16 c is provided so as to be exposed to the outside of the housing 11.

  On the front surface of the base portion 11a, guide walls 11c for guiding the operation of the operation portion 14 are formed on both the left and right sides of the placement portion 11b so as to protrude perpendicularly to the base portion 11a and forward. ing. A guide portion 11d formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the operation portion 14 is formed on the surface of the guide wall 11c on the side facing the arrangement portion 11b.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, a fitting portion 11e that fits the cover 15 is provided at the position of the rear surface of the base portion 11a corresponding to the position where the reinforcing piece 16c is provided. The fitting portion 11e is formed along a fitting surface 11f which is a flat surface formed along the direction from the upper side to the lower side of the housing 11 and a direction from the upper side to the lower side of the housing 11. The guide surface 11g is a flat surface, the fitting surface 11f is formed facing the rear, and the guide surface 11g is a surface continuous with the fitting surface 11f, and forward with respect to the fitting surface 11f. Inclined.

  On the rear side of the housing 11, a first terminal 16d and a second terminal 16e, which are made of a metal plate and can be electrically connected to the outside, are provided. The first terminal 16d and the second terminal 16e are formed so as to be aligned in the left-right direction and protrude rearward.

  The first terminal 16d is formed by extending a part of the first fixed contact 16a, and the second terminal 16e is formed by extending a part of the second fixed contact 16b.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the movable contact plate 12 is made of a metal plate and has a substantially elliptical dome shape. The movable contact portion 12a formed in the dome shape is reversed after being bent in the pressing direction when pressed from the direction in which the movable contact portion 12a protrudes, and returns to the shape before pressing when the pressing is released.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the sheet member 13 is made of a synthetic resin material having flexibility and is formed in a sheet shape. The outer shape of the sheet member 13 is formed in a substantially octagonal shape, and an adhesive surface 13a coated with an adhesive is formed on one surface.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the operation unit 14 is made of a synthetic resin material. The operation unit 14 includes a base portion 14a formed in a plate shape, and a button portion 14b that is formed to protrude from one surface of the base portion 14a in a column shape and receives a pressing operation from the outside. The width of the button portion 14b in the vertical direction is formed to be substantially the same as the width of the base portion 14a in the vertical direction.

  When the operation portion 14 is viewed from the front side, the base portion 14a is formed in a substantially octagonal shape, and the four corners of the base portion 14a of the operation portion 14 have inclined surfaces 14c each formed in a chamfered shape.

  A convex portion 14d that can press the movable contact portion 12a of the movable contact plate 12 is formed at the center of the other surface of the base portion 14a. The convex part 14d is formed in a shape such that the tip of a cone protruding in a direction away from the base part 14a is cut off.

  As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the cover 15 is formed by processing a metal plate. The cover 15 has a substantially rectangular front plate 15a, a protective wall 15b extending from the top and bottom of the front plate 15a to the front plate 15a in the same direction (backward), and left and right of the front plate 15a. And a side wall 15c extending perpendicularly to the front plate 15a in the same direction as the protective wall 15b.

  Further, the front plate 15a of the cover 15 has an opening 15d through which the button portion 14b can be inserted. The vertical width of the opening 15d is expanded to the same size as the vertical width of the front plate 15a, and the front plate 15a is divided by the opening 15d.

  The protective wall 15b has an extended portion 15e extending rearward from the left and right ends of the rear end surface of the protective wall 15b, and is provided at the tip of the extended portion 15e so as to protrude outward in the left-right direction. And a fitting piece 15f that fits into the fitting portion 11e of the housing 11.

  The side wall 15c has a soldering portion 15g to be soldered when attached to the board BO (see FIG. 2), and the soldering portion 15g has the lower end of the side wall 15c perpendicular to the side wall 15c and the inside of the cover 15 It is formed by bending it.

  Further, the lower region of the cover 15 including the soldering portion 15g is plated with gold.

  Next, the structure of the push switch 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, two movable contact plates 12 are stacked and arranged on the arrangement portion 11 b of the housing 11. At this time, the movable contact plate 12 is disposed with the movable contact portion 12a facing away from the fixed contact 16 provided in the housing 11, and is electrically connected to the second fixed contact 16b.

  The sheet member 13 is disposed with the adhesive surface 13a facing the movable contact plate 12 so as to overlap the movable contact plate 12, and a part of the adhesive surface 13a is adhered to the base portion 11a of the housing 11 so that the movable contact plate 12 is bonded. Is held in the housing 11.

  The operation unit 14 is disposed so as to overlap the sheet member 13 so that the convex portion 14 d (see FIG. 7) abuts the sheet member 13. At this time, the inclined surface 14c of the operation part 14 is guided by the guide part 11d of the guide wall 11c corresponding to each, and is arrange | positioned so that a movement along the guide part 11d is possible. The button portion 14b is disposed so as to protrude forward from the guide portion 11d of the housing 11.

  The cover 15 is disposed so as to overlap the housing 11 so that the guide wall 11c of the housing 11 is inserted into a region surrounded by the protective wall 15b and the side wall 15c. At this time, the button portion 14b of the operation portion 14 is inserted through the opening portion 15d of the cover 15 and is disposed on the front side of the housing 11 in a state exposed to the outside.

  The cover 15 is fitted into the housing 11 by caulking the fitting piece 15f of the cover 15 arranged so as to overlap the housing 11, and the fitting surface 11f engages with the fitting piece 15f, as shown in FIG. Push switch 1.

  As a result, the operation unit 14, the sheet member 13, and the movable contact plate 12 that are integrally disposed in the housing 11 by the cover 15 are covered with the cover 15 in one width direction (vertical direction), and the other width direction. In the (left-right direction), the outside is covered with the guide wall 11c.

  Further, the vertical dimension of the opening 15d is expanded to the same dimension as the vertical dimension of the cover 15, and the vertical dimension of the button section 14b is expanded to the same dimension as the vertical dimension of the operation section 14. In addition, the vertical dimension of the operation unit 14 is expanded to the maximum extent within a range that does not hinder the movement associated with the pressing operation from the outside.

  Next, the operation of the push switch 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the push switch 1, FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating the state of the push switch 1 before the operation, and FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating the state of the push switch 1 after the operation. FIG. For ease of explanation, only one movable contact spring 12 is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, when the button portion 14b of the operation unit 14 is pressed in the arrow B direction, the operation unit 14 moves in the arrow B direction. As shown in FIG. 9B, the operation unit 14 that has moved in the direction of the arrow B abuts the convex portion 14 d against the sheet member 13 and presses the movable contact plate 12 via the sheet member 13. The pressed movable contact plate 12 bends in the direction in which the movable contact portion 12a is pressed, and comes into contact with the first fixed contact 16a.

  When the pressed movable contact plate 12 contacts the first fixed contact 16a, the first fixed contact 16a and the second fixed contact 16b are electrically connected via the movable contact plate 12. When the pressing operation on the operation unit 14 is released, the operation unit 14, the sheet member 13, and the movable contact plate 12 return to the positions before being pressed by the elastic force of the movable contact plate 12, and the first fixed contact 16 a. And the electrical connection between the second fixed contact 16b is released. Thus, a switch function is obtained by switching the electrical continuity between the first fixed contact 16a and the second fixed contact 16b.

  Next, attachment of the push switch 1 to the board BO of the electrical product will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a view for explaining a method for attaching the push switch 1 to the board BO of the electric product. FIG. 11A is a view showing a state before the push switch 1 is attached to the board BO. b) is a diagram showing a state in which the push switch 1 is attached to the substrate BO.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, the board BO is made of a metal foil and is electrically connected to the push switch 1 made of a metal foil and a first land portion LN1 for holding the push switch 1 on the board. A second land portion LN2 and a cutout portion SL cut into a concave shape are formed.

  As shown in FIG. 11B, the push switch 1 is arranged by inserting a part of the lower side of the housing 11 into the notch SL (see FIG. 11A). At this time, the soldering portion 15g provided in the cover 15 is disposed on the first land portion LN1, the first terminal 16d is disposed on one second land portion LN2, and the other second land portion LN2 is disposed. The second terminal 16e is disposed in the.

  By soldering the soldering portion 15h, the first terminal 16d, and the second terminal 16e arranged in this manner to the corresponding first land portion LN1 or second land portion LN2, the push switch 1 is placed on the board BO. It is fixed and electrically connected to the substrate BO.

  Hereinafter, the effect by having set it as this embodiment is demonstrated.

  In the push switch 1 of the present embodiment, a housing 11 having a plurality of fixed contacts 16, a movable contact plate 12 that is arranged in the housing 11 and contacts and separates from the plurality of fixed contacts 16 according to a pressing operation, and presses the movable contact plate 12. An operation unit 14 for operation, a cover 15 fitted to the housing 11 to prevent the operation unit 14 from falling off, and a sheet member disposed between the movable contact plate 12 disposed on the housing 11 and the operation unit 14 13, the movable contact plate 12 is disposed in contact with a part of the plurality of fixed contacts 16, the operation unit 14 is disposed so as to be able to press the movable contact plate 12, the operation unit 14 includes a base 14 a, The base portion 14a has a button portion 14b that receives a pressing operation from the outside, and the cover 15 is a push switch having an opening portion 15d through which the button portion 14b can be inserted. The guide wall 11c guides the operating portion 14 that moves in response to an operation from the guide wall 11c, and the guide wall 11c is disposed on the outer side in the other width direction of the region where the plurality of fixed contacts 16 are arranged. The one width dimension of the button portion 14b is substantially the same as the one width dimension of the base portion 14a.

  Thereby, when the vertical dimension of the button part 14b and the vertical dimension of the operation part 14 are the same, the size of the button part 14b can be increased, and the product is downsized. Even so, the operability can be maintained.

  In the push switch 1 of the present embodiment, the cover 15 has a front plate 15a provided with an opening 15d, and the front plate 15a is divided into two by the opening 15d.

  As a result, by making the vertical dimension of the opening 15d and the vertical dimension of the cover 15 the same, it is possible to arrange the operation unit 14 in a region that could not be arranged conventionally. The size of the button portion 14b can be increased, and the operability can be more reliably maintained even when the product is downsized.

  Further, in the push switch 1 of the present embodiment, the operation unit 14, the sheet member 13, and the movable contact plate 12 disposed in a space formed by the housing 11 and the cover 15 cover the outside in two opposite directions. It was set as the structure where the exterior of another two opposing directions is covered with the guide wall 11c.

  As a result, in the conventional push switch, the operation unit, the sheet member, and the movable contact plate are all surrounded by the housing. However, in the push switch 1, the operation unit 14, the sheet member 13 and The movable contact plate 12 is covered with a cover 15 in the vertical direction and covered with a guide wall 11c in the horizontal direction, so that the vertical dimension of the housing 11 is reduced, and the dust resistance equivalent to that of the conventional structure is achieved. There is an effect that it is possible to provide a downsized push switch.

  Further, in the push switch 1 of the present embodiment, the button portion 14b has a base portion 14a formed to project, and when the base portion 14a is viewed from the surface side from which the button portion 14b projects, there are four corners of the base portion 14a. Each of them has an inclined surface 14c formed in a chamfered shape, and a guide portion 11d for guiding the inclined surface 14c is formed on the surface of the guide wall 11c corresponding to the inclined surface 14c.

  As a result, by guiding the inclined surface 14c provided in the operation portion with the guide portion 11d provided in the guide wall 11c, the operation portion 14 moves smoothly and provides a push switch with good operability even if it is downsized. The effect that it can be done.

  As described above, the push switch according to the embodiment of the present invention has been specifically described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Is possible. For example, the present invention can be modified as follows, and these embodiments also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

  (1) In the present embodiment, two movable contact plates 12 are used in an overlapping manner. However, the number of movable contact plates 12 may be changed as necessary within a range in which the movable contact plates 12 can be arranged.

  (2) In the present embodiment, the gold plating is applied to the lower region of the cover 15 including the soldering portion 15g. However, the gold plating range such as the soldering portion 15g may be narrowed. Thereby, cost can be reduced.

  (3) In the present embodiment, the movable contact plate 12 is formed in a substantially elliptical shape, but may be formed in a circular shape.

1 Push switch 1
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Housing 11a Base part 11b Arrangement part 11c Guide wall 11d Guide part 11e Fitting part 11f Fitting surface 11g Guide surface 12 Movable contact plate 12a Movable contact part 13 Sheet member 13a Adhesive surface 14 Operation part 14a Base part 14b Button part 14c Inclination Surface 14d Convex 15 Cover 15a Front plate 15b Protection wall 15c Side wall 15d Opening 15e Extension 15f Fitting piece 15g Soldering part 16 Fixed contact 16a First fixed contact 16b Second fixed contact 16c Reinforcing piece 16d First terminal 16e Second terminal

Claims (3)

A housing having a plurality of fixed contacts, a movable contact plate disposed in the housing and being brought into and out of contact with the plurality of fixed contacts in response to a pressing operation, an operation portion for pressing the movable contact plate, and a fitting in the housing And a cover for preventing the operation portion from falling off, and a sheet member disposed between the movable contact plate disposed in the housing and the operation portion, wherein the movable contact plate includes the plurality of fixed contacts. The operation part is arranged to be able to press the movable contact plate, the operation part has a base part and a button part that receives a pressing operation from the outside on the base part, and the cover Is a push switch having an opening through which the button can be inserted,
The housing has a pair of guide walls that guide the operation unit that moves in response to an operation from the outside, and the guide walls are arranged with a space between the regions where the plurality of fixed contacts are disposed,
The operation portion, the sheet member, and the movable contact plate arranged in a space formed by the housing and the cover are covered with the cover in two opposing opposite directions, and are separated in another opposing two directions. The outside is covered by the guide wall,
In a plane perpendicular to the direction in which the operation portion is pressed , one width dimension of the opening is expanded to substantially the same dimension as one width dimension of the cover, and one of the button portions The push switch is characterized in that the width dimension is substantially the same as the one width dimension of the base.   The push switch according to claim 1, wherein the cover includes a front plate provided with the opening, and the front plate is divided by the opening.   The operation unit has inclined surfaces formed in chamfered shapes at the four corners of the base portion when the base portion is viewed from the surface side from which the button portion protrudes, and corresponds to the inclined surface. The push switch according to claim 1, wherein a guide portion for guiding the inclined surface is formed on a surface of the guide wall.