JP6262181B2 - Switches and electronic devices - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a switch and an electronic device.

  Conventionally, portable electronic devices using a slide-type switch are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a portable electronic device including a switch that is operated by sliding a member along the surface of a housing.

JP 2001-156910 A

  However, the switch portion of the portable electronic device described in Patent Document 1 does not have waterproof and dustproof functions.

  An object of the present invention made in view of such a viewpoint is to provide a switch and an electronic apparatus with improved performance.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a switch according to the present invention includes an operation unit that is disposed in the opening and is displaced with respect to a predetermined surface, a first ferromagnetic body that is displaced in conjunction with the operation unit, A magnetic sensor that is disposed in a housing and detects the magnetic body; and a sheet interposed between the first ferromagnetic body and the operation unit, wherein the first ferromagnetic body in the sheet includes: the surface in contact is Ri Do a fluororesin, wherein the operating portion comprises a second ferromagnetic, the first ferromagnetic body, between the the first ferromagnetic second ferromagnetic Displaced in conjunction with the operation portion by the magnetic force generated in .

  The operation unit is displaced in a direction parallel to the predetermined surface.

  Further, at least one of the first ferromagnet and the second ferromagnet is made of a permanent magnet.

Also, one of the first ferromagnetic body or said second ferromagnetic body formed of a soft magnetic material.

  Moreover, the said sheet | seat has waterproofness or dustproofness.

  The magnetic sensor is composed of a Hall element.

  A plurality of the magnetic sensors are arranged in the casing along the direction in which the operation unit is displaced.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes any one of the switches described above and a control unit that controls switching of a predetermined function, and the control unit is the magnetic sensor. The switching of the predetermined function is controlled based on a comparison between the detected detection result and a predetermined threshold value.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the switch and electronic device which can improve performance can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the switch part of the electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining an example of the magnetic force which a magnetic sensor detects. It is a figure which shows the functional block diagram of the electronic device which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of an electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a housing 110 and a switch 200. The housing 110 has a back surface 113 that faces the positive direction of the Z-axis and a front surface 112 that faces the negative direction of the Z-axis as shown in the drawing. An opening 111 is provided on the surface 112 of the housing 110. The switch 200 is incorporated in the opening 111. The switch 200 switches a predetermined function of the electronic device 100. In the present embodiment, the switch 200 will be described below on the assumption that the switch 200 has a function of switching on and off the power supply of the electronic device 100.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the switch of the electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1, and mainly shows a cross-sectional configuration of the switch 200. The switch 200 includes an operation unit 201, a first ferromagnetic body 202, a second ferromagnetic body 203, a first magnetic sensor 204, a second magnetic sensor 205, and a sheet 206. The first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 are mounted on the circuit board 130. A circuit component 131 including a controller that controls the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor is mounted on the circuit board 130.

  The operation unit 201 is disposed in the opening 111 of the housing 110 and is displaced in the opening 111 along the surface 112 of the housing 100. In the present embodiment, the operation unit 201 is displaced in the Y-axis direction within the opening 111. The present invention is not limited to this, and the operation unit 201 may be displaced in the X-axis direction along the surface 112 of the housing 100. Further, the operation unit 201 may be displaced in a direction perpendicular to the surface 112 of the housing 100. A part of the operation unit 201 protrudes to the surface 112 side, and the user switches the function of the electronic device 100 by operating the operation unit protruding to the surface. The operation unit 201 includes a second ferromagnetic material 203. The second ferromagnetic body 203 is displaced in conjunction with the operation unit 201. The second ferromagnet 203 and the first ferromagnet 202 are attracted by the mutual magnetic force. Therefore, the first ferromagnetic body 202 is displaced in conjunction with the second ferromagnetic body 203. That is, since the operation unit 201 includes the second ferromagnetic body 203, the first ferromagnetic body 202 is displaced in conjunction with the operation unit 201.

  A ferromagnetic material is a substance having the property of attaching to a magnet. One of the first ferromagnet 202 and the second ferromagnet 203 is composed of a magnet. A permanent magnet and an electromagnet can be used for the magnet. If a small permanent magnet having a strong magnetic force is used, the switch 200 can be miniaturized. The permanent magnet can be made of a material such as a samarium cobalt magnet, a neodymium magnet, a ferrite magnet, or an alnico magnet. Among these, neodymium magnets have the strongest magnetic force and are suitable for downsizing the switch 200. One of the first ferromagnet 202 and the second ferromagnet 203 may be made of a soft magnetic material. The soft magnetic material is a material having a small coercive force and a large magnetic permeability, and can be made of a material such as iron, nickel iron alloy, martensitic stainless steel, ferrite stainless steel, austenite / ferrite stainless steel, or the like. The material used for the first ferromagnet 202 and the second ferromagnet 203 is a material having a sufficient magnetic force even when the sheet 206 is interposed therebetween.

  For example, a neodymium magnet that is a permanent magnet may be used for both the first ferromagnetic body 202 and the second ferromagnetic body 203. For example, the first ferromagnetic body 202 may be a neodymium magnet that is a permanent magnet, and the second ferromagnetic body 203 may be a nickel iron alloy that is a soft magnetic material. For example, the first ferromagnetic body 202 may be a nickel iron alloy that is a soft magnetic material, and the second ferromagnetic body 203 may be a neodymium magnet that is a permanent magnet.

  A sheet 206 is interposed between the first ferromagnetic body 202 and the second ferromagnetic body 203. The sheet 206 is made of a waterproof or dustproof material. The outer periphery of the sheet 206 is bonded to the stepped portion of the opening 111 to prevent moisture or dust from entering the housing. The first ferromagnetic body 202 is displaced while contacting the surface of the sheet 206 in conjunction with the displacement of the operation unit 201. Therefore, the sheet 206 is made of a material that does not stick to the magnet. The sheet 206 is not made of a ferromagnetic material but is made of a material that does not stick or melt with heat. The sheet 206 can be made of a material such as a polyester resin, an acrylic resin, a glass sheet, an aluminum sheet, or a cloth. The sheet 206 is preferably made as thin as possible so as not to weaken the magnetic force attracted between the first ferromagnetic body 202 and the second ferromagnetic body 203. For example, the sheet 206 is made of polyethylene terephthalate resin and has a thickness of 0.5 mm or less.

  The friction coefficient is reduced on the surface of the sheet 206 in contact with the first ferromagnetic body 202 so that the first ferromagnetic body 202 is smoothly displaced on the surface of the sheet 206 in conjunction with the operation unit 201. Surface treatment may be performed. In this embodiment, the fluororesin sheet 207 is bonded to a part of the surface of the sheet 206 opposite to the opening 111. For the fluororesin sheet, for example, a material such as Teflon (registered trademark) or Fluon (registered trademark) can be used. The treatment for reducing the friction coefficient may be, for example, adhesion of a nylon resin sheet. In the process of reducing the friction coefficient, for example, the surface may be polished.

  A drop prevention sheet 208 may be interposed between the first ferromagnetic body 202 and the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205. Even when the first ferromagnetic body 202 falls off the surface of the sheet 206 due to impact or vibration, the fall-off prevention sheet 208 holds the first ferromagnetic body 202. Accordingly, the first ferromagnetic body 202 can be returned to the surface of the sheet 206 by the magnetic force with the second ferromagnetic body 203. The fall-off prevention sheet 208 is preferably made of a material that does not reduce the magnetic force of the first ferromagnetic body 202. For example, a polyester resin sheet or the like is used.

  According to this embodiment, a small switch having a waterproof and dustproof function can be realized. Furthermore, since the first ferromagnetic body 202 that is displaced in conjunction with the operation unit 201 has a configuration close to the first magnetic sensors 204 and 205, the sensitivity of the switch is further improved and the switch operation is also stabilized. In addition, the first ferromagnetic body 202 can be prevented from being deteriorated by moisture. When Hall elements are used for the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205, the electronic device 100 can be further reduced in size and power consumption.

  The first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 are sensors that detect magnetic force. The first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 are mounted on the circuit board 130 at a predetermined interval T. The first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 are disposed along the movement path of the operation unit 201, and are disposed along the Y-axis direction in the present embodiment. The first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 can be made of a material such as a Hall element, a magnetic impedance element, or a coil, for example. The first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 detect a magnetic force when the operation unit 201 is displaced. Two of the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 are not necessarily required. The switch 200 can be configured using only the first magnetic sensor. Hereinafter, the operation of the switch 200 using the magnetic sensor will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of the magnetic sensor and the ferromagnetic material. FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of the magnetic force detected by the magnetic sensor. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the magnetic flux density detected by the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 in the arrangement shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3A shows the first magnetic sensor 204, the second magnetic sensor 205, and the first ferromagnetic body 202 extracted from the cross-sectional structure of the switch 200 shown in FIG. The first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 are arranged on the circuit board 130 at a distance T. Here, a line connecting the mounting surfaces of the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 on the circuit board 130 is defined as a Y axis. When the position of the central axis of the first magnetic sensor 204 is set to Y = 0, the central axis of the second magnetic sensor 205 is arranged at a position of Y = T. The first ferromagnetic body 202 indicated by a solid line is arranged so that the central axis of the first magnetic sensor 204 coincides with the central axis. Further, the first ferromagnetic body 202 and the first magnetic sensor 204 indicated by a solid line are arranged at an interval of the gap amount Zg. From this state, the first ferromagnetic body 202 moves in the positive Y-axis direction while maintaining the gap amount Zg in the Z-axis direction. This movement is interlocked with the user operation on the operation unit 201 described above. The first ferromagnetic body 202 moves to the position just above the second magnetic sensor 205 along the Y axis. The first ferromagnetic body 202 after movement is indicated by a dotted line. The central axis of the first ferromagnetic body 202 after the movement coincides with the central axis of the second magnetic sensor 205 and is located at a position of Y = T.

  FIG. 3B shows the detected amount of magnetic flux density detected by the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 when the first ferromagnetic body 202 moves from Y = 0 to Y = T. This shows the detected amount of magnetic flux density detected by. The detection result of the first magnetic sensor 204 is indicated by a line 214, and the detection result of the second magnetic sensor 205 is indicated by a line 215. As an example, the first ferromagnetic body 202 is a neodymium magnet having a diameter of 2 × 1 mm. As an example, the gap amount Zg was set to 1.2 mm. As an example, the interval T between the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 is 8 mm. The first magnetic sensor 204 has the maximum detection amount when the position of the first ferromagnetic body 202 is Y = 0. In the first magnetic sensor 204, the detection amount decreases as the first ferromagnetic body 202 moves in the positive direction of the Y axis, and the detection amount becomes substantially zero at the position of Y = T. The detection amount of the second magnetic sensor 205 is almost zero when the position of the first ferromagnetic body 202 is Y = 0. The detection amount of the second magnetic sensor 205 increases as the first ferromagnetic body 202 moves in the positive direction of the Y axis, and the detection amount becomes maximum at the position of Y = T.

  Next, switching of the switches in the control unit 300 will be described. The control unit 300 controls switching of a predetermined function based on the detection results of the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205. In the present embodiment, the control unit 300 will be described as controlling the power on / off switch function of the electronic device 100. The control unit 300 controls a switch function by comparing a preset threshold value with detection results of the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205. The control unit determines whether or not the detection result exceeds a threshold value in each of the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, a case where a magnetic flux density of 20 mT is used as a threshold value will be described. In the case of the position of the operation unit 201 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first ferromagnetic body 202 is disposed at a position of Y = 0 to t1, and therefore the detection result of the first magnetic sensor 204 is equal to or greater than the threshold value. is there. On the other hand, the detection result of the second magnetic sensor 205 is less than the threshold value. In this state, the power supply of the electronic device 100 is in an off state. When the operation unit 201 is moved and operated along the Y axis, the first ferromagnetic body 202 is arranged at a position of Y = t1 to t2. Here, the detection results of both the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 are less than the threshold value. In this case, the control unit 300 maintains the previous state. Specifically, the control unit keeps the electronic device 100 powered off. When the operation unit 201 is further moved along the Y axis, the first ferromagnetic body 202 is arranged at a position of Y = t2 to T. The detection result of the first magnetic sensor 204 is less than the threshold value. On the other hand, the detection result of the second magnetic sensor 205 is equal to or greater than the threshold value. In this state, the controller 300 executes switching of the switch function. Specifically, the control unit switches the power supply of electronic device 100 from off to on. When the threshold is set to a value such that the detection results of the plurality of magnetic sensors do not simultaneously exceed the threshold, the switch operation is stable and the electronic device 100 operates stably. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If the threshold value is set low, an area where the detection results of the two magnetic sensors are equal to or greater than the threshold value is generated at the same time. However, the control unit 300 realizes a switch function without malfunctioning if the previous state is maintained. it can. When a magnet approaches the electronic device 100, the detection results of the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 may be equal to or greater than the threshold value at the same time. Even in this case, if the control unit 300 maintains the previous state, the malfunction due to the external magnetic field is prevented, and the electronic device 100 can realize a stable operation. Furthermore, since the magnetic shield structure is unnecessary, the electronic device 100 can be downsized. In the present embodiment, when the number of magnetic sensors whose detection results exceed the threshold is 1, the control unit 300 switches functions according to the positions of the magnetic sensors whose detection results exceed the threshold. In addition, when the number of magnetic sensors whose detection result exceeds the threshold is 2 or 0, the control unit 300 maintains the immediately preceding function.

  In the present embodiment, the number of magnetic sensors is two, but is not limited thereto. When the number of magnetic sensors is one, the control unit 300 may switch the function of the electronic device 100 based on whether or not it is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value. At that time, a magnetic shield may be provided around the magnetic sensor or the casing 110 so that the operation of the electronic device 100 does not become unstable due to the external magnetic field. Further, the number of magnetic sensors may be three or more. In that case, the control unit 300 can control switching of three or more functions.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the electronic device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device 100 includes a first magnetic sensor 204, a second magnetic sensor 205, a control unit 300, a power supply unit 310, a display unit 320, a storage unit 330, and a communication unit 340. In the present embodiment, the first magnetic sensor 204, the second magnetic sensor 205, the control unit 300, the power supply unit 310, the storage unit 330, and the communication unit 340 can be configured to be included in the electronic device 100, respectively. . In the present embodiment, the display unit 320 may be provided on the front surface 112 and the back surface 113 of the electronic device 100.

  The first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205 detect the magnetic force of the ferromagnetic material that is displaced in conjunction with the operation unit 201 as described above. In the present invention, three or more magnetic sensors may be provided.

  The control unit 300 is a processor that controls and manages the entire electronic device 100 including each functional block of the electronic device 100. In addition, the control unit 300 compares detection results detected by a plurality of magnetic sensors with preset threshold values. As a result, switching of the function of the electronic device 100 is controlled based on the number and position of the magnetic sensors in which the detection result equal to or greater than the threshold is detected. For example, the control unit 300 may control switching of a power source, a display device, a communication function, on / off, a display state, a communication mode, and the like. The communication control unit 300 is configured by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program that defines a control procedure and a program that determines function switching, and the program is stored in a storage medium such as the storage unit 330, for example. can do.

  The power supply unit 310 includes, for example, a lithium ion battery and a control circuit for charging and discharging the lithium ion battery, and supplies power to the entire electronic device 100 and particularly to the magnetic sensor.

  The display unit 320 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or an inorganic EL display. The display unit 320 may perform a predetermined display when the user operates the switch 200.

  The storage unit 330 can be configured by a semiconductor memory or a magnetic memory, and stores various information, a program for operating the electronic device 100, and the like, and also functions as a work memory. The storage unit 330 may store the detection results obtained by the first magnetic sensor 204 and the second magnetic sensor 205, for example.

  The communication unit 340 transmits and receives various data by performing wired communication or wireless communication with an external device. For example, the communication unit 340 may communicate with an external device and transmit a result detected by the electronic device 100 to the external device.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and corrections based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these variations and modifications are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the functions included in each means, each member, etc. can be rearranged so that there is no logical contradiction, and it is possible to combine or divide a plurality of means, members, etc. into one. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Electronic device 110 Housing 111 Opening part 112 Front surface 113 Back surface 130 Circuit board 131 Circuit component 200 Switch 201 Operation part 202 1st ferromagnetic body 203 2nd ferromagnetic body 204 1st magnetic sensor 205 2nd magnetic sensor 206 Sheet 207 Fluorine resin 208 Drop-off prevention sheet 214 Detection result 215 of first magnetic sensor 204 Detection result 300 of second magnetic sensor 205 Control unit 310 Power supply unit 320 Display unit 330 Storage unit 340 Communication unit

Claims (8)

A housing having an opening on a predetermined surface;
An operation unit disposed in the opening and displaced with respect to a predetermined surface;
A first ferromagnetic body that is displaced in conjunction with the operation section;
A magnetic sensor that is disposed within the housing and detects the magnetic body;
A sheet interposed between the first ferromagnetic body and the operation unit,
Surface on which the first ferromagnetic body in the sheet is in contact is Ri Do fluororesin,
The operation unit includes a second ferromagnetic body,
The switch , wherein the first ferromagnetic body is displaced in conjunction with the operation unit by a magnetic force generated between the first ferromagnetic body and the second ferromagnetic body .   The switch according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit is displaced in a direction parallel to the predetermined surface. The switch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the first ferromagnet and the second ferromagnet is made of a permanent magnet. 4. The switch according to claim 1, wherein one of the first ferromagnet and the second ferromagnet is made of a soft magnetic material. 5. The switch according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the sheet has waterproofness or dustproofness. The switch according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the magnetic sensor includes a Hall element. The switch according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein a plurality of the magnetic sensors are arranged in the housing along a direction in which the operation unit is displaced. A switch according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
A control unit for controlling switching of a predetermined function,
The control unit is an electronic device that controls switching of the predetermined function based on a comparison between a detection result detected by the magnetic sensor and a predetermined threshold.

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