JP7220590B2 - Switch member and push switch - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a switch member and a push switch configured using a dome-shaped contact spring.

Conventionally, a push switch includes a substrate, a contact electrode formed on the substrate, and a conductive contact spring that is brought into contact with the contact electrode to achieve electrical continuity. (Patent Document 1).

The contact spring is generally formed in a dome shape, and by pressing the center of this dome, it repeatedly makes contact with and does not contact with the contact electrode. In some cases, a tongue-shaped contact piece (tongue) is formed by notching the central portion of the contact spring in order to smoothly perform such contact and non-contact click operations. Patent Document 2 discloses a switch device having a contact spring provided with a large annular portion on the outer peripheral portion of the tongue in order to facilitate smooth movement of the tongue.

JP 2017-204456 A JP 2017-076488 A

In the above-described conventional push switch, the contact spring is arranged on the sheet switch and fixed by placing a thin sheet-like cover thereon. However, with such a fixing method, contact failure may occur due to displacement of the contact electrode due to elastic deformation of the contact spring. Moreover, since the contact spring is not stable, the switching operation becomes unstable, and a comfortable click feeling cannot be obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a switch member and a push switch in which a contact spring is stably pressed and which is quiet during switching.

The switch member of the present invention comprises a dome-shaped contact spring having a central portion having a tongue, a plurality of legs protruding outward from the central portion, and a cover covering the central portion and the plurality of legs of the contact spring. , wherein the plurality of legs includes a plurality of first legs supported by the sheet switch positioned below the contact spring, and a plurality of second legs having a length shorter than the first legs, The cover is provided with an accommodating portion for holding at least the tip portion of the second leg , and the accommodating portion has an accommodating space into which the tip portion of the second leg is inserted .

According to the switch member of the present invention, since at least the tip portion of the second leg of the contact spring is accommodated in the accommodating portion provided in the cover, the contact spring can be integrally supported together with the cover. In addition, since the shock caused by the pressing action of the contact spring can be buffered in the accommodating portion in which the tip portion of the contact spring is accommodated, quietness can be improved.

4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of the switch member according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from two directions (a) and (b); It is a perspective view of a contact spring. (a) is a perspective view showing the relationship between a contact spring and a cover, and (b) is a perspective view when the contact spring is covered with a cover. (a) is a cross-sectional view before pressing the switch member according to the first embodiment, and (b) is a cross-sectional view when the switch member is pressed. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a switch member of a second embodiment; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a push switch configured using the switch member; It is an exploded perspective view from the upper surface side of the said push switch. It is an exploded perspective view from the lower surface side of the said push switch. (a) is a cross-sectional view before the switch member according to the second embodiment is pressed by the cap, and (b) is a cross-sectional view when the switch member is pressed. (a) is a bottom view of a cover provided with LEDs, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the cover provided with LEDs.

Hereinafter, each embodiment of a switch member and a push switch according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In addition, the drawings schematically represent the switch member and the push switch. These actual dimensions and dimensional ratios do not necessarily match the dimensions and dimensional ratios on the drawings. Duplicate description may be appropriately omitted, and the same reference numerals may be given to the same members.

1 to 4 show a switch member 11a according to a first embodiment of the invention. The switch member 11a comprises a contact spring 12 arranged on the sheet switch 15 shown in FIG. 1 and a cover 13 covering the contact spring 12. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the contact spring 12 is formed in a dome shape with a circular or rectangular center portion 17 and a plurality of legs protruding outward from the outer peripheral edge of the center portion 17. The legs elastically support the central portion 17 . The contact spring 12 is made of a conductive elastic metal material. A substantially rectangular opening 17a having three inner peripheral edges 17b, 17c, and 17d is provided at the central portion of the central portion 17, and a portion of the central portion 17 is provided on the remaining side 17e of the opening 17a. is provided with a tongue piece 21 cut and raised. The tongue 21 is a stick-like elastic piece extending obliquely downward toward the inner peripheral edge 17c on the opposite side of the opening 17a, and is tapered to extend from one side 17e of the opening 17a on the same plane as the central portion 17. , an inclined portion 21b extending obliquely downward from the tip of the base 21a, and a bent portion 21c bending upward from the tip.

As shown in FIG. 4(b), when the central portion 17 of the contact spring 12 covered with the cover 13 is pressed down, the tongue 21 is pushed down by the elastic deformation of the contact spring 12, and the bent portion 21c is folded into the seat. By pressing the switch 15, the pair of contact electrodes 19 are brought into conduction. The central portion 17 is provided with elliptical holes 17f at four locations around the opening 17a to facilitate elastic deformation of the elastic spring 12. As shown in FIG.

2 and 3, the legs include four first legs 18a projecting outward from the outer peripheral edge of the central portion 17 of the contact spring 12, and four first legs 18a projecting outward from the outer peripheral edge of the central portion 17 of the contact spring 12. It is composed of four projecting second legs 18b, and the first legs 18a and the second legs 18b are arranged alternately. Each of the first legs 18a has a long leg extending obliquely downward, and as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the second leg 18b extends substantially horizontally and is shorter than the first leg 18a. As shown in FIG. is held in

The cover 13 is made of a flexible resin material such as polyimide or phthalamide. As shown in FIG. 3, the cover 13 has a substantially rectangular shape with a predetermined thickness and is larger than the contact spring 12 in plan view. The cover 13 has an accommodation space on the bottom side for accommodating the central portion 17 of the contact spring 12 and the plurality of first legs 18a and second legs 18b. This receiving space substantially corresponds to the shape of the contact spring 12, and includes a substantially circular central space 13a in which the central part 17 is received and a long groove-shaped first leg space 13b in which the first leg 18a is received. and a short groove-shaped second leg space 13c in which the second leg 18b is accommodated. As shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 4, a housing portion 13d having a housing space into which the distal end portion 18c of the second leg 18b is inserted is provided on the distal end side, which is a part of the second leg space 13c. It is The tip portion 18c of the second leg 18b extends into the accommodation space of the accommodation portion 13d. The accommodation portion 13d has an upper wall portion 13f and a lower wall portion 13g that form an accommodation space, and the tip portion 18c of the second leg 18b moves between the upper wall portion 13f and the lower wall portion 13g. It's like The lower wall portion 13g is in contact with the upper surface of the sheet switch 15. As shown in FIG. The cover 13 is formed to have a small thickness in the accommodation space portion, and as shown in FIG. inflate to Further, since the distal end portion 18c of the second leg 18b is held in the accommodating portion 13d of the second leg space 13c, the cover 13 and the contact spring 12 can be handled integrally when assembling the switch.

A first concave portion 13e is provided in the central portion of the cover 13. As shown in FIG. The first recess 13e is provided at a position substantially facing the tongue 21 provided in the central portion 17 of the contact spring 12 when the cover 13 covers the contact spring 12 from above. The shape of the first recess 13e is, for example, a circular hole having approximately the same size as the opening 17a around the tongue 21. As shown in FIG. This first concave portion 13e is provided when the bent portion 21c at the tip protrudes upward from the central portion 17 due to the warp or upward rebound of the tongue 21 due to the elastic deformation of the contact spring 12. It has the role of intruding so that the parts do not touch.

As shown in FIG. 4A, before the contact spring 12 is pushed down, the contact spring 12 is biased against the inner upper surface of the cover 13 while maintaining the dome shape. At this time, the second leg 18b of the contact spring 12 is positioned on the upper wall portion 13f side of the accommodating portion 13d. When pressed in the direction of the arrow, the center portion 17 of the contact spring 12 covered with the cover 13 is pressed down together with the cover 13 and elastically deformed, as shown in FIG. 4(b). At this time, the second leg 18b moves toward the lower wall portion 13g of the accommodating portion 13d and abuts thereon. In this manner, the second leg 18b only moves up and down within the accommodating portion 13d of the second leg space 13c and does not directly contact the sheet switch 15, so that the contact spring 12 is elastically deformed. It is possible to suppress contact noise. This makes it possible to obtain quietness during switching. Then, the elastic deformation of the central portion 17 causes the tongue 21 to be pushed down together, the base portion 21a and the inclined portion 21b to be elastically deformed, and the bent portion 21c at the tip to press the upper sheet 15a, thereby forming the pair of contact electrodes 19. The switch is turned ON by contact. At this time, the bent portion 21c protrudes upward from the center portion 17 of the contact spring 12 due to warping due to the tongue piece 21 being pushed down or rebounding upward due to reaction when it contacts the contact electrode 19. There is In this embodiment, since the first concave portion 13e is provided at a position facing the tongue 21 of the cover 13, the bent portion 21c of the tongue 21 protruding upward from the central portion 17 of the contact spring 12 is bent as described above. It can be made to enter into the first concave portion 13 e of the cover 13 . As a result, the tongue piece 21 is not caught on the cover 13, and the elastic deformation of the contact spring 12 becomes free, so that the pressing operation can be performed smoothly. Further, since the contact spring 12 is pushed down in two stages, the tip 18c of the second leg 18b and the tongue 21, the tongue 21 does not contact the sheet switch 15 in the first stage, and A tongue piece 21 can be brought into contact with the sheet switch 15 . As a result, more strokes can be obtained and a good click feeling can be obtained. It should be noted that in the first stage of depression, the tip portion 18c of the second leg 18b may move downward as the contact spring 12 is elastically deformed and come into contact with the lower wall portion 13g.

When the pressing is released, the tongue 21 is separated from the sheet switch 15, and the central portion 17 of the elastically deformed contact spring 12 returns to its original dome shape. At that time, the tongue piece 21 does not get caught on the cover 13, so the return operation is smooth. In this way, the ON/OFF operation of the switch can be reliably and comfortably performed.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional structure of the switch member 11b of the second embodiment in which the first concave portion 13e of the cover 13 is replaced with a hole portion 13h. The hole portion 13h is provided at a position substantially facing the tongue piece 21 provided in the central portion 17 of the contact spring 12 when the cover 13 covers the contact spring 12 from above. The shape of this hole 13h is, for example, a circular hole having approximately the same size as the opening 17a around the tongue 21. As shown in FIG. This hole portion 13h can be penetrated when the bent portion 21c at the tip protrudes upward from the central portion 17 due to the warp or upward rebound of the tongue piece 21 due to the elastic deformation of the contact spring 12. .

6 to 9 show a push switch 10 using the switch member 11b shown in FIG. This push switch 10 is an example of a pantograph type key switch that is mainly used in keyboards of personal computers and the like. The configuration includes a base portion 20 composed of a sheet switch 15, a pair of link members 16 arranged on the sheet switch 15, a switch member 11b arranged on the base portion 20, and a switch member 11b arranged on the switch member 11b. and a cap 14 that can be pushed down.

The sheet switch 15, as shown in FIG. 9, is formed by an upper sheet 15a and a lower sheet 15b which are opposed to each other with a spacer 15c interposed therebetween. A pair of contact electrodes 19 serving as contact portions are formed in the center of each of the upper sheet 15a and the lower sheet 15b so as to face each other. As shown in FIG. 9(b), the contact electrodes 19 are brought into contact with each other by pressing the pressing portion 11 to achieve electrical continuity.

The link member 16 is composed of a first arm 16a and a second arm 16b which are rotatable via a coupling pin 16c. The first arm 16a and the second arm 16b are provided with a lower engagement pin 16d and an upper engagement pin 16e at their lower and upper ends, respectively. The lower connecting pin 16d is engaged with a lower engaging hole 15d provided on the sheet switch 15 side, and the upper connecting pin 16e is engaged with an upper engaging hole 14e provided on the cap 14 side. The movement of the link member 16 can guide the vertical movement of the cap 14 biased by the contact spring 12 .

The cap 14 is made of a resin material having a rectangular planar shape and has an upper surface 14a and a lower surface 14b. A projection 14c projecting toward the contact spring 12 is provided on the lower surface 14b side of the cap 14 . This protrusion 14c is provided substantially in the central portion of the cap 14, and when the cap 14 is assembled, the tongue 21 provided in the central portion 17 of the contact spring 12 and the hole portion 13h provided in the central portion of the cover 13. located almost opposite to the The shape of the protrusion 14a is, for example, a cylindrical shape, and a second concave portion 14d is provided at the tip thereof. The shape of the second recess 14d is, for example, a circular shape having approximately the same size as the opening 17a provided around the tongue 21. As shown in FIG. Although the depth of the second concave portion 14d is not particularly limited, the bent portion 21c of the tongue 21 penetrating the hole portion 13h may be bent by the warping or upward rebounding of the tongue 21 due to the elastic deformation of the contact spring 12. Depth that can be accommodated is required. The upper surface of the cap 14 is a flat surface on which predetermined switch indications are printed.

As shown in FIG. 9A, before the cap 14 is pushed down, the contact spring 12 is biased against the inner upper surface of the cover 13 while maintaining its dome shape. At this time, the second leg 18b of the contact spring 12 is positioned on the upper wall portion 13f side of the accommodating portion 13d. When the cap 14 is pressed in the direction of the arrow, the contact spring 12 covered with the cover 13 is elastically deformed as the center portion 17 is pushed down together with the cover 13 as shown in FIG. 9(b). At this time, the second leg 18b moves toward the lower wall portion 13g of the accommodating portion 13d and abuts thereon. In this manner, the second leg 18b moves up and down within the accommodating portion 13d of the second leg space 13c, thereby suppressing contact noise when the contact spring 12 is elastically deformed. This makes it possible to obtain quietness during switching. Then, the elastic deformation of the central portion 17 causes the tongue 21 to be pushed down together, the base portion 21a and the inclined portion 21b to be elastically deformed, and the bent portion 21c at the tip to press the upper sheet 15a, thereby forming the pair of contact electrodes 19. The switch is turned ON by contact. At this time, the bent portion 21c may protrude upward from the central portion 17 of the contact spring 12 due to warping due to the tongue piece 21 being pushed down or rebounding upward due to reaction when it contacts the contact electrode 19. There is In this embodiment, since the second recess 14d is provided at a position facing the tongue 21 of the cap 14, when the bent portion 21c of the tongue 21 protrudes upward from the central portion 17 of the contact spring 12, In addition, it can enter the second recess 14d of the cap 14 through the hole 13h of the cover 13. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the tongue piece 21 does not get caught on the cover 13 or the cap 14 arranged thereon, and the elastic deformation of the contact spring 12 becomes free, so that the pressing operation can be performed smoothly.

When the pressing is released, the tongue 21 is separated from the sheet switch 15, and the central portion 17 of the elastically deformed contact spring 12 is guided by the link member 16 and returns to its original dome shape. At that time, the tongue piece 21 does not get caught on the cover 13 or the cap 14, so the return operation is smooth. In this way, the ON/OFF operation of the switch can be reliably and comfortably performed.

10(a) and 10(b), the cover 13 is made of a translucent resin member, and the LED 22 is arranged in a part thereof. By guiding the light emitted from the LED 22 through the cover 13, the central portion 17 of the contact spring 12 can be illuminated brightly. The LED 22 emits light when the tongue 21 comes into contact with the contact electrode of the sheet switch, so that ON/OFF of the switch can be visually confirmed. The position of the LED 22 can be arbitrarily set, and a plurality of LEDs 22 can be provided according to the luminance of light emitted.

As described above, at least the tip of the second leg 18b of the contact spring 12 is housed in the housing space provided in the cover 13, thereby suppressing the noise generated by the elastic deformation of the contact spring 12. can be done. This improves quietness. Further, by providing at least one of the cover and the cap with a concave portion or a hole that allows the movement of the tongue 21 when the contact spring 12 is elastically deformed, it is possible to obtain reliable and comfortable switching. It has become possible. Also, since the tongue of the contact spring is free in the concave portion or the hole, quietness can be obtained. It should be noted that quietness can be further enhanced by widening the recesses and holes, or by using a material having a sound absorbing effect for the cover and cap.

10 push switch 11a switch member (first embodiment)
11b Switch member (second embodiment)
12 contact spring 13 cover 13a central space (accommodating space)
13b 1st leg space (accommodation space)
13c Second leg space (accommodation space)
13d accommodation part 13e 1st recessed part (recessed part)
13f upper wall portion 13g lower wall portion 13h hole portion 14 cap 14a upper surface 14b lower surface 14c protrusion 14d second recess (recess)
14e Upper engagement hole 15 Seat switch 15a Upper seat 15b Lower seat 15c Spacer 15d Lower engagement hole 16 Link member 16a First arm 16b Second arm 16c Coupling pin 16d Lower engagement pin 16e Upper engagement pin 17 Central part 17a Opening Part 17b, 17c, 17d Inner edge 17e Remaining side of opening 17f Oval hole 18a First leg (leg)
18b Second leg (leg)
18c tip portion 19 contact electrode 20 base portion 21 tongue 21a base portion 21b inclined portion 21c bent portion 22 LED

Claims (7)

a dome-shaped contact spring having a central portion having a tongue and a plurality of legs projecting outwardly from the central portion;
a cover covering the central portion of the contact spring and the plurality of legs,
The plurality of legs have a plurality of first legs supported by the sheet switch positioned below the contact spring, and a plurality of second legs having a length shorter than the first legs,
The cover is provided with a housing portion for holding at least the tip portion of the second leg ,
The switch member has a housing space into which the distal end of the second leg is inserted . 2. The switch member according to claim 1, wherein the cover has a housing space in which the contact spring is arranged on the back side thereof, and the housing part is provided in a part of the housing space. 2. The switch according to claim 1 , wherein the accommodating portion has an upper wall portion and a lower wall portion that form the accommodating space, and the distal end portion of the second leg moves between the upper wall portion and the lower wall portion. Element. 4. The switch member according to claim 1 , wherein the tip portion of the second leg extends into the accommodation space of the accommodation portion. 2. The switch member according to claim 1 , wherein the housing portion has a lower wall portion in contact with the sheet surface of the sheet switch. 2. The switch member according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first legs and the plurality of second legs are alternately arranged along the outer peripheral edge of the central portion of the contact spring. A push switch comprising: the switch member according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ; a cap arranged above the switch member; and a sheet switch arranged below the switch member.

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