JP7369641B2 - Contact member and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a contact member and a method of manufacturing the same.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, push button switch members have been known that include contact members that can elastically approach and separate from fixed contacts on a circuit board. If a foreign object exists between the contact member and the fixed contact, if the foreign object is an insulating material, the switch may malfunction. Furthermore, if the foreign matter is a conductive material, there is a risk that a short circuit or the like may occur. For this reason, the contact member is required not only to not generate foreign matter but also to not cause a defective switch-on operation even in the presence of foreign matter.

As contact members that meet such demands, for example, there are known contact members in which a wire mesh is attached to silicone rubber, and those in which the wire mesh is coated with a metal different from the wire mesh (see Patent Documents 1 to 3). .

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-342539 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-185956 JP 2014-240058 Publication

Although the above-mentioned known contact members have reasonably good properties, it is necessary to meet even higher demands. The requirements are higher durability of the mesh contacts and higher dust resistance against foreign objects.

The present invention aims to satisfy each of the above requirements, that is, to provide a contact member having high durability and high dust resistance, and a method for manufacturing the same.

(1) A contact member according to an embodiment for achieving the above object is a contact member including a conductive mesh and a fixing member fixing the conductive mesh,
The conductive mesh is
A resin mesh in which resin fibers are woven into a mesh shape,
a metal layer consisting of one or more layers covering the surface of the resin mesh;
a holding part that holds the resin fibers at least at the outer peripheral edge of the resin mesh;
Equipped with.
(2) In the contact member according to another embodiment, preferably, the holding portion fills an opening of the resin mesh, and the thickness of the holding portion is the same as that of the resin mesh. Or it may be larger.
(3) In the contact member according to another embodiment, preferably, the metal layer may be a layer containing copper.
(4) In the contact member according to another embodiment, preferably, the metal layer is a laminate of a layer containing copper, a layer containing nickel, and a layer containing a noble metal. Also good.
(5) In the contact member according to another embodiment, preferably, the holding portion may be a member containing copper.
(6) In the contact member according to another embodiment, it is preferable that the holding portion is a laminate of a member containing copper, a member containing nickel, and a member containing a noble metal. good.
(7) In the contact member according to another embodiment, preferably, the fixing member may include a convex portion or a concave portion on a surface opposite to a surface on which the conductive mesh is fixed.
(8) A method for manufacturing a contact member according to an embodiment for achieving the above object is a method for manufacturing any of the contact members described above, comprising:
a metal layer forming step of coating the surface of the resin mesh with the metal layer;
a holding part forming step of forming a holding part that holds the resin fibers at least at the outer peripheral edge of the resin mesh;
a pasting step of pasting the conductive mesh and the fixing member;
including.
(9) In the method for manufacturing a contact member according to another embodiment, preferably, after the pasting step, a shaping step for shaping the contact member may be further performed.
(10) In the method for manufacturing a contact member according to another embodiment, preferably, the holding portion forming step may be a step of forming the holding portion by masking a region other than the forming portion of the holding portion.
(11) In the method for manufacturing a contact member according to another embodiment, preferably, the metal layer forming step includes a plurality of steps of forming one of the metal layers, and the holding part forming step includes the step of forming one of the metal layers. including a plurality of steps of forming one layer constituting the holding part,
At least one of the holding portion forming steps may also serve as at least one of the metal layer forming steps.
(12) In the method for manufacturing a contact member according to another embodiment, preferably, the metal layer forming step and the holding portion forming step may be performed by electroless plating or electrolytic plating.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a contact member with high durability and high dust resistance, and a method for manufacturing the same.

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a push button switch member including a contact member according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the conductive mesh constituting the contact member of FIG. 1 and an enlarged view of a part A of the conductive mesh. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of the conductive mesh in FIG. and an enlarged view of region E in the cross-sectional view taken along line BB. FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the contact member of FIG. 1 cut in the thickness direction. FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of Modification Example 1 of the conductive mesh in FIG. 3 taken in its thickness direction, and a cross-sectional view of a contact member including the conductive mesh according to Modification Example 1 taken in its thickness direction. . Note that the cross-sectional view is shown with the central portion omitted. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of Modified Example 2 of the conductive mesh in FIG. 3 taken in its thickness direction, and a cross-sectional view of a contact member including the conductive mesh according to Modified Example 2 taken in its thickness direction. . FIG. 7 shows a manufacturing process of a contact member according to an embodiment of the present invention. Continuing from FIG. 7, FIG. 8 shows the manufacturing process of the contact member according to the embodiment of the present invention. Continuing from FIG. 8, FIG. 9 shows the manufacturing process of the contact member according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 shows a punching step in the manufacturing process of a contact member according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 shows an example of a conductive mesh forming a contact member according to another embodiment.

Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below do not limit the claimed invention, and all of the elements and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are essential to the solution of the present invention. Not necessarily.

<1. Contact member>
FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a push button switch member including a contact member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The contact member 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention is fixed to the push button switch member 1 shown in FIG. 1, for example. The push button switch member 1 includes a key top 2 that can be operated by pressing, a skirt-shaped dome portion 3 whose diameter expands downward below the key top 2, and is fixed to the lower outer peripheral edge of the dome portion 3. A flange portion 4 is provided. The pushbutton switch member 1 includes a pusher 5 that is located directly below the key top 2 and projects into the internal space of the dome portion 3. The contact member 6 is fixed to the lower end surface of the pusher 5. The contact member 6 includes a conductive mesh 8 and a fixing member 7 fixing the conductive mesh 8. The contact member 6 is fixed to the pusher 5 on the fixed member 7 side.

The material of the push button switch member 1 excluding the conductive mesh 8 may include silicone rubber, urethane rubber, isoprene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, natural rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, nitrile rubber (NBR), or styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). Thermosetting elastomer: It is preferable to use thermoplastic elastomers such as urethane-based, ester-based, styrene-based, olefin-based, butadiene-based, fluorine-based, etc., or composites thereof. Among the above material candidates, silicone rubber is particularly preferred. However, as long as at least the dome portion 3 is made of the above-mentioned rubber, the key top 2, flange portion 4, pusher 5, and fixing member 7 may be made of a material other than the above-mentioned rubber.

The pushbutton switch member 1 is used with the flange portion 4 fixed on the circuit board 10. The circuit board 10 includes fixed contacts 11 and 12 arranged directly below the contact member 6 in an electrically disconnected state. The fixed contacts 11 and 12 are made of a conductor with excellent electrical conductivity, such as aluminum, tungsten, copper, or gold. The contact member 6 is in a non-contact state with the fixed contacts 11 and 12 before pressing the key top 2 toward the circuit board 10. When the key top 2 is pressed toward the circuit board 10, the contact member 6 is electrically connected to the fixed contacts 11 and 12 due to large deformation of the dome portion 3. As a result, the fixed contacts 11 and 12 are energized via the conductive mesh 8 of the contact member 6. When the pressure on the key top 2 is released, the dome portion 3 elastically returns to its original state, and the contact member 6 separates from the fixed contacts 11 and 12 accordingly. As a result, fixed contact 11 and fixed contact 12 return to the non-contact state.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the conductive mesh constituting the contact member of FIG. 1 and an enlarged view of a part A of the conductive mesh.

In this embodiment, the conductive mesh 8 is a thin member that is approximately circular in plan view. The shape of the conductive mesh 8 may be a polygonal shape such as a triangle or a quadrilateral, or an ellipse in plan view. The conductive mesh 8 includes a mesh region 20 that occupies a central region in plan view, and a holding portion 30 that occupies the outside of the mesh region 20. The mesh region 20 is a region knitted with threads having excellent conductivity, and is, for example, a region in which warp threads 20a and weft threads 20b intersect with each other and is provided with many openings 20c. In this embodiment, the holding part 30 is different from the mesh area 20 and does not have an opening 20c.

3 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of the conductive mesh in FIG. and an enlarged view of region E in the cross-sectional view taken along line BB. Note that the BB cross-sectional view is shown with the central portion omitted.

The conductive mesh 8 includes a resin mesh 21 in the form of a network of resin fibers, a metal layer consisting of one or more layers covering the surface of the resin mesh 21, and a holding portion 30. The electrical conductivity of the conductive mesh 8 is high enough to electrically connect the fixed contacts 11 and 12, and is higher than the electrical conductivity of the resin mesh 21.

The resin mesh 21 is a mesh in which warp threads 21a serving as resin fibers and weft threads 21b serving as resin fibers cross each other and are provided with many openings. The resin fibers forming the resin mesh 21 are manufactured from, for example, thermoplastic resin or thermosetting resin. Preferred materials for the resin fibers are liquid crystal polymer (LCP) or polyetheretherketone (PEEK). In addition, as resin fibers, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), glass fiber reinforced polyethylene terephthalate (GF-PET), polyimide (PI), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyamide (PA), polyacetal (POM), polycarbonate (PC), Modified polyphenylene ether (m-PPE), ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHPE), syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS), amorphous polyarylate (PAR), polysulfone (PSF), polyethersulfone (PES) or polyphenylene sulfide ( PPS), polyetherimide (PEI) or fluororesin can also be used. Furthermore, instead of the resin mesh 21, a mesh woven from glass fibers, carbon fibers (including graphite fibers), or ceramic fibers may be used.

In this embodiment, the metal layers covering the surface of the resin mesh 21 are a copper layer 22d, a nickel layer 23d, and a noble metal layer 24d in the outward direction from the surface of the resin fiber. "Noble metal" is, for example, one of gold (AU), platinum (Pt), silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), or osmium (Os). Refers to plural. Gold (AU) is preferred as the noble metal. It is particularly preferable to use a layer of gold (AU) mixed with a small amount of at least one of nickel and cobalt as the noble metal layer 24d, from the viewpoint of making the noble metal layer 24d harder.

Hereinafter, the mesh obtained by coating the resin mesh 21 with a copper layer 22d will be referred to as a copper-coated mesh 22. A mesh obtained by coating the copper-coated mesh 22 with a nickel layer 23d is referred to as a nickel-coated mesh 23. A mesh obtained by covering the nickel coated mesh 23 with a noble metal layer 24d is referred to as a noble metal coated mesh 24. In this embodiment, the noble metal coated mesh 24 is also the conductive mesh 8.

The holding portion 30 holds the resin fibers at least at the outer peripheral edge of the resin mesh 21. The holding portion 30 has a function of hardening the warp threads 21a and the weft threads 21b constituting the resin mesh 21 so that they do not come loose easily.

In the mesh region 20, the warp 20a has a multilayer structure in which the surface of the resin warp 21a is coated with a copper layer 22d, a nickel layer 23d, and a noble metal layer 24d in this order. Similarly, in the mesh region 20, the weft yarn 20b has a multilayer structure in which the surface of the resin weft yarn 21b is coated with a copper layer 22d, a nickel layer 23d, and a noble metal layer 24d in this order. The total thickness of the metal layer is smaller than the radius (also referred to as radius in circular terms) of the resin warp 21a or weft 21b. The diameters of the warp threads 21a and the weft threads 21b are preferably 1 μm or more and 500 μm or less, more preferably 5 μm or more and 250 μm or less. The thickness of the copper layer 22d is preferably 0.01 μm or more and 100 μm or less, more preferably 0.1 μm or more and 60 μm or less. The thickness of the nickel layer 23d is preferably 0.01 μm or more and 20 μm or less, more preferably 0.05 μm or more and 10 μm or less. The thickness of the noble metal layer 24d is preferably 0.01 μm or more and 3 μm or less, more preferably 0.05 μm or more and 2 μm or less.

In the holding part 30, the warp threads 21a and the weft threads 21b each have a copper layer 22d on each surface. In the region of the holding portion 30 of the copper coated mesh 22, the entire copper coated mesh 22 is coated with a nickel layer 23d and a noble metal layer 24d in this order. The holding portion 30 fills an opening in the resin mesh 21 (which may also be referred to as an opening 20c existing in the mesh region 20 of the conductive mesh 8). Further, in this embodiment, the thickness of the holding portion 30 is approximately the same as the thickness T of the resin mesh. However, the thickness of the holding portion 30 may be greater than the thickness T.

As described above, in the contact member 6, preferably one layer constituting the metal layer is a layer containing copper, typified by the copper layer 22d. Further, in the mesh region 20, the metal layer is a layer formed by laminating a layer containing copper, a layer containing nickel, represented by a layer of nickel, 23d, and a layer containing a noble metal, represented by a layer of noble metal, 24d. It is. In addition, the holding part 30 is a part in which a member containing copper, typified by the copper layer 22d, a member containing nickel, typified by the nickel layer 23d, and a member containing a noble metal, typified by the noble metal layer 24d, are laminated. It is. That is, the holding part 30 has a structure in which the outer peripheral edge of the copper-coated mesh 22 is coated with a member containing nickel, and further covered with a member containing a noble metal.

Note that the metal layer covering the resin mesh 21 may be at least one or two of a layer containing copper, a layer containing nickel, and a layer containing a noble metal. Similarly, the holding portion 30 may also include at least one or two layers among a layer containing copper, a layer containing nickel, and a layer containing a noble metal. The mesh region 20 and the holding part 30 may have different numbers of layers and/or different metal layers.

As described above, the conductive mesh 8 includes the resin fibers of the resin mesh 21 as a core material and one or more metal layers on the outer surface of the core material. Therefore, the conductive mesh 8 is more flexible than the case where the entire conductive mesh 8 is made of metal, and even if a foreign object is present between the fixed contacts 11, 12 and the contact member 6, it deforms to take in the foreign object and switch the switch. The risk of malfunctions is lowered. Further, the holding portion 30 contributes to holding the warp 20a and the weft 20b forming the conductive mesh 8 so that they do not separate. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that part of the conductive mesh 8 becomes foreign matter.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the contact member of FIG. 1 cut in the thickness direction. Note that the cross-sectional view is shown with the central portion omitted.

The contact member 6 is a laminate in which one side (back side) of a conductive mesh 8 is fixed to a fixing member 7. The material of the fixing member 7 includes thermosetting elastomers such as silicone rubber, urethane rubber, isoprene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, natural rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, nitrile rubber (NBR), or styrene butadiene rubber (SBR); urethane-based It is preferable to use thermoplastic elastomers such as ester, styrene, olefin, butadiene, and fluorine, or composites thereof. Among the above material candidates, silicone rubber is particularly preferred.

The conductive mesh 8 is preferably fixed by embedding a portion thereof in the thickness direction in one surface of the fixing member 7. The conductive mesh 8 and the fixing member 7 can be fixed by holding the conductive mesh 8 on the uncured structure of the fixing member 7 and curing the structure. However, the conductive mesh 8 may be fixed to the fixing member 7 with an adhesive or the like.

The fixing member 7 includes a convex portion 7a on a surface opposite to the surface on which the conductive mesh 8 is fixed. The convex portion 7a contributes to effectively preventing the fixing member 7 or the contact member 6 from sticking somewhere during the manufacturing process or distribution process of the contact member 6. The opposite surface may be provided with a recess that is recessed inward in the thickness direction of the fixing member 7 instead of the protrusion 7a.

(Modification 1)
FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of Modification Example 1 of the conductive mesh in FIG. 3 taken in its thickness direction, and a cross-sectional view of a contact member including the conductive mesh according to Modification Example 1 taken in its thickness direction. . Note that the cross-sectional view is shown with the central portion omitted.

The conductive mesh 8a according to Modification 1 differs from the conductive mesh 8 according to the above-described embodiments in that it includes the holding portion 30 only on the fixing member 7 side (also referred to as the back side or the fixing surface side with the fixing member 7). . The thickness t of the holding portion 30 is smaller than the thickness T of the resin mesh 21. The contact member 6a in which the conductive mesh 8a is fixed to the fixing member 7 preferably has a form in which the holding portion 30 is slightly embedded in the fixing member 7.

(Modification 2)
FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of Modified Example 2 of the conductive mesh in FIG. 3 taken in its thickness direction, and a cross-sectional view of a contact member including the conductive mesh according to Modified Example 2 taken in its thickness direction. . Note that the cross-sectional view is shown with the central portion omitted.

The conductive mesh 8b according to the second modification differs from the conductive mesh 8 according to the above-described embodiment in that the holding part 30 is placed on the side opposite to the side fixed to the fixing member 7 (the front side or the fixed contacts 11, 12 side). (also known as). The thickness t of the holding portion 30 is smaller than the thickness T of the resin mesh 21. The contact member 6b in which the conductive mesh 8b is fixed to the fixing member 7 preferably has a form in which the area where the holding part 30 is not provided is slightly embedded in the fixing member 7.

In this way, the holding portion 30 may be formed over the entire thickness of the resin mesh 21, or may be formed only on the back side or the front side of the resin mesh 21. However, in order to effectively prevent the warp threads 21a and weft threads 21b constituting the resin mesh 21 from unraveling, it is better to fix the side that is not embedded in the fixing member 7, that is, the surface side, using at least the holding part 30. preferable.

<2. Manufacturing method of contact member>
Next, an embodiment of a method for manufacturing a contact member according to the present invention will be described.

The method for manufacturing a contact member according to this embodiment includes a metal layer forming step of covering the surface of the resin mesh 21 with a metal layer, and holding resin fibers (warps 21a and wefts 21b) at least at the outer peripheral edge of the resin mesh 21. The process includes a holding part forming step of forming the holding part 30 and an attaching step of attaching the conductive mesh 8 and the fixing member 7. Furthermore, preferably, after the pasting step, a shaping step is performed to form the shape of the contact member 6. In this embodiment, a punching step of punching out the shape of the contact member 6 is performed as an example of the shaping step.

In this embodiment, the metal layer forming step includes forming one of the metal layers. The holding part forming step also includes a plurality of steps of forming one layer constituting the holding part 30. Furthermore, at least one of the holding portion forming steps also serves as at least one of the metal layer forming steps.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a contact member will be explained with reference to the drawings.

7 to 9 sequentially illustrate the manufacturing process of the contact member. FIG. 10 shows a punching step in the manufacturing process of a contact member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(1) Coating the resin mesh with a layer of copper (see Figure 7)
The resin mesh 21 (a mesh made of warp threads 21a and weft threads 21b) is coated with a copper layer 22d by electroless plating (also referred to as electroless copper plating). Electroless copper plating is preferably performed so that both sides of the resin mesh 21 are coated with copper. As a result, the resin mesh 21 becomes the copper-coated mesh 22. This step is one of the metal layer forming steps and corresponds to a pretreatment for subsequent electrolytic plating. This is because it is necessary to provide conductivity by coating the highly insulating resin mesh 21 with the copper layer 22d, thereby making it easier to carry out subsequent electrolytic plating.

It is preferable that the copper layer 22d is also coated at the intersection portion where the warp threads 21a and the weft threads 21b are in contact. However, there is no major problem even if the crossing portion is not covered with the copper layer 22d. The same applies to the nickel layer 23d and the noble metal layer 24d.

(2) Formation of the holding part (see Figure 8)
Next, a holding portion 30 is formed on the copper-coated mesh 22. In this embodiment, 32 holding portions 30 are formed on the copper coated mesh 22. The holding portion 30 is formed by copper electrolytic plating (also referred to as electrolytic copper plating). Electrolytic copper plating is performed on both sides or one side of the copper coated mesh 22. This step is one of the holding part forming steps. The holding part forming step performed here is performed by masking the area other than the forming part of the holding part 30. More specifically, a resist is applied to areas of the copper-coated mesh 22 where the holding portions 30 are not formed, and then electrolytic copper plating is performed on the entire copper-coated mesh 22. When the resist is then removed, a copper-coated mesh 22 in which 32 holding portions 30 are formed is completed.

(3) Formation of nickel layer (see Figure 8)
Next, the copper-coated mesh 22 after the formation of the holding portion 30 is coated with a nickel layer 23d by nickel electrolytic plating (also referred to as electrolytic nickel plating). As a result, the copper-coated mesh 22 with the holding portion 30 becomes the nickel-coated mesh 23. Electrolytic nickel plating is performed on both sides or one side of the copper-coated mesh 22 with the holding part 30. This step serves as one of the metal layer forming steps and one of the holding portion forming steps. This is because nickel coats the copper layer 22d that covers each surface of the warp threads 21a and the weft threads 21b, and also coats the surface of the region of the holding portion 30 formed of copper.

(4) Formation of noble metal layer (see Figure 9)
Next, the nickel coated mesh 23 is coated with a noble metal layer 24d by noble metal electrolytic plating (also referred to as electrolytic noble metal plating). As a result, the nickel coated mesh 23 becomes the noble metal coated mesh 24. Electrolytic noble metal plating is performed on both or one side of the nickel coated mesh 23. When performing electrolytic noble metal plating on one side of the nickel coated mesh 23, it is performed on the side on the fixed contacts 11 and 12 side. This step serves as one of the metal layer forming steps and one of the holding portion forming steps. This is because the noble metal coats the nickel layer 23d that covers each surface of the warp threads 21a and the weft threads 21b, and also coats the surface of the region of the holding portion 30 coated with nickel.

(5) Attachment to fixed member (see Figure 9)
Next, the noble metal coated mesh 24 (also referred to as the conductive mesh 8) is attached to the surface of the fixing member 7 opposite to the surface on which the convex portion 7a is located. In this embodiment, the conductive mesh 8 and the fixing member 7 are fixed by holding the conductive mesh 8 on the uncured structure of the fixing member 7 and curing the structure. However, the conductive mesh 8 may be fixed to the fixing member 7 with an adhesive or the like. This step corresponds to the pasting step.

(6) Punching of contact member (see Figures 9 and 10)
Next, the contact member 6 is manufactured from the laminate 40 of the fixing member 7 and the noble metal coated mesh 24. More specifically, the laminate 40 is sandwiched between a first mold 51 having a concave portion 51a and a second mold 52 having a convex portion 52a that can be inserted into the concave portion 51a. By clamping the two molds 52 together, it is possible to punch out a plurality of contact members 6 from the laminate 40 at the same time. This step corresponds to a punching step for punching out the contact member 6. Note that in the punching step, one or more contact members 6 may be punched out using a pin or the like. Furthermore, instead of the punching step, a cutting step (another example of the shaping step) may be performed in which the laminate 40 is cut out using a laser. When the contact member 6 is cut out from the laminate 40 using a laser, the cut surface of the contact member 6 is once melted and then solidified. As a result, the warps and wefts forming the conductive mesh 8 become thicker than their diameters, or warps, wefts, and/or warps and wefts tend to fuse together. Therefore, the conductive mesh 8 becomes less likely to fray.

As shown in FIG. 10, the contour P for punching out the contact member 6 is preferably located within the width of the ring-shaped holding part 30. For this purpose, the holding portion 30 formed on the noble metal coated mesh 24 is preferably formed so as to include the outer peripheral edge of the contact member 6.

In the above manufacturing process, the metal layer forming step is performed by electroless plating and electrolytic plating, and the holding part forming step is performed by electrolytic plating. However, the holding portion forming step may be performed only by electroless plating, or by both electroless plating and electrolytic plating. Further, the metal layer forming step may be performed only by electroless plating or only by electrolytic plating.

At least one of the metal layer forming steps or at least one holding part forming step may be performed only on the front surface or the back surface of the resin mesh 21. In particular, the noble metal layer 24d may be formed only on the front surface of the resin mesh 21 for the purpose of reducing the amount of noble metal and reducing costs.

The above manufacturing method can also be applied to the method for manufacturing the contact member 6a according to the first modification or the method for manufacturing the contact member 6b according to the second modification. The holding portion 30 is formed only on the front side or the back side of the copper coated mesh 22. The nickel layer 23d may be formed only on the front surface of the copper-coated mesh 22 including the holding portion 30. Preferably, the noble metal layer 24d is formed on the side on which the nickel layer 23d is formed.

In the manufacturing process of the contact members 6, 6a, and 6b, the metal layer forming step and the holding portion forming step are all performed by plating. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the contact members 6, 6a, 6b can be further labor-saving, and thus the cost of the contact members 6, 6a, 6b can be reduced.

<3. Other embodiments>
The contact members 6, 6a, 6b and their manufacturing method according to the embodiments of the present invention (including Modifications 1 and 2) have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways. It is.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a conductive mesh forming a contact member according to another embodiment.

The conductive mesh 8c includes a holding portion 30 on the entire surface of the surface fixed to the fixed member 7 (back surface). The thickness t of the holding portion 30 is smaller than the thickness T of the resin mesh 21.

The conductive mesh 8d includes holding portions 30 not only on the entire back surface but also on the outer periphery of the front surface. The thickness T1 of the holding portion 30 is larger than the thickness T of the resin mesh 21. The conductive mesh 8d has holding parts 30 on both the front surface and the back surface, and therefore can have a higher holding power for resin fibers than the conductive mesh 8c.

Although it is preferable that the holding part 30 closes all the openings 21c of the resin mesh 21, it is not necessary to close some of the openings 21c. The copper layer 22d may be a layer containing not only copper but also a component other than copper as long as it contains copper as a main material. The nickel layer 23d may be a layer containing not only nickel but also a component other than nickel as long as it contains nickel as a main material. The noble metal layer 24d may be a layer containing not only a noble metal but also a component other than a noble metal as long as it contains a noble metal as a main material.

The metal layer covering the resin fibers of the resin mesh 21 may be a layer of one type of metal (copper, nickel, or noble metal). Instead of three steps, the metal layer forming step may be one step, two steps, or four steps. Similarly, the holding portion forming step may be one step, two steps, or four steps instead of three steps. The metal layer forming step and the holding portion forming step may be performed only by electroless plating.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be utilized for the apparatus provided with a push button switch.

6, 6a, 6b... Contact member, 7... Fixing member, 7a... Convex portion, 8, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d... Conductive mesh, 20a... Warp, 20b... Weft, 20c...Opening, 21a...Warp (resin fiber), 21b...Weft (resin fiber), 22d...Copper layer (an example of a layer containing copper, one metal layer), 23d... Nickel layer (an example of a layer containing nickel, one layer of metal layer), 24d... Layer of noble metal (an example of a layer containing noble metal, one layer of metal layer), 30. ...Holding part (for example, at least one member of a member containing copper, a member containing nickel, and a member containing a noble metal).

Claims (12)

conductive mesh,
a fixing member fixing the conductive mesh;
A contact member comprising:
The conductive mesh is
A resin mesh in which resin fibers are woven into a mesh shape,
a metal layer consisting of one or more layers covering the surface of the resin mesh;
a holding part that holds the resin fibers at least at the outer peripheral edge of the resin mesh;
A contact member comprising: The holding part fills the opening of the resin mesh,
The contact member according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the holding portion is the same as or larger than the thickness of the resin mesh. The contact member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the metal layer is a layer containing copper. 4. The contact member according to claim 3, wherein the metal layer is a laminate of a layer containing copper, a layer containing nickel, and a layer containing a noble metal. The contact member according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the holding portion is a member containing copper. 6. The contact member according to claim 5, wherein the holding portion is made by laminating a member containing copper, a member containing nickel, and a member containing a noble metal. 7. The contact member according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member includes a convex portion or a concave portion on a surface opposite to a surface on which the conductive mesh is fixed. A method for manufacturing a contact member according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising:
a metal layer forming step of coating the surface of the resin mesh with the metal layer;
a holding part forming step of forming a holding part that holds the resin fibers at least at the outer peripheral edge of the resin mesh;
a pasting step of pasting the conductive mesh and the fixing member;
A method of manufacturing a contact member, comprising: 9. The method of manufacturing a contact member according to claim 8, further comprising a step of shaping the contact member into the shape of the contact member after the pasting step. 10. The method of manufacturing a contact member according to claim 8, wherein the holding part forming step is a step of forming the holding part by masking a region other than the forming part of the holding part. The metal layer forming step includes a plurality of steps of forming one of the metal layers,
The holding part forming step includes a plurality of steps of forming one layer constituting the holding part,
Manufacturing a contact member according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein at least one of the holding portion forming steps also serves as at least one of the metal layer forming steps. Method. 12. The method of manufacturing a contact member according to claim 8, wherein the metal layer forming step and the holding part forming step are performed by electroless plating or electrolytic plating.