JPH0455380Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to a switch with a display device, which is used by being attached to an operation panel, for example, and which has both a switch function and a display mechanism.

[Conventional technology]

Conventional examples of this type of switch with an indicator are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The switch 2 with an indicator in FIG. 5 has an indicator 1 such as an LED indicator mounted on the front side (upper side of the figure) of a fixed printed circuit board (in this specification, a hard printed circuit board as opposed to a flexible printed circuit board) 10.
A part of the printed circuit board 10 is placed inside a case 8 consisting of an insulating holder 4 and a cover 6, and a switch 16 is attached to each with a space left for the operating mechanism on the rear side thereof. It was put out to the rear and stored.

In addition, a translucent operation cover 20 is fitted into the front part of the case 8, and by pushing or releasing it, the two movable pieces 22, 24 can be moved.
The switch 16 can be operated by pushing and releasing the actuator 18 of the switch 16 under the action of an operating mechanism consisting of a reversing spring 26 connecting the two. At that time, electrical signals sent from the switch 16 to the outside and electrical signals from the outside to the display 12 corresponding to the operation of the switch 16 are transmitted via the printed circuit board 10 that is output to the outside.

The switch 28 with an indicator shown in FIG. The terminals 14 and 17 of the display 12 and the switch 16 are soldered to each of the two stages bent at the front and back, and a portion is pulled out to the rear.

Further, as a part of the operation mechanism of the switch 16, a movable piece 32 is supported in front of the switch 16 by two left and right coil springs 34, and the movable piece 32 is connected to the operation cover 2.
The actuator 18 of the switch 16 is operated by pressing and releasing the button 0.

[The problem that the idea aims to solve]

However, in any of the above-mentioned switches 2 and 28 with an indicator, there is a need for space for the terminal 14 and the operating mechanism between the indicator 12 and the switch 16, and a space for the terminal 17 behind the switch 16. For this reason, there is a problem that the depths L ₁ and L ₂ are both large.

In addition, in the switch 2 with an indicator shown in FIG.
It is necessary to arrange the terminals 14 of 2 in one row and bend them 90 degrees, so if there are many terminals 14 (for example, 12 are required for a 4-digit numerical display),
There is a problem in that the pitch of the terminals 14 is inevitably reduced, and the workability of assembly is deteriorated, such as the need to pay close attention to avoid short-circuiting between the terminals during soldering.

On the other hand, in the switch 28 with display shown in FIG. 6, a flexible printed circuit board 30 is used and is bent horizontally, so that the terminals 14 of the display 12 can be arranged in two rows, making it possible to perform the above-mentioned work. Although there is no problem of deterioration in quality, since the flexible printed circuit board 30 is used, the fixed printed circuit board 10
There is a problem in that the cost is higher than in the case of .

Therefore, this idea can reduce the depth, and even when using a fixed printed circuit board, it is possible to reduce the depth.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a switch with a display device that can utilize a terminal arrangement of multiple rows of display devices.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the switch with an indicator of this invention includes a case made of an insulating material, and a printed circuit board arranged almost parallel to the front surface of the case inside the case, with a part exposed from the side of the case. , a display attached to the front side of the printed circuit board inside the case, a switch attached to the rear side of the printed circuit board, and a translucent operation cover fitted into the front part of the case so as to be movable back and forth. The present invention is characterized in that it includes an operation mechanism that operates the switch according to the forward and backward movement of the operation cover, and that the rear corner of the side surface of the case opposite to where the printed circuit board is exposed is removed.

In that case, a bent lever-shaped movable piece is housed in the bottom of the case, its fulcrum is removed from the case, and the other end is pushed by pushing one end of the movable piece with a foot extending from the cover. The operating mechanism may be constructed such that an actuator protruded from the rear side of the switch is pushed by the switch.

Furthermore, the printed circuit board may be a fixed printed circuit board or a flexible printed circuit board.

[Effect]

In the above-mentioned switch with display, the printed circuit board is placed inside the case almost parallel to the front of the case, and the display and switch are attached to the front and rear surfaces, so the space in the front and rear directions inside the case is effectively used. Therefore, the depth can be reduced compared to conventional switches with indicators.

Moreover, for the same reason, even when using a fixed printed circuit board as the printed circuit board, there is no need to arrange the display terminals in one row and bend them 90 degrees.
Multiple rows of terminal arrays can be used on a single printed circuit board.

Of course, if only a part of the printed circuit board is exposed from the side of the case as described above, it will get in the way when inserting the switch with display into the operation panel, etc., but with this idea, the printed circuit board of the case is removed from the side of the case. Since the rear corner of the side opposite to where it was taken out is removed, the above problem can be solved by rotating and inserting the switch with an indicator into the operation panel or the like.

In addition, if the operating mechanism is constructed using a bent lever-shaped movable piece as described above, the structure becomes simpler, so the number of parts is reduced, and the depth of the switch with an indicator can be reduced. It also contributes to

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a switch with an indicator according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 shows the first
Although this is a longitudinal cross-sectional view generally taken along line - in the figure, the cross-sectional positions are slightly shifted between the right half and the left half of the figure in order to explain the mutual relationship between the case 48 and the operation cover 60.

In the switch 40 with an indicator of this embodiment, a case 48 is constituted by a holder 44 and a cover 46 both made of an insulating material, and a fixed printed circuit board 50 is arranged in the case 48 almost parallel to the front surface of the case 48. Then, a part of it is brought out (to the side) from one side of the case 48 and used for external connection.

A display device 52 such as an LED display is attached to the front side (upper side in the figure) of the printed circuit board 50 inside the case 48, and the printed circuit board 50
A switch 56, such as a tact switch, is attached to the rear side of the display device 52, and its actuator 58 is exposed to the rear side. 54 and 57 in the figure are terminals of the display 52 and switch 56, respectively, which are soldered to the printed circuit board 50, for example.

The reason why the display 52 and the operation cover 60, which will be described later, are tilted downward to the right in FIG. 2 is because the right side in the figure is the upper side when the switch 40 with display is normally used (see FIG. 3C). ) is intended to make it easier to see the display on the display 52 from diagonally above, but it does not necessarily have to be tilted that way (see the example in FIG. 4).

A translucent operation cover 60 is fitted into the front part of the case 48 so as to be movable back and forth as indicated by arrow A (see FIG. 1). This operation cover 60 may be transparent or translucent, or may be colored.

Furthermore, in this example, two rows of support parts 68a and 68b are arranged in parallel on the bottom surface of the holder 44, and two elastic movable pieces 64a and 68b each have a lever shape and are bent in an inverted C-shape. The two legs 62 extend from the operation cover 60 with the support parts 68a and 68b placed on them respectively, and the long side ends of the movable pieces 64a and 64b as the points of effort.
a and 62b respectively in the direction of arrow B, and move each movable piece 64 accordingly.
The actuator 58 of the switch 56 is pushed and released as indicated by the arrow C using the short side ends of the switches a and 64b as points of action, thereby forming an operating mechanism for the switch 56.

When the operating mechanism of the switch 56 is configured in this way, the structure is simpler than that of the conventional operating mechanism, so the number of parts is reduced, and it also contributes to reducing the depth _L3 , which will be described later.

The reason why the two movable pieces 64a and 64b are provided is to enable the actuator 58 of the switch 56 to be operated more reliably even if the operation cover 60 is tilted and pushed. It's good as well.

In addition, a locking piece 641 is attached to each movable piece 64a, 64b.
The reason why each movable piece 6 is provided is that it engages with a protrusion 70 provided on the holder 44 during assembly.
This is to prevent 4a and 64b from popping out and facilitate assembly, but it is not essential.

Moreover, if the reinforcing leaf spring 66 is provided on the back side of the movable pieces 64a, 64b as in this example, the movable pieces 64a, 64b
Although it is possible to increase the return force of a, 64b and the operation cover 60, this is not essential either. Reference numeral 661 in the figure indicates locking pieces protruded from both sides of the reinforcing leaf spring 66.

In the switch 40 with an indicator, a printed circuit board 50 is disposed inside the case 48 almost parallel to the front surface of the case 48, a part of which is exposed from the side of the case 48, and a display is mounted on the front and rear surfaces of the printed circuit board 50. 52 and the switch 56 are mounted back to back, so the space in the front and rear directions within the switch 48 is effectively utilized without waste, and the depth is reduced compared to conventional switches 2 and 28 with indicators.
L ₃ can be significantly reduced. for example,
In conventional switches 2 and 28 with indicators, the depth L ₁ ,
The depth L ₂ was about 36 mm in both cases, but in the switch 40 with an indicator of this embodiment, the depth L ₃ was about 19 mm.
mm, which was about half of the conventional size. Therefore, by using the switch 40 with an indicator, it is possible to save space and downsize the device.

Moreover, since the printed circuit board 50 is arranged almost parallel to the front surface of the case 48, unlike the case of the conventional switch 2 with an indicator, there is no need to arrange the terminals 54 of the indicator 52 in one row and bend them 90 degrees. There is no fixed printed circuit board 50, and the display 52
Since two (or more) rows of terminals 54 can be used as the arrangement of the terminals 54, the soldering work is easy even when the number of terminals 54 is large, and therefore the workability of assembly is improved. Moreover, since only one printed circuit board is required, the cost can be reduced.

However, if only a part of the printed circuit board 50 is taken out from the side of the case 48 as described above,
Even if the switch 40 with the display device is inserted into an operation panel or the like and an attempt is made to attach it, the printed circuit board 50 protruding outside becomes a hindrance, making the attachment difficult.

Therefore, in order to prevent this, in this switch with indicator 40, as shown in FIG.
4) The rear corner of the side opposite to where the printed circuit board 50 was exposed is removed (cut). 481 in the figure is the cut surface.

To explain in more detail how to make the cut,
Point P on the front side where the printed circuit board 50 exits the case 48
At least the cut surface 481 is arranged to be within a circular arc 72 whose radius is the distance of the case 48 from the point P to the point Q on the opposite side. The cut surface 481 may be a flat surface as in the illustrated example, or may be a rounded surface (curved surface).

To attach such a switch with display 40 to the operation panel, first, as shown in FIG. Insert the printed circuit board 50 that came out. This opening 781 corresponds to the outer shape of the switch with indicator 40. In that case, a connector 76 for external connection may be attached to the printed circuit board 50, or the printed circuit board 50 may be long. Also, 7 in the diagram
Reference numeral 4 designates U-shaped leaf springs for panel attachment that are attached to the left and right sides of the outside of the case 48.

Next, as shown in FIG. B, the switch 40 with an indicator is rotated around the aforementioned point P. At this time, since the rear corner of the case 48 is cut as described above, the case 48 does not hit the operation panel 78.

Then, when the switch with display 40 is further rotated and pushed into the operation panel 78, the switch with display 40 is pushed into the operation panel 78, as shown in FIG.
The leaf spring 74 is completely inserted into the opening 781 of the leaf spring 74.
It is fixed at

Next, an example of the assembly procedure of the above-mentioned switch with indicator 40 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 again.
, fit the movable pieces 64a and 64b thereon, and then install the display 52 on the front and rear surfaces from above.
Then, a part of the printed circuit board 50 to which the switch 56 is attached is taken out and fitted. Then, the cover 46 is placed over them from the front, and the operation cover 60 is further fitted from the front. This completes the assembly.

In other words, in the above-mentioned switch with display 40, since the parts can be inserted in order from the bottom, assembly is very simple, and the assembly can be easily automated.

Note that if the fixed printed circuit board 50 is used as the printed circuit board as in the above embodiment, the cost can be reduced compared to the case where a flexible printed circuit board is used, but of course, a flexible printed circuit board may be used as necessary. If you do that, you can make the flexible printed circuit board long and use it for wiring, so you can connect the display switch and other devices (e.g. motherboard).
Connections with other devices become easier, as there is no need for relay cables between the devices.

FIG. 4 shows an example in which a flexible printed circuit board 80 is used. In this case, if a reinforcing plate 82 is also used inside the case 48 as in this example, the other structure can be changed from the case of the above-mentioned switch with indicator 40. It can be completely shared, and can be easily adapted to either fixed or flexible printed circuit boards depending on the user's needs.

[Effect of idea]

Since this invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects.

In other words, the printed circuit board is placed inside the case almost parallel to the front of the case, with part of it protruding from the side of the case, and the display and switches are attached to the front and rear surfaces of the printed circuit board. Effective use of directional space,
The depth can be reduced compared to conventional switches with indicators. Therefore, by using the switch with an indicator, it is possible to save space and downsize the device.

Moreover, for the same reason, even if a fixed printed circuit board is used, the terminals of the display are
There is no need to bend them 90 degrees in rows, and multiple rows of terminal arrangements can be used with a single fixed printed circuit board. Therefore, even if the display has a large number of terminals, assembly work is easy, and only one printed circuit board is required.
Since only one sheet is required, the cost can be reduced.

In addition, if the operating mechanism is constructed using a bending lever-like movable piece as described above, the structure becomes simple, so the number of parts is reduced, and the depth of the switch with an indicator can be reduced. It also contributes to

Furthermore, if a fixed printed circuit board is used as the printed circuit board, the cost can be reduced compared to the case where a flexible printed circuit board is used.

Furthermore, if a flexible printed circuit board is used as the printed circuit board, relay cables and the like can be omitted, making connection with other devices easier.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a switch with an indicator according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 shows the first
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view generally taken along the line - in the figure. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the procedure for attaching the switch with an indicator shown in FIG. 1 to the operation panel. FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view showing an embodiment using a flexible printed circuit board. Figures 5 and 6 are, respectively,
FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a conventional switch with an indicator. 40...Switch with indicator according to the embodiment, 48
...Case, 50...Fixed printed circuit board, 52...
...Indicator, 56...Switch, 58...Actuator, 60...Operation cover, 64a, 64b...
...Movable piece, 80...Flexible printed circuit board.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] (1) A case made of an insulating material, a printed circuit board arranged almost parallel to the front surface of the case inside the case, and a part of which is exposed from the side of the case, and a printed circuit board inside the case. The display attached to the front side of the printed circuit board, the switch attached to the rear side of the same printed circuit board, the translucent operation cover fitted into the front part of the case so that it can be moved back and forth, and the front and rear of this operation cover 1. A switch with an indicator, comprising: an operating mechanism for operating the switch according to the user's movements; and furthermore, a rear corner of the side surface of the case opposite to where the printed circuit board is exposed is removed. (2) Store a bent lever-shaped movable piece in the bottom of the case, take its fulcrum from the case, and press one end of the movable piece with a foot extending from the cover to open the other end. Push the actuator that comes out on the rear side of the switch with the
2. A switch with an indicator according to claim 1, wherein said operating mechanism is configured. (3) The switch with an indicator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the printed circuit board is a fixed printed circuit board. (4) The switch with an indicator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the printed circuit board is a flexible printed circuit board.