JPH05234451A - Manufacture of panel switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To manufacture a panel switch with a diaphragm having a feeling of excellent reversing operation on the switch part of the panel switch in a thin type, in light weight and at low cost. CONSTITUTION:Upper contacts 2 each formed with a conductive pattern are formed on the under face of an upper sheet 1 with a diaphragmatic section 1a. Then lower contacts 4 each formed with another conductive pattern are formed on the top face of a lower sheet 6 corresponding to the upper sheet 1 while a spacer insulating-layer 5 is formed on part or the whole face of the lower sheet 6 excluding each of the lower contacts. Then a thermoplastic adhesive layer 3 is formed on the under face of the upper sheet 1 or on the top face of the lower sheet 6, or on each of the respective corresponding under and top faces of the upper and lower sheets 1, 6; and thereafter another thermoplastic adhesive layer 7 is formed on the under face of the lower sheet 6 or on the top face of a reinforcing board 8. Then the upper sheet 1, the lower sheet 6 and the reinforcing board 8 are collectively heated under pressure and bonded to one another so as to be formed in one united body, and at the same time during the heating under pressure the upper sheet 1 is formed into a required shape before the diaphragmatic section 1a is forcedly cooled. This can prevent the heat deterioration of the diaphragmatic section 1a.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a panel switch used for inputting various electronic devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various electronic devices have been reduced in size and weight in order to be portable or to have multiple functions concentrated, and at the same time, there has been an increasing demand for inexpensive, thin and lightweight panel switches.

Conventionally, a method of manufacturing a panel switch is an insulating spacer in which an upper contact is formed on a lower surface of an upper sheet with a conductive pattern, a lower contact is formed on an upper surface of a lower sheet corresponding to the upper sheet, and an adhesive material is applied on both surfaces. Then, the upper and lower sheets were bonded to the reinforcing plate with double-sided adhesive sheets.

Further, in order to give the switch a reversing operation feeling, a film or a metal diaphragm formed into a disc spring shape is attached to the upper sheet with a double-sided or single-sided adhesive sheet.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned structure, the double-sided adhesive spacer, the single-sided adhesive sheet, and the double-sided adhesive sheet all require release paper to be stuck on both sides thereof, so that they are manually operated at the time of bonding. It was necessary to peel off the release paper and attach it. Further, since the panel switch has various shapes depending on the application, it is difficult to standardize and automate the peeling and sticking of the release paper, and there is a drawback that it must depend on manual work.

If pressure-heat adhesive bonding is performed with a heat-adhesive adhesive, the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet becomes unnecessary and workability improves, but there is a disadvantage that the diaphragm deteriorates due to heat depending on heating conditions and a predetermined reversing operation feeling cannot be obtained. It was

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a panel switch which is thin and lightweight, has good workability, and can stably obtain a good reversing operation feeling. To do.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention forms an upper contact with a conductive pattern on the lower surface of an upper sheet having a diaphragm formed so that the contact portion has a reversing operation feeling, A spacer insulating layer is formed on the upper surface of the lower sheet corresponding to the upper sheet on the upper surface of the lower sheet or on the upper surface of the lower sheet or on the upper surface of the lower sheet except for the lower contact and the lower contact by the conductive pattern. Form a thermoplastic adhesive layer that does not have adhesiveness or tackiness at room temperature on the entire surface and has adhesiveness or tackiness at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the upper and lower sheets, and then on the lower surface of the lower sheet or the upper surface of the reinforcing plate. Forming a thermoplastic adhesive layer having no adhesiveness or tackiness at room temperature and having adhesiveness or tackiness at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the upper and lower sheets,
The upper sheet, the lower sheet, and the reinforcing plate are collectively pressure-heated and bonded to be integrated, and the formed diaphragm portion of the upper sheet contact portion is forcibly cooled at the time of pressure-heating.

[0009]

According to the above manufacturing method, not only the panel switch having a good reversing operation feeling of the film sheet diaphragm at the contact portion can be stably manufactured, but also the panel switch can be efficiently manufactured because pressure and heat bonding can be collectively performed. It is possible, and the automation by the standardization of collective adhesion becomes easy.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

As an upper sheet, an adhesive layer 3 was formed by screen printing on the lower surface of an insulating upper sheet 1 (material thickness 120 μm) made of a biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate sheet except the portion where the upper contact 2 was formed. Adhesive is vinyl acetate = vinyl chloride type resist (Fujikura Chemical Co., Ltd. X
B-803A) was used.

Further, the upper contact 2 (conductive ink; Fujikura Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd. XA-256) is formed in the same manner, and a hemispherical mold is formed in the upper surface direction in order to maintain a feeling of reversing operation as a switch. The diaphragm portion 1a was formed.

Next, an insulating lower sheet 6 made of a biaxially stretched polyethylene terephthalate sheet as a lower sheet.
Lower contact 4 (conductive ink; Fujikura Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd. XA-25) at a position corresponding to upper contact 2 on the upper surface (material thickness 75 μm)
6), and the spacer insulating layer 5 that also serves as an adhesive (resist ink; Fujikura Kasei Kogyo Co., Ltd. XB-803A)
The adhesive layer 7 was formed on the lower surface. The adhesive used had the composition shown in Table 1 and was kneaded with three rolls.

[0014]

[Table 1]

All the adhesive layers were printed by screen printing, dried at 150 ° C. for 30 minutes, and had no adhesiveness or tackiness at room temperature.

A reinforcing plate 8 is provided on the upper sheet 1 and the lower sheet 6 described above.
As a result, an aluminum plate having a thickness of 0.5 mm is overlaid, and a pressure heating plate 9 is applied to the upper sheet 1 except for the formed diaphragm portion 1a, and a pressure of 10 kg / cm ² is applied to the diaphragm portion 1a at 0 to 5 ° C. While cooling by blowing cooled air, the aluminum plate side is heated at 150 ° C. for 5 seconds to perform collective bonding, and immediately after bonding, the diaphragm portion 1a side and the reinforcing plate 8 are bonded.
The whole was rapidly cooled with cooling air from the side to obtain a panel switch according to the present invention. The diaphragm portion 1a of this panel switch had a good reversing operation feeling, and even after 200,000 reversing operations, there was no problem in terms of operation feeling, appearance, bonding state, and electrical contact as a switch contact. FIG. 3A shows the feeling of reversing operation of this panel switch.

(Comparative Example) When a panel switch which was not forcedly cooled during and after pressure-bonding in the above example was measured as a comparative example, the electrical characteristics as a switch contact such as the bonding state and operating life were good. However, the deterioration feel of the diaphragm inversion operation was confirmed as shown in FIG. 3 (b).

It should be noted that the adhesives in the above-mentioned examples do not have adhesiveness or tackiness at room temperature, and have adhesiveness or tackiness at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the upper and lower sheets 1 and 6, Generally, rubber such as polyester resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyurethane resin, phenoxy resin, polystyrene resin or chloroprene rubber, acrylonitrile rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, and natural rubber. One or two or more of these may be mixed or modified, and when formed by screen printing or the like, the resin is dissolved in an organic solvent such as isophorone, carbitol or cyclohexanone, and titanium oxide is further added if necessary. Printing is performed by adding pigments such as silica and talc. Must be selected with temperature generally 0.5~60kg / cm ^2, 70~180
C., 3 seconds to 3 minutes are suitable.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the upper contact is formed by the conductive pattern on the lower surface of the upper sheet having the diaphragm formed so that the contact portion has a reversing operation feeling, and the lower contact corresponding to the upper sheet is formed. A spacer insulating layer is formed on the upper surface of the sheet on the part or the entire surface except the lower contact and the lower contact by the conductive pattern, and the lower surface of the upper sheet, the upper surface of the lower sheet, or the upper and lower sheets can be bonded at room temperature to a part or the entire surface other than the contact. Form a thermoplastic adhesive layer that has no tackiness and is adhesive or tacky at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the upper and lower sheets, and adheres at the room temperature to the lower surface of the lower sheet or the upper surface of the reinforcing plate. A thermoplastic adhesive layer that has no adhesiveness and is adhesive or sticky at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the upper and lower sheets is formed, and the upper sheet, the lower sheet and the reinforcing plate are pressed together. When manufacturing an integrated panel switch by heat bonding, the formed diaphragm of the upper sheet contact part is forcibly cooled during pressure heating, and the entire part is forcibly cooled after bonding, so that a good film sheet diaphragm is formed at the contact part. Not only a panel switch with a smooth reversing operation feel can be manufactured stably, but also panel switches can be manufactured efficiently because they can be pressure-heated and bonded together, and an excellent panel that facilitates automation by standardization of batch bonding. A switch can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before collective bonding in an embodiment of a panel switch of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a cooling state immediately after the batch bonding.

FIG. 3 (a) is a diagram showing a relationship between an operating distance and an operating force showing the reversing operation feeling. FIG. 3 (b) is a diagram showing a relationship between an operating distance and an operating force showing a reversing operation feeling of a panel switch of a comparative example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Upper Sheet 1a Diaphragm Part 2 Upper Contact 3,7 Adhesive Layer 4 Lower Contact 5 Spacer Insulation Layer 6 Lower Sheet 8 Reinforcement Plate 9 Pressurized Heating Plate

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An upper contact is formed on the lower surface of a formed upper sheet, and a spacer insulating layer is formed on a part or the whole surface except the lower contact and the lower contact on the upper surface of the lower sheet corresponding to the upper sheet. A thermoplastic material that does not have adhesiveness or tackiness at room temperature on part or all of the bottom surface of the sheet or the top surface of the bottom sheet or the top and bottom sheets other than the contacts, and that has adhesion or tackiness at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the top and bottom sheets. A thermoplastic adhesive that forms an adhesive layer and has no adhesiveness or tackiness at room temperature on the lower surface of the lower sheet or the upper surface of the reinforcing plate and that has adhesiveness or tackiness at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the upper and lower sheets. A layer is formed, and the upper sheet, the lower sheet, and the reinforcing plate are collectively pressure-heated and bonded to be integrated, and at the time of this pressure-heating, the forming portion of the upper sheet contact portion is forcibly cooled. Manufacturing method Le switch. 2. The panel switch manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the spacer insulating layer is also used as a thermoplastic adhesive layer having adhesiveness or tackiness at a temperature lower than a melting temperature of the upper and lower sheets. Method. 3. The method for manufacturing a panel switch according to claim 1, wherein the upper and lower sheets and the reinforcing plate are forcibly cooled after pressure heating and bonding.