JPH0534620U - Switch device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Object] The present invention relates to a switch device, and an object of the present invention is to realize a switch device that can be applied at a low cost with a simple configuration. Portion [Configuration] plurality of conductive portions 4,3 _{1-3 4} formed insulated concentric to each other is in contact with the first member 2 of the configuration formed on the surface of the substrate 6, the first member 2 A conductive portion 3 _{1 of} the first member 2 which is conductive and has a substantially spherical shape with respect to the first member 2 and is brought into contact by being crushed in response to a pressure A applied from the outside. to 3 composed _{of 4} quantity is more the second member 5 an elastic body made of varying.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a switch device, and more particularly to a switch device that outputs different signals depending on a pressing force applied.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 As a switch for moving a cursor on a display of a personal computer or the like, there is known a switch device that adjusts the moving speed of the cursor by adjusting the force of pressing a push button. This switch device is generally applied with a piezoresistive element whose resistance value changes in response to an applied pressing force. That is, the pressing force applied to the push button is transmitted to the piezoresistive element, and the pressing force applied to the push button is further reduced by applying a constant current to the piezoresistive element. The voltage drop amount of the piezoresistive element changes according to the change of the resistance value of the piezoresistive element accordingly. The cursor moving speed control circuit is configured so that the moving speed of the cursor on the display changes according to the voltage drop amount.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 In recent years, there has been a strong demand for lowering the cost of OA (office automation) equipment, and there has been a demand for lowering the price of the above-mentioned switch device as a component of the OA equipment. On the other hand, generally, the internal circuits of OA equipment are digitized.

However, when the piezoresistive element as described above is applied, the voltage drop amount of the piezoresistive element is an analog quantity, and thus a conversion circuit for converting this into a digital quantity is required. Therefore, the cost required for this conversion circuit is spent together with the cost required for the piezoresistive element, which prevents the cost reduction of the device to which this switch device is applied.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a switch device that can reduce the cost of an applied device.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention provides a first member having a plurality of electrically conductive portions insulated from each other, and a conductive member of the first member which comes into contact with the first member and is deformed and brought into contact with the pressing force applied from the outside. It is composed of a second member having conductivity in which the number of parts changes.

[0007]

[Action]

 In the present invention, since the number of the conductive parts of the first member which the second member contacts is changed, a digital signal corresponding to the pressing force applied to the first member can be taken out.

[0008]

【Example】

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a switch device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The switch device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a first member 2 and a second member 5 in which conductive parts 3 ₁ , 3 ₂ , 3 ₃ , 3 ₄ , and 4 are arranged on the surface of an insulating substrate 6. Consists of.

The first member 2 is formed of a part of a printed circuit board on which other circuits of the device to which the switch device 1 is applied are formed, and the conductive parts 3 _{1 to} 3 ₄ and 4 are conductive parts of the printed circuit board. It is simultaneously etched when the body pattern is etched.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the first member 2 in which the conductive portions 3 _{1 to} 3 ₄ and 4 of FIG. 1 are arranged. As shown in the figure, the conductive portions 3 _{1 to} 3 ₄ are formed on a substrate 6 made of an insulating synthetic resin and separated from each other in concentric circles centering on the conductive portion 4. Further, the conductive portion 4 has a structure in which the central portion thereof penetrates the back surface of the substrate 6 as shown in FIG. Conductive portion 3 ₁ to 3 ₄ Likewise the portion indicated in 3a ₁ to 3 A ₄ in FIG. 2 is a configuration that has been through the rear surface of the substrate 6. In this way, the conductive parts 3 _{1 to} 3 ₄ are penetrated through the back surface of the substrate 6 and are further connected to the predetermined circuit of the device to which the switch device 1 is applied by the wiring pattern on the back surface of the substrate 6.

Specifically, the conductive portion 4 serves as a common contact, and the conductive portion 4 and the conductive portions 3 _{4 to} 3 ₁ arranged outside thereof are gradually short-circuited toward the outside, for example, The circuit configuration is such that the moving speed of the display-like cursor of the personal computer is adjusted in four steps in this embodiment.

The second member 5 is made of a conductive elastic body on the surface that contacts the first member 2, and the surface thereof is projected downward to form a substantially spherical projection 7. .. The apex of the protruding portion 7 is configured to abut the center of the conductive portion 4. Since the surface of the projecting portion 7 is conductive as described above, it is short-circuited by simultaneously contacting at least two of the conductive portions 3 _{1 to} 3 ₄ and 4.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the back surface of the central portion of the projecting portion 7 of the second member 5 of the switch device 1 having the configuration of FIG. 1 is pressed downward in FIG. The above-mentioned pressing is referred to as "pressing A"). As described above, since the second member 5 is made of an elastic material, the projecting portion 7 is crushed by the pressing A and the area of the projecting portion 7 in contact with the first member 2 is expanded. In this case, the protruding portion 7 of the second member 5 is in contact with 3 ₃ , 3 ₄ , and 4 of the conductive portions 3 _{1 to} 3 ₄ , 4. When the pressing force of the pressing A is weaker than this, the protrusion 7 is less crushed, and therefore the area of the first member 2 with which the protrusion 7 contacts is small. Therefore, only the inner conductive portion of the outer conductive portions 3 _{4 to} 3 ₁ is short-circuited with the central conductive portion 4. Further, when the pressing force of the pressing force A is strong, the crushing of the protrusion 7 is large, and therefore the area of the first member 2 with which the protrusion 7 contacts is large. Therefore, among the outer conductive portions 3 _{4 to} 3 ₁ , the outer conductive portions are short-circuited with the central conductive portion 4.

As described above, the pressing A applied to the second member 5 changes the manner in which the protruding portion 7 is crushed and changes the range in which the central conductive portion 4 is short-circuited among the outer conductive portions 3 _{4 to} 3 ₁ . As a result, the speed of the cursor of the personal computer can be controlled in four steps as described above. Further, in this case, the signal from the switch device 1 becomes a digital signal and can be used as it is for the data processing of the microcomputer of the device to which the switch device 1 is applied. Therefore, analog, as when using a piezoelectric element. There is no need to provide a digital converter. Further, the conductive parts 3 _{1 to} 3 ₄ and 4 are simultaneously formed by etching at the time of etching the wiring pattern by utilizing a part of the printed circuit board on which the other circuit of the device applied as described above is configured. Is possible. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost of the device to which the switch device 1 is applied.

The switch device 1 having the above configuration may be provided as, for example, one of the keyboard switches of a personal computer, or may be an independent configuration as a switch board for cursor operation. ..

Further, since the present invention can easily change the pattern of the signal to be supplied by adjusting the pressing force applied with a simple structure, the present invention is not limited to the switch device for operating the cursor of the personal computer, It goes without saying that it can be applied to other uses.

Further, the formation of the conductive portions 3 _{1 to} 3 ₄ , 4 on the first member 2 is not limited to the etching method, but may be a printing method.

Further, the shapes of the conductive portions 3 _{1 to} 3 ₄ are not limited to the concentric circles, and it is possible to obtain substantially the same effect as that of the above-described configuration, for example, a configuration in which linear belt-shaped conductors are simply arranged in parallel. It is only necessary that the configuration be such that Further, the shape of the portion of the protruding portion 7 of the second member 5 that comes into contact with the first member 2 is not limited to the substantially spherical shape, and may be appropriately selected depending on the shape of the conductive portions 3 _{1 to} 3 ₄ such as a pyramid shape. do it.

[0019]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, a printed circuit board that does not require a pressure sensor, has a simple structure, can directly output a digital signal, and constitutes another circuit of the device applied as the first member is provided. Since the conductive part can be formed by etching or printing simultaneously when the wiring pattern of the printed circuit board is etched, the manufacturing process is efficient and the cost of the applied device can be reduced. It is possible to provide a switch device capable of doing so.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the shape of a conductive portion of the first member shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which a second member of FIG. 1 is pressed.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 switch device 2 first member 3 ₁ to 3 _4, 4 conductive portion 5 and the second member 6 substrate 7 projecting portion

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A first member having a plurality of electrically conductive portions insulated from each other, and an electrical conductivity of the first member which comes into contact with the first member and is deformed and brought into contact in response to a pressing force applied from the outside. A switch device comprising a conductive second member in which the number of parts changes.