JPH06150776A - Surface panel for membrane switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a panel which ensures certain switch input and is free from impairing the appearance by structuring so that the connection part of a movable contact operating part with a spacer panel lies along on the rear surface of the button part of a cover sheet. CONSTITUTION:A spacer panel 1 for use in a surface panel 7 for a membrane switch has a movable contact operating part 3 which is formed rigidly on a window part 2 in a single piece through a connection part 4 having resilience. The connection part 4 is for supporting the operation part 3 on the panel 1, has a resilience so that the operation part 3 can move in the vertical direction, and is formed alongside the rear surface of the button part 6 of a cover sheet 5. According to this constitution, the button part is free from plastic deformation or crack initiation even with repeated turning on and off of the switch.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a surface panel for a membrane switch, which enables reliable switch input and does not impair the beautiful appearance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a movable contact actuating portion 3 is integrally formed with a spacer panel through a connecting portion 4 having a spring property in a window removing portion 2 of a spacer panel 1, and at least the window removing portion is directed outward from the spacer panel. There was a membrane switch front panel 7 covered with a cover sheet 5 having a button portion 6 protruding to the bottom (see FIG. 6). The upper surface of the connecting portion 4 having the spring property and the upper surface of the spacer panel 1 are on the same horizontal plane, and there is a space between the connecting portion 4 and the back surface of the button portion 6 of the cover sheet 5.

The membrane switch 10 has a movable contact 9 such as a conductive rubber diaphragm arranged on a fixed contact 8 such as a printed circuit board, on which the movable contact actuating portion 3 is provided.
The above-mentioned panel is covered so that the movable contacts 9 are located under each of them, and the movable contact 9 is brought into contact with or separated from the fixed contact 8 side by pressing the movable contact actuating portion 3 through the button portion of the cover sheet 5. Then, it is electrically turned on and off (see FIG. 7).

[0004]

However, since the button portion of the cover sheet does not have a strong restoring force against the pressing force, the button portion of the cover sheet becomes plastic when the switch is repeatedly turned on and off. There is a case where the appearance of the surface panel for a membrane switch is impaired due to deformation and further cracking due to repeated plastic deformation.

Further, since the movable contact actuating part is not always in contact with the button part of the cover sheet, the switch is turned on.
When it is turned off, first the button part is pressed to make contact with the movable contact actuating part, and then the movable contact actuating part is pressed via the button part. It was sometimes mistaken for the completion of switch input.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a surface panel for a membrane switch, which enables reliable switch input and does not impair the beautiful appearance.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, in the surface panel for a membrane switch of the present invention, the movable contact actuating portion is a spacer through a connecting portion having a spring property in the window cutout portion of the spacer panel. In the front panel for a membrane switch, which is integrally molded with the panel and at least the window cutout part is covered with the cover sheet having the button part projecting outward from the spacer panel, the connecting part is along the back surface of the button part of the cover sheet. Configured to be.

The surface panel for a membrane switch of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a front panel for a membrane switch of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a back side portion of a button portion of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front panel for a membrane switch of the present invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the back side portion of the button portion of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the back side portion of the button portion.

1 is a spacer panel, 2 is a window cutout portion, 3
Is a movable contact actuating portion, 4 is a connecting portion, 5 is a cover sheet, 6
Is a button part, and 7 is a front panel for a membrane switch.

The cover sheet 5 used in the front panel 7 for a membrane switch of the present invention has a button portion 6,
At least the window cutout 2 is covered.

The cover sheet 5 is made of polyester resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polystyrene resin, polycarbonate resin, polymethylmethacrylate resin, polyamide resin, etc. , Transparency, printing adhesion, punching workability, button workability, and some flexibility and resilience against pressure should be used.

The button portion 6 is a portion where the cover sheet material is projected by embossing. What is embossing?
A method of pressing a sheet-shaped material using a pair of dies in which upper and lower dies have irregularities corresponding to each other so that the front and back surfaces of the sheet-shaped material are reversed without changing the thickness of the sheet-shaped material. Is. The cover sheet 5 may be provided on the panel surface simultaneously with the injection molding. In that case, the cover sheet 5 is embossed by closing the injection mold and resin pressure to form the button portion 6. Good.

The cover sheet 5 may be decorated with buttons or the like by a normal printing method such as a gravure printing method or a screen printing method.

The spacer panel 1 used in the surface panel 7 for a membrane switch of the present invention maintains a constant gap between the movable contact and the fixed contact, and the window cutout 2 has a spring-like connecting portion. The movable contact actuating portion 3 is integrally formed via

The movable contact operating portion 3 has a movable guide function of a switch composed of a movable contact and a fixed contact, and when the button portion 6 is pressed, the movable contact operating portion 3
Moves downward to activate the movable contact. A plurality of movable contact actuating parts 3 may be provided in the window cutout part 2 of the spacer panel 1 (see FIG. 5).

The connecting portion 4 is for supporting the movable contact operating portion 3 on the spacer panel 1, and has a spring property so that the movable contact operating portion can move up and down. In particular, the connection portion 4 of the present invention is characterized by being along the back surface of the button portion 6 of the cover sheet 5. The connection part 4
May be connected to the movable contact actuating portion 3 at the shortest distance along the back surface of the button portion 6 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the back surface of the button portion 6 may be spirally connected to the movable contact operating portion 3. The spiral connecting portion 4 is preferable because it can obtain a better spring property.

Materials for the spacer panel 1, the movable contact actuating portion 3 and the connecting portion 4 include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin, acrylic styrene resin, polystyrene resin, polycarbonate resin, methacryl resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polybutylene terephthalate resin, polypropylene resin. For example, the one having a spring property of the connecting portion 4 is used.

To provide the cover sheet 5 on the panel surface, the cover sheet 5 is attached using an adhesive so that the button portion 6 projects outward from the spacer panel 1, or the cover sheet 5 is molded into a mold. By arranging it inside and injecting the molten resin into the mold, it is provided on the surface of the panel at the same time as molding the spacer panel and the like.

[0020]

Since the connecting portion of the front panel for a membrane switch of the present invention is shaped so as to follow the back surface of the button portion of the cover sheet, the following action can be obtained.

That is, the connecting portion along the back surface of the button portion supports the button portion from the back surface, and its springiness helps restore the shape of the button portion after pressing, so that the switch is turned on and off many times. If it is repeated, the button portion of the cover sheet will not be plastically deformed, and further, plastic deformation will not be repeated and cracks will not occur.

[0022]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, the following effects can be obtained. That is, in the present invention, the button portion is not plastically deformed or cracked, so that the appearance of the front panel for a membrane switch is not impaired.

Further, since the connecting portion is always in contact with the button portion, when the switch is turned on and off, the pressing of the button portion and the pressing of the movable contact operating portion integrally formed on the spacer panel via the connecting portion are performed. And can be performed at the same time, and the switch input can be performed reliably.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a front panel for a membrane switch of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a back side portion of a button portion of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the front panel for a membrane switch of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a back side portion of the button portion of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the back side portion of the button portion.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional surface panel for a membrane switch.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a membrane switch using a conventional surface panel for a membrane switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 spacer panel 2 window removal part 3 movable contact operation part 4 connection part 5 cover sheet 6 button part 7 membrane switch surface panel 8 fixed contact 9 movable contact 10 membrane switch

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A movable contact actuating portion is integrally formed with a spacer panel through a connecting portion having a spring property in a window removing portion of the spacer panel, and at least the window removing portion has a button portion projecting outward from the spacer panel. A surface panel for a membrane switch covered with a cover sheet, wherein the connecting portion is along the back surface of the button portion of the cover sheet.