JPH0621148Y2 - Membrane switch - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a membrane switch, and more particularly to a membrane switch in which a contact portion of an upper contact sheet is rounded up and a diaphragm is arranged in the rounded up portion.

(Outline of the Invention) The present invention eliminates the need for a spacer, which has been conventionally required,
This is a membrane switch that enables miniaturization of the switch and reduction of the number of assembly steps.

This membrane switch forms a conductive circuit pattern in the same way as the lower contact sheet with a conductive circuit pattern formed,
Further, it has an upper contact sheet laminated so as to face the lower contact sheet, and a diaphragm inserted between the contact portions of the conductive circuit patterns of both contact sheets.

Then, the upper contact sheet has a rounded-up portion formed at the contact portion of the conductive pattern, and the diaphragm is inserted into this rounded-up portion.

The membrane switch can be formed simply by stacking the upper and lower contact sheets and then inserting and fixing the diaphragm.

Further, by forming the rounded-up portion of the contact portion smaller than the diaphragm, the upper contact sheet can have an insulating sealing action.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, in a membrane switch using a plastic film or the like, conductive circuit patterns are formed on upper and lower sheets, and a spacer is laminated between them to form a contact portion on the upper and lower conductive circuit patterns. .

Even if the operator operates this type of membrane switch, the sensation of being operated by a finger is not transmitted to the operator, so that the switch may be erroneously operated or the membrane switch itself may malfunction.

Then, in order to solve such a problem, the membrane switch as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 is proposed.

In FIG. 7 (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-209222), 1 is a lower contact sheet having a conductive circuit pattern formed by printing or the like, which is formed of a polyester film or the like. Two
Is an upper contact sheet that is laminated so as to face the lower contact sheet 1 and similarly has a conductive circuit pattern formed thereon, which is also formed of a polyester film or the like.

Contact portions 3 and 4 facing each other are formed at appropriate positions of the conductive circuit patterns of the contact sheets 1 and 2, and the contact portions 3 and 4 are separated between the contact sheets 1 and 2 in order to isolate the contact portions 3 and 4. The spacer 5 is interposed.

In order to solve the above problem, the diaphragm 6 made of stainless steel for spring is housed between the contact points 3 and 4.

By providing the diaphragm 6, when an operator operates the membrane switch to press the contact portion, the pressing feeling is transmitted to the finger, so that not only the erroneous operation is eliminated, but also the diaphragm 6 is further provided with both contact points 3, 4. Since the spaces are isolated, the membrane switch itself does not malfunction.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of a membrane switch showing another conventional example.

In the figure, 1 is a lower contact sheet, 2 is an upper contact sheet, 3 is a lower contact portion, 4 is an upper contact portion, and
Similar to the one shown in the figure, both contact portions 3 and 4 are arranged to face each other and are separated by a spacer 5. In the case of this example, the diaphragm 6 for improving the operation feeling of the operator is placed on the upper contact sheet 2.

Then, in order to fix the diaphragm 6, a surface sheet 8 is provided further above the diaphragm 6 via another spacer 7.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) However, in the membrane switch as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, since it is necessary to interpose a spacer between each sheet, the thickness of the membrane switch is equal to the spacer. Not only that, but the number of assembly steps for the membrane switch also increased, leading to an increase in manufacturing cost.

(Means for Solving the Problems) Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the membrane switch of the present invention comprises a lower contact sheet having a conductive circuit pattern formed thereon and a lower contact sheet having a conductive circuit pattern formed thereon. An upper contact sheet laminated facing each other and a diaphragm inserted between the contact portions of the conductive circuit patterns of both contact sheets, and the upper contact sheet has a rounded-up portion for inserting the diaphragm at the contact portion of the conductive circuit pattern. is doing.

Further, the rounded-up portion of the contact portion may be formed smaller than the diaphragm.

(Operation) According to the present invention, the lower contact sheet having the conductive circuit pattern and the upper contact sheet are laminated so that the upper and lower contact portions face each other.

Then, the diaphragm is inserted into the rounded-up portion formed on the upper contact sheet, and is interposed between the upper and lower contact portions.

By this diaphragm, the upper and lower contact portions are sufficiently isolated, and when the operator pushes the operation portion of the membrane switch, the diaphragm is inverted and the upper and lower contact portions come into contact with each other. Then, when the pressing is stopped, the diaphragm returns to its original state and returns.

Due to the resistance of the diaphragm, the operator can feel the operation of the switch.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

For the same structural parts as the conventional membrane switch,
The same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

1 is a sectional view of the membrane switch of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the membrane switch of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of essential parts of the membrane switch of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, an upper contact sheet 2 is laminated on a lower contact sheet 1, and a cut-up portion 11 is formed in the upper contact sheet 2 by cutting out a portion located at a contact portion.

Then, the diaphragm 12 having a curved shape is inserted under the cut-up portion 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, conductive circuit patterns 13 and 14 are formed on the lower contact sheet 1 and the upper contact sheet 2, respectively, by means of printing or the like. Then, the conductive circuit patterns 13 and 14 have contact portions 15 and 16 formed at appropriate places on the circuit.

The upper and lower contact sheets 1 and 2 are directly laminated without a spacer. Therefore, the conductive circuit of both contact sheets 1 and 2
The conductive circuits 13 and 14 are insulated and sealed so that a short circuit does not occur due to the contact of 13 and 14 with each other.

The diaphragm 12 is formed of curved stainless steel for spring or the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the diaphragm 12 is disposed so as to be interposed between the upper contact portion 16 and the lower contact portion 15, and the upper curved portion is brought into contact with the upper contact portion 16.

The size of the diaphragm 12 can be appropriately selected with respect to the size of the rounded-up portion 11, but when it is smaller than the rounded-up portion 11, it is housed in the cutout 17 to further reduce the thickness of the membrane switch. .

When the size of the diaphragm 12 is made larger than that of the cut-up portion 11 (shown in the embodiment in the drawing), the diaphragm 12 is arranged on the upper contact sheet 2 so as to straddle the cutout 17. Therefore, there is no portion where the diaphragm 12 and the lower conductive circuit pattern overlap, and it is not necessary to insulate the conductive circuit pattern at the contact portion. Since the diaphragm 12 can be arranged by pressing the diaphragm 12 against the root side of the cutout portion, the diaphragm 12 can be easily positioned.

Although the upper and lower contact sheets 1 and 2 are separately formed and laminated in the above-mentioned embodiment, the upper and lower conductive circuit patterns and the contact portions are formed on one sheet, and the sheet is bent at the center to form a membrane switch. Good.

Further, a cut portion having the same shape as the diaphragm shape may be formed in the portion of the upper contact sheet 2 where the diaphragm 12 is arranged. This notch makes positioning even easier. The shape of the cut portion does not necessarily have to be the same as the diaphragm shape, and any shape that can be used for positioning may be used.

4 to 6 are views showing another embodiment of the membrane switch of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view in which a surface sheet 21 having a curved operating portion is further laminated and polymerized on the membrane switch shown in FIG.

In the case of this embodiment, since the entire surface is covered with the surface sheet 21, the operating portion of the membrane switch is prevented from becoming dirty, and the durability and the insulating property are improved.

As shown in FIG. 5, the surface sheet may form a narrowed portion 22 having a circular shape, a square shape, or the like. In the case of this embodiment, since the unevenness is formed on the surface of the membrane switch, the operator can easily press the switch.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a spacer 23 may be interposed between the upper contact sheet 2 and the surface sheet 21. The spacer 23 is formed with an opening 24 that is large enough to surround the cut-up portion 11. In this example,
Since the spacer 23 is laminated on the upper contact sheet 2,
By introducing light from the thickness direction of the spacer 23,
It is also possible to obtain illuminated membrane switches.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made based on the spirit of the present invention, and these modifications are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be achieved.

(1) Since the contact part of the upper contact sheet is cut out and the diaphragm is inserted into the rounded-up part formed by it, the curved part of the diaphragm separates the upper and lower contact parts and provides a contact interval. It is possible to omit the spacer. Therefore, the number of parts is reduced and the number of manufacturing processes is reduced, so that not only the assembly is facilitated, but also the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

(2) Since the contact part of the upper contact sheet is cut out and the diaphragm is inserted into the rounded-up part formed by it, the curved part of the diaphragm separates the upper and lower contact parts and provides a contact interval. It is possible to omit the spacer. Therefore, the membrane switch can be downsized.

(3) By making the size of the diaphragm larger than the size of the rounded-up portion, the diaphragm is placed on the upper contact sheet, and the upper contact sheet itself becomes an insulating seal, so the diaphragm and the lower conductive sheet There is no direct contact with the circuit pattern. Therefore, it is not necessary to apply an insulating seal to the conductive circuit pattern.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the membrane switch of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the membrane switch of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the essential parts of the membrane switch of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the essential parts of a membrane switch showing the second embodiment, FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the essential parts of a membrane switch showing the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the membrane switch showing the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of a conventional membrane switch, and FIG. 8 is a partial sectional view of a conventional membrane switch showing another example. 1 ... Lower contact sheet, 2 ... Upper contact sheet, 3,15
...... Lower contact part, 4,16 ...... Upper contact part, 11 ...... Round up part, 12 ...... Diaphragm, 21 ...... Surface sheet.

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A lower contact sheet having a conductive circuit pattern formed thereon, an upper contact sheet having a conductive circuit pattern formed thereon and laminated to face the lower contact sheet, and contact portions of the conductive circuit patterns of both contact sheets. A membrane switch comprising a diaphragm inserted between the upper contact sheet and a round-up portion for inserting the diaphragm formed at the contact portion of the conductive pattern. 2. The membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein the rounded-up portion of the contact portion is formed smaller than the diaphragm.