JPH067129U - Push-button switch - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] An object of the present invention is to provide a push-button switch that can endure long-time use and provide a reliable click feeling. [Structure] A membrane 14 composed of a lower membrane 11, a spacer 12 and an upper membrane 13 which are sequentially stacked.
And a cutout 12a provided in the spacer in at least one switch region of the membrane, and a first contact provided on the upper surface of the lower membrane and the lower surface of the upper membrane so as to face each other in each cutout. 11a and the second contact 13a, and an embossed portion 15 which is placed on the membrane and projects upward in the switch region.
It includes an embossed sheet 15 having a and a key top 16 supported by a frame so as to be movable up and down above each embossed portion of the embossed sheet, and the embossed portion of the embossed sheet has a central portion, The push button switch 1 is provided with a protruding portion 15b protruding further upward.
Configure 0.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a structure of a push button switch having a click action, which is used as an input key of a keyboard device, for example.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, such a push button switch is constructed as shown in FIG. 3, for example. That is, in FIG. 3, the push button switch 1 includes a first contact 3 provided on the substrate 2 and an insulating sheet 4 placed on the surface of the substrate 2 except for the region of the first contact 3. Further, a flexible pattern 6 placed from above through the spacer 5 and a key top 8 supported above the flexible pattern 6 so as to be vertically movable in the opening 7a of the case 7 are included. I'm out.

The spacer 5 is notched in a peripheral region of the first contact 3, and a metal diaphragm 9 curved upward in a concave shape is fixedly held in the notch 5 a. . The periphery of the diaphragm 9 is electrically insulated from the surface of the substrate 2 by the insulating sheet 4.

Further, the flexible pattern 6 has a second contact 6a at a position facing the first contact 3 on the lower surface thereof, and the second contact 6a is always on the upper surface of the diaphragm 9. It is electrically connected by being in contact with. Further, the key top 8 has a boss portion 8a on its lower surface, which should come into contact with the upper surface of the flexible pattern 6.

According to the push button switch 1 configured as described above, when the upper surface of the key top 8 is pressed by a finger or the like, the boss portion 8 a provided on the lower surface of the key top 8 is interposed via the flexible pattern 6. , The central portion of the diaphragm 9 is pressed downward. As a result, the central portion of the diaphragm 9 is deformed downward, and the lower surface of the central portion of the diaphragm 9 comes into contact with the first contact 3 provided on the substrate 2. .

Therefore, the second contact 6 a provided on the lower surface of the flexible pattern 6 is electrically connected to the first contact 3 on the substrate 2 via the diaphragm 9. And switch on.

At this time, the diaphragm 9 is inverted with a click action when the key top 8 is pressed based on its shape, so that a click feeling can be obtained when the switch is operated. Has become.

[0008]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in the push-button switch 1 configured as described above, since the diaphragm 9 is made of metal, the diaphragm 9 may be cracked and the feel may be lost after long-term use.

Further, since the spacer 5 is attached to the surface of the substrate 2 with an adhesive or the like, the assembling work is troublesome, and the spacer 5 may be dropped, vibrated or deteriorated due to the adhesive or the like. The spacer 5 floats up from the surface of the substrate 2, and the outer peripheral edge of the diaphragm 9 may enter the gap created by the lift up, which makes it impossible to obtain a click feeling. There was also a problem.

In view of the above points, the present invention has an object to provide a push-button switch that can endure long-time use and can provide a reliable click feeling.

[0011]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 According to the present invention, the above object is to provide a membrane comprising a lower membrane, a spacer and an upper membrane, which are sequentially stacked, and a cutout portion provided in the spacer in at least one switch region of the membrane. , A first contact and a second contact respectively provided on the upper surface of the lower membrane and the lower surface of the upper membrane so as to face each other in each notch, and mounted on the membrane and in the switch area, The embossed sheet includes an embossed sheet having an upwardly projecting embossed section and a key top supported by a frame so as to be vertically movable above each embossed sheet of the embossed sheet. This is achieved by a push button switch characterized in that the central portion thereof is provided with a projecting portion further projecting upward.

[0012]

[Action]

 According to the above configuration, when the key top is pressed with a finger or the like during the switch operation, the lower surface of the key top causes the embossed portion of the embossed sheet to have a double structure in which the protruding portion is provided at the center. With a more reliable click feeling, the first contact and the second contact are brought into contact with each other in the switch region of the membrane in the notch provided in the spacer in the switch region of the membrane.

Further, since the metal diaphragm is not used, it is possible to improve durability without causing short-circuiting between the contacts due to long-term use.

Further, since the click feeling is obtained by the embossed sheet, the assembly can be easily performed with a simple structure, and the cost can be reduced.

[0015]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a push button switch according to the present invention.

The push button switch 10 is composed of a lower membrane 11, a spacer 12 and an upper membrane 13, which are placed one on top of the other, and has a membrane 14 having at least one switch region and a membrane 14 mounted on the membrane 14. An embossed sheet 15 made of a polyester material having an embossed portion 15a protruding upward in the switch region, and a keytop 16 vertically movably supported above each embossed portion 15a of the embossed sheet 15. Includes and.

In each switch region, the membrane 14 is provided with a notch 12 a provided in the spacer 12 and a first contact provided on the upper surface of the lower membrane 11 so as to face each other in each notch 12 a. 11 a and a second contact 13 a provided on the lower surface of the upper membrane 13.

Further, the embossed sheet 15 is formed so that the embossed portion 15a has a double structure in which the central portion thereof has a protruding portion 15b protruding further upward (FIG. 2). reference). Further, the key top 16 has a boss portion 16a on its lower surface, which should come into contact with the embossed portion 15a of the embossed sheet 15.

The push button switch 10 according to the present invention is configured as described above, and when the key top 16 is pushed down with a finger or the like, the boss portion 16 a provided on the lower surface of the key top 16 corresponds to the embossed sheet 15. The embossed portion 15a is pressed. As a result, the embossed portion 15a is deformed downward with a click feeling, and the lower surface thereof presses the switch region of the membrane 14 downward.

Therefore, in the membrane 14, the contact 13a of the upper membrane 13 is brought into contact with the contact 11a of the opposing lower membrane 11 in the notch 12a of the spacer 12. Thus, the first contact 11a and the second contact 13a come into contact with each other, and the switch is turned on.

In this case, since the embossed portion 15a has the protruding portion 15b protruding upward in the center thereof, the click feeling at the time of pressing can be more reliably obtained. If the dimension b of the upper surface of the protruding portion 15b is selected to be smaller than the dimension a of the lower surface of the boss portion 16a of the key top 16, the click feeling can be further improved.

After that, when the finger or the like is released from the key top 16, the embossed portion 15a of the embossed sheet 15 returns to the state before being pressed (illustrated) based on the inherent elasticity, and thereby the key top 16 is pushed. 16 is moved upward to return to the state before the operation, and the membrane 14 is switched off by the elasticity of the upper membrane 13 so that the second contact 13a is separated from the first contact 11a. It will return to the state of.

[0023]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an extremely excellent push button switch that can endure long-time use and can provide a reliable click feeling.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an embodiment of a push button switch according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view showing an embossed portion of the embossed sheet of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of a conventional push button switch.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Push Button Switch 11 Lower Membrane 11a First Contact 12 Spacer 12a Notch 13 Upper Membrane 13a Second Contact 14 Membrane 15 Embossing Sheet 15a Embossing 15b Projection 16 Keytop 16a Boss

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A membrane composed of a lower membrane, a spacer and an upper membrane, which are sequentially stacked and stacked, a cutout portion provided in the spacer in at least one switch region of the membrane, and facing each other in each cutout portion. As described above, the first contact and the second contact respectively provided on the upper surface of the lower membrane and the lower surface of the upper membrane, and the embossed portion which is placed on the membrane and protrudes upward in the switch region are provided. The embossed sheet has a key top supported by a frame so as to be vertically movable above each embossed portion of the embossed sheet, and the embossed portion of the embossed sheet further protrudes upward in a central portion thereof. A push-button switch, characterized in that it has a protruding portion.