JPH0749699Y2 - Push button switch - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial field of application] The present invention relates to a push-button switch for a keyboard used in a personal computer, a word processor, etc., and an object thereof is to obtain a push-button switch having particularly good operability. .

[Conventional technology]

A conventional push button switch of this type will be described with reference to FIG.

In the figure, 1 is a reinforcing plate made of metal or the like.
The membrane switch 2 is placed on the top. The membrane switch 2 is an upper sheet 2b having a movable contact 2a.
And a lower sheet 2d having fixed contacts 2c. A case 3 is placed on the membrane switch 2, and the case 3 is provided with a first protrusion 3a and a second protrusion 3b formed in an annular shape. The operating member 4a of the key-up 4 is slidably positioned on the inner wall 3c of the shaped portion 3a, and the engaging claw provided at the lower end of the operating member 4a is formed in the cutout concave portion of the first protrusion 3a. The engaging claws (not shown) slide in the notch recesses, and the operating member 4a is configured to be slidable in the vertical direction on the inner wall 3c. A coil spring 6 is interposed between the flat surface 3d of the case 3 and the lower surface of the key top 4 so as to be located around the first protrusion 3a. Further, a coil spring 5 for pressing the movable contact 2a of the membrane switch 2 by strong fitting is attached in the operating member 4a. Although not shown in FIG. 3, a notch recess is provided in the second protrusion 3b in the direction orthogonal to FIG. 3, and the engaging claw provided on the key top 4 is attached to the notch recess. This prevents the key top 4 from slipping upward.

When the key-top 4 is pressed against the spring pressure of the coil spring 6 in the above-described configuration, the outer peripheral portion of the operation member 4a slides down the inner side wall 3c of the case 3. Then, the lower end portion of the coil spring 5 mounted inside the operating member 4a by strong fitting presses the upper sheet 2b of the membrane switch 2 to move the movable contact 2a.
Comes into contact with the fixed contact 2b, and the switch is turned on. After that, when the pressing of the key top 4 is released, the elastic spring of the coil spring 6 restores the original state.

[Problems to be solved by the device]

However, in recent years, there has been a demand for a small and thin keyboard, and accordingly, the push button switch itself has been obliged to have a thin structure.

Therefore, in constructing a thin push button switch, it is desired to secure a certain amount (3 to 4 mm) of the pressing stroke of the push button switch.

In that case, for each component, the thickness of the key top 4 is b, the amount of movement of the key top 4 is S, the length of the engaging portion (not shown) between the case 3 and the key top 4 is a, the reinforcing plate 1 and the membrane switch 2 are When the thicknesses of and are c, the total height is H.

The length a of the engaging portion is a = H- (2S + b + c),
The length b of the key top 4, the movement amount S of the key top 4, and the thickness c of the membrane switch 2 and the reinforcing plate 1 are substantially constant depending on the molding conditions and the parts configuration, etc.
It was necessary to reduce the size of and reduce the thickness. However, if the length a of the engaging portion is shortened, when the end portion A of the key top 4 is pressed, the operating member of the key top 4 is pressed.
There is a problem in that the lower end of 4a is caught on the inner surface of the first projecting wall 3a of the case 3 and rattles, resulting in poor pressing operability.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional technical problems and to obtain a thin push button switch having a good pressing feeling.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a case having a projecting member, a contact portion located below the case,
In a push button switch having a key top in which an operating member of the projecting member is slidably attached, and a contact portion is pressed by pressing the key top, the operating member of the key top and the projecting member of the case are provided. A sliding member is interposed between the operation member and the swinging member, and between the sliding member and the protruding member, the sliding member is slidable.

[Action]

Therefore, in the present invention, since the sliding member is interposed between the operating member of the key-top and the first projecting wall of the case, there are cases where the sliding member is not provided and cases where the sliding member is provided. Comparing the above, when the push button switches are configured to have the same height, the length of the engaging portion between the key top and the sliding member or the sliding member and the case can be set to be about 1/2 of the movement amount.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a push-button switch according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the push-button switch of FIG. 1 viewed from another direction.

In the figure, reinforcing plate 11, membrane switch 12, case
13, key top 14 having operation member 14a, key top 14
In the state of having the above, the coil spring 16 for biasing upward and the coil spring 17 which is a contact pressing member mounted by strong fitting in the operating member 14a of the key-top 14 are the same as the conventional one, but the features of the present invention are as follows. The place to do is in the following configuration.

That is, a sliding member is provided between the operating member 14a of the key-up 14 and the first projecting wall 13a of the case 13. An engaging claw 14b is provided at the lower end of the operating member 14a of the key-up 14, and the engaging claw 14b is configured to be slidable in the cutout groove 15a of the sliding member 15. The sliding member 15 is provided at its upper end with a retaining portion 15b that engages with the engaging claw 14b and prevents the sliding member 15 from coming out upward, and at the lower end thereof, the first protruding wall 13a of the case 13 is detached. An engaging claw 15c that engages with the stopper 13b is provided, and the engaging claw 15c is a cutout groove of the first projecting wall 13a.
It is configured to be slidable in 13c. A pair of locking pieces 14c is provided below the key top 14 and is located in the notch 13e of the second projecting wall 13d.
To prevent it from slipping upward.

When the key top 14 is pressed under the above configuration, the key top 14 moves downward against the spring pressure of the coil spring 16 for upward biasing. At this time, the engaging claw 14b of the operating member 14a is a sliding member.
When the lower surface 14d of the key-top 14 contacts the upper surface of the sliding member 15, the engaging claw 15c of the sliding member 15 moves in the notched groove 13c when the lower surface 14d of the key-up 14 abuts on the upper surface of the sliding member 15. . Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of the operating member 14a slides on the inner peripheral surface of the sliding member 15, and the outer peripheral surface of the sliding member 15 is the first projecting wall 13a of the case 13.
Slide on the inner surface of. The lower end of the coil spring 17 attached to the operating member 14a causes the membrane switch 12
The upper sheet 12b of the is pressed and the movable contact 12a is fixed.
Contact c and switch turns on. At the same time, the lower surface 14d of the keep-up 14 comes into contact with the upper surface of the first protruding wall 13a. When the pressing of the key-top 14 is released, the coil spring 16 returns to its original state by the elastic restoring force of the coil spring 16.

Therefore, in the structure of the present invention, the thickness b of the key-up 14 and the thicknesses of the reinforcing plate 11 and the membrane switch 12 are c, which are the same as those in the conventional structure as compared with the conventional structure, and the differences will be described.

That is, the amount of movement of the lower surface 14d of the key-up 14 contacting the upper end of the first projecting wall 13a is represented by S, so the lower surface 14d of the key-up 14 and the upper surface of the sliding member 15 and the sliding member 15
The distance between the upper surface of the first projection wall 13a and the upper surface of the first projection wall 13a is tentatively expressed as 1 / 2S, and the lower surface of the operating member 14a of the key-up 14 and the lower surface of the sliding member 15 and the lower surface of the sliding member 15 and the bottom surface of the case 13 are also represented. And the distance between the upper surface of the first protruding wall 13a and the lower surface of the sliding member 15 (engagement portion) is E, the height of the entire push button switch Next to Becomes

On the other hand, the conventional push button switch is H = 2S + a, and a = H-
It becomes 2S. (However, the thickness b of the key top 14 and the reinforcing plate 11
Since the thickness c of the membrane switch 12 and that of the membrane switch 12 are similar to those of the present invention in the related art, they are excluded from the calculation formula. ) Therefore, if you make a difference from the configuration of the present invention to the conventional configuration Next to Becomes Therefore, in the structure of the present invention, when the height H of the pushbutton switch is the same as that of the conventional example, the engaging portion E may be configured to be 1 / 2S larger than the conventional engaging portion a. it can. Therefore, when the amount of movement is set to 3 mm, for example, the conventional engaging portion a + 1.5 mm can be made longer, so that the height of the push button switch can be lowered by that amount and the thickness can be reduced, and the key top 14 Even if the end portion is pressed, the key top 14 is not tilted and pressed.

In the above embodiment, the coil spring is used as the contact pressing member, but this is only an example, and other members may be used for pressing.

[Effect of device]

As described above, in the push button switch of the present invention, the case
Since the sliding member 15 is interposed between the key top 13 and the key top 14, when the height of the conventional push button switch and the movement amount of the push button switch are configured to have the same size, the length of the engaging portion is set to 1 /
Since it can be secured about 2 large, the height of the push button switch can be lowered by that amount to make it thinner, and even if the end portion of the key top 14 is pressed, the key top 14 is not rattled and pushed. The pressing feeling of the push button switch is good.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a push button switch according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a main part of the push button switch of FIG. 1 in a side direction, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a conventional push button switch. is there. 12 …… Membrane switch 13 …… Case 13a …… (first) protruding wall 14 …… Key top 14a …… Operating member 15 …… Sliding member 16,17 …… Coil spring

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A case having a projecting member, a contact portion located below the case, and a key top having its operating member slidably attached to the projecting member, the contact being made by pressing the key top. In the push button switch that is configured to press the part,
A sliding member is interposed between the operating member of the key top and the projecting member of the case, and is configured to be slidable between the operating member and the sliding member and between the sliding member and the projecting member. And push button switch. 2. A push button according to claim 1, wherein the key top is provided with a pair of key top locking pieces, and the case is provided with a notch portion for locking the locking pieces of the key top. switch.