JPH08222077A - Switch structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a switch structure in which the stroke can be largely set, the width of a switch body is never limited by the dimension of a base plate, and water and dust are difficult to penetrate. CONSTITUTION: This switch structure has a rubber contact 65 bent in U-shape with both surfaces of a printed board 69 between and having contact parts 77 on both the bent wing parts 65a, 65b; and a cam member 59 for converting the pressing force of a key top 41 parallel to the printed board 69 into a pressing force orthogonal to the surface of the printed board 69, and pressing the contact parts 77 by the pressing force of the key top 41. In this switch structure, the printed board 69 is arranged to be stood in the vertical direction, and the rubber contact 65 is bent to cover the upper part of the printed board 69.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement in a switch structure for bringing a contact into conduction by a pressing operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art So-called contacting of contacts by pressing operation,
The push-button type switch requires an appropriate stroke and pressing load in order to obtain a reliable operation feeling (pressing feeling). As a switch of this kind, for example, the actual Kaihei 5-50632
The one described in the publication will be described with reference to FIG. In this switch 1, a rubber contact 7 having a bowl shape made of elastic rubber is placed on a switch contact 5 of a substrate 3,
The rubber contact 7 is provided with a pressing portion 9 for pressing the switch contact 5, and a slide shaft 11 and a key top 13 made of synthetic resin for pressing the pressing portion 9 are arranged thereon. In the switch 1 configured in this way, when the key top 13 is pressed, the lower surface of the slide shaft 11 presses the pressing portion 9 of the rubber contact 7, and the side wall 7a of the rubber contact 7 is crushed to give a click feeling. As it occurs, the lower surface of the pressing portion 9 presses the switch contact 5 of the switch substrate 3 to turn it on.

In the conventional switch 15 shown in FIG. 12, the key top 17 and the slide shaft 19 are slidably inserted in the pressing direction, and the key top 17 and the slide shaft 19 are separated by a spring 21. I am biased. In the switch 15 configured as described above, when the key top 17 is pressed, the spring 21 is compressed by a predetermined stroke, and the switch contact 23 is pressed by this compression force to be turned on. I was able to get

Further, the one described in JP-A-5-12956 will be described with reference to FIG. With this switch 25,
The rubber sheet 29 is provided on the circuit board 27, and the rubber contact 31 is provided on the rubber sheet 29.
The contact 35 facing the contact 33 of the rubber contact 31
The key top 37 is provided on the rubber contact 31, and the plunger 39 is continuously and integrally erected on the key top 37. In the switch 25 thus configured, when the plunger 39 is pressed,
The key top 37 continuous with the plunger 39 presses the rubber contact 31, and the side wall 31b of the rubber contact 31 is crushed to generate a click sensation.
The contact 35 comes into contact with the contact 33 of the circuit board 27 to turn it on.

[0005]

By the way, operability is one of the most important factors required for the switch function.
In consideration of this operability, the key top is required to have a design and a certain size suitable for a finger.
Further, in the push-button type switch, the switch main body becomes large when the operation stroke and the pressing load are secured, so that a somewhat large installation space is required. On the other hand, in a switch mounting part inside a door, for example, in an automobile,
Since there are many interfering members such as the body, trim, and electric wires, it is desired to make the switch compact. However, FIG.
In the conventional switch 1 shown in FIG. 1, since the switch contact 5 is arranged on the plane orthogonal to the pressing direction of the key top 13, the switch body tends to be large in this plane direction, that is, the width direction of the key top. For example, in the case of a switch for an automobile door in which a plurality of such switches are arranged, the width of the switch body becomes large due to the restriction of the board size, and there is a problem that it is impossible to achieve compactness. And in the switch 1, the key top 1 is formed only by the rubber contact 7.
Since the stroke of 3 was determined, it was not possible to obtain a large stroke. In addition, in the conventional switch 15 shown in FIG. 12, a large stroke can be obtained by pressing the switch contact 23 by the compression force of the spring 21, but the switch width is affected by the board size as described above, and the switch is made compact. I couldn't. Further, in the conventional switch 25 shown in FIG. 13, the surface of the circuit board 27 is covered with the rubber sheet 29, but is covered with the side surface of the board (the gap between the rubber sheet 29 and the circuit board 27) or the rubber sheet 29. There is a possibility that the back surface of the non-existing circuit board 27 may be exposed and water, dust, etc. may enter from these parts, causing a circuit short circuit and poor continuity of the contact portion. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a switch structure in which the stroke can be set without being restricted by the rubber contact, the width of the switch body is not restricted by the size of the board, and water and dust are unlikely to enter. The purpose is to provide operability, compactness, and waterproof / dustproof property.

[0006]

To achieve the above object, a switch structure according to the present invention has a printed circuit board provided with contacts and is bent in a U-shape sandwiching both sides of the printed circuit board, and contacts both of the bent wings. A rubber contact having a portion and a key top pressing force in a direction parallel to the printed circuit board is converted into a pressing force in a direction orthogonal to the surface of the printed circuit board, and the contact part is pressed against the contact by the pressing force of the key top. And a cam member. And, the switch structure according to the present invention, an operation rod projected from the key top in the pressing direction of the key top,
And a sliding surface which is formed on the cam member and converts the pressing force of the operating rod into a pressing force of the cam member in a direction orthogonal to the printed circuit board by being pressed by the tip of the operating rod. . Further, in the switch structure according to the present invention, it is preferable that the printed circuit board is arranged upright in a vertical direction and the rubber contact is bent so as to cover an upper portion of the printed circuit board.

[0007]

When the rubber contacts and the printed circuit board are vertically arranged, the switch contacts are not arranged on the plane orthogonal to the pressing direction of the key tops, and even when a plurality of key tops are arranged side by side, The width of the main body is not restricted by the board size. Then, since the pressing distance of the key top is converted to the contact portion pressing direction through the cam member, the stroke of the key top is arbitrarily increased by changing the inclination angle of the cam sliding surface. Further, since the upper and front and back surfaces of the printed circuit board are covered and the printed circuit board is arranged in the vertical direction, it becomes difficult for water and dust to enter, and drainage of the invaded water becomes easy.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the switch structure according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a switch structure according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an assembled sectional view showing the switch structure according to the present invention. The operation bar 43 is provided on the lower surface of the key top (push button portion) 41 whose upper surface serves as a pressing surface.
Is projected in a state of hanging downward, and the tip of the operating rod 43 is formed into a curved surface. Box-shaped switch body 4
5 includes, for example, two cases 47a and 47b which are divided into left and right sides with a vertical plane therebetween, and the cases 47a and 47b.
Are coupled by locking means 49a, 49b.

A plurality (four in this embodiment) of insertion holes 51 are formed on the upper surface of the switch body 45, and the insertion holes 51 connect the inside and outside of the switch body 45. Insertion hole 5
The operation rod 43 of the key top 41 is inserted into the switch 1, and the operation rod 43 is projected into the switch body 45. A lock claw 53 is provided so as to project from the operation rod 43, and the lock claw 53 restricts the operation rod 43 press-fitted into the insertion hole 51 from coming off from the insertion hole 51. The operating rod 43 in the inserted state has a coiled spring 5 between the key top 41 and the main body 45.
5 (see FIG. 2) is mounted, and the spring 55 biases the key top 41 away from the upper surface of the main body 45. That is, the key top 41 is insertably attached to the switch body 45 so as to be able to be pressed down while being biased to the upper end.

A sliding frame 5 is provided on the inner walls of the cases 47a and 47b.
7 are formed, and the sliding frame 57 is provided below the respective insertion holes 51. A cam member 59, which is a slider, is housed inside each sliding frame 57.
9 is slidable in the sliding frame 57 in the thickness direction (horizontal direction) of the cam member 59. A sliding surface 61 is formed on one side surface of the cam member 59 in the thickness direction, and the sliding surface 61 is an inclined surface in the direction in which the thickness of the lower portion of the cam member 59 increases.
The tip end of the operating rod 43 comes into contact with the sliding surface 61 of the cam member 59 arranged on the sliding frame 57. Therefore, if the key top 41 is pushed in the direction of arrow a, the cam member 59
Is moved in the side direction opposite to the sliding surface 61, that is, in the horizontal direction (arrow b direction) away from the operating rod 43. A hole 63 is formed on a side surface of the cam member 59 opposite to the sliding surface 61, and the hole 63 is fitted with a contact head of a rubber contact described later.

A rubber contact 65 is provided on the opposite side of the operating rod 43 with the cam member 59 interposed therebetween, and the rubber contact 65 is bent in an inverted U shape with both ends facing downward. It is preferable that the rubber contact 65 has a thin hinge portion at its center portion and has a structure that allows easy bending. A printed circuit board 69 is inserted into the gap 67 between the rubber contacts 65. That is, the printed circuit board 69 is arranged in a vertically standing state with the upper end covered by the rubber contact 65. The printed circuit board 69 and the rubber contact 65 are fixed to each other by, for example, fitting a protrusion 71 protruding from the rubber contact 65 into a hole (not shown) of the printed circuit board 69. A fixed number of fixed contacts 7 corresponding to the cam members 59 are provided on both sides of the printed circuit board 69.
3 is provided, and the fixed contact 73 is connected to the terminal 75 fixed to the printed board 69.

Both wing portions 65a, 6 of the rubber contact 65
5b has a contact portion 77 protruding in a bowl-like shape
And the contact portion 77 is arranged so as to cover the fixed contact 73 of the printed circuit board 69. Contact part 77
A head portion 77a is formed in the head portion 77a, and the head portion 77a fits into the hole 63 of the cam member 59 described above. A movable contact 79 is provided in the internal cavity of the contact portion 77, and when the contact portion 77 is crushed, the movable contact 79 comes into contact with the fixed contact 73 to make the fixed contact 73 conductive. In this embodiment, a pair of cam members 59 are provided on each of the two left and right cases 47a and 47b, and the rubber contact 65 and the printed circuit board 69 arranged in the vertical direction are sandwiched by the cam members 59 from the front and back. Becomes The cam member 59
May be provided on only one side.

The switch body 45, as shown in FIG.
For example, with a decorative plate 83 that is attached to the space between the door trim (or inner panel) 81 and the body panel 82 of the automobile door and fixed to the door trim 81,
Only the key top 41 is exposed and covered.
The connector housing portion 85 formed on the case 47a accommodates the terminal 75 of the printed circuit board 69,
The accommodated terminals 75 are connected by the connector housing 87 from the body side fitted into the connector housing portion 85.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the assembly procedure of the switch structure according to the present invention. In the assembly of this switch structure, first, the printed circuit board 69 is sandwiched between the rubber contacts 65,
Printed circuit board 69 and rubber contact 6 integrated
5 is set in the case 47a (A in the figure). At this time, the head 77a of the contact portion 77 is fitted into the hole 63 of the cam member 59 (see FIG. 2). Next, after fitting the case 47b to the case 47a and assembling the switch main body 45,
Insert the operation rod 43 with the spring 55 (see FIG. 2) into the insertion hole 51, and insert the key top 41 into the switch body 4.
Attach to 5 (B in the figure). At this time, the operating rod 43 inserted into the insertion hole 51 is locked by the lock claw 53.
It is regulated to escape from. Finally, after the switch main body 45 is attached to a predetermined mounting portion, only the key top 41 is exposed and the decorative plate 83 is attached (C in the figure), and the assembly of the switch is completed.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view for explaining the operation of the switch structure according to the present invention. In the switch structure described above, when the key top 41 is pushed in the direction of arrow a, the operating rod 43
And the tip presses the sliding surface 61 of the cam member 59. The cam member 59, whose sliding surface 61 is pressed, is
The contact portion 77 of the rubber contact 65 is pressed by being moved in the direction away from 3 (direction of arrow b). When the contact portion 77 is pressed, the wall portion of the contact portion 77 is crushed, the movable contact 79 (see FIG. 1) comes into contact with the fixed contact 73 (see FIG. 2) of the printed circuit board 69, and the fixed contact 7
3 becomes conductive. On the other hand, when the hand is released from the key top 41, the operating rod 43 is pushed upward by the urging force of the spring 55, the pressure on the cam member 59 is eliminated, and the movable contact 79 is fixed by the elastic restoring force of the contact portion 77. Separated from contact 73, fixed contact 73 turned off
To be done.

In this switch structure, the rubber contact 65 and the printed circuit board 69 are arranged vertically.
Even when a plurality of key tops 41 are juxtaposed, the width of the switch main body 45 is not restricted by the substrate size even when the switch contacts are not arranged on the plane orthogonal to the pressing direction of the key tops 41, and the key tops are not restricted. The switch body 45 does not become large in the width direction of 41. The pressing distance (stroke) of the key top 41 is determined by the cam member 59.
Since it is converted to the horizontal contact portion pressing direction by changing the angle, the stroke of the key top 41 can be arbitrarily increased by changing the inclination angle of the sliding surface 61 of the cam member 59. Become. Further, since the printed circuit board 69 is covered in the upper part and the front and back and arranged in the vertical direction, it is difficult for water and dust to enter, and the invaded water is easily drained.

According to the above switch structure, since the printed circuit board 69 is arranged in the vertical direction, the width of the switch body is not restricted by the board size, the switch body 45 can be made thin, and the switch body 45 is compact. Can be transformed. Then, even when a component for a control circuit is mounted on the printed circuit board 69, it is possible to deal with it without changing the thickness of the switch body 45.
Further, since the stroke of the key top 41 is converted to the horizontal contact portion pressing direction through the cam member 59, it is possible to obtain a large operation stroke that is not influenced only by the pressing distance of the contact portion 77. Furthermore, since the upper part and the front and back of the printed circuit board 69 are covered with the U-shaped rubber contacts 65, it is difficult for water and dust to enter, and the waterproofness and dustproofness can be improved.

As a modification of the above-described embodiment, in the switch structure according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, the end portion of the printed board 69 is extended to the connector housing portion 85, and the terminal 75 ( (See FIG. 2) to enable card edge connection. With such a structure, it is not necessary to separately attach the terminal 75, and the number of parts and the number of assembling steps can be reduced.

The switch structure according to the present invention is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, it is of course possible to use a leaf spring-shaped push button contact 89 instead of the rubber contact 65 to achieve a thin shape as described above.

Next, another embodiment of the switch structure according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a rubber contact and a substrate of another embodiment, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a rubber contact fixing portion. The same members as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and a duplicate description will be omitted. The configuration of the switch structure according to this embodiment is basically the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment, but the printed circuit board is wrapped by the rubber contact, and further waterproof /
It is characterized by improved dust resistance. The rubber contact 91 is folded in two with both ends facing downward. The central portion of the rubber contact 91 is a bent portion 93 having a thinned curved shape, so that the rubber contact 91 is easily bent. One wing portion 91a of the rubber contact 91 has a box shape with an outer edge portion standing upright. The other wing portion 91b of the rubber contact 91 has a lid shape that closes the opening of the one wing portion 91a having a box shape. That is, the rubber contact 91 is bent around the bent portion 93 to form a sealed internal space.

A printed circuit board 69 is accommodated in this internal space. A bulged portion 95 is formed on the other wing portion 91b, and the bulged portion 95 covers the connector housing portion 85 of the printed circuit board 69. A plurality of (four in this embodiment) fixing protrusions 97 are provided on one of the wings 91a,
The fixing protrusion 97 penetrates the through hole 99 of the printed circuit board 69 and fits into the fixing hole 101 formed in the other wing portion 91b. The length of the fixing protrusion 97 is formed to be slightly shorter than the total thickness of the printed board 69 and the other wing portion 91b. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the fixing projection 97 is fitted into the fixing hole 101, so that the printed circuit board 69 is housed in the rubber contact 91 in a close contact state.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an assembled state of a switch structure according to another embodiment. In this embodiment, the switch main body 103 is formed in a box shape having an opening 105 at the bottom in order to enhance waterproofness / dustproofness. Switch body 103
Guide rails 107 are formed on the inner wall surfaces parallel to each other, and the guide rails 107 support both sides of the rubber contact 91 in which the printed circuit board 69 is accommodated. By inserting the both sides of the rubber contact 91 into the guide rail 107,
The switch body 103 is inserted through the opening 105.
Switch main body 103 accommodating the rubber contact 91
An under cover 111 having a connector opening 109 is fitted into the opening 105 of the rubber contact 91.
Is accommodated in the switch body 103 with the connector housing portion 85 protruding from the connector opening 109. The key top 41 is mounted on the top of the switch body 103.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a mounted state of a switch according to another embodiment. The switch body 103 is attached to the space between the door trim 81 and the body panel 82 of the automobile door via the fixing portion 113 (see FIG. 9), and by the decorative plate 83 fixed to the door trim 81,
Only the key top 41 is exposed and covered.
At this time, the printed circuit board 69 and the connector housing portion 85 in the switch body 103 are completely covered by the box-shaped wing portion 91a and the lid-shaped wing portion 91b of the rubber contact 91. The contact ON / OFF operation of the printed circuit board 69 by pressing the key top 41 is the same as the operation of the above-described embodiment.

According to the switch structure of this embodiment,
Since the rubber contact 91 is formed by the box-shaped wing portion 91a and the lid-shaped wing portion 91b, the printed board 69 can be wrapped and the waterproof and dustproof properties can be further improved. Further, since the rubber contact 91 and the printed circuit board 69 are brought into close contact with each other by the fixing projection 97, it is possible to reliably prevent water and dust from entering the gap between them. Further, since the curved bent portion 93 is provided in the central portion of the rubber contact 91, it is possible to improve the adhesion when the rubber contact is attached to the printed board 69. Further, as in the above-described embodiment, since the printed circuit board 69 is provided in the vertical direction, even if water / dust enters, it easily flows down and the probability of water / dust adhering to the printed circuit board 69 can be reduced. .

[0025]

As described in detail above, according to the switch structure of the present invention, since the printed circuit board is arranged in the vertical direction, the width of the switch body is not restricted by the board size, and the switch body is thin. The switch body can be made compact. And
Since the stroke of the key top is converted to the horizontal contact portion pressing direction through the cam member, it is possible to obtain a large operation stroke that is not influenced only by the pressing distance of the contact portion. Furthermore, since the upper and front and back surfaces of the printed circuit board are covered with the rubber contacts, it is difficult for water and dust to enter, and the waterproofness and dustproofness can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a switch structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an assembled sectional view showing a switch structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an assembly procedure of the switch structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the operation of the switch structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a modified example in which a printed circuit board having a switch structure according to the present invention is extended.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a modified example in the case of using a leaf spring having a switch structure according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a rubber contact and a substrate according to another embodiment.

8 is an enlarged view of the rubber contact fixing portion of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an assembled state of a switch structure according to another embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounted state of a switch according to another embodiment.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional switch structure.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional switch structure that is designed to obtain a large stroke.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional switch structure in which plungers are continuously and integrally provided.

[Explanation of symbols]

 41 Key Top 43 Operation Rod 59 Cam Member 61 Sliding Surface 65 Rubber Contact 65a One Wing 65b Other Wing 69 Printed Circuit Board 77 Contact

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A rubber contact having U-shaped portions sandwiching both sides of a printed circuit board provided with contacts and having contact portions on both of the bent wings, and a key top pressing force in a direction parallel to the printed circuit board. A switch structure comprising: a cam member that converts a pressing force in a direction orthogonal to the surface of the printed circuit board and presses the contact portion against the contact by the pressing force of the key top. 2. A wing bent at the center, and one wing is formed in a box shape for accommodating a printed circuit board provided with contacts, and the other wing is formed in a lid for sealing the box. Further, a rubber contact having contact portions on both the wings and a key top pressing force in a direction parallel to the printed circuit board is converted into a pressing force in a direction orthogonal to the surface of the printed circuit board, and the contact force is applied to the contact by the pressing force of the key top. A switch structure including a cam member for pressing the contact portion. 3. The operating rod protruding from the key top in the pressing direction of the key top, and the pressing force of the operating rod formed by being formed on the cam member and being pressed by the tip of the operating rod, The switch structure according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a sliding surface that converts a cam member pressing force in a direction orthogonal to the substrate. 4. The switch structure according to claim 1, wherein the printed circuit board is arranged upright in a vertical direction, and the rubber contact is bent so as to cover an upper portion of the printed circuit board.