KR101827510B1

KR101827510B1 - Waterproof and dust protected switch

Info

Publication number: KR101827510B1
Application number: KR1020147007199A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 무네요시 미야타; 나오야 나카야마; 야스히로 미네타
Original assignee: 미크덴시고교가부시키가이샤
Priority date: 2011-09-21
Filing date: 2012-05-17
Publication date: 2018-02-08
Also published as: EP2760036A1; JP6045114B2; JPWO2013042403A1; CN103828004A; KR20140064881A; EP2760036A4; WO2013042403A1; CN103828004B

Abstract

Provided is a waterproof and dustproof switch excellent in beam forming, durability, and operational stability.
The waterproof and dustproof switch (SW) of the present invention includes a switch mechanism part (1) for switching contacts by the action of external force and a switch case (2) for protecting the switch mechanism part (1) A case body 7 made of a hard material for housing the switch mechanism portion 1 and a cover 9 made of a soft material covering the case body 7. The case body 7 and the cover 9 Are integrally formed by two-color molding and a reinforcing rib 8 integrally or separately from the case main body 7 is provided at a portion where the cover 9 is subjected to an external force.

Description

{WATERPROOF AND DUST PROTECTED SWITCH}

The present invention relates to a waterproof and dustproof switch which is used as a power switch in an electronic device such as an electronic book terminal or a mobile phone and can prevent water droplets, dust, dust, etc. from entering into a switch mechanism or an electronic device will be.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] Conventionally, as a switch having the above-described characteristics, a waterproof switch previously filed by the present applicant is known (refer to Patent Document 1 below). The waterproof switch has a two-layer structure in which the switch body is accommodated in the switch case and the switch case is formed of a waterproof cover and a case body formed in two colors on the outer surface thereof. In the switch case, a part of the waterproof cover protrudes in a dome shape on the outer surface of the case body, and a knob of the switch body is arranged inside the dome. Therefore, according to this waterproof switch, since the knob of the switch main body is completely covered by the dome which is a part of the waterproof cover, water permeating into the switch case from around the knob can be blocked.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-209527

However, the dome, which is a part of the waterproof cover in the waterproof switch of Patent Document 1, is integrally formed with the knob when the knob is pressed, so that the dome is stretched and contracted. Therefore, in order to secure the elasticity of the dome, the thickness of the resin constituting the dome must be thinner than that of the other waterproof cover (refer to FIG. 1 or FIG. 7 of Patent Document 1). Therefore, when the operation of pressing the knob is repeated, there is a problem that the resin of the thin portion of the dome sinks or cracks or the like, and stable switch operation can not be obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a switch case which can reliably prevent water droplets and dust from entering the switch case and improve durability, Which can provide a waterproof and dustproof switch.

In order to achieve the above object, a waterproof and dustproof switch according to the present invention includes a switch mechanism portion for switching a contact by an action of an external force and a switch case for protecting the switch mechanism portion, A case body made of a hard material and a cover made of a soft material covering the case body, wherein the case body and the cover are integrated by two-color molding, and at the same time, And a reinforcing rib integrally or separately formed with the case main body.

In the waterproof and dustproof switch of the present invention, the switch case may have a configuration in which a plate spring is formed by the top plate of the case body and the reinforcing ribs inclined relative to the top plate.

In the waterproof and dustproof switch of the present invention, the switch case may be disposed at a position where the reinforcing rib presses the operating body of the switch mechanism portion when an external force acts on the cover.

In the waterproof and dustproof switch of the present invention, the switch case may be configured such that the case body is made of polyamide resin and the cover is made of silicone rubber.

In the waterproof and dustproof switch according to the present invention, the switch mechanism may be a lever switch which switches the contacts by tilting the lever.

According to the waterproof and dustproof switch of the present invention, since the case body and the cover are integrated by two-color molding and the cover is tightly attached to the case body to completely seal the switch mechanism portion, It is possible to securely protect the switch mechanism portion. In addition, since the reinforcing ribs integrally or separately from the case main body are provided in the portion subjected to the external force in the cover, the cover is kept in good condition and durability, So that a smooth and stable operation can be realized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an external view of a waterproof / dustproof switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a plan view and FIG. 1 (b) is a front view.
2 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the waterproof and dustproof switch of Fig.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the waterproof and dustproof switch of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 (a) is a plan view before cutting, ) Is a BB sectional view, and (f) is a plan view after cutting.
Fig. 4 is a plan view, Fig. 4 (b) is a front view, and Fig. 4 (c) is a sectional view of AA.
Fig. 5 is a plan view, Fig. 5 (b) is a right side view, Fig. 5 (c) is a front view, Fig. 2 is a front view of a state in which a contact spring piece is mounted. Fig.
Fig. 6 is a plan view, Fig. 6 (b) is a front view, Fig. 6 (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA, (E) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB, and (f) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC.
Fig. 7 is a plan view, Fig. 7 (b) is a front view, Fig. 7 (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA, (E) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB.
Fig. 8 shows a state when the waterproof and dustproof switch of Fig. 1 is stopped, wherein Fig. 8A is an external view, and Fig. 8B is a sectional view.
Fig. 9 shows a state in operation of the waterproof and dustproof switch of Fig. 1, wherein (a) is an external view and Fig. 9 (b) is a sectional view.
Fig. 10 shows an appearance of a waterproof / dustproof switch according to the second embodiment. Fig. 10 (a) is a plan view and Fig. 10 (b) is a front view.
Fig. 11 is a plan view, Fig. 11 (b) is a front view, Fig. 11 (c) is a sectional view taken along the line AA, (E) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB, and (f) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC.
Fig. 12 is a plan view, Fig. 12 (b) is a front view, Fig. 12 (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA, (E) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Fig. 1, the waterproof and dustproof switch SW of the present embodiment is a small-sized switch that can be used as a power switch in an electronic device such as an electronic book terminal or a portable telephone. This switch is characterized in that a waterproof and dustproof structure is adopted in the switch case 2 in order to prevent water droplets, dust, and dust from intruding into the switch mechanism unit 1 and the electronic device body at the time of use. The power switch exemplified above is merely an example, and the present invention can be used as another switch used in an environment requiring waterproofness or dustproofness.

2, the waterproof and dustproof switch SW includes a switch mechanism portion 1 and a switch case 2. In the present embodiment, the switch mechanism portion 1 employs a lever switch for switching the contact point by the tilting operation of the lever 5 operated by the operation lever (for example, have. The switch case 2 protects the switch mechanism portion 1 and has a structure in which the internal switch mechanism portion 1 is completely sealed by the double structure of the case body 7 and the cover 9 .

First, the structure of the switch mechanism 1 will be described. Fig. 3 shows the base 3 constituting the switch mechanism part 1. Fig. The base 3 is formed of a resin material (polyamide resin in the present embodiment) having insulating properties, and is provided with a space 31 for accommodating the parts in a flat box-like body so as to be mounted on a substrate. A concave portion 32 for mounting a lever 5 to be described later is formed on a front surface and a rear surface of the main body, and a pedestal 33 is formed on the inner bottom surface of the main body. On the outer wall surface of the main body, a locking hook 34 for mounting the switch case 2 to be described later is provided.

Fig. 4 shows a contact pattern 4 constituting the switch mechanism part 1. Fig. The contact pattern 4 is formed by punching a conductive metal plate (phosphor bronze plate in the present embodiment) and has two rows of fixed contacts 41 and 42 arranged at regular intervals in the center. In addition, four connection terminals 43, 43, which are folded stepwise and lowered by one step, are formed in the respective fixed contacts 41, 42, respectively. Respectively.

3, the two rows of fixed contacts 41 and 42 are fixed to the inner bottom surface of the base 3 by insert molding at the time of forming the base 3, Four connection terminals 43, 43 connected to the contacts 41, 42, ..., Is protruded outside the base (3). 3 (f), the two rows of fixed contacts 41 and 42 are separated from each other, as shown in Fig. 3 (f).

Fig. 5 shows the lever 5 constituting the switch mechanism part 1. Fig. The lever 5 includes an operating portion 51 formed of an insulating resin material (polyamide resin in this embodiment) and receiving external force, a holder portion 52 for holding and holding the contact spring piece 6, To the contact spring piece (6). 5 (e), the contact spring piece 6 is fitted and held in the holder portion 52 in the axial force storage state. The contact spring piece 6 has a pair of leg portions formed by bending a metal piece into a U-shape to give an elastic force and an end portion branched on both legs, and ends of the contact spring piece 6 are independent movable contacts 61 and 62, respectively. The lever 5 having the contact spring piece 6 fixed therein is formed by inserting the shaft portion 54 provided on the outer wall surface into the concave portion 33 of the base 3 as shown in Fig. And is rotatably supported as a point (fulcrum).

Next, the structure of the switch case 2 will be described. 6 and 7 show the switch case 2 according to the molding process. The switch case 2 has a double structure composed of a case body 7 molded by the primary molding shown in Fig. 6 and a cover 9 molded by secondary molding shown in Fig.

As shown in Fig. 6, the case body 7 is made of a hard material having insulating properties (polyamide resin in this embodiment), and is formed by heating and dissolving the hard material and performing injection molding, . The case body 7 covers the base 3 and protects the switch mechanism 1. The case body 7 is provided with a space 71 for accommodating the lever 5 inside the body and a top plate 72, And an opening 73 for inserting the through-hole 5 is formed. The front and rear surfaces of the main body are provided with mounting pieces 74 for fixing to the base 3. The mounting pieces 74 are provided with locking holes 75 fitted to the locking hooks 34 of the base 3 Is formed.

A reinforcing rib 8 serving as a skeleton of the cover 9 is provided by the same hard material as the case main body 7. 6 (b) and 6 (c), the reinforcing ribs 8 are arranged so as to be inclined relative to the top plate 72 of the case body 7, and the reinforcing ribs 8 are provided on the top plate 72 Thereby constituting a plate spring portion 81 having elasticity. As shown in Figs. 6 (d), 6 (e) and 6 (f), at one end of the reinforcing rib 8, two rows of protrusions 82 and 82, which are formed in the same mountain shape as the lever 5, Respectively. The other end of the reinforcing rib 8 is provided with a round hole 83 for securing a contact area with the cover 9 as shown in Figs. 6 (a) and 6 (c). In the present embodiment, the reinforcing ribs 8 are provided separately from the case body 7. Alternatively, the reinforcing ribs 8 may be integrally formed by connecting the reinforcing ribs 8 to the top plate 72 of the case body 7.

As shown in Fig. 7, the cover 9 is made of a flexible material (silicone rubber in this embodiment) having insulation property such as an elastomer resin, and is formed by injection molding a soft material by heating and melting, 91). As the molding step, first, the mold is opened after molding the case main body 7 to replace the upper mold with the upper mold for cover molding (the reinforcing rib 8 is set in the mold) to tighten the mold, The silicone rubber may be injected into the mold and finally cooled and cured. Thus, the switch case 2 in which the case body 7 and the cover 9 are integrated is molded by molding the hard material (polyamide resin) and the soft material (silicone rubber) into two colors.

As shown in Fig. 8, the two-color molded switch case 2 is mounted on the base 3 on which the lever 5 is provided. The switch case 2 is put on the base 3 so that the hooks 34 of the base 3 are hooked on the anchoring holes 75 of the case body 7 as shown in the figure, (2) is fixed.

The switch case 2 has a structure in which the cover 9 is closely attached to the case body 7 by integrating the cover 9 covered with the case body 7 by two-color molding, The intrusion can be completely blocked. In addition, since the cover 9 made of a soft material is bonded to the reinforcing rib 8 made of a hard material with respect to the portion subjected to an external force, the performance of the cover 9 such as beam forming, durability, and operation stability is greatly improved do. 7 (c), the silicone rubber constituting the cover 9 is dug into the round hole 83 of the reinforcing rib 8, and as shown in Fig. 7 (d) (e) A protruding portion 92 made of silicone rubber and constituting the cover 9 is also inserted and bonded between the first and second protrusions 82 and 82. Therefore, a large contact area between the case body 7 and the cover 9 is ensured, and the adhesion between the case body 7 and the cover 9 is further enhanced.

Finally, the operation of the waterproof / dustproof switch SW of the present embodiment will be described. 8, the shaft portion 54 of the lever 5 is fitted into the concave portion 32 of the base 3 and the top plate 72 of the case body 7 to prevent the case body 7 from slipping off, The operating portion 51 of the lever 5 protrudes from the opening portion 73 of the lever 5. The protruded operating portion 51 is disposed in a position opposite to the reinforcing rib 8 which is accommodated in the space 71 of the case body 7 and has the leaf spring portion 81. At this time, one of the movable contact points 61 of the contact spring piece 6 is in contact with the fixed contact point 41, and the other movable contact point 62 is not in contact with the fixed contact point 42. Therefore, the fixed contacts 41 and 42 are not turned on, and the switch is turned off.

9, when the protruding portion 92 of the cover 9 is pressed by a finger or the like, the entire cover 9 made of silicone rubber is concavely deformed to form the reinforcing rib 8 integrated with the cover 9. [ The plate spring portion 81 of the plate spring 81 is compressed. Here, the compressed leaf spring portion 81 presses the operating portion 51 of the lever 5 to cause the lever 5 to rotate about the shaft portion 54 as a fulcrum, and thereby the operating portion 51, (Force point), and the cam portion 53 which contacts the contact spring piece 6 functions as a point of action. At this time, the contact spring piece 6 is pushed by the cam portion 53 to be compressed, and the other movable contact 62 comes into contact with the stationary contact 42. Therefore, the stationary contacts 41 and 42 are made conductive through the contact spring piece 6, and the switch is turned ON.

When the finger is released and the pressing force is released, the lever 5 lying by the elastic return force of the contact spring piece 6 is generated. The cover 9, which has been concaved in this way, is also raised to its original position by the resilient return force of the leaf spring portion 81. As a result, the other movable contact 62 of the contact spring piece 6 is separated from the fixed contact 42, and the conduction between the fixed contacts 41 and 42 is interrupted, and the switch is switched to the OFF state.

As described above, according to the waterproof and dustproof switch (SW) of the present embodiment, not only water droplets from the outside and invasion of dust are prevented but also the reinforcing ribs 8 made of a hard material are integrally joined to the cover 9 made of silicone rubber It is possible to keep the cover 9 in good condition because it does not cause drowsiness or cracks even if it is repeatedly used. In addition, since the protruding portion 92, which is subjected to the action of an external force, is inserted and protected by the protruding portion 82 having a thickness made of a hard material, durability is also excellent. The cover 9 made of silicone rubber is provided with the stepped stepped portion 93 so that it can be easily deformed due to the depression when it is pressed by the finger, and the strength can be obtained. Therefore, a smooth and stable operation can be realized over a long period of time .

Although the case body 7 and the reinforcing ribs 8 constituting the switch case 2 are different from each other in the above-described embodiment, the case body 7 and the reinforcing ribs 8 may be integrally provided have. In the waterproof / dustproof switch SW shown in Fig. 10, the switch case 2 is composed of the case main body 7 molded by the primary molding shown in Fig. 11, the cover molded by the secondary molding shown in Fig. 12 9). &Lt; / RTI >

11, in the present embodiment, the reinforcing ribs 8 are connected to the top plate 72 of the case body 7 made of a hard material (polyamide resin in this embodiment) Thereby constituting a plate spring portion 81 having elasticity. 12, a soft material such as an elastomer resin (silicone rubber in this embodiment) is heated and melted and injection molding is performed to form a dome-shaped cover 9 having a hollow portion 91 therein. The switch case 2 in which the case body 7 and the cover 9 are integrated is formed by molding the hard material (polyamide resin) and the soft material (silicone rubber) in two colors.

Since the cover 9 is in close contact with the case body 7 constituting the switch case 2 in the waterproof and dustproof switch SW of the present embodiment, the intrusion of water droplets or dust from the outside is completely blocked, 1) can be reliably protected. In the present embodiment, particularly, since the case body 7 and the reinforcing ribs 8 are connected to each other and the connecting portion constitutes the leaf spring 81, the compression and resilient return operations by the leaf spring 81 are smoothly performed So that it is possible to realize a stable switch operation with excellent responsiveness.

In the embodiment described above, the lever switch is employed as the switch mechanism portion 1 constituting the waterproof / damping switch SW, but a switch having another structure such as a push switch or a slide switch may be employed. The shape and material of the case body 7 and the cover 9 constituting the switch case 2 are not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be modified within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention by a person skilled in the art As shown in FIG.

SW ... Waterproof and dustproof switch
One… Switch mechanism section
2… Switch case
3 ... Base
31 ... space
32 ... Concave portion
33 ... Base
34 ... Hanging hook
4… Contact pattern
41 ... Fixed contact
42 ... Fixed contact
43 ... Connection terminal
5 ... lever
51 ... Control unit
52 ... The holder portion
53 ... Cam portion
54 ... Shaft
6 ... Contact spring piece
61 ... Movable contact
62 ... Movable contact
7 ... Case body
71 ... space
72 ... Top plate
73 ... Opening
74 ... Installation
75 ... Anchor hole
8… Reinforcing rib
81 ... Plate spring portion
82 ... Protrusion
83 ... Round hole
9 ... cover
91 ... public
92 ... Protrusion
93 ... Step

Claims

A switch mechanism portion for switching the contact by the action of an external force,
And a switch case for protecting the switch mechanism portion,
The switch case includes:
A case main body made of a hard material accommodating the switch mechanism portion,
And a cover made of a soft material covering the case main body,
Wherein a reinforcing rib made of a hard material integral with or separate from the case body is provided at a portion of the cover which is subjected to an external force,
A soft material constituting the cover is sandwiched and adhered to the hard material between two rows of projections provided at one end of the reinforcing rib,
The soft material constituting the cover is pierced and bonded to the hole provided at the other end of the reinforcing rib,
The stepped step provided at a portion serving as a starting point of the depression in the cover is made of only the soft material,
Wherein the switch case is formed with a leaf spring having elasticity by a top plate of the case body and a connecting portion of the reinforcing ribs inclined relative to the top plate,
The plate spring is compressed by the force pressing the cover, and the stepped step becomes a starting point of depression,
And when the pressing force of the cover is released, the cover is returned to its original position by the elastic restoring force of the leaf spring.

delete

The waterproof and dustproof switch according to claim 1, wherein the switch case is disposed at a position where the reinforcing rib presses the operating body of the switch mechanism portion when an external force is applied to the cover.

The waterproof and dustproof switch according to claim 1, wherein the switch case is made of polyamide resin and the cover is made of silicone rubber.

The waterproof and dustproof switch according to claim 1, wherein the switch mechanism portion is a lever switch for switching a contact by tilting the lever.

A switch mechanism portion for switching a contact by the action of an external force; And
And a switch case for protecting the switch mechanism portion,
The switch case includes:
A case main body made of a hard material accommodating the switch mechanism portion,
And a cover made of a soft material covering the case body,
A reinforcing rib made of a hard material integrally or separately from the case body is provided at a portion of the cover which is subjected to an external force,
The soft material constituting the cover is dug and bonded to at least a part of the reinforcing rib,
A stepped step is provided at a portion which becomes a starting point of the depression in the cover,
A plate spring having elasticity is formed by at least a top plate of the case body and a connecting portion of the reinforcing ribs inclined relative to the top plate,
The plate spring is compressed by the force pressing the cover, and the stepped step becomes a starting point of depression,
And when the pressing force of the cover is released, the cover is returned to its original position by the elastic restoring force of the leaf spring.

The method of claim 6,
Wherein a soft material constituting the cover is sandwiched and adhered to the hard material between two rows of projections provided at one end of the reinforcing rib.

The method according to claim 6 or 7,
And the soft material constituting the cover is inserted into the hole provided at the other end of the reinforcing rib and is bonded.

The method of claim 6,
Wherein the stepped step is composed of only a soft material.