JP2002109989A - Push button switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To downsize a push button switch and, for instance, to easily store a keyboard. SOLUTION: The push button switch is provided with a key top 11 having a push-down part, a contact point 24 arranged at a lower part than the key top 11 and selectively connected by above push-down part and a support mechanism 51 supporting the key top 11 in free movement. The support mechanism 51 is provided with a support member with one end arranged in free swinging movement against the key top 11 and the other end in free movement toward a given direction and a biasing means biasing the other end of the support member. Here, the key top 11 is made to move upward by biasing energy of the biasing means. Since there is no need of utilizing force of restitution of a cup rubber 61, the push button switch can be made compact by that much.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a push button (button) switch.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a keyboard for performing operations such as input to a computer is provided with a plurality of push button switches. When an operator presses a key top of a predetermined push button switch, the push button switch is activated. It is to be turned on.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a first state of a conventional push button switch, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a second state of the conventional push button switch.

[0004] In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a key top which is disposed movably in the up-down direction. The key top 11 is a rectangular plate-shaped portion 12, and a diagonally lower portion from the periphery of the plate-shaped portion 12. An inclined portion 13 is formed so as to be inclined, and a protruding portion 14 is formed by projecting downward from the center of the rear surface of the flat plate portion 12.

A housing 15 is provided below each keytop 11, and a membrane sheet 17 is provided between the housing 15 and the reinforcing plate 16. The membrane sheet 17 has a laminated structure of an upper sheet 18, a spacer sheet 19 and a lower sheet 20, and the upper sheet 18 and the lower sheet 2 are formed by the spacer sheet 19.
A predetermined gap (gap) is formed between the gap and zero. In the membrane sheet 17, a contact portion 21 is formed at a portion corresponding to the protrusion 14, and at a portion above the contact portion 21, the housing 15 is cut into a circular shape to form a cutout 25. . Further, in the contact portion 21, the spacer sheet 19 is cut out, the upper sheet 18 and the lower sheet 20 are opposed to each other, and the upper contact 22 is provided on the lower surface of the upper sheet 18 with the lower sheet 20.
A lower contact 23 is formed on the upper surface of the
3 are opposed to each other. The upper contact 22 and the lower contact 2
3 forms a contact 24.

[0006] A support mechanism 31 is provided between the key top 11 and the housing 15.
1, the key top 11 is supported movably in the up-down direction. The support mechanism 31 includes first and second actuators 32 and 33 connected to each other in an “X” shape by pins 30 and a cup rubber 45 for urging the key top 11 upward.

The first actuator 32 includes two vertical frames 34 (only one of them is shown in FIG. 2), and an upper horizontal frame 3 connecting the vertical frames 34.
5 and a lower horizontal frame 36, the horizontal frame 35 is swingably supported by a clamp 37 formed on the lower surface of the key top 11, and the horizontal frame 36 is The locking member 38 is formed so as to be movable in the horizontal direction. The second actuator 33 includes two vertical frames 39 (only one of them is shown in FIG. 2), an upper horizontal frame 40 connecting the vertical frames 39, and a lower frame 40. Horizontal frame 4
1 having a rectangular frame structure,
Is horizontally movably locked by a locking member 42 formed on the lower surface of the key top 11, and the horizontal frame 41 is swingably supported by a clamp 43 formed on the housing 15.

The cup rubber 45 is made of a rubber material.
It has a dish-like shape, and includes a bottom portion 46 and an inclined portion 47 extending obliquely downward from the bottom portion 46. The cup rubber 45 is disposed so as to cover the notch 25, and the bottom 4
6 is fixed to the projecting portion 14, and the outer peripheral edge of the inclined portion 47 is attached to the inner peripheral edge of the cutout portion 25 in the housing 15. A projection 48 for pressing the membrane sheet 17 is formed at the center of the lower surface of the bottom portion 46. The key top 11, the contact 24, and the support mechanism 31
Constitutes a push button switch.

In the push button switch having the above structure, when the operator depresses the key top 11, the key top 11
Moves downward, as shown in FIG.
The inclined portion 47 is curved, and the bottom portion 46 is moved downward. Accordingly, the protrusions 48 are attached to the membrane sheet 1.
7, the upper contact 22 and the lower contact 23 come into contact with each other,
4 are electrically connected. Thus, the push button switch is turned on. Note that, as the key top 11 is moved downward, the first actuator 32 and the second
Of the horizontal frame 36 and 40 is moved in the horizontal direction.

When the operator releases the key top 11, the key top 11 is moved upward by the urging force of the cup rubber 45, and the cup rubber 45 returns to its original shape as shown in FIG. . Accordingly, the protrusion 48 separates from the membrane sheet 17 and the upper contact 22
And the lower contact 23 is separated, and the contact 24 is electrically cut off. Thus, the push button switch is turned off.

[0011]

However, in the conventional push button switch, when the operator releases the key top 11, the key top 11 is moved upward only by the urging force of the cup rubber 45.
It is necessary to increase the restoring force of the inclined portion 47. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the size of the cup rubber 45 in the height direction, and the size of the push button switch is increased accordingly. As a result, for example, since the thickness of the keyboard is increased, it becomes difficult to store the keyboard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a push-button switch which can solve the problems of the conventional push-button switch and can be reduced in size, for example, can easily accommodate a keyboard.

[0013]

For this purpose, a push button switch according to the present invention is provided so as to be vertically movable and has a key top provided with a pressing portion, and a key top provided below the key top. It has a contact that is selectively connected by a pressing portion, and a support mechanism that movably supports the keytop.

The support mechanism has a support member provided at one end so as to be swingable with respect to the key top and the other end movably in a predetermined direction, and the other end of the support member. And an urging means for urging.

In another push button switch of the present invention, a swing support portion for swingably supporting one end of the support member is disposed at a fixed position.

The holding portion for holding the urging means is movably provided.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a first state of the push button switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the push button switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a sectional view showing a second state of the push button switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a third state of the push button switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram of the push button switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents the stroke of the key top 11, and the vertical axis represents the displacement of the spring 52.

In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes a key top arranged so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The key top 11 is a rectangular flat plate portion 12 and is inclined obliquely downward from the periphery of the flat plate portion 12. An inclined portion 13 is formed, and a projection 14 is formed as a pressing portion formed by projecting downward from the center of the back surface of the flat plate portion 12. The key top 11
Indicates one of a plurality of keys arranged on a keyboard (not shown).

A housing 15 is provided below each keytop 11, and a membrane sheet 17 is provided between the housing 15 and the reinforcing plate 16. The membrane sheet 17 has a laminated structure of an upper sheet 18, a spacer sheet 19 and a lower sheet 20, and the upper sheet 18 and the lower sheet 2 are formed by the spacer sheet 19.
A predetermined gap is formed between the zero and zero. In the membrane sheet 17, a contact portion 21 is formed at a portion corresponding to the protrusion 14, and at a portion above the contact portion 21, the housing 15 is cut into a circular shape to form a cutout 25. . Further, in the contact portion 21,
The spacer sheet 19 is cut out, the upper sheet 18 and the lower sheet 20 are opposed to each other, and the upper contact 22 is formed on the lower surface of the upper sheet 18 and the lower contact 23 is formed on the upper surface of the lower sheet 20. 22 and the lower contact 23 are opposed to each other. The contact 2 selectively connected by the protrusion 14 by the upper contact 22 and the lower contact 23.
4 are configured.

A support mechanism 51 is provided between the key top 11 and the housing 15.
1, the key top 11 is supported movably in the up-down direction. The support mechanism 51 includes first and second support members connected to each other in an “X” shape by the pins 30.
A second actuator 32, 33 and a spring 52 as an urging means for urging the key top 11 upward are provided.

The first actuator 32 has one end swingably disposed with respect to the key top 11 and the other end movably disposed in a predetermined direction.
4 (only one of them is shown in FIG. 1), and an upper horizontal frame 35 connecting the vertical frames 34 to each other.
And a lower frame 36 having a rectangular frame structure. The horizontal frame 35 is swingably supported by a clamp 37 as a swing support portion formed on the lower surface of the key top 11, and the horizontal frame 36 is provided with a stopper 53 formed on the housing 15 and a lock. The member 56 is movably locked in the horizontal direction. Further, the second actuator 33 has one end arranged to be swingable with respect to the housing 15 and the other end arranged to be movable in a predetermined direction,
For this purpose, two vertical frames 39 (only one of them is shown in FIG. 1), and an upper horizontal frame 40 and a lower horizontal frame 41 connecting between the vertical frames 39 are formed. It has a square frame structure. Then, the horizontal frame 40
Is horizontally movably locked by a locking member 42 formed on the lower surface of the key top 11, and the horizontal frame 41 swings with respect to a clamp 43 as a swing support portion formed on the housing 15. Freely supported. A pocket 54 is formed in the housing 15 as a holding portion. The spring 52 housed and held in the pocket 54 holds the horizontal frame 36 as a stopper to bias the key top 11 upward. Energize toward 53.

A cup rubber 6 is provided below the projection 14.
1 is provided. The cup rubber 61 is made of a rubber material and has a flat plate shape. And the cup rubber 6
1 is provided so as to cover the notch 25, and the outer peripheral edge is attached to the inner peripheral edge of the notch 25 in the housing 15. In the center of the lower surface of the cup rubber 61,
A projection 62 for pressing the membrane sheet 17 is formed. The key top 11, the contact 24, and the support mechanism 51
Constitutes a push button switch.

In the push button switch having the above structure, when the operator depresses the key top 11, the key top 11
As moves downward, as shown in FIG.
The horizontal frame 36 is separated from the stopper 53, the spring 52 is contracted, and the lower end of the projection 14 contacts the cup rubber 61. Subsequently, as the key top 11 moves further downward, the cup rubber 61 is bent as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the protrusions 62 push the membrane sheet 17, the upper contacts 22 and the lower contacts 23 come into contact, and the contacts 24 are electrically connected. Thus, the push button switch is turned on. Note that, as the key top 11 is moved downward, the first actuator 3
The angle between the second actuator 33 and the second actuator 33 is changed, and the horizontal frames 36 and 40 are moved in the horizontal direction.

Then, when the operator releases the key top 11, the horizontal frame 36 is moved toward the stopper 53 by the urging force of the spring 52, whereby the key top 11 is moved upward, and the cup rubber is moved. 61 is
It returns to its original shape, as shown in FIG. Accordingly, the protrusion 62 separates from the membrane sheet 17, the upper contact 22 and the lower contact 23 separate, and the contact 24 is electrically cut off. Thus, the push button switch is turned off. Subsequently, the horizontal frame 36 is further moved toward the stopper 53 by the urging force of the spring 52, and the key top 11 is moved upward. As shown in FIG. Leave.

In FIGS. 1 and 5 to 7, W1 is the displacement of the spring 52 when the spring 52 presses the horizontal frame 36 against the stopper 53, and W2 is the displacement when the projection 14 comes into contact with the cup rubber 61. The amount of displacement of the spring 52, W3 is the amount of displacement of the spring 52 when the projection 62 presses the membrane sheet 17, and S2 is the state in which the spring 52 presses the horizontal frame 36 against the stopper 53. S3 is the stroke of the key top 11 from the state in which the spring 52 presses the horizontal frame 36 to the stopper 53 to the state in which the projection 62 presses the membrane sheet 17. It is a stroke.

As shown in FIG. 7, the stroke of the key top 11 is between S2 and S3,
The push button switch is turned on / off at a point P at which the displacement amount is between W2 and W3.

As described above, since the key top 11 is moved upward by the urging force of the spring 52,
There is no need to use the restoring force of the cup rubber 61. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the size of the cup rubber 61 in the height direction, so that the push button switch can be reduced in size accordingly. As a result, for example, since the thickness of the keyboard can be reduced, it is easy to store the keyboard.

In this embodiment, the protrusion 1
Although the cup rubber 61 is arranged between the contact 4 and the contact part 21, it is not always necessary to arrange the cup rubber 61.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, about what has the same structure as 1st Embodiment, the description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching the same code | symbol.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a first state of the push button switch according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the push button switch according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a second state of the push button switch according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

In this case, the housing 75 is provided movably in the directions of the arrows X and Y with respect to the membrane sheet 17. A notch 77 having a rectangular shape is formed in a portion of the housing 75 facing the clamp 37,
A clamp 76 as a swing support portion for swingably supporting the horizontal frame 41 is formed so as to protrude upward from the reinforcing plate 16 and penetrate the notch 77. In the present embodiment, the clamp 76 is provided at a fixed position, and the pocket 54 as a holding portion is provided.
Are formed integrally with the housing 75 and the housing 75
Is moved as is moved. The key top 11, the contact 24, and the support mechanism 51 constitute a push button switch.

When the operator depresses the key top 11 in the push button switch having the above-described structure, the horizontal frame 36 moves away from the stopper 53 as the key top 11 moves downward, similarly to the first embodiment. , The spring 52 as the urging means is contracted, and the projection 1
4 contacts the cup rubber 61 at the lower end. Subsequently, the cup rubber 61 is bent as the key top 11 moves further downward. Accordingly, the protrusion 62 pushes the membrane sheet 17 so that the upper contact 22 and the lower contact 23
And the contact 24 is electrically connected. Thus, the push button switch is turned on. As the key top 11 is moved downward, the angle formed between the first actuator 32 and the second actuator 33 as the support member is changed, and the horizontal frames 36 and 40 move in the horizontal direction. Let me do.

When the operator releases the key top 11, the horizontal frame 36 is moved toward the stopper 53 by the urging force of the spring 52, and the key top 11 is moved upward accordingly. 61 returns to the original shape. Accordingly, the protrusion 62 separates from the membrane sheet 17, the upper contact 22 and the lower contact 23 separate, and the contact 24 is electrically cut off. In this way,
The push button switch turns off. Subsequently, the spring 5
With the urging force of 2, the horizontal frame 36 is further moved toward the stopper 53, the key top 11 is moved upward, and the projection 14 is separated from the cup rubber 61.

By the way, for example, when storing the keyboard provided with the push button switch, the operator moves the housing 75 in the direction of arrow X from the state of FIG. Along with this, the horizontal frame 36 is also moved in the direction of the arrow X, and the key top 11 is moved downward, so that the state shown in FIG. 10 is obtained. In this case, since the pocket 54 moves with the movement of the horizontal frame 36, the spring 52 is not contracted. When the housing 75 is moved in the direction of the arrow Y from the state of FIG. 10, the horizontal frame 36 is also moved in the direction of the arrow Y, the key top 11 is moved upward, and the state returns to the state shown in FIG.

8 and 10, W1 denotes the displacement of the spring 52 when the spring 52 presses the horizontal frame 36 against the stopper 53, and A denotes the protrusion 14 before the housing 75 is moved in the arrow X direction. Is the distance from the center of the horizontal frame 36 to the center of the horizontal frame 36, α is the amount of movement of the housing 75 in the arrow X direction, and S4 is the stroke of the key top 11 when the housing 75 is moved in the arrow X direction.

As described above, by simply moving the housing 75 in the direction of the arrow X, the key top 11 can be moved downward, for example, the thickness of the keyboard can be reduced, so that it is easier to store the keyboard. become.

The height of the key top 11 during normal use can be adjusted by placing the housing 75 at a predetermined position so that the protrusion 62 and the contact 24 do not significantly shift.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified based on the gist of the present invention, and they are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

[0040]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a push button switch is provided movably in the up-down direction and has a key top provided with a pressing portion and a key top provided below the key top. And a contact mechanism selectively provided by the pressing unit and a support mechanism for movably supporting the key top.

The support mechanism includes a support member having one end rotatably provided with respect to the key top and the other end provided movably in a predetermined direction, and the other end of the support member. And an urging means for urging.

In this case, the support mechanism includes a support member having one end rotatably provided with respect to the key top and the other end provided movably in a predetermined direction, and the other end of the support member. Is provided, the key top is moved upward by the urging force of the urging means. Therefore, there is no need to use the restoring force of the cup rubber.

As a result, the size of the push button switch can be reduced accordingly, and for example, the thickness of the keyboard can be reduced, so that the keyboard can be easily stored.

In another pushbutton switch of the present invention, a swing support portion for swingably supporting one end of the support member is disposed at a fixed position.

The holding section for holding the urging means is movably disposed.

In this case, since the holding portion for holding the biasing means is movably disposed, only by moving the holding portion,
By moving the keytop downward, for example, the thickness of the keyboard can be reduced. Therefore, it becomes easier to store the keyboard.

Further, by placing the holding portion at a predetermined position, the height of the key top during normal use can be adjusted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a first state of a push-button switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a first state of a conventional push button switch.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a second state of the conventional push button switch.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the push button switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a second state of the push-button switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a third state of the push button switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram of the push button switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a first state of a push-button switch according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a push button switch according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing a second state of the push-button switch according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Key top 14 Projection part 24 Contact 32, 33 1st, 2nd actuator 35, 36, 40, 41 Horizontal frame 51 Supporting mechanism 52 Spring 54 Pocket 76 Clamp

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. (a) vertically movably disposed,
A key top provided with a pressing part, (b) a contact disposed below the key top and selectively connected by the pressing part, and (c) a support mechanism movably supporting the key top. (D) the support mechanism includes a support member having one end arranged to be swingable with respect to the key top and the other end arranged to be movable in a predetermined direction. A push button switch comprising an urging means for urging the other end. (A) a swing support portion for swingably supporting one end of the support member is disposed at a fixed position;
(B) The push button switch according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion for holding the urging means is movably disposed.