JPH0298021A - Manufacture of band-shape switching structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a band-shape switch excellent in productivity by laminating a conductive material on one side of a lengthy organic insulating film zonally in a plurality of steps for forming electrodes while the electrodes of the upper and lower steps are made a pair for being cut followed by bending holding electrodes inside. CONSTITUTION:An electrode formation means 11 transferring a lengthy organic insulating film 1 taken up by a roller 10 and laminating conductive metal foils along the longitudinal direction of the film 1 in the course of transferring the film 1 continuously extending over a plurality of steps is arranged whereby forming band electrodes. After forming band electrodes 2 extending over a plurality of steps in this way on one side of the lengthy film 1 for being cut in the desired length, the film 1 is cut while making the electrodes at the upper and lower steps a pair for cutting the film 1 every pair. The cut film 1 is cut- bent holding the electrodes 2 and 2 inside for being processed. In this way, a band-shape switching structure, where the electrodes 2 and 2 are opposed and separated, can be mass-produced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a strip-shaped switch structure.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, automatic control mechanisms and unmanned operation systems have been introduced in industrial fields such as transportation machinery, electrical machinery, assembly processing machinery, precision machining machines, and construction and civil engineering machinery. As a switch or sensor for detection, counting, and display, conventional mechanical switches have become incapable of being used both functionally and physically. For example, switches for built-in safety bumpers in automated guided vehicles, emergency stop switches for industrial robots, seat occupancy detection switches, and tamper-proof switches for automatic machines, etc.
Conventional mechanical switches are insufficient, and strip-shaped switches are now required, requiring impact resistance, shock absorption, and even a flexible touch feel. Furthermore, switches or sensors that are basically activated by contact with the human body or through the human five senses, such as switches for health and medical equipment and crime prevention and security, are preferably band-shaped in shape and have a temperature-sensitive operating feel. A soft touch feeling was desired.

The products developed to meet these demands include:
A strip switch described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-2265I5 has been proposed. As shown in FIG. 6, this consists of a band-shaped support plate 100 having insulation and flexibility, and a pair of band-shaped electrodes 101.10 arranged on the surface of this support plate 100.
2, a strip-shaped spacer 103 having an insulating and flexible property and having an opening window interposed between the pair of electrodes 101 and 102, and lead wires 104. 105, an elastic covering material 10 that hermetically covers the support plate 100, the pair of electrodes 101, 102, the spacer 103, and a portion of the lead wires 104, 105.
It consists of 6. For example, this is placed in the opening/closing part of an elevator door, and the switch remains off during normal door opening/closing, but turns on when a foreign object gets caught. . Electrode 101,1
02 is made of a flexible material made of a nickel-plated or copper-plated woven fabric, a conductive elastomer film, or an insulating elastomer film that is made conductive by conductive paint, vapor deposition, or the like.

[Problem to be solved]

The electrodes 101 and 102 shown in FIG. 6 had to be manufactured separately, and also required a spacer 103.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a strip-shaped switch structure that is simple, has excellent mass productivity, has uniform strip-like sensitivity, has stable electrical characteristics, and has a long repeated durability life. do.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has an electrically conductive material laminated continuously along the longitudinal direction of the film 1 in multiple stages on one side of a long six-layer insulating film to form an electrode. The film is formed by forming a pair of upper and lower electrodes, cutting the film into each pair, and bending the cut film with the electrodes on the inside.

i' Effect] In the second invention, in order to form an electrode by laminating a conductive material on one side of a long insulating film continuously along the longitudinal direction of the film in multiple stages, - Structures for use in a number of strip switches can be manufactured from a long film. That is, a pair of upper and lower electrodes are formed on a long film, and the film is cut into each pair (the length in the longitudinal direction is a desired length). If this cut film is placed with the electrodes facing inside, the elasticity of the film will normally keep the pair of electrodes apart at a predetermined distance at the bending point, which will resist the elasticity of the bending point. When one side is pressed, the electrode on the pressed side contacts the other electrode and conducts.

〔Example〕.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, a long organic insulating film 1 wound around a roller 10 is fed in the direction of the arrow, and while the film 1 is being fed, a conductive metal foil is continuously inserted along the longitudinal direction of the film 1. Electrode forming means 11 is arranged to be stacked in multiple stages, thereby forming a band-shaped electrode 2. As the film 1 and -C, an organic insulating film having an insulation resistance of 10 8 Ω/hole or higher and a high mechanical strength, particularly an impact resilience without buckling property, is suitable. For example, it is preferable to use an organic insulating film such as polyester, polyamide, polyolefin, etc., and a polyester film having a thickness of 20 to 300 microns is particularly desirable in terms of insulation properties and mechanical strength. Various means can be considered as the electrode forming means 1, but the electrode 2 can also be formed by vapor depositing a conductive paint or metal foil as in the previous example, or 5 to 2
The electrode 2 can also be formed by bonding a metal foil such as aluminum having a thickness of 0.00 microns using an adhesive. After forming the strip-shaped electrodes 2 in multiple stages on one side of the long film 1 in this way, it is cut to a desired length, and the film I is cut into pairs of upper and lower electrodes, respectively. If the film 1 cut in this way is bent with the electrode 2.2 on the inside,
A strip-shaped switch structure in which the electrodes 2.2 are opposed and spaced apart can be easily produced. In this way, the strip-shaped electrodes 2 are arranged in multiple stages.
Only the film l thus formed becomes a necessary member of the switch structure, and the upper and lower electrodes are formed separately as in the conventional case.
Furthermore, it is superior in terms of mass production and economy compared to those that require insulating spacers.Cutting or slitting the film 1 on which the electrodes 2 are formed, as well as bending, can be mechanized using extremely simple equipment. It is.

As the electrode 2 formed on one side of the film 1, at least one thick line 2A is formed in the longitudinal direction of the strip as shown in FIG.
ji- formed obliquely in the same direction. The electrode 2 including such thick lines 2A, 7iB and 2B is formed by laminating, for example, a metal foil of aluminum or the like with a thickness of 5 to 200 microns on one side of the film 1. Epoxy, amide, polyurethane, and polyolefin adhesives are used as the laminating means. The thickness of the metal foil to be laminated is 5 to 20
If it is thinner than 5 microns, the conductivity will be insufficient, and if it is thinner than 200 microns, it will be rigid, lack flexibility, and have high sensitivity, and its repeated durability as a switch will be shortened. In this way 5-2
After laminating 0.00 micron metal foil, continuous masking printing is performed so that both ends of the plate overlap, and then etching is performed to dissolve and remove the masking ink layer.

When performing masking printing, both ends of the plate should be 0.1 to 0.
By continuously applying masking printing so that they overlap by about 511+m, the conductivity of the upper and lower electrodes in the longitudinal direction is ensured.
It becomes possible to manufacture a switch structure of any length. Etching can be easily performed by eluting the metal foil with an acid or alkaline solution, and finally, by removing the masking ink layer by eluting it with an organic solvent, an electrode 2 as shown in FIG. 2 can be formed.

In addition to aluminum, metal foils include copper, brass, bronze,
Stainless steel etc. can be used. In particular, aluminum foil has excellent corrosion resistance against spark discharge and is economically advantageous.

The electrode shown in FIG. 2 has a thick line 2A, a thin line 2B, and a long thin line 2C. By forming these longitudinal thin wires 2C, the thick wire 2Δ and the thin wire 2B are always electrically connected, no matter which length the electrode 2, which is continuously formed in a band shape, is cut. Reference numeral 3 in FIG. 2 indicates a bending point. In the electrode 2 shown in Fig. 2, at least one thick wire 2A is passed in the longitudinal direction, which ensures good conductivity in the longitudinal direction, usually less than 5Ω, and has sufficient capacity as a switch element. rated current, e.g. 100-30
This is to obtain a rated current of 0 ampere and to use the end portion as a mounting portion for a lead wire, which will be described later. In addition,
In the example of the electrode bag shown in Figure 2, the position where the thick wire 2A is passed is to remove the center line in the longitudinal direction and place it on one side to avoid overlapping the protrusions at the end when attaching the lead wire. It is desirable because it can be done. The thin lines 2B are all obliquely intersecting the thick line 2A in the longitudinal direction in the same direction. This is because when the electrodes are bent with the electrode surfaces inward, the thin wires 2B and 2B of the upper electrode 2 and the lower electrode 2 cross each other in a nearly perpendicular manner, resulting in good contact conduction during pressurized contact. This is to make it possible to obtain a switch structure that is uniform in a band shape and has light sensitivity. In addition, in the case of a relatively wide strip switch, for example, a strip switch with a width of 50+am or more, it is possible to increase the number of thick wires 2A passed in the longitudinal direction, and in this case, the number of thick wires 2A passed between the thick wires 2A In order to ensure conduction, it is necessary to take measures such as passing a thick line or a medium line in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

Further, it is preferable that the line widths of the thick lines 2A are in the order of 2 to 15 nm, and the line widths of the thin lines 2B are in the order of 0.2 to 5 + nm. If the line width of the thick 2A wire is less than 2 cm, it will be difficult to stably and reliably attach the lead wire to the end, and the conductivity in the longitudinal direction will be insufficient, resulting in a small rated current capacity as a switch element. . If the line width of the thick wire 2A exceeds 15 mm, it will be unnecessary in terms of lead wire installation and longitudinal conductivity, and it will also increase the area of the conductive part of the entire electrode, which will reduce the repeat durability. At the same time, the sensitivity also increases. The line width of the thin wire 2B is also required to be 0.2 order or more in order to ensure the current capacity and dielectric breakdown resistance in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and if it exceeds 5 non, it is necessary to Undesirable. Furthermore, thick line 2A and thin line 2B
The oblique angle of is preferably 20 to 80 degrees. This means that when the film 1 is bent so that the electrodes 2.2 face each other from the bending line 3, as explained above, the thin lines 2B and 2B are nearly perpendicular to each other, resulting in good sensitivity and durability. Therefore, it is desirable that the oblique angle between the two thick lines and the thin line 2B be 20° or more and 80° or less. Furthermore, it is desirable that the area of the conductive portion consisting of the thick wire 2A and the thin wire 2B occupies 10 to 80% of the area of the entire film. This means that the greatest factor governing the repeated durability life of the same contacts in switches is the corrosion and deterioration of the electrode material due to sparks generated when the upper and lower electrodes come into contact during pressurization, so a good durability life can be obtained. In order to achieve this, it is of course important to use an electrode material that is resistant to deterioration due to spark corrosion, but it is also important to have a switch structure that suppresses the amount of sparks. Therefore, unlike conventional switches, the entire surface is not made of conductive material, but instead is made of a thick wire 2A that runs in the longitudinal direction and a number of thin wires 2B that diagonally intersect with this, and the area of the conductive part is kept below 80% of the entire area of the film. This greatly suppresses the amount of spark generated during conductive contact, making it possible to manufacture a strip-shaped switch structure with a long service life. Note that in order to maintain fine and uniform sensitivity as a switch and sufficient rated current and rated withstand voltage, the area ratio of the conductive portion must be 10% or more.

The cross-sectional views shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 show the state in which the film 1 is cut at a desired location and bent with the upper and lower electrodes 2.2 facing inside. Of course, various shapes other than those shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 can be considered for this bending method.

FIG. 5 shows an example of constructing a strip switch using a strip switch structure, in which the lead wires 4 are connected to the thick wires 2A, and the entire outer cover 5 is made of a rubber-like elastic body.
This shows what is coated with.

The means for attaching the lead wire 4 to the thick wire 2A of the electrode 2 can be easily done using eyelets with lugs, etc., and the outer cover 5 is an extrusion molded product such as bag-shaped rubber or resin. A strip-shaped switch structure as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 can be enclosed within the strip-shaped outer skin 5. As the outer skin 5, vinyl chloride leather or the like can also be used.

Next, to explain a specific example, a 15 micron thick aluminum foil was laminated on one side of a 100 micron thick polyester film using an adhesive, and a large number of electrodes 2 with a width of 550 m+w and a length of 250 m were formed. Create film l. Next, a silk printing plate (with an electrode pattern as shown in FIG. 2) was placed on the aluminum foil surface of the film 1.
500mm x 650mm), both ends are 0.5+nm
Masking printing is performed continuously in the longitudinal direction so as to overlap, and the unmasked areas are removed by etching with an acid solution.The masking ink is eluted and 5 pairs of strip-shaped electrodes 2 are printed along the longitudinal direction (in the vertical direction). 10 stages) were formed. This film 1 was cut into five films by cutting the upper and lower electrodes 2.2 as a pair along the longitudinal direction. The film 1 cut in this way has a length of 100.300.
500.100.1500.2000 (fighting) The raw material for the switch structure is formed, and then bent so that each electrode 2 is on the inside, the thick line 2 of each electrode 2 is formed.
A lead wire 4 was attached to A with a lug eyelet having a diameter of 3 ma+, and this was then covered with a vinyl chloride leather outer cover 5 to produce strip switches of six different lengths. The performance measurement results of these strip switches are shown in the table below.

The conduction resistance in the table is the electric resistance measured between the lead wires when the switch is made conductive by applying pressure with a ball pusher having a diameter of 10 cm. Insulation resistance was measured by measuring the electrical resistance between the lead wires of the switch in a non-pressurized state with an insulation resistance meter while DC 500V was applied. The withstand voltage is AClooV, 200■ between the lead wires of the switch when no pressure is applied.
... was applied, and the voltage when a leakage current of 1 mm A or more was generated was measured. The response speed was determined by repeatedly pressurizing the switch 5 times per second, measuring the voltage drop curve between the lead wires using a transient memory, and reading the response time. The durability life is determined by applying a constant voltage between the lead wires, adjusting the series resistance value so that a constant current flows, and using a solenoid-type cyclic pressurizer to press the same point on the switch with a ball pusher with a diameter of 5 mm. Pressure was applied repeatedly 5 times per second, and the number of pressurization times until the conduction resistance value reached 5Ω was counted. The operating load is a diameter of 10III, 11 ball pushers and 5
Load the switch with a pusher on the side of the pipe at zero stroke, and read the load when the switch becomes conductive.

From the results shown in the table above, it can be seen that the manufacturing method of the present invention allows
It has been confirmed that a light sensitive strip switch structure with sufficient rated voltage and current and long durability can be obtained.

〔effect〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, a strip-shaped electrode is formed by laminating a conductive material on one side of a long organic insulating film continuously along the longitudinal direction of the film in multiple stages. However, since the upper and lower electrodes are made into a pair, the film is cut into each pair, and the cut film is folded with the electrodes inside, so each electrode is manufactured separately as in the past, and there is no space between the electrodes. There is no need to provide an insulating spacer in the structure, and manufacturing is extremely easy, making it possible to provide a manufacturing method that is excellent in mass production and highly economical.

Furthermore, when a strip switch is manufactured using this switch structure, a strip switch with a flexible feel can be provided. Furthermore, when band-shaped electrodes are continuously formed into a film, the switch structure can be manufactured by simply cutting it to an arbitrary length.

[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the process of forming a continuous band-shaped electrode 2 in the form of a film, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the formed electrode pattern, FIGS. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of how the cut film is folded, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of how to fold the cut film.
The figure is a developed view of a strip switch, and FIG. 6 is a developed view showing a conventional example. 1...Film, 2...Electrode.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A strip-shaped electrode is formed by laminating a conductive material on one side of a long organic insulating film continuously along the longitudinal direction of the film in multiple stages, and A method for manufacturing a strip-shaped switch structure, characterized by forming a pair of electrodes with a lower stage, cutting the film into each pair, and bending the cut film with the electrodes facing inside. 2. In the step of forming an electrode on one side of the film, at least one thick line is formed in the longitudinal direction of the strip, and a large number of thin lines are formed obliquely in the same direction with respect to this thick line. A method for manufacturing a strip-shaped switch structure according to claim 1. 3. A method for manufacturing a strip-shaped switch structure, characterized in that the thick line according to claim 2 has a line width of 2 to 15 mm, and the thin line has a line width of 0.2 to 5 mm. 4. The oblique angle between the thick line and the thin line according to claim 2 or 3 is 2.
A method for manufacturing a strip-shaped switch structure, characterized in that the angle is 0 to 80 degrees. 5. A method for manufacturing a strip-shaped switch structure, characterized in that the thick line and the thin line according to any one of claims 2 to 4 occupy an area of 10 to 80% of the entire film. 6. Claim 1, characterized in that the film is formed from a polyester film with a thickness of 20 to 300 microns.
7. The method for manufacturing a strip switch structure according to any one of items 1 to 6. 7. In the process of forming electrodes on one side of the film, first layer a metal foil such as aluminum with a thickness of 5 to 200 microns, then perform masking printing continuously so that both ends of the plate overlap, and after printing, etch it down. 8. The method of manufacturing a strip-shaped switch structure according to claim 1, wherein the masking layer is removed by removing the masking layer.