JPH11353973A - Push button switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify a device structure so as to reduce the whole volume, and to improve stability of key operation in a push-button switch which has an elastic member between a key top and a housing below the key top. SOLUTION: Thus push-button switch comprises a key top 1, a receiving part 2, and an elastic body 3. The key top 1 is formed with cylindrical side walls 12A, 12B vertically extending downward from its top plate 11, while the receiving part 2 is formed with cylindrical side walls 22A, 22B extending upward from its bottom wall 21. The cylindrical side wall 22A of the receiving part 2 is inserted into the cylindrical side wall 12A, while inner or outer circumferential faces of the cylindrical side walls 12A, 12B of the key top 1 abut on outer or inner circumferential faces of the cylindrical side walls 22A, 22B of the receiving part 2 such that the key top 1 can be slid up and down. The elastic body 3 is formed with a cylindrical projecting part 31 abutted on at least a lower face of the key top 1, a deforming part 32 formed in a dome in a circular shape in a section under the projecting part 32, a columnar push body 39 vertically extending downward from an under face of a top plate of the deformed part 32, and a supporting base 34 extending from a lower circumferential end of the deformed part 32 toward the outside, while the supporting base 34 has a circular outer circumferential end which is fitted into and put onto the receiving part 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a key structure of a push button switch of an input / output device such as a word processor and a personal computer.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a push button switch using an elastic member between a key top and a housing provided below the key top is known. However, the device configuration is complicated for the purpose of smoothing the key operation. There were many things.

[0004]

For this reason, the cost has been increased due to factors such as complicating the assembly process, and the volume of the entire keyboard has been increased.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and is mainly formed by hanging a cylindrical side wall on a top plate of a key top and forming the cylindrical side wall on a bottom wall of a receiving portion. Has a cylindrical side wall erected, the cylindrical side wall of the receiving portion is inserted into the cylindrical side wall of the key top, and the inner peripheral surface of the side wall of the key top and the outer peripheral surface of the receiving portion are brought into contact with each other. Thus, a push-button switch for sliding the key top up and down has been disclosed.

[0006] In this structure, the cylindrical side walls formed integrally with the key top and the receiving portion thereof, more specifically, the cylindrical side walls having the center axis of the center of the top plate of the key top as sliding surfaces. Therefore, a stable key operation without rattling can be guaranteed with a simple device configuration. Further, these cylindrical parts have high processing accuracy and can improve reliability in mass production.

Further, according to the present invention, at least a cylindrical projection which is brought into contact with the lower surface of the key top, a dome-shaped deformed portion having a circular cross section below the projecting portion, and a downwardly extending lower surface above the deformed portion. An elastic body formed of a cylindrical pressing body and a support plate having a circular cross section that extends from the outer peripheral edge below the deformed portion toward the outer peripheral direction and is inserted into the receiving portion, and a sheet is used. The compact push button switch has a reduced height by efficiently arranging the contact points.

[0008] As a method of arranging the sheet-like contacts,
First, a hole is formed in a bottom wall inside the side wall of the above-mentioned receiving portion, the hole having a size capable of inserting a cylindrical pressing body and exposing a sheet-like contact arranged below, and a tip end of the pressing body. Is provided below the tip edge of the side wall of the key top. In this case, in addition, a concave portion is formed on the lower surface of the bottom wall to provide sheet-like contacts, or a support plate for supporting the lower surface of the sheet-like contacts disposed below the hole portion is integrally formed on the bottom wall. Then, the sheet-like contacts are arranged in a sandwich shape.

Furthermore, more effectively, while devising the overall shape of the sheet-like contact, a notch is formed in the side wall of the receiving portion, and the contact is arranged from the outside of the side wall to the inside through the notch. This has made it possible to reduce the volume in the height direction.

Further, in the present invention, when the key top is pushed down to the bottom wall of the receiving portion, a recess is formed for inserting a convex piece at the tip of the side wall of the key top, thereby further reducing the height. Was made possible.

By the way, in the push button switch having such a structure, the contact surface of the side wall in the vertical direction, that is, the area of the sliding portion is reduced, and depending on the design, there is a possibility that rattling may occur. By multiplexing the side walls and stabilizing the upper and lower sides in a state where one of the side walls is in contact with each other at all positions on the peripheral surface.

Further, in the present invention, a first cylindrical side wall is formed so as to hang down on a top plate of the key top, and a second side wall is formed on an outer peripheral side of the side wall of the key top. A cylindrical first side wall is erected on the wall and a second side wall is formed on the outer peripheral side of the first side wall, and the inner peripheral surface or the outer peripheral surface of the first side wall of the key top and a receiving portion are formed. The outer peripheral surface or the inner peripheral surface of the first side wall is used as a first contact surface, and the inner peripheral surface or the outer peripheral surface of the second side wall of the key top and the outer peripheral surface or the inside of the second side wall of the receiving portion are formed. A double-walled push button switch has been disclosed in which the key top slides up and down by making the peripheral surface a second contact surface.

In this structure, since the sliding surface has a double structure, the stability is further improved. Also, in the case of this structure, similarly to the above-described switch, the convex piece at the lower end of the side wall is inserted into the recess of the bottom wall to reduce the volume in the vertical direction. By arranging the recesses and the outer recesses in a region extending radially outward from the center point in the outer peripheral direction without substantially overlapping, the sliding surface is formed uniformly over the entire circumference to further improve stability. Was made possible.

[0014]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a push-button switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a push button switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a plurality of rectangular key tops 1 are arranged to form a keyboard as shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. As is clear from this figure, the push-button switch includes at least the key top 1, a receiving portion 2 provided below the key top 1, and a key top inserted by being inserted between the receiving portion 2 and the key top 1. And an elastic body 3 biased in the direction.

The rectangular top plate 11 of the key top 1 has a cylindrical first side wall 12A and a second side wall 12B formed integrally and hanging therefrom.

On the other hand, the bottom wall 21 of the receiving portion 2 which is the lower substrate
A cylindrical side wall 22 having an outer diameter matching the inner diameter of the side wall 12 is provided upright.

Then, the cylindrical side wall 12 of the key top 1 is formed.
A, the cylindrical side wall 22A of the receiving section 2 is inserted into the inner peripheral surface of the side wall 12A of the key top 1 and the side wall 22 of the receiving section 2.
The key top 1 is slid in the vertical direction by making the outer peripheral surface of A a contact surface.

The elastic body 3 for urging the key top 1 upward is made of a soft material such as synthetic rubber.
A cylindrical projection 31 to be brought into contact with the lower surface of the boss, a deformed portion 32 having a circular cross section formed in a dome shape below the protrusion 31, and a cylindrical press hanging down on the lower surface above the deformed portion 32. Body 3
3 and a support plate 34 extending from the outer peripheral edge below the deformable portion 32 toward the outer peripheral direction and having a circular outer peripheral edge inserted into the receiving portion 2.

In this embodiment, the sheet-like contact 4 is arranged on the bottom wall 21 inside the side wall 22A of the receiving portion 2 at a position corresponding to the columnar pressing body 33, and the key top is provided. 1 is pushed down, as shown in FIG.
Is deformed, and the pressing body 33 presses the sheet-like contact 4.

The bottom wall 21 outside the side wall 22A of the receiving portion 2
A recess 24 is formed as a through hole having a size into which the tip of the side wall 12A of the key top 1 can be inserted, while the tip of the pressing body 33 projects downward from the tip edge of the side wall 12 of the key top 1. In this way, the contact portion can be pressed when the tip of the side wall 12A of the key top 1 is inserted into the recess 24, and the height from the bottom wall 21 to the top plate 11 in a stationary state is reduced. Have been successful.

FIG. 4 shows a structure for disposing the sheet-like contact 4 on the bottom wall 21 inside the side wall 22A of the receiving portion 2 in the above switch. The main structure of the sheet-like contact 4 is composed of a base 41, a circular contact 42, and a bridging portion 43 connecting them, and has a planar structure as a whole as shown in FIG.

On the other hand, the notch 2
2a is formed, and the circular contact portion 42 is inserted into the side wall 2 of the receiving portion 2 by inserting the bridge portion 43 from above.
It is arranged on the bottom wall 21 inside 2A. In this embodiment, since the side wall 22B is further formed outside the side wall 22A, a cutout portion 22b is provided in the side wall 22B so that the base 41 of the sheet-like contact 4 can pass therethrough.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the elastic body 3. As shown in the figure, a ventilation groove 35 is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the support board 34 for communicating the closed space formed between the key top 1 and the receiving portion 2 with the closed space in the deformable portion 32. Due to the ventilation groove 35, deformation and restoration of the elastic body 3 operate smoothly. This ventilation groove 35 is clearly shown by the top view of FIG. 8 and the side view of FIG.

In this embodiment, the key top 1 having the rectangular top plate 11 is used. In this shape, the side edge of the top plate 11 serves as a rotation preventing means. When a circular top plate is used, the rotation preventing means may be provided on the outer peripheral side of the side wall.

FIG. 10 is a side sectional view of a push button switch according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of a push button switch according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the bottom wall 21 inside the side wall 22A of the receiving portion 2 has a hole 23 having a size capable of inserting the columnar pressing body 33 and exposing the sheet-like contact 4 disposed below. Is formed.

In the example of FIG. 10, the sheet-like contact 4 is formed by a concave portion 21 on the lower surface of the bottom wall 21 inside the side wall 22A of the receiving portion 2.
a and is supported by a separate support plate 5 from below. The support plate 5 is configured to be locked at an outer peripheral portion of the side wall 22 </ b> B of the receiving portion 2.

Further, in the example of FIG.
Is provided with a hole 23 on the lower surface of the bottom wall 21 inside the side wall 22A of the receiving portion 2 and is supported on a support plate 5 integrally formed. This structure is also shown in the bottom view of the main part in FIG.

As shown in each embodiment of the present invention, the side wall 12A of the key top 1 is provided on the bottom wall 21 of the receiving portion 2.
The recess 24 having a size that allows the tip of the 12B to be inserted is formed as a through hole. However, such a structure simply causes instability in the vertical operation of the key top 1. Therefore, in the present invention, the first recess 24 inside the push button switch and the second recess 24 outside the push button switch are placed in a region extending radially outward from the center point on the plane as shown in FIG. They are arranged almost without overlapping. Thereby, the stability is improved in a state where any one of the side walls is in contact with each other at all positions on the peripheral surface.

The present invention has been configured as described above.
This is an epoch-making invention that has a high assembling accuracy and enables the vertical volume of the entire push button switch to be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a push button switch according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention when the push button switch is operated.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the push button switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention in a state where no key top is provided.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet-like contact portion used for the push button switch according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an overall explanatory diagram of a keyboard device using the push button switches according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of an elastic body of each embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an elastic body according to each embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view of an elastic body according to each embodiment of the present invention.

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

11 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view of a push button switch according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a main part bottom view showing a support structure of a sheet-like contact portion in a push button switch according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Key top 11 Top plate 12A Side wall 12B Side wall 2 Receiving part 21 Bottom wall 21a Depression 22A Side wall 22a Notch 22B Side wall 22b Notch 23 Hole 24 Depression 3 Elastic body 31 Projection part 32 Deformation part 33 Press body 34 Supporting plate 35 ventilation groove 4 contact part 41 base 42 contact part 43 bridge part 5 support plate

Claims (13)

[Claims] A key top; a receiving portion provided below the key top; and an elastic body inserted between the receiving portion and the key top to urge the key top upward. In the push button switch, a cylindrical side wall is formed to hang down on a top plate of the key top, and a cylindrical side wall is erected on a bottom wall of the receiving portion. The key top is slid in the vertical direction by inserting the cylindrical side wall of the receiving part into the inner surface or the outer peripheral surface of the side wall of the key top and the outer peripheral surface or the inner peripheral surface of the side wall of the receiving part. A push-button switch characterized by being made to operate. 2. The elastic body according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body has at least a cylindrical projection abutting on a lower surface of the key top, a dome-shaped deformed section formed in a dome shape below the protrusion, and an upper portion of the deformed section. Formed by a cylindrical pressing body suspended on the lower surface, and a support plate extending from the outer peripheral edge below the deformed portion toward the outer peripheral direction and having a circular outer peripheral edge inserted into the receiving portion. The push button switch according to claim 1, wherein 3. A hole formed in a bottom wall inside the side wall of the receiving portion, the hole having a size in which a cylindrical pressing body can be inserted and exposing a sheet-like contact arranged below. The push button switch according to claim 1, wherein 4. A concave portion for arranging a sheet-like contact on a lower surface of a bottom wall of said receiving portion.
2. The push button switch according to claim 1. 5. A notch portion is partially formed in a side wall of the receiving portion, and a sheet-like contact is disposed on an upper surface of a bottom wall inside the side wall of the receiving portion through the notch portion. The push button switch according to claim 2, wherein 6. A sheet-shaped hole is formed in a bottom wall inside the side wall of the receiving portion, the hole having a size in which a cylindrical pressing body can be inserted, and is disposed below the hole in the bottom wall. 3. The push button switch according to claim 2, wherein a support plate for supporting a lower surface of the contact is formed integrally with the bottom wall. 7. A notch is formed at a predetermined interval at a lower end portion of a side wall of the key top, and a notch is formed on a bottom wall of the receiving portion when the key top is pressed down. 3. A push-button switch according to claim 2, wherein a recess is formed for inserting said convex piece. 8. A push button according to claim 2, wherein a ventilation groove is formed in an outer peripheral surface of said support board for communicating a closed space formed between said key top and said receiving portion with said hole. switch. 9. The push-button switch according to claim 1, wherein rotation preventing means is provided on an outer peripheral side of a side wall of said key top. 10. At least a key top, a receiving portion provided below the key top, and an elastic body inserted between the receiving portion and the key top to urge the key top upward. In the push button switch, a first cylindrical side wall is formed so as to hang down on a top plate of the key top, and a second side wall is formed on an outer peripheral side of the side wall of the key top. Has a cylindrical first side wall erected and a second side wall formed on the outer peripheral side of the first side wall, and the inner peripheral surface or the outer peripheral surface of the first side wall of the key top and the second peripheral wall of the receiving portion. The outer peripheral surface or the inner peripheral surface of the first side wall is used as a first contact surface, and the inner peripheral surface or the outer peripheral surface of the second side wall of the key top and the outer peripheral surface or the inner peripheral surface of the second side wall of the receiving portion. A key-top which is slid in the vertical direction by setting a key contact as a second contact surface. 11. A notch is formed at a predetermined interval at a lower end of a first side wall and a lower end of a second side wall of the key top, and when the key top is pressed down to the bottom wall. Forming a first concave portion for inserting a first convex piece other than the cutout portion of the first side wall of the key top, and inserting a second convex piece other than the cutout portion of the second side wall of the key top. The push button switch according to claim 10, wherein a second recess is formed. 12. The push button switch according to claim 1, wherein the first recess and the second recess of the push button switch are arranged without substantially overlapping in a region extending radially outward from a center point on a plane. Item 12. The push button switch according to Item 11. 13. A notch is formed in each of the first side wall and the second side wall on the outer peripheral side of the receiving portion, and a bottom wall inside the first side wall of the receiving portion is formed through each of the notches. The push-button switch according to claim 10, wherein a sheet-like contact is arranged on an upper surface of the switch. [0001]