Switch substrate, method for manufacturing switch substrate using switch substrate, and vehicle including switch substrate

Abstract

To provide a substrate for a switch capable of reducing a manufacturing burden of a plurality of kinds of switch substrates different in arrangement positions or the number of a plurality of manual switches, a manufacturing method of the switch substrate using the substrate for the switch, and a vehicle equipped with the substrate for the switch.SOLUTION: The switch substrate 100 is formed with a plurality of unit circuits 112a to 112b including switch arrangement portions 110111 and serving as arrangement portions of manual switches UC1 and UC12 that output operation signals. The unit circuits UC1 to UC12 include a switch-control-portion arrangement portion 116 in which a switch control portion 117 that controls the manual switches 112a and 112b is arranged, a main-control-portion arrangement portion 118 in which a main control portion 120 that controls the switch control portion 117 is arranged, a substrate input / output portion 121 for connecting the main control portion 120 to the outside, an inter-control-portion wire 123 that connects the switch control portion 117 and the main control portion 120, and inter-wire connecting portions 124a to 124d connected to the inter-control-portion wire 123.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a switch board having a switch arrangement portion formed on the board where a manual switch is arranged, a method for manufacturing a switch board using the switch board, and a vehicle equipped with the switch board. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been universal boards capable of forming any electric or electronic circuit (hereinafter simply referred to as "electronic circuit") on an insulating substrate. For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a universal board having terminal insertion holes arranged in a grid pattern on a flat insulating substrate for inserting terminals of various electronic components such as resistors, capacitors, transistors, or ICs. In this case, a manufacturer of electronic circuits inserts the terminals of electronic components into the terminal insertion holes and electrically connects these terminal insertion holes to terminal insertion holes containing other electronic components by soldering or jumper wires, etc., to manufacture a desired electronic circuit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3161640

[0004] However, while the universal board described in Patent Document 1 offers a high degree of freedom in the circuit configuration that can be manufactured, it has the drawback of being cumbersome to manufacture a circuit whose basic configuration is fixed except for a portion of the circuit configuration. Specifically, in the case of a switch board having multiple manual switches on an insulating board, the problem is that the manufacturing work becomes cumbersome when multiple types of switch boards with different positions or numbers of manual switches are manufactured using a universal board.

[0005] The present invention has been made to address the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a switch board that can reduce the burden of manufacturing multiple types of switch boards with different placement positions or numbers of multiple manual switches, a method for manufacturing a switch board using the switch board, and a vehicle equipped with this switch board.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized in that it provides a switch substrate on which a plurality of unit circuits are formed, including a switch arrangement section that serves as an arrangement section for a manual switch that outputs an operation signal, which is an electrical signal in response to manual operation, and the unit circuits are provided with: a switch control section arrangement section that is formed and electrically connected to the switch arrangement section and serves as an arrangement section for a switch control section that inputs the operation signal; a main control section arrangement section that is formed and electrically connected to the main control section arrangement section and serves as an arrangement section for a main control section that controls the operation of the switch control section and acquires information related to the operation signal; a substrate input / output section that is formed and electrically connected to the main control section arrangement section and for connecting the main control section to wiring outside the substrate; and control section wiring that electrically connects the main control section and the switch control section arrangement section, and the plurality of unit circuits each have an inter-wiring connection section that is formed and electrically connected to the control section inter-wiring and for connecting to control section inter-wiring in unit circuits other than themselves.

[0007] According to this, the switch substrate has a plurality of unit circuits formed on the substrate, each having a switch arrangement section, a switch control section arrangement section, a main control section arrangement section, and inter-controller wiring, and is provided with inter-wire connectors for connecting the inter-controller wiring in each unit circuit. Therefore, a switch substrate manufacturer can easily manufacture a switch substrate with a desired circuit configuration by connecting the inter-wire connectors according to the arrangement positions or number of manual switches. In other words, the switch substrate according to the present invention can reduce the burden of manufacturing multiple types of switch substrates with different arrangement positions or numbers of manual switches.

[0008] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned object, a feature of the present invention is a switch substrate on which are formed one first unit circuit and at least one second unit circuit, each including a switch arrangement section that serves as an arrangement section for a manual switch that outputs an operation signal, which is an electrical signal in response to manual operation, and the first unit circuit and the second unit circuit have a switch control section arrangement section that is formed and electrically connected to the switch arrangement section and serves as an arrangement section for a switch control section that inputs the operation signal, and control section wiring extending from the switch control section, the first unit circuit further has a main control section arrangement section that is formed and electrically connected to the control section wiring and serves as an arrangement section for a main control section that controls the operation of the switch control section and acquires information about the operation signal, a substrate input / output section that is formed and electrically connected to the main control section arrangement section for connecting the main control section to wiring outside the substrate, and an inter-wiring connection section that is formed and electrically connected to the inter-control section wiring for connecting to the inter-control section wiring in the second unit circuit, and the second unit circuit further has an inter-wiring connection section that is formed and electrically connected to the inter-control section wiring for connecting to the inter-control section wiring in the first unit circuit.

[0009] According to this, the switch substrate includes a first unit circuit, each of which has a switch arrangement section, a switch control section arrangement section, a main control section arrangement section, and inter-controller wiring, and a second unit circuit, each of which has a switch arrangement section, a switch control section arrangement section, and inter-controller wiring but does not have a main control section arrangement section, and is provided with inter-wire connectors for connecting the inter-controller wiring in each unit circuit. Therefore, a switch substrate manufacturer can easily manufacture a switch substrate with a desired circuit configuration by connecting the inter-wire connectors according to the arrangement positions or number of manual switches. In other words, the switch substrate of the present invention can reduce the manufacturing burden of multiple types of switch substrates with different arrangement positions or numbers of manual switches. In this case, the switch substrate of the present invention can simplify the overall configuration of the substrate because the second unit circuit does not have a main control section.

[0010] Another feature of the present invention is that, on the switch substrate, a plurality of switch arrangement sections are connected to one switch control section arrangement section.

[0011] According to this, since the switch board has multiple switch arrangement sections connected to one switch control section, it is possible to increase the number of manual switches arranged while facilitating the management of multiple manual switches by the main control section.

[0012] Another feature of the present invention is that the switch substrate has dividing lines, which are slits or perforations, formed between adjacent unit circuits.

[0013] According to this, the switch substrate has dividing lines formed by cuts or perforations between adjacent unit circuits, so that unnecessary parts of the substrate that are not used as switch substrates can be easily and accurately cut off and separated.

[0014] Another feature of the present invention is that, in the switch substrate, the unit circuit further has a light-emitting element arrangement section that is electrically connected to the switch control section and serves as an arrangement section for the light-emitting element.

[0015] According to this, the unit circuit of the switch substrate further has a light-emitting element arrangement section that is electrically connected to the switch control section and serves as an arrangement section for the light-emitting element, so that the switch substrate can be equipped with a light-emitting element in addition to a manual switch.

[0016] Another feature of the present invention is that in the switch substrate, the interconnection portion is formed adjacent to the edge of the substrate.

[0017] According to this, since the wiring connection portion of the switch substrate is formed adjacent to the edge of the substrate, it can also be connected to the wiring between control units in another switch substrate that is physically separate.

[0018] Another feature of the present invention is that, in the switch board, the main control unit arrangement section is formed on the surface of the board opposite to the surface on which the switch arrangement section is formed.

[0019] With this, the main control unit arrangement section of the switch board is formed on the side opposite to the side on which the switch arrangement section is formed on the board, so that more switch arrangement sections can be provided on the board.

[0020] Another feature of the present invention is that, in the switch substrate, the unit circuit further includes a plurality of switch placement section direct wirings that electrically connect the substrate input / output section and the plurality of switch placement sections, the switch placement section direct wirings are separated between the substrate input / output section and the switch placement section and have switch wiring connection sections for electrically connecting this separated section, and the substrate input / output section has a portion of the wiring connected to the main control section placement section that is separated and has a main control section wiring connection section for electrically connecting this separated section.

[0021] According to this, the switch board can be selectively connected to the switch arrangement section or the main control section arrangement section by connecting the switch wiring connection section or the main control section wiring connection section to the board input / output section, so that an operation signal from a manual switch arranged in the switch arrangement section can be directly input to an external device connected to the board input / output section instead of the main control section and switch control section.

[0022] Furthermore, the present invention can be embodied not only as an invention of a switch board, but also as an invention of a method for manufacturing a switch board using the switch board, and a vehicle equipped with the switch board.

[0023] Specifically, a method for manufacturing a switch board on which a manual switch is arranged to output an operation signal, which is an electrical signal in response to manual operation, may include a component preparation step of preparing a switch board according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and the manual switch, switch control unit, and main control unit to be mounted on the switch board, and a mounting step of arranging the manual switch, switch control unit, and main control unit on the switch board in a state in which they are electrically connected to each other. This method is expected to achieve the same effects as the switch board invention described above.

[0024] The vehicle may also be provided with a switch board according to any one of claims 1 to 8. This allows the vehicle to be expected to achieve the same effects as the switch device invention.

[0025] Here, the term "vehicle" is not limited to passenger cars for passengers, but also includes work vehicles equipped with implements for various tasks such as farming, cargo handling, civil engineering, and snow removal. For example, work vehicles for farming include agricultural tractors, combine harvesters, and rice transplanters. Work vehicles for cargo handling or civil engineering include tanker trucks, concrete mixer trucks, hydraulic excavators, bulldozers, wheel loaders, and forklifts. Work vehicles for snow removal include snowplows. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a switch board according to the present invention from the front side; [Figure 2] 2 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a switch board cut out from the switch board shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a switch device incorporating the switch board shown in FIG. 2.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a partially enlarged plan view showing only a unit circuit in the switch substrate shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a partially enlarged rear view showing the rear surface of the unit circuit in the switch substrate shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 2 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state in which electronic components are attached to some unit boards in the switch board shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7] 7 is a partially enlarged rear view showing a state in which electronic components are attached to the rear surface of the switch board shown in FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 8] 3 is a circuit diagram schematically illustrating a circuit configuration in the switch board illustrated in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing a part of the circuit configuration of a unit circuit according to a modified example of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing a part of the circuit configuration when the circuit shown in FIG. 9 is used in an indirect control method. [Figure 11] 10 is a circuit diagram showing a part of the circuit configuration when the circuit shown in FIG. 9 is used in a direct control method. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a switch board according to another modified example of the present invention, viewed from the front side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Hereinafter, embodiments of a switch substrate according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a switch substrate 100 according to the present invention, viewed from the front surface 102 side. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a switch substrate 200 cut out from the switch substrate 100 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a switch device 300 incorporating the switch substrate 200 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged plan view showing only the unit circuit UC1 in the switch substrate 100 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged rear view showing the rear surface 103 of the unit circuit UC1 in the switch substrate 100 shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged plan view showing a state in which electronic components are attached to some of the unit circuits UC1 to UC4 in the switch substrate 100 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged rear view showing a state in which electronic components are attached to the unit circuits UC1 to UC4 on the rear surface 103 of the switch substrate 100 shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram schematically showing the circuit configuration of the switch substrate 200 shown in FIG. 2. In addition, the figures referred to in this specification may be diagrammatic, with some components exaggerated to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and the dimensions and proportions of each component may differ.

[0028] (Configuration of switch board 100) This switch board 100 is a component that constitutes a switch board 200. The switch board 200 is an electronic circuit board that includes a plurality of manual switches 112a, 112b that are manually operated by a person, and constitutes a switch device 300. The switch device 300 is an input device for manually issuing two or more types of instructions to various devices that operate by inputting electrical signals.

[0029] In this embodiment, the switch device 300 is provided in an armrest located on the side of the driver's seat or in an instrument panel located in front of the driver's seat, while being connected to an ECU 400 that controls the operation of an agricultural tractor (not shown), which is a work vehicle for tilling fields, and functions as an input device for an operator to instruct the agricultural tractor to start or stop various functions (for example, driving or raising and lowering a rotary that digs up soil). This switch board 100 includes a board 101.

[0030] The substrate 101 includes a plurality of unit circuits UC1 to UC 12 and is a printed circuit board on which electrical wiring made of a conductor such as copper foil is formed inside or on the surface of an insulator. In this embodiment, substrate 101 is a multi-layer double-sided printed circuit board formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view.

[0031] Unit circuits UC1 to UC 12 are electronic circuits that constitute the minimum unit capable of fulfilling the function of the switch substrate 200. These unit circuits UC1 to UC 12 Since the unit circuits UC1 and UC2 have the same configuration, the unit circuit UC1 will be explained. 12 The explanation of the above will be omitted as appropriate.

[0032] The unit circuit UC1 mainly includes switch arrangement sections 110 and 111, light emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114, a switch control section arrangement section 116, a main control section arrangement section 118, a substrate input / output section 121, inter-controller wiring 123, and inter-wiring connections 124a to 124d.

[0033] The switch arrangement sections 110, 111 are sections for mounting the manual switches 112a, 112b, respectively, and are configured with connection terminals that correspond to the mounting sections of the manual switches 112a, 112b on the circuit board 101. In this embodiment, the switch arrangement sections 110, 111 are configured with four copper foil terminals each that are exposed and arranged in a square shape on the front surface 102, which is one of the two surfaces of the circuit board 101. These switch arrangement sections 110, 111 are formed on both the left and right sides of the switch control section arrangement section 116 in the illustration, and are electrically connected to the switch control section arrangement section 116 via printed wiring (not shown).

[0034] Here, the manual switches 112a and 112b are input devices that output operation signals (ON-OFF signals) according to manual operations by an operator, and are each configured as a push button. In this embodiment, the manual switches 112a and 112b are configured as metal dome switches connected to four terminals that respectively configure the switch arrangement sections 110 and 111.

[0035] The light-emitting element arrangement sections 113, 114 are sections for attaching the light-emitting elements 115a, 115b, respectively, and are configured with connection terminals in a manner corresponding to the attachment sections of the light-emitting elements 115a, 115b to the substrate 101. In this embodiment, the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113, 114 are formed in the respective central sections of the substrate 101 where the four terminals constituting the switch arrangement sections 110, 111 are respectively arranged. More specifically, the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113, 114 are configured with through-holes formed in the two central sections of the substrate 101, respectively, and two copper foil terminals each exposed around the through-holes that open to the back surface 103, which is the other of the two surfaces of the substrate 101.

[0036] In this case, the through holes constituting the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114 are portions where the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b connected to the two terminals are arranged, respectively. That is, the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114 hold the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b so that the user of the switch device 300 can visually recognize the light-emitting state by emitting light from the inside of the through holes formed in the substrate 101 toward the surface 102. These light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114 are each electrically connected to the switch control section arrangement section 116 via printed wiring (not shown) having resistors for current control resistance.

[0037] Here, the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b are display devices that display the pressed states (ON / OFF states) of the manual switches 112a and 112b by blinking and coloring the light. In this embodiment, the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b are configured by LED light-emitting elements (Light Emitting Diodes). Note that the color of light emitted by the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b is not limited to a specific color, but in this embodiment, they selectively emit white light or orange light.

[0038] The switch control unit arrangement section 116 is a section for attaching the switch control unit 117, and is configured with connection terminals in a manner corresponding to the section of the switch control unit 117 that is attached to the substrate 101. In this embodiment, the switch control unit arrangement section 116 is configured with copper foil terminals that correspond to the lead frame of an IC (Integrated Circuit) element that is rectangular in plan view and that constitutes the switch control unit 117 between the switch arrangement section 110 and the switch arrangement section 111 on the substrate 101. The switch control unit arrangement section 116 is electrically connected to the main control unit arrangement section 118 via inter-controller wiring 123.

[0039] Here, the switch control unit 117 is an IC element that inputs operation signals output from the manual switches 112a and 112b arranged in the switch arrangement units 110 and 111, respectively, and outputs information about these operation signals to the main control unit 120, and also controls the turning on and off of the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b arranged in the switch arrangement units 110 and 111. In this case, the information about the operation signals is information about the pressed state of each of the manual switches 112a and 112b.

[0040] The switch control unit 117 is configured by a single microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and its operation is controlled by the main control unit 120. Specifically, the switch control unit 117 outputs the operating states of the manual switches 112a, 112b to the main control unit 120 as information related to operation signals in accordance with instructions from the main control unit 120, and also controls the turning on and off of the light emitting elements 115a, 115b, including the light emission color, in accordance with instructions from the main control unit 120. The switch control unit 117 is disposed on the front surface 102 side of the substrate 101. The switch control unit 117 configured by the microcomputer incorporates pull-up resistors for the manual switches 112a, 112b.

[0041] The main control unit arrangement section 118 is a section for attaching the main control unit 120, and is configured with connection terminals in a manner corresponding to the attachment section of the main control unit 120 to the substrate 101. In this embodiment, the main control unit arrangement section 118 is configured with copper foil terminals corresponding to the lead frame of an IC element that is rectangular in plan view, and is provided on the back surface 103 behind the switch control unit arrangement section 116 of the substrate 101. The main control unit arrangement section 118 is electrically connected to the substrate input / output section 121 via input / output unit wiring 122, and is also electrically connected to the switch control unit arrangement section 116 and the inter-wiring connections 124a to 124d via inter-controller wiring 123.

[0042] Here, the main control unit 120 is configured by a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and executes a control program pre-stored in a storage device such as a ROM to comprehensively control the overall operation of the switch device 300. More specifically, the main control unit 120 is operation-controlled by an ECU 400 that controls the operation of the agricultural tractor on which the switch device 300 is mounted, and acquires information about operation signals from each of the switch control units 117 for the unit circuits UC1 to UC4, and outputs the acquired information about the operation signals to the ECU 400.

[0043] In this case, the main control unit 120 inputs and outputs data to and from the ECU 400 via CAN (Controller Area Network) communication, which is an in-vehicle LAN for agricultural tractors. In this case, CAN communication is a well-known technology and will not be described in detail, but the main control unit 120 converts the acquired information signal related to the operation signal into a voltage conforming to the CAN communication method via a CAN transceiver (not shown) and outputs the voltage to the ECU 400. In addition, the main control unit 120 controls the operation of each of the light-emitting elements 115a, 115b for each of the unit circuits UC1 to UC4 in accordance with instructions from the ECU 400, thereby controlling the on / off or light emission color of each of the light-emitting elements 115a, 115b.

[0044] The board input / output unit 121 is a unit for connecting external devices such as the ECU 400 to the main control unit 120 on the main control unit arrangement unit 118, and is configured by through holes that penetrate the board 101 and connection terminals made of copper foil that are formed around the portions where the through holes open on the front surface 102 and the back surface 103 of the board 101. In this embodiment, the board input / output unit 121 is configured by forming two on each side of the main control unit arrangement unit 118 in the vertical direction in the figure, for a total of four. In this case, the four connection terminals (through holes) that make up the board input / output unit 121 correspond to four wirings (VCC, CAN-Hi, CAN-Lo, GND) for transmitting and receiving data between the ECU 400 and the main control unit 120 via CAN (Controller Area Network) communication.

[0045] The input / output unit wiring 122 is an electrical wiring that electrically connects the board input / output unit 121 and the main control unit arrangement unit 118, and is composed of printed wiring formed inside the board 101. This input / output unit wiring 122 is composed of four independent wirings corresponding to the four connection terminals that make up the board input / output unit 121, and each is connected to the main control unit arrangement unit 118.

[0046] The inter-controller wiring 123 is wiring for electrically connecting the main control unit arrangement section 118 and the switch control unit arrangement section 116, and is configured by printed wiring formed inside the substrate 101. This inter-controller wiring 123 is configured by four wires: a power line for supplying power, a data line for sending and receiving data, a clock line for transmitting a clock signal, and a reference potential wire (i.e., a wire connected to GND) for determining the reference potential for the entire circuit. That is, the inter-controller wiring 123 according to this embodiment is configured with a wiring structure for I2C (Inter Integrated Circuit) communication.

[0047] The wiring connection portions 124a, 124b, 124c, and 124d are portions for electrically connecting the main control unit arrangement portion 118 (main control portion 120) to the switch control unit arrangement portion 116 (switch control portion 117) in the other unit circuits UC2 to UC4 by connecting the control unit arrangement portion 123 to the control unit arrangement portion 123 in the other unit circuits UC2 to UC4. In this embodiment, the wiring connection portions 124a, 124b, 124c, and 124d are each formed of four terminals made of copper foil exposed on the surface 102 of the substrate 101.

[0048] In this case, the four terminals constituting each of the inter-wiring connection sections 124a, 124b, 124c, and 124d correspond to the four wirings (power line, data line, clock line, and reference potential wiring) constituting the inter-controller wiring 123. Furthermore, these inter-wiring connection sections 124a, 124b, 124c, and 124d are connected in parallel to the inter-controller wiring 123. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the inter-wiring connection sections 124a, 124b, 124c, and 124d are formed outside the respective arrangement sections of the switch arrangement sections 110 and 111, the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114, the switch control section arrangement section 116, and the main control section arrangement section 118 constituting the unit circuit UC1.

[0049] Specifically, in the unit circuit UC1, the inter-wiring connections 124a and 124b are provided at positions adjacent to the outer edge of the substrate 101. The inter-wiring connections 124c and 124d are provided at positions adjacent to the parting lines 130 formed between the unit circuit UC1 and the unit circuit UC2 formed adjacent to it and between the unit circuit UC3 and it. In this case, the inter-wiring connections 124a and 124d each have four terminals, two of which are arranged away from each other on the switch arrangement sections 110 and 111 sides. That is, the inter-wiring connections 124a, 124b, 124c, and 124d are formed at positions adjacent to the switch arrangement sections 110 and 111, respectively.

[0050] The unit circuit UC1 also has placement sections for mounting various elements necessary for the operation, control or communication (including communication with the ECU 400 (in this embodiment, CAN communication)) of the switch control section 117 and the main control section 120, such as a clock IC, a CAN transceiver, a voltage conversion IC, a noise absorbing coil and an ESD protection diode, and these are formed on the front surface 102 or the back surface 103 of the substrate 101, respectively, but as these are not the main part of the present invention, their description will be omitted.

[0051] This substrate 101 has 12 unit circuits UC1 to UC 12In this case, twelve unit circuits UC1 to UC 12 are not electrically connected to each other and are adjacent to each other. 12 The unit circuits UC1 to UC2 ​​are electrically insulated from each other and no electrical wiring is present between them. 12 A dividing line 130 is formed therebetween.

[0052] The dividing line 130 divides the substrate 101 into the unit circuits UC1 to UC 12 The division lines 130 are portions for separating the unit circuits UC1 to UC2, which are arranged in a 2×6 matrix, and are formed by V-cut lines or perforations cut into the front surface 102 and / or back surface 103 of the substrate 101 in a V-shaped cross section. Here, the perforations are linear, through or non-through cuts formed intermittently in the substrate 101. In this embodiment, the division lines 130 are formed by dividing the unit circuits UC1 to UC2, which are arranged in a 2×6 matrix, 12 It consists of five perforations in the left and right directions and one in the top and bottom directions, corresponding to the

[0053] In addition, unit circuits UC2 to UC 12 In the unit circuit UC1, the positional relationship of the interconnection connections 124a, 124b, 124c, and 124d with respect to the outer edge of the substrate 101 and the parting line 130 is slightly different from that of the unit circuit UC1 depending on the arrangement position. 12 , the interconnection connection portion 124a is provided adjacent to the division line 130. In addition, the unit circuits UC2, UC4, UC6, UC8, UC 10 ,UC 12 In the unit circuit UC, the interconnect connection portion 124b is provided adjacent to the parting line 130, and the interconnect connection portion 124c is provided adjacent to the outer edge of the substrate 101 on the right side in the drawing. 11 ~UC 12 , the interconnect connection portion 124d is provided adjacent to the outer edge of the substrate 101 on the upper side in the drawing.

[0054] (Operation of the switch board 100) Next, the operation of the substrate 101 configured in this manner will be described. The substrate 101 is a component that constitutes the switch substrate 200 that is incorporated into the switch device 300. Therefore, an operator who fabricates the switch substrate 200 or the switch device 300 first prepares the substrate 101 and the electronic components to be mounted on the substrate 101. In this embodiment, one switch substrate 200 is constructed from four unit circuits UC1 to UC4. Therefore, the operator prepares 24 manual switches 112a, 112b, 24 light-emitting elements 115a, 115b, 12 switch control units 117, and three main control units 120 for one substrate 101.

[0055] In this case, the substrate 101 is provided with unit circuits UC1 to UC 12 For each substrate 101, switch arrangement sections 110 and 111, light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114, switch control section arrangement section 116, main control section arrangement section 118, board input / output section 121, inter-controller wiring 123, and inter-wiring connections 124a to 124d are formed in advance by a known printed circuit board manufacturing method. The process of preparing this substrate 101 and the electronic components to be mounted on this substrate 101 corresponds to a component preparation process according to the present invention.

[0056] Next, the worker arranges, in an electrically connected state, the 24 manual switches 112a, 112b, the 24 light-emitting elements 115a, 115b, the 12 switch control units 117, and the three main control units 120 on the substrate 101. In this embodiment, one switch substrate 200 is configured using four unit circuits UC1 to UC4, so the arrangement of the electronic components for the unit circuits UC1 to UC4 will be described.

[0057] The worker installs, by soldering, the manual switches 112a and 112b, the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b, the switch control unit 117, and the main control unit 120 to the switch arrangement sections 110 and 111, the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114, the switch control unit arrangement section 116, and the main control unit arrangement section 118 in the unit circuit UC1. The worker also installs, by soldering, the manual switches 112a and 112b, the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b, and the switch control unit 117 to the switch arrangement sections 110 and 111, the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114, and the switch control unit arrangement section 116 in the unit circuits UC2 to UC4.

[0058] This allows the worker to fabricate the unit circuit UC1, each of which includes the manual switches 112a and 112b, the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b, the switch control unit 117, and the main control unit 120. The worker can also fabricate the unit circuits UC2 to UC4, each of which includes the manual switches 112a and 112b, the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b, the switch control unit 117, and the main control unit 120, but excluding the main control unit 120. The process of arranging the electronic components on the substrate 101 in an electrically connected state corresponds to the mounting process according to the present invention.

[0059] Next, the worker electrically integrates the unit circuits UC1 to UC4. Specifically, the worker electrically connects the inter-wire connection portion 124c in the unit circuit UC1 and the inter-wire connection portion 124b in the unit circuit UC2 with a jumper wire 140 made of a copper rod. The worker also electrically connects the inter-wire connection portion 124d in the unit circuit UC1 and the inter-wire connection portion 124a in the unit circuit UC3 with the jumper wire 140 made of a copper rod. The worker also electrically connects the inter-wire connection portion 124d in the unit circuit UC2 and the inter-wire connection portion 124a in the unit circuit UC4 with the jumper wire 140 made of a copper rod.

[0060] As a result, on the substrate 101, the switch control unit arrangement section 116 of the unit circuit UC1 and each of the switch control unit arrangement sections 116 of the unit circuits UC2 and UC3 are connected in parallel to the main control unit 120 in the unit circuit UC1. In this case, the switch control unit arrangement section 116 of the unit circuit UC1 is connected in parallel to the main control unit 120 via the inter-controller wiring 123 of the unit circuit UC1. Furthermore, each of the switch control unit arrangement sections 116 of the unit circuits UC2 and UC3 is connected in parallel to the main control unit 120 via the inter-controller wiring 123 of the unit circuits UC2 and UC3, which are each connected to a part of the inter-controller wiring 123 of the unit circuit UC1.

[0061] Furthermore, the switch control unit arrangement section 116 of the unit circuit UC4 is connected in parallel to the main control unit 120 via the inter-controller wiring 123 of the unit circuit UC4, which is connected to a part of the inter-controller wiring 123 of the unit circuit UC2. That is, the switch control unit arrangement section 116 of the unit circuit UC4 is connected in parallel to the main control unit 120 via the inter-controller wiring 123 (primary parallel circuit) of the unit circuit UC1, the inter-controller wiring 123 (secondary parallel circuit) of the unit circuit UC2, and the inter-controller wiring 123 (tertiary parallel circuit) of the unit circuit UC4.

[0062] In this embodiment, the unit circuit UC4 is connected to the unit circuit UC1 via the unit circuit UC2, but it may be connected to the unit circuit UC1 via the unit circuit UC3 instead of the unit circuit UC2. In this case, the worker electrically connects the inter-wire connection portion 124c in the unit circuit UC3 and the inter-wire connection portion 124b in the unit circuit UC4 with a jumper wire 140 made of a copper rod.

[0063] Next, the worker performs the following steps to separate the unit circuits UC5 to UC8 and the unit circuits UC9 to UC 12For the unit circuits UC3, UC4, three switch substrates 200 can be fabricated on the substrate 101 by arranging the electronic components in the same manner as for the unit circuits UC1 to UC4. Then, the worker separates the three switch substrates 200 formed on the substrate 101 from one another. Specifically, the worker can separate the unit circuits UC1 to UC4 by dividing the substrate 101 along the division line 130 between the unit circuits UC3, UC4 and the unit circuits UC5, UC6, and the unit circuits UC7, UC8 and the unit circuits UC9, UC 10 The unit circuits UC5 to UC8 and the unit circuits UC9 to UC 12 can be separated.

[0064] Next, a worker can manufacture the switch device 300 using the switch board 200 separated from the board 101. In this case, the switch device 300 can be configured in various ways depending on the location where the switch device 300 is to be installed. In this embodiment, the switch device 300 is configured so that it can be installed in a part of the armrest of an agricultural tractor. Specifically, as shown in the figure, the switch device 300 is configured by accommodating the switch board 200 in a case assembly 301.

[0065] The case assembly 301 is a component that houses and protects the switch board 200 and also forms the outer surface of the switch device 300, and is mainly composed of a case body 302, a switch knob 303, and a body cover 304.

[0066] The case body 302 is a component for accommodating the switch board 200 and connecting the switch board 200 to the ECU 400 of the agricultural tractor, and is formed of a resin material in the shape of a rectangular tray in plan view with an opening at the top. In this case, the case body 302 is formed with a connector portion 302a extending cylindrically downward in the figure.

[0067] The connector section 302a is a section for connecting the main control section 120 of the switch board 200 to the ECU 400 of the agricultural tractor. Specifically, the connector section 302a is formed integrally with the case main body 302 and is configured to include a plurality of copper pins (not shown) that are electrically connected to the board input / output section 121 of the switch board 200 inside a cylindrical section that hangs down and that are exposed at the lower end of the cylindrical section.

[0068] The switch knob 303 is a component that covers and protects the switch board 200 from above and receives manual operation of the manual switches 112a, 112b (two for each unit circuit UC1 to UC4, for a total of eight) by an operator, and is made of a sheet-like elastically deformable rubber or elastomer material. In this case, the switch knob 303 is formed with convex protrusions at positions corresponding to the eight manual switches 112a, 112b, respectively, and is formed so as to be elastically deformed when pressed with a finger.

[0069] Body cover 304 is a component for fixing switch knob 303 on case body 302, and is formed by forming a resin material into a plate shape. In this case, body cover 304 has through holes formed at positions corresponding to eight manual switches 112a, 112b, respectively, to expose the convexly protruding portions of switch knob 303. Body cover 304 is also formed with a fitting portion that fits onto the outer edge of case body 302 and hangs down from the outer edge of body cover 304.

[0070] The worker places the switch board 200 inside the case body 302. In this case, the worker solders the upper ends of the pins that make up the connector portion 302a to the board input / output portions 121 of the unit circuits UC1~ in the switch board 200 to electrically connect them, and then fixes the switch board 200 to the case body 302 using screws, adhesive, or the like (not shown).

[0071] Next, the worker places the switch knob 303 on the case body 302 that houses the switch board 200, and then fits the body cover 304 onto the case body 302. This completes the switch device 300.

[0072] This switch device 300 is attached to an armrest or a part of an instrument panel located in front of the driver's seat of the agricultural tractor. In this case, the lower ends of the pins constituting the connector portion 302a of the case assembly 301 of the switch device 300 are connected to a connector (not shown) that is connected to the ECU 400 of the agricultural tractor. As a result, the switch device 300 electrically connects the main control unit 120 to the ECU 400 of the agricultural tractor. The switch device 300 functions as an input device for starting or stopping various functions of the agricultural tractor when the agricultural tractor is in operation.

[0073] The ECU 400 (Engine Control Unit) is configured by a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and comprehensively controls the operation of the entire agricultural tractor vehicle, including the operation of the switch device 300, in accordance with a control program (not shown) that is pre-stored in the ROM, etc. The ECU 400 is connected to various devices required to start or stop the operation of various functions of the agricultural tractor in accordance with information related to each operation signal output from the switch device 300.

[0074] In this case, the switch device 300 has eight manual switches 112a, 112b and eight light-emitting elements 115a, 115b connected to the main control unit 120 via four switch control unit arrangement units 116. Therefore, the main control unit 120 selectively connects to one of the four switch control unit arrangement units 116 using I2C communication to transmit the operating states of the manual switches 112a, 112b to the ECU 400 and control the light emission of the light-emitting elements 115a, 115b in accordance with instructions from the ECU 400.

[0075] As can be understood from the above description of operation, according to the above embodiment, the switch substrate 100 has a plurality of unit circuits UC1 formed thereon, each having a switch arrangement section 110, 111, a switch control section arrangement section 116, a main control section arrangement section 118, and inter-controller wiring 123, and is provided with inter-wire connectors 124a-124d for connecting the inter-controller wiring 123 between the unit circuits UC1-UC4. Therefore, a manufacturer of the switch substrate 200 can easily manufacture a switch substrate 200 with a desired circuit configuration by connecting the inter-wire connectors 124a-124d according to the arrangement positions or number of the manual switches 112a, 112b. In other words, the switch substrate 100 according to the present invention can reduce the burden of manufacturing multiple types of switch substrates 200 each having a different arrangement position or number of manual switches 112a, 112b.

[0076] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. In the description of the modifications, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts as those in the above-described embodiment, for which no new reference numerals are used.

[0077] For example, in the above embodiment, the switch substrate 100 has 12 unit circuits UC1 to UC2 ​​on one substrate 101. 12 The switch substrate 100 may be configured to include at least two or more unit circuits UC on one substrate 101.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the switch substrate 100 includes 12 unit circuits UC1 to UC 12 One switch substrate 200 was fabricated by electrically connecting four of the unit circuits UC1 to UC4 with jumper wires 140. However, the switch substrate 100 has twelve unit circuits UC1 to UC 12 At least one of the unit circuits UC1 to UC 12 Thus, one switch board 200 can be manufactured.

[0079] In the above embodiment, the switch substrate 200 is configured to provide the main control unit 120 in the unit circuit UC1, and to connect the connector portion 302a in the case ASSY 301 to the board input / output portion 121 in the unit circuit UC1, thereby communicating with the ECU 400. However, the switch substrate 200 can also be configured to provide the main control unit 120 in any of the unit circuits UC2 to UC4 other than the unit circuit UC1, and to connect the board input / output portion 121 corresponding to this main control unit 120 to the connector portion 302a in the case ASSY 301, thereby communicating with the ECU 400. That is, the switch substrate 100 can be configured to provide the main control unit 120 in any of the unit circuits UC2 to UC4 other than the unit circuit UC1, and to connect the board input / output portion 121 corresponding to this main control unit 120 to the connector portion 302a in the case ASSY 301. 12 Since the main control unit placement unit 118 and the board input / output unit 121 are provided, the placement position of the main control unit 120 or the connection position with an external device such as the ECU 400 can be freely set.

[0080] In the above embodiment, the switch board 100 is configured to electrically connect the switch arrangement sections 110, 111 (manual switches 112a, 112b) and the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113, 114 (light-emitting elements 115a, 115b) to the ECU 400 via the board input / output section 121, the main control section arrangement section 118 (main control section 120), and the switch control section arrangement section 116 (switch control section 117). However, the switch board 100 may be configured with an additional function to electrically connect the switch arrangement sections 110, 111 (manual switches 112a, 112b) and the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113, 114 (light-emitting elements 115a, 115b) directly to an external device such as the ECU 400.

[0081] For example, the unit circuit UC 20 As shown in FIG. 9, the unit circuit UC1 in the above embodiment can be configured by adding first switch wiring section direct wirings 150a and 150b, second switch wiring section direct wirings 152a and 152b, switch wiring connection sections 153a and 153b, light-emitting element arrangement section direct wirings 154a and 154b, substrate input / output sections 121e and 121f, light-emitting element wiring connection sections 155a and 155b, and input / output section wiring connection sections 156a and 156b, respectively.

[0082] The first switch wiring section direct wirings 150a and 150b are wirings for supplying power to the switch arrangement sections 110 and 111 (manual switches 112a and 112b), respectively, and are configured by printed wiring formed on the substrate 101. In this case, the first switch wiring section direct wiring 150a is a power supply wiring for supplying power to the switch arrangement sections 110 and 111 (manual switches 112a and 112b), respectively, and one end is connected via input / output section wiring 122a to a board input / output section 121a, which is a connection terminal of the board input / output section 121 to which power is supplied from the ECU 400, and the other end is connected to the switch arrangement sections 110 and 111, respectively, via resistors 151a for pull-up resistance.

[0083] On the other hand, the first switch wiring section direct wiring 150b is a GND wiring that connects the switch arrangement sections 110, 111 (manual switches 112a, 112b) to GND, with one end connected to the switch arrangement sections 110, 111, respectively, and the other end connected via input / output section wiring 122b to a board input / output section 121b, which is a connection terminal of the board input / output section 121 that is connected to a GND terminal of the ECU 400. In this modification, the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113, 114 in the above embodiment are also connected to the first switch wiring section direct wiring 150b via printed wiring.

[0084] The second switch wiring section direct wirings 152a and 152b are wirings for directly connecting the switch arrangement sections 110 and 111 to the board input / output section 121, respectively, and are formed by printed wiring formed on the board 101. One ends of the second switch wiring section direct wirings 152a and 152b are connected to board input / output sections 121c and 121d, which are two connection terminals (CAN-Hi and CAN-Lo) of the board input / output section 121 for performing CAN communication with the ECU 400, via input / output section wirings 122c and 122d, respectively, and the other ends are connected to the switch arrangement sections 110 and 111, respectively. In this case, the second switch wiring section direct wirings 152a and 152b are each divided midway along the wiring, and are provided with switch wiring connection sections 153a and 153b, respectively. The first switch wiring section direct wirings 150a and 150b and the second switch wiring section direct wirings 152a and 152b correspond to the switch wiring section direct wirings according to the present invention.

[0085] The switch wiring connection portions 153a, 153b are portions for electrically connecting the disconnected portions of the second switch wiring portion direct wiring 152a, 152b with the connecting member 157 described later, and are composed of a pair of connecting terminals made of copper foil formed on the surface 102 of the substrate 101.

[0086] The light-emitting element arrangement section direct wirings 154a and 154b are wirings for directly connecting the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114, respectively, to the board input / output section 121, and are configured as printed wirings formed on the board 101. One end of each of these light-emitting element arrangement section direct wirings 154a and 154b is connected to two board input / output sections 121e and 121f of the board input / output section 121, respectively, and the other end is connected to the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114 via a resistor 151b for DC limiting resistance, respectively. In this case, the light-emitting element arrangement section direct wirings 154a and 154b are each divided midway along the wiring, and light-emitting element wiring connection sections 155a and 155b are each provided.

[0087] Here, the board input / output units 121e and 121f are connection terminals on the board 101 side for directly connecting the light emitting element arrangement units 113 and 114 to external devices such as the ECU 400, and similarly to the board input / output unit 121 in the above embodiment, are configured with through holes penetrating the board 101 and connection terminals made of copper foil formed around the portions where the through holes open on the front surface 102 and the back surface 103 of the board 101. That is, the unit circuit UC according to this modification 20 In the example, the board input / output section 121 is configured to include two additional connection terminals (through holes) in addition to the four connection terminals (through holes).

[0088] The light-emitting element wiring connection portions 155a, 155b are portions for electrically connecting the divided portions of the light-emitting element arrangement portion direct wiring 154a, 154b with a connection member 157, and are composed of a pair of connection terminals made of copper foil formed on the surface 102 of the substrate 101.

[0089] The input / output unit wiring connection portions 156a and 156b are provided at portions where the input / output unit wirings 122c and 122d (in other words, wirings connecting the board input / output units 121c and 121d with the main control unit arrangement portion 118) are divided into two wirings (CAN-Hi and CAN-Lo) among the four input / output unit wirings 122a to 122d through which the main control unit 120 communicates with external devices such as the ECU 400, and serve to electrically connect these divided portions with the connection member 157. More specifically, the input / output unit wiring connection portions 156a and 156b are formed by a pair of connection terminals made of copper foil formed on the surface 102 of the board 101.

[0090] 9, the interconnection connection portions 124a to 124d in the above embodiment are not shown. 20 In addition to the other unit circuits (for example, the unit circuits UC2 to UC 12 ) the unit circuit UC according to this modification 20Similarly, the unit circuits UC2 to UC3 in the above embodiments may be configured to include first switch wiring section direct wirings 150a and 150b, second switch wiring section direct wirings 152a and 152b, switch wiring connections 153a and 153b, light emitting element arrangement section direct wirings 154a and 154b, substrate input / output sections 121e and 121f, light emitting element wiring connections 155a and 155b, and input / output section wiring connections 156a and 156b, respectively. 12 The configuration may remain as is.

[0091] The unit circuit UC according to this modified example configured as above 20 There are two ways of using the switch board 100 provided with the above. The first way of using is an indirect control method in which, as in the above embodiment, the ECU 400 is connected to the main control unit arrangement unit 118 (main control unit 120), and operation signals for the manual switches 112a and 112b or control of the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b are input via the main control unit 120 and the switch control unit 117. The second way of using is a direct control method in which the ECU 400 is directly connected to the manual switches 112a and 112b and the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b, respectively, without going through the main control unit arrangement unit 118 (main control unit 120), and operation signals are input or the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b are controlled.

[0092] First, when using the switch substrate 100 in the first usage method (indirect control method), the worker electrically connects the input / output wiring connection parts 156a and 156b via the connection member 157, as shown in Fig. 10. Here, the connection member 157 is a conductive member for electrically connecting the disconnected wiring, and is made of a copper wire, a jumper wire, a 0Ω resistor, or the like. As a result, the unit circuit UC 20 The circuit configuration is such that the board input / output units 121c and 121d, which are two connection terminals (CAN-Hi, CAN-Lo) in the board input / output unit 121 for communicating with external devices such as the ECU 400, are electrically connected to the main control unit arrangement unit 118, while the board input / output units 121a to 121f are not directly connected to the switch arrangement units 110 and 111 and the light-emitting element arrangement units 113 and 114, respectively.

[0093] That is, the unit circuit UC 20 has substantially the same circuit configuration as the unit circuit UC1 in the above embodiment, except that a resistor 151a for a pull-up resistor for the manual switches 112a and 112b is provided separately from the switch control section 117. Therefore, from this point on, the operator can easily operate the unit circuit UC1 in the same way as in the above embodiment. 20 On the other hand, manual switches 112a and 112b, light emitting elements 115a and 115b, a switch control unit 117 (no need to incorporate a pull-up resistor), and a main control unit 120 are arranged on the same substrate 101, and other unit circuits (for example, unit circuits UC2 to UC 12 ) to fabricate the switch board 200. In this case, the unit circuit UC 20 The second switch wiring section direct wirings 152a and 152b, the switch wiring connections 153a and 153b, the light emitting element arrangement section direct wirings 154a and 154b, the board input / output sections 121e and 121f, and the light emitting element wiring connections 155a and 155b are not used.

[0094] Next, when using the switch substrate 100 in the second usage method (direct control method), the worker electrically connects the switch wiring connection parts 153a and 153b and the light-emitting element wiring connection parts 155a and 155b via the connection members 157, respectively, as shown in FIG. 20 The circuit configuration is such that the board input / output units 121c, 121d and the board input / output units 121e, 121f in the board input / output unit 121 are directly connected to the switch arrangement units 110, 111 and the light emitting element arrangement units 113, 114, respectively, while the board input / output units 121c, 121d are not connected to the main control unit arrangement unit 118.

[0095] Therefore, the worker must 20 On the switch substrate 100, the manual switches 112a and 112b and the light emitting elements 115a and 115b are arranged, but the switch control unit 117 and the main control unit 120 are not arranged. 20Therefore, the worker can remove the unit circuit UC from the switch substrate 100. 20 After separating only the board and housing it in the case ASSY 301, the board input / output units 121a to 121f are connected to the ECU 400. 20 In the switch device 300 configured as above, operation signals of the manual switches 112a and 112b are output directly to the ECU 400, not through CAN communication, and the operation of the light emitting elements 115a and 115b is directly controlled by the ECU 400.

[0096] That is, the unit circuit UC according to this modification 20 According to the switch substrate 100 having the two manual switches 112a and 112b, when the switch substrate 200 is configured with the unit circuit UC 20 10 and 11, unused placement parts, wiring and connection parts are shown by two-dot chain lines.

[0097] In addition, the unit circuit UC 20 In the case of the switch control unit 117, connecting sections having the same configuration as the switch wiring connecting sections 153a and 153b are provided on the first switch wiring section direct wirings 150a and 150b, respectively, so that a connected state or a disconnected state can be selected depending on the presence or absence of a connecting member 157. Therefore, only when the direct control method is adopted, current is passed through the first switch wiring section direct wirings 150a and 150b and the resistor 151a to obtain operation signals from the manual switches 112a and 112b. In this case, the switch control unit 117 may preferably have a built-in pull-up resistor. Note that the pull-up resistor 151a is provided to ensure stable input of operation signals from the manual switches 112a and 112b, and therefore may be omitted when stable input of operation signals is ensured or when stable input is not important.

[0098] In the above embodiment, the switch substrate 100 has unit circuits UC1 to UC2 ​​all having the same configuration on one substrate 101. 12However, the switch substrate 100 can be configured by providing, on a single substrate 101, a first unit circuit and a second unit circuit having mutually different configurations.

[0099] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the switch substrate 500 has a single substrate 101 on which first unit circuits UC1 and UC2 having different configurations are mounted. 30 and 11 second unit circuits UC 31 ~UC 41 In this case, the first unit circuit UC 30 are configured in the same manner as the unit circuit UC1 in the above embodiment, and each include switch arrangement sections 110 and 111, light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114, a switch control section arrangement section 116, a main control section arrangement section 118, a substrate input / output section 121, inter-controller wiring 123, and inter-wiring connection sections 124a and 124d.

[0100] On the other hand, the second unit circuit UC 31 ~UC 41 is the first unit circuit UC 30 In this case, the second unit circuit UC 31 ~UC 41 In the example shown in FIG. 1, the inter-controller wiring 123 connects two switch control unit arrangement sections 116 in parallel. According to the switch substrate 500 configured in this manner, the second unit circuit UC 31 ~UC 41 is configured without the arrangement section related to the main control section 120, it is possible to reduce the size of the substrate 101 and to increase the number of switch arrangement sections 110, 111 or light emitting element arrangement sections 113, 114. The number of first unit circuits and second unit circuits formed on one substrate 101 is not particularly limited, and it is sufficient that at least one of each is formed.

[0101] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the switch boards 100 and 500 are connected to one switch control unit arrangement section 116 with two switch arrangement sections 110 and 111 and two light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114. However, it is sufficient that the switch board 100 is connected to one switch control unit arrangement section 116 with at least one switch arrangement section 110 and one light-emitting element arrangement section 113 and one light-emitting element arrangement section 114.

[0102] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the switch boards 100 and 500 are configured to include light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114 for arranging the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b. However, the switch board 100 is only required to include at least two switch arrangement sections 110 and 111, and the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114 may be omitted, or electronic components other than the light-emitting elements 115a and 115b (for example, speakers or various sensors) may be included. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the light-emitting element arrangement sections 113 and 114 may be formed at positions separated from the switch arrangement sections 110 and 111.

[0103] In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the switch boards 100 and 500 are configured to include switch arrangement sections 110 and 111 for arranging the manual switches 112a and 112b that are push button switches. However, the switch board 100 may be configured to include switch arrangement sections 110 and 111 for arranging the manual switches 112a and 112b that are switches other than push button switches, such as slide switches, toggle switches, rocker switches, tact switches, DIP switches, or rotary switches (dials).

[0104] In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the switch substrate 100, 500 is configured to include four inter-wire connection portions 124a-124d. However, the switch substrate 100, 500 may be configured to include at least one inter-wire connection portion 124a-124d. The inter-wire connection portions 124a-124d may be arranged between or inside electronic components instead of or in addition to being arranged outside the electronic components arranged on the switch substrate 100, 500.

[0105] In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the switch boards 100 and 500 are configured to include the division lines 130 formed by perforations. However, the switch boards 100 and 500 may be configured without the division lines 130.

[0106] In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the switch board 100, 500 has the main control unit arrangement section 118 arranged between the two switch arrangement sections 110, 111 on the board 101. This arrangement reduces the possibility of operating the manual switches 112a, 112b incorrectly by arranging the two switch arrangement sections 110, 111 at positions spaced apart from each other. Furthermore, by arranging the main control unit arrangement section 118 between the two switch arrangement sections 110, 111 on the board 101, the switch board 100, 500 can effectively utilize the area on the board 101, thereby miniaturizing the configuration and reducing the operational and economic burden of manufacturing. However, the switch board 100, 500 can arrange the main control unit arrangement section 118 at any position on the board 101.

[0107] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment and modified example, the switch board 100, 500 is configured such that the main control unit arrangement section 118 is provided on the back surface 103 of the board 101, opposite the front surface 102 on which the switch arrangement sections 110, 111 are provided. This allows the switch board 100, 500 to mount the switch arrangement sections 110, 111 and the main control unit arrangement section 118 on both sides of the board 101, thereby enabling the configuration to be made more compact and reducing the operational and economic burden of manufacturing. However, the switch board 100, 500 can also be configured such that the switch arrangement sections 110, 111 and the main control unit arrangement section 118 are provided on the same side of the board 101. In other words, the switch board 100, 500 can have each arrangement section formed on only one side or on both sides.

[0108] In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the board input / output unit 121 of the switch board 100, 500 is configured with four or six connection terminals. However, the number of board input / output units 121 is set appropriately depending on the connection mode with an external device, and it goes without saying that the number of connection terminals can be other than four or six.

[0109] In the above embodiment, the switch board 100 is applied to the switch device 300 as an input device for manually instructing various devices equipped in an agricultural tractor to start or stop various functions. However, the switch board 100 is not limited to on-board devices equipped in various vehicles such as agricultural tractors, and can be used as a board constituting an input device for manually issuing two or more types of instructions to various devices. For example, the switch board 100 can be used as the switch device 300 as an input device for a crane or various machine tools used outdoors or indoors. [Explanation of symbols]

[0110] UC1~UC 12 ...Unit circuit, UC 20 ...Unit circuit, UC 30 …First unit circuit, UC 31 ~UC 41...second unit circuit, 100,500...switch board, 101...board, 102...surface, 103...back surface, 110, 111...switch arrangement section, 112a, 112b...manual switch, 113, 114...light emitting element arrangement section, 115a, 115b...light emitting element, 116...switch control section arrangement section, 117...switch control section, 118...main control section arrangement section, 120... Main control unit, 121, 121a to 121f... Board input / output units, 122, 122a to 122d... Input / output unit wiring, 123... Wiring between control units, 124a to 124d... Wiring connection units, 130...Dividing line, 140...jumper wire, 150a, 150b...direct wiring of first switch wiring section, 151a, 151b...resistor, 152a, 152b...direct wiring of second switch wiring section, 153a, 153b...switch wiring connection section, 154a, 154b...direct wiring of light emitting element arrangement section, 155a, 155b...light emitting element wiring connection section, 156a, 156b...input / output section wiring connection section, 157...connection member, 200...Switch board, 300...switch device, 301...case assembly, 302...case body, 302a...connector portion, 303...switch knob, 304...body cover, 400...ECU.

Claims

1. A switch substrate on which a plurality of unit circuits are formed, including a switch arrangement portion that serves as an arrangement portion for a manual switch that outputs an operation signal, which is an electrical signal in response to a manual operation, The unit circuit comprises: a switch control unit arrangement section formed electrically connected to the switch arrangement section and serving as an arrangement section for a switch control unit that inputs the operation signal; a main control unit arrangement unit that controls the operation of the switch control unit and acquires information about the operation signal; a board input / output section formed to be electrically connected to the main control section placement section for connecting the main control section to wiring outside the board; an inter-controller wiring that electrically connects the main controller and the switch controller arrangement unit; The plurality of unit circuits include: A switch substrate characterized in that it has inter-wiring connection parts formed so as to be electrically connected to the inter-controller wiring and for connecting to the inter-controller wiring in other unit circuits other than itself.

2. A switch substrate on which one first unit circuit and at least one second unit circuit are formed, each of which includes a switch arrangement portion serving as an arrangement portion for a manual switch that outputs an operation signal, which is an electrical signal in response to a manual operation, The first unit circuit and the second unit circuit are a switch control unit arrangement section formed electrically connected to the switch arrangement section and serving as an arrangement section for a switch control unit that inputs the operation signal; an inter-controller wiring extending from the switch control unit arrangement section, The first unit circuit further includes: a main control unit arrangement unit that is electrically connected to the inter-controller wiring and serves as an arrangement unit for a main control unit that controls the operation of the switch control unit and acquires information about the operation signal; a board input / output section formed to be electrically connected to the main control section placement section for connecting the main control section to wiring outside the board; an inter-wiring connection portion formed to be electrically connected to the inter-controller wiring and for connecting to the inter-controller wiring in the second unit circuit; The second unit circuit further includes: a switch substrate having an inter-wiring connection portion formed to be electrically connected to the inter-controller wiring and for connecting to the inter-controller wiring in the first unit circuit;

3. 3. The switch substrate according to claim 1 or 2, The switch arrangement unit A switch substrate characterized in that a plurality of switches are connected to one switch control unit arrangement section.

4. 3. The switch substrate according to claim 1 or 2, A switch substrate, characterized in that a dividing line consisting of a cut or a perforation is formed between adjacent unit circuits.

5. 3. The switch substrate according to claim 1 or 2, The unit circuit further comprises: A switch substrate comprising a light emitting element arrangement portion formed to be electrically connected to the switch control portion and serving as an arrangement portion for a light emitting element.

6. 3. The switch substrate according to claim 1 or 2, The interconnection portion is A switch substrate formed adjacent to an edge of the substrate.

7. 3. The switch substrate according to claim 1 or 2, The main control unit arrangement unit A switch substrate, characterized in that the switch arrangement portion is formed on a surface of the substrate opposite to a surface on which the switch arrangement portion is formed.

8. 2. The switch substrate according to claim 1, The unit circuit further comprises: a plurality of switch arrangement unit direct wirings electrically connecting the board input / output unit and the plurality of switch arrangement units, respectively; The switch arrangement section direct wiring is a switch wiring connection portion that is separated between the board input / output portion and the switch arrangement portion and that electrically connects the separated portion; The substrate input / output unit A switch substrate characterized in that a portion of the wiring connected to the main control unit placement portion is disconnected and that the switch substrate has a main control unit wiring connection portion for electrically connecting the disconnected portion.

9. A method for manufacturing a switch board on which a manual switch is arranged to output an operation signal, which is an electrical signal in response to a manual operation, is provided, comprising: a component preparation step of preparing a switch board according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and the manual switch, the switch control unit, and the main control unit to be mounted on the switch board; and a mounting step of arranging the manual switch, the switch control unit, and the main control unit on the switch substrate in a state in which they are electrically connected to each other.

10. A vehicle comprising a switch board according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images