Push switch

Abstract

The objective is to provide a push switch with a simple configuration that allows for a longer pressing range for the pressing member. [Solution] A push switch (1) comprising a switch board (5), a first contact (10) arranged on the switch board, a second contact (11) arranged around the first contact on the switch board, a conductive spring member (9) arranged above the first and second contacts, a stroke spring member (8) arranged above the conductive spring member, and a pressing member (2) that can be pressed from above the stroke spring member, wherein the stroke spring member has a protruding part (12) formed at a distance from the conductive spring member and a pressing part (13) that presses the conductive spring member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a push switch.

Background Art

[0002] In a push switch in which a movable contact moves to conduct between contacts when a pressing member is pressed, there is a desire to set a longer stroke for pressing the pressing member. For this purpose, it is known to arrange in parallel a member that presses the movable contact and a member that the user actually operates, so that a longer stroke for pressing the member that the user actually operates can be set (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described push switch, since the member that presses the movable contact and the member that the user actually operates are arranged in parallel, there are problems such as an increase in the size of the switch and an increase in the number of parts.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a push switch having a simple configuration and capable of increasing the pressing range for pressing a pressing member.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems, the push switch according to the present invention comprises a switch substrate, a first contact disposed on the switch substrate, a second contact disposed around the first contact on the switch substrate, a conductive spring member disposed above the first and second contacts, a stroke spring member disposed on the conductive spring member, and a pressing member that can be pressed from above the stroke spring member, wherein the stroke spring member has a protruding portion formed at a distance from the conductive spring member and a pressing portion that presses the conductive spring member.

[0007] In the push switch according to the present invention, it is preferable that the pressing portion, when the pressing member is pressed, presses a conductive spring member, causing the conductive spring member to deform so that electrical conductivity is established between the first contact and the second contact, and that the protruding portion, when the pressing portion is pressed further after electrical conductivity is established between the first contact and the second contact, deforms itself to create a further pressable range for the pressing member.

[0008] The push switch according to the present invention preferably further comprises a flexible protective member disposed on the switch substrate so as to cover the conductive spring member and the stroke spring member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a push switch that has a simple configuration and can extend the pressing range for pressing the pressing member. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the push switch 1 according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view AA' in Figure 1. [Figure 3] (a) is a perspective view of the conductive spring member 9 and the stroke spring member 8 in an unpressed state, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of (a) BB'. [Figure 4] This figure shows the load characteristics of push switch 1. [Figure 5]This figure shows the state of push switch 1 at point P1 in Figure 4. [Figure 6] This figure shows the state of push switch 1 at point P2 in Figure 4. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The push switch 1 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings or described below.

[0012] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the push switch 1 according to the present invention, and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1 AA'. The push switch 1 consists of a pressing member 2, a case 3, an exterior member 4, a switch circuit board 5, a base 6, a stroke spring member 8, a conductive spring member 9, etc.

[0013] A resin case 4 is placed on top of a switch board 5, and the switch board 5 is placed on a resin base 6. An exterior component 3 is positioned to cover the case 4, the switch board 5, and the base 6. The exterior component 3 is provided to protect the push switch 1 and to increase the mounting strength by soldering, etc., and is made of a metal material such as brass or stainless steel.

[0014] The switch board 5 is made of an insulating material such as glass epoxy resin and has a recess in the center. A first contact 10 is located in the center of the recess, and two second contacts 11 are arranged around the first contact. The first contact 10 is electrically connected to a first electrode (not shown) located at the bottom of the base 6 by wiring (not shown) formed on the switch board 5 and the base. Similarly, the second contacts 11 are electrically connected to a second electrode (not shown) located at the bottom of the base 6 by wiring (not shown) formed on the switch board 5 and the base. The push switch 1 is connected to an external circuit board or the like via the first and second electrodes.

[0015] The conductive spring member 9 is disposed above the first contact 10 and the second contact 11 in the recess of the switch substrate 5. In a state where the pressing member 2 is not pressed, the conductive spring member 9 is in contact with only the second contact 11 and is electrically connected only to the second contact 11. The conductive spring member 9 has an oval shape when viewed from above, and is a metallic movable contact having a dome shape that deforms to contact the first contact 10 when pressed from above and returns to its original shape when the pressing from above is released.

[0016] When the conductive spring member 9 is not in contact with the first contact 10, the push switch 1 is in an off state. When the conductive spring member 9 is deformed to contact the first contact 10 and the first contact 10 and the second contact 11 are electrically connected, the push switch becomes an on state. Note that, in FIG. 2, the conductive spring member 9 is composed of two thin metallic plates, but it is not limited thereto, and it may be composed of one thin metallic plate or three or more thin metallic plates. Depending on the thickness and number of the metal thin films, it is possible to set the load, click rate, stroke, etc. of the push switch 1.

[0017] The stroke spring member 8 is disposed above the conductive spring member 9. The stroke spring member 8 is a thin metallic plate configured to include a protrusion-shaped portion 12 formed with a gap from the conductive spring member 9 and a pressing portion 13 that presses the conductive spring member 9. Note that the stroke spring member 8 is preferably composed of a metal material such as a SUS material, but it is also possible to use an elastic rubber material or the like.

[0018] The flexible protection member 7 is disposed on the switch substrate 5 so as to cover the conductive spring member 9 and the stroke spring member 8. The flexible protection member 7 is formed of a film formed of a resin material, and protects the inside of the conductive spring member 9 and the stroke spring member 8 from dust entry.

[0019] The pressing member 2 is inside the case 4 and is arranged such that the tip comes directly above the protruding portion 12 of the spring member 8 for stroke. When the user presses the pressing member 2, the tip of the pressing member 2 presses the conductive spring member 9 and the spring member 8 for stroke, and the conductive spring member 9 conducts the first contact point 10 and the second contact point 11, turning on the push switch 1.

[0020] FIG. 3(a) is a perspective view of the conductive spring member 9 and the spring member 8 for stroke in the non-pressed state, and FIG. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB' of FIG. 3(a).

[0021] As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), a protruding portion 12 is formed at the center of the spring member 8 for stroke, with a distance of S mm from the upper surface of the conductive spring member 9. Around the protruding portion 12, the portion that contacts the conductive spring member 9 in the non-pressed state is the pressing portion 13. Until the conductive spring member 9 contacts the first contact point 10, when the pressing member 2 is pressed and the top of the protruding portion 12 is pressed, the protruding portion 12 does not deform, and the structure and rigidity of the spring member 8 for stroke are set such that the pressing portion 13 presses the conductive spring member 9.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the load characteristics of the push switch 1. In FIG. 4, the vertical axis represents the load (N), and the horizontal axis represents the stroke (mm).

[0023] The curve W1 in FIG. 4 shows the load characteristics of the push switch 1 according to the present invention. The point P1 on the curve W1 indicates the state where no load is applied, that is, the state where the pressing member 2 is not pressed, which is the state of FIGS. 1 and 2. The point P2 indicates the state where the pressing member 2 is pressed, the conductive spring member 9 is deformed, and the first contact point 10 and the second contact point 11 are conducted, which is the state of FIG. 5 described later. The point P3 indicates the state where the pressing member 2 is further pressed, the protruding portion 12 of the spring member 8 for stroke is deformed, and the pressing member 2 cannot be pressed any further, which is the state of FIG. 6 described later.

[0024] Figure 5 shows the state of the push switch 1 at point P1. The state in Figure 5 shows that the pressing member 2 presses the stroke spring member 8, causing the pressing portion 13 of the stroke spring member 8 to press the conductive spring member 9, thereby making the first contact 10 and the second contact 11 electrically connected. In the state of Figure 5, the protruding portion 12 of the stroke spring member 8 has not yet been deformed.

[0025] Figure 6 shows the state of the push switch 1 at point P2. The state in Figure 6 shows that after the conductive spring member 9 has made contact with the first contact 10 and the second contact 11, the pressing member 2 is further pressed, causing the protruding portion 12 of the stroke spring member 8 to deform. As shown in Figure 6, the protruding portion 12 of the stroke spring member 8 deforms itself, creating a further pressable range for the pressing member 2.

[0026] If we assume that the switch obtained by removing the stroke spring member 8 from push switch 1 is called push switch 1', then curve W2 in Figure 4 shows the load characteristics of push switch 1'. Since push switch 1' does not have the stroke spring member 8, the tip of the pressing member 2 directly presses the conductive spring member 9. The load characteristics of push switch 1' are the same as curve W1 from point P1 to point P2, but since the pressing member 2 cannot be pressed any further, the load characteristics from point P2 onward are as shown by curve W2. Therefore, the difference in the stroke of the pressing member 2 between push switch 1 and push switch 1' is W3 (mm).

[0027] As described above, in the push switch 1, the presence of the stroke spring member 8 makes it possible to extend the stroke of the pressing member 2 by the height of the protruding part of the stroke spring member 8. Therefore, the push switch 1 according to the present invention can satisfy the desire to set a long stroke for pressing the pressing member. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0028] 1 Push switch 2 Pressing member 3 cases 4. Exterior components 5 Switch board 6 bases 8 Stroke spring component 9. Conductive spring member 10. First contact point 11. Second contact point 12 Projection shape part 13 Pressing part

Claims

1. Switch board and The first contact arranged on the switch board, The switch board includes a second contact arranged around the first contact, A conductive spring member positioned above the first and second contacts, A stroke spring member positioned above the conductive spring member, It has a pressing member that can be pressed down from above the stroke spring member, The stroke spring member has a protruding portion formed at a distance from the conductive spring member, and a pressing portion that presses against the conductive spring member. A push switch characterized by the following features.

2. When the pressing member is pressed, the pressing portion presses the conductive spring member, deforming the conductive spring member so that it conducts electricity between the first contact and the second contact. The push switch according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion deforms itself when the pressing portion is further pressed after electrical conductivity is established between the first contact and the second contact, thereby creating a further pressable range for the pressing member.

3. The push switch according to claim 1, further comprising a flexible protective member disposed on the switch substrate so as to cover the conductive spring member and the stroke spring member.

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