EP0241906A2 - Clavier à membrane - Google Patents

Clavier à membrane Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0241906A2
EP0241906A2 EP87105500A EP87105500A EP0241906A2 EP 0241906 A2 EP0241906 A2 EP 0241906A2 EP 87105500 A EP87105500 A EP 87105500A EP 87105500 A EP87105500 A EP 87105500A EP 0241906 A2 EP0241906 A2 EP 0241906A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
pins
contact surfaces
membrane
keyboard according
membrane keyboard
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP87105500A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0241906A3 (en
EP0241906B1 (fr
Inventor
Horst Hoffman
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Wilhelm Ruf KG
Original Assignee
Wilhelm Ruf KG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Wilhelm Ruf KG filed Critical Wilhelm Ruf KG
Publication of EP0241906A2 publication Critical patent/EP0241906A2/fr
Publication of EP0241906A3 publication Critical patent/EP0241906A3/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0241906B1 publication Critical patent/EP0241906B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H13/00—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch
    • H01H13/70—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard
    • H01H13/78—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard characterised by the contacts or the contact sites
    • H01H13/80—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard characterised by the contacts or the contact sites characterised by the manner of cooperation of the contacts, e.g. with both contacts movable or with bounceless contacts
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H13/00—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch
    • H01H13/70—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard
    • H01H13/702—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard with contacts carried by or formed from layers in a multilayer structure, e.g. membrane switches
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H13/00—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch
    • H01H13/70—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard
    • H01H13/702—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard with contacts carried by or formed from layers in a multilayer structure, e.g. membrane switches
    • H01H13/703—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard with contacts carried by or formed from layers in a multilayer structure, e.g. membrane switches characterised by spacers between contact carrying layers
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2201/00—Contacts
    • H01H2201/008—Both contacts movable
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2203/00—Form of contacts
    • H01H2203/032—Metal foil
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2209/00—Layers
    • H01H2209/01—Increasing rigidity; Anti-creep
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2209/00—Layers
    • H01H2209/014—Layers composed of different layers; Lubricant in between
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2211/00—Spacers
    • H01H2211/006—Individual areas
    • H01H2211/02—Pins forming part of substrate
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2229/00—Manufacturing
    • H01H2229/036—Manufacturing ultrasonic
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H2229/00—Manufacturing
    • H01H2229/042—Snap coupling; Snap mounting

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a membrane keyboard according to the preamble of claim 1.
  • Such a membrane keyboard is known from US Pat. No. 4,365,130. It has the following structure - from bottom to top: - A support plate made of relatively hard material - there is a thin layer of adhesive and - Above a coding plate made of flexible, electrically insulating material.
  • the upper side of the coding plate has electrical switching contact surfaces and conductor tracks, which are applied in a conventional manner, for example by means of screen printing or etching technology, made of copper, silver or other conductive material.
  • a spacer layer made of electrically insulating material is arranged above the coding plate, this layer being opposite has recesses to the switch contact surfaces.
  • a flexible membrane which has electrically conductive areas opposite to the cutouts on its underside.
  • a cover which in turn has cutouts opposite the switch contact surfaces.
  • An electrical contact is made in that the flexible membrane is pressed down, for example by finger pressure, so that an electrically conductive area protrudes through the cutouts in the spacer layer and electrically connects the associated switching contact surfaces on the coding plate.
  • the object of the invention is therefore to improve the membrane keyboard of the type mentioned in such a way that it is very reliable with a simplified structure.
  • the functional reliability relates to the fact that incorrect contacts are prevented and that the individual components of the membrane keyboard can no longer slide against one another. Furthermore, the membrane keyboard should be easy to manufacture and assemble.
  • the support plate 10 which for example also contains the housing of an electrotechnical function group, for example the housing of a remote control transmitter for television sets, the housing of a Calculator or the housing of a dialing keypad can be made of electrically non-conductive material, such as Plastic and has pins 11 projecting perpendicularly from its base. These pins are preferably connected in one piece to the support plate. However, they can also be made as separate parts and subsequently glued, inserted, screwed, riveted, etc.
  • the cross section of the pins 11 can be circular, square, rectangular, triangular or of any other shape.
  • the support plate 10 has side walls 15, the upper end face of which lies in one plane with the upper end face of the pins 11. Furthermore, these side walls 15 have a widening 17 at their upper end, which in turn has a bevel 16 which faces inwards, ie. H. points to the opposite side wall.
  • the membrane keyboard has a coding plate 20, the switching contact surfaces 21 and conductor tracks, not shown.
  • the switch contact surfaces are designed in a conventional manner, for example accordingly the switching contact surfaces of US Pat. No. 4,365,130 or US Pat. No. 4,391,845.
  • Coding plate 20 itself is made of electrically insulating material. It can also consist of a thin, flexible film.
  • the switch contact surfaces and the conductor tracks are produced in a conventional manner, for example by etching or printing, from an electrically conductive material.
  • the coding plate 20 has a plurality of openings 22 which are arranged such that one of the pins 11 projects through one of the openings.
  • the coding plate 20 is inserted into the support plate 10 so that its underside rests on the bottom of the support plate.
  • the pins 11 prevent it from slipping sideways. Furthermore, it is centered relative to the support plate.
  • the third assembly is the membrane 30, which consists of elastic material and is electrically conductive at least opposite to the switch contact surfaces 21 on its underside.
  • the membrane 30 is electrically conductive on its entire underside, for example by a coating of conductive lacquer.
  • the membrane 30 lies on the upper end face of the pins 11 and on the edges of the side walls 15.
  • the length of the pins 11 is selected so that the pins protrude from the coding plate 20 to such an extent that they hold the membrane at such a distance above the switching contact surfaces that, on the one hand, undesired contact between the membrane and the switching contact surfaces 21 in the event of mechanical shocks are avoided, and on the other hand the membrane 30 touches the switching contact surfaces 21 of the selected switching contact by finger pressure at selected “switching points” in the direction of the arrows 32 and thus connects them electrically.
  • the widening 17 of the side walls 15 acts together with the bevels 16 as a snap lock, which secures the coding plate 20 against falling out.
  • the coding plate 20 can be glued to the support plate 10 and in particular in the area of the pins 11.
  • an adhesive can be present between the inside diameter of the openings 22 and the outside diameter of the pins 11.
  • the pins 11 can be given a thickened head 12 by hot upsetting or ultrasonic welding, as a result of which the coding plate 20 is positively secured against falling out even in the area of the pins.
  • a "four-point support” is provided, ie the membrane is supported with respect to each switching contact surface 21 by four pins. Since in FIGS. 3 and 4 the switching contact surfaces 21 are arranged in rows and columns in a uniform division are, in both embodiments, the pins 11 can be arranged rotationally symmetrically with respect to the center of the switch contact surface, ie they lie on a circle, the center of which is also the center of the switch contact surface.
  • the pins 11 lie at intersections of diagonals 23 which connect the center points of diagonally adjacent switching contact surfaces 21 to one another. In relation to the row and column arrangement of the switching contact surfaces 21, the pins 11 arranged around a switching contact surface thus form a square.
  • FIG. 4 is also a "four-point support".
  • the individual pins 11 lie on straight lines 24, which connect the center points of the switching contact surfaces 21 in rows and columns. Furthermore, the pins 11 lie on these lines in such a way that they lie exactly in the middle between two adjacent switching contact surfaces.
  • the pins surrounding a switch contact surface thus also span a square, which, however, is rotated by 45 ° with respect to the squares of FIG. 3.
  • FIG. 5 shows a “three-point support”, ie the membrane is supported by only three pins 11 per switching contact surface 21. These therefore span a triangle with respect to the respective switching contact surface 21. If the distance between the switch contact surfaces 21 in the row and column direction is the same, equilateral triangles are formed with the center of the area of the center of the switch contact surfaces.
  • FIG. 6 shows a further development of the support plate 10.
  • This has webs 13 and 14 projecting perpendicularly from their base for the purpose of stiffening, a pin 11 each projecting upwards at the crossings of the webs 13 and 14.
  • the coding plate is then only on the upper end of the webs.
  • the side walls 15 are raised, similarly to FIG. 1, so that their end faces lie in one plane with the end faces of the pins 11.
  • the membrane is then also here on the pins 11 and the end faces of the side walls 15.

Landscapes

  • Push-Button Switches (AREA)
EP87105500A 1986-04-17 1987-04-14 Clavier à membrane Expired - Lifetime EP0241906B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE8610553U 1986-04-17
DE8610553U DE8610553U1 (de) 1986-04-17 1986-04-17 Membrantastatur

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0241906A2 true EP0241906A2 (fr) 1987-10-21
EP0241906A3 EP0241906A3 (en) 1989-12-27
EP0241906B1 EP0241906B1 (fr) 1992-09-30

Family

ID=6793782

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP87105500A Expired - Lifetime EP0241906B1 (fr) 1986-04-17 1987-04-14 Clavier à membrane

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US4771143A (fr)
EP (1) EP0241906B1 (fr)
DE (2) DE8610553U1 (fr)
FI (1) FI84671C (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0322514A3 (fr) * 1987-12-30 1990-09-12 Hewlett-Packard Company Interrupteur pour clavier

Families Citing this family (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE8610553U1 (de) * 1986-04-17 1986-05-28 Wilhelm Ruf Kg, 8000 Muenchen Membrantastatur
JP2522514B2 (ja) * 1988-03-10 1996-08-07 シャープ株式会社 操作入力装置
US5220136A (en) * 1991-11-26 1993-06-15 Elographics, Inc. Contact touchscreen with an improved insulated spacer arrangement
GB2345193B (en) * 1998-12-22 2002-07-24 Nokia Mobile Phones Ltd Metallic keys
US6657146B1 (en) 2000-03-28 2003-12-02 Thomson Licensing, S.A. Button ball and alignment rib
JP4359812B2 (ja) 2002-07-08 2009-11-11 日本電気株式会社 スイッチ一体型筐体およびこれを有する電子機器
US6639165B1 (en) * 2002-10-28 2003-10-28 Delphi Technologies, Inc. Multiple contact fluid pressure switch
GB0403854D0 (en) * 2004-02-20 2004-03-24 Pelikon Ltd Switches
WO2007094483A1 (fr) * 2006-02-13 2007-08-23 Nec Corporation Commutateur et équipement électrique muni de celui-ci
JP4598721B2 (ja) * 2006-05-22 2010-12-15 シャープ株式会社 操作キー部品
US20110290628A1 (en) * 2010-05-31 2011-12-01 Sunrex Technology Corp Membrane keyboard with parts being fixedly secured together

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3600528A (en) * 1969-09-25 1971-08-17 Lematex Corp Multiple switch construction
US4128744A (en) * 1977-02-22 1978-12-05 Chomerics, Inc. Keyboard with concave and convex domes
JPS56128523A (en) * 1980-03-11 1981-10-08 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd Method of producing keyboard switch
US4375585A (en) * 1981-01-08 1983-03-01 Atari, Inc. Deformable switch keyboard
FR2541523B1 (fr) * 1983-02-17 1985-10-25 Metallo Ste Fse Preselecteur matriciel
JPS6059429U (ja) * 1983-09-30 1985-04-25 アルプス電気株式会社 スイツチ装置
US4489227A (en) * 1984-01-11 1984-12-18 Sheldahl, Inc. Back lighted, full travel push button membrane keyboard
DE8610553U1 (de) * 1986-04-17 1986-05-28 Wilhelm Ruf Kg, 8000 Muenchen Membrantastatur

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0322514A3 (fr) * 1987-12-30 1990-09-12 Hewlett-Packard Company Interrupteur pour clavier

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FI84671B (fi) 1991-09-13
FI871679L (fi) 1987-10-18
EP0241906A3 (en) 1989-12-27
DE3781924D1 (de) 1992-11-05
DE8610553U1 (de) 1986-05-28
EP0241906B1 (fr) 1992-09-30
US4771143A (en) 1988-09-13
FI84671C (fi) 1991-12-27
FI871679A0 (fi) 1987-04-15

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