JPH03246835A - Manufacture of membrane switch - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the assembly process of a keyboard switch by putting click plates on an alignment plate, inclining or vibrating the alignment plate to store the click plates in support holes of the alignment plate, covering a presser sheet on the alignment plate, and pressing it with projections corresponding to the click plates. CONSTITUTION:Many click plates 4 are put on an alignment plate 20 arranged with click plate support holes 21 storing the click plates 4 in response to positions of contacts, the alignment plate 20 is repeatedly inclined or vibrated to store the click plates 4 into the support holes 21. A presser sheet 6 provided with holes at fitting positions of the click plates 4 and provided with an adhesive layer on one face is overlapped via a mold releasing sheet 29, and an extracting device 22 provided with elastically deformable projections 23 in response to the support holes 21 is pressed to the presser sheet 6 from above. The production process of a membrane switch provided with many click plates can be simplified.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a membrane switch used in a keyboard switch or the like, and particularly relates to a technique for arranging a click board at a predetermined position on a printed wiring board.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 7 shows the structure of a membrane switch equipped with a click plate. Reference numeral 1 denotes a flexible printed wiring board (hereinafter simply referred to as a printed wiring board), and these printed wiring boards 1 are positioned so that the contact portions 2 on the printed patterns provided on the surface thereof coincide with each other in a plane. They are aligned and bonded to each other with spacers 3 interposed therebetween. Additionally, click boards 4 are arranged above the locations where the contact portions 2 are present, and these click boards 4 are held in predetermined positions by presser sheets 6 adhered to the printed wiring board 1 via spacers 5. It is fixed in position. Also, a click plate 4 constituting the membrane switch
For example, in the case of membrane switches for keyboard switches, there are dozens of them, and it is cumbersome to arrange them one by one at predetermined positions on the printed wiring board 1, and this work is difficult. had the problem that it was not suitable for work on an automatic assembly line for membrane switches. In addition, since the click plate 4 is a molded product made of a thin metal plate, it is easy for a plurality of click plates to overlap, and therefore, when placing them in a predetermined position as described above, it is difficult to arrange two or more plates in a molded state. be. Therefore, in order to improve the workability of the above-mentioned work and eliminate the problem of stacking two sheets, and furthermore, in order to adapt it to work on an automatic assembly line, for example,
A method as shown in Japanese Patent No. 316 has been proposed. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the presser sheet 6 is placed on a workbench 10 via a rubber sheet 11 and a release plate 12 whose surface is treated with tetrafluoroethylene resin, etc.
It has been proposed that click boards 4 are arranged at predetermined locations on this presser sheet 6, held by an adhesive layer on the surface of the presser sheet 6, and then inverted and laminated integrally on the printed wiring board 1.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, even when the above method is used, the operation of arranging the click plates 4 one by one at predetermined positions on the presser sheet 6 is complicated, and the presser foot with the click plates 4 arranged in the state shown in the figure is difficult. In order to laminate the sheet 6 on the printed wiring board 1 on an automatic line, there is a problem in that an additional step of inverting the sheet is required. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to simplify the assembly process of a keychain switch equipped with a J-socket board.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application connects contacts formed on a plurality of flexible printed wiring boards arranged opposite to each other to click boards arranged corresponding to the contacts. In the method for manufacturing a membrane switch in which the membrane switches are brought into contact with each other by applying a pressing force through the click plate, a plurality of membrane switches are arranged on a click plate support hole that accommodates the click plate or on an alignment plate arranged corresponding to the position of the contact point. a step of inserting a click board; a step of repeatedly tilting or vibrating the alignment plate into which the click board is inserted to house the click board in the support hole; and providing a hole at a position where the click board is to be attached. a step of overlaying a presser sheet with an adhesive layer on one side on the alignment plate via a release-treated sheet; and an elastically deformable protrusion for pressing the click plate provided corresponding to the support hole. The method comprises the steps of: pressing a take-out device against the presser sheet from above; The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, in which the projection provided on the extraction device is provided with a suction hole for applying vacuum pressure to the click plate,
The presser sheet and the click plate are raised by the suction force acting on the click plate from the suction hole.

[Effect]

According to the above process, by pressing the take-out device against the presser sheet from above, it is possible to contact the uppermost part of the stacked click plates and to press the click plates while being elastically deformed so as to bring them into close contact with the presser sheet. Furthermore, by applying vacuum pressure to the click plate through the suction hole provided with the protrusion, the click plate and the presser sheet can be laminated on other components of the membrane switch.

【Example】

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration of a click board alignment device applied to the method of the present invention will be explained. Reference numeral 20 denotes an alignment plate, and the alignment plate 20 has a plurality of support holes 2 according to the pattern in which the click plates 4 are to be arranged.
These support holes 21 are set to a depth such that a plurality of click plates 4 can be accommodated in a stacked state. Above the alignment plate 20, there is a takeout device 2 movable toward or away from the alignment plate 20.
2 is provided, and a plurality of projections 23 are provided on the lower surface of this take-out device 22 in correspondence with the bundle holding holes 21. These protrusions 23 are made of elastically deformable resin such as urethane resin, and the protrusions 23 are formed in the center of the resin.
A suction hole 24 is formed through which vacuum pressure from a vacuum source (path shown) is applied to the object to which 3 is brought into contact. Further, a guide portion 25 is provided on the outside of the projection 23, and this guide portion 25 is fitted into a recess 26 provided in the alignment plate 20, thereby allowing the alignment plate 20 and the take-out device 22 to
The support holes 21 and the protrusions 23 are aligned with each other. Next, the process of aligning the click boards 2 according to the method of the present invention will be explained. ◎Step of inserting into the support hole■ By attaching the frame plate 27 to the outer periphery of the alignment plate 20, an edge is provided around the alignment plate 20. (2) A large number of click boards 4 are placed on the alignment board 2o as shown in FIG. The number of folding rick plates 4 to be inserted is set to be at least larger than the product of the number of support holes 21 and the number of plates to be housed in each support hole 21. ■ Vibrate the alignment plate 20 into which the click plate 4 is inserted,
Alternatively, by repeatedly tilting in various directions, a predetermined number of click plates 4 are accommodated in each support hole 21, as shown in FIG. (2) When the frame plate 27 is removed and the extra click plate 4 on the alignment plate 20 is removed, the state shown in FIG. 6 is obtained. Note that the surplus click board 4 can be easily removed from above the alignment plate 20 by, for example, tilting the alignment plate 20 after removing the frame plate 27. ◎Attachment of the click board to the presser sheet■ The alignment plate 20 holding a predetermined number of click plates 4 is placed on the workbench 28, and its surface is subjected to mold release treatment/ - Overlap 29. That is, the release-treated sheet 29 has through-holes 30 at positions corresponding to the support holes 21, and at least the surface thereof is formed so that it can be easily peeled off from the adhesive layer (adhesive material layer) on the lower surface of the presser sheet 6. , tetrafluoroethylene resin, etc. (2) Lay the presser sheet 6 on top of the release-treated sheet 29. ■ Lower the extractor 22 and fit the guide part 25 into the recess 26 while inserting the protrusion 23 into the click plate 4 in the support hole 21.
from the state shown in FIG. 2 to the state shown in FIG. A vacuum pressure is applied to the click plate 4 to adsorb it, and the presser sheet 6 is sandwiched between the protrusion 23 and the click plate 4, and the click plate 4 is adhered to the adhesive layer on the lower surface of the presser sheet 6. Note that all of the protrusions 23 do not necessarily have to be those that apply suction force (such as those that are connected to suction holes 24 or a vacuum pressure source), and simply press the click plate 4 and adhere to the presser sheet 6. It may be something that just has a function. (2) When the take-out device 22 is raised, the click plate 4 and the presser sheet 6 adsorbed by the protrusion 23 are lifted. At this time, the release treatment sheet 29 is lifted while being held by the adhesive force on the lower surface of the presser sheet 6, or is left on the alignment plate 20 by the adhesive force acting between it and the alignment plate 20. ■ Through the above process, the click plate 4 is attached to the presser sheet 6, as shown in FIG.
While holding the presser sheet 6 by the suction force acting on the click board 4, the take-out device is moved to a predetermined position and aligned on the printed wiring board 1 (without reversing), and the suction force is released. After stacking it on the printed wiring board l, when pasting it together in the same way as before (see Figure 7),
Membrane switches with click plates can be obtained. Then, by repeating the process from ① above according to the number of click plates 4 stacked in the support hole 21, the click plates can be attached to the presser sheet continuously. Note that if the process of attaching the click board 4 to the presser sheet 6 and the process of overlapping the presser sheet 6 onto the printed wiring board 1 are performed on separate lines and then the process is to overlap them, the removal device 22 There is no need to apply suction force from the protrusion 23. That is, as in the previous embodiment, protrusions with a hole in the center are aligned at specific positions on a plane corresponding to the arrangement of the click board, and these protrusions are simply clicked from above the presser sheet. It is also possible to temporarily use the presser sheet only for the pressing process and to stack the presser sheet to which the click board is attached onto the printed wiring board using a separate conveying means or manually. In addition, even when the suction force is not applied from the protrusion in this way,
By providing a hole (similar to the suction hole in the embodiment) in the center of the protrusion, it is possible to press the end of the click board while elastically deforming in accordance with the curved surface of the top of the click board. It goes without saying that the membrane switch that can be manufactured by the above method is not limited to the structure shown in the drawings. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a plurality of click boards are stacked and stored in the support hole on the alignment board. Of course, it is also possible to perform only the process of arranging them in the arrangement.

【Effect of the invention】

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the click board is placed on the alignment plate and tilted or vibrated to accommodate it in the support hole of the alignment plate, and the click plate is placed on the alignment plate with a presser. The click plates can be adhered to predetermined positions in the presser sheet by covering the sheets and pressing with the projections corresponding to each click plate. Further, by providing a hole in the protrusion and applying vacuum pressure to the click plate through the hole, the click plate and the presser note are collectively conveyed onto the printed wiring board and stacked on top of each other, thereby making it possible to form a predetermined membrane switch. can be obtained, and the process of manufacturing a membrane switch with many click plates can be simplified.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention,
Figure 1 is a side view of the device with the click plate installed, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of the device in the raised state with the click plate installed, Figure 3 is the same (cross-sectional view in the lowered state, and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the device in the lowered state). A cross-sectional view of the click board attached to the holding sheet, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the click board placed on the alignment plate, and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the click board inserted into the support hole in the alignment plate. 7 is a sectional view showing a conventional example of a membrane switch, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a conventional click board alignment method. 1...Printed wiring board, 2...・Contact, 4
...Click board, 6...Presser sheet, 20.
... Alignment plate, 21 ... Support hole, 22 ...
...Ejecting device, 23...Protrusion, 24...
...Suction hole, 25...Guiding part, 26... Recessed portion, 27... Frame board, 28... Workbench, 2
9...Release treatment sheet, 30...Through hole.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Contact points formed on a plurality of flexible printed wiring boards arranged facing each other are brought into contact with each other by applying a pressing force through a click board arranged corresponding to the contact points. A method for manufacturing a membrane switch according to the present invention includes the steps of: inserting a large number of click plates onto an alignment plate in which click plate support holes for accommodating the click plates are arranged corresponding to the positions of the contacts; and the click plates are introduced. A step of repeatedly tilting or vibrating the alignment plate to accommodate the click plates in the support holes, and a presser sheet having holes provided at the positions where the click plates are to be attached and an adhesive layer provided on one side. a step of overlaying the alignment plate on the alignment plate via a release treatment sheet; and a step of pressing a take-out device, in which an elastically deformable protrusion that presses a click plate is provided corresponding to the support hole, to the presser sheet from above. , A method for manufacturing a membrane switch, comprising: (2) Contact points formed on a plurality of flexible printed wiring boards disposed facing each other are brought into contact with each other by applying a pressing force via a click board disposed corresponding to the contact points. A method for manufacturing a membrane switch according to the present invention includes the steps of: inserting a large number of click plates onto an alignment plate in which click plate support holes for accommodating the click plates are arranged corresponding to the positions of the contacts; and the click plates are introduced. A step of repeatedly tilting or vibrating the alignment plate to accommodate a plurality of click plates one on top of the other in each of the support holes, and forming holes at the positions where the click plates are to be attached and providing an adhesive layer on one surface. a step of stacking a presser sheet on the alignment plate via a release-treated sheet; and an ejection step in which an elastically deformable protrusion with a suction hole that applies vacuum pressure to the click plate is provided corresponding to the support hole. A method for manufacturing a membrane switch, comprising the steps of: pressing a device onto the holding sheet from above; and raising the holding sheet and click plate together with the take-out device.