JPH044340Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] "Field of industrial application" This invention relates to a membrane keyboard switch used as an operation input means for various electrical and electronic devices.
In particular, the present invention relates to a spacer structure for a keyboard switch that includes an auxiliary spacer for adjusting the switch operating force.

``Prior Art'' This type of membrane keyboard switch, as shown in FIG. has the required set of contact patterns 17, 21 and 18 that constitute the switch,
22 and one sheet material 20
There is an operation display sheet 2 for identifying each switch.
Normally, the configuration is provided with 3. As shown in Fig. 1, the operation area of the switch formed by each pair of contact patterns 17, 21 and 18, 22 includes large areas 2, 3 and small areas 4 depending on the purpose of the switch. There are many cases. Therefore,
For example, the openings of the spacer 19 in the contact patterns 17 and 21, which correspond to the large operation areas 2 and 3, are formed large, and those of the contact patterns 18 and 22, which belong to the small area 4, are formed small.

``Problem that the invention aims to solve'' In this membrane type keyboard switch, which has large and small operation areas, the required operation force for the large operation areas 2 and 3 is light, and on the contrary, the operation force required for the small operation areas 4 is small.
The operating force required for this is heavy, but in this case,
In the large operation areas 2 and 3, a small amount of operation force immediately turns the switch on, which is likely to lead to erroneous operation, and there is also a risk of erroneous operation due to deflection of the sheet material 20, which is not preferable. However, with the conventional structure, the operating force or operating load for each key is approximately determined by the thickness of the spacer 19 and the size and shape of the opening for switch operation gap, and it is difficult to adjust this. structure is difficult.

``Means for solving the problem'' The present invention therefore increases the key operation force for large operation areas, while providing an auxiliary spacer that leaves the key operation force unchanged for small areas. To provide a spacer structure for a keyboard switch configured so that key operation force can be easily adjusted. Such an auxiliary spacer may be provided on the back side of the operation display sheet or may be provided overlapping the main spacer as appropriate. Therefore, without fundamentally changing the conventional structure of the keyboard switch, the key operation force can be adjusted by simply forming an auxiliary spacer according to the size of the key shape, which increases the reliability of key operation and improves the reliability of key operation. This makes it possible to suitably prevent the occurrence of malfunctions.

"Example" Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in further detail according to the illustrations.
In FIG. 2, 5 and 9 are insulating sheet materials as described above, 8 is a main spacer, 6, 10 and 7, 11
indicates a contact pattern forming a switch at the opening of the spacer 8, and 15 is an operation display sheet, which can be the same as the conventional structure shown in FIG. 4. In the figure, contact patterns 6 and 10 constitute switches corresponding to the large operation areas 2 and 3 of the keyboard switch shown in Figure 1, and the other contact patterns 7 and 11 constitute a switch belonging to the small operation area 4. The opening of the main spacer 8 is also formed to be large and small accordingly. In this embodiment, an auxiliary spacer 12 is provided between the sheet material 9 and the operation display sheet 15, and small openings 13 are formed in the areas corresponding to the large operation areas 2 and 3, and small openings 13 are provided in the areas corresponding to the large operation areas 2 and 3. On the contrary, a large opening 14 is formed in the auxiliary spacer 12. Opening 13 of auxiliary spacer 12
is therefore smaller than the corresponding opening of the main spacer 8;
On the contrary, the other openings 14 are constructed to be suitably larger than the openings for the contact patterns 7, 11. Therefore, the key press operation force for the large operation areas 2 and 3 can be increased appropriately, while the operation force for the small keys 4 can be maintained at approximately the same level as before. It is possible to suitably eliminate the inconvenience that the switch closes immediately with just a slight touch. When a switch belonging to a large operation area is used, for example, as a power on/off switch or an emergency stop switch, by setting the opening 13 of the auxiliary spacer 12, the pressing operation force of the other area 4 can be reduced. It is easy to make it heavier, and it is possible to take measures to prevent careless operation of this type of unique switch.

The embodiment of FIG. 3 uses the auxiliary spacer 1 as described above.
2 are arranged so as to overlap with the main spacer 8. In this structure, the operating gap of each switch is increased by an amount equivalent to the thickness of the auxiliary spacer 12 to prevent bending of the constituent members or deformation due to use. This prevents the contact patterns 6, 10 and 7, 11 from undesirably approaching each other, and allows adjustment of the operating force similar to that of the above embodiment.

"Effects of the Invention" As mentioned above, the spacer structure of the keyboard switch according to the present invention aims to equalize the pressing operation force regardless of the size of the operation area, that is, regardless of the size of the key, or to make the pressing operation on a specific key It can be adjusted to increase the force, and the addition of one auxiliary spacer is sufficient for that purpose. Furthermore, by arranging such an auxiliary spacer on the keyboard switch, it is possible to improve the operation durability of the switch, and in combination with the simple means, it is extremely effective to use it in this type of membrane type keyboard switch. There is something.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a diagram explaining the size of the key shape of a membrane keyboard switch, Fig. 2 is a conceptual cross-sectional configuration diagram showing a spacer structure of a keyboard switch according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating another example. FIG. 4 is a conceptual sectional view showing a conventional keyboard switch. 1... Membrane keyboard switch, 2, 3... Large operation area, 4... Small operation area, 5, 9...
...Insulating sheet material, 6,7...Contact pattern, 8
...Main spacer, 10, 11...Contact pattern,
12... Auxiliary spacer, 13, 14... Small and large openings.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a membrane type keyboard switch, in which required contact patterns are formed on an insulating sheet material, and these contact patterns are arranged facing each other with a predetermined switch operation gap maintained through a main spacer, The spacer has openings formed in sizes corresponding to the size of the switch operation area, and a small opening and a large opening at positions corresponding to the large and small openings of the main spacer in order to adjust the operating force depending on the switch operating force. 1. A spacer structure for a keyboard switch, characterized in that auxiliary spacers are provided above the main spacer, and auxiliary spacers are arranged separately from each other.