JPH047541Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a push switch used in various electrical equipment such as gaming machines.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, a pair of terminal contacts is provided with a conductive ball that rides between the terminal contacts to electrically conduct the terminal contacts, and when a push button is pressed, the connection between the terminal contacts is made. As a push switch that conducts the
A push switch 10 as shown in Fig. 7 has been devised (Utility Model Opening 133630, Showa 56).

In the push switch 10, one terminal contact 14 has a fork-shaped contact portion as shown in FIG. 8B, and the other terminal contact 15 has a recess on the upper surface as shown in FIG. 8A. However, these pair of terminal contacts are fixed at a predetermined distance to a substrate made of resin by press fitting.

The stem 11 also includes a protruding piece 11a that is integrally provided at the lower end of the stem and extends horizontally inward between the bifurcated contacts of one of the contacts 14, and further includes a hollow portion into which a coil spring and a conductive ball can be inserted. It is equipped with

The ball driving means usually has a stem pushed upward by the coil spring, and a protruding piece 11a.
The conductive ball is displaced toward the contact 15 using the contact 15 having a recess as a fulcrum, and when the push button is pressed, the stem is pushed down and the conductive ball becomes bifurcated as the projection 11a descends. It is displaced to the contactor 14 side to establish continuity between both terminals.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

Push switches used in game machines and the like are required to have a long electrical and mechanical life even though they are frequently opened and closed, and to be provided at low cost.

The push switch 10 shown in FIG. 7 has the following problems. The problem is that when a conductive ball made of stainless steel or brass plated with a precious metal repeats ON and OFF operations while rolling, the conductive ball rolls around the contact 15 having a recess as a fulcrum. As a result, friction occurs between the metal surfaces at the fulcrum, which causes severe deterioration of the thin precious metal plating, leading to unstable electrical contact and shortening the service life.

The present invention was created in view of the above-mentioned problems and to effectively solve them.The purpose is to be able to manufacture the device at low cost without increasing the number of parts, and to improve the electrical lifespan. Our goal is to provide a push switch that allows you to

[Means to solve problems]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an electrically conductive ball and an elastic member such as a coil spring between the stem protrusion provided at the lower end of the hollow stem and the upper surface of the stem. The protruding side of the stem is attached so that the part protrudes downward from the lower part of the stem, and by pushing the stem, the conductive balls are brought into contact between the pair of contacts, and the conductive balls are brought into contact between the pair of contacts. In a push switch that brings the contacts into a conductive state, the conductive ball is rolled toward the pair of contacts at a position facing the pair of contacts on a substrate made of resin on which the pair of contacts are implanted. forming a protrusion with an inclined surface for
With no pressing force applied to the stem, the conductive ball protruding from the stem is brought into contact with the upper part of the protrusion, and the stem is urged upward via the elastic member, so that the stem is pushed. By doing so, the conductive ball is caused to roll along the inclined surface and come into contact with the pair of contacts via the elastic member.

[Effect]

Normally, the stem protrusion pushes up the conductive ball due to the action of the elastic member, and the conductive ball is brought into contact with the upper part of the protrusion provided opposite to the stem protrusion. At this time, the conductive ball and the pair of contacts do not come into contact with each other. On the other hand, when the stem is pushed down, the stem protrusion also moves down, and at the same time, the conductive ball rolls along the inclined surface of the protrusion and comes into contact with the pair of contacts. and the ball are electrically connected.

〔Example〕

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 are a front view, a side view, and a top view of the push switch according to the present invention, respectively.
4 and 5 are a sectional view taken in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 and a sectional view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 2, respectively.

The push switch 1 includes a substrate 4 made of resin, a case 3, a stem 2, a coil spring 6, a conductive ball 7, and a pair of terminal contacts 5.

A pair of terminal contacts 5 are fixed to the substrate 4 at a predetermined interval by means such as press-fitting.

The substrate 4 is integrally formed with an inclined convex portion 4a at a position facing the pair of terminal contacts 5, and the convex portion 4a has an inclined convex portion 4a for rolling the conductive balls 7 as shown in FIG. and a V on the top surface of the convex part.
It has a letter-shaped depression 4b.

The stem 2 is integrally provided with a protrusion 2a extending horizontally inward between the pair of terminal contacts 5 at the lower end, and further includes:
It has a hollow part that can accommodate a coil spring and a conductive ball.

Usually, the ball driving means is such that the stem 2 is pushed upward by the coil spring, and at the same time, the stem 2 is pushed upward by the coil spring.
An upward force also acts on the protruding piece 2a that is integrally formed with the conductive ball 7, pushing up a point 7a of the conductive ball 7. On the other hand, since a downward force is also acting on the conductive ball due to the coil spring, the other point 7b of the conductive ball engages with the V-shaped groove 4b on the upper surface of the convex portion 4a formed on the substrate 4. The push switch 1 is stopped and held at a predetermined position, and the push switch 1 is maintained in a state where both terminal contacts are separated.

By artificially or mechanically applying a downward force to the stem 2, the stem is pushed down and at the same time the protruding piece 2a is also lowered, so that only the downward force from the coil spring 6 acts on the conductive ball 7, and the conductive ball 7 rolls toward the terminal contactor 5 side along the inclined plane part of the convex part 4a, and conducts between both terminals. Further, the conductive ball 7 is plated with a precious metal.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, at the contact point between the pair of terminal contacts and the conductive ball, the pair of terminal contacts is brought into contact with the conductive ball at the edge portion, but according to the present invention, the contact point between the pair of terminal contacts and the conductive ball is As shown in Figures C and D,
It is easy to bring curved lines into contact with each other, and it is even more effective in preventing wear of precious metal plated parts.

[Effect of idea]

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, since the convex portion made of resin rolls along the inclined surface and comes into contact with a pair of terminal contacts, it is possible to prevent the conductive balls from being worn out. There is no risk of instability, the electrical life can be significantly improved, and since the projections for rolling the conductive balls are integrally formed, dimensional accuracy can be easily achieved. In addition, since there is no need to make the pair of terminal contacts oddly shaped, the mold cost can be reduced, the ease of assembly can be improved, and a push switch that is inexpensive and has a long life can be provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1, 2, and 3 are a front view, a side view, and a top view, respectively, of a push switch according to the present invention.
4 and 5 are a sectional view taken in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1, a sectional view in the direction of B in FIG. 2, an exploded perspective view of the push switch according to the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of a conventional push switch. 8th
The figure is a detailed view of the terminal contacts 14 and 15 in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of main parts of another embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, 1... push switch according to the present invention, 2... stem, 2a... stem protrusion, 3...
Case, 4... Substrate, 4a... Conductive ball 7 rolling fulcrum convex portion, 4b... Fulcrum convex upper surface V groove, 5...
...Terminal contact, 5a... Terminal contact of another embodiment, 5b... Terminal contact of another embodiment, 6... Coil spring, 7... Conductive ball, 7a... Conductive ball 7 and stem Engagement portion of protruding piece 2a, 7b...Engagement portion of conductive ball 7 and rolling fulcrum convex portion, 10...
. . . Conventional push switch, 14 . . . One terminal contact of the conventional push switch, 15 . . . The other terminal contact of the conventional push switch.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A conductive ball and an elastic member such as a coil spring are placed between the stem protrusion provided at the lower end of the hollow stem and the upper surface of the stem so that a part of the spherical surface of the conductive ball protrudes downward from the lower part of the stem. In the push switch, the push switch is mounted by being locked on one side of the stem, and by pushing the stem, the conductive ball is brought into contact between the pair of contacts, thereby bringing the pair of contacts into a conductive state. A protruding portion having an inclined surface for rolling the conductive ball toward the pair of contacts is formed at a position facing the pair of contacts on a substrate made of resin on which a pair of contacts are implanted. , the conductive ball protruding from the stem is brought into contact with the upper part of the protrusion in a state where no pushing force is applied to the stem, and the stem is urged upward via the elastic member, so that the stem is pushed. 1. A push switch characterized in that, when the push switch is moved, the conductive ball is caused to roll along the inclined surface via the elastic member and come into contact with the pair of contacts.