JPS6396830A - Switch - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a switch device, and particularly to a switch device such as a rubber switch that is elastically deformed and switched from an OFF state to an ON state when an external force is applied.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, this type of switch device has been used, for example, as shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, a laminate formed of a conductive silicone rubber layer 1 and an insulating silicone rubber N3 is placed opposite a conductor N5, and a plurality of hemispherical insulators 7 are formed on the surface of the conductive silicone rubber layer 10. are adhered at equal intervals in two directions orthogonal to each other, and the conductive silicone rubber layer 1 is spaced apart from the conductor N5 by a predetermined distance. Since the plurality of insulators 7 have the same cross-sectional area, the surface area of the conductive silicone rubber N1 surrounded by the four insulators 7 is constant.

When the switch device having such a configuration is used, a voltage is applied between the conductive silicone rubber M1 and the conductor N5,
When an external force acts on the insulating silicone rubber layer 3 and the laminate is elastically deformed, the conductive silicone rubber N1 between the insulators comes into contact with the conductor layer 5, causing a gap between the conductive silicone rubber layer 1 and the conductor N5. Allow current to flow through. That is, while no external force is applied, the conductive silicone rubber layer 1 is separated from the conductor N5, forming an off state, but when an external force is applied to the insulating silicone rubber layer 3, the insulating silicone rubber layer 1 is separated from the conductor N5. The conductive silicone rubber M1 is also elastically deformed together with N3, and the conductive silicone rubber layer 1 and the conductor N5 come into contact with each other to be in an on state.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-mentioned conventional switch device, since the insulators 7 of the same shape are arranged at equal intervals in two directions perpendicular to each other, the insulating silicone rubber layer 3 Even if the points of action of the external force acting on the
Point) If the magnitude of the external force is approximately constant, the deflection of the conductive silicone rubber layer 1 will be approximately constant, and therefore the conductive silicone rubber layer 1 and the conductor layer 5 will be in contact with each other with an approximately constant area and a constant pressure. do. As a result, the contact resistance value between the conductive silicone rubber layer 1 and the conductor N5 becomes almost constant regardless of the point of application of external force, and when the switch device is turned on, the contact resistance value between the conductive silicone rubber layer 1 and the conductor N5 becomes almost constant when the switch device is turned on. voltage will be supplied.

Conventional switching devices like this work well when used only to detect the presence or absence of an external force, but they cannot supply voltage signals that change in multiple stages or continuously to an external circuit. There was a problem. For example, when the tone plates of an electronic tone plate instrument have to generate musical tones with different volumes and durations according to the will of the performer, the performer's will can be determined from the blows applied to the tone plate with a striking body such as a mallet. Attempting to infer the performer's intention based on the magnitude of the striking force, that is, the time the switch remains off, would complicate the electronic circuitry, and the performer would have to follow the artist's intentions. Another problem was that it required a high level of playing technique because the striking force had to be delicately adjusted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a switch device in which the output voltage can be changed by changing the striking position without changing the striking force.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a first contact means formed on the surface of an insulating substrate and comprising a plurality of conductors, and a first contact means formed on the surface of the insulating substrate. a twenty-sixth contact means consisting of a plurality of conductors constituting a plurality of contact pairs mutually insulated together with a plurality of conductors, and a twenty-sixth contact means formed on a surface of a flexible insulator facing the insulating substrate; When an external force is applied to the contact pair, it contacts one of the plurality of contact pairs according to the position of the external force and short-circuits the contact pair, and when the external force is removed, the plurality of conductors separate from the short-circuited contact pair. In the switch device, the area of the conductor constituting the contact pair that comes into contact with the plurality of conductors constituting the short-circuiting means is varied corresponding to the plurality of positions on the surface of the flexible insulator. It is characterized by

[Operations and Effects] In the switch device having the above configuration, when no external force is applied to the flexible insulator, the plurality of conductors constituting the first contact means are the same as the plurality of conductors constituting the second contact means. Since the first contact means and the second contact means are electrically insulated from the conductor, the first contact means and the second contact means are in an electrically non-conductive state, and an OFF state of the switch is formed. On the other hand, when an external force acts on the flexible insulator and the conductor constituting the shorting means shorts any of the contact pairs, the first contact means and the second contact means become electrically conductive. state, and the switch is turned on. Here, since the area of the conductor forming the contact pair that comes into contact with the plurality of conductors forming the short-circuiting means differs corresponding to the plurality of positions on the flexible insulator, the short-circuiting means may be The area of the contact pair that contacts the constituent conductors changes.

As a result, the contact resistance value between the conductor that constitutes the contact pair and the conductor that constitutes the shorting means changes in accordance with the position of application of the external force, and the voltage drop value of the current flowing through the switch device also changes at the position of application of the external force. will change accordingly. Therefore, it is possible to generate signals of different voltage values by changing the position of the external force without changing the magnitude of the external force. For example, when used in an electronic tone plate instrument, it is possible to generate signals with different voltage values regardless of the skill of the performer. You will be able to change the volume and duration of the sound.

[Example code] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which numeral 11 indicates an insulating substrate, on which a plurality of contact pairs are formed. Among these plurality of contact pairs, contact pairs 12 and 13 are shown in FIG. It consists of The conductor patterns 14.16 are connected to an anode side terminal (not shown), whereas the conductor patterns 15.16 are connected to an anode side terminal (not shown).
17 is connected to a cathode side terminal (not shown). The conductor pattern 14.16 and the conductor pattern 15.17 constitute first contact means and second contact means, respectively. Conductor patterns 14 and 15 each have four tips and three tips, while conductor patterns 16 and 17 each have two tips and three tips. are doing. Since the tips of each conductor pattern 14, 15, 16, 17 have the same width, the area in contact with the conductor 19.20 formed on the surface of the flexible insulator 18 is larger for contact pair 12 than for contact pair 13. wide. In this way, the conductors 19, 20 can short-circuit the contact pairs 12, 13, respectively, so that the conductors 19, 20 constitute short-circuiting means as a whole.

FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are diagrams showing an example of application of the switch device according to the above-mentioned embodiment, and numeral 31 indicates a pressure-sensitive switch including the switch device according to the embodiment. These pressure-sensitive switches 31 are arranged in the same manner as the tone plates of the marimba, and above the pressure-sensitive switches 31 is provided a switch group 33 for tone selection. Speakers 35.37 and operator formation areas 39.41 are provided on the left and right sides of the pressure-sensitive switch 31, and when the pressure-sensitive switch 31 is hit with a mallet, the tone color selection switch group 33 and the operator formation area 39 are disposed.
．． Based on the operated switch and the information given from the operator provided in the operator 41, a musical tone of a pitch corresponding to the pressure-sensitive switch 31 struck is emitted from the speaker 3.
Occurs from 5.37. The process from hitting the pressure-sensitive switch 31 to generating a musical tone will be explained with reference to FIG. 4. When any pressure-sensitive switch 31 is hit, the tone plate information generating circuit 43 Pressure sensitive switch 3
1 has been struck, and supplies the discrimination result to the pitch name information generation circuit 45, and also detects the pressure sensitive switch 3 that was struck.
The voltage signal generated in step 1 is transferred to the peak hold circuit 47. Since the pressure sensitive switch 31 includes the switch device according to the first embodiment, it is possible to change the peak value of the voltage signal generated by changing the striking position without changing the striking force. Therefore, the peak value of the voltage signal supplied from the pressure sensitive switch 31 is detected by the peak hold circuit 47, and the peak voltage value is converted into digital information by the A/D converter 49. The digital information obtained in this way represents the volume and duration of sound generation, so if this digital information is converted into volume information and duration of sound production as appropriate by the code generation circuit 51, the musical tone generation circuit 53 generates a predetermined musical tone based on these information. A signal can be generated.

In the above embodiment, the number of tips of each conductor 14.16.16.17 was changed in order to change the area of the contact pair 12.13 in contact with the conductor 19.20 constituting the short circuit means. The width of the section may be changed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a part of a fourth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a substrate of one embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an application example of a switch device according to one embodiment. 4 is a block circuit diagram of the application example shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the conventional example, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of the conventional example. 11・・・・・・・・・Insulating substrate, 12.13
...Fist contact pair, 14.15.16.17.
Association conductor (conductor pattern), 18...Flexible insulator. 19.20...Short circuit means (conductor). Patent applicant: Agent of Nippon Musical Instruments Co., Ltd.
Patent attorney Kiyoshi Kuwai - Figure 1 Ichisho Chusuke lO mail Ikkoku Figure 2 - 1 '104 year old man (Pi figure Figure 4') Example of medullary fountain 0vlr side view Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Claims] A first conductor made of a plurality of conductors formed on the surface of an insulating substrate.
a second contact means formed on the surface of the insulating substrate and formed of a plurality of conductors forming a plurality of contact pairs insulated from each other together with a plurality of conductors forming the first contact means; It is formed on the surface of a flexible insulator facing the insulating substrate, and when an external force is applied to the flexible insulator, it contacts one of the plurality of contact pairs according to the position of the external force and short-circuits the contact pair. and a short-circuit means consisting of a plurality of conductors that separates from the short-circuited contact pair when the external force is removed, the contact pair being in contact with the plurality of conductors constituting the short-circuit means. A switch device characterized in that the area of the conductor is made to differ corresponding to a plurality of positions on the surface of the flexible insulator.