JP4537293B2 - Switch device with touch detection function - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a switch device with a touch detection function having a touch detection electrode for detecting when a finger touches a switch operation member.

  For example, a switch device having a plurality of operation buttons as a plurality of switch operation members and a display device for displaying a selection unit corresponding to the operation buttons on the screen are provided, and the operation button selected by the user is pressed with a finger. When an operation is performed, it is considered that a selection unit on the screen corresponding to the operation button is determined based on a pressing operation of a switch element disposed below the operation button.

  In addition, a publicly known document corresponding to the problem to be solved by the present invention could not be found.

By the way, in the above, it is necessary for the user to select and operate by looking at the operation button of the switch device. For this reason, the user needs to look at both the operation button of the switch device and the screen of the display device, and there is a problem that the operability is poor.
Therefore, in order to deal with such a situation, the inventors considered the following. That is, when a finger touches the operation button of the switch device, this is detected, and the display state of the selection unit corresponding to the operation button is changed. According to such a configuration, since the position of the operation button in contact with the finger can be known by looking at the display screen, the operation is performed by looking only at the display screen without looking at the operation button of the switch device. Blind operation is possible.

  As a switch device for realizing this, the inventors considered a configuration (comparative example) shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, for example. 4 and 5, the operation button 1 constituting the switch operation member is formed in a reverse U shape with an opening on the lower surface side by a synthetic resin, and the touch detection electrode 2 is formed on the inner surface by copper plating. Is provided. Below the operation button 1, a printed wiring board 3 having a rectangular plate shape is arranged. The printed wiring board 3 is printed. The touch detection electrode 2 is electrically connected to the wiring portion 5 of the printed wiring board 3 by a connection line 4. Both ends of the connection line 4 are connected to the touch detection electrode 2 and the wiring part 5 by solder 6 respectively.

In the printed wiring board 3, a tact switch 7 is disposed as a switch element so as to be positioned at a portion corresponding to the lower side of the one end 1 a of the operation button 1. Note that a gap 8 (see FIG. 5) that allows the operation button 1 to move downward is set between the other end 1b of the operation button 1 and the upper surface of the printed wiring board 3. ing.
In the illustrated configuration, only one operation button 1 is provided, but a plurality of units including the operation button 1 are prepared in order to correspond to a plurality of selection units. Each wiring unit 5 and tact switch 7 are connected to a control device (not shown) composed of, for example, a microcomputer.

  In the above configuration, when the user's finger touches the operation surface 1c on the upper surface of the operation button 1, the control device detects this via the touch detection electrode 2, and the corresponding selection unit on the screen of the display device (not shown). Change the display status of. Then, when the operation button 1 is pressed downward and the tact switch 7 is pressed by one end 1a of the operation button 1, the control device determines the display state of the selection unit on the screen of the display device, for example. Change to state.

  With the configuration described above, this can be detected when the user's fingers touch the operation button 1. However, the above configuration has the following problems. That is, since it is necessary to connect the touch detection electrode 2 provided on the operation button 1 and the wiring portion 5 of the printed wiring board 3 by the connection line 4, the manufacturability is poor. In addition, when the operation button 1 is operated, there is a problem in that a load is easily applied to both ends of the connection line 4 and the connection part between the touch detection electrode 2 and the wiring part 5 and connection reliability is likely to be lowered. is there.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a switch device with a touch detection function capable of improving the manufacturability and improving the reliability of electrical connection. .

In order to achieve the above-described object, the switch device with a touch detection function of the present invention has an inverted U-shape having two walls facing each other and an upper wall connecting these both side walls at the upper part, with the lower surface opened. The switch operating member formed as described above, and the upper side wall and one side wall of the switch operating member are assembled to the switch operating member along the one side wall, and are formed in a U-shape. Touch detection electrode for detecting when a finger touches the switch operation member, a wiring part electrically connected to the electrode , and an elastic deformation having a horizontal part at the lower part facing the upper wall and the flexible wiring board possible, is positioned below the lower end portion of the other side wall of the side not flexible wiring board is assembled of the two side walls of the switch operating member It is disposed on the flexible wiring board, wherein the switch operating member and a switch element that is pressed by the other side wall of the switch operating member Along with being pressed, of the other of said switch operating member The horizontal portion of the flexible wiring board is elastically deformed when the switch element is pressed by a side wall .

  According to the present invention, since the touch detection electrode and the wiring portion are electrically connected in advance in the flexible wiring board, it is not necessary to connect between them when assembling. For this reason, the manufacturability can be improved and the reliability of the electrical connection between the touch detection electrode and the wiring portion can be improved.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
First, FIG. 3 shows the flexible wiring board 11. The flexible wiring board 11 includes a pair of left and right arm portions 12 and 12, a long portion 13 that is positioned between the arm portions 12 and 12 and protrudes longer than the arm portions 12, and the pair of arm portions 12 and 12 and a long length. The connecting portion 14 is provided so as to connect the base end portion of the portion 13, and is formed in a “mountain” shape of Chinese characters in a state before assembly. The flexible wiring board 11 is manufactured in the same manner as a flexible flat cable or the like, has a structure in which a copper conductive portion is sandwiched between plastic sheets, and is configured to be elastically deformable. The conductive portion includes a rectangular touch detection electrode 16 disposed at the tip of the long portion 13 and a wiring portion 17 electrically connected to the touch detection electrode 16. . As the wiring portion 17, a first straight portion 17a connected to the touch detection electrode 16 and provided along the long portion 13, and a connecting portion 14 and the first straight portion 17a are provided. It has the 2nd linear part 17b electrically connected with the one end part.

  Next, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 in which the switch device with a touch detection function is shown, the operation button 20 constituting the switch operation member is made of synthetic resin, and the left and right side walls 20a and 20b and both sides thereof are manufactured. It has the upper wall 20c which connected wall 20a, 20b by the upper part, and it is formed so that the lower surface side may make the reverse U-shape which opened. The operation button 20 has an accommodation hole 21 extending from the upper wall 20c to the right side wall 20b. The accommodation hole 21 is L-shaped when viewed from the front, and the front side and the lower surface side of the right side wall 20b are open.

  The long portion 13 of the flexible wiring board 11 is assembled to the operation button 20 by being inserted into the accommodation hole 21 from the opening. In this case, the long portion 13 is formed in a “U” shape by being bent at the bent portions A1 and A2 indicated by a one-dot chain line in FIG. In a state where the flexible wiring board 11 is assembled to the operation button 20, both arm portions 12, 12 of the flexible wiring board 11 protrude from the operation button 20 to the side. The lower surface of the connecting portion 14 in the flexible wiring board 11 is supported by a rectangular support plate 22, and the horizontal portion 13 a below the long portion 13 is on the right side (right side in FIG. 2A) from the support plate 22. It protrudes. A tact switch 23 that constitutes a switch element is disposed on the upper surface of the connecting portion 14 so as to be positioned below the lower end portion of the left side wall 20a of the operation button 20.

  In the configuration shown in the figure, only one operation button 20 is provided. However, a plurality of units including the operation buttons 20 are prepared in order to correspond to a plurality of selection units. And the wiring part 17 and the tact switch 23 of each flexible wiring board 11 are connected to the control apparatus (not shown) which consists of microcomputers, for example.

  In the above configuration, when the user's finger contacts the upper operation surface of the upper wall 20c of the operation button 20, the capacitance of the touch detection electrode 16 changes. Based on the detection of the change, the control device detects that the finger has touched the operation button 20 and changes the display state of the selection unit corresponding to the touch on the screen of the display device (not shown). When the operation button 20 is pressed downward, the operation button 20 is displaced downward with elastic deformation of the horizontal portion 13a in the long portion 13 of the flexible wiring board 11 (see FIG. 2A). The tact switch 23 is pressed by the left side wall 20 a of the operation button 20. Then, the control device changes the display state of the selection unit on the screen of the display device to the determined state, for example.

  In the above-described embodiment, the touch detection electrode 16 and the wiring portion 17 are electrically connected in advance in the flexible wiring board 11, and therefore it is not necessary to connect between them when assembling. For this reason, unlike the case where it is necessary to connect the touch detection electrode and the wiring portion of the printed wiring board with a connection line, it is possible to improve manufacturability, and between the touch detection electrode 16 and the wiring portion 17. The reliability of electrical connection can also be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified or expanded as follows.
It is good also as a structure which closes the opening part of the accommodation hole 21 in the operation button 20 with a suitable member.
The operation button may be composed of two members, and the operation button and the flexible wiring board 11 may be assembled by sandwiching the long portion 13 of the flexible wiring board 11 between the two members.

  A switch element other than the tact switch 23 may be used.

The perspective view of the switch apparatus with a touch detection function which shows one Example of this invention The switch device is shown in which (a) is a broken front view, (b) is a right side view, and (c) is a plan view. Perspective view of flexible wiring board The perspective view of the switch apparatus with a touch detection function which shows a comparative example The switch device is shown in which (a) is a front view and (b) is a right side view.

Explanation of symbols

In the drawing, 11 is a flexible wiring board, 12 is an arm part, 13 is a long part, 13a is a horizontal part, 14 is a connection part, 16 is a touch detection electrode, 17 is a wiring part, 20 is an operation button (switch operation member) 20a and 20b are side walls, 20c is an upper wall, 22 is a support plate, and 23 is a tact switch (switch element).

Claims (1)

A switch operation member formed in an inverted U-shape having two opposing side walls and an upper wall obtained by connecting these two side walls at the top and having an open bottom surface ;
The switch operating member is assembled to the switch operating member along the upper wall and one side wall, and is formed in a U-shape . When the finger comes into contact with the switch operating member disposed at a position corresponding to the upper wall. An electrode for touch detection for detecting this , a wiring part electrically connected to this electrode , and a flexible wiring board capable of elastic deformation having a horizontal part at the lower part facing the upper wall ;
Of the two side walls of the switch operating member , the switch operating member is disposed on the flexible wiring board so as to be positioned below the lower end portion of the other side wall on the side where the flexible wiring board is not assembled. A switch element that is operated to be pressed by the other side wall of the switch operating member as it is operated ,
The switch device with a touch detection function , wherein the horizontal portion of the flexible wiring board is elastically deformed when the switch element is pressed by the other side wall of the switch operation member .

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