JP4618155B2 - Lever switch - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lever switch used mainly in various electronic devices for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium and the operation of a mechanism.

  In recent years, as electronic devices such as video and personal computers have become smaller and more advanced, in lever switches used to detect the presence of recording media such as tapes and disks, or to detect the operation of mechanisms such as knobs and doors. However, there is a demand for a small, thin and reliable operation.

  Such a conventional lever switch will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional lever switch. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a substantially box-shaped case made of insulating resin and opened to the front, and a common contact 2 made of conductive metal is adjacent to the lower inner wall. Similarly, conductive metal fixed contacts 3 are implanted and fixed on the left and right inner walls by insert molding or the like.

  A holding portion 1A is formed above the common contact 2 of the case 1 at a predetermined interval, and a columnar support portion 1C is formed at the center of the opening 1B on the upper side wall facing the common contact 2. Is formed.

  Reference numeral 4 denotes an insulating resin lever. The substantially intermediate fulcrum part 4A is rotatably held by the support part 1C of the case 1, and the drive part 4B at one end extends into the case 1 and The operation part 4C protrudes obliquely upward to the left from the opening 1B of the case 1.

  Reference numeral 5 denotes an approximately U-shaped movable contact made of a thin elastic metal plate, which is accommodated in the case 1 in a slightly bent state as a whole, and has a substantially U-shaped contact portion provided at the lower end. 5A is press-fitted and fixed between the common contact 2 and the holding portion 1A, and the protrusion 5B on the lower surface is in elastic contact with the common contact 2.

  Further, the arm portion 5C in the middle of the movable contact 5 is provided with a plurality of bent portions 5D and 5E having the same bending direction and extending upward and rightward, and a substantially arc-shaped contact portion 5F at the upper end is formed on the right side of the case 1 While being in elastic contact with the inner wall, the drive portion 4B of the lever 4 is in contact with the bent portion 5E.

  The front surface of the case 1 housing the movable contact 5 and the lever 4 is covered with a cover (not shown) made of a thin metal plate to constitute a lever switch.

  The lever switch configured as described above is mounted on a wiring board (not shown) having a plurality of wiring patterns formed on the upper and lower surfaces, etc., and is connected to the common contact 2 and the fixed contact 3 extending from the case 1. The terminal portion is soldered to a predetermined wiring pattern and is electrically connected to the electronic circuit of the device.

  In the above configuration, when the operation unit 4C protruding upward from the case 1 is rotated downward by the insertion / extraction of a recording medium such as a tape or a disk or a mechanism such as a knob or a door, the cross-sectional view of FIG. As shown, the lever 4 rotates counterclockwise with the fulcrum portion 4A as a fulcrum.

  As the lever 4 rotates, the arm portion 5C of the movable contact 5 is pressed by the drive portion 4B, the entire movable contact 5 is further bent, and the contact portion 5F is elastically moved downward on the right inner wall of the case 1. The common contact 2 and the fixed contact 3 are electrically connected via the movable contact 5 by sliding in contact and elastically contacting the fixed contact 3.

  Further, when the operating force to the lever 4 is released, the lever 4 is pressed upward by the elastic return force of the movable contact 5 to rotate, and the contact portion 5F is also moved from the fixed contact 3 to the right inner wall of the case 1 4 is configured to return to the state of FIG. 4 in which the common contact 2 and the fixed contact 3 are electrically disconnected.

  That is, by the rotation operation of the lever 4 with the support portion 1C at the center of the case 1 as a fulcrum, the drive portion 4B presses the arm portion 5C to elastically deform the movable contact 5, and the elastic force due to the bending of the movable contact 5 The elastic contact force of the contact portion 5F to the fixed contact 3 during the turning operation and the return force of the lever 4 when the operation force is released can be obtained.

  Therefore, when trying to reduce the size and thickness of such a switch, particularly to reduce the height in the vertical direction, it is possible to reduce the size and thickness by reducing the shape of the substantially inverted U-shaped movable contact 5. As a result, the amount of bending of the movable contact 5 as a whole also becomes small, so that the elastic contact force of the contact portion 5F to the fixed contact 3 and the force that urges the lever 4 upward when the operation force is released are small. It was something that would end up.

As prior art document information related to the invention of this application, for example, Patent Document 1 is known.
JP 2001-297660 A

  However, in the above-described conventional lever switch, if the shape of the substantially reverse U-shaped movable contact 5 is reduced in order to reduce the size and thickness, the amount of deflection of the entire movable contact 5 is also reduced, and the contact portion 5F is a fixed contact. The force for elastic contact with 3 and the force for urging the lever 4 upward are small, and there is a problem that it is difficult to perform stable electrical contact and separation and reliable operation as a switch.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lever switch that can be lowered in height and has a reliable operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the fulcrum portion of the lever is formed at the end portion of the case facing the common contact and the fixed contact, and the bending portion has a plurality of bending directions reverse to the arm portion in the middle of the movable contact. And a movable contact is formed in a substantially inverted N shape to form a lever switch, and a pivot point of the lever is provided at the end of the case, and the movable contact is formed in a substantially inverted N shape. This reduces the overall height without reducing the elastic contact force of the contact part to the fixed contact and the force that biases the lever upward, ensuring electrical contact and separation, as well as reliable and compact operation. It has the effect that a possible lever switch can be obtained.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, in which the thickness of the operating portion and the driving portion of the lever is made thinner than the fulcrum portion, and when the lever is operated to rotate, Since the rotational sliding is performed only at the fulcrum portion and the friction can be reduced, the lever can be smoothly rotated.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to achieve an advantageous effect that a low profile can be achieved and a lever switch that can be reliably operated can be realized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a lever switch according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lever switch, and 11 is a substantially box with an open front made of an insulating resin such as liquid crystal polymer or polyphenylene sulfite. A common contact 12 made of conductive metal such as copper alloy is provided on the left inner wall, and a fixed contact 13 made of conductive metal is also fixed on the lower inner wall adjacent thereto by insert molding or the like. Has been.

  A holding portion 11A is formed on the right side of the common contact 12 of the case 11 with a predetermined interval, and an opening portion 11B is provided at an upper right end portion facing the common contact 12 and the fixed contact 13. A columnar support portion 11C is formed at the upper right end.

  Reference numeral 14 denotes a lever made of an insulating resin such as liquid crystal polymer or nylon, and a substantially intermediate cylindrical fulcrum part 14A is rotatably held by the support part 11C of the case 11 and is thicker than the fulcrum part 14A. The drive part 14B with one thin end extends into the case 11, and the operation part 14C with the same thin thickness at the other end protrudes obliquely upward to the left from the opening 11B of the case 11.

  And 15 is a movable contact made of an elastic metal thin plate such as a copper alloy, and is housed in the case 11 in a slightly bent state as a whole, and a substantially U-shaped contact portion 15A provided at the lower end, It is press-fitted and fixed between the common contact 12 and the holding portion 11 </ b> A, and the protrusion 15 </ b> B on the lower surface is in elastic contact with the common contact 12.

  Further, the arm portion 15C in the middle of the movable contact 15 is provided with a plurality of bent portions 15D and 15E having opposite bending directions, extending rightward and downward and formed in a substantially inverted N shape, and having a lower end. The substantially arc-shaped contact portion 15F is in elastic contact with the lower inner side wall of the case 11, and the drive portion 14B of the lever 14 is in contact with the bent portion 15E.

  The front surface of the case 11 housing the movable contact 15 and the lever 14 is covered with a cover 16 made of a thin metal plate such as a steel plate, and a plurality of claw portions 16A protruding from the cover 16 are caulked and fixed to the back surface of the case 11. The lever switch is configured.

  The lever switch configured as described above is placed on a wiring board (not shown) having a plurality of wiring patterns formed on the upper and lower surfaces, etc., and is connected to the common contact 12 and the fixed contact 13 extending from the case 11. The terminal portion is soldered to a predetermined wiring pattern and is electrically connected to the electronic circuit of the device.

  In the above configuration, when the operation portion 14C protruding upward from the case 11 is rotated downward by the insertion / extraction of a recording medium such as a tape or a disk or a mechanism such as a knob or a door, the cross-sectional view of FIG. As shown, the lever 14 rotates counterclockwise with the fulcrum 14A at the upper right end as a fulcrum.

  As the lever 14 rotates, the arm portion 15C in the vicinity of the bent portion 15E is pressed by the drive portion 14B, the entire movable contact 15 is further bent, and the contact portion 15F is left on the lower inner wall of the case 11. The common contact 12 and the fixed contact 13 are electrically connected to each other via the movable contact 15.

  Further, when the operating force to the lever 14 is released, the lever 14 is pressed upward by the elastic return force of the movable contact 15 to rotate, and the contact portion 15F is also moved from the fixed contact 13 to the right case 11. It is configured to return to the state shown in FIG. 1 in which the common contact 12 and the fixed contact 13 are electrically disconnected from each other by elastically sliding to the lower inner wall.

  At this time, the pivot fulcrum of the lever 14 is provided at the upper right end portion of the case 11 facing the common contact 12 and the fixed contact 13, and the movable contact 15 is formed in a substantially inverted N-shape. Although the dimension of the contact 15 in the height direction is small, a sufficient amount of bending of the entire movable contact 15 can be obtained by the plurality of bent portions 15D and 15E having opposite bending directions at both ends of the intermediate arm portion 15C. A sufficient force for urging the lever 14 upward when the contact force of the contact portion 15F to the fixed contact 13 or the operation force is released can be obtained.

  That is, by reducing the height dimension of the movable contact 15, the overall height of the switch can be reduced, and the elastic contact force of the contact portion 15F to the fixed contact 13 and the force for urging the lever 14 upward are Since a switch equivalent to the switch described in the section of the background art can be obtained, the switch can be configured to perform stable electrical contact and separation and reliable operation.

  Furthermore, since the thickness of the operation part 14C and the drive part 14B of the lever 14 is formed thinner than the fulcrum part 14A, a gap is formed between the operation part 14C or the drive part 14B and the case 11 or the cover 16. When the lever 14 is rotated, the frictional sliding between the lever 14 and the case 11 or the cover 16 is performed only by the cylindrical fulcrum portion 14A having a relatively small area, so that the friction during the operation is reduced. The lever 14 can be smoothly rotated.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the fulcrum portion 14A of the lever 14 is provided at the upper right end portion of the case 11 facing the common contact 12 and the fixed contact 13, and the bending direction is applied to the arm portion 15C in the middle of the movable contact 15. Are provided with a plurality of bent portions 15D and 15E opposite to each other, and the movable contact 15 is formed in a substantially inverted N shape, thereby urging the contact force of the contact portion 15F to the fixed contact 13 and the lever 14 upward. Since the overall height can be reduced without reducing the force, it is possible to obtain a lever switch that is reliable in electrical contact and separation and can be reduced in size and thickness.

  Further, by forming the operation portion 14C and the drive portion 14B of the lever 14 to be thinner than the fulcrum portion 14A, when the lever 14 is operated to rotate, only the fulcrum portion 14A can rotate with the case 11 or the like. Since the friction can be reduced, the lever 14 can be smoothly rotated.

  The lever switch according to the present invention can be reduced in height and can be reliably operated, and is mainly useful as a detection switch for various electronic devices.

Sectional drawing of the lever switch by one embodiment of this invention Exploded perspective view Cross section during the same operation Cross-sectional view of a conventional lever switch Cross section during the same operation

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Case 11A Holding part 11B Opening part 11C Support part 12 Common contact 13 Fixed contact 14 Lever 14A Supporting point 14B Drive part 14C Operation part 15 Movable contact point 15A Contact part 15B Protrusion part 15C Arm part 15D, 15E Bending part 15F Contact part 16 Cover 16A Claw

Claims (2)

A substantially box-shaped case in which a common contact and a fixed contact are planted on the adjacent inner wall, a substantially intermediate fulcrum portion is rotatably held by the support portion of the case, and a drive portion at one end is the case A lever with the other end projecting outward from the case, a contact portion at one end elastically contacting the common contact, and a contact portion at the other end being the fixed contact or an inner wall in the vicinity thereof The case is formed with a movable contact in which the drive portion of the lever is in contact with an intermediate arm portion, and the support portion of the case is formed at an end portion facing the common contact and the fixed contact, and the movable contact is formed in the middle The lever switch is provided with a plurality of bent portions whose bending directions are opposite to each other, and is formed in a substantially inverted N shape. The lever switch according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the lever operating portion and the driving portion is thinner than the fulcrum portion.

Images