JP7315775B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to electronic equipment.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an electronic device such as a smart phone in which a sensor is provided inside a side surface of a housing of the electronic device so that a user's operation can be detected. The sensor is a strain gauge, an electrostatic sensor, a piezo element sensor, or the like, and the side surface of the electronic device is flat (see Patent Document 1, for example).

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019/033143

By the way, the conventional electronic device has a flat side surface and good design, but there is a problem that even if the user's operation can be detected, it is difficult for the user to know whether the operation is completed or not.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic device which has a good design and can feedback the completion of operation to the user by tactile sensation.

An electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a switch module having a case having a through hole, a circuit board, and a switch attached to the circuit board, the switch module having the circuit board attached to the inside of the case in alignment with the through hole, a stem provided in the through hole of the case and contacting a pressing member of the switch, and a cover member attached to the outside of the case and contacting the stem,The switch has a housing that houses at least part of the pressing member, and the housing abuts against the case with the circuit board mounted inside the case,The conduction state of the switch is switched by pressing the pressing member via the stem due to the deformation caused by pressing the outer surface of the cover member.

It is possible to provide an electronic device that has a good design and is capable of giving feedback to the user on the completion of an operation with a tactile sensation.

1 is a perspective view showing push switch 100 of Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of push switch 100. FIG. 4 is a diagram transparently showing metal plates 120A and 120B embedded in the housing 110 by insert molding. FIG. FIG. 4 shows metal plates 120A and 120B; 4 is a diagram showing the back side of the pressing member 140. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross section taken along line A1-A1 in FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a view showing a cross section taken along line B1-B1 in FIG. 1; 4 is a diagram showing FS characteristics of the push switch 100; FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a push switch 200 according to Embodiment 2; 2 is an exploded view of push switch 200. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the back side of the pressing member 240. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of metal plates 220A, 220B, and 220C; FIG. 10 is a view showing a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 9; FIG. 10 is a view showing a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 9; FIG. 10 is a view showing a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 9; FIG. 10 is a view showing a cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 9; FIG. 10 is a view showing a cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 9; FIG. 10 is a view showing a cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 9; 4 is a diagram showing FS characteristics of the push switch 200; FIG. FIG. 11 shows an electronic device 300 according to a third embodiment; FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a cover 330 of the electronic device 300 and its surroundings. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the portion shown in FIG. 17 from the inside of the electronic device 300; FIG. Figure 18 is an exploded view of the portion shown in Figure 17; FIG. 18 is a view showing a cross section taken along line CC in FIG. 17; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a cross section of an electronic device 300A of a modified example of Embodiment 3; FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an error in the Z direction when the push switch 100A is attached to the case 310A; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a cross section of an electronic device 300B of a modified example of Embodiment 3; 24 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 23; FIG.

Embodiments to which the electronic device of the present invention is applied will be described below.

An electronic device according to an embodiment includes a push switch. In the following, first, the push switch included in the electronic equipment of the embodiments will be described in the first and second embodiments, and the electronic equipment will be described in the third and subsequent embodiments.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing push switch 100 of Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the push switch 100. As shown in FIG. An XYZ coordinate system will be defined and explained below. Also, hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the -Z direction side is referred to as the lower side or the lower side, and the +Z direction side is referred to as the upper side or the upper side, but this does not represent a universal vertical relationship.

Push switch 100 includes housing 110 , metal plates 120 A and 120 B, metal contact 130 A, leaf spring 130 B, pressing member 140 and insulator 150 .

The metal plates 120A and 120B will be described below using FIGS. 3 and 4 in addition to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a view transparently showing metal plates 120A and 120B embedded in housing 110 by insert molding. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing metal plates 120A and 120B. Further, the pressing member 140 will be described using FIG. 5 in addition to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the back side of the pressing member 140. As shown in FIG. Also, the cross-sectional structure will be described with reference to FIGS. A1-A1 cross section is a cross section taken along the XZ plane at the center of the push switch 100 in the Y direction. In addition, the push switch 100 has, as an example, a shape in which the length in the X direction is longer than the length in the Y direction. For this reason, the housing 110, the pressing member 140, and the insulator 150 also have, as an example, a shape in which the length in the X direction is longer than the length in the Y direction.

In the following description, the push switch 100, the housing 110, the pressing member 140, and the insulator 150 are longitudinal in the X direction and lateral in the Y direction. The X direction is an example of a first axis direction, and the Y direction is an example of a second axis direction. The −X direction end of the housing 110 is an example of a first end in the first axis direction, and the +X direction end of the housing 110 is an example of a second end in the first axis direction.

When push switch 100 is off (non-conducting state), metal contact 130A contacts metal plate 120B (peripheral fixed contact 121B) but does not contact metal plate 120A (central fixed contact 121A). That is, the metal plate 120A and the metal plate 120B are not electrically connected. Push switch 100 is a switch that presses metal contact 130A via pressing member 140 and leaf spring 130B by pressing insulator 150 downward, metal contact 130A reverses and contacts metal plate 120A, metal plate 120A and metal plate 120B are electrically connected via metal contact 130A, and is turned on (conducting state). The stroke of pushing the insulator 150 to bring the metal contact 130A into contact with the metal plate 120A is very short, 0.05 mm. Further, the operating load required to reverse the metal contact 130A is 3.3N as an example. This operating load is such a load that it is difficult to turn on the push switch 100 if the insulator 150 is accidentally contacted. That is, it is a load capable of suppressing an erroneous operation.

The housing 110 is made of resin and holds the metal plates 120A and 120B. The housing 110 and the metal plates 120A, 120B are integrally produced by insert molding. In other words, the metal plates 120A, 120B are embedded in the housing 110 by insert molding. The housing 110 has an opening 111 and a housing 112 communicating with the opening 111 . The opening 111 is formed on the surface on the +Z direction side. The housing 110 also has a bottom wall 113 and side walls 114 . The bottom wall 113 is a plate-like portion at the bottom of the housing 110 , and the side walls 114 are side walls extending upward from the four sides of the bottom wall 113 . A space surrounded by the bottom wall 113 and the side walls 114 is the storage portion 112 .

Further, the housing 110 has recesses 115A and 115B at both ends in the X direction. The recess 115A is an example of a first recess, and is recessed in the +X direction. The recess 115B is an example of a second recess, and is recessed in the -X direction. The concave portions 115A and 115B have the same concave length in the X direction and also have the same length in the Y direction. Also, the positions of the concave portions 115A and 115B in the Y direction are the same.

Further, hereinafter, portions of the bottom wall 113 and the side walls 114 of the housing 110 that are positioned at the four corners in plan view are referred to as corner portions 116A and 116B. The corners 116A are located on both sides of the housing 110 in the -X direction in the Y direction. The -X direction side portion of the corner portion 116A protrudes further in the -X direction than the recessed portion 115A. The corner portions 116B are located on both sides of the +X direction side of the housing 110 in the Y direction. A portion of the corner portion 116B on the +X direction side protrudes further to the +X direction side than the recessed portion 115B.

The storage portion 112 is formed downward from the opening, and has a storage portion 112A on the −X direction side and a storage portion 112B on the +X direction side. The storage portion 112B is deeper than the storage portion 112A, and the bottom wall 113 forms a step between the storage portions 112A and 112B.

A central fixed contact 121A of the metal plate 120A and a peripheral fixed contact 121B of the metal plate 120B are arranged at the bottom of the storage portion 112B and are exposed in the storage portion 112B. In the storage portion 112B, the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B are arranged in this order above the central fixed contact 121A and the peripheral fixed contact 121B (see FIG. 6), and the pressing member 140 is stored over the storage portions 112A and 112B.

The bottom wall 113 is a bottom portion of the housing 110 and is a rectangular plate-like portion in a plan view. The bottom wall 113 has a step between the storage portion 112A and the storage portion 112B. The bottom wall 113 holds the metal plates 120A and 120B and exposes the upper surfaces of the central fixed contact 121A of the metal plate 120A and the peripheral fixed contact 121B of the metal plate 120B.

The side walls 114 are provided along the four sides of the bottom wall 113 and extend upward from the portion of the bottom wall 113 outside the storage section 112 . Extending portions 125A and 125B of the metal plates 120A and 120B are embedded in the boundary portions between the four corners of the side wall 114 and the bottom wall 113 .

The metal plate 120A has a central fixed contact 121A, terminals 122A and extensions 125A. Metal plate 120A is made of copper as an example. The central fixed contact 121A does not contact the metal contact 130A when the insulator 150 is not pressed downward (see FIG. 6), but contacts the metal contact 130A when the insulator 150 is pressed downward (see FIG. 7). The terminal 122A protrudes in the −X direction inside the recess 115A of the housing 110. As shown in FIG.

The extension portions 125A are an example of a pair of first extension portions, and are portions in which both sides in the Y direction of the terminal 122A extending in the Y direction are bent upward and extend obliquely upward. The extension portion 125A is embedded below the corner portion 116A of the housing 110 in the thickness direction. Extension portion 125A is provided across bottom wall 113 and side wall 114 at corner portion 116A.

Metal plate 120B has peripheral fixed contacts 121B, terminals 122B, and extensions 125B. Metal plate 120B is made of copper as an example. The peripheral fixed contact 121B is in contact with the +X direction end of the metal contact 130A when the insulator 150 is not pressed downward (see FIG. 6), and is in contact with the metal contact 130A even when the insulator 150 is pressed downward (see FIG. 7). The terminal 122B protrudes toward the +X direction side of the housing 110 within the recess 115A.

The extension portions 125B are an example of a pair of second extension portions, and are portions in which both sides in the Y direction of the terminal 122B extending in the Y direction are bent upward and extend obliquely upward. The extension portion 125B is embedded below the corner portion 116B of the housing 110 in the thickness direction. Extension portion 125B is provided across bottom wall 113 and side wall 114 at corner portion 116B.

Extension portions 125A and 125B are provided to reinforce corner portions 116A and 116B of housing 110 to improve the rigidity of push switch 100 as a whole. The extending portion 125A and the terminal 122A are provided over substantially the entire Y direction of the housing 110, and have a shape in which both ends of the terminal 122A extending in the Y direction in the Y direction are bent upward. Similarly, the extending portion 125B and the terminal 122B are provided over substantially the entire Y direction of the housing 110, and have a shape in which both ends of the terminal 122B extending in the Y direction in the Y direction are bent upward. Therefore, the extending portions 125A and 125B are positioned at the four corners of the housing 110 in plan view, and are positioned below the corner portion 116B in the thickness direction.

In this way, if the extending portions 125A and 125B, which are formed by bending both ends in the Y direction of the terminals 122A and 122B extending in the Y direction, respectively, are embedded in the corner portions 116A and 116B of the housing 110, even if the housing 110 receives stress from above, the presence of the extending portions 125A and 125B made of metal can dramatically improve the rigidity of the housing 110. In particular, the rigidity of corners 116A and 116B of housing 110 can be dramatically improved. In addition, this can dramatically improve the bending rigidity when the push switch 100 is twisted in the longitudinal direction.

Such reinforcement cannot be realized in a conventional switch having extension portions extending in the +X direction from both Y-direction ends of the terminals 122A extending in the Y direction and extension portions extending in the -X direction from both Y-direction ends of the terminals 122B extending in the Y direction, because there are no extension portions in the corners 116A and 116B of the housing 110. Conventional switches are suitable for applications that do not require much strength, but if applications in an environment that requires higher strength are assumed, a configuration in which extensions 125A and 125B are embedded in corners 116A and 116B of housing 110 is effective.

Further, in a configuration having extension portions extending in the +X direction from both Y-direction ends of the terminals 122A extending in the Y direction and extension portions extending in the −X direction from both Y-direction ends of the terminals 122B extending in the Y direction, as in a conventional switch, the extension portions are bent toward the storage portion 112, which may reduce the volume of the storage portion 112.

In contrast, in the push switch 100 of the embodiment, the extensions 125A and 125B are embedded in the corners 116A and 116B of the housing 110, so the extensions 125A and 125B are present inside the bottom wall 113 and side walls 114 of the corners 116A and 116B. That is, the size of the storage portion 112 is not affected even if the extension portions 125A and 125B are provided.

In particular, when the pressing member 140 using the principle of leverage is included, if the length in the X direction of the housing portion 112 is long, the ratio between the length of the fulcrum and the point of action in the principle of leverage and the length of the fulcrum and the point of force can be increased. From this point of view as well, it is useful to provide extending portions 125A and 125B having shapes in which both ends in the Y direction of terminals 122A and 122B extending in the Y direction are bent upward, respectively, at corner portions 116A and 116B of housing 110.

Moreover, since the terminals 122A and 122B are housed inside the recessed spaces of the recesses 115A and 115B of the housing 110, the length of the push switch 100 in the X direction can be shortened.

Here, a mode in which extending portions 125A and 125B are provided over bottom wall 113 and side wall 114 at corner portions 116A and 116B of housing 110, respectively, will be described. However, extensions 125A and 125B may be provided on either one of bottom wall 113 and side wall 114 at corners 116A and 116B, respectively. For example, if the bottom wall 113 is thick to some extent, the extensions 125A and 125B may be provided only on the bottom wall 113 . Further, for example, when the bottom wall 113 is relatively thin, the extensions 125A and 125B may be provided only on the side walls 114 at the corners 116A and 116B. That is, the extensions 125A and 125B may be provided on the bottom wall 113 and/or the side walls 114 at the corners 116A and 116B.

The metal contact 130A is a metal spring realized by a metal member, and has a dome portion 131A projecting upward in a central portion in a dome shape and capable of reversing (see FIGS. 2 and 4). Metal contact 130A is an example of a movable contact member. Metal contact 130A is made of stainless steel as an example.

When the dome portion 131A is pressed from above, the dome portion 131A reverses and becomes convex downward (see FIG. 7). In this state, the metal contact 130A comes into contact with the central fixed contact 121A and conducts the central fixed contact 121A and the peripheral fixed contact 121B. The bottom surface of the metal contact 130A is silver-plated. This is because the lower surface is in contact with the central stationary contact 121A and the peripheral stationary contact 121B through which current flows. In addition, the reversing motion of the dome portion 131A can give the operator a sense of operation.

The metal contact 130A is manufactured by punching a sheet metal that is circular in plan view to form the dome portion 131A, and then cutting the +Y direction side and the −Y direction side along the X axis. Therefore, the metal contact 130A has cut portions 132A along the X-axis on the +Y direction side and the −Y direction side. The cutout portion 132A is formed to downsize the push switch 100 in the Y-axis direction.

Leaf spring 130B has a configuration in which the silver plating is removed from metal contact 130A. Thus, the leaf spring 130B has a dome portion 131B and a cutout portion 132B.

The pressing member 140 is stored over the inside of the storage portions 112A and 112B of the storage portion 112 (see FIG. 6). The pressing member 140 is a flat metal member (see FIGS. 2, 3, and 4), and has a body portion 141, a fulcrum portion 142 (an example of a first fulcrum portion), an action point portion 143 (an example of a first action point portion), and a force point portion 144 (an example of a first force point portion). The pressing member 140 is a member that can act like a lever, and the fulcrum portion 142, the action point portion 143, and the force point portion 144 function as the fulcrum, action point, and force point of the lever, respectively. The pressing member 140 is manufactured by sheet metal processing, for example. The pressing member 140 is made of stainless steel as an example.

Since the pressing member 140 uses the principle of leverage, it is required that the pressing member 140 has little bending and has a certain degree of high rigidity. For this reason, the pressing member 140 is made of metal, and has a relatively large width in the Y-axis direction and a relatively large thickness in the Z-axis direction.

The body portion 141 has a curved shape such that the fulcrum portion 142 and the action point portion 143 are curved downward with respect to the power point portion 144 in order to facilitate downward displacement of the action point portion 143 .

The fulcrum portion 142 is provided on the -X direction side and contacts the bottom surface of the storage portion 112A. The fulcrum portion 142 has a sufficient width in the Y-axis direction. This is to make it difficult for the fulcrum portion 142 to tilt in the Y-axis direction when the pressing member 140 moves, so that force can be efficiently transmitted to the leaf spring 130B and the metal contact 130A. Here, the fulcrum portion 142 is provided over the entire width of the pressing member 140 in the Y-axis direction, but may be divided into several portions.

Further, the fulcrum portion 142 protrudes in the -Z direction. By protruding the fulcrum portion 142 in the -Z direction in this manner, the pressing member 140 can be separated from the bottom surface of the storage portion 112 in the +Z direction, making it easier to move the pressing member 140 .

The action point portion 143 has a convex portion 143A (an example of a first convex portion) that is provided on the +X direction side and presses the metal contact 130A. As shown in FIG. 5, the convex portion 143A is circular in plan view, has a flat lower surface, and has a truncated cone shape.

The convex portion 143A is arranged to contact the upper surface of the leaf spring 130B, and when the pressing member 140 operates on the principle of a lever and the action point portion 143 is pressed downward, the leaf spring 130B and the metal contact 130A are pressed downward. When the leaf spring 130B and the metal contact 130A reversely move, the metal contact 130A contacts the central fixed contact 121A.

The power point portion 144 is provided between the fulcrum portion 142 and the action point portion 143 and has a convex portion 144A. The convex portion 144A protrudes in a hemispherical shape. When the insulator 150 is not pressed, the convex portion 144A and the insulator 150 are not in contact with each other, and there is a gap therebetween. This is a state in which force is applied to the force point of the pressing member 140 using the principle of leverage.

The insulator 150 is made of a resin sheet and adhered to the upper surface of the housing 110 to cover the opening 111 . The insulator 150 has a projecting portion 151 located in the center in plan view (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 4). The projecting portion 151 is formed by heat-processing a resin sheet. Further, the insulator 150 has notches 155A and 155B corresponding to the concave portions 115A and 115B in accordance with the shape of the housing 110 in plan view.

The metal plates 120A and 120B, the metal contacts 130A, the leaf springs 130B, and the pressing member 140 are housed in the housing portion 112 of the housing 110, and the insulator 150 is adhered to the housing 110. FIG. By bonding the insulator 150 to the housing 110, the metal plates 120A and 120B, the metal contacts 130A, the leaf springs 130B, and the pressing member 140 are held in the storage portion 112 without rattling.

The protruding portion 151 is arranged at a position overlapping the force point portion 144 in a plan view, and is flexurally deformable so as to come into contact with the force point portion 144 (see FIG. 7), and as shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing FS (Force-Stroke) characteristics of the push switch 100. As shown in FIG. The horizontal axis is the stroke (S) for pushing the insulator 150 downward, and the vertical axis is the force (F) required to push the insulator 150 downward. Force (F) is the operating load.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the insulator 150 is pushed in from the position where the stroke is zero, the operating load gradually rises up to S1 and becomes a very small value. This indicates that the operating load required to push in the projecting portion 151 of the insulator 150 is very small.

S1 is 0.1 mm. The push switch 100 assumes that a button or the like is further attached on the insulator 150 . A button is a component that is actually pressed, such as a push-button type switch in a passenger compartment or a push-button switch for an electronic device.

For example, if there is a gap between the insulator 150 and the button in a product such as a mobile device that is easily subjected to vibrations, when the product is subjected to vibration, the vibration may also be transmitted to the button and generate an abnormal noise. Therefore, when the button is not operated, the button may be pressed against other parts to suppress the occurrence of abnormal noise. When used in such a product, the insulator 150 may be attached in a state in which the button is slightly pressed in advance (pretension is applied) so as not to create a gap between the button and other parts. In such a case, the insulator 150 is pushed by a stroke of S1 or less. Therefore, when operating the push button switch, the stroke may start from S1.

When the stroke reaches S1, the insulator 150 contacts the convex portion 144A of the power point portion 144. When the stroke exceeds S1, the pressing member 140 presses the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B. At this time, the operation load begins to decrease abruptly, providing a click feeling to the fingertips of the user. If the insulator 150 is further pushed, the operating load decreases to F2 when the stroke reaches S3. At this time, the metal contact 130A contacts the central fixed contact 121A, and the push switch 100 is turned on.

In the push switch 100, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the distance between the fulcrum portion 142 and the action point portion 143 is set to 2 mm, and the distance between the action point portion 143 and the force point portion 144 is set to 1 mm.

Therefore, the stroke for pressing the insulator 150 to turn on the push switch 100 is 1/2 of the stroke required for independently pressing and reversing the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B. Being alone means directly pressing the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B without using the pressing member 140 .

Further, the operating load required to press insulator 150 to turn on push switch 100 is twice the operating load required to press and reverse metal contact 130A and leaf spring 130B alone.

Here, the stroke required to press and reverse the metal contact 130A alone is 0.1 mm. This is the same even when the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B are stacked.

When the push switch 100 is off, the metal contact 130A is not connected to the central fixed contact 121A and remains insulated. The distance between the central fixed contact 121A and the metal contact 130A in this state is 0.1 mm. It has been found that the insulation between the metal contact 130A and the central fixed contact 121A can be maintained with a thickness of 0.1 mm. When metal contact 130A and leaf spring 130B are reversed and moved downward by 0.1 mm, metal contact 130A contacts center stationary contact 121A.

On the other hand, the stroke for pressing the insulator 150 to turn on the push switch 100 is 0.05 mm because it is 1/2 of the stroke required for independently pressing and reversing the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B.

That is, the push switch 100 can shorten the stroke required for turning on while ensuring the stroke of 0.1 mm for the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B by using the principle of leverage.

Here, if the stroke required for pressing and reversing the metal contact 130A alone is set to 0.05 mm without utilizing the principle of such a lever, the distance between the central fixed contact 121A and the metal contact 130A becomes 0.05 mm when the push switch 100 is off, and the withstand voltage and insulation resistance are reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain an insulated state.

Moreover, if the stroke of the metal contact 130A is set to 0.05 mm, it may become difficult to set the pretensioned state of the insulator 150 .

In addition, since the operation load required to press the insulator 150 to turn on the push switch 100 is double the operation load required to press and reverse the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B independently, the click feeling when the push switch 100 is operated can be doubled.

As described above, since the extending portions 125A and 125B having the shape of bending both ends in the Y direction of the terminals 122A and 122B extending in the Y direction upward are embedded in the corner portions 116A and 116B of the housing 110, the rigidity of the housing 110 can be dramatically improved. In particular, the rigidity of corners 116A and 116B of housing 110 can be dramatically improved. In addition, this can dramatically improve the bending rigidity when the push switch 100 is twisted in the longitudinal direction.

Therefore, push switch 200 with high rigidity can be provided.

In addition, since the extension portions 125A and 125B, which have shapes in which both ends in the Y direction of the terminals 122A and 122B extending in the Y direction are bent upward, are provided at the corner portions 116A and 116B of the housing 110, the length of the storage portion 112 in the X direction can be secured. Therefore, it is possible to increase the ratio between the lengths of the fulcrum portion 142 and the action point portion 143 and the lengths of the fulcrum portion 142 and the force point portion 144 of the pressing member 140 .

In addition, since the terminals 122A and 122B are housed inside the recessed spaces of the recesses 115A and 115B of the housing 110, the length of the push switch 100 in the X direction can be shortened, and the size of the push switch 100 can be reduced in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the compact push switch 100 can effectively utilize the pressing member 140 that utilizes the principle of leverage.

Further, according to Embodiment 1, it is possible to provide a push switch that achieves both short stroke and electrical stability. Moreover, since the click feeling at the time of operation can be increased, the operational feeling can be improved.

In addition, the configuration in which the extension portions 125A and 125B are provided at the corner portions 116A and 116B of the housing 110 makes it possible to increase the ratio between the lengths of the fulcrum portion 142 and the action point portion 143 and the lengths of the fulcrum portion 142 and the force point portion 144 in the pressing member 140, so that the click feeling during operation can be further increased, and the operational feeling can be further improved.

Moreover, by using the principle of leverage, even if the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B having a small operating load are used, it is easy to cope with the operating load required as a push switch. In general, the metal contacts 130A with a heavy operating load tend to have a longer operating life than the metal contacts 130A with a light operating load. That is, the operating life of the push switch 100 can be lengthened.

In the present embodiment, the leaf springs 130B are stacked on the metal contacts 130A in order to ensure a predetermined operating load. However, if the required operating load can be light, the number of leaf springs 130B can be reduced (the leaf springs 130B can be omitted).

In addition, since the pressing member 140 can be manufactured by pressing a metal plate, each portion such as the fulcrum portion 142, the action point portion 143, the force point portion 144, etc. can be easily formed.

In the above description, the push switch 100 includes the pressing member 140 that uses the principle of leverage, but the pressing member 140 may have a configuration that does not use the principle of leverage. That is, instead of the pressing member 140, a pressing member that directly transmits the pressing load of the insulator 150 to the leaf spring 130B may be used without using the lever principle.

In the above description, the distance between the fulcrum portion 142 and the action point portion 143 is set to 2 mm, and the distance between the action point portion 143 and the power point portion 144 is set to 1 mm. By adjusting these distances, the stroke and pressing load of the insulator 150 can be freely set.

In the above description, the push switch 100 includes the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B. However, the push switch 100 may include only the metal contact 130A.

In the above description, the pressing member 140 includes the protrusions 143A and 144A, but the pressing member 140 may not include the protrusions 143A and/or the protrusions 144A.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing push switch 200 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an exploded view of push switch 200. As shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, the same XYZ coordinate system as in the first embodiment is used. The X direction is an example of a first axis direction, and the Y direction is an example of a second axis direction. The −Y direction is one end side in the second axial direction, and the +Y direction is the other end side in the second axial direction.

Push switch 200 includes housing 210 , metal plates 220 A, 220 B, 220 C, metal contact 130 A, leaf spring 130 B, pressing member 240 and insulator 150 .

Below, the pressing member 240 will be described using FIG. 11 in addition to FIG. 10, and the metal plates 220A, 220B, and 220C will be described using FIG. 12 in addition to FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the back side of the pressing member 240, and FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the structure of the metal plates 220A, 220B, 220C. FIG. 12 transparently shows the housing 210 . Further, the cross-sectional structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 13A to 13C showing the A2-A2 cross section in FIG. 9 and FIGS. 14A to 14C showing the B2-B2 arrow cross section. A2-A2 cross section is a cross section taken along the XZ plane at the center of the push switch 200 in the Y direction. The B2-B2 cross section is obtained by cutting along the XZ plane at a position offset to the -Y side from the center of the push switch 200 in the Y direction.

Push switch 200 of the second embodiment includes a pressing member 240 obtained by adding a spring contact 245 to pressing member 140 of push switch 100 of the first embodiment, and includes metal plates 220A, 220B and 220C instead of metal plates 120A and 120B. For this reason, the same components as those of the push switch 100 of Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

The housing 210 is made of resin and holds the metal plates 220A, 220B, 220C. The −X direction end of the housing 210 is an example of a first end in the first axis direction, and the +X direction end of the housing 210 is an example of a second end in the first axis direction.

The housing 210 and the metal plates 220A, 220B, 220C are integrally produced by insert molding. In other words, the metal plates 220A, 220B, 220C are embedded in the housing 210 by insert molding. The housing 210 has an opening 111, a storage portion 212 communicating with the opening 111, a bottom wall 213, side walls 214, and recesses 215A and 215B. The opening 111 is formed on the surface on the +Z direction side.

The bottom wall 213 is a plate-like portion at the bottom of the housing 210 , and the side walls 214 are side walls extending upward from the four sides of the bottom wall 213 . A space surrounded by the bottom wall 213 and the side walls 214 is the storage part 212 . The bottom wall 213 has a step between the storage portion 212A and the storage portion 212B.

The recess 215A is recessed in the +X direction at the end of the housing 210 on the -X direction side, and the recess 215B is recessed in the -X direction at the end of the housing 210 in the +X direction. The concave portions 215A and 215B have the same concave length in the X direction and also have the same length in the Y direction. Also, the positions of the concave portions 215A and 215B in the Y direction are the same.

Further, hereinafter, portions of the bottom wall 213 and the side walls 214 of the housing 210 that are positioned at the four corners in plan view are referred to as corner portions 216A and 216B. The corners 216A are located on both sides of the housing 110 in the -X direction in the Y direction. The −X direction side portion of the corner portion 216A protrudes further in the −X direction than the recessed portion 215A. The corner portions 216B are located on both sides of the housing 210 on the +X direction side in the Y direction. A portion of the corner portion 216B on the +X direction side protrudes further to the +X direction side than the recessed portion 215B.

The storage portion 212 is formed downward from the opening, and has a storage portion 212A on the −X direction side and a storage portion 212B on the +X direction side. The storage portion 212B is deeper than the storage portion 212A, and the bottom wall 213 forms a step between the storage portions 212A and 212B.

A central fixed contact 221A of the metal plate 220A, a peripheral fixed contact 221B of the metal plate 220B, and a pre-sense terminal 223B are arranged at the bottom of the storage portion 212B and are exposed in the storage portion 212B. In the storage portion 212B, the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B are arranged in this order above the central fixed contact 221A and the peripheral fixed contact 221B (see FIGS. 13A to 13C), and the pressing member 240 is stored over the storage portions 212A and 212B. Also, the spring contact 245 of the pressing member 240 is positioned above the pre-sense terminal 223B.

The bottom wall 213 is a bottom portion of the housing 210 and is a rectangular plate-like portion in a plan view. The bottom wall 213 holds the metal plates 220A, 220B, 230C and has a step between the storage section 212A and the storage section 212B. Bottom wall 213 exposes upper surfaces of center fixed contact 221A of metal plate 220A, peripheral fixed contact 221B of metal plate 220B, and pre-sense terminal 223B in a portion of storage portion 212B.

The side walls 214 are provided along the four sides of the bottom wall 213 and extend upward from the portion of the bottom wall 213 outside the storage section 212 . Extending portions 225A, 225B and 225C of metal plates 220A, 220B and 220C are embedded in the boundary portions between the four corners of the side wall 214 and the bottom wall 213 .

The metal plate 220A has a central fixed contact 221A, terminals 222A, and extensions 225A (see FIG. 12). Terminal 222A is an example of a first terminal. Metal plate 220A has a different planar shape from metal plate 120A of the first embodiment due to the addition of metal plate 220C, but is functionally the same as metal plate 120A of the first embodiment.

The extension portion 225A is an example of a first extension portion, and is a portion in which the +Y-direction end portion of the terminal 222A is bent upward and extends obliquely upward. In other words, the extension portion 225A is a portion that extends obliquely upward by bending upward a portion that communicates with the +Y direction end of the terminal 222A and extends in the +Y direction. The extension portion 225A is embedded below the corner portion 216A on the +Y direction side of the housing 210 in the thickness direction. The extension portion 225A is provided across the bottom wall 213 and the side wall 214 at the corner portion 216A on the +Y direction side.

The metal plate 220B has a peripheral fixed contact 221B, two terminals 222B, a pre-sense terminal 223B and an extension 225B (see FIG. 12). Of the two terminals 222B, the terminal 222B on the +Y direction side is an example of a third terminal, and the terminal 222B on the -Y direction side is an example of a fourth terminal. Further, of the two extension portions 225B, the extension portion 225B on the +Y direction side is an example of a third extension portion, and the extension portion 225B on the -Y direction side is an example of a fourth extension portion.

Metal plate 220B has a configuration in which the shape of metal plate 120B of Embodiment 1 is changed to increase the number of terminals 222B to two and two pre-sense terminals 223B are added. Therefore, peripheral fixed contact 221B, terminal 222B, and extension 225B functionally correspond to peripheral fixed contact 121B, terminal 122B, and extension 125B of the first embodiment, respectively.

The two terminals 222B extend in the +X direction from the +Y direction end and the −Y direction end of the peripheral fixed contact 221B. The two pre-sense terminals 223B extend in the -X direction from the +Y direction end and the -Y direction end of the peripheral fixed contact 221B. Therefore, the metal plate 220B has an H shape in plan view.

Of the two extension portions 225B, the extension portion 225B on the +Y direction side is a portion in which the +Y direction end portion of the terminal 222B is bent upward and extends obliquely upward. In other words, of the two extension portions 225B, the extension portion 225B on the +Y direction side is a portion that communicates with the +Y direction end of the terminal 222A and extends in the +Y direction is bent upward and extends obliquely upward. The +Y direction side extension portion 225B is embedded below the +Y direction side corner portion 216B of the housing 210 in the thickness direction. The +Y direction side extension portion 225B is provided across the bottom wall 213 and the side wall 214 at the +Y direction side corner portion 216B.

Of the two extension portions 225B, the −Y direction extension portion 225B is a portion in which the −Y direction end portion of the terminal 222B is bent upward and extends obliquely upward. In other words, the −Y direction side extension portion 225B of the two extension portions 225B is a portion that communicates with the −Y direction end of the terminal 222A and extends in the −Y direction is bent upward and extends obliquely upward. The −Y direction side extending portion 225B is embedded below the −Y direction side corner portion 216B of the housing 210 in the thickness direction. The −Y direction side extension portion 225B is provided across the bottom wall 213 and the side wall 214 at the −Y direction side corner portion 216B.

The metal plate 220C has terminals 221C, terminals 222C, and extensions 225C (see FIG. 12). Terminal 222C is an example of a second terminal. The metal plate 220C is made of copper as an example. The terminal 221C is exposed on the bottom surface of the storage portion 212A and is in contact with the lower surface of the fulcrum portion 142 of the pressing member 240 inside the storage portion 212A. Terminal 222C protrudes from housing 210 in the -X direction. The terminal 221C is located on the +Z direction side of the terminal 222C.

The extending portion 225C is an example of a second extending portion, and is a portion in which the −Y direction end of the terminal 222C is bent upward and extends obliquely upward. In other words, the extending portion 225C is a portion that communicates with the end portion of the terminal 222C in the −Y direction and extends in the −Y direction is bent upward and extends obliquely upward. The extension portion 225C is embedded below the corner portion 216A on the −Y direction side of the housing 210 in the thickness direction. The extending portion 225C is provided across the bottom wall 213 and the side wall 214 at the corner portion 216A on the -Y direction side.

The pressing member 240 is housed over the interior of the housing portions 212A and 212B of the housing portion 212 (see FIGS. 13A to 13C). The pressing member 240 is an example of a first pressing member. It has a body portion 241 , a fulcrum portion 142 , an action point portion 143 , a force point portion 144 and a spring contact point 245 . The pressing member 240 is a member that can operate like a lever. The pressing member 240 is manufactured by sheet metal processing, for example.

The main body portion 241 is similar to the main body portion 141 of the pressing member 140 of the first embodiment, but spring contacts 245 are provided on the +Y direction side and the -Y direction side of the central portion in the X-axis direction. Further, the body portion 241 has a warped shape such that the fulcrum portion 142 and the action point portion 143 are curved upward with respect to the force point portion 144 in order to facilitate downward displacement of the action point portion 143 .

The spring contact 245 extends in the +X direction and the -Z direction (diagonally downward) from the +Y direction side and the -Y direction side of the central portion of the body portion 241 in the X axis direction. The spring contact 245 is displaceable in the Z-axis direction and exhibits a restoring force against displacement in the Z-axis direction. Spring contact 245 is an example of a first elastic piece.

In push switch 200 as described above, extensions 225A, 225B, and 225C are provided to improve the rigidity of push switch 200 as a whole by reinforcing corners 216A and 216B of housing 210, as in push switch 100 of the first embodiment.

Even if the housing 210 receives stress from above, the presence of the metal extensions 225A, 225B, and 225C can dramatically improve the rigidity of the housing 210 . In particular, the rigidity of the corners 216A and 216B of the housing 210 can be dramatically improved. In addition, this can dramatically improve the bending rigidity when the push switch 200 is twisted in the longitudinal direction.

Push switch 200 has extensions 225A, 225B and 225C embedded in corners 216A and 216B of housing 210, so extensions 225A, 225B and 225C are present inside bottom wall 213 and side wall 214 of corners 216A and 216B. In other words, the size of the storage portion 212 is not affected even if the extension portions 225A, 225B, and 225C are provided.

In particular, when the pressing member 240 that utilizes the principle of leverage is included, if the length of the storage portion 212 in the X direction is long, the ratio between the length of the fulcrum and the point of action in the principle of leverage and the length of the fulcrum and the point of force can be increased. From this point of view as well, it is useful to provide extensions 225A, 225B, and 225C at corners 216A and 216B of housing 210 .

Moreover, since the terminals 222A, 222B, and 222C are housed inside the recessed spaces of the recesses 215A and 215B of the housing 210, the length of the push switch 200 in the X direction can be shortened.

Here, a mode in which extending portions 225A, 225B, and 225C are provided over bottom wall 213 and side wall 214 at corner portions 216A and 216B of housing 210, respectively, will be described. However, the extensions 225A, 225B, 225C may be provided on either one of the bottom wall 213 and the side walls 214 at the corners 216A, 216B, respectively. For example, if the bottom wall 213 is thick to some extent, the extensions 225A, 225B, and 225C may be provided only on the bottom wall 213 . Further, for example, when the bottom wall 213 is relatively thin, the extensions 225A, 225B, 225C may be provided only on the side walls 214 at the corners 216A, 216B. That is, the extensions 225A, 225B, 225C may be provided on the bottom wall 213 and/or the side walls 214 at the corners 216A, 216B.

The operation of the push switch 200 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 13A to 13C and 14A to 14C. 13A and 14A show the state where the insulator 150 is not pressed and the push switch 200 is turned off.

13B and 14B, the insulator 150 is slightly pushed, the tip of the spring contact 245 is connected to the pre-sense terminal 223B of the metal plate 220B, the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B are not reversed, and the metal contact 130A is not in contact with the central fixed contact 221A of the metal plate 220A.

Since the fulcrum portion 142 of the pressing member 240 is in contact with the terminal 221C of the metal plate 220C, in this state, the pressing member 240 connects the pre-sense terminal 223B of the metal plate 220B and the terminal 221C of the metal plate 220C. That is, the terminal 222B and the terminal 222C are electrically connected.

In this way, by connecting the tip of the spring contact 245 to the pre-sense terminal 223B of the metal plate 220B before the metal contact 130A contacts the central fixed contact 221A of the metal plate 220A, it is possible to detect a state in which the metal contact 130A is not in contact with the central fixed contact 221A although the insulator 150 is slightly pushed.

With such a configuration, in the electronic device connected to the terminals 222A, 222B, and 222C of the push switch 200, the insulator 150 is pushed a little and the terminals 222B and 222C are electrically connected.

13C and 14C are states in which the insulator 150 is further pushed in, the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B are reversed, and the metal contact 130A is in contact with the central fixed contact 221A of the metal plate 220A. In this state, the tip of the spring contact 245 remains connected to the pre-sense terminal 223B of the metal plate 220B. In this state, the terminals 222A and 222C are electrically connected.

Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 13B and 14B, the push switch 200 can realize two states: a state in which the insulator 150 is pushed a little to make the terminals 222B and 222C conductive, and a state in which the insulator 150 is pushed further and the terminals 222A and 222C are made conductive.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing FS (Force-Stroke) characteristics of the push switch 200. As shown in FIG. The section from the zero stroke position to S21 is the same as the section from the zero stroke position to S1 (see FIG. 8) in the push switch 100 of the first embodiment. That is, the strokes S1 and S21 are equal, and the operating loads F21 and F1 are equal.

When the stroke exceeds S21 and reaches S22, the spring contact 245 contacts the pre-sense terminal 223B, and the terminals 222B and 222C are electrically connected. The operating load at this time is F23.

When the insulator 150 is pushed further, the pressing member 240 presses the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B, and when the stroke reaches S23, the operating load becomes F24 (maximum value), and the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B are reversed. At this time, the operation load begins to decrease abruptly, providing a click feeling to the fingertips of the user. If the insulator 150 is further pushed, the operating load is reduced to F22 when the stroke reaches S24. At this time, the metal contact 130A contacts the central fixed contact 221A, and the push switch 100 is turned on.

By adjusting the amount of displacement of the spring contact 245, the stroke S22 can be adjusted, and by adjusting the elastic force of the spring contact 245, the operating load F23 can be adjusted.

As described above, since the extending portions 225A, 225B, 225C provided on the terminals 222A, 122B, 222C are embedded in the corners 216A, 216B of the housing 210, the rigidity of the housing 210 can be dramatically improved. In particular, the rigidity of the corners 216A and 216B of the housing 210 can be dramatically improved. In addition, this can dramatically improve the bending rigidity when the push switch 200 is twisted in the longitudinal direction.

Therefore, push switch 200 with high rigidity can be provided.

Further, according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to provide the push switch 200 that achieves both short stroke and electrical stability. Moreover, since the click feeling at the time of operation can be increased, the operational feeling can be improved.

Moreover, by using the spring contact 245, it is possible to provide the push switch 200 that realizes a two-step connection state. Further, the push switch 200 of the second embodiment has effects other than those described above, similarly to the push switch 100 of the first embodiment, and can be modified in the same manner.

In the above description, the push switch 200 includes the pressing member 240 that uses the principle of leverage, but the pressing member 240 may have a configuration that does not use the principle of leverage. That is, instead of the pressing member 240, a pressing member that directly transmits the pressing load of the insulator 150 to the leaf spring 130B may be used without using the principle of lever.

At least one spring contact 245 is sufficient, and three or more may be provided.

Next, electronic devices to which the push switches 100 and 200 of the first and second embodiments are applicable will be described.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 16 shows an electronic device 300 according to the third embodiment. The electronic device 300 is, for example, a mobile electronic device such as a smart phone or a tablet computer. Here, electronic device 300 is a smartphone as an example. Further, here, as an example, a form in which electronic device 300 includes push switch 100A will be described. Push switch 100A is an example of a switch, and has a configuration in which insulator 150 is removed from push switch 100 of the first embodiment. Note that the XYZ coordinate system is common to the first and second embodiments.

Electronic device 300 includes a case 310 , a display panel 320 and a cover 330 . The case 310 is a housing of the electronic device 300 and is made of metal and/or resin, etc., and the display panel 320 and the cover 330 are partially exposed on the outer surface.

The display panel 320 is a display unit such as liquid crystal, organic EL (Electroluminescence), or OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode). A touch panel is attached to the display panel 320 .

As an example, the cover 330 is exposed on the side surface of the case 310, and the push switch 100A is provided on the back side. The cover 330 is flush with the surface of the surrounding case 310 and flat with the surface of the surrounding case 310 .

The cover 330 has operation portions 331A and 331B. The cover 330 itself is, for example, a thin plate-like member made of metal, and the operation portions 331A and 331B are deformable inside the case 310 . As an example, the operation portions 331A and 331B are flat and flush with portions other than the operation portions 331A and 331B. Note that the cover 330 is not limited to being made of metal, and may be made of resin or the like as long as it is deformable.

Also, as an example, the operating portions 331A and 331B can be deformed inward by about 50 μm when pressed. The operation units 331A and 331B can be used, for example, to turn on/off the power of the electronic device 300, or to increase or decrease the volume. That is, the push switch 100A is used as, for example, a power switch or a volume control switch.

For example, symbols (marks) representing functions such as power on/off switching or volume increase/decrease may be applied to the operation units 331A and 331B. Such symbols (marks) can be formed by, for example, printing, painting, or the like. Also, the symbols (marks) may be formed by mechanical processing such as embossing. When embossing or the like is performed, the operating portions 331A and 331B may be recessed more than portions other than the operating portions 331A and 331B.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of the cover 330 of the electronic device 300 and its surroundings. 18 is a view showing the portion shown in FIG. 17 from the inside of electronic device 300. FIG. 19 is an exploded view of the portion shown in FIG. 17; FIG. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 17. FIG. Here, the configuration related to the push switch 100A among the configurations of the electronic device 300 (see FIG. 16) will be described.

The electronic device 300 (see FIG. 16) includes a case 310, a display panel 320, and a cover 330, as well as a push switch 100A, a waterproof rubber 340, a stem 350, an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) 360, a metal plate 370, etc., as shown in FIGS.

The case 310 has a side portion 311 , an engaging portion 312 , a back portion 313 and a screwing portion 314 .

Side portion 311 is a portion of case 310 positioned on the side of electronic device 300 . The side portion 311 has a front surface 311A, a back surface 311B, a recess 311C, and a through hole 311D. The front surface 311A is the surface of the side portion 311 on the +Z direction side, and the back surface 311B is the surface of the side portion 311 on the -Y direction side. The back surface 311B is a surface facing the inside of the case 310 . A recessed portion 311C (see FIG. 17) is a recessed portion in the −Z direction from the surface 311A, in which the cover 330 and part of the stem 350 are accommodated. The two through-holes 311D pass through the side portion 311 in the Z direction, and accommodate the two stems 350, respectively.

The engaging portion 312 (see FIGS. 17 and 18) is a thin wall-like portion protruding inward of the case 310 in the XZ plane view on the surface side (−Y direction side) of the case 310 . The end portion of the display panel 320 is engaged with the engaging portion 312 .

The back surface portion 313 is a wall portion on the back surface side of the case 310 . The screwing portion 314 is a nut fixed to the rear surface 311B of the side portion 311 by welding or the like, and screws 375 are screwed thereon.

The cover 330 is a plate-shaped member having a front surface 331 and a back surface 332 and having a longitudinal direction in the X direction. The surface 331 is a surface on the +Z direction side, and is provided with operation sections 331A and 331B. The back surface 332 is the surface opposite to the front surface 331 .

The waterproof rubber 340 is a member made of rubber (rubber) provided to ensure the waterproofness of the cover 330 portion. The waterproof rubber 340 has two recesses 341 (see FIG. 20) in which the +Z direction side portion of the stem 350 is accommodated on the −Z direction side surface.

Push switch 100A has a configuration obtained by removing insulator 150 from push switch 100 of the first embodiment, and has two protrusions 118 provided on the surface of housing 110 on the -Z direction side. The protrusion 118 is used when fixing the push switch 100 to the FPC 360 and the metal plate 370 .

The stem 350 is a member that presses the convex portion 144A (see FIG. 2) of the pressing member 140 of the push switch 100A. The stem 350 is made of resin, rubber, or metal, and has a projection 351 on the -Z direction side of a rectangular parallelepiped member. The stem 350 is accommodated in the through hole 311D, and the portion on the +Z direction side is fitted into the concave portion 341 of the waterproof rubber 340 . The convex portion 351 contacts the convex portion 144A of the pressing member 140 of the push switch 100A.

The stem 350 is movable in the Z direction with respect to the side portion 311 of the housing 310, and when the operating portions 331A and 331B of the cover 330 are pressed in the -Z direction and bent, it moves in the -Z direction and presses the convex portion 144A (see FIG. 2) of the pressing member 140 of the push switch 100A. As a result, the push switch 100A is brought into a conductive state by the reverse operation of the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B (see FIG. 2).

The FPC 360 is an example of a circuit board, and is a flexible board having wiring on which the push switch 100A is mounted and terminals 122A and 122B are connected. A configuration in which the push switch 100A is mounted on the FPC 360 is a switch module. The FPC 360 is long in the X direction and narrow in the Y direction corresponding to the thickness of the case 310 in the Y direction. The FPC 360 has openings 361 and 362 . A screw 365 is inserted through the opening 361, and the projection 118 of the push switch 100A is inserted through the opening 362. As shown in FIG.

Like the FPC 360 , the metal plate 370 is long in the X direction and narrow in the Y direction corresponding to the thickness of the case 310 in the Y direction. A screw 375 is inserted through the opening 371, and the projection 118 of the push switch 100A is inserted through the opening 372. As shown in FIG.

The push switch 100A mounted on the FPC 360 is attached to the case 310 by screwing the screws 375 into the screwing portions 314 of the case 310 while the metal plate 370 is in contact with the -Z direction side surface of the FPC 360. The FPC 360 is attached to the case 310 so as to be pressed from the inside to the outside of the case 310 by being screwed to the screwing portion 314 by the screws 375 .

When the screw 375 is screwed into the screwing portion 314 , the surface of the FPC 360 on the +Z direction side contacts the end surface of the screwing portion 314 on the −Z direction side. That is, the position of the push switch 100A with respect to the case 310 in the Z direction is determined by bringing the +Z direction side surface of the FPC 360 into contact with the −Z direction side end surface of the screw fastening portion 314 .

In this state, the tip of the screw 375 on the +Z direction side is housed inside the concave portion 311B1 (see FIG. 20) of the rear surface 311B of the side portion 311, and the screw 375 does not touch the case 310 except for the screwing portion 314. Also, in this state, the push switch 100A is not in contact with the case 310. As shown in FIG. There is a gap between the +Z direction side surface of the housing 110 of the push switch 100A and the rear surface 311B of the case 310 .

Also, the cover 330 is attached to the +Z direction side surface of the waterproof rubber 340 by attaching a double-sided tape 335 to the -Z direction side surface. The waterproof rubber 340 is adhered to the concave portion 311</b>C of the case 310 with a double-sided tape 345 while the end of the stem 350 on the +Z direction side is fitted in the concave portion 341 .

Thereby, the cross-sectional structure shown in FIG. 20 is completed. Surface 331 of cover 330 is flush with surface 311A of side portion 311 of case 310, and convex portion 351 of stem 350 abuts convex portion 144A of pressing member 140 of push switch 100A.

In the electronic device 300 configured as described above, when the operating portions 331A and 331B of the cover 330 are pressed in the -Z direction, the cover 330 and the rubber member 340 bend, and the stem 350 moves in the -Z direction, thereby pressing the protrusion 144A (see FIG. 2) of the pressing member 140 of the push switch 100A. As a result, the push switch 100A is brought into a conductive state by the reverse operation of the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B (see FIG. 2).

When the convex portion 144A is pressed, the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B (see FIG. 2) are reversed, so that the user's fingertips touching the operating portions 331A and 331B are provided with a click feeling. Thereby, the user can tactilely sense that the operation of the operation units 331A and 331B has been received by the electronic device 300 and completed.

Further, the operation portions 331A and 331B of the cover 330 are flush with and flat with portions other than the operation portions 331A and 331B, and the case 310 and the cover 330 are flush with each other on the side surface of the electronic device 300. Therefore, the design of the electronic device 300 is good.

Therefore, it is possible to provide the electronic device 300 that has a good design and can feedback the completion of the operation to the user with a tactile sensation.

Further, since the push switch 100A uses the principle of leverage, the click feeling can be further increased by increasing the ratio between the length of the fulcrum and the point of action and the length of the fulcrum and the point of force.

In the above description, the operating portions 331A and 331B of the cover 330 are flush with and flat with portions other than the operating portions 331A and 331B, but the operating portions 331A and 331B may be recessed or protruded from portions other than the operating portions 331A and 331B.

In the above description, the push switch 100A includes the pressing member 140 that uses the principle of leverage, but the pressing member 140 may have a configuration that does not use the principle of leverage. That is, instead of using the pressing member 140, the pressing load of the pressing member 140 may be directly transmitted to the leaf spring 130B without using the principle of leverage.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a cross section of an electronic device 300A according to a modification of the third embodiment. The cross section shown in FIG. 21 is a cross section corresponding to FIG. The electronic device 300 has a configuration in which the case 310 of the electronic device 300 shown in FIGS. 17 to 20 is replaced with a case 310A. Since other configurations are the same as those of the electronic device 300, similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

Case 310A has a configuration in which convex portion 315 is added to case 300 shown in FIG. The configuration of case 310A is the same as case 310 shown in FIG.

The protrusions 315 are provided on both sides in the X direction of the through hole 311D of the rear surface 311B of the case 310A, and protrude in the -Z direction. The projection amount of the convex portion 315 is the amount by which the FPC 360 does not come into contact with the screwing portion 314 when the −Z direction side end surface of the convex portion 315 is in contact with the +Z direction side surface of the corner portion 116 (see FIG. 3) of the housing 110 of the push switch 100A.

In the electronic device 300A, the +Z direction side surface of the corner portion 116 of the housing 110 of the push switch 100A is in contact with the -Z direction side end surface of the convex portion 315 of the case 310A.

Since the screw 375 is screwed into the screwing portion 314 in a state in which the end surface of the protrusion 315 of the case 310A on the −Z direction side and the surface of the corner 116 of the housing 110 of the push switch 100A on the +Z direction side are in contact with each other, a load due to the reaction force received from the protrusion 315 is applied to the surface of the corner 116 of the housing 110 of the push switch 100A on the +Z direction side.

Push switch 100A has extending portions 125A and 125B embedded in corners 116A and 116B (see FIG. 3) of housing 110, so corners 116A and 116B have high rigidity and extremely high load resistance in the Z direction.

Therefore, the load applied from the convex portion 315 can be sufficiently received by the corner portion 116 .

FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining an error in the Z direction when the push switch 100A is attached to the case 310A. Here, electronic device 300 shown in FIG. 20 and electronic device 300A shown in FIG. 21 will be compared and described.

Since the push switch 100A reverses the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B (see FIG. 2) with a stroke of about 50 μm of the projection 144A of the pressing member 140, the positional error in the Z direction with respect to the case 310 or 310A is very important. This is because if the error is too large, there is a risk that the stroke required for the reversing operation cannot be secured. Also, in general, the positional error that can occur when a member is attached to another member using a screw or the like is at least about 100 μm.

In the electronic device 300 shown in FIG. 20, the position of the push switch 100A in the Z direction with respect to the case 310 is determined by placing the FPC 360 mounted with the push switch 100A on the metal plate 370 and screwing the screw 375 through the FPC 360 and the metal plate 370 into the screwing portion 314 of the case 310.

In the electronic device 300 shown in FIG. 20, the −Z direction surface of the housing 110 in contact with the FPC 360 serves as a reference surface when it is attached to the case 310. Therefore, the error in the position of the push switch 100A in the Z direction with respect to the case 310 in the electronic device 300 includes the thickness of the bottom wall 113 of the housing 110 indicated by (1), the thickness of the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B (see FIG. 2) in the Z direction indicated by (2), and , (3), which is included in the dimension (thickness) of the pressing member 140 in the Z direction. The dimension indicated by (3) is the dimension from the most projecting position in the −Z direction of the projection 143A of the pressing member 140 to the top of the projection 144A.

Thus, in the electronic device 300, the three thickness errors (1), (2), and 3) affect the positional error of the push switch 100A with respect to the case 310 in the Z direction.

On the other hand, in the electronic device 300A shown in FIG. 21, the surface of the housing 110 on the +Z direction side serves as a reference surface when it is attached to the case 310. Therefore, only the distance in the Z direction between the top of the protrusion 144A of the pressing member 140 and the surface of the housing 110 on the +Z direction side shown in (4) affects the error in the mounting position of the push switch 100A with respect to the case 310A.

Therefore, compared to the electronic device 300 shown in FIG. 20, the electronic device 300A shown in FIG. 21 can reduce the error in the mounting position of the push switch 100A with respect to the case 310, and has a configuration that facilitates the performance of the short stroke type push switch 100A.

21 is the same as the electronic device 300 shown in FIG. 20 except that the case 310A has a convex portion 315. As shown in FIG.

That is, the user of electronic device 300A can tactilely sense that the operation of operation units 331A and 331B has been received and completed by electronic device 300A. Further, the operation portions 331A and 331B of the cover 330 are flush with and flat with portions other than the operation portions 331A and 331B, and since the case 310A and the cover 330 are flush with each other on the side surface of the electronic device 300A, the design of the electronic device 300A is good.

Therefore, it is possible to provide the electronic device 300A which has a good design and can feedback the completion of the operation to the user with a tactile sensation.

Further, it is possible to provide the electronic device 300A that can further reduce errors in the attachment position of the push switch 100A.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a cross section of an electronic device 300B according to a modification of the third embodiment. 24 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 23. FIG. The cross section shown in FIG. 23 is a cross section corresponding to FIG. Electronic device 300B has a configuration in which case 310, cover 330, and stem 350 of electronic device 300 shown in FIGS. 17 to 20 are replaced with case 310B, cover 330B, and stem 350B, respectively. Also, electronic device 300B does not include waterproof rubber 340 .

Further, electronic device 300B includes push switch 100B instead of push switch 100A of electronic device 300. FIG. Since other configurations are the same as those of the electronic device 300, similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

23 and 24 show a state in which the operating portion 331A of the operating portions 331A and 331B of the cover 330B is pressed. In this state, the push switch 100B corresponding to the operation section 331A is in a conducting state. The stroke when pressing the operating portions 331A and 331B in the Z direction is, for example, about 50 μm, and FIGS. 23 and 24 show deformation due to pressing in an exaggerated manner.

The push switch 100B has a configuration in which the convex portion 144A of the pressing member 140 (see FIG. 6) of the push switch 100A is enlarged in the +Z direction. As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the convex portion 144A protrudes greatly in the +Z direction and has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

Electronic device 300B does not have waterproof rubber 340 because it includes rubber cover 330B having a waterproof function. The housing 310B has a through hole 311D that is enlarged in the X direction and does not include a recess 311C (see FIG. 20). A step portion 311D1 is provided in the through hole 311D. The stepped portion 311D1 is a portion that forms a step between the -Z direction side of the through hole 311D and the +Z direction side portion of the through hole 311D by lengthening in the X direction.

The cover 330B is a member made of rubber that covers a predetermined portion of the side surface (the surface on the +Z direction side) of the case 310B, and when the user presses the operation units 331A and 331B, the cover 330B is more easily deformed than the metal cover 330 (see FIG. 20). This is because it has greater elasticity than metal. The cover 330B may be provided over the entire side surface of the electronic device 300B, or may be provided on a part of the side surface of the electronic device 300B.

The stem 350B has a concave portion 352, a convex portion 353, and a convex portion 354. As shown in FIG. The recess 352 is a portion recessed in the +Z direction from the surface of the stem on the -Z direction side, and is provided in the center of the stem 350B in the X direction. The recess 352 is fitted with the protrusion 144A of the push switch 100B.

The convex portion 353 is a portion that protrudes in the −Z direction from both sides of the concave portion 352 in the X direction on the −Z direction side surface of the stem 350B, and does not contact the +Z direction side surface of the housing 110 of the push switch 100B even when the operation portions 331A and 331B are pressed with a normal pressing force. The normal pressing force is the stress applied when most users press, which is set in the design stage of the electronic device 300B. When the operating portions 331A and 331B are pressed with a predetermined pressing force that is larger than the normal pressing force, the push switch 100B comes into contact with the +Z direction side surface of the housing 110 and prevents further pressing. That is, the convex portion 353 is an emergency stopper.

The protrusions 354 protrude in the ±X directions from both sides in the X direction on the −Z direction side of the stem 350B, and are accommodated in the stepped portions 311D1 of the cover 310B. The protrusion 354 is provided to prevent the stem 354 from coming off in the +Z direction.

In the electronic device 300B configured as described above, when the operating portions 331A and 331B are pressed to press the convex portion 144A of the push switch 100B, the metal contact 130A and the leaf spring 130B (see FIG. 2) are reversely operated, so that the user's fingertips or the like touching the operating portions 331A and 331B are provided with a click feeling. Thereby, the user can tactilely sense that the operation of the operation units 331A and 331B has been received by the electronic device 300 and completed.

Also, since the cover 330B is made of rubber, it is easily deformable like the operation section 331A shown in FIGS.

Further, the operation portions 331A and 331B of the cover 330B are flush with and flat with portions other than the operation portions 331A and 331B, and the case 310B and the cover 330B are flush with each other on the side surface of the electronic device 300B, so the design of the electronic device 300B is good.

Therefore, it is possible to provide the electronic device 300B that has a good design and can feedback the completion of the operation to the user with a tactile sensation.

Although electronic devices according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible without departing from the scope of the claims.

This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-024542 filed on February 17, 2020, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated into this international application.

100, 200 push switch 110, 210 housing 112, 212 housing 120A, 120B, 220A, 220B, 220C metal plate 121A, 221A central fixed contact 121B, 221B peripheral fixed contact 125A, 125B, 225A, 225B, 225C extension 130A Metal contact 130B Leaf spring 131A, 131B Dome part 140, 240 Pressing member 142 Fulcrum part 143 Action point part 143A Convex part 144 Power point part 144A Convex part 150 Insulator 245 Spring contact 300, 300A, 300B Electronic device 310, 310A, 310B Case 3 30, 330B Cover 311D Through hole 350, 350B Stem 360 FPC

Claims (11)

a case having a through hole;
A switch module having a circuit board and a switch mounted on the circuit board, wherein the circuit board is mounted inside the case in alignment with the through hole;
a stem provided in the through hole of the case and in contact with the pressing member of the switch;
a cover member attached to the outside of the case and in contact with the stem,
the switch has a housing that houses at least part of the pressing member;
the housing abuts against the case with the circuit board mounted inside the case;
An electronic device, wherein the pressing member is pressed via the stem due to bending caused by pressing the outer surface of the cover member, thereby switching the conductive state of the switch. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said cover member has a flat outer surface. 3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board is attached so as to be pressed outward from the inside of the case. The housing has a storage portion that stores at least part of the pressing member, and a side wall that is arranged around the storage portion,
2. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein a side wall of said housing abuts against said case with said circuit board mounted inside said case. 5. The electronic device according to claim 4 , wherein said switch has a fixed contact member partly embedded in said side wall and/or bottom wall by insert molding. The fixed contact member is
a terminal exposed to the outside from an end portion of the housing in the first axial direction in plan view;
an extension portion in which an end portion of the terminal in the second axial direction in a plan view is bent upward and extends and is embedded in the side wall and/or the bottom wall by insert molding;
6. The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein said part is said extension. The fixed contact member has a fixed contact extending into the housing,
7. The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein said switch further comprises a reversible spring-type movable contact member arranged to overlap said fixed contact within said accommodating portion and capable of reversing operation when pressed by said pressing member. The housing has an opening that opens at the top of the side wall,
The movable contact member is arranged inside the storage portion closer to the opening than the fixed contact member, protrudes toward the opening in a dome shape, and has a dome portion that can be reversed,
The pressing member has a fulcrum provided on one end side and in contact with the housing, an action point portion provided on the other end side for pressing the movable contact member, and a force point portion provided between the fulcrum portion and the action point portion.
8. The electronic device according to claim 7 , wherein when the power point portion is pressed through the opening, the convex portion of the action point portion presses and reverses the dome portion of the movable contact member so that the movable contact member comes into contact with the fixed contact member. The through hole of the case is formed in the side surface of the case,
9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said switch module is attached to a side portion of said case. 10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein said switch is a power switch or a volume control switch of said electronic device. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , wherein the electronic device is a smart phone or a tablet computer.

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