JPH0412571B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (a) Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to a touch switch that performs switching in response to contact with a finger or the like, and in particular, while operating as a switch, the switch part itself emits light to indicate the operating state. Regarding a touch switch that can be visually confirmed.

(b) Conventional technology Conventional touch switches, which extract changes in electrical signals in response to touch operations, have a touch surface formed by bonding different metal thin plates to form a two-layer structure, and press the touch surface. A pressure switch using a piezoelectric element that extracts voltage changes caused by distortion of the touch surface, and a two-layer structure of transparent electrodes attached to the glass or plastic surface so as to cover the entire surface. By touching a part of the touch surface made of the transparent electrode, the electrode becomes energized, and the change in current changes the magnetism of the relay, causing the relay contacts to change. There are devices that are activated, and devices that have a conductive thin film deposited on the glass surface and touch the touch surface to change the capacitance between transparent electrodes provided on the back surface. For a touch switch having each of these features, it is convenient if the touch operation section is made to emit light in response to a switching operation, since the operating state of the device operated by the touch switch can be visually confirmed directly.

However, since the touch plate of the switch using a pressure sensor is made of metal, even if a light emitting element is provided, the light does not pass through the touch plate, so the switch itself cannot emit light. The one that changes the magnetism of the relay has a transparent electrode placed all over the back of the touch plate, so it is possible to install a light emitting element on the back of the touch plate that emits light according to the switching operation, making the switch operation part emit light. However, since the transparency of the transparent electrode is not good, it does not emit enough light to be suitable for practical use.
In addition, although capacitance changes do not pose a problem with respect to the luminescence transmittance of the light emitting element, the lead electrode connecting the touch electrode and the switching circuit may be detoured from the surface side of the touch plate along the side surface. They are guided to the back side of the touch board and arranged in a U-shape, so they not only emit light from the entire switch part, but also divide the switch part into multiple light-emitting sections, and only the section touched by the finger emits light. If you try to configure the switch part in such a way (see Figure 10 below), there will be problems such as the arrangement of the lead electrodes and the wiring to the light emitting element will become extremely complicated. In order to protrude from the side of the panel, multiple touch switches are fitted into the panel.
If an attempt was made to configure each touch switch to operate independently (see Figure 11 below), there would be problems such as troublesome panel machining, and there would be less flexibility in the configuration and usage of the switch section. few.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention This invention solves the problem that the above-mentioned conventional touch switch is structurally unsuitable for installing a light-emitting element and emitting light in response to a switch operation, or is unable to emit light in response to a switch operation. This was done in order to solve the drawback that there are restrictions on the configuration of the switch section and the usage pattern of the touch switch.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems The touch switch according to the present invention has a contact actuation plate as a first layer in which touch electrodes are formed in a mesh pattern on the surface of a transparent plate, and the transparent plate is made of a light-transmitting material. A second light-emitting plate includes a design board on which designs such as letters and figures are drawn, and a second light-emitting board in which light-emitting elements are embedded in appropriate positions corresponding to the designs on the design board, and a mirror surface is formed on the entire back surface of the same transparent board. A third layer is a circuit board in which a wiring circuit for a switching circuit and a switching circuit electrically connected to this circuit are formed on the back side of the flat board, and these are sequentially laminated, and the first layer is a contact-activated plate, a second layer of a pattern plate and a light emitting plate, and a third layer.
Small holes are formed at the same position in each of the circuit boards forming the layers, and metal lead pins are penetrated and buried in the small holes, and the contact actuation plate forming the first layer is formed by the metal lead pins. The touch electrode is electrically connected to the wiring circuit of the circuit board forming the third layer.

(E) Function The touch switch according to the present invention has a laminated structure as described above, and the touch electrode of the contact operation plate on the upper surface and the circuit layer of the circuit board on the lower surface are connected to the touch switch according to the present invention. They are connected with metal pins, and when a human body touches the touch electrode, a switching circuit connected to the circuit layer detects the contact capacitance component due to the human body or the contact resistance component due to the human body formed between the touch electrodes and operates to control the touch electrode. Switching the target. At this time, the light emitting elements emits light by energizing the light emitting elements embedded in the light emitting plate in response to the switching of the controlled object. When the light-emitting elements of the light-emitting plate emit light, the light is reflected by a mirror surface formed by vapor deposition of aluminum on the back surface of the light-emitting plate, and passes through the pattern plate and between the mesh-like touch electrodes of the contact operation plate. Therefore,
In response to the switching operation, a pattern arbitrarily printed and drawn on the design board is made to appear on the contact operation board, and the switch itself can be made to emit light.

(f) Embodiment FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing each component of a touch switch according to an embodiment of the present invention and a state in which these components are laminated to form a touch switch.
The main body of the touch switch 1 includes a contact operation plate 2 made of a glass plate, a pattern plate 5 and a light emitting plate 6 made of a plastic plate, a circuit board 11 made of a glass plate, and an electric circuit parts storage box 14 containing switching circuit elements. Composed of layers.

As shown in Fig. 2, the contact actuation plate 2 is made by first providing a glass substrate with perforated holes 4 that widen toward the back side (a in the same figure), and then forming a resist layer on the glass substrate by printing. (b), masking,
A touch electrode 3 is formed as a mesh-like aluminum vapor deposited layer through processes such as photocuring and etching (FIG. 3C). At this time, the aluminum layer of a portion of the touch electrode in the vicinity of the perforation hole 4 has entered the inside of the perforation hole 4 by vapor deposition. FIG. 6 shows the appearance of the contact actuating plate 2, on which the touch electrodes 3 are formed in a mesh shape, as viewed from the front side.

The design board 5 and the light emitting board 6 are made of transparent plastic plates, and a printing layer 8 on which characters, figures, etc. are drawn is formed on the surface of the design board 5 using printing ink that transmits light. Further, on the back surface of the design board 5, a light emitting board 6 is adhered, in which light emitting elements 10 are embedded in appropriate positions corresponding to the designs on the design board. On the back surface of this light emitting plate 6, an aluminum vapor deposited layer 9 is formed which becomes a mirror surface. A lead aluminum pin 7 whose tip is torn off is embedded through both of these plates. Other materials such as copper or alloy metal for soldering can be used as the lead metal pin, but as will be described later, it is preferable to use one having a hardness that can be compressed by external force. The aluminum vapor deposited layer forming the mirror surface on the back surface of the light emitting plate 6 and the lead aluminum pin 7 are peeled off at the sides of the pins so that they do not come into contact with each other. FIG. 7 shows the buried state of the light emitting element 10 embedded in the light emitting plate 6 when the plates are stacked.

As shown in FIG. 4, the circuit board 11 has a glass substrate formed through the same process as the contact actuation board 2, with a perforated hole 12 extending on the front side, and a circuit layer 15 for wiring the switching circuit on the back side. is formed. When the circuit layer 15 is formed, the circuit layer 15 as an aluminum vapor deposition layer is inserted into the perforated hole 12 by vapor deposition, similarly to the contact operation plate 2.

The electric circuit component storage box 14 stores ICs and transistor elements 16 that constitute a switching circuit.
Connect those connecting pins to circuit board 1 as shown in Figure 4.
1 circuit layer 15. Further, the storage box 14 is provided with an external lead pin 17 for connection with a switching target (not shown), but the details of the connection between this and the internal storage element will be omitted.

In this embodiment, a storage box is provided to house the switching circuit elements, but it is also possible to configure a hybrid IC and integrally form the wiring circuit layer and the switching circuit elements on the back surface of the circuit board 11. good.

As shown in FIG. 5, each plate formed as described above is inserted into the perforated holes 4 and 12 of the contact operating plate 2 forming the first layer and the circuit board 11 forming the third layer of the touch switch main body 1. Both ends of the aluminum pins 7 for leads embedded in the design plate 5 and the light emitting plate 6 forming the second layer are inserted and mounted to be stacked. Naturally, the buried position of the lead aluminum pin 7 and the position of the drilled holes 4 and 12 are aligned in advance.
At this time, an aluminum evaporation layer that forms the touch electrode 3 and the wiring circuit layer 15 of the switching circuit is inserted into the inside of each drilled hole, and when the lead aluminum pin 7 is inserted, the aluminum evaporation layer is formed around the tip of the pin. The layers adhere. By laminating these plates and then press-bonding them, the lead aluminum pins 7 are compressed, and their adhesion to the aluminum vapor deposited layer is ensured. Therefore, the touch electrode 3 on the front surface of the touch switch main body 1 and the circuit layer 15 on the back surface are electrically connected by this lead aluminum pin 7, and the weak current flowing through the touch electrode 3 is passed through the human body to the touch electrode. The circuit layer 15 changes when touched, and this change is reflected in the circuit layer 15 connected by the lead aluminum pin 7.
A switching circuit constructed in the electrical parts storage box 14 connected to the electrical parts storage box 14 detects and operates, and switches the control object connected to the external lead pin 17 of the storage box 14. Although not shown, a light emitting element 10 embedded in the light emitting plate 6 is connected to the power supply section on the side to be controlled.
A power supply line is connected to the controller, and the controller is configured to energize and emit light when the controlled object is switched. Since the aluminum evaporated layer 9 which becomes a mirror surface is formed on the back surface of the light emitting plate 6, the luminous intensity is higher due to the combination of the reflected light from this mirror surface compared to the case where the light emitting elements simply emit light.

The use of the touch switch configured as described above will be explained. For example, as shown in FIGS. 8a, b, and c, touch switch bodies 1 are successively fitted into the mounting holes of a switch operation panel 20 to form an operation panel. Each touch switch is wired to correspond to, for example, a brightness/dark switch for several types of indoor lights, and the switch operation panel 20 is embedded in the wall of the room. Figure c shows that the switch in the middle is operating, and the pattern drawn on the pattern board is highlighted and emitted light. If the switch operation panel 20 itself has a laminated structure similar to the touch switch main body 1, the switch position can be easily confirmed by lighting the panel side at night. In this way, conventionally installed switches can be easily replaced with the touch switch according to the present invention.

In addition, the operation panel is not only created by arranging the touch switches of each configuration, but also the entire surface of the operation panel is used as the connection operation plate 2, as shown in FIG. The storage box 14 can also be integrally constructed as a switch section by embedding the lead aluminum pins 7 and stacking them in the same manner as described above. When configured in this way, there is only one switching target, but a design is printed using the entire surface of the design board 5, and the light emitting elements 10 are embedded in the light emitting board 6 in various hues according to the design. As a result, a pattern can be made to stand out on the entire surface of the contact operation plate 2 as an operation panel, like a picture in a frame. Therefore, if used as a switch for lighting equipment in a drawing room or the like, it not only functions as a simple switch, but also functions to enhance the decorativeness of the room. The present invention is characterized in that it can be configured as a touch switch that can also perform such functions, and that the role of each plate in the laminated structure and the connection between the touch electrode and the switching circuit section are performed by vertical lead pins that can be buried freely. It acts as a point to attach.
When the entire surface of the operation panel is integrally configured as a switch part, the touch electrode 3 is configured to be separated and independent as an oval shape in the figure, as shown in FIG. 10, and a switching circuit corresponding to each separated part is connected. If it is constructed so that it is connected with aluminum lead pins that are provided and buried, it will have exactly the same shape as the switch operation panel constructed as shown in FIG. 8. Since it can be constructed in one piece, it has the advantage of saving time in the production process.

In addition, as shown in Figure 11, a large number of resistive elements or capacitors are built into the main body of a touch switch, and by creating continuous differences in current changes and capacitance changes, each change value is detected when the fingertip touches the switch. touch the keyboard panel 3 so that anything it comes in contact with will emit light.
0 and configured so that the sound generation circuit is activated by switching, a light-emitting type keyboard can be manufactured, and furthermore, a light-emitting type volume controller, a detector, etc. can be manufactured in the same way. .

In addition, since the mesh-shaped touch electrode 3 formed on the touch operation plate 2 also acts as an antenna, a remote control device using radio waves or the like is provided.
Switching can also be performed remotely without physical contact.

(g) Effects Since the touch switch according to the present invention is constructed and operated as described above, the touch switch operates using low direct current voltage, which is the electrostatic voltage of the human body, and the only effect is that the high voltage part can be separated from the sensor part. In addition, it has the following unique effects.

(i) The switch part itself can emit light in response to the switching operation, and a design that indicates the switching target or a pattern that increases decorativeness can be raised on the contact surface to display the continued operation of the switching target. can be visually recognized.

(ii) For emitting light, transparent glass plates and plastic plates are laminated, and the touch electrodes and switching circuits formed on the front and back surfaces of the laminated plates do not require spacers buried above and below them in the stacking direction. In addition to being connected by lead pins that take the shortest distance, the light emitting elements can be embedded freely in the required position on the plastic board, and can be placed under the outline of the design printed on the design board or on the surrounding surface of the outline. Since light-emitting elements of various colors can be buried underneath, the design can be designed quite freely depending on the place and purpose of use.

(iii) By using the touch electrode portion formed in a mesh shape as an antenna, switching as a touch switch can be easily performed remotely.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing each component of a touch switch according to an embodiment of the present invention and a state in which these components are laminated to form a touch switch.
FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c are diagrams showing the process of forming touch electrodes on the actuating plate forming the first layer of the contact touch switch. Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of the design board and light emitting board that make up the second layer of the touch switch, and Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the design board and light emitting board that make up the second layer of the touch switch. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a state in which the boxes are connected, and FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a touch switch constructed by laminating layers. FIG. 6 is a partial plan view showing touch electrodes formed on the surface of the touch operation plate. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a light emitting element is embedded in a light emitting plate. FIGS. 8a, 8b and 8c are perspective views showing the process of installing the touch switch of the embodiment on the switch operation panel. 9 and 10 are perspective views showing the structure of a modified embodiment. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a light-emitting keyboard constructed using the touch switch of the embodiment. 1...Touch switch body, 2...Touch operation plate, 3...Touch electrode, 4, 12...Drilled hole, 5
... Design board, 6 ... Light emitting board, 7 ... Aluminum pin for lead, 8 ... Design printing layer, 9 ... Aluminum vapor deposition layer, 10 ... Light emitting element, 11 ... Circuit board, 14 ...
...Electric circuit component storage box (switching circuit forming layer), 15... Wiring circuit layer, 16... Switching circuit element.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 The first layer is a touch-activated plate in which touch electrodes are formed in a mesh pattern on the surface of a transparent plate, and a pattern plate in which designs such as letters and figures are drawn on the transparent plate using a light-transmitting material, and also a transparent plate. A light emitting element is embedded in an appropriate position corresponding to the design on the design board, and a light emitting board with a mirror surface formed on the entire back surface is used as a second layer, and a wiring circuit for a switching circuit and a wiring circuit are further provided on the back side of the flat board. A circuit board on which a switching circuit electrically connected to this circuit is formed is the third layer, and these are sequentially laminated, and the contact operation plate is the first layer, the pattern board and the light emitting board are the second layer, and Small holes are bored at the same position in each of the circuit boards forming the third layer, metal pins for leads are penetrated and buried in these small holes, and the metal pins for leads form the contact forming the first layer. A touch switch that electrically connects the touch electrode on the actuating plate and the wiring circuit on the third layer circuit board.