Smk Corporation

Smk Co., Ltd.

Hidemasa Sakurada

Haruhiko Kondo

Koichiro Ejiri

Rie Abe

Fumio Watanabe

Ryo Okamura

Kazunori Yamada

Hiroshi Tanaka

Toshifumi Maeda

Katsushi Oishi

A contact structure is provided. The contact structure suppresses arcing that can occur between contacts that establish a live connection, without increasing the size of the contact structure, and without making longer the length of the inserting/drawing stroke of a correspondingly formed contact. A live contact portion of a first contact, and an auxiliary contact portion of an auxiliary contact body configured with a high resistance resistor having a base end connected portion that establishes an electrical connection with the first contact front on a movement path of a second contact at positions that are shifted in front and rear directions while being distanced by a width that allows simultaneously contact with the second contact. If the second contact separates from the first contact, the auxiliary contact body configured with the high resistance resistor intervenes between the first contact and the second contact, and inhibits arcing.

Contact structure

The present invention is intended to provide a contact contacting structure for hot-line connection between contacts configured such that the occurrence of arc discharge between contacts is suppressed by a simple configuration. At least one of contact/separation contact surfaces in a pair opposed to each other at the contact/separation position between a first contact and a second contact is covered with an oxide film. At the time of contact or separation of the first contact and the second contact, the oxide film as an insulator intervenes between the paired contact/separation contact surfaces to decrease energy accumulated between the first contact and the second contact at the instant of contact or separation of the two contacts, thereby suppressing the occurrence of arc discharge.

Hotline contacting structure

A transparent insulative liquid is sealed between two transparent plates that are coated with transparent conductor layers on their mutually facing surfaces of a touch panel input device. The facing surface of at least one of the transparent plates is roughened. Because the conductor layer is applied directly over the roughened surface of the transparent plate, the conductor layer is also roughened. When the entire device is tilted, the insulative liquid settles downward allowing the upper conductor layers to come into contact with each other, but because the surface is roughened only the protrusions of the conductor layer make contact. The overall contact resistance does not decrease sufficiently to be interpreted as a pressing operation. When a pressing operation is made, the insulative liquid flows into the depressions created by the roughened surface of the conductor layer. Because the liquid is not interposed between conductor layers, sure contact is made, and the pressed position requires only a light pressing force.

Touch panel input device

A membrane switch having a rotary motion detection function comprises a flexible sheet, in which movable electrodes are formed that correspond to multiple keys, and a printed wiring board, in which fixed electrodes are formed that correspond to the movable electrodes. The flexible sheet and printed wiring board are arranged in layers so that the movable and fixed electrodes face each other with a prescribed spacing between them. When any key on the membrane switch is pressed and thus turned on, that key's signal is detected. When multiple keys are turned on in succession within a prescribed time interval, codes are sent that correspond to the direction and speed of movement of the sequence of turned-on keys. The rotary motion keys are arranged in a circle. The codes that correspond to the direction and speed of shift of the turned-on keys are preset in a microprocessor. The rotary motion keys can be arranged on the same board with other general keys to make up a remote control device.

Membrane switch having a rotary motion detection function

A semilunar recess affixed to a key cap of a keyboard switch is snapped over a swing rod, rotatably affixed to a key seat, during assembly of the keyboard switch. The swing rod is supported by the key seat in a position permitting the semilunar recess to snap onto it. This arrangement permits single-step assembly of keys to a keyboard.

Keyboard switch assembly

A reversing plate is provided between a depressing barrel which is engaged with a key top and a membrane contacts on a frame, wherein the reversing plate is bent toward the depressing barrel and, when a depression force applied by the depressing barrel exceeds a predetermined buckling limit, the bending direction of the reversing plate reverses toward the membrane contacts. The reversing plate is made of a plate spring and is composed of a slim peripheral piece which is bent by being provided a bending portion at several positions, a central piece astride in the approximate center of the peripheral piece, and a contact pressing piece provided at the central piece. When the key is depressed, the central piece of the reversing plate is moved under pressure transmitted through the depressing barrel, twisting the peripheral piece. When this twist exceeds the buckling limit, the reversing plate suddenly reverses to buckle toward membrane contacts, thereby pressing the membrane contacts at the contact pressing piece to turn on the switch. When the key is released, the reversing plate suddenly reverses toward the depressing barrel to make the twist of the peripheral piece return, thereby the contact pressing piece parting from the membrane contacts to turn off the switch.

Growing community of inventors

Ibaraki, Japan

Hidemasa Sakurada