Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Hisashi Watanabe

Yasunori Yanai

Koji Sako

Masatsugu Takeuchi

Hiroshi Matsui

Shoji Takeda

Hideo Nakagawa

Masaki Sawada

Takashi Saito

Yoshikazu Yagi

Hiromichi Koyama

Takashi Tomago

Koji Tamano

Reiko Hinogami

Toyokazu Yasui

Shingo Oyagi

Kenji Kamio

Hideki Notake

A push-on switch includes a movable contact which has a projecting segment permanently connected with an outer contact and which is accommodated in a recess of a switch enclosure. A sheet with a center through hole for the movable contact is placed on the switch enclosure. The push-on switch also includes a metal cover with a cover terminal. The metal cover is attached to the switch enclosure such that a pressing segment faces a disc segment of the movable contact corresponding to the position of the center through hole with a predetermined vertical gap between the pressing segment and the disc segment. When a very low and weak force is applied on the pressing segment, the pressing segment comes into contact with the disc segment to change the state of a first-stage switch.

Push-on switch

Switch

A push-on switch according to the present invention is constructed so that a pressing part faces the top surface of a dome-shaped movable contact, across a given clearance. Such a construction allows the pressing part to be pressed a distance until the pressing part touches the movable contact to be utilized for pre-loading, even if the movable contact has a short operation stroke.

A first stationary contact (i.e., center stationary contact) has a center contact point exposed at the center on the bottom of a recess in a square-shaped switch base as viewed from the above. The first stationary contact is disposed to the bottom of the recess with its lead paths extended along one of diagonal lines of the square-shaped switch base from the center contact point toward both side edges of the switch base. Second stationary contacts (i.e., outer stationary contacts) are arranged at positions along an outer brim of the recess in a line-symmetrical manner about the one of the diagonal lines in areas opposite each other along the other diagonal line. The first stationary contact and the second stationary contacts are arranged in this manner and secured into embedment by means of insertion molding in the bottom of the recess in the switch base of an insulation resin.

A push-on switch is pushed horizontally to the surface of a printed wiring board used in various electronic apparatuses. The push-on switch is of a surface mounted type, in which only front terminals lead from case can be extended vertically downwardly and soldered to the inside of through holes in land parts having the through hole of printed wiring board. Front terminals work as a maintaining means for maintaining a stable mounted state to improve proof strength against an operating force horizontal to the printed wiring board surface. Therefore, the stable mounted state to the printed wiring board is kept also when horizontal pushing is repeated.

A push switch includes a case made of insulating resin including a plate-like portion shaped substantially like a plate, a first fixed contact exposed at a first surface of the plate-like portion of the case, a second fixed contact exposed at the first surface of the plate-like portion of the case, and a movable contact which electrically connects and disconnects the first fixed contact to the second fixed contact. A first metal member including the first fixed contact further includes a first terminal exposed outside the case, and a first middle portion exposed at a second surface of the plate-like portion of the case, the first middle portion connecting the first fixed contact to the first terminal. A second metal member including the second fixed contact further includes a second terminal exposed outside the case, and a second middle portion for connecting the second fixed contact to the second terminal. The push switch is thin despite the middle portion between the fixed contact and the terminal secured in the portion underneath the recess of the case.

Push switch

A push-button switch includes insulating member having a surface, first and second stationary contacts electrically isolated from each other and provided at the surface of the insulating substrate, and a movable contact. The movable contact includes an elastic metal base having a dome-shape and having a concave surface spaced from the first stationary contact and an outer rim mounted on the second stationary contact, a nickel plated layer provided on the concave surface of the elastic metal base and having a thickness ranging from 0.05 &#x3bc;m to 0.5 &#x3bc;m, a copper plated layer provided on the nickel plated layer and having a thickness ranging from 0.05 &#x3bc;m to 0.7 &#x3bc;m, and a silver plated layer provided on the copper plated layer and having a thickness ranging from 0.1 &#x3bc;m to 2 &#x3bc;m. The push-button switch has a long operating life time, has a stable contact resistance, and is inexpensive.

Push-button switch

A flange section presses a tip of one of four elastic arms upon tilting of a controlling unit formed of a stick and the flange section. The pressed elastic arm operates one of individual-switches disposed at four corners of a switch case. Each elastic arm extends from each side of the quadrangular switch case to at least a middle point of a side, which is adjacent and parallel to the arm. Using this structure, a four-directional control switch, which can effectively use a space in an electronic apparatus, can be obtained.

Four-directional control switch

The first movable contact including a ring portion and projections extended in same width as the ring is arranged against the peripheral fixed contacts and the central fixed contact at the bottom of the switch case in such manner that the ring portion confronts the peripheral fixed contacts at spaced intervals apart.

In a switch, an elastic member made of elastic material includes a bar section, a conical section at its upper portion functioning as a first deforming section, and a second deforming section at its lower portion. A movable contact in a switch case is pushed with the lower end portion of the second deforming section. A bar section of an elastic element projects through a central hole of a cover fixed to the switch case. In this switch, a pushing force applied to the elastic element deforms the first deforming section elastically, and then the second deforming section deforms elastically, and thus, the switch operates. The switch can absorb fluctuations due to combination of components of an electronic appliance, and stabilize its manipulation feeling through eliminating looseness of an operation button of the appliance.

Fixed contacts and are provided on the bottom face B of recess A in switch housing . Two contact-receptors C, D are disposed at corners so as to confront each other on the bottom face B. Outer rim B of domed movable contact made of thin metal plate and bowed upwardly is placed on the receptors so that a lower face of top A of movable contact faces fixed contacts and . Flexible film is fixed so that film covers recess A and accommodates domed movable contact

A thin push switch used in a portable electronic apparatus includes a less number of components jointed together without any adhesive controlled hardly, and can thus be favored with mass production. The push switch includes an insulating spacer having first cramp-locked tabs cramp-locked with the first terminals of a fixed plate and second cramp-locked tabs cramp-locked with the second terminals of a contact plate. The fixed plate includes a fixed contact, and the contact plate includes a movable contact. Accordingly, the contact plate, the insulating spacer, and the fixed plate can be joined together without an adhesive.

A push switch used in an electronic apparatus is provided which has a thin switch case in spite of fixed contacts embedded in the bottom of the case. When the push switch is depressed, a center fixed contact and an outer fixed contact both made of metal strip and embedded in the bottom of the switch case is electrically connected and disconnected to each other by a movable contact. In the fixed contacts, embedded thin portions are formed, which is thinner than that of the metal strip as the material. As the thin portions are embedded in the switch case, the overall thickness of the bottom of the case is reduced, thus contributing to the thinner push switch.

Push switch having reduced size

A photomask of this invention includes a main pattern part for forming a main pattern in a resist film and an alignment mark part for forming, in the resist film, an alignment accuracy determining mark not penetrating the resist film in section after development of the resist film.

Photomask, resist pattern formation method, method of determining alignment accuracy and method of fabricating semiconductor device

A push-on switch includes an insulating resin case which contains a main body , a central fixed contact point and an outer fixed contact point fixed on the back wall of a front-open recess A; a domed movable contact ; and an operating body supported by a cover . The case has an overhang , which stretches horizontally from the case in the upper part to be of a size greater than the size of main body . The overhang is provided with terminals electrically coupled with the central fixed contact point and the outer fixed contact point , respectively. In the above-configured switch, the constituent parts are simplyformed, and can be manufactured through easy mold machining or other processing methods.

Growing community of inventors

Okayama, Japan

Hisashi Watanabe