Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Osamu Tanabe

Akito Miura

Ryoichi Maeda

Koichi Takahashi

Kiyoshi Suzuki

A load sensor is provided, which prevents defective printing of strain-sensing elements caused by the deflection of a pressure-receiving portion and provides stabilized quality and fabrication yields. The load sensor is provided with the strain-sensing elements printed on the pressure-receiving portion. The tip portion of the strain generating portions having a loading point is allowed to stay in advance below the plane containing the print surface of the strain generating portions in the direction of thickness. The tip portion of the pressure-receiving portion will never stay above the print surface of the strain generating portions even when the pressure-receiving portion is deflected in the heating process during fabrication. Therefore, this makes it possible to avoid defective printing of the strain-sensing elements caused by the deflection of the pressure-receiving portion.

Load sensor with strain-sensing elements

A push-push switch comprises a reciprocatable operation shaft assembled in a housing, a movable contact responsive to operation of the operation shaft, and a heart-shaped cam for locking selectively the operation shaft at a certain position when the operation shaft is pushed in opposition to a recovery spring. An operation spring attached to the heart-shaped cam for pushing the heart-shaped cam toward the operation shaft is made of a plate spring which has two bent hook pieces and a band-like pushing spring portion.

Push-push switch

A push switch, fixed on the back of a rotary variable resistor, comprises a stationary contact formed on the bottom of an insulating housing part, a movable contact of convex form, and a drive means formed on the end of an arm integrally molded with another part of the insulating housing. The drive means is mounted to the end of the operating shaft, and pushes the central part of the movable contact. Normally, the movable contact during axial movement of the operating shaft does not make contact with the stationary contact, when the operating shaft is pushed, the movable contact however, makes contact with the stationary contact. When pressure on the operating shaft is removed, the movable contact is returned to its original position by the resiliency of the movable contact and the arm.

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Miyagi, Japan

Osamu Tanabe