Keyboard type switch assembly having fixed and movable contacts disposed on foldable flexible printed circuit board

• US 3,911,234 A
• Filed: 06/25/1974
• Issued: 10/07/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yasumasa Kotaka
• Original Assignee: Yasumasa Kotaka
• Inventors: Kotaka, Yasumasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, James R.
• Application Number:
  US05/483,179
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 200/1R,5R,5A,16A,61.54-61.57,83B,83N,86R,159R,159B,243,264,288,292,159 317/11C-11F 339/17F 29/622,625,626 113/119 174/68.5 340/365R 197/68
• US Class Current: 200/5.00A
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/02 manually operated with input through keyboard and computation using a built-in program, e.g. pocket calculators
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/702 with contacts carried by or formed from layers in a multilayer structure, e.g. membrane switches
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/042 Foam
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/064 Limitation of actuating pressure
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2229/038 Folding of flexible printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2231/002 Calculator, computer
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/01 combined with other elements on the same substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence

Abstract

A switch is formed from a flexible printed circuit folded about an apertured spacer so that contacts on the circuit face through the aperture and are engageable by flexure of the circuit. Suitably the spacer is of elastomer and is multi-apertured to provide a multiple or keyboard switch. The flexible circuit lamina may be provided with a logic device and visual display mounted directly on the lamina for use as an electronic logic device of simplified construction.

Claims

1. A flexible printed circuit matrix switch comprising a flexible printed circuit formed of a flexible insulating lamina having first and second spaced interconnectible contact portions on one surface thereof, the first portion comprising a contact zone and the second portion comprising an array of contact areas disposed in a grid, the lamina being folded about a spacer whereby the first and second contact portions are located on opposite sides of the spacer and are facing each other in opposed complementary relation, a plurality of apertures in said spacer disposed in a grid with the apertures being in alignment with the contact areas of said second contact portion, said first and second contact portions being movable into and out of engagement with each other through a selected one of said apertures by flexure of the flexible printed circuit.

2. A flexible printed circuit switch as set forth in claim 1 in which the spacer is of elastomeric insulating material.

3. A flexible printed circuit matrix switch as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first contact portion comprises a relatively large contact zone whereby different portions of said zone are engageable with selected ones of the contact areas of said second contact portion through the apertures in said spacer.

4. A flexible printed circuit matrix switch as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first contact portion comprises a pair of relatively large contact zones, one of said pair being engageable with a part of the array of contact areas of said second contact portion and the other of said pair being engageable with the remainder of the array of contact areas of the second portion.