Membrane switch

• US 4,607,147 A
• Filed: 12/06/1984
• Issued: 08/19/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ono, Yasuichi, Amagishi, Yoshitada, Nakamura, Moritoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cusick, Ernest G.
• Application Number:
  US06/678,985
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 200/159 B, 200/306, 200/267-269, 200/5 A, 200/5 R, 200/292, 200/304, 200/305, 339/17 F, 339/176 MF, 174/86.5
• US Class Current: 200/512
• 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 13/703 characterised by spacers between contact carrying layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/785 characterised by the material of the contacts, e.g. conductive polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2201/03 Composite
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2203/046 to save ink
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2203/054 for redundancy, e.g. several contact pairs in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2207/004 Printed circuit tail
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2207/008 Adhesive means; Conductive adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2209/002 Materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2211/004 Adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2213/002 with external pressure
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2229/038 Folding of flexible printed circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0323 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10977 Encapsulated connections applying non-metallic protective coatings for encapsulating mounted components H05K3/284
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/245 Reinforcing conductive patterns made by printing techniques or by other techniques for applying conductive pastes, inks or powders; Reinforcing other conductive patterns by such techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/305 Affixing by adhesive
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/361 Assembling flexible printed circuits with other printed circuits

Abstract

A membrane switch comprises an insulating substrate on the surface of which thin-film-like electrodes are formed with a connecting lug section provided integrally at one end of the substrate. Thin-film-like conductive layers continuing from the electrodes are extending up to the connecting lug section and the extended end portions of the conductive layers compose a connecting terminal section.

Claims

1. A membrane switch, adapted to be electrically and physically connected to a separate printed circuit board having conductive leads formed thereon, comprising:

(a) an insulating substrate layer having first and second electrode sections, a fold-up section connecting said electrode sections, and a connecting lug section extending from one of said electrode sections, all of said sections being formed integrally with said insulating substrate layer,

(b) said first and second electrode sections having upper and lower electrodes formed thereon, respectively, and said insulating substrate layer being folded along said fold-up section with an insulating spacer interposed between said electrode sections such that said upper and lower electrodes are opposed to each other separated by a space therebetween; and

(c) thin-film conductive layers formed on said insulating substrate layer and extending from said upper and lower electrodes to terminal end portions formed on said connecting lug section,

(d) said connecting lug section including said terminal end portions composed of said thin-film conductive layers having respective hot-melt type conductive bonding layers formed thereon, and a hot-melt type insulative bonding layer formed between and around said terminal end portions on said insulating substrate layer, whereby said membrane switch can be electrically and physically connected to said printed circuit board by hot-melt bonding of said conductive bonding layers between said thin-film conductive layers of said membrane switch and said conductive leads of said printed circuit board, and of said insulative bonding layer between said insulating substrate layer and said printed circuit board.

2. A membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein said fold-up section is an elongate boundary portion between said first and second electrode sections and includes a linear slit provided over a middle part of said fold-up section, said linear slit terminating in a pair of tear-preventing holes provided at both ends thereof, and said thin-film conductive layers extending from one of said electrode section across said fold-up section being disposed to one side beyond said linear slit.

3. A membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein said upper and lower electrodes and said thin-film conductive layers comprise a metallic layer and a carbon layer extending over and on the sides of said metallic layer.

4. A membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein said terminal end portions are spaced from an edge of said connecting lug section by a clearance, and said hot-melt type insulating bonding layer extends into said clearance.

5. A membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein said hot-melt type bonding layers include a compound providing a hydrophobe characteristic.