Membrane switch and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

A membrane switch and a method of manufacturing the same, includes upper and lower membranes printed with upper and lower conductive dots and an isolation layer between them, holes being opened in the isolation layer corresponding to the dots, the isolation layer is bonded with the upper and lower membranes respectively via the glue coated on the upper surface and the lower surface thereof; and the glue may employ hot melt glue. This method of manufacturing the membrane switch includes a coating the upper surface and/or lower surface of the isolation layer exclusive of the positions of the holes with glue; bonding and adhering the sides of the upper membrane and the lower membrane printed with the conductive dots and respectively to the upper surface and the lower surface of the isolation layer via glue, making the positions of the conductive dots and the holes corresponding to each other.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a membrane switch, the method comprising: coating an upper surface and a lower surface of an isolation layer, exclusive of positions of holes within the isolation layer, with hot melt glue; adhering and bonding an undersurface of an upper membrane and an upper surface of a lower membrane to the upper surface and the lower surface of the isolation layer, respectively, via the hot melt glue so that (i) the isolation layer is between the upper membrane and the lower membrane, (ii) upper conductive dots and upper conductive traces connecting the upper conductive dots printed on the undersurface of the upper membrane correspond with lower conductive dots and lower conductive traces printed on the upper surface of the lower membrane, and (iii) the holes within the isolation layer are at positions corresponding to the upper conductive dots and the lower conductive dots; and treating the upper membrane and the lower membrane by hot roll-press after being bonded to the isolation layer via the hot melt glue to form the membrane switch.

2. The method of manufacturing the membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein the hot melt glue is dried at 40-80 C. after coating to cure the hot melt glue.

3. The method of manufacturing the membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the hot roll-press is 100 C.200 C.

4. The method of manufacturing the membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein the hot roll-press speed is 1 m/s-1 cm/s.

5. The method of manufacturing the membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein the pressure of the hot roll-press is 0.5 Mpa-5 Mpa.

6. The method of manufacturing the membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein the isolation layer is a PET membrane.

7. The method of manufacturing the membrane switch according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the isolation layer is 30 m-100 m.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a structure schematic diagram of a membrane switch according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(2) Wherein, 1. upper membrane; 11. upper conductive dot; 12. upper conductive trace; 2. isolation layer; 21 hole; 3. lower membrane; 31. lower conductive dot; 32 lower conductive trace.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(3) In the following, the preferable embodiments of the present invention are explained in detail combining with the accompanying drawings.

Embodiment 1

(4) The membrane switch shown in FIG. 1 mainly includes an upper membrane 1, an isolation layer 2 and a lower membrane 3, the isolation layer 2 being located between the upper membrane 1 and lower membrane 2. Two opposite surfaces of the upper membrane 1 and the lower membrane 3 (that is, the undersurface of the upper membrane 1 and the top surface of the lower membrane 3) are respectively printed with upper conductive dots 11 and upper conductive traces 12 connecting the upper conductive dots 11 as well as lower conductive dots 31 and conductive traces 32, positions of the upper conductive dots 11 and the lower conductive dots 31, and the positions of the upper conductive traces 12 and the lower conductive traces 32 match up with and correspond to each other. Holes 21 are provided in the isolation layer 2 at the positions corresponding to the upper conductive dots 11 and the lower conductive dots 31. Glue is coated on the upper and lower surfaces of the isolation layer 2 to bond the isolation layer 2 with the upper membrane 1 and lower membrane 3. This coating process can overcome defects such as bubbles and bulges, etc., caused by the conventional printing process. In addition, coating the upper and lower surfaces of the isolation layer 2 is easy to operate and beneficial to simplify the membrane-switch production process. The glue on the upper and/or lower surfaces of the isolation layer 2 is hot-melt glue, and thus coating can carried through by machines, and bonding by hot-pressing, which increases the degree of automation and reduces human costs. In addition, when compared with the conventional liquid glue, the hot melt glue has less smell, and may be able to improve the workshop environment.

(5) In this embodiment, the isolation layer 2 is an insulation layer, which can prevent electrical contact and resulted short-circuit between the upper conductive traces 12 and the lower conductive traces 32. The isolation layer 2 preferably is PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film, which has well heat resisting property and ageing resistant performance, and can prolong the service life of the membrane switch. Thickness of the isolation layer 2 is preferably from 30 m to 100 m, facilitating the contact between the upper conductive dots 11 and lower conductive dots 31 made from conductive silver paste.

Embodiment 2

(6) The present embodiment provides a method of manufacturing a membrane switch, including the following steps:

(7) (a) coating the upper surface and/or lower surface of the isolation layer exclusive of the positions of the holes with glue;

(8) (b) bonding and adhering the sides of the upper membrane and the lower membrane printed with the conductive dots and traces respectively to the upper surface and the lower surface of the isolation layer via glue, making the positions of the conductive dots corresponding to each other, and forming a membrane switch by bonding upper membrane and lower membrane both on the isolation layer via glue.

(9) In this embodiment, the specific steps of the method of manufacturing a membrane switch have a great degree of freedom. One surface of the isolation layer may firstly be coated with glue and bonded with one of the upper membrane and lower membrane, and then the other surface of the isolation layer is coated with glue and bonded to the other one of the lower membrane and upper membrane. Or both two surfaces of the isolation layer are coated with glue simultaneously, and then bonded with the upper membrane or the lower membrane. The membrane switch is formed once both the upper and lower membranes are boned to the isolation layer via the glue layer. By coating the glue on the upper surface and/or lower surface of the isolation layer, it can greatly simplify the glue coating process and may avoid coating the glue to the conductive dots and traces and avoid the contact between the upper and lower conductive layers, thus enhancing the product quality of membrane switches. In addition, this coating process can overcome defects such as bubbles and bulges, etc., caused by the conventional printing process.

(10) If the glue described in Embodiment 1 is a hot melt glue, after being coated with the hot-melt glue, both two surfaces of the isolation layer may be dried at 40-80 C. to cure the hot melt glue. In addition, after being bonded on the glue, the side of the upper membrane and the lower membrane printed with the conductive dots and conductive traces may be treated with hot roll-press by hot roll pressing press, and the hot roll-press temperature should not exceed the softening point of the membrane material used, and preferably is 100 C.-200 C.; the hot roll-press speed preferably is 1 m/s-1 cm/s; and the hot roll-press pressure preferably is 0.5 Mpa-5 Mpa, such that the hot melt glue is heated sufficiently to bond the upper membrane, the isolation layer and lower membrane together, and thus the membrane switch has a good sealing performance. This is beneficial to increase the degree of automation, reduce human costs and improve the competitiveness of an enterprise.

(11) The embodiments described above are only for illustrating the technical concepts and features of the present invention, and intended to make those skilled in the art being able to understand the present invention and thereby implement it, and should not be concluded to limit the protective scope of this invention. Any equivalent variations or modifications according to the spirit of the present invention should be covered by the protective scope of the present invention.