CN110896010A

CN110896010A - Multifunctional knob assembly

Info

Publication number: CN110896010A
Application number: CN201811069577.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 常军营
Original assignee: Shanghai Qinggan Intelligent Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shanghai Qinggan Intelligent Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-09-13
Filing date: 2018-09-13
Publication date: 2020-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 2038-09-13
Also published as: CN110896010B

Abstract

The invention provides a multifunctional knob assembly, which comprises a front cover, a partition plate, a rear cover, a knob cap and an intermediate shaft, wherein the partition plate is positioned between the front cover and the rear cover, the knob cap is arranged on the outer side of the front cover, the intermediate shaft penetrates through the front cover and the partition plate, one end of the intermediate shaft is connected with the knob cap, a plurality of sliding blocks are arranged between the front cover and the partition plate, the intermediate shaft is arranged in a hollow area formed by the sliding blocks, and the intermediate shaft can push the sliding blocks to slide in the radial direction; the partition plate and the rear cover comprise a bushing and a disc sleeve, the bushing is connected to the other end of the intermediate shaft, the disc sleeve is sleeved outside the bushing, the bottom surface of the bushing and the bottom surface of the disc sleeve comprise an elastic key, and the elastic key is abutted between the bottom surface of the bushing and the bottom surface of the disc sleeve.

Description

Multifunctional knob assembly

Technical Field

The invention mainly relates to the field of automobile parts, in particular to a multifunctional knob assembly.

Background

The vehicle-mounted terminal is generally provided with a knob structure, and a plurality of parameters such as the temperature and the air volume of the air conditioner can be adjusted by using the knob structure.

The adjusting mode of the knob structure is usually rotation and is used for adjusting the temperature, the air volume and the like of the air conditioner, and the adjusting mode and the function are single. In order to enrich the adjusting mode and function of the knob structure, a plurality of improvements are made on the knob structure, for example, an air conditioner can be started by pressing.

The existing improvement aiming at the knob structure has more parts, complex assembly and poor mechanical hand feeling.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a multifunctional knob component which has fewer parts, is simple to assemble and has good mechanical hand feeling.

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a multifunctional knob assembly, including: the utility model discloses a knob lid, its characterized in that is connected to the jackshaft, including protecgulum, baffle, back lid, knob cap and jackshaft, the baffle is located the protecgulum with between the back lid, the knob cap sets up the outside of protecgulum, the jackshaft runs through the protecgulum with the baffle just the one end of jackshaft is connected the knob cap, its characterized in that: the middle shaft is arranged in a hollow area formed by the sliding blocks and can push the sliding blocks to slide in the radial direction; the middle shaft is provided with a middle shaft, a middle shaft is arranged in the middle shaft, a partition plate is arranged between the middle shaft and the middle shaft, a lining and a disc sleeve are arranged between the partition plate and the rear cover, the lining is connected to the other end of the middle shaft, the disc sleeve is sleeved outside the lining, an elastic key is arranged between the bottom surface of the lining and the bottom surface of the disc sleeve, and the elastic key abuts against the bottom surface of the lining and the bottom surface of the disc; wherein the intermediate shaft is adapted to transmit an axial force through the bushing to the resilient key and to transmit a torque to the bushing.

In an embodiment of the invention, the elastic key is made of silicone.

In one embodiment of the invention, the end of the intermediate shaft connected to the bushing comprises an intermediate shaft end sleeve.

In one embodiment of the invention, the cross section of the intermediate shaft end sleeve is square.

In an embodiment of the invention, the outer side wall of the bushing comprises a guide rib, and the disk sleeve is axially movable along the guide rib.

In an embodiment of the invention, the edge of the sleeve or the sleeve is serrated.

In an embodiment of the invention, a position sensor is further included, the position sensor being adapted to detect rotation as well as axial movement of the bushing.

In an embodiment of the invention, further comprising a position sensor adapted to detect axial movement of the bushing and rotation of the disc sleeve.

In an embodiment of the invention, the sliding blocks are uniformly distributed around the intermediate shaft, and the adjacent sliding blocks are tightly attached.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the sliding block includes an inclined plane, the inclined plane is provided with a contact block, and the other end of the contact block is provided with an elastic connecting member.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the following advantages: the invention provides a multifunctional knob assembly, which can be pressed, rotated and pulled by a user to realize different functions, thereby providing diversified operation modes and practical functions for the user; the multifunctional knob component is provided with the elastic keys, and the knob cap can rotate at any angle and can be pulled towards any direction, so that good controllable mechanical hand feeling is provided for a user; the multifunctional knob component has few parts, compact structure and simple assembly.

Drawings

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below, wherein:

fig. 1 is an oblique view of a multi-function knob assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the multi-function knob assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a multi-function knob assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a partial structure of a multifunctional knob assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a partial structure of a multifunctional knob assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing a partial structure of a multifunctional knob assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a D-D cross-section in a partial configuration of the multi-function knob assembly of FIG. 6.

Detailed Description

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention, but the present invention may be practiced in other ways than those specifically described herein, and thus the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

As used in this application and the appended claims, the terms "a," "an," "the," and/or "the" are not intended to be inclusive in the singular, but rather are intended to be inclusive in the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In general, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" merely indicate that steps and elements are included which are explicitly identified, that the steps and elements do not form an exclusive list, and that a method or apparatus may include other steps or elements.

Furthermore, each of the embodiments described below has one or more technical features, and thus, the use of the technical features of any one embodiment does not necessarily mean that all of the technical features of any one embodiment are implemented at the same time or that only some or all of the technical features of different embodiments are implemented separately. In other words, those skilled in the art can selectively implement some or all of the features of any embodiment or combinations of some or all of the features of multiple embodiments according to the disclosure of the present invention and according to design specifications or implementation requirements, thereby increasing the flexibility in implementing the invention.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "on," "connected to," "coupled to" or "contacting" another element, it can be directly on, connected or coupled to, or contacting the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to," "directly coupled to" or "directly contacting" another element, there are no intervening elements present. Similarly, when a first element is referred to as being "in electrical contact with" or "electrically coupled to" a second element, there is an electrical path between the first element and the second element that allows current to flow. The electrical path may include capacitors, coupled inductors, and/or other elements that allow current to flow even without direct contact between the conductive elements.

As described in the background art, the knob structure is usually rotated to adjust the temperature, the air volume, etc. of the air conditioner, and the adjustment mode and the function are relatively single. In order to enrich the adjusting mode and function of the knob structure, a plurality of improvements are made on the knob structure, for example, an air conditioner can be started by pressing. The existing improvement to the knob structure has the disadvantages of more parts, complex assembly, difficult quality control and high cost.

The invention provides a multifunctional knob assembly which has the advantages of fewer parts, simplicity in assembly, easiness in quality control and lower cost. The multifunctional knob assembly can be applied to a vehicle-mounted terminal of a vehicle.

Fig. 1 is an oblique view of a multi-function knob assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the multi-function knob assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the multi-function knob assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The structure of the multifunctional knob assembly 100 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 3.

The multi-function knob assembly 100 includes a front cover 101, a spacer 102, a rear cover 103, a knob cap 104, and an intermediate shaft 105. The front cover 101, the partition plate 102, the rear cover 103, and the knob cap 104 may be made of plastic, such as Polyoxymethylene (POM). The material of the intermediate shaft 105 may be a metal member, such as stainless steel.

The front cover 101 and the rear cover 103 form an outer case for accommodating the internal structure of the multifunctional knob assembly 100. The front cover 101 has an opening in the middle thereof for receiving the knob cap 104. The front cover 101 may be rectangular in cross-sectional shape. The long side direction of the front cover 101 is defined as a long axis, and the short side direction of the front cover 101 is defined as a short axis. A partition 102 is located between the front cover 101 and the rear cover 103 for dividing the housing into two spaces. A circuit board 1021 is provided on the spacer 102, and includes a position sensor for detecting an electrical signal. A bumper 114 may also be provided on the spacer 102 to provide a good mechanical feel. The material of the buffer 114 may be an elastic material, such as silicone.

The knob cap 104 is disposed outside the front cover 101. The knob cap 104 may be circular in cross-section. An intermediate shaft 105 penetrates the front cover 101 and the bulkhead 102, and one end of the intermediate shaft 105 is connected to the knob cap 104. The connection mode of the middle shaft 105 and the knob cap 104 can be fixed connection or detachable connection. The fixed connection of the intermediate shaft 105 to the knob cap 104 may be adhesive. The detachable connection of the intermediate shaft 105 to the knob cap 104 may be a threaded connection. The direction along the intermediate axis 105 is defined as the axial direction and the direction perpendicular to the axial direction is defined as the radial direction.

A plurality of sliders 106 are included between the front cover 101 and the spacer 102. The intermediate shaft 105 is disposed in a hollow region formed by a plurality of sliders 106. A plurality of sliding blocks 106 are evenly distributed around the middle shaft 105, and the adjacent sliding blocks 106 are tightly attached. Preferably, as shown in fig. 2, four sliders 106 are included between the front cover 101 and the partition plate 102. Four sliding blocks 106 are uniformly distributed around the middle shaft 105, wherein two sliding blocks 106 are parallel to the long axis of the front cover 101, and two sliding blocks 106 are parallel to the short axis of the front cover 101. The intermediate shaft 105 can push the sliding block 106 to slide radially. An intermediate bushing 107 may also be included between the intermediate shaft 105 and the plurality of slide blocks 106. The intermediate sleeve 107 may be made of an elastic material to provide a good mechanical feel. The top of the intermediate boss 107 may contact the front cover 101. The cross-sectional area of the top of the intermediate boss 107 may be larger than that of the body thereof to increase the contact area of the intermediate boss 107 with the front cover 101. The top of the intermediate boss 107 may be circular in cross-section. The intermediate sleeve 107 may be integrally formed with the intermediate shaft 105, such as by injection molding. A spring 112 is attached to the opposite surface of the slider 106 to the surface in contact with the intermediate shaft 106. The slider 106 includes a ramp 1061. The inclined surface 1061 is abutted with the contact block 113. The other end of the contact block 113 abuts against a buffer 114.

The partition 102 and the rear cover 103 include a bushing 108 and a disk 109 therebetween. A bushing 108 is connected to the other end of the intermediate shaft 105. The intermediate shaft 105 and the bushing 108 may be connected in a fixed manner or in a detachable manner. The fixed connection of the intermediate shaft 105 to the bushing 108 may be adhesive. The removable connection of the intermediate shaft 105 to the bushing 108 may be a threaded connection. The material of the liner 108 may be polycarbonate and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC-ABS). In one embodiment of the present invention, an intermediate shaft end sleeve 110 is also disposed between the intermediate shaft 105 and the bushing 108. The cross-section of the intermediate shaft end sleeve 110 is non-circular in shape to transmit a torque through the intermediate shaft to the bushing 108. Preferably, the cross-section of the intermediate shaft end sleeve 110 is square. The disk sleeve 109 is fitted over the bushing 108. The outer side wall of the bushing 108 comprises guide ribs along which the sleeve 109 is axially movable. It will be appreciated that the guide ribs may also be provided on the inner side wall of the sleeve 109. A follower 115 and a spring 116 are also arranged between the disk sleeve 109 and the rear cover 103. The follower 115 is urged against the sleeve 109 by a spring 116. In one embodiment of the invention, the sleeve 109 may be a cam sleeve and the follower 115 may be a cam follower. And a resilient tab 111 is included between the bottom surface of the sleeve 108 and the bottom surface of the sleeve 109. The elastic key 111 is abutted between the bottom surface of the bushing 108 and the bottom surface of the disk sleeve 109. The material of the elastic key 111 may be silicone. The edge of the bushing 108 or sleeve 109 is serrated. The intermediate shaft 105 is adapted to transmit a torque to the bushing 108 and an axial force to the resilient key 111 via the bushing 108.

The following describes the multi-function knob structure to realize each function.

Pressing device

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a partial structure of a multifunctional knob assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of explanation, a part of the structure between the front cover 101 and the partition plate 102 is omitted.

Upon receiving an axial pressing force, the knob cap 104 moves axially downward as shown in fig. 4. The knob cap 104 is moved axially downward and an axial pressing force is applied through the intermediate shaft 105 to the shaft end sleeve 110. The intermediate shaft end sleeve 110 pushes the bushing 108 against the elastic keys 111 abutting between the bottom surface of the bushing 108 and the bottom surface of the disk sleeve 109. The elastic key 111 may be made of silicone, which provides a good mechanical feel. The protrusions of the elastic keys 111 can be designed into different sizes and shapes to provide rich mechanical hand feeling and meet the diversified requirements of users.

When the axial pressing force is released, the intermediate shaft 105 and the bush 108 move axially upward by the resilient thrust of the elastic key 111 until the intermediate shaft sleeve 107 on the intermediate shaft 105 is engaged to the front cover 101. The elastic button 111 is designed with a pre-load in the stroke to prevent the knob cap 104 from loosening axially or shaking radially in the non-operating condition. The pre-pressing amount may be about 0.3 mm.

A position sensor 117 on the diaphragm 102 is positioned near the edge of the liner 108 and detects axial movement of the liner 108, which is converted to an electrical signal. For example, the position sensor 117 is U-shaped, and both sidewalls of the U-shaped position sensor 117 can transmit and receive light. The optical path is conductive when the edge of the bushing 108 does not enter the groove of the U-shaped position sensor 117. When the edge of the bushing 108 enters the groove of the U-shaped position sensor 117, the light path is blocked. The conduction and blocking of the optical path may be converted into an electrical signal.

Rotate

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing a partial structure of a multifunctional knob assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of explanation, a part of the structure between the front cover 101 and the partition plate 102 is omitted.

As shown in fig. 5, when the knob cap 104 receives a torque, the torque is transmitted to the bushing 108 and the disk sleeve 109 through the intermediate shaft 105. The bushing 108 and the sleeve 109 rotate upon receiving the torque. When the disk sleeve 109 rotates, the follower 115 and the disk sleeve 109 generate contact friction. Under the contact friction action of the driven member 115 and the disk sleeve 109, the spring 116 generates different compression amounts, so as to generate different resistances, and the mechanical hand feeling of resisting the winching can be simulated.

In one embodiment of the invention, when the knob cap 104 receives a torque, the torque is transmitted to the bushing 108 and the disk 109 through the intermediate shaft 105. The bushing 108 and the sleeve 109 rotate upon receiving the torque. The edge of the bushing 108 or sleeve 109 is serrated. The position sensor 117 is disposed near the edge of the bushing 108 or the sleeve 109. Since the edge of the bushing 108 or the sleeve 109 is serrated, the position sensor 117 can detect a pulse signal when the bushing 108 or the sleeve 109 rotates.

Pulling

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a partial structure of the multifunctional knob assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a D-D cross-section in a partial structure of the multi-function knob assembly 100 of fig. 6. For convenience of explanation, a part of the structure between the partition plate 102 and the rear cover 103 is omitted.

As shown in fig. 6-7, the multi-function knob assembly 100 includes four sliders 106. The intermediate shaft 105 is disposed in a hollow region formed by four sliders 106. An intermediate shaft sleeve 107 is arranged between the intermediate shaft 105 and the sliding block 106. Four sliding blocks 106 are uniformly distributed around the middle shaft 105, and the adjacent sliding blocks 106 are tightly attached. Of the four sliders 106, two sliders 106 are parallel to the long axis of the front cover 101, and two sliders 106 are parallel to the long axis of the front cover 101. The slide 106 is movable on guide rails (not shown) of the housing. The guide rail may further comprise a limiting device (not shown in the figure). A spring 112 is attached to the opposite surface of the slider 106 to the surface in contact with the intermediate shaft 106. The slider 106 includes a ramp 1061. The inclined surface 1061 is abutted with the contact block 113. The other end of the contact block 113 abuts against a buffer 114.

When the knob cap 104 is pulled, the intermediate shaft 105 pushes the slider 106 in that direction, and the slider 106 moves away from the intermediate shaft 105. Due to the position limitation of the front cover 101 and the extrusion of the adjacent sliding blocks 106, the opposite sliding blocks 106 do not follow the movement of the intermediate shaft 105. The spring 112 at the other end of the slider 106 is compressed and the compressed spring 112 pushes the slider 106 back to its original position. Due to the ramp 1601, radial movement of the slider 106 is translated into axial movement of the contact block 113. The axial movement of the contact block 113 presses the buffer compartment 114 downward to connect the circuit on the circuit board 1021, thereby generating an electrical function.

By adjusting the spring rate of the spring 112, different mechanical hand feels can be obtained. The amount of preload between the intermediate bushing 107 and the slider 106 may be designed to prevent the static lower knob cap 104 from rattling. The pre-compression amount may be 0.2 mm. When the intermediate shaft 105 pushes the sliders 106 in a direction other than the long axis or the short axis (for example, in a direction of 45 degrees), the adjacent two sliders 106 are pushed at the same time. The pushing in the direction of the non-long axis or the short axis does not generate an electric signal, but can enrich the operation mode of the user.

The invention provides a multifunctional knob assembly, which can be pressed, rotated and pulled by a user to realize different functions, thereby providing diversified operation modes and practical functions for the user; the multifunctional knob component is provided with the elastic keys, and the knob cap can rotate at any angle and can be pulled towards any direction, so that good controllable mechanical hand feeling is provided for a user; the multifunctional knob component has few parts, compact structure and simple assembly.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The various illustrative logical modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the present specific embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention, and various equivalent changes and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore, it is intended that all changes and modifications to the above embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present invention be covered by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multi-function knob assembly, comprising: the utility model discloses a knob lid, its characterized in that is connected to the jackshaft, including protecgulum, baffle, back lid, knob cap and jackshaft, the baffle is located the protecgulum with between the back lid, the knob cap sets up the outside of protecgulum, the jackshaft runs through the protecgulum with the baffle just the one end of jackshaft is connected the knob cap, its characterized in that:

the middle shaft is arranged in a hollow area formed by the sliding blocks and can push the sliding blocks to slide in the radial direction;

the middle shaft is provided with a middle shaft, a middle shaft is arranged in the middle shaft, a partition plate is arranged between the middle shaft and the middle shaft, a lining and a disc sleeve are arranged between the partition plate and the rear cover, the lining is connected to the other end of the middle shaft, the disc sleeve is sleeved outside the lining, an elastic key is arranged between the bottom surface of the lining and the bottom surface of the disc sleeve, and the elastic key abuts against the bottom surface of the lining and the bottom surface of the disc;

wherein the intermediate shaft is adapted to transmit a torque to the bushing and an axial force through the bushing to the resilient key.

2. The multi-function knob assembly according to claim 1, wherein the material of said elastic button is silicone.

3. The multi-function knob assembly according to claim 1, wherein an end of said intermediate shaft connected to said bushing comprises an intermediate shaft end sleeve.

4. The multi-function knob assembly of claim 3, wherein said intermediate shaft end sleeve is square in cross-section.

5. The multi-function knob assembly according to claim 1, wherein an outer side wall of said bushing includes a guide rib, said disk sleeve being axially movable along said guide rib.

6. The multi-function knob assembly according to claim 5, wherein an edge of the sleeve or bushing is serrated.

7. The multi-function knob assembly according to claim 1 or 6, further comprising a position sensor adapted to detect rotation as well as axial movement of the bushing.

8. The multi-function knob assembly of claim 6 further comprising a position sensor adapted to detect axial movement of the bushing and rotation of the sleeve.

9. The multi-function knob assembly according to claim 1, wherein said sliding blocks are evenly distributed around said intermediate shaft and adjacent sliding blocks are closely fitted.

10. The multi-function knob assembly according to claim 1, wherein said slider comprises a ramp, said ramp having a contact block disposed thereon, said contact block having a bumper disposed on an opposite end thereof.

11. An in-vehicle terminal of a vehicle comprising the multifunctional knob assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 10.