CN111108572B

CN111108572B - Switch with a switch body

Info

Publication number: CN111108572B
Application number: CN201880059926.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 黑木健儿; 工藤佑哉; 高滨建治
Original assignee: Omron Corp
Current assignee: Omron Corp
Priority date: 2017-10-20
Filing date: 2018-10-12
Publication date: 2022-09-16
Anticipated expiration: 2038-10-12
Also published as: JP6943161B2; JP6856008B2; CN111095460A; CN111108572A; DE112018004683T5; CN111095460B; JP2019079777A; DE112018004702T5; JP2019079776A

Abstract

The present invention provides a switch, comprising: a housing; a movable member provided at an end portion on an outer side of the housing, having an operation portion, and disposed so as to be movable in a reciprocating manner with respect to the housing in a movable direction; and a guide portion that guides the movable member in the movable direction. The operation portion has a plurality of inclined surfaces which extend linearly from the operation surface toward the front end of the movable member on the outer side of the housing, are inclined away from the central axis of the movable member as the operation surface approaches, and intersect each other in the inclined directions as viewed in the movable direction.

Description

Switch with a switch body

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to switches.

Background

In patent document 1, there has been disclosed a switching device having: a housing having a housing portion, and an operating lever and a coil spring housed in the housing portion. In this switch device, the operating lever is attached to the housing with a portion thereof protruding from the housing, and is biased in a direction protruding from the housing by the coil spring.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2001-229767

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

In the above-described switch device, the operating lever has a substantially triangular flat plate shape in which one apex is exposed from the housing portion and two apexes are housed in the housing portion, and is rotatably attached to the housing with the one apex of the triangle of the housing portion as an axis. Therefore, in the switch device, the operation lever may be operated only from the rotational direction, and the operation direction may be restricted.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a switch that can be operated not only from a rotational direction around one vertex but also from multiple directions including directions other than the rotational direction, hardly being restricted by the operation direction.

Technical solution for solving technical problem

The switch of an example of the present disclosure has:

a housing having: an operation surface provided with an operation hole, and a containing part which is arranged in the operation surface and is connected with the outside through the operation hole;

a movable member which is housed in the housing portion, extends from the housing portion to an outside of the housing through the operation hole in a movable direction intersecting the operation surface, has an operation portion provided at an end portion on an outside side of the housing, and is disposed so as to be movable reciprocally with respect to the housing in the movable direction;

a guide portion that guides the movable member in the movable direction;

the operation portion has a plurality of inclined surfaces that extend linearly from the operation surface toward the front end of the movable member on the outer side of the housing, and that are inclined toward the center axis of the movable member extending in the movable direction as the operation surface approaches the center axis, and that intersect each other in the inclined directions as viewed in the movable direction.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the switch, the movable member has an operation portion provided at an end portion on an outer side of the housing, and is disposed so as to be reciprocally movable in the movable direction with respect to the housing. The operation portion is provided with a plurality of inclined surfaces which are inclined away from the central axis of the movable member as they approach the operation surface, and which intersect each other in the direction of inclination as viewed in the direction of movement. Thus, the movable member can be operated in multiple directions around the center axis, and a switch that is hardly restricted by the operation direction can be realized.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a switch according to an example of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a top view of the switch of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the switch of fig. 1 with the cover and the sealing member removed.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a first modification of the switch of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a top view of the switch of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a second modification of the switch of fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a top view of the switch of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX of fig. 7.

Detailed Description

An example of the present disclosure is explained below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, although terms (for example, terms including "upper", "lower", "right" and "left") indicating a designated direction or position are used as necessary, the terms are used for convenience of understanding the present disclosure with reference to the drawings, and the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the meaning of the terms. In addition, the following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or uses. In addition, the drawings are schematic, and the ratio of each dimension or the like does not necessarily coincide with an actual dimension.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a switch 1 according to an example of the present disclosure includes: a housing 10, and a movable member 20 housed in the housing 10.

The housing 10 has: an operation surface 13 provided with an operation hole 14, and a housing portion 15 (shown in fig. 3) provided therein. The movable member 20 is housed in the housing portion 15 of the housing 10 in a state where a part thereof is exposed to the outside of the housing 10 through the operation hole 14. The movable member 20 is disposed so as to be movable in a reciprocating manner with respect to the housing 10 in a movable direction intersecting (e.g., orthogonal to) the operation surface 13 via the operation hole 14. By this reciprocating movement of the movable member 20, the operation/non-operation of the contact mechanism 40 (shown in fig. 3) provided inside the housing 10 is switched, and the switch 1 is turned on/off.

As shown in fig. 4, the switch 1 includes a guide portion 30 that guides the movable member 20 in the movable direction. The guide portion 30 is disposed inside the housing portion 15. In fig. 4, the cover 12 of the case 10, the contact mechanism 40, and a sealing member 50 described later are not shown.

Next, the respective configurations of the switch 1 will be described.

As shown in fig. 1, the case 10 is composed of a box 11 having a substantially rectangular box shape and a lid 12, and as shown in fig. 3, a housing portion 15 surrounded by the box 11 and the lid 12 is provided inside the case.

As shown in fig. 1, the case 11 is provided with two through holes 16 that penetrate a pair of opposing side surfaces below the housing portion 15. As shown in fig. 3, a part of a pair of terminal portions 41 described later is disposed inside each through hole 16, and a conductor portion (not shown) of an electric wire inserted into each through hole 16 or the like can be connected to the pair of terminal portions 41.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the upper surface of the lid 12 constitutes an operation surface 13, and a circular operation hole 14 is disposed substantially at the center of the operation surface 13. The housing portion 15 inside the housing 10 is connected to the outside of the housing 10 through the operation hole 14.

As shown in fig. 3, the movable member 20 extends from the housing portion 15 to the outside of the case 10 in the movable direction (i.e., the vertical direction in fig. 3) via the operation hole 14. An operation portion 21 disposed in a state of being exposed to the outside of the case 10 is provided at an end portion of the movable member 20 on the outside of the case 10. Further, an operating surface 22 that faces the contact mechanism portion 40 and contacts a part of the contact mechanism portion 40 is provided at an end portion of the movable member 20 on the housing portion 15 side.

The contact mechanism portion 40 is electrically connected to a pair of terminal portions 41 provided electrically independently of each other, and biases the movable member 20 in the movable direction to the outside of the housing 10.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the operation portion 21 has a substantially triangular pyramid shape and has a plurality of (three in this embodiment)

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25 each constituting a pyramid surface. The

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25 extend linearly from the operation surface 13 toward the front end 26 of the movable member 20 outside the housing 10, are inclined so as to approach the central axis CA of the movable member 20 extending in the movable direction as the inclined surfaces move away from the operation surface 13, and are arranged around the central axis CA and intersect each other in the inclined directions as viewed in the movable direction. The direction of inclination refers to a direction along each of the

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25, and fig. 3 shows an example. In fig. 3, an example of the direction in which the inclined surface 23 is inclined is shown by an arrow D, and an example of the direction in which the inclined surface 24 is inclined is shown by an arrow E.

Specifically, each of the

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25 has a fan shape with a central angle of about 120 degrees, and the three

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25 constitute an outer surface (i.e., a pyramid surface) of the operation portion 21. When the inclined surface 23 is defined as the first inclined surface 23 and the

inclined surfaces

24 and 25 adjacent to the first inclined surface 23 around the center axis CA are defined as the second inclined surface 24 and the third inclined surface 25, the center lines CL2 and CL3 of the second inclined surface 24 and the third inclined surface 25 are arranged at positions 120 degrees around the center axis CA with respect to the center line CL1 of the first inclined surface 23. That is, the second inclined surface 24 and the third inclined surface 25 are each disposed in a range (120 degrees in this embodiment) adjacent to the first inclined surface 23 around the center axis CA and less than 180 degrees around the center axis CA with respect to the first inclined surface 23.

As shown in fig. 4, the guide portion 30 is provided on at least one side of an operation direction (i.e., a direction intersecting the central axis CA) intersecting the movable direction of the movable member 20 (i.e., a direction along the central axis CA of the movable member 20).

Specifically, the guide section 30 includes: a protrusion 31 provided on one of the housing 10 and the movable member 20, and a groove 32 provided on the other of the housing 10 and the movable member 20. The protruding portion 31 protrudes toward the operation direction and extends in the movable direction. The groove 32 extends in the movable direction and is provided so as to be insertable into the protruding portion 31, and guides the inserted protruding portion 31 in the movable direction.

In this embodiment, arrows a to C in fig. 4 indicate operation directions, and the guide portions 30 are provided on both sides of the operation directions a to C with respect to the movable member 20. The protrusion 31 is provided symmetrically with respect to the center axis CA on the radially outer surface of the movable member 20 with respect to the center axis CA, and the groove 32 is provided symmetrically with respect to the center axis CA on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 10 constituting the operation direction of the housing 15.

As shown in fig. 3, the switch 1 further includes a sealing member 50 that seals a gap 52 between the movable member 20 and the case 10 in the housing portion 15.

The sealing member 50 is a cylindrical member having openings at both ends in the moving direction, and is made of an insulating resin such as rubber. The movable member 20 is fitted into the upper end opening of the seal member 50, and covers the outer peripheral surface of the movable member 20 between the operation portion 21 and the operation surface 22. Therefore, the upper end portion of the seal member 50 reciprocates in the movable direction in accordance with the reciprocation of the movable member 20. Further, a flange portion 51 protruding from the seal member 50 radially outward with respect to the center axis CA is provided over the entire circumference at the lower end portion of the seal member 50. This flange portion 51 is sandwiched between the case 11 and the lid 12 of the case 10.

Next, the operation of the switch 1 will be described.

For example, when an external force is applied to the first inclined surface 23 of the operation portion 21 in the operation direction a shown in fig. 4, the movable member 20 is pressed in the operation direction a and also pressed into the housing portion 15 by the external force.

That is, when an external force is applied to the operation portion 21 of the movable member 20 from the operation direction, the movable member 20 is pushed toward the housing portion 15 against the biasing force of the contact mechanism portion 40, and is guided from the outside of the housing 10 to the housing portion 15 along the center axis CA (i.e., along the movable direction) by the guide portion 30. This causes conduction between the pair of terminal portions 41, and the switch 1 is turned from off to on.

When the external force applied to the operation portion 21 is released, the movable member 20 is biased from the housing portion 15 of the housing 10 to the outside of the housing 10 by the contact mechanism portion 40, and is guided from the housing portion 15 to the outside of the housing 10 by the guide portion 30 in the movable direction. This releases the conduction between the pair of terminal portions 41, and the switch 1 is turned from on to off.

Although the operation of the switch 1 when an external force is applied to the first inclined surface 23 of the operation portion 21 in the operation direction a shown in fig. 4 has been described above, the switch 1 also operates similarly when an external force is applied to the second inclined surface 24 and the third inclined surface 25 of the operation portion 21 in the operation direction B and the operation direction C shown in fig. 4, respectively. That is, the switch 1 can be turned on and off from a plurality of directions.

As described above, according to the switch 1, the movable member 20 has the operation portion 21 provided at the end portion on the outer side of the housing 10, and is disposed so as to be reciprocally movable with respect to the housing 10 in the movable direction. The operation portion 21 is provided with a plurality of

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25 which are inclined so as to be away from the central axis CA of the movable member 20 as they approach the operation surface 13, and the inclined directions intersect with each other as viewed in the movable direction. The movable member 20 can be operated from multiple directions around the center axis CA by the plurality of

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25, and the switch 1 which is hardly restricted by the operation direction can be realized.

The inclined surfaces 23, 24, and 25 extend linearly from the operation surface 13 toward the front end 26 of the movable member 20 on the outer side of the housing 10. Thus, for example, the inclination angles of the

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25 with respect to the operation surface 13 can be easily adjusted as compared with a movable member having an outer peripheral surface rising from the operation surface 13 to the outside of the housing 10 in a direction perpendicular to the operation surface 13. As a result, an external force applied in the operation direction can be easily transmitted in the movable direction, and the operation characteristics of the switch 1 can be improved.

The inclination angle of each

inclined surface

23, 24, 25 with respect to the operation surface 13 is preferably 1 degree or more and 60 degrees or less. When the inclination angle is less than 1 degree, it is difficult to apply an external force to the

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25 in the operation direction. In addition, when the inclination angle exceeds 60 degrees, it is difficult to transmit the external force applied in the operation direction in the movable direction. Therefore, for example, when the

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25 extend not linearly but curvilinearly so as to protrude from the

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25 to the outside of the case 10, the inclination angles of the

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25 in the vicinity of the operation surface 13 may exceed 60 degrees, and the operating characteristics of the switch 1 may be degraded.

The first inclined surface 23 and the second inclined surface 24 are provided as a plurality of inclined surfaces, and the second inclined surface 24 is disposed in a range that is adjacent to the first inclined surface 23 around the center axis CA and is less than 180 degrees around the center axis CA with respect to the first inclined surface 23. This enables the movable member 20 to be operated more reliably from three-dimensional directions, and the switch 1 to be realized with little restriction on the operation direction.

Further, the guide portion 30 includes: a protrusion 31 provided on one of the housing 10 and the movable member 20, protruding in the operation direction, and extending in the movable direction; and a groove portion 32 provided on either one of the housing 10 and the movable member 20, into which the protruding portion 31 is inserted while extending in the movable direction, and guiding the inserted protruding portion 31 in the movable direction. The guide portion 30 can guide the movable member 20 more reliably in the movable direction, and the switch 1 having high operation characteristics can be realized.

Further, a seal member 50 is provided for sealing a gap 52 between the movable member 20 and the housing 10 in the housing 15. The seal member 50 protects the contact mechanism portion 40 from a fluid such as water entering the housing portion 15 through the operation hole 14 of the operation surface 13.

The plurality of inclined surfaces may be inclined so as to approach the central axis CA of the movable member 20 as the plurality of inclined surfaces are separated from the operation surface 13, and the directions of inclination of the inclined surfaces intersect with each other when viewed from the movable direction, and the inclined surfaces are not limited to the case where the three

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25 are provided in the operation portion 21 as in the switch 1.

For example, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the operation portion 21 may be provided with five

inclined surfaces

61, 62, 63, 64, and 65. In this case, each of the

inclined surfaces

61, 62, 63, 64, 65 has a fan shape having a central angle of about 72 degrees, and the five

inclined surfaces

61, 62, 63, 64, 65 constitute the outer surface of the operation portion 21. The other inclined surfaces (e.g., inclined surfaces 62 and 65) adjacent to the one inclined surface (e.g., inclined surface 61) are arranged within a range of less than 180 degrees around the center axis CA with respect to the one inclined surface.

For example, as shown in fig. 7 and 8, the operation portion 21 may be further provided with a plurality of inclined surfaces (for example, inclined surfaces 71, 72, 73 are shown in fig. 7). In this case, when the total number of the inclined surfaces is N, each of the

inclined surfaces

71, 72, 73 has a fan shape having a central angle of about 360/N degrees, and the N inclined surfaces constitute the outer surface of the operation portion 21. The other inclined surfaces (for example, the inclined surfaces 71 and 73) adjacent to the one inclined surface (for example, the inclined surface 72) are arranged within a range of less than 180 degrees around the center axis CA with respect to the one inclined surface.

The operation portion 21 may have at least a pyramid shape. That is, as in the switch 1, the operation portion 21 may have a conical shape provided with the plurality of

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25, or may have a pyramid shape in which each inclined surface is formed by a plurality of pyramid surfaces exposed to the outside of the housing 10. In this way, the shape of the operation portion 21 can be changed as appropriate in accordance with the design of the switch 1, and therefore, the switch 1 having a high degree of freedom in design can be realized.

The inclined surfaces 23, 24, and 25 of the operating portion 21 are not limited to fan-shaped but may be triangular. That is, the operation portion 21 may have a circular shape as viewed in the moving direction, or may have a polygonal shape (for example, a triangular shape in the switch 1 of fig. 1 and 2, or a pentagonal shape in the switch 1 of fig. 5 and 6) corresponding to the number of inclined surfaces to be formed.

The guide portion 30 may be provided on at least one side with respect to the operation direction of the movable member 20, and is not limited to the case where two guide portions are provided on both sides of the operation direction of the movable member 20 as in the above-described embodiment. In addition, three or more guide portions 30 may be provided. Fig. 9 shows an example in which four guide portions 30 are provided as an example.

The contact mechanism portion 40 may have any contact structure (e.g., a sliding contact, an impact contact).

The sealing member 50 is not limited to a tubular shape having both ends open in the moving direction and is made of an insulating resin such as rubber, and may be formed using, for example, an O-ring or an X-ring. That is, any configuration may be adopted as long as the gap 52 between the movable member 20 and the housing 10 can be sealed inside the housing 15.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail above with reference to the drawings, and finally, various aspects of the present disclosure are described. In the following description, reference numerals are also given, as an example, to the drawings.

A switch 1 according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes:

a housing 10 having: an operation surface 13 provided with an operation hole 14, and a storage part 15 provided inside and connected to the outside through the operation hole 14;

a movable member 20 which is housed in the housing portion 15, extends from the housing portion 15 to the outside of the housing 10 in a movable direction orthogonal to the operation surface 13 via the operation hole 14, has an operation portion 21 provided at an end portion on the outside side of the housing 10, and is disposed so as to be movable back and forth relative to the housing 10 in the movable direction;

a guide portion 30 that guides the movable member 20 in the movable direction;

the operation portion 21 has a plurality of

inclined surfaces

23, 24, 25, and the

inclined surfaces

23, 24, 25 extend linearly from the operation surface 13 toward the front end of the movable member 20 on the outer side of the housing 10, are inclined away from the center axis CA extending in the movable direction of the movable member 20 as they approach the operation surface 13, and intersect each other in the directions of inclination as viewed in the movable direction.

According to the switch 1 of the first aspect, the movable member 20 has the operation portion 21 provided at the end portion on the outer side of the housing 10, and is disposed so as to be reciprocally movable with respect to the housing 10 in the movable direction. The operation portion 21 is provided with a plurality of

inclined surfaces

23, 24, and 25, and the switch 1 can be realized with little restriction on the operation direction.

The switch 1 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure is,

the inclined surfaces have a first inclined surface 23 and a second inclined surface 24,

the second inclined surface 24 is disposed in a range that is adjacent to the first inclined surface 23 around the center axis CA and is less than 180 degrees around the center axis CA with respect to the first inclined surface 23.

According to the switch 1 of the second aspect, the movable member 20 can be operated more reliably from multiple directions around the center axis CA, and the switch 1 that is hardly restricted by the operation direction can be realized.

The switch 1 according to the third aspect of the present disclosure is,

the operation portion 21 has a pyramid shape in which the plurality of inclined surfaces are pyramid surfaces.

According to the switch 1 of the third aspect, the switch 1 having a high degree of freedom in design can be realized.

The switch 1 according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure is,

the guide portion 30 has:

a protrusion 31 provided on one of the housing 10 and the movable member 20, protruding in an operation direction intersecting the movable direction, and extending in the movable direction;

and a groove portion 32 provided on the other one of the housing 10 and the movable member 20, into which the protruding portion 31 is inserted and which extends in the movable direction, and which guides the inserted protruding portion 31 in the movable direction.

According to the switch 1 of the fourth aspect, the guide portion 30 can guide the movable member 20 more reliably in the movable direction, and the switch 1 having high operation characteristics can be realized.

Switch 1 according to fifth embodiment of the present disclosure

The housing further includes a sealing member 50 that seals a gap 52 between the movable member 20 and the housing 10 in the housing portion 15.

According to the switch 1 of the fifth aspect, the seal member 50 protects the contact mechanism portion 40 from the fluid such as water entering the housing portion 15 through the operation hole 14 of the operation surface 13.

In addition, any of the above embodiments or modifications can be appropriately combined to provide the respective effects. In addition, combinations of the embodiments, or combinations of the examples, or combinations of the embodiments and the examples may be performed, and combinations of features in different embodiments or examples may also be performed.

While the present disclosure has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that the above-described variations and modifications are included in the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present disclosure based on the scope of the claims.

Industrial applicability

The switch of the present disclosure may be applied, for example, in a motor vehicle.

Description of the reference numerals

1, switching; 10 a shell; 11 a box body; 12 a cover body; 13 an operation surface; 14 an operation hole; 15 a storage section; 16 through hole parts; 20 a movable member; 21 an operation section; 22 an action surface; 23, 24, 25 inclined planes; 26 a front end; 30 a guide part; 31 a projection; 32 groove parts; 40 contact mechanism parts; 41 terminal part; 50 a sealing member; 51 a flange part; a 52 gap; 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 inclined faces; 71, 72, 73 inclined surfaces; a CA center axis; CL1, CL2, CL3 center line.

Claims

1. A switch, comprising:

a guide portion that guides the movable member in the movable direction;

the operation portion has a plurality of inclined surfaces of three or more inclined surfaces which extend linearly from the operation surface toward a distal end side of the movable member outside the housing, are inclined toward a central axis extending in the movable direction of the movable member as the operation surface is separated from the operation surface, and intersect each other in inclined directions as viewed from the movable direction,

when the total number of the inclined surfaces is N, the central angle of each inclined surface is about 360/N degrees.

2. The switch of claim 1,

the operation portion has a pyramid shape in which the plurality of inclined surfaces are pyramid surfaces.

3. The switch of claim 1,

the guide portion has:

a protrusion provided on one of the housing and the movable member, protruding in an operation direction intersecting the movable direction, and extending in the movable direction;

and a groove portion provided on the other of the housing and the movable member, extending in the movable direction, into which the protruding portion is inserted, and guiding the inserted protruding portion in the movable direction.

4. The switch of claim 1 or 2,

the housing further includes a sealing member that seals a gap between the movable member and the housing in the housing.