JP2001014965A - Illuminated knob - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an illuminated knob having a bright illuminated part. SOLUTION: This illuminated knob is provided with a knob part 1 having an illuminating part 3 exposed to the outside, operating parts 4, 5 formed integrally with the knob part 1 and actuated by handling the knob part 1, and a light source 15 disposed on the opposite side of the operating parts 4, 5 to the knob part 1, and the luminous part 3 is illuminated by light from the light source 15. In this case, the illuminating part 3 and the operation parts 4, 5 are integrally formed of a transparent material.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an illuminating knob used for, for example, switches and volumes, and more particularly to a knob having an illuminating portion exposed to the outside and a knob formed integrally with the knob. The present invention relates to an illuminating knob including an operation unit that operates by handling and a light source disposed on the opposite side of the operation unit from the knob unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional on-vehicle illuminated switch, FIG. 9 is a front view of a knob used in the illuminated switch, FIG. 10 is a plan view of the knob, and FIG. FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 10, and FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG.

[0003] In Fig. 8, reference numeral 1 denotes a knob, which has a protruding portion 2 which protrudes upward, and an illuminating portion 3 is exposed to the outside at a substantially central portion thereof. A spring support 4 and a driver 5 protrude below the knob 1, and a coil spring 6 and a steel ball 7 are inserted into and supported by the spring support 4.

A case 8 is provided with projections 9 and 9 on both sides, and the projections 9 and 9 are inserted into holes 10 and 10 formed on both sides of the knob portion 1 so that the case 8 The portion 1 is supported so as to be rotatable around the protrusions 9 in a predetermined range.

[0005] A slider holder 13 to which a slider 12 having a plurality of contact terminals 11 is fixed is arranged in a case 8.
A recess 14 is provided on the upper part of the slider holder 13. By attaching the knob 1 to the case 8, the lower end (the steel ball 7 side) of the spring support 4 comes into contact with a V-shaped surface (not shown) for giving a moderation to the rotation of the knob 1, and is driven. The lower end of the body 5 is inserted into the recess 14.

A lamp 15 such as a light emitting diode and various circuit components 16 are mounted on a printed wiring board 17, and a terminal 1 is provided.
8, a conductive pattern 19 having a predetermined shape with which the contact terminal 11 comes into sliding contact is formed. The printed wiring board 17 is fixed to the cover 20. When the lower end of the case 8 is attached to the cover 20, the lower end opening of the case 8 is covered by the cover 20.

In this illuminated switch, when the knob 1 is turned around the projection 9 while holding the projection 2 with a finger, the slider 5 is moved by the driving body 5 with the rotation.
When the contact terminal 11 slides on the conductive pattern 19, the switch is turned on and off.

The steel ball 7 held at the lower end of the spring support 4
Is elastically contacted with the V-shaped surface of the case 8 by the elastic force of the coil spring 6, so that the rotation of the knob 1 is moderated.

At night, the interior of the vehicle becomes dark and the lamp 15
Is turned on, the light illuminates the illuminating unit 3,
The position of the knob 1 (projection 2) can be recognized.

Only the illuminating portion 3 of the knob portion 1 is formed of a transparent synthetic resin such as polycarbonate or acrylic resin, and all other portions are formed of an opaque synthetic resin such as ABS resin. The other parts are formed simultaneously by a two-color molding method (see FIGS. 12 and 13).

[0011]

As described above, in the conventional illumination knob, only the illumination portion is formed of a transparent synthetic resin, and all other portions are formed of an opaque synthetic resin.
Even if the surface area of the illuminating unit cannot be increased, or even if the surface area of the illuminating unit is increased, the light from the lamp is blocked at the opaque part of the way, so the amount of light reaching the illuminating unit is likely to be insufficient, and the brightness of the illuminating unit However, it has a disadvantage that it is not enough.

In particular, in the case of the above-mentioned illuminated switch, the illuminating section 3 is provided at the top of the knob section 2, and the spring section 4 and the driving body 5 are provided below the knob section 1 by a predetermined length. As shown in FIG. 12, the illuminating unit 3 is located above the gap between the spring support 4 and the driving body 5, and a lamp is arranged below these.

Therefore, the surface area of the illuminating section 3 cannot be made large, and most of the light emitted from the lamp is blocked by the opaque spring support 4 and the driving body 5, and the gap between the spring support 4 and the driving body 5 is closed. Since the illuminating section 3 was illuminated only by the transmitted light, the amount of light reaching the illuminating section 3 was small and the brightness was insufficient.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate such disadvantages of the prior art and to provide an illuminating knob having a bright illuminating portion.

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention operates by handling a knob having an illuminating portion exposed to the outside and a knob formed integrally with the knob. An illuminating knob including an operation unit such as a switch driving body or a spring support, and a light source such as a lamp disposed on the opposite side of the operation unit from the knob unit, and illuminating the illumination unit with light from the light source. It is intended for. The illuminating section and the operating section are integrally formed of a transparent material such as a transparent polyamide resin.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As described above, in the present invention, since the illuminating section and the operation section are integrally formed of a transparent material, this operation section also functions as a light guide, and therefore, the light from the light source is transmitted. By reaching the illuminating portion more, and by integrally forming the operating portion with the illuminating portion, the surface area of the illuminating portion can be inevitably increased, so that an illuminating knob having a bright illuminating portion can be provided.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the illuminated switch according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is cut at a driving body, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the illuminated switch, which is cut at a spring support, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of the knob, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the knob, FIG. 7 is a cross-section taken along line 7-7 of FIG. FIG.

The overall configuration of the illumination switch is the same as that of the conventional one shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the lower end of a driver (switch driver) 5 protruding from the knob 1 is inserted into the concave portion 14 of the slider holder 13, and the knob 1 is rotated, whereby the slider holder is rotated. 13 slides on the printed wiring board 17 to turn on and off the switch.

As shown in FIG. 2, a coil spring (spring) 6 and a steel ball (sphere) 7 are inserted into and supported by a spring support 4 projecting from the knob 1. On the other hand, the case 8 is formed with a V-shaped surface (fixed surface) 22 having a recess 21 in the center, and when the knob 1 is in the neutral position, the steel ball 7 is provided on the V-shaped surface 22 by the elastic force of the coil spring 6. 21 and is in a neutral state. When the knob 1 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the coil spring 6 is slightly compressed, and the steel ball 7
Resiliently contacts the inclined portion of the V-shaped surface 22, and shifts to a tilted state of the knob portion 1, that is, an on state or an off state of the switch. Further, by making the steel ball 7 elastically contact the V-shaped surface 22, a moderation is given to the turning operation of the knob portion 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 5, and FIG. 7, from the illuminating section 3 to the spring support 4 and the driving body 5, it is integrally formed of a transparent synthetic resin such as a transparent polyamide resin. The exterior portion 23 is formed of an opaque synthetic resin such as an ABS resin, and the transparent material portion and the opaque material portion are integrally formed by two-color molding. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 6, and FIG.
Support reinforcements 24 provided on both sides near the base of
The driving body reinforcing portion 25 provided inside the vicinity of the base of the driving body 5 and the driving body 5 is also integrally formed of a transparent polyamide resin.

When the illuminated switch is assembled, the lamp 15 is arranged near the lower part of the spring support 4 and the driver 5 as shown in FIG. The operation of the illuminated switch is the same as that of the above-described conventional switch, and a description thereof will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, an illuminated switch has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is applicable to various illuminated operating devices such as an illuminated volume, lever, and rotating body. It is.

[0023]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, as described above,
Since the illuminating part and the operating part are integrally formed of a transparent material, this operating part also functions as a light guide, so more light from the light source reaches the illuminating part, and the operating part is integrated with the illuminating part. Since the molding can inevitably increase the surface area of the illuminating portion, an illuminating knob having a bright illuminating portion can be provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, since the exterior portion covering the outside of the knob is made of an opaque material, and the opaque material portion and the transparent material portion are integrally formed by two-color molding. At this time, the position of the illuminating portion is clearly understood, and the molding of the opaque material portion and the transparent material portion is performed simultaneously, and the two are integrally connected.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the illuminating knob is an illuminating switch, and at least a part of the operation unit is a switch driver. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the illuminating knob is an illuminating switch, at least a part of the operation unit is a spring support, and a spring and a sphere are supported by the spring support, and the elasticity of the spring is adjusted. The sphere is elastically brought into contact with the fixed surface by force, so that a moderation is given to the operation of the knob. With such a configuration, an illumination switch having a bright illumination section can be provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the illuminating section and the operation section are made of a transparent polyamide resin. If necessary, a lubricant such as grease may be used in the operation unit. However, when the transparent material is polycarbonate, the oil resistance is low and cracks may occur in the operation unit. Further, when the transparent material is an acrylic resin, it is relatively brittle, so that there is a problem in mechanical strength of the operation unit. On the other hand, transparent polyamide resin has excellent oil resistance, does not cause cracks even when a lubricant such as grease is added, and has excellent mechanical strength. It can be fully demonstrated for a period.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a driver reinforcing portion is integrally provided near a root of the switch driver,
The driving body reinforcing portion is also formed of a transparent material. Further, in the present invention according to claim 7, a support reinforcing portion is integrally formed near a root portion of the spring support, and the support reinforcing portion is also formed of a transparent material. If the driving body reinforcement part and the support body reinforcement part are formed of a transparent material as described above, the light receiving area from the light source can be widened, the amount of light reaching the illumination part increases, and the illumination part becomes brighter. Have.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along a portion of a driving body of an illumination switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the illuminated switch cut along a spring support.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a knob used for the illumination switch.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a knob.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a knob.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional onboard light switch.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a knob used for the illumination switch.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the knob.

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the knob.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line 13-13 of FIG. 10;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Knob part 2 Projection part 3 Lighting part 4 Spring support body 5 Driver (switch driver) 6 Coil spring (spring) 7 Steel ball (sphere) 8 Case 13 Slider holder 15 Lamp 17 Printed wiring board 20 Cover 22 V-shaped surface (Fixed surface) 23 Exterior part 24 Support body reinforcement part 25 Drive body reinforcement part

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A knob having an illuminating portion exposed to the outside, an operation unit formed integrally with the knob and operating by handling the knob, and an operation unit disposed on a side of the operation unit opposite to the knob. An illumination knob for illuminating the illumination unit with light from the light source, wherein the illumination unit and the operation unit are integrally formed of a transparent material. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the exterior part covering the outside of the knob part is made of an opaque material, and the opaque material part and the transparent material part are integrally formed by two-color molding. Illumination knob to do. 3. An illuminating knob according to claim 1, wherein said illuminating knob is an illuminated switch, and at least a part of said operation section is a switch driver. 4. The illuminating switch according to claim 1, wherein the illuminating knob is an illuminating switch, and at least a part of the operation unit is a spring support, and the spring and the sphere are supported by the spring support. An illuminating knob, wherein a moderation is imparted to the operation of the knob by elastically contacting a sphere with a fixed surface by an elastic force of a spring. 5. An illuminating knob according to claim 1, wherein the illuminating section and the operation section are made of a transparent polyamide resin. 6. The switch driving body according to claim 3, wherein a driving body reinforcing portion is integrally provided near a base of the switch driving body,
An illumination knob, wherein the driving body reinforcing portion is also formed of a transparent material. 7. The illuminating knob according to claim 4, wherein a support reinforcing portion is integrally formed near a root portion of the spring support, and the support reinforcing portion is also formed of a transparent material. .