JP2001029538A - Illuminated-type operating lever and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide superior illumination and durability and to facilitate manufacturing. SOLUTION: This operating lever comprises a tubular shaft 2 made of metal, a spherical hollow grip 1 made of transparent plastic mounted to the outer end part of the shaft 2, and a light source 3 provided inside the shaft 2 toward the grip 1 to illuminate the grip 1 from inside. The operating lever, grip 1, and shaft 2 are joined together via a nut 1c or integrally joined together by insertion molding.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an illuminated control lever and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to an illuminated control lever useful for attaching to a game machine such as a start lever of a slot machine or a joystick of a game machine and a method of manufacturing the same. Related.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an operation lever used in a game machine is, for example, a joystick for a game machine as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-96666 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-328.
Attach a plastic spherical grip (grip) to the outer end of the metal shaft (external to the machine) like a start lever (start switch) for a slot machine as seen in Japanese Patent Publication No. 352, and grasp the grip. To operate a switch mechanism (machine start / stop switch, various control switches) provided at the inner end of the shaft (inside the machine).

[0003] The operating lever used in such a gaming machine must appeal to the player's emotions due to the nature of the game. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-337254 discloses that the joystick is not illuminated and emits light. Those that exhibit a decoration function have been proposed. However, the illuminated joystick proposed here has a ball-shaped grip portion and a lever portion integrally formed of plastic, and is used frequently and with great force by an excited player. The operation lever of the machine has problems in strength and durability, and there are many problems in its manufacture.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and provides an illuminated control lever which is excellent in electric decoration and durability and easy to manufacture, and a method of manufacturing the same. To provide.

[0005]

An illuminated control lever according to the present invention comprises a metal cylindrical shaft, a transparent plastic hollow spherical grip attached to the outer end of the shaft, and a grip. And a light source provided inside the shaft toward the handle and illuminating the grip from inside. By using a metal shaft, the operating strength of the lever is maintained, and the grip has a hollow spherical shape to improve the durability of the operating lever.

Further, a nut is fixed to the grip, and the nut is screwed into the shaft to attach the grip to the shaft. Alternatively, the grip and the shaft are integrally formed to attach the grip to the shaft. In such a case, a plastic grip is firmly attached to a metal shaft to improve the durability of the operation lever.

Further, in the case where the light source is composed of red, blue and green light emitting diodes, and the input to each light emitting diode is adjusted to emit light of any color, light emission control is easy and colorful. Illumination becomes possible. Also,
When the light source is an optical fiber for guiding light from the outside of the operation lever, the operation portion structure of the operation lever becomes simple. Other features and operational effects of the configuration of the operation lever will be described in the description of the embodiment.

Next, a method for manufacturing the operating lever of the present invention is as follows.
When manufacturing an illuminated operation lever having a metal cylindrical shaft, a transparent plastic hollow spherical grip attached to the outer end of the shaft, and a light source for illuminating the grip from the inside, a hollow having an opening is used. The grip is attached to the shaft by forming a grip body, fixing a metal nut to the opening, and screwing the nut to the shaft. Thereby, the grip can be easily and reliably fixed to the shaft.

Also, in manufacturing an illuminated operating lever having a metal cylindrical shaft, a transparent plastic hollow spherical grip attached to the outer end of the shaft, and a light source for illuminating the grip from inside. In the one characterized in that the shaft body previously processed is held in a mold, the grip is insert-molded, and the grip is attached to the shaft, the grip and the shaft can be integrally formed to increase the strength. be able to. The features, functions, and effects of other manufacturing methods will be described in the following description.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a state where an illuminated control lever according to one embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a machine. FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a illuminated control lever according to another embodiment of the present invention mounted on a machine. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the state, and FIG. 3 is a view showing a manufacturing step of a grip used for the operation lever of FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG.
Is a grip body, FIG. 3B is a side sectional view of a grip incorporating a nut, and FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of an example of an insert molded product of the grip and the shaft.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a transparent plastic hollow spherical grip which is a grip portion of an operation lever.
It comprises a hollow spherical grip body 1b having an opening 1a (see FIG. 3 (a)) and a nut 1c (see FIG. 3 (b)) fixed to the opening 1a. Here, the so-called "transparency" of transparent plastic is
It is preferable to be so-called translucent, which is transparent in the sense of transmitting visible light, and rather the inside cannot be completely seen through, and a plastic containing a light diffusing agent composed of various fine particles in a transparent plastic can be preferably used. .

Reference numeral 2 denotes a cylindrical shaft constituting an arm portion of the operation lever, which is a tubular member, and a flange or a step is formed on the outer surface thereof as necessary. A male screw is formed at the tip (outer end) of the shaft 2, the nut 1 c of the grip 1 is screwed, and the grip 1 is screwed and attached as pressed against the flange 2 a of the shaft 2. Reference numeral 3 denotes a light source lamp attached to the inner end of the shaft 2, which comprises a light bulb 3a and a socket 3b, and is connected to an external power supply by an electric wire 3c.

A sleeve 4 and a sliding body 5 having an outer spherical surface are loosely fitted to the shaft 2, and the sliding body 5 is mounted on a frame of the machine base.
(Not shown), abuts against a spherical receiving seat 6a formed in a through hole of the mounting member 6 which is screwed and fixed, while the compression spring 7
It is mounted between a spring seat 6b fixed to the mounting member 6 and a disc seat 2c abutted and locked on a retaining ring 2b fitted to the shaft 2, and the shaft 2, that is, the operating lever is turned rightward in FIG. Of the power of.

The shaft 2, that is, the operating lever is pressed rightward by this urging force, and this force presses the sliding body 5 against the spherical receiving seat 6a via the flange 2a and the sleeve 4, so that a force is applied to the grip 1. When not actuated, the operating lever is elastically held in a neutral position in the horizontal direction, and the shaft 2, that is, the operating lever can be pulled or rotated against the compression spring 7. 8 is the rear end (inner end) of the shaft 2
Is a proximity switch provided close to the shaft 2
The switch is turned ON by detecting the displacement of the rear end (movement from the neutral position in the figure).

Grip 1, shaft 2 and compression spring 7
The operation lever composed of each operation mechanism such as is screwed into the front frame (not shown) of the mounting member 6,
It is fixed to the machine base and activates the switch mechanism according to the operation of the player. The function of this operation lever is the same as that of a conventional operation lever such as a start lever.

As described above, the operating lever of the present invention comprises a hollow spherical grip body 1b made of transparent plastic and a nut.
Since the grip 1 made of 1c is firmly attached to the metal cylindrical shaft 2 and the lamp 3a is mounted inside the cylindrical shaft 2, and the grip 1 is exposed from the inside so as to face the grip 1, it is used as an operation lever. While maintaining strength and durability, the entire grip can be illuminated neatly. In particular, a transparent plastic grip containing a light diffusing agent is preferable because the entire grip can be uniformly illuminated.

Next, another embodiment of the operation lever shown in FIG. 2 will be described.

In this embodiment, the structure of the light source is shown in FIG.
The other structure is the same as that of FIG. 1 except for the structure of the first embodiment, and the same mechanism and parts are denoted by the same reference numerals,
Description is omitted. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 30 denotes an optical fiber fitted into the shaft 2, the front end of which faces the inside of the grip 1, and the rear end is provided facing a lamp 31 which is a light emitting source. The light of the lamp 31 illuminates the inside of the grip via the optical fiber 30, and the tip of the optical fiber 30 functions as a light source.

Although the function and function of this operation lever are the same as those described above, the effect of the rise in the temperature of the light source can be avoided because the lamp 31 of the light source can be installed at a position away from the grip 1 or the operation lever. it can.

Light source or light emitting source (hereinafter collectively referred to as light source)
Regarding the above, in the above embodiment, a monochromatic lamp was described as a light source, but the light source is not limited to such a lamp, and a light emitting diode (LED) of each color, or any other light source may be adopted. it can. In addition, various colorants can be added to the transparent plastic of the grip for color illumination. It should be noted that an arrangement in which red, green, and blue LEDs are provided side by side to emit light of an arbitrary color by adjusting these inputs is more preferable because the illumination performance is improved.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the illuminated control lever of the present invention, particularly a method for joining the plastic grip 1 and the metal shaft 2 will be described. In one embodiment of the production method of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, first, a transparent plastic (preferably a translucent one containing a light diffusing agent as described above) is used, and injection molding or blow molding is used. A hollow spherical grip body 1b having an opening 1a is formed by a forming method such as that shown in FIG. 3 (a). Next, a nut 1c having a female screw screwed to the male screw of the shaft 2 is fixed to the opening 1a of the grip body 1b. As a method for fixing the nut 1c, an appropriate method such as an adhesive or heat welding can be adopted. In this way, once the grip body 1b is formed and the nut 1c is attached later, the grip and the shaft can be firmly joined by simple means.
A wide variety of operation levers can be manufactured by combining (color, size, shape) and a shaft.

In the above manufacturing method, the manufacturing can be varied by manufacturing and combining the grip and the shaft separately, but the grip and the shaft can also be integrally formed. As shown in FIG. 4, a shaft 20 having a retaining flange 21 formed at the tip is mounted on a molding die (not shown), and a transparent foaming resin is injected into the die to perform insert molding. At the same time, gas is acted on from the rear end of the cylindrical shaft 20 (gas assist molding method) to form the hollow spherical grip 10, and the shaft 20 integrated with the grip 10 is manufactured.

By doing so, the grip and the shaft can be manufactured with a strong joint in one step.
In this embodiment, a shaft having a flange for retaining is used at the tip. However, the retaining method is not limited to this, and a projection or any other member of any shape can be adopted as needed. If this is the case, the rotation direction of the grip can be suppressed, and the necessary rotation stopper can be added to the shaft.

Light diffusibility is produced by using foaming plastic to contain air bubbles in the plastic. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a transparent plastic containing various light diffusing fine particles can be used. If a thermoplastic elastomer is used and molded to have an appropriate hardness, the feel of the grip can be improved.

In the above description of the embodiment of the present invention, the hollow spherical grip has a true spherical outer shape. Although a true sphere is preferable in terms of mechanical strength of the grip,
The spherical shape in the present invention is not limited to a true sphere, but includes an elliptical sphere functioning as a grip and other grip shapes.

[0027]

According to the present invention, there is provided an illuminated control lever comprising a metal cylindrical shaft, a transparent plastic hollow spherical grip attached to an outer end of the shaft, and the shaft facing the grip. It is provided inside and consists of a light source that illuminates the grip from the inside, so that the grip can be illuminated.In addition, using a metal shaft maintains the lever operation strength and the grip has a hollow spherical shape and no strength The durability of the operation lever has been improved by holding it.

According to the method of manufacturing the operating lever of the present invention, the grip is attached to the shaft by forming a hollow grip body having an opening, fixing a metal nut to the opening, and screwing the nut to the shaft. The grip can be easily and reliably fixed to the shaft.

Further, in the case where the shaft body previously processed is held in a mold, the grip is insert-molded, and the grip is attached to the shaft, the grip and the shaft can be integrally formed to increase the strength. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a state where an illumination type operation lever according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a machine.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a state where the illuminated control lever according to another embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a machine.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a manufacturing step of a grip used for the operation lever of FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein FIG. 3 (a) is a side view of a grip body and FIG. .

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of an example of an insert molded product of a grip and a shaft.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,10 grip 2,20 shaft 3,30 light source

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01H 25/04 H01H 25/04 H (72) Inventor Susumu Takeuchi 3-1-1, Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo Ariake Frontier Building A Building F Term (Reference) 2C001 BC00 BC06 CA00 CA06 CC03 4F206 AB02 AD12 AH59 JA07 JB12 JF05 JF06 JN27 5B087 AA04 AE00 BC02 BC12 BC17 BC19 BC22 BC26 BC32 DD03 5G052 AA01 AA21 JA02 JB05 JC

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A cylindrical tubular shaft made of metal, a hollow spherical grip made of transparent plastic attached to an outer end of the shaft, and provided inside the shaft toward the grip. An illuminated control lever comprising an illuminating light source. 2. An illuminated operating lever according to claim 1, wherein a nut is fixed to said grip, and said nut is screwed into said shaft to attach said grip to said shaft. 3. The illuminated control lever according to claim 1, wherein said grip and said shaft are integrally formed, and said grip is attached to said shaft. 4. The illuminating device according to claim 1, wherein said light source comprises red, blue and green light emitting diodes, and an input to each light emitting diode is adjusted to emit a desired color. Type control lever. 5. The illuminated control lever according to claim 1, wherein the light source is an optical fiber for guiding light from the outside of the control lever. 6. The illuminated operating lever according to claim 1, wherein the plastic of the grip contains a light diffusing agent. 7. An illuminated control lever according to claim 1, wherein said grip is made of foamed plastic. 8. An illuminated operating lever having a metal cylindrical shaft, a transparent plastic hollow spherical grip attached to an outer end of the shaft, and a light source for illuminating the grip from inside. In manufacturing, a hollow grip body having a circular opening is molded, a metal nut is fixed to the circular opening, and the nut is screwed to the shaft to attach the grip to the shaft. Manufacturing method of illuminated control lever. 9. An illuminated control lever having a metal cylindrical shaft, a transparent plastic hollow spherical grip attached to an outer end of the shaft, and a light source for illuminating the grip from inside. A method for manufacturing an illuminated control lever, comprising: holding a previously processed shaft body in a mold, insert-molding a hollow grip, and attaching the grip to the shaft during manufacturing. 10. The method of manufacturing an illuminated control lever according to claim 9, wherein a gas is blown from an open end of the shaft body to form a hollow portion during the insert molding. 11. The method for manufacturing an illuminated control lever according to claim 10, wherein a foamed plastic is used.