JP2001057131A - Fitting structure of control panel operation knob - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the fitting structure of an operation knob to be fitted to an operation shaft of a rotary electric part and capable of always obtaining a constant clearance dimension between a lower surface of the operation knob and a panel surface without being influenced by the fluctuations of parts. SOLUTION: A panel 13 having an insertion hole 13a, a rotary electrical part 4 having an operation shaft 7 to be inserted into the insertion hole 13a, a housing 1 to which the rotary electrical part is fitted, and an operation knob 14 having a fitting part 14b to be inserted into the operation shaft and arranged on the surface of the panel 13 are provided. The operation shaft is provided freely movably by a constant distance in the pushing direction by a load smaller than the pushing load for inserting the operation knob, and when the operation knob is inserted into the operation shaft, after the movement of the operation shaft in the pushing direction is stopped, insertion of the operation knob into the operation shaft is continued, and after the lower surface of the operation knob abuts on the surface of the panel, the operation shaft is reset by a constant distance with release of the pushing load of the operation knob.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mounting structure for an operation knob used for a heater control panel mounted on an automobile or the like, which is mounted on an operation shaft such as a rotary switch which is a rotary electric component.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A plurality of operation knobs are provided on a heater control panel of an automobile or the like. The operation knob is fitted on an operation shaft such as a rotary switch, which is a rotary electric component, for heating a vehicle mounted on the panel or performing air conditioning such as an air conditioner, and is disposed on the surface of the panel. ing. In this case, in order to improve the operability, the lower surface of the operation knob and the panel surface are usually mounted with a slight gap.

[0003] As a conventional structure for mounting an operation knob of a heater control panel, for example, when an operation knob is mounted on an operation shaft of a rotary switch or the like, which is a rotary electric component, the tip of the operation shaft of the rotary switch is connected to the operation knob. There is known a structure in which the mounting height of the operation knob is determined by making contact with the bottom surface of the fitting portion, and a slight gap is provided between the lower surface of the operation knob and the panel surface. In this case, since the mounting height position of the operation knob is determined by the shaft length dimension to the tip of the operation shaft, it is possible to form a constant gap between the lower surface of the operation knob and the panel surface. Become. Therefore, when the operation knob is rotated, good operability can be obtained.

As another structure, a certain space is provided so that the tip of the operation shaft of the rotary switch does not contact the bottom surface of the fitting portion of the operation knob, while the operation knob is provided on the operation knob. A slight gap is formed between the lower surface of the operation knob and the panel surface by slightly projecting a tip portion opposite to the bottom surface of the fitting portion with the projection portion and abutting the projection portion on the panel surface. Structures for doing so are known. Also in this case, since a constant gap is formed between the lower surface of the operation knob and the panel surface excluding the fitting portion, when rotating the operation knob, substantially good operability is obtained. Things.

[0005]

However, in the above-described conventional operation knob mounting structure for mounting on an operation shaft of a rotary switch or the like, the tip of the operation shaft of the rotary switch and the bottom surface of the fitting portion of the operation knob are in contact with each other. The contact height determines the mounting height of the operation knob and provides a slight gap between the lower surface of the operation knob and the panel surface. Considering variations in the mounting dimensions, floating during soldering to the circuit board, and variations in the length of the operation shaft, the gap between the lower surface of the operation knob and the panel surface greatly changes. The appearance was poor due to the variation, and there was a problem in the marketability.

A certain space is provided so that the tip of the operation shaft of the rotary switch does not contact the bottom surface of the fitting portion of the operation knob, while the operation knob has a fitting portion with the operation shaft. The tip on the opposite side from the bottom is slightly projected,
In the structure in which a slight gap is provided between the lower surface of the operation knob and the surface of the panel by abutting the projecting portion and the surface of the panel, with respect to the problem of dimensional variation due to the variation of the related components described above, Although the gap size is fixed because it is determined only by the operation knob and panel dimensions,
Since the protrusion of the fitting portion of the operation knob is in contact with the upper surface of the panel, and thus the feeling is slightly deteriorated, the operability is somewhat defective as compared with the above-described structure.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and thus, the variation in the position of the panel, the size when the rotary electric component is mounted on the housing, the circuit board, and the like, and the length of the operation shaft on which the operation knob is mounted. Provides a mounting structure for operating knobs to be attached to the operating shaft of rotary electric components, which ensures that a constant clearance dimension is always obtained between the lower surface of the operating knobs and the panel surface without being affected by variations in related parts such as variations. The purpose is to do.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a panel having an insertion hole and an operation shaft, wherein the operation shaft is inserted into the insertion hole. Mold electrical component, a housing to which the rotary electrical component is attached, and a fitting portion inserted into the operation shaft,
Comprising an operation knob disposed on the surface of the panel,
The operation shaft is provided so as to be movable by a certain distance in the pressing direction with a lighter load than the pressing load for inserting the operation knob, and when the operation knob is inserted into the operation shaft, the movement of the operation shaft in the pressing direction is reduced. After stopping, the insertion of the operation knob into the operation shaft is continued, and after the lower surface of the operation knob comes into contact with the surface of the panel, the operation is performed for a certain distance with the release of the pressing load of the operation knob. The shaft is configured to return.

As a second means, an urging member is provided at a fitting portion of the operation knob to the operation shaft, and the operation shaft is pressed against the urging member, so that the operation knob is moved. It is characterized by being inserted movably in the pressing direction.

As a third means, the fitting portion of the operation knob is provided with a space for avoiding contact with the tip of the operation shaft.

[0011] As a fourth means, the rotary electric component is characterized in that it has an operation shaft capable of performing a combined operation of a rotation operation and a push operation.

Further, as a fifth means, the rotary electric component is characterized in that a spring member is provided for enabling the operation shaft to move in the axial direction.

[0013]

1 to 6 show an embodiment of a control panel mounting structure for a control panel according to the present invention. 1 is a partial sectional view showing a state in which an operation knob is attached to an operation shaft of a rotary switch, which is a rotary electric component, FIG. 2 is a front view of the rotary switch, FIG. 3 is a bottom view thereof, and FIG. 5 and 6 are design views of the panel.

In the figure, a housing 1 is made of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin and has a lower surface formed in an open box shape.
Inside the opening, a rotary electric component, which will be described later, is accommodated. At a plurality of locations on the upper surface of the housing 1,
A mounting hole 1a for mounting a rotary electric component is provided.

The circuit board 2 is formed of a laminated plate of phenol resin or the like. The circuit board 2 has a soldering land portion (not shown) to which mounting legs of rotary electric components described later are soldered and fixed. ), And a plurality of circuit pattern portions (not shown) connected to connection terminals derived from the rotary electric component. A flat cable 3 for transmitting a signal from the rotary electric component to a control circuit (not shown) is connected to one end of the circuit board 2.

The rotary switch 4, which is a rotary electric component, is formed in a box shape with an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, and has a case 5 having a housing therein, and a conductive material such as brass. 5 is formed with a connection terminal 6 led out to the outside, the other end of which is exposed to a fixed contact (not shown) on the inner bottom surface of the housing portion of the case 5 and a stainless steel or the like which is slidably contacted with the fixed contact. A disk-shaped rotating body (not shown) rotatably housed in a housing portion of the case 5, provided with a slider (not shown) made of a metal piece having a spring property; The rotating body is loosely fitted and is rotated in the rotation direction, and is also fixed in the axial direction by a certain distance T (0.5 m in the present invention).
m) an operating shaft 7 movably mounted;
A bearing portion 8 made of zinc die-cast or the like mounted to support the operation shaft 7 and cover the housing portion of the case 5, and the bearing portion 8 and the case 5 are integrally attached, and And a metallic cover 9 having mounting legs 9a which are fixed to the soldering lands of the circuit board 2 by soldering. One end of the operation shaft 7 protrudes from the bearing portion 8 and is provided with an operation portion 7a. The other end of the operation shaft 7 has a through hole 5a formed in the inner bottom surface of the case 5. , And the tip thereof forms a contact portion 7b with a spring member described later.

Further, in the configuration of the rotary switch 4 of the present invention, a spring member 10 made of a phosphor bronze plate having rigid spring properties is provided on the lower surface of the case 5. The spring member 10 is disposed on the lower surface of the case 5 and is fixed to the lower surface of the case 5 by a fixing piece 9b provided on the cover 9. The provision of the spring member 10 enables the operation shaft 7 to return after being moved in the axial direction by a pressing force when an operation knob described later is inserted. In the present invention, the return force of the spring member 10 is formed so as to obtain a constant return force (about 2 kg in the present invention).

The bearing portion 8 is provided with a thread groove 8a into which a mounting nut 11 is fitted, and the operation shaft 7 and the bearing portion 8 are inserted into a mounting hole 1a provided in the housing 1. Then, the nut 11 is fitted into the thread groove 8a via the washer 12, so that the rotary switch 4 is attached and fixed to the housing 1.

The panel 13 is formed from an insulating material such as a synthetic resin. An insertion hole 13a is provided at the center of the surface. The operation shaft 7 of the rotary switch 4 is inserted into the insertion hole 13a, and an operation knob, which will be described later, is provided on the front surface of the panel 13. On the front side of the panel 13, a design (index) 13b indicating the function of various operation knobs is displayed by a method such as silk printing or two-color molding. Further, a hook portion 13c is provided on the lower surface side of the panel 13. The panel 13 is mounted on the base panel by engaging the hook portion 13c with a locking hole of the base panel described later.

The operation knob 14 is formed of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, and has a design surface on the surface side and an index 14a. A bottomed fitting portion 14b into which the operation shaft 7 of the rotary switch 4 is fitted is formed on the back side. An urging member 15 made of a resilient metal piece is inserted into the fitting portion 14b, and the operation knob 14 is moved by the urging member 15 to the operation shaft 7.
When it is inserted into the device, a certain urging force (about 3 k in the present invention)
g) is obtained. Further, a certain space portion 14c is provided so that the tip of the operation shaft 7 does not come into contact with the bottom surface of the fitting portion 14b of the operation knob 14. The lower surface of the operation knob 14 is formed in a flat shape so as to be flush with the surface of the panel 13.

The base panel 16 is formed of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, and is attached so as to cover the upper surface of the housing 1. The operation shaft 7 of the rotary switch 4 is inserted through the base panel 16. Window 16a
Are formed. Around the window portion 16a, a plurality of locking holes 16b with which the hook portions 13c of the panel 13 are engaged are provided.

Next, a method of attaching the operation knob of the heater control panel according to the above embodiment will be described.
First, the connection terminals 6 of the rotary switch 4 and the mounting legs 9a are mounted on the circuit board 2 by soldering. Next, the operation shaft 7 of the rotary switch 4
The rotary switch 4 is connected to the housing 1 by inserting the screw groove 8a formed in the bearing 8 into a mounting hole 1a formed in the housing 1 and tightening the nut 11 from above the housing 1. Fixed to. Next, in the locking hole 16 of the base panel 16,
The hook 13c of the panel 13 is engaged and attached.
Next, the base panel 16 on which the panel 13 is mounted is mounted on the housing 1 while the operation shaft 7 of the rotary switch 4 is inserted into the insertion hole 13a of the panel 13, and a snap or a screw is used. Fix by the method of Through these steps, the circuit board 2
, The rotary switch 4 and the housing 1
And the base panel 16 and the panel 13 are integrally connected to each other.

Next, the insertion hole 13a of the panel 13
Then, the fitting portion 14b of the operation knob 14 is inserted into the tip of the operation portion 7a of the operation shaft 7 of the rotary switch 4 which is attached in a protruding state. At this time, the urging member 15 made of a resilient metal piece is inserted into the fitting portion 14b, and when the operation knob 14 is fitted into the operation shaft 7 by the urging member 15, ,
A certain biasing force (about 3 kg in the present invention) acts on the operation shaft 7 to be inserted. The operating shaft 7 is movable in the axial direction, and the case 5 is moved in order to allow the operating shaft 7 to return after moving in the axial direction.
A spring member 10 having rigid spring properties is provided on the lower surface of the spring member, and a constant restoring force (about 2 kg in the present invention) is applied to the spring member 10.

Therefore, when the operation knob 14 is inserted into the operation shaft 7, the insertion force of the operation knob 14 (about 3 kg) is reduced by the return force of the operation shaft 7 (about 2 k).
Since g) is set with a lighter load, the operating shaft 7 is pushed in the axial direction (in this case, the push direction) by a fixed distance T (0.5 mm in the present invention).

When the operation knob 14 is further pushed in from this state, the movement of the operation shaft 7 is stopped (stops when the movement reaches 0.5 mm).
The operation knob 14 is inserted in sliding contact with the operation portion 7a of the operation shaft 7. Then, when the lower surface of the operation knob 14 contacts the upper surface of the panel 13, the insertion of the operation knob 14 ends. At this time, the operation knob 1
The fourth fitting portion 14b is provided with a certain space portion 14c so that the tip of the operation shaft 7 does not come into contact with the bottom surface of the fitting portion 14b of the operation knob 14.

In this state, when the pushing force of the operating knob 14 is released, the operating shaft 7 returns by a predetermined distance T (0.5 mm) due to the returning force of its own spring member 10, and as a result, A constant gap size is always obtained between the lower surface of the operation knob 14 and the upper surface of the panel 13.

In the above embodiment, a certain space portion 14c is provided so that the tip of the operation shaft 7 does not contact the bottom surface of the fitting portion 14b of the operation knob 14. When the operation knob 14 is inserted into the operation shaft 7, when the lower surface of the operation knob 14 contacts the upper surface of the panel 13, the insertion of the operation knob 14 into the operation shaft 7 is completed. Since the operation shaft 7 is configured to always return from the state by a fixed gap size, the operation shaft 7 is not affected by variations in related parts such as variations in the length of the operation shaft 7 to which the operation knob 14 is attached. Since it is possible to always form a constant gap between the lower surface of the operation knob 14 and the surface of the panel 13, good operability can be obtained without impairing the commercial properties such as the appearance. What .

In the above embodiment, the rotary electric component is described as a rotary switch. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to a rotary encoder, a rotary volume, and the like. .

[0029]

As described above, in the mounting structure of the control panel operation knob of the present invention, the operation shaft is provided so as to be able to move a predetermined distance in the pressing direction with a load lighter than the pressing load for inserting the operation knob. When the operation knob is inserted into the operation shaft, after the movement of the operation shaft in the pressing direction is stopped, the insertion of the operation knob to the operation shaft is continued, and after the lower surface of the operation knob contacts the surface of the panel, Since the operation shaft is configured to return by a certain distance with the release of the pressing load of the operation knob, it is possible to always form a constant gap between the lower surface of the operation knob and the panel surface. Therefore, good operability can be obtained without impairing the merchantability such as the appearance.

Further, an urging member is provided at a fitting portion of the operation knob to the operation shaft, and the operation shaft is pressed against the urging member so that the operation knob is movably inserted in the pressing direction. The stable insertion load can be set with a simple structure.

Further, since the fitting portion of the operation knob is provided with a space for avoiding contact with the tip of the operation shaft, there is a variation in the length of the operation shaft to which the operation knob is attached, such as a variation in the length of the operation shaft. It is not affected by variations.

Further, since the rotary electric component has an operation axis capable of performing a combined operation of the rotation operation and the push operation, the position of the operation knob can be easily adjusted with one component, and good operability can be obtained. .

Further, since the rotary electric component is provided with a spring member for enabling the operation shaft to move in the axial direction, a stable moving load can be set with a simple structure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing a state in which an operation knob is attached to an operation shaft of a rotary electric component according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a rotary switch showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing a rotary switch showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the entire control panel device showing one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a design diagram of a panel showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a design diagram of a panel showing one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing 1a Mounting hole 2 Circuit board 3 Flat cable 4 Rotary switch (rotary electric component) 5 Case 5a Through hole 6 Connection terminal 7 Operation shaft 7a Operation part 7b Contact part 8 Bearing part 8a Screw groove 9 Cover 9a Mounting leg 9b Fixing piece 10 Spring member 11 Nut 12 Washer 13 Panel 13a Insertion hole 13b Design 13c Hook part 14 Operation knob 14a Index 14b Fitting part 14c Space 15 Energizing member 16 Base panel 16a Window 16b Lock hole

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A panel having an insertion hole, an operation shaft, a rotary electric component having the operation shaft inserted through the insertion hole, a housing to which the rotary electric component is attached, and An operation knob inserted into the fitting portion and disposed on a surface of the panel, wherein the operation shaft is provided so as to be movable by a predetermined distance in a pressing direction with a lighter load than a pressing load for inserting the operation knob. When the operation knob is inserted into the operation shaft, after the movement of the operation shaft in the pressing direction stops, the insertion of the operation knob to the operation shaft is continued, and the lower surface of the operation knob is A control panel operation knob mounting structure, wherein the operation shaft is returned by a certain distance after the pressing load of the operation knob is released after contacting the surface of the panel. 2. An urging member is provided at a fitting portion of the operation knob to the operation shaft, and the operation shaft is pressed against the urging member so that the operation knob can move in the pressing direction. The mounting structure for an operation knob for a control panel according to claim 1, wherein the operation knob is inserted into the control panel. 3. The control panel according to claim 1, wherein the fitting portion of the operation knob is provided with a space for avoiding contact with the tip of the operation shaft. Mounting structure of operation knob. 4. A control panel operation knob according to claim 1, wherein said rotary electric component has an operation shaft capable of performing a combined operation of a rotation operation and a push operation. Construction. 5. The rotary electric component is provided with a spring member for enabling the operation shaft to move in the axial direction. Mounting structure of the control knob for the control panel.