JP2003346588A - Push switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a push switch which prevents operability from being lowered. <P>SOLUTION: The push switch 1 comprises a pressing section 11 contained in a through hole 10 formed through a front panel 7 of an electronic device 2, and a supporting section 12 for slidably supporting the section 11. The section 1 includes a parallel part 13 and a projection part 14 projecting from the corner 13b of the part 13. The section 12 includes a supporting wall 16 connected to the inner edge of the hole 10 and a contact wall 17 connected to the adjacent wall 16. The part 14 is brought into contact with the wall 17 each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a push switch mounted on an electronic device such as an audio device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various kinds of car audio devices such as a Compact Disk (hereinafter referred to as a CD) player, an MD (Mini disc) player, and an AM / FM tuner are mounted on an automobile. As the car audio device described above,
For example, an electronic device is used in which the MD player and the AM / FM tuner are housed in one housing.

[0003] The above-described electronic apparatus is composed of an apparatus main body formed in a flat box shape, and MD and A stored in the apparatus main body.
A reproduction mechanism for reproducing the M / FM tuner is provided. The electronic device is provided with a plurality of push switches for operating an MD player and an AM / FM tuner on the surface of the device body. For example, the push switch 10 shown in FIG.
1 is used.

[0006] The push switch 101 illustrated in FIG.
Through-hole 11 penetrating device main body 104 of electronic device 102
And a pressing portion 111 that is housed in the housing 0 and pressed by a user or the like, and is provided at the inner edge of the through hole 110 and slidably supports the pressing portion 111 in a direction of protruding and retracting from the surface 104 a of the device main body 104. A support portion 112 that
A contact (not shown) provided inside the device main body 104 from the pressing portion 111 is provided.

[0005] The pressing portion 111 has a rectangular shape in plan view. The surface 111a of the pressing portion 111 is parallel to the surface 104a of the device main body 104. The longitudinal direction of the pressing portion 111 is along the width direction of the device main body 104. On the surface 111a of the pressing portion 111, a mark 115 indicating the function of the pressing switch 101 is formed. Pressing part 111
Are provided with a pair of protrusions 114 at each corner.

[0006] One of the pair of protrusions 114 provided at each corner portion extends from the corner to the pressing portion 11 along the width direction of the electronic device 102, that is, the longitudinal direction of the pressing portion 111.
1 protrudes outward. The other protrusion 114 protrudes outward from the pressing portion 111 from the corner along the thickness direction of the electronic device 102, that is, the width direction of the pressing portion 111.

The support section 112 has a plurality of walls 116 connected to the inner edge of the through hole 110. These walls 1
Reference numeral 16 is opposed to the outer edge of the pressing portion 111 at an interval, and is parallel to the outer edge of the pressing portion 111. Further, the above-mentioned wall 116 is provided on the surface 104 of the device main body 104.
A extends from the inner edge of the through hole 110 toward the inside of the device main body 104 along the direction perpendicular to the direction a.

At both ends of the wall 116, support walls 117 are provided.
Is provided. The support wall 117 is parallel to the wall 116 and protrudes from the wall 116 toward the inside of the through hole 110. As shown in FIG. 8, the protrusions 114 are in contact with the support walls 117, respectively.

The above-mentioned contact is located on the surface 1 of the device main body 104.
The pressing portion 111 is biased in a direction protruding from the portion 04a. The contact point is that the surface 111a of the pressing portion 111 is
It is open in a state protruding from the surface 104a of the cover 04.
The contact is closed by the pressing portion 111 being pressed inside the device main body 104.

[0010] The push switch 101 having the above-described structure is configured such that the support wall 117 and the protrusion 114 come into contact with each other,
The pressing portion 111 is slidable along a direction orthogonal to the surface 104 a of the device main body 104. Pressing part 111
Is pressed inside the device main body 104 against the urging force of the contact, so that the push switch 101 outputs various signals for operating the above-described MD player and AM / FM tuner from the contact.

[0011]

In the above-described conventional push switch 101, the protrusion 114 protrudes outward from the corner of the push portion 111 along the longitudinal direction and the width direction of the push portion 111, respectively. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9, in the cross section along the diagonal line of the pressing portion 111, the pressing portion 1
11 and the corner of the support 112 are spaced from each other. Therefore, for example, when the pressing portion 111 is pressed at the position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 10, the surface 111 a of the pressing portion 111 is inclined with respect to the surface 104 a of the device main body 104. The pressing part 111 is the main body 10 of the device.
4 may be pushed inward.

At this time, when the user stops pressing the pressing portion 111 and the pressing portion 111 is pushed outward by the urging force of the contact, the surface 10
In the state where 4a and 111a intersect, the protrusion 114 and the support wall 117 may be caught. In this case, the urging force of the contact makes it difficult for the surface 111a of the pressing portion 111 to return to a state in which it protrudes from the surface 104a of the device main body 104, and the operability tends to be reduced.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a push switch which can prevent the operability from lowering.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a push switch provided on a main body of a device, wherein the push portion is operated by a push operation.
In a press switch comprising a support portion that slidably supports the press portion in the front-rear direction of the device main body, the press portion has a polygonal planar shape and a center of the press portion. A plurality of protruding portions protruding from the corner along a straight line passing through the corner, and the support portion has a contact portion with which the tips of the plurality of protruding portions contact. .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a push switch according to the first aspect, wherein the distal end is formed in an arc shape.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a push switch according to the first or second aspect, wherein the contact portion has a contact wall that contacts the tip portion, and an inner surface of the contact wall. A part of the contact with the tip portion crosses the straight line.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a push switch according to the first or second aspect, wherein the contact wall has a contact wall that contacts the tip portion, and an inner surface of the contact wall. Is characterized in that a part in contact with the tip portion is orthogonal to the straight line.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a push switch according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, wherein the plurality of projecting portions are formed over the entire length of the device body in the front-rear direction. The contact wall is provided on the support portion over the entire length of the device body in the front-rear direction.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the plurality of projecting portions project from the corner of the pressing portion along a straight line passing through the center and the corner of the pressing portion. The contact part of the support part contacts the protruding part. In this way, since the contact portion is in contact with the protrusion protruding from the corner, on the diagonal line of the pressing portion,
It is possible to prevent the surface of the pressing portion from being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body. In addition, the front-back direction of the device main body is a direction crossing (perpendicular to) the surface of the device main body.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the tip of the projecting portion is formed in an arc shape. For this reason, in particular, it is possible to prevent the surface of the pressing portion from being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body on the diagonal line of the pressing portion, and it is possible to slide the pressing portion smoothly.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the inner surface of the contact wall intersects with a straight line passing through the center and the corner of the pressing portion, the tip of the protruding portion and the inner surface of the contact wall. And make sure contact. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the surface of the pressing portion from being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body, particularly on the diagonal line of the pressing portion.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the inner surface of the contact wall is orthogonal to the straight line passing through the center and the corner of the pressing portion, the tip of the protruding portion and the inner surface of the contact wall are in contact with each other. Contact more reliably. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the surface of the pressing portion from being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body, particularly on the diagonal line of the pressing portion.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the protrusion and the contact wall are provided over the entire length of the pressing portion in the sliding direction. For this reason, the pressing portion can reliably slide in the front-rear direction of the device main body without the surface of the pressing portion being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body.

[0024]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A push switch according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The push switch 1 is used, for example, in the electronic device 2 shown in FIGS. The electronic device 2 is mounted on, for example, an instrument panel (hereinafter, referred to as an instrument panel) of an automobile as a moving body.

The electronic device 2 has an MD (Minutes) as a recording medium.
ni. disc player, which reproduces information stored in the MD and outputs it as audio, or an AM / FM tuner which receives AM / FM broadcast radio waves and outputs the received information as audio. And so on.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 2 includes a device main body 4 and an MD player or A
An M / FM tuner and the like are provided. The device body 4 includes a case portion 6 formed in a flat box shape, and FIG.
And a front panel 7 attached to the middle front side.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the MD is inserted into the case 6, that is, the inside of the main body 4, and the MD stored in the main body 4 is discharged onto the front surface 7 a of the front panel 7. An insertion port 8 for opening is provided. The plane shape of the insertion port 8 is formed in a rectangular shape. The longitudinal direction of the insertion slot 8 is along the width direction of the electronic device 2. The insertion slot 8
The width of the electronic device 2 along the thickness direction is larger than the thickness of the MD, and the width of the electronic device 2 along the width direction is larger than the width of the MD. The front surface 7a of the front panel 7
Represents the surface of the device main body 4.

On the front surface 7a of the front panel 7, a plurality of push switches 1 and a plurality of dial switches 9 are mounted. These switches 1 and 9 are used to operate an MD player, an AM / FM tuner, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the push switch 1 is housed in a rectangular through-hole 10 having a flat shape penetrating the front panel 7 of the device main body 4 of the electronic device 2 and is operated by a user or the like. And a supporting portion provided on the inner edge of the through hole 10 and slidably supporting the pressing portion 11 in a direction intersecting the surface 7a of the front panel 7 (indicated by an arrow S in FIG. 5). And a contact (not shown) provided inside the device main body 4 from the pressing portion 11. The arrow S indicates the device main body 4 described in this specification.
In the front-back direction. That is, the front-rear direction of the device main body 4 is a direction crossing (orthogonal to) the surface of the device main body 4, and in the illustrated example, a direction of inserting and removing the MD.

The pressing portion 11 is provided on the main body 4 of the apparatus, and is supported by the supporting portion 12 on the front panel 7 indicated by an arrow S in FIG.
Is slidably supported along a direction perpendicular to the surface 7a of the device main body 4, that is, the surface of the device main body 4. The pressing portion 11 slides along the arrow S, so that a surface 13 a of a parallel portion 13 described later slides in a direction orthogonal to the surface 7 a of the front panel 7. In this specification, when the front surface 13a protrudes and retracts from the front surface 7a of the front panel 7, that is, the surface of the device main body 4, the pressing portion 11 is referred to as sliding in the front-rear direction of the device main body 4. That is, the arrow S is the direction in which the pressing unit 11 slides.

The pressing portion 11 has a front surface 13 a having a front panel 7.
7a, that is, a parallel portion 13 parallel to the surface of the device body 4.
And a protruding portion 14 protruding outward from the parallel portion 13 from a corner 13b of the parallel portion 13. The surface 13a of the parallel portion 13 is formed in a rectangular shape whose planar shape is a polygon. For this reason, the pressing portion 11 has a polygonal planar shape. The longitudinal direction of the parallel portion 13 is
Along the width direction of the device main body 4. Surface 1 of parallel portion 13
A mark 15 indicating the function of the push switch 1 and the like is formed on 3a.

The protrusions 14 are provided at all corners 13 of the parallel portion 13.
b. Projection 1 projecting from each corner 13b
Numeral 4 protrudes radially from the corner 13b about the parallel portion 13, that is, the center C (shown in FIG. 3) of the pressing portion 11. The protruding portion 14 protrudes from the corner 13b along a straight line P (shown by a dashed line in FIG. 3) passing through the center C and the corner 13b.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the projecting portion 14 extends over the entire length of the arrow S to form the parallel portion 13, that is, the pressing portion 11.
At the corner 13b. 5 and 6, the boundary between the parallel portion 13 and the protruding portion 14 is indicated by a dotted line. However, the parallel portion 13 and the protruding portion 14 are integral, and there is no boundary between them in practice.

The parallel portion 13 of the protruding portion 14, that is, the tip portion 20 on the side remote from the corner 13b, is formed in an arc shape centered on the corner 13b as shown in FIG. The protruding portion 14 is formed in an arc shape in a cross section that intersects (perpendicularly) with the arrow S. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the projecting portion 14 is formed in the same shape over the entire length of the arrow S, and is formed in a rod shape when viewed from the side.

As shown in FIG. 3, the support section 12 includes a slide guide section 21 and a contact section 22, and is formed in a frame shape. The slide guide portion 21 includes a plurality of support walls 1.
6 is provided. The support walls 16 are each formed in a flat plate shape, and are connected to the respective inner edges of the rectangular through holes 10. The support wall 16 extends from the inner edge of the through hole 10 to the inside of the device main body 4 along a direction (arrow S) perpendicular to the surface 7 a of the front panel 7. These support walls 16
Is opposed to the outer edge of the parallel portion 13 of the pressing portion 11 at an interval, and is parallel to the outer edge of the parallel portion 13 of the pressing portion 11.

The contact portion 22 has a step 18 and a contact wall 17. The steps 18 are provided at both ends of the support wall 16. The step portion 18 protrudes from the support wall 16 toward the inside of the through-hole 10 and has a parallel surface 18 a parallel to the outer edge of the parallel portion 13 of the support wall 16, that is, the pressing portion 11.
It has. The tip portion 20 of the protrusion 14 is in contact with the parallel surface 18a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the contact wall 17 connects the step portions 18 of the adjacent support walls 16 to each other. That is, the contact wall 17 connects the adjacent support walls 16 via the step portion 18 to each other. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the contact wall 17 connects the adjacent support walls 16 to each other over the entire length of the support portion 12 along the arrow S. That is, the contact wall 1
Reference numeral 7 is provided on the support portion 12 over the entire length of the arrow S. 5 and 6 show the support wall 16 (step portion 1).
The boundary between 8) and the contact wall 17 is indicated by a chain line. However, the support wall 16 (step 18) and the contact wall 17 are integral, and in practice there is no boundary between them.

As shown in FIG. 4, an inner surface 17a of the contact wall 17 located inside the through hole 10 is flat along a direction orthogonal (intersecting) to the straight line P. That is, the inner surface 17
Part of the portion a in contact with the tip portion 20 intersects (orthogonally) the straight line P. The inner surface 17a is flat along a direction orthogonal to the front surface 7a of the front panel 7, as shown in FIGS. A part of the inner surface 17a of the contact wall 17 contacts a part of the outer surface of the distal end portion 20 of the protrusion 14 of the pressing portion 11 over the entire length of the arrow S. These contact walls 1
7 and a part of the outer surface of the distal end portion 20 of the protruding portion 14 of the pressing portion 11, the front panel 7, that is, the electronic device 2.
Point contact when viewed from the front. A part of the inner surface 17a of the contact wall 17 and a part of the outer surface of the distal end portion 20 of the protrusion 14 of the pressing portion 11 are in contact with each other over the entire length of the arrow S. Further, a part of the inner surface 17a of the contact wall 17 and a part of the outer surface of the distal end portion 20 of the protruding portion 14 of the pressing portion 11 are located on the straight line P described above. Thus, the tip portion 20 of the protruding portion 14 comes into contact with the contact portion 22. The contact wall 17 and the protruding portion 14 come into contact with each other, so that the pressing portion 11 is slidable along the arrow S with respect to the front panel 7.

The above-mentioned contacts are provided on the front surface 7a of the front panel 7.
The pressing portion 11 is urged in a direction to protrude from the pressing portion 11. The contact is open with the surface 13a of the parallel portion 13 of the pressing portion 11 protruding from the surface 7a of the front panel 7. The contact point is that the surface 13a of the parallel portion 13 of the pressing portion 11 is
Closes by being pushed inside.

The push switch 1 having the above-described structure includes a part of the inner surface 17 a of the contact wall 17 and a tip end 20 of the projection 14.
Contact with a part of the outer surface, and the parallel surface 18a and the tip 2
0 makes contact with the front panel 7.
Is slidable along an arrow S perpendicular to the surface 7a of the first member. By pressing the pressing portion 11 against the urging force of the contact point, as shown in FIG. 6, the pressing switch 1 is used to operate the MD player, AM / FM tuner, and the like described above. Various signals are output from the contacts.

According to the configuration described above, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the cross section along the diagonal line of the parallel portion 13 of the pressing portion 11, the protruding portion 14 and the contact wall 17 are in contact with each other. Furthermore, the parallel surface 18a and the tip 20 are in contact. For this reason, even if the portion near one corner 13 b of the parallel portion 13 indicated by the dashed line Q in FIG. 3 is pushed inside the device main body 4, and the pressing portion 11 is slid along the arrow S, the pressing portion 11 The surface 13a of the parallel portion 13 and the surface 7a of the front panel 7 can be prevented from tilting with each other.

According to the present embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 14 extend along the straight line P passing through the center C and the corner 13b.
Projecting from the corner 13b. The distal end portion 20 of the protruding portion 14 comes into contact with the contact wall 17 connecting the adjacent support walls 16 to each other. Further, the inner surface 17a of the contact wall 17 is orthogonal to the straight line P. The protrusion 14 and the contact wall 17 are indicated by arrows S
Are provided on the pressing portion 11 and the supporting portion 12 over the entire length of the supporting member.

Since the projecting portion 14 and the contact wall 17 are in contact with each other, the surface 13a of the parallel portion 13 of the pressing portion 11 is brought into contact with the surface 7a of the front panel 7 particularly on the diagonal line of the pressing portion 11. It can be prevented from tilting. Therefore, the pressing portion 11 can slide on the front panel 7, that is, the device main body 4, without the surface 13 a of the parallel portion 13 being inclined with respect to the surface 7 a of the front panel 7. For this reason, the front panel 7
The protrusion 13 and the contact wall 17 can be prevented from being caught in a state in which the surface 13a of the parallel portion 13 is inclined with respect to the surface 7a of the device, and the pressing portion 11 can be reliably slid with respect to the device body 4. Therefore, operability can be prevented from being reduced. Further, the distal end portion 20 of the protruding portion 14 is in contact with the parallel surface 18 a of the step portion 18.

The distal end 20 of the projection 14 is formed in an arc shape. The pressing portion 11 can be slid smoothly, and the pressing portion 11 can be reliably slid with respect to the front panel 7, that is, the device main body 4.

In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is used in the electronic device 2 which is mounted on an automobile or the like and contains an MD as a recording medium. However, in the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the MD, but may be a CD, a CD-ROM, a DVD (Digital Vers.
Of course, the present invention can be applied to an electronic device that accommodates various recording media such as an atile disc) and a DVD-ROM. Further, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to various electronic devices. Further, the planar shape of the parallel portion 13, that is, the pressing portion 11, may be formed in any polygonal shape.

[0046]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the protrusion protruding from the pressing portion along the straight line passing through the center and the corner of the pressing portion is in contact with the contact portion. . For this reason, it is possible to prevent the surface of the pressing portion from being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body on the diagonal line of the pressing portion.

Therefore, the pressing portion can slide on the device main body without the surface of the pressing portion being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the protrusion and the contact wall from being caught in a state where the surface of the pressing portion is inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body, and to reliably slide the pressing portion with respect to the device main body. Therefore, operability can be prevented from being reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the tip of the protruding portion is formed in an arc shape. For this reason, in addition to being able to prevent the surface of the pressing portion from being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body, the pressing portion can be slid smoothly, and the pressing portion can be reliably slid with respect to the device main body. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the operability from lowering.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since a part of the inner surface of the contact wall intersects with a straight line passing through the center and the corner of the pressing portion, the tip of the projecting portion and the contact wall are formed. Contact with the inner surface of the Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the surface of the pressing portion from being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body, particularly on the diagonal line of the pressing portion.

Therefore, the pressing portion can be slid to the device main body without the surface of the pressing portion being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the protrusion and the contact wall from being caught in a state where the surface of the pressing portion is inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body, and to reliably slide the pressing portion with respect to the device main body. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the operability from lowering.

According to the present invention, the inner surface of the contact wall is orthogonal to the straight line connecting the center and the corner of the pressing portion. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the surface of the pressing portion from being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body on the diagonal line of the pressing portion.

Therefore, the pressing portion can be slid to the device main body without the surface of the pressing portion being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the protrusion and the contact wall from being caught in a state where the surface of the pressing portion is inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body, and to reliably slide the pressing portion with respect to the device main body. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the operability from lowering.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the projecting portion and the contact wall are provided over the entire length of the pressing portion in the sliding direction. Therefore, the pressing portion can be slidable on the device main body without the surface of the pressing portion being inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent the operability from lowering.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic apparatus including a push switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the electronic apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a front cross-section of the push switch shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing an IV section in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 3;

6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a pressing portion of the pressing switch shown in FIG. 5 is pressed inside the device main body.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional front view of a conventional push switch.

8 is an enlarged view showing a portion VIII in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the surface of a pressing portion of the pressing switch shown in FIG. 9 is inclined with respect to the surface of the device main body.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Push switch 2 Electronic equipment 4 Equipment body 7a Surface (the surface of the device body) 10 Through hole 11 Pressing part 12 Support 13 Parallel part 13a surface 13b corner 14 Projection 16 Support wall 17 Contact wall 17a inside 20 Tip 22 Contact part P straight line S direction to sink C Center of pressing part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A pressing switch provided on a device main body and provided with a pressing portion that is pressed and operated, and a supporting portion that supports the pressing portion slidably in a front-rear direction of the device main body, wherein the pressing portion includes: The planar shape is formed in a polygonal shape, and has a plurality of protruding portions protruding from the corner along a straight line passing through the center of the pressing portion and each corner, and the supporting portion includes the plurality of protruding portions. A push switch having a contact portion with which a tip portion of the portion contacts. 2. The push switch according to claim 1, wherein said tip portion is formed in an arc shape. 3. The contact portion has a contact wall that contacts the tip portion, and a part of the inner surface of the contact wall that contacts the tip portion intersects the straight line. 3. The push switch according to claim 1, wherein 4. The contact wall has a contact wall that contacts the tip, and a part of the inner surface of the contact wall that contacts the tip is orthogonal to the straight line. 3. The push switch according to claim 1, wherein 5. The device according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of protrusions are provided on the pressing portion over the entire length of the device body in the front-rear direction, and the contact wall is provided on the support portion over the entire length of the device body in the front-rear direction. 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein
The press switch according to any one of claims 1 to 4.